Is It Time For A Change In Dallas; Pels and Nuggets Fall Late! 2.5.21
It’s a Thursday night of NBA action and we have 6 games on the schedule today.
Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs tried but they were just so small in this game. The 76ers size shadowed the Mavs offense as they could never get anything going. The Mavs turned the ball over a lot in this game, and that never helped them to try and stay in this game. The Mavs are still missing that interior presence down low and with no Porzingis they were dominated by the 76ers. This Mavs team will struggle against bigger teams especially without Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavs fall to 15-16 on the year.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers just bullied Dallas down low. With no Porzingis, the 76ers had no problem scoring. But their defense was very good in this game. Simmons stuck with Doncic, and the 76ers just were forcing turnovers left right and center. Embiid again struggled to shoot the ball as he has been in something of a slump lately. Tobias Harris left the game early with a knee injury, as Philly hopes he’s fine as he has been very good this year. Good win for the 76ers overall as they improve to 22-11 on the year.
Orlando Magic vs Brooklyn Nets
Orlando Magic
Well at the least game started well. The Magic led by double digits in the first quarter and after that if was over. The Nets scored 41 points in the 2nd quarter and now they trailed by 18. A 4th quarter where they were outscored by 17 ended the game as it was impossible for them to keep up with the Nets. Vucevic was good but Fournier and Ross were terrible. This game went about as well as you expected it to for Orlando.
Brooklyn Nets
After a slow start the Nets torched the Magic. They score 41 points in the 2nd and 37 points in the 4th as Orlando had no answers what so ever. Harden and Irving did a bit of everything and they combined for 47 points. Landry Shamet had 19 off the bench and Harris and Brown each added 14. This offense is so ridiculously good and they didn’t have KD or Jeff Green. Watch out for the Nets.
Sacramento Kings vs New York Knicks
Sacramento Kings
Man this team is wasting so much young talent with this sorry excuse for defense.
New York Knicks
Thanks to the Kings poor defense, the Knicks offense rivaled that of the Nets as New York dropped 140 in this game. 6 guys were in double figures including 49 points from Burks and Quickley off the bench. I think we all know the Knicks offense isn’t that good, but a free win is a free win and the Knicks will definitely take it as they improve to 16-17 on the year.
LA Clippers vs Memphis Grizzlies
LA Clippers
The Clippers did not come to play in this game. Their defense was awful as they were dominated by the Grizzlies offense. Yeah this’d better be an outlier. The Clippers were allowing Memphis to get whatever they wanted down low and in the 2nd half the LA offense shut down. Leonard and George were ice cold for once, but the real problem here was defense. The Clippers are now 23-11 on the year.
Memphis Grizzlies
Yay! Offense, a rare treat in Memphis. 6 guys in double figures for Memphis as they torched the Clippers. They only shot 19 3-pointers, but they shot nearly 60% from 3. Everybody played well as this was a much needed win as Memphis is back to 0.500 with a 14-14 record.
Washington Wizards vs Denver Nuggets
Washington Wizards
The Wizards played well in this game as they scored at will against Denver. And they made enough plays to win this game. In the first half the Wizards offense was very good led by Beal and Westbrook. Their defense was poor as usual, but they had the lead because of their offense. Both teams continued to score and it set up an entertaining 4th quarter. It was back and forth throughout but Washington led by 4 with under 2 minutes left. The Wizards didn’t score after the 1:57 mark in the 4th however they were good defensively. After a miss Denver didn’t call a timeout and the Wizards played great defense and forced Campazzo to shoot a 3. He missed and Washington won as they improve to 12-18 on the year.
Bradley Beal had 33 points on 10/19 shooting.
Rui Hachimura had 20 points and 5 rebounds on 9/16 shooting.
Russell Westbrook had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists on 6/17 shooting.
The Wizards offense has had no problem scoring against Denver this year. Bradley Beal was very good in this game as without Denver having anything resembling perimeter defense he took advantage. Rui Hachimura remains solid as he’s a safety valve of sorts. Westbrook did everything else except score as he was good in this game. The Wizards continue to play well as if their defense is decent at times they can win games because of how explosive their offense is.
Denver Nuggets
Really? The Wizards. I get you are injured but it’s still the Wizards. Defense continues to be a problem for this team as even though their offense was good in this game it wasn’t enough. In the first half Jokic and Murray were good as they were both complimenting each other. But defense was again their problem as they couldn’t stop Bradley Beal who had 20 points in the first half. In the 3rd the offense was slightly better than that of Washington’s, and the game was tied entering the 4th. The scoring slowed down in the 4th for both sides but Denver found themselves trailing in the final two minutes. Michael Porter Jr. passed up and open shot with about 30 seconds left, a 3 that would have given Denver the lead. Denver got a stop and instead of calling timeout they tried to run down the floor. Jamal Murray had a 3 on 1 with 3.5 seconds left. Instead of driving it a little more to try and it, he stopped and threw it to Campazzo on the perimeter instead of MPJ. Campazzo missed everything on the 3 and the Nuggets lost.
Jamal Murray had 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12/23 shooting.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists on 9/18 shooting.
MPJ had 18 points and 10 rebounds on 7/13 shooting.
Jamal Murray continues to play well, and MPJ played really well. Jokic was good as finally all 3 of these guys were good together. However the defense was poor. Not having Harris hurt them on the perimeter as Bradley Beal torched them. The Nuggets defense will have to be better if they want to go far in the West, otherwise no matter how good the offense is it really won’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Milwaukee Bucks
New Orleans Pelicans
You know, clock management is an important part of the game. Down 3 the Pelicans got the steal and had a chance to tie it late. Expect they didn’t shoot the ball and turned it over. Great job. And it was a shame because New Orleans was playing so well. Zion had 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists as he continues to dominate. Ingram had 23, Ball had 20 and 8 assists. The offense was very good despite them missing a lot of 3’s. But instead of trying to tie it, they went for a two. Disappointing to say the least.
Milwaukee Bucks
How was this game close? How? The Pelicans didn’t even shoot the ball well and it took them being stupid for you to win. Mike Budenholzer’s defense is so bad at making adjustments. Zion got all his points the same way. He never changed anything as New Orleans lived down low. But his offense bailed him out. Giannis had 38 and 10, Middleton had 31, 7, and 6. Donte DiVincenzo was very good as a 3rd scorer with 24 points. The Bucks defense was very good these past two years but this year they aren’t nearly as good. Maybe it has to do with Brook Lopez regressing and no Jrue Holiday on the floor but this team has to be better defensively if they want a chance to win.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 6 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
Check Out My Patreon For Extra Content!
