Rockets Lose 8th Straight; What Has Happened To Memphis? 2.22.21
It’s a Monday night of NBA basketball, and we have 6 games on the schedule today.
Chicago Bulls vs Houston Rockets
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls did what they were supposed to do. The game was somewhat close in the first half, but 46 points in the 3rd gave them the win. And it wasn’t just Zach Lavine scoring wise in this game, he didn’t even have double digits in the first half. Guys like Coby White, Wendell Carter, and Thaddeous Young played well. It’s good that the Bulls become less Lavine reliant, even without Markkanen on the floor. The Bulls continue to stay within the 10 potential playoff spots, as if they can become less Lavine reliant, they put themselves in a place to be successful.
Houston Rockets
That’s 8 straight losses for the Rockets. That’s not even the longest streak in the league (sorry Cleveland).
Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies
It feels good to be right. This game wasn’t as close as the final score suggests, Dallas was ahead throughout. This Grizzlies team continues to struggle with offensive consistency, as they have been dropping in the standings.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs were without Porzingis in this game, but it didn’t matter. Their offense was good, and their defense never allowed Memphis to get going. Luka wasn’t anything special in this game, but Hardaway hit 7 3’s off the bench for 29 points. Richardson added 17. Brunson added 19. Good all around offensive effort. If the Mavs get this much production without Luka playing great and without KP even playing, they will be good. Dallas is now 14-15 on the year, as they are 6-2 in their last 8 games. Dallas takes on Boston tomorrow.
Miami Heat vs OKC Thunder
Miami Heat
This game was one that the Heat were losing for a while, before they decided to show up. Their defense was getting torched by SGA and shots just weren’t falling in the first half were they trailed by 9. But they stopped the bleeding immediately in the 3rd with 34 points and their defense was much better. They held OKC scoreless in the 4th until the 6:22 mark, where they were up 17. Robinson, Nunn, and Adebayo were all great leading the way for the Heat. The Heat finish this long road-trip 4-3, and they’ve won 3 straight. Maybe this can get them going before the March break.
OKC Thunder
Well, at you tried.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers aren’t going to beat good teams like the Suns when they’re missing everybody that they are missing. There’s no shame in losing, the Suns are very good. The Blazers are getting closer to getting guys back, but it’s key that they survive this stretch until the All-Star break. Hopefully they don’t fall too far down the standings, but they might fall down a spot of two. Portland is now 18-12 on the year.
Phoenix Suns
The Blazers are short-handed, so it’s not all that impressive, but the Suns played really well. Booker continues to play very well and efficient, as he had 34 points. Guys like Bridges and Ayton were solid, and even though Chris Paul was 1/9, the Suns won comfortably. The Suns are a very good team on both ends, and they will be a threat in the postseason. The Suns improve to 20-10 on the year.
Charlotte Hornets vs Utah Jazz
Charlotte Hornets
Believe it or not, this game was close. The Hornets offense was rolling. They couldn’t stop the Jazz, but the Jazz couldn’t stop them. Guys like Hayward and Ball were leading the way, but at the end of the 3rd the Hornets started to slow down and the Jazz came roaring back. And in the 4th it was all Utah. The Jazz outscored Charlotte by 21 points as their offense just couldn’t keep up with Utah’s. Ball, Hayward, and Monk each had 20+ points, but defense continues to be a problem with this team. They’ll have to figure it out on that end in order to do anything. Charlotte falls to 15-15 on the year.
Utah Jazz
This game was close for 36 minutes, as Utah was sloppy on both ends. Their usually solid defense was getting shredded and they were having miscues that they hadn’t seen in a long time. But in the 2nd half, they turned things on, especially defensively. In the 4th, they opened up with great defense and jumped out to a big lead they never relinquished. Utah scored 41 4th quarter points, as they got another win. 3 Jazz players off the bench had 20+ points, which is insane. Clarkson had 20, Ingles had 21 points with 7 3’s, and George Niang was 7/7 from 3. Mitchell led the way for the balanced starters, as this team has been so good this season. They shot 51% from the 3-PT line with 28 makes, as they just cannot be stopped. They are going to be trouble for anybody in the West.
Washington Wizards vs LA Lakers
Washington Wizards
The Wizards pulled off a miraculous comeback in this game, as they get an upset win on the road against the defending champs. In the first half, the Wizards defense was getting dominated by Montrezl Harrell, as they couldn’t stop anything. The lead went up to 17 in the 3rd, but Washington rallied with some stops and the lead was just 6 entering the 4th. In the 4th the Wizards kept forcing turnovers and held LA scoreless for a while with Lebron off the floor. Washington took an 8-point lead but LA wasn’t going away that easy. Things were back and forth, but a missed Lebron free throw kept the game tied. Bradley Beal missed the 3 at the buzzer, and we headed to OT. In OT, the Wizards backcourt was dominating, and they gave the Wizards a 4-point lead with 42 seconds left. Russell Westbrook scored to give the Wizards 3-point lead, but he missed the free throw that would have ended the game. But LA missed their chance to tie, and Washington survived as they improved to 11-17 on the year.
Bradley Beal had 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12/24 shooting.
Russell Westbrook had 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists on 13/25 shooting.
Rui Hachimura had 15 points and 6 rebounds on 6/8 shooting.
This Wizards backcourt is scary when they are hitting on cylinders. These two absolutely took over late in this game. The Wizards gave the ball to Westbrook a lot down the stretch, and went away from Beal. But Beal hit some tough shots in OT. But that start of the 4th quarter was huge. Guys like Davis Bertans, Robin Lopez, and Raul Neto helped fuel the run that got the Wizards to OT in the first place. The Wizards played great on both ends, and they played with great energy as they have started to figure things out. Washington takes on the Clippers tomorrow.
LA Lakers
The Lakers are starting to slide, and yeah it’s mainly due to injuries, but this game should have been over. LA led by 17 early in the 3rd, and they were dominating. But they let Washington come back into the game. Their 3’s started to not fall, and they were so careless with the ball. Lebron tied the game with an and one, but a missed free throw couldn’t give LA the lead, and we went to OT. The Lakers kept Marc Gasol in the game for some reason, and he was getting torched by the Wizards guards. Down 3, Lebron chucked up a deep 3, when there was a lot of time on the clock. Good job Lebron. The Lakers lose their 4th game out of the last 5, as they are now 22-10 on the year.
Lebron played 43 minutes, and the Lakers simply can’t survive when he’s not on the floor. LA went scoreless for 3-4 minutes in the 4th without him, as they just don’t have that depth without AD and Schroder. Harrell was good with 26, KCP had 21. The Lakers scored, it’s just they were missing a lot of 3’s. They shot 42% from in the first half, and finished the game shooting 34% as they went ice cold. The Lakers have to play better defense, but they have no rim protection. This will be a tough stretch for LA, and I don’t know how well they’ll fare.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 6 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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