76ers Struggle; Trouble In Hollywood? Thoughts From Day 3!
My thoughts/opinions from Day 3 of the NBA restart in the bubble.
After an action packed Day 3 of the NBA restart, it’s time I give my thoughts and opinions for every team.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat won their first game in the bubble against the Denver Nuggets. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
The Nuggets cruised to a victory against the Nuggets after outscoring them by 16 in the 3rd quarter. The Heat won their first game 125-105.
Offensively the Heat shot 56% from the field and 45% from 3. They got to the line a lot as they were 32/37 from the line. The Heat had 50 points in the paint and only 15 turnovers.
Defensively they allowed the Nuggets to shoot 44% from the field and just 23% from 3. The Nuggets were 19/24 from the line however. They forced the Nuggets into 19 turnovers only allowed them to score 30+ points in a quarter once.
So the Heat were great offensively and defensively as they controlled this game with their lock-down defense and capitalized with their efficient offense.
Jimmy Butler had 22 points and 7 assists for the Heat. Bam Adebayo had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The two All-Star Forwards were great for the Heat and they really set the tone. Kelly Olynyk had 20 points off the bench and that was a nice spark. Duncan Robinson had 17 points, Kendrick Nunn had 11 points, and Goran Dragic had 13 points and 5 assists. The Heat had great play from their supporting cast as well.
Conclusion
The Heat played great offensively and defensively and they really controlled the game against the Nuggets for their first win in the bubble. Butler and Adebayo showed us why they were All-Stars with two great performances and they had some supporting cast help as well. The Heat couldn’t play much better than they did tonight, and they should try and build off of this going into the rest of their seeding games and the NBA playoffs.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets lost their first game in the bubble to the Heat. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
The Nuggets were without three key guards in Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris. Without these 3, the Nuggets were losing two solid defenders in Barton and Harris and the counterpart to Nikola Jokic in Jamal Murray. And they missed them as they lost 125-105 to the Heat in their first game in the bubble.
Offensively the Nuggets struggled as they shot 44% from the field and 23% from 3. Without those 3 guards the Nuggets were 8/35 from 3 which desperately needs to improve going forward. The Nuggets did manage to get the line 24 times and they made 19 of them (79%). The Nuggets also had 19 turnovers which was much too high.
Defensively they were poor as they allowed the Heat to shoot 56% from the field and 45% from 3. They did not play defense without fouling as the Heat were 32/37 from the line. The Nuggets did force the Heat into 15 turnovers which is good, if you don’t commit 19 yourselves. Bam Adebayo was able to eat down low despite the size of the Nuggets. Without 3 guards, the perimeter was a very tough place to guard for the Nuggets.
I think lots of the problems from the Nuggets can be fixed with a completely healthy lineup, but if not things could get messy.
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Nuggets and Jerami Grant added 19. Other than that, nobody really played all that well. Again, the Nuggets are going to need to be healthy in order to be successful.
Conclusion
The Nuggets were a mess out there tonight against the Heat as they never really got a grasp on the game. There offense and defense were both poor and without their 3 main guards, it was tough. I think the #1 thing that the Nuggets should focus on is defense. Even without those 3 guards the defense should not be that bad. Especially in the paint where they have so many guys to throw down there. Millsap, Jokic, Plumlee, Bol Bol, Vonleh. All of these guys can help with the interior defense. The Nuggets have lots to work on going forward, but they need their guards back to be headed in the right direction.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz lost their 2nd game in the bubble against the OKC Thunder. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Jazz looked abysmal against the OKC Thunder as they were unable to get anything going. The offense was bad and so was the defense. They were never in this game and now you might start to have some concerns going forward.
The Jazz were the first team in the bubble to score under 100 points this season, and they were ice cold on offense. They scored just 15 points in the first quarter and things only got marginally better. They shot just 39% from the field and 26% from 3. They were 18/22 from the line which was about the only positive. They had 14 turnovers which is ok. It was an all-around abysmal game for Utah on offense.
