Are The Bucks Doomed?; LA’s 4th Quarter Struggles Continue! 3.2.21
It’s a Tuesday night of NBA basketball and we have 6 games on the schedule today.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Washington Wizards
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies offense couldn’t be stopped in this game as they just rolled all over the Wizards. In the first half the 3’s were falling consistently and Memphis scored 71 points in the first half, led by 17 from Ja Morant. And in the 2nd they just coasted, never letting the Wizards comeback. Morant had 35 points and 10 assists as he was unstoppable getting to the rim. Brooks and Melton were hitting shots, both finishing with 20. 7 guys were in double figures for the Grizzlies as they got a good win to push them to 16-15 on the year.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards defense went back to how they started the year, and even their explosive offense couldn’t keep up with how many points they were allowing. The Wizards allowed 71 points in the first half and it overshadowed their 56 points in the first half. The Wizards tried to comeback, but it was futile. Westbrook had 23 points and 15 assists and Beal also had 23. The bench was ok but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with Memphis’s red-hot offense. The defense will have to be better if the Wizards want to continue to win as they are now 13-20 on the year.
LA Clippers vs Boston Celtics
LA Clippers
With no Kawhi in this game and no Marcus Morris in the 2nd half due to a concussion, the Clippers shouldn’t have won this game. But their shooting kept them in the game for a while, but because they are so reliant on the 3-pt shot their offense stalled out for portions of the 4th because shots simply weren’t falling. I get you have been making a lot of 3’s, but sometimes getting to the rim isn’t a bad option. When shots aren’t falling don’t keep shooting 3’s, get to the rim. PG had 32 with 21 of those coming in the first half, but he struggled a lot in the 2nd half. Reggie Jackson was very good with 25 and 7 on 10/14 shooting in the absence of Kawhi. The bench was poor after Morris left at halftime as Lou Williams was just 4/13. I still don’t get why Luke Kennard isn’t getting minutes, you paid him all that money and he wasn’t half bad when he played this year. Especially with Morris going out I expected him to play more than 5 minutes.
The Clippers have to stop shooting so much, especially when shots aren’t falling like they were in the 4th. They still shot 47% from 3, but it was much higher earlier in the game. PG has been 3/19 in the 4th quarter in the last two games, as without his jumpers falling he has been struggling. But again, shorthanded so this gets a bit of a pass. LA is now 24-13 on the year.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics should have won this game by a lot more but the Clippers shooting was keeping the Celtics from running away with this. But the Celtics got a lead and they were able to hold on and win. [Incoming Rant]: I thought Jayson Tatum knew to attack the rim. Instead he’s taking these unnecessary tough fadeaway shots instead of attacking the rim. He was 5/16 as he was struggling. Lucky for Boston Brown and Walker were good. Brown was efficient and finished with 18 but man Kemba is back. He is getting to hit spots and hitting them. He was 6/12 from 3 in this game and he had 25 points. It’s good to see him getting back to form and the Celtics need him to continue to play well.
Robert Williams continues to be the most dynamic center on this team as a lob threat, as he was very good tonight with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in this game. Pritchard added 14 as the Celtics bench has been getting better. If the Celtics bench can be this good they have a chance to be very good. It’s good to see Kemba playing well although Tatum infuriates me and Celtics fans with his poor shot selection, and Boston would be better if he took better shots. But a win is a win and Boston is now 18-17 on the year as they have recovered well and ending the first half of the year very strong.
Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Apparently the Hawks really hated Lloyd Pierce. According to a report Trae Young didn’t like him and the team needed a new voice. That seemed to hold true in this game. In the first half the Hawks were winning again without Trae Young who just couldn’t get shots. John Collins had 17 and the Hawks defense was solid as they led by 7 at the half. A bad 3rd put them behind by then Trae Young going in the 4th. He hit some 3’s and the Hawks pulled away late, getting their first win with Nate McMillan as interim head coach. Atlanta is now 15-20 on the year.
Trae Young had 18 points and 10 assists on 5/12 shooting.
John Collins had 17 points and 7 rebounds on 6/12 shooting (all in first half).
Kevin Huerter had 16 points and 5 assists on 6/13 shooting.
If the Hawks relationship with Pierce was as bad as initial reports says it was, the Hawks might be with Nate McMillan. This was a good game, with Collins, Snell, and Huerter carrying the offensive load for the first portion of the game and Young coming alive late. Trae Young struggled against Miami in these last two games, but he’ll have to be better for this team to make the postseason. We’ll just have to see how this team fares in the 2nd half of the year.
Miami Heat
Yeah the offense was the problem in this game. No Jimmy Butler hurt them in this game, as they couldn’t hit 3’s. They only scored 22+ points in a quarter once, and that was the 3rd. Nobody shot well as Miami was 9/33 from 3 (27%). Nothing was dropping as their 6-game win-streak is snapped. They are now 17-18 on the year.
