Blazers Win Most Important Game Of The Year; Bogdanovic Dominates Denver! 5.7.21

It’s a Friday night of NBA basketball and we have 10 games on the schedule tonight.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Philadelphia 76ers (107-109)

Almost

Without Zion who was dealing with a broken finger and without Brandon Ingram who was dealing with an ankle injury, this was a close game. They trailed by as many as 17 in the first half. The only reason it wasn’t a blowout-blowout was because Jaxson Hayes had 19 points. The Pelicans only made two 3’s in the first half as things weren’t going well. But in the 3rd the defense stepped up and the Pelicans hit 4 3’s in the 3rd alone. They took a 7-point lead in the 4th but they couldn’t hold on. One heck of an effort though without two All-Stars.

Worrying

Nearly losing to a team that can’t shoot and is missing two All-Stars. This doesn’t exactly give me any reasons to start believing in Philly. 37 and 13 for Embiid, 17 for Harris, 16 for Curry, solid game. But not being able to hold leads, especially against this Pelicans team, is worrying.

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls (99-121)

Not Enough

The Celtics just couldn’t make shots to compete with the Bulls. The Celtics kept allowing kick out passes which led to 11 first half 3’s. Jayson Tatum was 1/7 in the first half and with no Jaylen Brown, not even 30 combined from Fournier and Walker could keep them in the game. The Celtics did cut the lead to 8 in the 4th but the Bulls pulled away one final time. The Celtics needed this win standings wise and they couldn’t get things done.

33 from Walker and 17 from Fournier was it scoring wise, nobody else in double figures. The bench was nonexistent and so was Tatum, who was 3/15. The Celtics are going to need Tatum with Brown out, otherwise they could risk falling into the play-in.

The Celtics lost and Miami won, so Boston moves down to 7th and they are now 1 game behind the 6th seeded Heat.

Good Job

The Bulls played very well in this game, dominating really. In the first half it was just them hitting shots. They were doing a great job containing Tatum and then on the other end they got 3 guys in double figures and 11 first half 3’s. Vucevic had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in the first half. They would double Vucevic and he would make timely passes. The Bulls extended the lead to as much as 22 and while the Celtics did cut into that a bit, the Bulls pulled away late for an impressive win.

It the Vucevic-Lavine-White show. 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists for Vucevic. Just hit 4th career triple-double. 25 for Lavine but 25-7-5 for White who was 7/12 from 3. The Bulls made 18 3’s overall on 45% shooting, 43% shooting overall. Very good showing, a good way to welcome fans back into the building.

Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Hornets (112-122)

Orlando Magic

Season’s over.

Good Win

Much needed for Charlotte after their recent struggles. The game was a little bit closer than you would expect but the Hornets took care of business. 28-5-6 for Rozier and 27-6-6 for Ball as the two of them were much better, just what the Hornets needed them to be. 23 for PJ Washington as well as the whole starting 5 was in double-figures. Good win overall.

The Hornets are in 8th, two games behind the 7th seeded Celtics.

Minnesota T-Wolves vs Miami Heat (112-121)

Defense

Offensively, this team will always have things covered with Towns-Edwards-Russell trio. The defensive end of the ball is the challenge and will be the next challenge if the T-Wolves want to start making the playoffs.

Finally

50 combined points from Dragic and Herro off the bench fueled a much needed Heat win. 25 from Butler as well as Miami now gains some ground in the East.

The Heat move up into 6th place in the East, just a 0.5 game behind the 5th seeded Hawks. The Heat have a 1 game lead on the 7th seeded Celtics.

Houston Rockets vs Milwaukee Bucks (133-141)

Season’s Over

Indeed.

133 Points?

Allowing 133 points to this Rockets team, without KPJ, Wall, or Christian Wood is embarrassing. But I suppose a win is a win at the end of the day. 7 guys in double figures, 54% shooting from the field, and 41% from 3.

24 for Lopez, 23 for Middleton, 20 for Holiday, 18 for DiVincenzo, 17-11-7 for Giannis, and 16 for Portis. Good game but that defense (lack thereof) is a little worrying.

The Bucks have won 5 in a row and they have now tied the Nets in the standings and since they won the seasons series, they now have the #2 seed. It looked impossible just a couple of weeks ago but now it’s a reality.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks (90-110)

Cleveland Cavaliers

Season over.