The defense was not much better as the Thunder scored 110 points. The Thunder shot 53% from the field and 39% from 3. The Thunder were also 18/24 from the line. The Jazz could not stop the 3-guard set of Paul, SGA, and Dennis Schroder. The Jazz allowed the Thunder to get 11 offensive rebounds which is far to many. They did force the Thunder into 21 turnovers, but they did not do much with those opportunities. The defense needs a lot of work as well for the Jazz.
Nobody scored over 15 points for Utah today, and that is a very bad sign. Nobody could get anything going. In the 1st half against the Pelicans it was the same problem. The Jazz need to get into a rhythm or at least a couple players need to. Otherwise they are going to be in big, big, trouble.
Conclusion
The Jazz played horrible offense and defense yesterday. They could not score the ball and they could not slow down the Thunder either. The Jazz have only played 24 minutes of good basketball in the bubble. Without Bojan Bogdanovic they have looked very mediocre. In the remaining 6 seeding games they better get their act together since they are likely going to fall down the standings if they don’t start winning.
OKC Thunder
The Thunder won their first game in the bubble against the Jazz. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
The Thunder had a wire to wire victory against the Jazz in a game that was never competitive.
Offensively the Thunder were great. They have the weapons of Paul, Schroder, Alexander, Gallinari and they really put them to work as they shot 53% from the field. They shot 39% from 3 as well. They were 18/24 from the line. The one problem with the Thunder was that they did have 21 turnovers. But other than that everything was clicking for the Thunder on the offensive end.
Defensively the Thunder were great holding the Jazz to 39% from the field and 26% from 3. The Jazz were 18/22 from the line. The Thunder had 8 blocks and 9 steals, so they were very active defensively. The Jazz had 14 turnovers as well. So, the Thunder have some room for improvement on the defensive end, but they did a solid job overall.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 19 points and 6 assists. CP-3 had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. He was the real MVP for the Thunder as he really set the tone on the offensive end. Steven Adams had a double-double. Schroder and Gallinari were also very solid. The Thunder were spreading the wealth today and it showed with a balanced scoring attack.
The Thunder were very good on both ends as they controlled the Jazz all day long. CP-3 and company were very efficient on offense, although a little sloppy with 21 turnovers. Defensively they shut down the Jazz and made them take tough shots. There is room for improvement, but the Thunder should be very happy with their game 1 performance from the bubble.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans lost their 2nd game in the bubble to the LA Clippers. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Pelicans never had a chance in this game. Even though the Clippers were short-handed, the Pelicans just got blown out from the tip.
Offensively the Pelicans never got it going. Brandon Ingram struggled, Jrue Holiday struggled, everybody struggled. The Clippers showed what it takes to be the best team in the NBA (because they are). The Pelicans just looked uncomfortable right out of the gates and were just trying to climb out of a hole for the rest of the game.
Defensively it was horrendous. The perimeter was basically wide open for the whole game as the Clippers reigned 3’s from left, right, and center. The Clippers shot 43% from the field, but before garbage time that number was much higher. The Clippers were 25/47 from 3, shooting 53% from long range. Yeah, you won’t win to many games if your opponent shoots like that. The Pelicans aren’t exactly a good defensive team, but you certainly expected more from a team trying to make the playoffs.
Only one player scored over 15 points and that was Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Brandon Ingram had 14 points on 5/11 shooting in 24 minutes. Ingram played ok in the 3rd, but he was awful in the 1st half. Zion Williamson had his worst day as a pro as he only had 7 points on 3/7 shooting. Williamson only played 14 minutes partly because of the ‘burst’ restriction and partly because the game was a blowout. Williamson did roll his ankle, but is fine. Derrick Favors was ok, but bad on defense. Just an all-around piss-poor performance from the Pelicans.
Conclusion
The Pelicans never had a shot at this game against the Clippers. Right out of the gate they were taken out of their game and never recovered. Nobody played well, and on both sides of the ball, they looked lost. There seemed to be no urgency from a team needing every win that they can get for a spot in the playoffs. Nonetheless, can’t understate how bad a game it was for New Orleans.
LA Clippers
The LA Clippers won their 2nd game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Clippers avenged the loss to the Lakers two nights ago. They dominated the Pelicans without Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, and it didn’t even matter in the slightest that they were gone.
