Here Come The Grizzlies!; Best In The West Duel! 4.7.21
It’s a Wednesday night of NBA action and we have a busy day with 9 games on the schedule today.
Minnesota T-Wolves vs Indiana Pacers
Really?
The Pacers were missing their 3 best players, including their two best scorers in Brogdon and Sabonis. Yet Indiana still scored 141 points in regulation. How? This was just a shootout and surprisingly, the Pacers had the quicker gun. Towns had 32-12-6 and Edwards added 27. 17 for Rubio and D’Angelo Russell as well as 16 for Naz Reid. The T-Wolves lost the 3-PT battle but they were 31/40 from the line and Indiana was 17/19. But apparently defense isn’t something the T-Wolves are particularly familiar with.
Scoring
Without their best defender in Myles Turner and their two best scorers in Brogdon and Sabonis, 141 is very impressive. The Indiana role players simply couldn’t be stopped. 21 points from Justin Holiday led the way for the starters. Levert added 18 and McDermott and Bitadze were solid as well. But the bench was very, very good. 22 from Aaron Holiday, 19 points and 15 assists from TJ McConnell (also hit the dagger 3), and 16 from JaKarr Sampson.
Those 3 bench guys combined for 57 points as they were key in this win. Even with the T-Wolves making nearly double what Indiana did at the line, the Pacers just kept scoring at will. They are still not in a great spot as they try and make it to the play-in. They need their 3 guys back to get there but it’s not impossible that Indiana makes some ground in the underperforming East.
Washington Wizards vs Orlando Magic
Welcome Back Bradley Beal
The Wizards got their All-Star back and he was a big help to the offense. 26 from Beal and 23-14-15 from Westbrook led the way. But Davis Bertans hit 6 3’s and had 22 points. 19 from Robin Lopez, aka the post up god. 16 points for Deni Avdija. Good way to try and get back on track if you’re Washington.
Tanking
Lottery seems nice
New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics
Scoring
The only consistent scoring in this game came from RJ Barrett, who was awesome. 10/14 shooting, 6/6 from 3 and 29 points. While Randle had 22-9-6, he was an inefficient 9/23. The bench didn’t do much and the Knicks couldn’t hold down the Celtics forever. This team desperately needs a consistent offense.
Could Jayson Tatum Drive More?
Jayson Tatum again found his most scoring success when driving the ball. Why doesn’t he do this more often? It’s like he wants to make things more difficult for himself. He’s so talented and his driving ability is so good. Tatum had 25-10-5 but Brown led the way with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Smart had 14 of his 17 points in the 4th including a big 3 to give the Celtics the lead with 35.7 seconds left. The offense was pretty good even without Kemba on the floor.
This was a defensive game and other than RJ Barrett the defense was solid. But let me not get ahead of myself, this is likely a one-time good performance for the incredibly inconsistent Celtics.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets
The Nets Shut Down Zion
Zion was 4/12 from the field and did most his damage from the foul line as he was rendered ineffective for the first time all season it feels like. The 3-PT shot continues to not fall for this team and if you’re not on point offensively against the Nets, watch out.
Scary Hours
This team is so good offensively, it’s ridiculous. After missing nearly two months, KD went 5/5 from the field and had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench. Irving had 24, Aldridge was 8/12 with 22. Harris added 14. 46% 3-PT shooting. Oh yeah, no James Harden. I find it hard to believe that anybody can stop this team.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Atlanta Hawks
Offense
This team has been scoring more lately and winning. 6 guys in double-digits, 54% shooting and 43% 3-PT shooting (17 makes). Grayson Allen had 30 points, Morant had 19-7-7, Valanciunas had 19 and 11 rebounds, 17 for Brooks, and 16-9-6 from Anderson. When this team shoots well, look out for their offense-defense combo.
Not So Good Shooting
The Hawks shot just 36% from 3, which is good, but a step drop off from what they did against the Pelicans. No Capela down low hurt the defense a lot but seldom used rookie Onyeka Okungwu was solid. Trae Young was inefficient and the Huerter-Bogdanovic combo wasn’t hitting shots. Now missing your both your frontcourt members in Collins and Capela as well as Hunter and Reddish doesn’t exactly help, so a pass on this one.
Dallas Mavericks vs Houston Rockets
Bad Offense
The Mavs had been on a tear but they were shut down for the most part in this game. Luka was 9/26 from the field as he struggled for the first time in a while. Porzingis, Hardaway, and Brunson were solid but 26% 3-PT shooting? This looks like the Mavs from the start of the year, no Luka (essentially) and no shooting. That can’t happen if they want to continue to climb in the West.
Yay!
It’s a rare occurrence, a Rockets win, doesn’t happen often. Wall had 31 points and 7 assists to lead the way and Christian Wood added 22. The Rockets defense was very good against Luka and they had the better shooting in this game. No easy feat shutting down the hottest guy in the league and one of the hottest teams, but the lowly Rockets did that. So good job all around.
Charlotte Hornets vs OKC Thunder
Balance
Without Hayward and Ball, the scoring came from the team for once instead of their usual main guys. 7 guys were in double figures as it was a solid outing. 21 from Jalen McDaniels. The Rozier-Graham backcourt combined for 32 and Bridges and Washington were solid. Double-double for Zeller off the bench and Wanamaker had 12 points as well. This is how the Hornets are going to have to win as they hope that Ball and Hayward can return in time for the postseason.
