DeRozan Wins It For The Spurs; Nuggets Crumble Against Boston Late! 4.11.21
It’s a Sunday slate full of NBA basketball and we have 10 games on the schedule today.
Atlanta Hawks vs Charlotte Hornets
No Young, No Problem
Usually when missing your franchise PG, a team would struggle. Not the Hawks. They played pretty well in this game and came up big late to win this game. The Hawks started this game off on a 24-7 run, playing like they didn’t have anybody missing. They would hold that lead throughout the first half but lose it in the 3rd as the Hornets got some control. The Hawks would wall behind double-digits in the 4th but they were able to comeback. A couple of Lou Williams 3’s got them back into the game and a Lou Williams layup with under a minute to go put them in front for good.
Terry Rozier’s rushed corner 3 with under 10 seconds to go was way off and the Hawks survived to get a win without Young, Collins, Reddish, and Gallinari. Impressive.
Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a career-high 8 3’s and finished with 32 points. A 20 and 15 double-double for Clint Capela and 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists for Brandon Goodwin in his 3rd career start. Lou Williams came up big in the 4th and finished with 13 off the bench.
The Hawks are now the 4th seed comfortably as it seems like they haven’t been slowing down under Nate McMillan. The Hawks made 17 3’s and shot 44% from 3. Look out for the Hawks.
Choke
I get the Hornets are missing guys but they had more talent. Yes PJ Washington left in the 3rd, but you led by double-digits in the 4th and still lost. The Hornets started this game off shooting 2/13 from the field and they trailed 24-7. They were finally able to take the lead and pushed that to double-digits in the 4th. But the Hawks responded but it still seemed like Charlotte would win. They had been great in the clutch this season, but this time they came up shot. Lou Williams had 8 points late to give the Hawks the lead and then Terry Rozier shot a very dumb shot. A fadeaway corner 3 when you had 7 seconds to get a better shot. He of course missed badly and the Hornets blew this game.
Miles Bridges had perhaps the dunk of year and led the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Graham and Rozier were both inefficient and combined for 34 points. Brad Wanamaker led a solid bench effort with 13 points. The Hornets had this game and perhaps having PJ Washington would have helped them win, but this should have still been a win.
Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets
There We Go
The Celtics played very good in the 4th quarter of this game as they dominated after a mediocre first 3 quarters. The Celtics again came out of the gates slow and Denver built a double-digit lead. Tatum was struggling and it was a miracle the game was close. The Celtics just kind of hung in there and they trailed by 6 at the half. The Nuggets again built a double-digit lead in the 3rd as the Celtics kept fouling and getting worked by Jokic down low. But yet again they stayed close and trailed by just 5 entering the 4th where they dominated.
Tatum and Brown got going, just relentlessly attacking. Grant Williams continually got stops on Jokic as he was able to contend with his physicality. The Celtics defense was great as they dominated the 4th, outscoring Denver 31-8 to get a very impressive win. They were on a 31-3 run at one point as it was just a blowout.
Tatum finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. What I liked about his 18-point 2nd half was that he was just attacking Aaron Gordon/MPJ. He wasn’t hitting his outside shots consistently, so he kept attacking and it worked more often than not. Jaylen Brown had 20 points and 8 rebounds, another solid outing.
Walker and Smart had 14 a piece and Robert Williams had 10 and 8. While the bench didn’t score, they were solid. Grant Williams provided a spark and his defense was frustrating Jokic. Tristan Thompson was arguably better than Robert Williams as he was solid. Romeo Langford was finally good as he got 16 minutes.
This is what Boston can do defensively. They have the defenders, it’s just about executing. It Tatum keeps attacking and the defense plays like this, Boston can be better than what they’ve shown this year.
Yikes
Denver had been dominating people with Aaron Gordon and the same was true in this game. They jumped on the Celtics early but they could never put them away and the game was closer than it should have been. In the 3rd the Nuggets went through Jokic and got unlimited easy buckets and free throws. But the game was still close and when the free throws stopped coming in the 4th, the Nuggets struggled. Jokic was getting angrier and angrier and it was affecting his play. He was awful for his standards in this game.
The Nuggets managed just 8 points in the 4th as Boston blew the game wide open. Porter Jr and Barton were awful and with no Jamal Murray the offense didn’t have it’s same level of depth. Campazzo had 14 but the bench again struggled. Both teams struggled with outside shooting but the Celtics have their two dynamic wings and other than Jokic the Nuggets didn’t have a go-to. This is definitely a disappointing game for Denver, as they still have a ways to go growing wise before becoming the true contenders that they can be.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Zi-God
This game was closer than it should have been but New Orleans eventually won thanks to the Zion & Ingram duo. Zion had 25 points in the first half, his career high for any half in his career. He finished with 38 points and 9 rebounds on 72% shooting. He is such a dominant force.
Ingram had 27 points and 8 assists and 15 from Naji Marshall led the way for the Pels. The defense still has their problems but a team led by two All-Star wings who are both under 23 years old definitely has a promising future.
A For Effort
You know, if you sucked worse in 2019 you could have had Zion instead of Darius Garland.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando Magic
Easy
While Giannis remains out, the Bucks got their guys back after a one-game rest and they dominated, like they should against the mediocre Magic. 6 guys were in double figures as it was a wire-to-wire win.
Headed For The Lottery
Toronto Raptors vs New York Knicks
Pascal Siakam Can’t Dribble
Down two, the Raptors get a steal and hustle down the court. They have a chance to do something until Pascal Siakam double-dribbles. Really?