Offensively the Clippers shot 43% from the field, again that number was higher before garbage time came. They were 25/47 from 3, shooting 53%. The 25 3’s is a new franchise record for 3’s in a game. They were 27/35 from the line as well. The Clippers had 23 assists, but only 20 points in the paint. So it was a perimeter show for the Clips.
Defensively the Clippers were great. They didn’t let anybody get a rhythm as nobody on the Pelicans had a good game. The Pelicans shot 45% from the field, but that number was considerably lower before the 4th quarter. The Pelicans shot just 30% from 3. The Clippers forced them into 18 turnovers. So, it was a good night on the defensive end as well.
Paul George had 28 points on 8/11 shooting from 3. He has been playing amazing in the bubble so far. Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. A more complete game from Kawhi, but still very solid. Reggie Jackson had 15, but Marcus Morris and Landry Shamet played much better than they did against the Lakers. Both Morris and Shamet had 9 points. If they played like this, then the Clippers would be 2-0 in the bubble.
Conclusion
You can’t play much better than the Clippers did today. They were shooting well, and playing great defense. PG-13 and Kawhi were great and they had some more help. The Clippers are a very scary team and they are missing Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. With those two guys, it will be be very tough to stop the Clippers.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers lost their first game in the bubble against the Indiana Pacers. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
With the time off, many expected the 76ers to be rested and much improved. Nope, it was more of the same. The new lineup of Shake Milton at point guard and Ben Simmons at power forward didn’t seem to be working. The Pacers and their depleted lineup somehow managed to beat the 76ers. The 76ers are a mess!
Offensively the 76ers were fine. Joel Embiid was a monster, and Tobias Harris was great. The offense was not the problem and it never has been. The 76ers shot 50% from the field and 36% from 3. They had 68 points in the paint and they were 20/25 from the foul line. Again, the offense is fine.
Defense was the problem. Without Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon, the 76ers should have been able to zero in on the other two decent players for the Pacers – TJ Warren and Victor Oladipo. And yet the 76ers still lost the game because TJ Warren went off, more on that later. The Pacers shot 51% from the field and 41% from 3. The Pacers only had 10 turnovers. It was a bad defensive night for the 76ers.
Joel Embiid had 41 points and 21 rebounds with Sabonis there to guard him. Tobias Harris had 30 points and 8 rebounds as well. Ben Simmons had a double-double. But, Shake Milton had 0 points in 19 minutes of action, and Josh Richardson had 4 points in 30 minutes. I think that these two guys should be playing much better for the 76ers. They are very key in the success of the team. Even if one of them played decently, the 76ers would have won this game.
Conclusion
The 76ers had some bright spots, but there were also dark spots. The defense needs to be much better and they can’t allow one guy to completely ruin their game. The 76ers should have started off with an easy win against the depleted Pacers squad, but instead they lost because of poor defense and poor supporting pieces.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers won their first game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
Without Sabonis and Brogdon, I did not expect much from the Pacers in this game. The season has been filled with injuries and the Pacers have shown that they can be a good team at times, but mediocre at others. But today, they showed us all wrong.
Offensively the Pacers were good. They shot 51% from the field and 41% from 3. 17/23 from line… yeah that’s good and all. But TJ Warren kind of scored 53. That always helps. No but seriously… how? Anyway, the Pacers played pretty good on offense, although don’t think this will happen again.
Defensively it was going to be tough with Brogdon and Sabonis, both of whom are good defenders. And they did not do a great job without the two of them on the floor. The 76ers shot 50% from the field and 36% from 3. But the main thing was that the 76ers had 68 paint points. This cannot happen again, much too many easy points at point blank range. Not a recipe for success.
TJ Warren had a career-high 53 points to lead the Pacers. Oladipo and Aaron Holiday played ok, but it was the TJ Warren show. Warren is one of the most underrated players in the league, and the Suns gave him up for cash considerations. Nice job.