No SGA
Pokusevski had 25 points and 9 rebounds and Maledon had 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Good to see the rookies playing well but no SGA drastically changes this team, for the worst.
San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets
What Happened?
The Spurs were up 10 midway through the 3rd as they were playing really well. Shots were falling from the outside and it seemed like they had control of the game. After that point, which was at the 6:51 point in the 3rd, it was all Denver. Denver ended the 3rd on a 23-6 run to take a 7-point lead. The Nuggets continued to dominate in the 4th when they led by as much as 20 as the Spurs just shut down.
Murray and White were solid with 18 a piece, but DeRozan was quiet with just 14 and the bench was underwhelming. 25% 3-PT shooting as once again shooting is an area of trouble for this team. Not that Denver was much better, but not hitting 3’s consistently severely limits the Spurs already limited offense.
Turning On A Switch
For 2 and a half quarters the Nuggets weren’t playing great. With no Murray the offense was struggling and they couldn’t stop the Spurs. Down 10 in the 3rd, Denver just turned on a switch. The defense picked up a lot and the offense started to get going. They had a 17-point turnaround in the 3rd and pushed a lead to 20 in the 4th as they dominated the last stretch of this game.
Jokic had 25-9-10, just another day for the MVP. Porter had 18-10 as he has been playing so well. That was it, Barton was awful and the bench did nothing. 8/26 from 3 on the night for Denver but luckily it’s not like the Spurs hit 3’s. The Nuggets have won their last 7 and the addition of Aaron Gordon has paid off super-duper well. Another deep playoff run isn’t out of question for the Nuggets.
Oh yeah, played the entire 2nd half without a coach. Mike Malone got ejected after another no-call on Jokic (who doesn’t get that many free throws).
Utah Jazz vs Phoenix Suns
Feels Good To Be Right
The Suns are very good at defending the 3-PT line. What happened in this game? The Jazz were chucking up 3’s and they couldn’t hit the side of a barn. The Jazz managed to keep the game close after a slow start but in the 2nd quarter they were playing into the Suns hands. Chucking up bad 3’s but also trying to push the pace, which led to easy runouts for the Suns. Utah recovered well in the 3rd as Mitchell got going and the Jazz scored 38 points to get the lead back. The 4th was crazy, to say the least. It was back and forth with Mitchell and Booker just going at it.
The Jazz trailed by 3 with 1:34 left. After misses by both sides the Jazz got the ball with about 14 seconds left. Utah elected not to take a timeout and Donovan Mitchell dribbled it down the court and hit a tough pullup 3 for the tie. Booker’s game-winner attempt was off and we had 5 more minutes of basketball. In the OT the Suns got a little lead and they never let go. Paul and Booker tag teamed things and the Jazz couldn’t get stops and they lost.
Mitchell had 41 points on 16/35 shooting. He was very aggressive, liking the matchup with Booker I’m guessing. Bogdanovic had 20 but Conley and Clarkson didn’t do much. The Jazz shot 11/44 from 3 (25%) as nothing they shot was falling. This is why I don’t believe in the Jazz to win a title and not just because the Nets are in the East. They rely so heavily on their 3 and when it isn’t going they aren’t the same team at all. The Suns made the same amount of 3’s but attempted 10 less. The Jazz definitely have to become less reliant on the 3 otherwise it’s going to burn the sometimes in the postseason.
Also allowing 16 offensive rebounds, a lot of them key ones in the 4th and OT is unacceptable. You have to be able to close out plays and get the full stop.
Best Team Out West?
Technically if you beat the best, you are the best. But the Suns are a very good team and all their strengths were shown in this game. After a close first quarter the Suns dominated the 2nd quarter. Booker got going and the Suns were usually running in transition because of long rebounds. They looked dominant on both ends but they lost that spark in the 3rd. Their defense was getting shredded by Mitchell and just like that their lead was gone. The 4th was the Booker/Paul against Mitchell show. These guards were going off but it seemed that the Suns duo had the upper hand. Until Mitchell hit a deep pullup 3 to tie it and force OT after Booker missed a shot he normally hits.
In OT, it was more of the Booker and Paul show. Of the 15 Suns OT points, 12 of them went to CP-3 and Booker. The Suns iced the game at the line, finishing off a very good win against the best in the West.
Booker had 35 points as he was going toe-to-toe with Mitchell. Chris Paul had 29 points and 9 assists as both him and Booker were mid-range assassins’. Deandre Ayton had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 combined blocks and steals. He was very good but his 7 offensive rebounds were huge at giving the Suns extra chance points. The Suns bench was solid as usual as this was a great win for the Suns.
I just love the way the Suns play. They can run their sets and do all that, but they have two closers, one being CP-3 who is one of the most clutch players in the league. They are a very organized team and they play how they want to. Not exactly jacking up 3’s every which way, they are very strategic. It’s why I think they’re built for the playoffs with their excellent coaching and leadership. I would definitely favor them over the Jazz in the postseason because of their makeup.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 9 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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