It’s The Cavs

24 and 8 rebounds for Luka (only 1 assist, weird). 24 for Hardaway and 18 for Richardson. That was it. Dallas controlled the game and got another win. They have been playing great despite injuries. They just need Kleber and Porzingis back and they’ll be scary.

The Mavs have a game-lead on Portland as they control their own destiny in 5th place. Dallas clinched their division so they also have a playoff birth and as of right now it looks like they’re going to be 5th.

Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz (120-127)

Disappointing

The Jazz were again missing their backcourt but the Nuggets defense was pure trash in this game. When Bojan Bogdanovic gives you 48 points, you know you’re playing good defense. The Jazz hit 21 3’s compared to 17 for Denver. The offense was fine, because with Jokic you’re always going to have offense. But the defense will have to be a lot better if Denver still wants to compete in the playoffs.

The Nuggets stay at 4th place in the West, 1 game behind the Clippers.

Bojan Bogdanovic

There was no defense in this game, so Bojan Bogdanovic dropped a casual 48 points with 8 3’s, nothing unusual there. The Jazz hit 21 3’s as they simply outgunned Denver. Rudy Gobert was once again owned by Jokic but he did have a monster block on him in the 4th. 21 from Clarkson off the bench as Utah continues to win while injured. They look like they have their grasps on the #1 seed as of right now. They are 1 game ahead of the Suns for the #1 seed.

New York Knicks vs Phoenix Suns (105-128)

Offense

This team’s offense is so hot and cold. When the Knicks were winning, they had one of the best offenses in the league. But they’ve struggled in their last few games because of lackluster offense. The first half was good offense and the Knicks controlled the game. Rose, Randle, and Barrett were all in double-figures but their offense just went away in the 2nd half. The Suns 3’s started to fall with more regularity and the Knicks went cold and they were outscored by 30 in the 2nd half. The Knicks can’t afford for their offense to go cold for that long, as even with their great defense that’s a dangerous game.

The Knicks have a 0.5 game lead on the Hawks for the #4 seed.

2nd Half Domination

After a poor first half defensively, the Suns dominated the 2nd half. They started hitting 3’s and their defense put the clamps down on the Knicks. Phoenix outscored the Knicks by 30 in the 2nd half, shooting 12/19 from 3. 7 guys in double figures, led by 26 points and 15 rebounds from Ayton. The Suns remain 1 game behind the Jazz for first place in the West.

LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers (101-106)

Ugly

Defensively, LA did everything they could. They were physical and made it as tough for Portland as possible. But at the end of the day Portland had more weapons. The Lakers cut a 10-point 4th quarter lead to 3 but then they couldn’t get any further. AD had his “I’m Back,” game with 36-12-5. KCP had 17 and Caruso had 18. But Kuzma struggled and the bench was awful. LA had 14 turnovers and 20 fouls and on top of that, they were playing Drummond a lot more than they should. Gasol should have been in more.

This is now the death situation for LA. Portland wins the season series, injuries galore, and now LA is in the play-in. The Lakers are one game behind Portland and two games behind 5th seeded Dallas. This might not be a repeat year.

Sluggish

Portland did it. They got a win at home, in front of fans for the first time, no less. The Blazers led by 12 early but LA got back into the game, never taking the lead. The offense was cold for most of the night as Portland for once struggled to get shots to go. But the defense was solid as they held LA in check for the most part, able to build back up to a 10-point lead in the 4th. That lead went to 3 but Portland held on to win, winning the biggest game of the year.

Dame was the only one who had things going, 38 points and 7 assists on 67% shooting from the field and 56% from 3. 21 from CJ and 19 from Powell. The bench didn’t do much, the shooting was poor, but Portland held onto the ball (8 turnovers) and they hit their free throws (20/21). Portland now moves into 6th place and out of the play-in. Portland is one game behind 5th seeded Dallas, but Portland does have the season series, meaning they can jump Dallas. Portland has a one-game lead on LA and the season series as this was the biggest win of the year.

San Antonio Spurs vs Sacramento Kings (113-104)

San Antonio Spurs

Going to be honest, I didn’t watch this game. But the Spurs snap a 5-game losing streak as it seems for certain they are making the play-in. They have a 2.5 game lead on New Orleans and they are 1 game behind Memphis right now.