Are The Nuggets Contenders?; Dame Time Strikes Again! 3.4.21
It’s the final day of NBA action before the All-Star break and we have 9 games on the schedule today.
Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors great 3-pt shooting in the first half kept them in this game but with them missing half of a starting lineup and a coaching staff it was tough to overcome. Lowry had a career-high 19 assists, Powell had 25, Boucher and Terrence Davis combined for 52 points off the bench as other guys stepped up. The hope if that Toronto can get healthy over the All-Star break and start the 2nd half of the year strong.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics defense wasn’t great in this game but they had no problem scoring in this game. The game was close in the first half because the Celtics 3-pt defense was terrible. The Raptors hit 11 3’s in the first half as they were torching Boston. But as they slowed down Tatum and company pulled ahead and they got a 4th straight win heading into the All-Star break.
Tatum was very good in this game as he got got to the rim constantly. He was 9/15 from the field and had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. What’s frustrating is that he doesn’t do things like this more often, we all know he can do it. Brown had 11 of his 21 points at the free throw line and Walker added 15 as the Big 3 was solid.
The bench was very, very good today to try and keep up with the Raptors bench. Grant Williams was 7/9 for 17 points. Teague was 6/7 for 14 points. Pritchard and Williams each had 10. Tristan Thompson was solid as this was a good game for the Celtics. Boston now carries some momentum heading into the 2nd half of the year as they can now get Marcus Smart back soon and get back to contending.
LA Clippers vs Washington Wizards
LA Clippers
The Clippers should have won this game but they were short-handed. No reliable bench scoring from Marcus Morris and PG was out because of dizziness (never knew that that was a real injury). The Clippers offense was fine with 57 bench points even without Morris, 22 from Leonard and 17 from Beverley. Defense was the problem as Beal and Westbrook dominated them. The Clippers shot so well from 3 at 46% and the Wizards shot 39% and LA still lost. LA ends the first half of the year on a tough note losing 4 of 5 as they finish with a 24-14 record.
Also Luke Kennard played well in this game and I would like to say I told you so. Knew this guy should have been playing.
Washington Wizards
Thank god for Beal and Westbrook otherwise the Wizards would have been dead in the water. Both of these guys played so well and they carried this Wizards team. Beal had 33 points and 7 rebounds on 14/15 shooting from the line. Westbrook had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists and the game-winning offensive rebound to give Washington this win. The Wizards had lost two in a row before this game but they end the first half of the year on a high not, finishing 14-20.
Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
No Jerami Grant in this game, this type of result was to be expected. The scoring was decent with 8 guys in double figures but nobody scored over 17 points. So it was like nobody actually got going. The Pistons enter the first -half break with a 10-26 record.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were without D-Rose in this game but the offense was solid. Julius Randle was a monster with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists. Barrett added 21 points and 5 assists. Elfrid Payton wasn’t supposed to play in this game, but he did and he had 20 points as well. The Knicks enter the All-Star break over 0.500 as they remain in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Denver Nuggets vs Indiana Pacers
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have been playing so well and they just outplayed Indiana in this game. They started off with a 13-2 run to start the game but they lost the lead immediately. However a strong 2nd quarter put them back in front. In the 3rd Indiana made a rally but the Nuggets responded, opening up an 18 point lead with 5:23 left in the 4th. The Pacers tried to comeback but it was far too little too late as Denver gets their 4th straight win heading into the break.
Porter had 24 and 11 as he has been playing so well in the month of February and the start to this month. Jokic had 20, 12, and 8 on 50% shooting as he continues to be great. Murray had 23 and Barton added 16. The Nuggets have dealt with injuries and if they can get healthy over the All-Star break and continue to play this this, they can be another dark horse team in the West.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers had their chances but they hurt themselves. They recovered from being down 13-2 to start this game thanks to Myles Turner, who was 7/9 in the first half and led the way with 17 points in the first half. Brogdon and Sabonis combined for just 5/19 shooting in the first half as they were going to have be better to win. In the 2nd half the Pacers could never get in front and then they trailed by near 20 in the 4th. Indiana falls to 16-19 on the year.