Fix The Roof
A rain delay in an indoor stadium? Now that’s one I haven’t heard.
San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks
DeRozan
The Spurs offense was surprisingly good in this game. They were able to keep up with the Mavs offense essentially step for step the entire game. The Spurs did blow a late lead but a DeRozan patented mid-range jumper with 0.5 seconds left gave them the win, a much needed one that they needed after losing their last 5.
33-5-8 for DeRozan on the night as he has become a lot more than a scorer with the Spurs. 25-5-5 for the blossoming Dejounte Murray. Shooting remains a problem for this team (8/21 from 3) but they were able to overcome that and get the win.
Help?
Other than Luka and KP, there wasn’t much help. Not that Luka and KP alone couldn’t win this game, both of them were great. But there wasn’t a lot of relief. KP had 31 points and 15 rebounds as he was been attacking more and the results have been showing. Luka had 29 points and 7 assists in another efficient game as he has been great. Josh Richardson had 16 but that was it. Hardaway was 0/5 and Brunson was 4/15. The bench didn’t provide the relief it usually does and it wasn’t enough for Dallas. If they want to succeed their bench needs to continue to support the stars.
Indiana Pacers vs Memphis Grizzlies
Offense
Indiana’s offense has weapons but they are sometimes inconsistent. Not today. They were on fire and torched a very good Grizzlies defense. 45 points in the first quarter poised them for a big night. The Pacers led comfortably all night but Memphis wouldn’t go away. Some stops and buckets from Caris Levert put things away for good as Indiana looks to regain some traction.
34 for Levert as he seems to have gotten the hang of things since returning from his cancer ordeal. 29 for Brogdon and 18-15-9 for Sabonis. This team’s offense has weapons and they have enough talent, or enough talent that they shouldn’t be 25-27 in the East. I expect a strong finish from the Pacers here to end the year.
Defense
If the Grizzlies don’t play defense they aren’t winning games. While they scored the Pacers were always one step ahead. 45 points in the first quarter is very uncharacteristic for a great Memphis defense and their inconsistent offense couldn’t keep up.
34 points and 22 rebounds for Valanciunas to lead the way and 23 and 6 assists for Morant. Brooks and Anderson struggled and the bench was solid. The Grizzlies grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, 12 of which came from Valanciunas. But they made 7 less 3’s than the Pacers. Their inability to shoot really hurts them and again, if they can’t play defense they aren’t winning much.
Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota T-Wolves
Defense
If this team had a defense they would be good. They simply couldn’t stop the T-Wolves late and they couldn’t mount a comeback. They got better scoring relief for Lavine but this defense needs a lot of improvement.
30 points on 28 shots for Lavine, unusually inefficient for him. 18-5-5 for Vucevic and 3 bench guys in double figures. I like Troy Brown Jr as instant offense off the bench and Theis is maybe the best backup in the league. The Bulls fouled a lot in this game and Minnesota was a perfect 25/25 from the line. The Bulls All-Star duo might not pay off this season but it’s more of a long-term play.
D-Lo 6th Man?
A lot of people have been saying that D-Lo should be starting but I love him as a 6th man. I don’t think the combo of him and Edwards would work with both of them being scorers at heart. When Beasley comes back you have 3 scoring guards. So I think keeping D-Lo on the bench is smart. He’s been great there anyway. D-Lo was 9/13 from the field with 27 points as he has been great in this role.
18 for Naz Reid who has been a great backup to KAT. Speaking of KAT, he had 27-12-8 as he has been healthy and reminding everybody how good he is. Edwards added 15 and Rubio had 17 as well. This T-Wolves team is promising and I like what they are building.
Detroit Pistons vs LA Clippers
You Tried
No Kawhi, No Problem
The Clippers offense had no problem scoring with their leading scorer out. 33 points for Marcus Morris on 13/18 shooting, a little flashback to his 2019-20 Knick period. 32 points, 9 assists, and a monster dunk for PG as he has been really well after having that slump.
Zubac was 3 assists away from a triple-double and Reggie Jackson and Kennard were very good. Nicolas Batum was 4/4 from 3 off the bench as he has been the perfect gadget guy for the Clippers. Rondo was also very solid. I like what the Clippers have going for them and I think that they’re going to be a very tough team to beat in the West.
Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers
Defense
The Heat defense was excellent, forcing 17 turnovers against a Blazers team that doesn’t turn the ball over much. Butler and Adebayo each had 20+ points as it was a dominating win for the Heat. They shot the ball well (43% from 3) and controlled the Blazers great but simple offense. If Miami can shoot like this and combine that with their stout defense, another deep playoff run isn’t exactly out of the picture.
Ceiling?
This team is so agonizing to watch. They run the same plays over and over and it’s so easy to stop. Just blitz Dame in the pick and roll (which Portland runs a lot) and hope others don’t make shots. Portland is also at the top of isolation possessions, hoping that their guards bail them out. It’s not a recipe for success.
Dame continues to be awful because it’s easy to gameplan around him. You saw it in 2018 against the Pelicans and smart coaches like Spoelstra and the Heat can easily do it with Butler and Adebayo. The Blazers defense is already awful and when the offense is far from complex, I doubt that Portland can do much in the playoffs. It’s painfully obvious that this team isn’t going anywhere with Terry Stotts as the coach although it would shock me if he’s fired.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 10 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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