De’Aaron Fox Is A God; Blazers Win Thriller In South Beach! 3.25.21`
It’s another day of NBA basketball and we have 5 games on the schedule today.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Miami Heat
Dame+CJ+Powell Sounds Scary
Portland had to pull this game out thanks in large part to the duo of CJ and Dame, but it got me wondering about the addition of Norman Powell. That trio will be very scary. Anyway. The Blazers had their struggles defensively in this game. They couldn’t stop Adebayo, Herro, or Nunn. They trailed by 10 with 6:19 left in the 4th but they managed to comeback. 9 straight points including 7 free throws got them back into the mix. The two teams traded buckets and the game was tied with 10.8 seconds left, Blazers ball. Dame isolated up top, stepped back, and was fouled on a 3 by Ariza. Dame hit all 3 free throws with ease and Portland won.
CJ had 35 points and 8 assists on 14/25 shooting, and he started off 10/13 shooting. He looked just like he started out the season and that’s a great sign for Portland. Dame had 22 and 9 and although he struggled throughout shooting wise, he came through in the end. Melo had 20 and 6 off the bench, leading a bench that played very well with no Trent on the floor. Kanter had 18 and 16 and Roco was solid.
Portland’s defense is problematic but the offense was very good without Gary Trent. I like the way that Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons played, as they’ll be getting more minutes now. It’s great to see CJ play well, I love Enes but with Nurkic coming back tomorrow it’s a big upgrade defensively. Roco has been finding his shot and along with Norman Powell, Portland is definitely a scary team.
Heck Of A Fight
Without Olynyk, Bradley, Butler, and Dragic, this was a game Portland should have won handily. They didn’t thanks to amazing performances from guys who have been struggling. Bam Adebayo dominated Enes Kanter as he should, finishing with 29-9-7 with just 3 missed shots.
Kendrick Nunn was a surprise with 22-5-5 with just 4 misses shots. Tyler Herro finally got going, with 29 and 8 assists off the bench. He was very good as a scorer, and surprisingly, as a passer.
The Heat’s downfall was the fouling. The Blazers got 7 straight points in the 4th thanks to free throws that got them back into the game and of course they lost because they fouled the clutchest player in the league. It’s a heck of a fight, but with them hopefully getting healthy and adding Oladipo and Bjelica, this Heat team will be looking different soon.
Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks
Washington Wizards
With the Wizards adding nothing too great at the deadline and losing Mo Wegner, the playoffs seem unlikely as they are just too reliant on Beal and Westbrook. When those two guys combine to shoot 11/38 from the field, you just can’t win.
Hail To The Bench
The Knicks came through big late. They trailed by 17 in the 2nd quarter and battled back in the 4th. They trailed by 6 with under 5:30 to go, but then they put things together. 9 straight from the Knicks, including 6 from Barrett gave them the lead. Some clutch shots from Randle and Burks as well as some free throws iced the game for the Knicks as they got the best of Washington yet again.
Burks had 27 off the bench, his 4th straight game with 20+ points. Quickley also had 16 off the bench and Gibson added 10 as this bench continues to play well. RJ Barrett continuously attacked the rim for 24-10-5 with 3 steals on the night and Randle had 13. But a lot of the scoring went to to the bench for the Knicks.
I am surprised the Knicks didn’t try and add more offense at the deadline, but they haven’t had D-Rose in a while due to Covid and the Knicks offense has been very good since guys like Burks off the bench has been stepping up. If the Knicks continue to score paired with their stout defense, they can remain in the playoff picture.
LA Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs
No Kawhi, No Problem
The Clippers offense wasn’t good, but most offenses are better than what the Spurs have. PG had 24 and 13 on 10/28 shooting as he was bad. Reggie Jackson had 28 points as his offense continue to be very good. Jackson is offense, Pat Bev is defense, and Rondo is the the best of both worlds. I like what LA has going for them and without Lou Williams, more minutes for guys like Mann and Kennard. What’s not to like?
Need Offense
The Spurs aren’t known to make mid-season moves and with their lack of offense that might have hurt them. They just don’t have offense. The bench production has been falling off and they just can’t shoot. The Spurs have lost 4 straight as they have been struggling.
Philadelphia 76ers vs LA Lakers
Another Unimpressive Win
Even without Embiid this shouldn’t have been close. It wasn’t for a while as Philly had a dominating 3rd quarter that seemingly put the game out of reach. However the Lakers cameback and cut the lead to 4 after the 76ers led by 18 entering the quarter. A dagger 3 from Danny Green ended the game, but it’s another game that should have been done with after the 3rd.
Danny Green had some payback for LA the night he got his ring. 9/14 shooting, 8/12 from 3 for 28 points. Not bad at all. Curry had 19 himself as both 76er shooters were…shooting. Harris had 17-6-5 with just 2 missed shots and Simmons did everything except score well.
The 76ers should be winning these games by more, however a win is a win.
Effort
The effort is there. The talent just isn’t. The shooting continues to fail LA as they just can’t put anything from outside down. Harrell had 20 off the bench but THT was disappointing. An inefficient 25 from Kuzma, 20 from Schroder, and 19 from KCP. But this team desperately needs a rim protecting center. Not having McGee or Howard really hurts them. Again, no Lebron, no AD, struggles continue.
Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings
Fox In The Henhouse
No Curry, no Draymond, no Defense.
De’Aaron Fox Is A God
Remember when people said Lonzo was better than this man? Not anymore. If Fox is hitting his outside shots, he’s unbeatable with his speed and downhill ability. Fox was 16/22 from the field, 9/10 from the line, and he had 44 points and 7 assists. New career high by the way. He has been going off, to say the least.
The Kings offense has been picking up too. 21 from future ROTY Tyrese Haliburton. 17 off the bench from Kyle Guy. 16 from Hield. 25 and 11 from Richuan Holmes. 60% shooting and 19 made 3’s on 50% 3-PT shooting. 141 points. This offense is so good and this team is so fun to watch. Why can’t they do this more often?
What Are Your Thoughts From The 5 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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