Sabonis struggled shooting although he had a 10-10-10 triple-double. McDermott and Turner were very good but Brogdon and Sabonis were bad. The bench was ok at best as this Pacers team desperately needs Warren and Levert back. But even with those two coming back I don’t know if Indiana can contend with the big guys in the East like Brooklyn and Philly. They’ll have to play a lot better in the 2nd half of the year to prove me wrong.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks shouldn’t be proud of this effort as it took a Jrue Holiday game-winner to win, against the Grizzlies. The Bucks led comfortably for the better part of 3 quarters but the Grizzlies roared back in the 3rd to tie the game. The Bucks trailed in the 4th and they barely came out with a win as they are now 22-14 on the year.
Giannis was good with 26-11-8 but Middleton was just 6/17 from the field. Holiday and Connaughton combined for 30 points off the bench but I am not impressed. The Bucks shot just 29% from 3 as they continue to struggle shooting. The Grizzlies didn’t even make that many 3’s and this game was close. The Bucks only have a chance if Jrue Holiday is back at 100% health to start the 2nd half of the year. But Mike Budenholzer is coach, and I think that trumps things a bit.
Memphis Grizzlies
Well you tried? Ja Morant struggled early, starting the game off 0/7 from the field but finishing with 35 points. 13 3’s is far too many for Ja who is a poor shooter. Just play to your strengths. The Grizzlies fought hard in this game but Jrue Holiday made a big shot. Memphis enters the All-Star Break 16-16.
Miami Heat vs New Orleans Pelicans
Miami Heat
The Pelicans didn’t have Zion and the Heat defense was great. The Heat didn’t have Bam Adebayo themselves but this game wasn’t exactly hard. Butler had 29 points and 9 assists on 10/14 shooting as he was great. Olynyk had 18-10-7 on 7/8 shooting. The bench was solid as the Heat are now 18-18 on the year and they have won 7 of their last 8 games to end the first-half of the season. Miami currently sits at 6th in the East as they are right back in the mix of things after struggling early.
New Orleans Pelicans
No Zion in this game affected the New Orleans offense a lot. In the first half they couldn’t get outside shots to fall and just Ingram couldn’t keep pace with the Heat. In the 2nd half the Pels kept fighting but they could never get back. They cut the lead to under 6 multiple times in the 4th but an Iguodala dunk ended the game as New Orleans falls to 15-21 on the year.
Ingram only taking 12 shots without Zion is far too little. Ball struggled shooting and the bench wasn’t great. The shooting woes for the Pelicans continue as they were just 26% from 3 in this game. The Pelicans need Zion to be healthy for the 2nd half of the year, they need better shooting, and they need better defense if they want to make the postseason.
OKC Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs
OKC Thunder
Words cannot describe how much I love the Thunder. As a Blazers fan every loss counts and I needed the Spurs to lose this game. The Thunder granted me my wish. Things weren’t looking good in the first half after the Thunder allowed 37 points in the 2nd and trailed by 11 at the half. But in the 3rd their defense was much better and they climbed back into the game. The 4th was more of the same. Great defense and timely scores including a SGA 3 that put them up 5 with over 2 minutes to go. The Thunder held on to win as they are now 15-21 on the year.
SGA had 33 points and 8 assists on 11/19 shooting.
Mike Muscala had 18 points and 7 rebounds on 7/13 shooting off the bench.
Lu Dort had 15 points on 5/16 shooting.
SGA is averaging nearly 32 points per game against the Spurs this year as he loves to play against them. The Thunder have come back from a 10+ lead twice against the Spurs this season as they are the Spurs killers. As a Blazers fan I thank OKC for their services.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs achilles heal is the OKC Thunder. SGA is averaging nearly 32 ppg against the Spurs. The Spurs are 15-2 when they lead by 10+ points this season. Both losses are against OKC. The Spurs offense shut down in the 2nd half as they scored just 41 points and lose a key game in the Western Conference standings.