New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs
New York Knicks
The first half was close but the offense was just terrible. This is what can happen with this team, no Derrick Rose meant they lost another offensive weapons, something that the Knicks don’t have a lot of. The Knicks still need D-Rose to be competent on offense, as they usually struggle otherwise. New York falls to 18-18 on the year.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have been so good this year and they have still been dealing with Covid. Their bench isn’t full with stars or former 6th men, it’s filled with guys who are solid and know their roles. They got 55 bench points from guys like Luka Samanic and Patty Mills. Keldon Johnson returned under a minutes restriction. Their bench is so good and Rudy Gay isn’t even back. The starters were solid with good games from Lyles with 18 and 17 from Murray. DeRozan had another double-double with assists as this team is just solid. They don’t have multiple superstars/all-stars. They are just good at team basketball and they have a 18-13 record to show for it.
Denver Nuggets vs Milwaukee Bucks
Denver Nuggets
Who needs a wall to guard Giannis? The Bucks might have found a new way to guard the Bucks. Most teams try and slow down Giannis, build a wall so to speak. The Nuggets tried a new approach. They would make Giannis work for his points, but when he drove they jut let him. Instead of collapsing and let the Bucks hit 3’s, they let Giannis get a two. And it worked. The Bucks were 11/40 from 3 (28%) as they were basically living off two’s. Giannis was great with an efficient 27 points, but the rest of the team didn’t do much.
Offensively the Nuggets didn’t shoot well themselves. They were 11/30 from 3 (37%), but Denver isn’t as reliant on the 3 as Milwaukee is. Jokic was 15/23 with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists as he abused Brook Lopez and Milwaukee. Murray added another 24 as he has been playing really well lately. All 5 starters were in double figures as PJ Dozier added 19 off the bench. Really good defense for Denver as they have been figuring thins out, winners of their last 3 games and they are now 20-15 on the year.
This game also shows why Jokic should be the MVP. I get Embiid has been great, but if the Nuggets keep winning I don’t know it can’t be Jokic. He joins Wilt as the only centers ever with 50+ triple-doubles over an entire career, and Jokic is only 26 years old. Jokic is a triple-double machine, and can do it all. Embiid and the 76ers are the #1 seed, in the East. If Denver was in the East they would also be near the top instead of fighting amongst everybody else. Just my thoughts. (He’s also the best center in the league, I don’t know if that was clear to everybody).
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks better be scared now that a team has another way to lock them down. The Bucks system is so bad that they just can’t win. They allow so many easy looks from 3, and even when Denver didn’t shoot well they lost. Brook Lopez has gone from a great defense to a liability. Jrue Holiday isn’t at 100%. The Bucks shooters aren’t shooting well. This team is a mess and the cracks are showing much earlier than the postseason.
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers
Phoenix Suns
This was a very weird game for the Suns but not even a Devin Booker ejection could slow them down as they won this Western Conference battle. In the first half the Suns couldn’t miss from 3. The Suns shot nearly 60% from 3 as they were torching LA. Booker led the way as Phoenix was playing very well. Then came the 3rd quarter. Things were getting physical, with more stoppages and fouls. Devin Booker got hit with 2 technicals and there were 4 total technicals in the 4th. Things were getting a little rough but the Suns still remained in the lead. In the 4th the Suns went small and went with Saric over Ayton, and it worked. They stretched their lead to double digits and weathered any sort of LA comeback. A Mikal Bridges dunk put the game away as Phoenix is now 23-11 on the year.
Dario Saric had 21 points and 5 rebounds on 7/17 shooting off the bench.
Mikal Bridges had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 6/10 shooting.
Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 5 rebounds on 7/14 shooting.
This Suns team is so weird and unique, but it’s working. In years past if Booker had been ejected like he was in the 3rd, the Suns would have lost. But now with CP-3 not only do they win, they grow the lead. Chris Paul doesn’t even have to score for this team to be good. He had 8 points and 10 assists, and they won. They’ve beaten teams by 32 when he scores just 2 points, and it shows the versatility of this team.
Mikal Bridges has been so good this year. He’s a great defender and shooter, but he can up with lose balls and had multiple saves that saved possessions. Deandre Ayton was solid, although I think he still needs to be more aggressive especially with LA having no center. I love this Suns makeup. They don’t need Booker for a half or CP-3 to get double-digit scoring to win. They’re so unique with so many guys who can contribute, they will be a scary team come post-season time.
LA Lakers
The Lakers didn’t have Gasol, Davis for the 8th straight game, or Kuzma is this game. They really missed their size in this game and it hurt them. Not going to hold anything against them, even if they had their chances after Booker was ejected. It’s tough to win against very good teams like the Suns when you’re this short-handed.
James was amazing as he had 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on 16/24 shooting. Schroder struggled and THT and Markieff Morris were really the only reliable scorers. The Lakers shooting has been awful lately, as in the last 10 games they have been shooting it below 30% from 3. They had these shooting struggles last year in the bubble and it’s not like they have a lot of shooters, but it could be a problem if it continues. But again losing isn’t going to change the fact that LA is the best overall team when healthy, and just because they’ve struggled to end the first half of the year doesn’t change that.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 6 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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