The Bucks Are Flying High Under The Radar; Luka Leads Mavs Past LA! 4.24.21
It’s another slate of games on a Saturday and we have 8 games on the schedule today.
Toronto Raptors vs New York Knicks
Depth
This continues to be a problem for the Raptors. You got 26-7-5 from Siakam. 27 from OG Anunoby. 27-5-11 from Fred VanVleet. Other than that, I kid you not, you got nothing. Lowry was 1/10, Gary Trent was 2/8. It was just Siakam, OG, and VanVleet keeping this game somewhat close. D-Rose outscored the entire Raptors bench on his own. Toronto definitely has to make some changes, like getting rid of Kyle Lowry and getting a center. They have some good pieces, but they’re 9 games under 0.500 for a reason.
9 In A Row
The Knicks are rolling, to say the least. They continue to score the ball and partnered with their defense they have been great. Julius Randle is proving why he’s an All-Star. He had 20 points in the first half alone and finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds. If he’s not the Most Improved Player, it’s rigged. RJ Barrett had 25 points and 12 rebounds, another solid outing. 19 for D-Rose and 16 for Reggie Bullock. The Knicks shot a scorching 52% from 3 and 56% from the field overall. They have been peaking at the right time as they are now 0.5 games ahead of the Hawks and have sole possession of the #4 seed. Basketball is back in New York.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks
Slipping
No Simmons, no Embiid, this was a mess. The game was surprisingly close in the first half, but it was more of the Bucks not playing well than Philly doing well. The Bucks dominated the 2nd half, outscoring the 76ers by 28 and leading by as many as 41 in the 2nd half. The 76ers are now a whole game behind the Nets in the East, as after they beat the Nets on April 14th, they are 1-4. So much for home court advantage through the playoffs.
Dominance
Another dominating win for the Bucks as they take care of business. Philly was short-handed and after a blew average first half the Bucks absolutely destroyed the 76ers in the 2nd half. Giannis had 24-14-7, leading the way for a total of 7 Bucks in double figures. The Bucks led by 41 at one point in this game despite the fact that Khris Middleton shot 0/6 from the field. Nice.
Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers
Losing
Again
Winning
Without Sabonis and Turner, their two best front court members, Indiana won. 26 for Brogdon, 25 for Levert, and 22 from Edmund Sumner along with 18 for Doug McDermott off the bench. A key 12-0 run down the stretch of the 4th gave the Pacers a lead they wouldn’t give up. Indiana is two games ahead of the 10th seeded Wizards as they look to try and avoid being taken over by the red-hot Wizards.
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
Nice Try
The Bulls were getting dominated in this game. They trailed by as much as 24 in the first half and they trailed by 20 at the half. But the Bulls didn’t give up. The Heat scored just 22 points in the first 15 minutes after halftime. A 21-7 run in the 3rd cut the lead but Chicago couldn’t pull ahead. They cut the lead to 3 with under a minute to go but Miami hit free throws to ice the game. Good effort, but not enough as the Bulls lose for the 7th time in 10 games.
There You Go
Not pretty, but Miami hung on to win. They need to finish this season strong otherwise it’ll be tough to win in the playoffs. We all know Miami has it in them. They just have to play tough and as a team, and they can maybe get back on track.
San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans
DeRozan
This was a much needed win for the Spurs, keeping getting wins to stay in the play-in as well as downing a team trying to get into the play-in. The Spurs just executed better. They forced 19 Pelicans turnovers and New Orleans missed 15 free throws, while the Spurs were 27/32 from the stripe. The game was close in the 4th and the Spurs went to DeRozan, who had 11 of his points in the final 7:40 of the game. He hit two jumpers inside the final minute that really killed things for the Pelicans. The Spurs went to zone defense for the final 3 minutes and that gave the Pelicans fits. Good win overall.
Sloppy
19 turnovers, 24 fouls, and 15 missed free throws. Messy to say the least.
LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks
Yikes
This was a game LA had in the bag, without Lebron, KCP, or Harrell. In the first half they were blitzing Luka in the pick and roll. With no Porzingis he didn’t have a safety valve and the Lakers forced a lot of turnovers, leading by as many as 17 in that first half. They were in control. Then the offense just kind of died, to put it lightly. Just 35 points in the 2nd half, just 14 in the 4th. Dwight Powell got easy layups and the Mavs started to hit 3’s.
AD was again rusty, 5/19 from the field, 0/6 from 3, 17 points. It’ll take him a bit to get into the flow on both sides. 14 for Kuzma and 16 for Schroder. Ben McLemore was red hot in this game, 6/10 from 3 and 20 points. He did most of his damage in the first quarter. LA shot just 27% from 3 and 38% from the field. The shooting has to be better. With juggernauts like Utah and Brooklyn, the Lakers have to hit 3’s in some capacity.
2nd Half Surge
I was very impressed with the resilience not only that Luka showed, but the Mavs did. The first half was turnovers and missed shots. Without Porzingis, Doncic didn’t have a safety valve and was throwing careless passes. Down by nearly 20 points in the first half, Dallas dominated the 2nd half. LA’s 3’s weren’t falling and Dallas held strong on that end. Dwight Powell scored 12 points in the 4th alone, as he benefited from Luka throwing dimes. A giant Luka step-back 3 gave the Mavs a 10-point lead as they cruised to a win, getting one game ahead of Portland for sole possession of the 6th seed.
25 for Dwight Powell on 11/12 shooting, he was really good. 18-8-13 for Doncic who struggled but made all the plays Dallas needed him to. 21 for Dorian Finney-Smith who has been on a tear lately. The bench was lackluster and the shooting was meh, but Dallas has been playing their best basketball of the year, just in time for the playoffs.
Minnesota T-Wolves vs Utah Jazz
Roller-Coaster
This game was roller-coaster, but it ended in a good way for Minnesota who somehow has beaten the Jazz twice this season, both on the road. The Jazz came out shooting lights out from 3 and Minnesota trailed 33-16 at one point in the first quarter, allowing 40 points overall. But Utah got cold in the second and starting turning the ball over, which led the T-Wolves cut into the lead. A 20-7 run to start the 3rd gave Minnesota the lead, a lead they would extend to 11, 92-81 with 7:06 left. The Jazz hit some 3’s to take the lead with 3:41 left. After that point, the T-Wolves held the Jazz to 3 points and won the game thanks to D-Lo and KAT hitting some shots.
Jazz Against Minnesota At Home: 0-2
Jazz Against 29 Teams At Home: 26-2 Kryptonite.
Jazz Have Kryptonite?
I get they were missing Mitchell, but thankfully Minnesota is headed for the lottery as Utah strangely struggles with this team.
Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
No comment.
It’s The Rockets
Moving on
What Are Your Thoughts From The 8 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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