DeRozan had an inefficient 20 points and guys were good but it wasn’t as good as it had been in the past few games. OKC was daring the Spurs to shoot as they were just 32% from the 3-pt line. But it’s been a very good first half of the year for the Spurs as they have greatly overachieved. If they can get healthy to start the 2nd half of the year I find it hard to believe they won’t be one of the 10 playoff teams.
Sacramento Kings vs Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
The Kings had their chances but their offense just shut down late in this game and they couldn’t stop Damian Lillard late. In the first half the Kings 3’s weren’t falling so everything was inside oriented. Holmes and Bagley were collecting offensive rebounds like crazy. But even with all their inside scoring, they couldn’t stop Dame who had 21 points in the first half and Sacramento trailed. Things remained back and forth in the 3rd, both teams struggling to get stops. The Kings got a 5-point lead in the 4th with 3:49 left as they looked to take this game. Then Damian Lillard happened. Lillard scored/assisted on the next 12 points including back-to-back 3’s to put Portland up 7. De’Aaron Fox tried to put the Kings back into the game but his intentional free throw didn’t hit the rim and the Kings lost as they fall to 14-22 on the year.
De’Aaron Fox had 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists on 12/26 shooting.
Harrison Barnes had 17 points and 5 rebounds on 7/14 shooting.
This team is so disappointing. They were dominating the glass with 18 offensive rebounds. They led by 5 and Portland had no life. And then the Kings allowed Dame to get going and Portland just passed them by. This team has so much talent and they are wasting it as it’s another blown game. The Kings will need a lot to go right in the 2nd half of the season for them to salvage this season.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers looked dead in the water in this game but Damian Lillard once again came to save the day as Portland got their 3rd straight win heading into the All-Star break. In the first half Portland wasn’t playing great. 3’s weren’t falling and they were getting dominating down low by the Kings. With all that said they led by 3 because of 21 points from Damian Lillard. Lillard cooled off in the 3rd as the two teams struggled to pull ahead. De’Aaron Fox continually attacked the lane and the Kings led by 5 with just under 4 minutes to go. Portland’s offense would need to wake up if they wanted to win. Guess what happened next. Dame got going with 10 straight points including back-to-back 3’s that put Portland up 7. Portland survived to improve to 21-14 on the year.
Dame had 44 points and 7 assists on 13/26 shooting, 8/15 3-PT.
Enes Kanter had 22 points and 21 rebounds on 11/15 shooting.
Carmelo Anthony had 16 points on 6/11 shooting off the bench.
What more can you say about Dame? The man is as clutch as they come. 10 straight points in the 4th that essentially ended the game. He had 44 points as he cooked the Kings after struggling against the Warriors. He should definitely be in the MVP conversation. Enes Kanter was dominating down low himself. He had 21 rebounds including 6 offensive rebounds as he just scored at will down low. Carmelo continues to play so well and lead the bench as Portland gets their 3rd straight win heading into the All-Star break.
After all those injuries Portland is 20-14 on the year. They are 5th in the West above teams like the Mavs, Warriors, and Nuggets despite dealing with 3 starters out with injury. It’s so impressive what Dame has been doing and all that this Portland team has gone through. CJ is close to a return and you should see him soon after play resumes. Nurkic will be back. Watch out for Portland when they get healthy.
Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors
No Curry and no Draymond Green, this was to be expected. Golden State is 19-18 heading into the All-Star break.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns beat up on the short-handed Warriors as they get another win to improve to 24-11 heading into the All-Star break. 7 guys in double figures as this Suns team continues to play very well as a team. The Suns will be a team to look out for in the 2nd half of the season.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 9 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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