Conclusion
The Pacers got a good win, but there is much they can improve, mainly on the defensive end. They can’t allow so many easy baskets. Obviously if Brogdon and Sabonis come back, then the offense and the defense will be much better, but there is a lot of promising things for the Pacers to build off from this game.
LA Lakers
The LA Lakers lost their 2nd game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Lakers came out very slow against the defending champs. Playing against a much healthier team in the Raptors, it took the Lakers a while to get going. The shots were not falling like on Thursday against the Clippers, and the Lakers fell apart in the 4th quarter and lost the game.
Offensively the Lakers were poor as the shots were not falling. They shot just 35% from the field and were 10/40 from 3-point range (25%). I think that this is not a normal thing for the Lakers, who are normally a pretty good shooting team. Sure the Raptors played good defense, but the Lakers also weren’t hitting many of their shots. The Lakers also had 17 turnovers and only had 34 paint points, which is low for a team as big as the Lakers are.
Defensively, they were ok. Obviously they don’t have too much perimeter defense, so Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet both played well. The Raptors shot 42% from the field and 41% from 3. The Raptors were also 23/26 from the line. The Raptors had 24 assists and were moving the ball very well. There were numerous times where the Lakers broke down defensively and let open shots go down. I think that if the Lakers tighten up their ship, they should be fine defensively.
Lebron James struggled in the first half, but finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kyle Kuzma again played well and finished with 16 points. But Anthony Davis was very quiet. He only had 14 points and 6 rebounds. He didn’t look very aggressive and went away from the Raptors defense. This cannot happen often for the Lakers. Lebron is Lebron. Points aside, James will give you some playmaking. But AD is all about scoring and rebounding. If he is not scoring at a decent clip, then the Lakers are in some deep water. The Lakers better hope this was a one-time thing.
Conclusion
The Lakers played pretty ok today, and obviously when your shots are not falling, you can’t really do much about. I think that AD needs to be more aggressive and assert his dominance and he absolutely cannot play like he did tonight otherwise the Lakers will be in big, big trouble. Defensively the Lakers were ok it’s just that without Avery Bradley it’s tough to guard the perimeter. And they don’t exactly have any reasonable replacements. So the Lakers might get burned by teams like the Raptors with elite guards. The Lakers have a lot of things to look over after losing to the defending champs.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors won their first game in the bubble. Here is what I thought of their first performance.
The Raptors put on a defensive clinic as they locked down the Lakers. The Raptors had already beaten the Lakers earlier this season, and did it again in the bubble. Paired with smothering defense, a daily dose of Kyle Lowry throughout the game was key in the win for the defending champs.
Offensively the Raptors were solid as they shot 42% from the field and 41% from 3. The Raptors were very good at the line as they shot 23/26. The Raptors had 24 assists which was well evident by there frantic ball movement. The Raptors were just great on offense all-around, and they really made the Lakers work for it on the defensive end.
Defensively is where the Raptors were truly amazing. They held the Lakers to just 35% from the field and 25% from 3. Yes the Lakers were missing open shots, but the Raptors were making it tough on the Lakers, especially down low. Anthony Davis was a non-factor all night long as the Lakers only had 34 points in the paint. The Lakers were also forced into 17 turnovers. A great defensive night for the Raptors.
Kyle Lowry stole the spotlight with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. He was great on offense and defense and made multiple big plays down the stretch. OG Anunoby had 23 points as he benefited from multiple defensive breakdowns from the Lakers. He also played great defense. Pascal Siakam was quiet with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Fred VanVleet was also quiet, but he contributed. Not too much help from the bench, but the Raptors didn’t need much of it as their starters were great.
Conclusion
The Raptors were solid on offense, but they shut down one of the better offenses in the league and held a top-10 player in Anthony Davis is check. The defense was very, very impressive. The offense could use some beefing up, but is was very good. The defending Raptors have now beaten the Lakers twice this season, and many people think that this could be a potential Finals matchup. The Raptors are showing the NBA word that there is no ‘darkhorse’ next to there name.
What are you thoughts/opinions from Day 3 in the NBA Restart. Leave a comment down below.
Later today I will be posting the Game-Day report for Day 4 of the NBA Restart, so stay tuned.
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