Mavs Continue Hot Streak; Is Houston Done? 3.1.21
It’s the start of a new month of NBA basketball and we have 7 games on the schedule today.
Dallas Mavericks vs Orlando Magic
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs offense was on fire again as there was really nothing Orlando could do to stop this juggernaut offense. Luka was just toying with them, getting to wherever he wanted on the floor as he finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. The bench was very good led by 24 from Brunson and 11 more from Burke. Porzingis was solid as the Mavs continue to play very well offensively. They are back above 0.500 with a 17-16 on the year.
Orlando Magic
The Magic kept close in this game for the most part, but Evan Fournier leaving for a bit hurt them in the 2nd half and they couldn’t keep up with Dallas. Vucevic almost had a triple double, finishing with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. Fournier was very good in this game but he left for a bit in the 2nd half due to injury. He came back eventually and finished with 26 points. Ross was solid but the Magic offense just isn’t good enough to keep up with juggernauts like Dallas. Orlando is now 13-22 on the year.
Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers got dominated in this game. They were determined to get the ball out of Embiid’s hands and they got burned by the 76ers bench and shooters. The struggles continue for the Pacers. The offense was solid as a lot of guys got involved, but the defense was a mess. Indiana is now 15-18 on the year as they have been falling in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers played really well in this game. The Pacers wanted the ball out of Embiid’s hands, and the 76ers bench made them pay. Shake Milton was 9/14 from the field and had 26 points. Korkmaz hit 6 3’s as the bench finally produced to give the 76ers some scoring aide. Embiid got another efficient double-double and Simmons was solid. The 76ers made 15 3’s and shot 43% from 3. Their two biggest weaknesses; bench scoring and 3-PT shooting were gone in this game. If they can eliminate those two problems consistently, they will be formidable.
Denver Nuggets vs Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets had to work for this win but they made some big shots to win this game. In the first half the Nuggets were rolling. Their Big 3 of Murray, Jokic, and Porter combined for 43 points and Denver led by 7. But in the 3rd the Bulls got going and took the lead for a bit. The 4th was back and forth but Jokic was carrying Denver. He kept them alive and a Jamal Murray 3 with 1:39 left put Denver up 4. Some stops and free throws ended the game as the Nuggets are now 19-15 on the year.
Nikola Jokic had 39 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists on 17/28 shooting (17 in the 4th).
Jamal Murray had 24 points on 8/14 shooting.
MPJ had 17 points and 15 rebounds on 7/10 shooting.
I am opposed to Nikola Jokic scoring all the time but my god was he going off in the 4th. It was really only that 4th quarter where he took over. It was more Murray and Porter for the rest of the game, which is good. I wish that Porter would be more consistent and be aggressive for an entire game. He always starts games off great and then kind of fades off. If the Nuggets get healthy and get this type of production from Murray and Porter they will be good.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls played well, it’s just Nikola Jokic is good at the whole basketball thing. Wendell Carter is good defensively, but he does sometimes get bullied by Jokic and Embiid. Which isn’t a bad thing, both of them are generational talents but it can get frustrating. The Bulls were getting out in transition, but had just 2 transition points in the 4th. The 3’s weren’t falling for White or Lavine, and even with a strong bench the Bulls lost. A game where a lot of guys played well but it just wasn’t enough in the end.
Utah Jazz vs New Orleans Pelicans
Utah Jazz
The Jazz played terribly in the 2nd half but they were mounting a big comeback in the 4th. But their late-game execution was poor and they blew their chance for a win. In the first half Bojan Bogdanovic and the Jazz were on fire from 3. Bojan hit 5 3-pointers on his own and Utah’s 3-pt shooting was keeping them in the lead. But their defense was poor in the first half, and in the 3rd when their offense went cold they fell behind. 40 3rd quarter points from the Pelicans opened up a big lead. Down 17 in the 4th the Jazz started to comeback. Their defense turned up and 3’s started to fall again. They cut the lead to one with under a minute left, and then things went down hill. They missed some golden opportunities at the rim and fouled New Orleans. Now the Jazz trailed by 3. Out of the timeout they looked lost on offense. Mike Conley forced a terrible shot with a lot of time on the clock and the Pelicans got a dunk to seal the game. Blown opportunity late for the Jazz.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 31 points and 7 rebounds on 11/21 shooting, 7/11 3-PT.
Rudy Gobert had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 9/13 shooting.
Donovan Mitchell had 21 points and 8 assists on 7/21 shooting.
The Jazz played pretty well in this game but that 3rd quarter was ugly. In the first half the 3’s were falling but their defense was poor. In the 3rd Rudy Gobert was getting dominated by Zion down low and the Jazz’s offense shut down, which is very rare. They did a great job getting their defense back together but their late game-execution was very poor. Down 3 they seemed so locked into a 3, they might have forgotten how much time was left. Mike Conley forced a very ugly shot and it was a very disappointing way to lose considering they had come all the way back from down 17. Utah is now 27-8 on the year.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans played really well in this game, and they even beat the Jazz without making 3’s. In the first half the Pelicans defense was poor as it usually is. But the offense was fine. Ingram and Ball led the way as the Pelicans were hanging tough despite not making too many 3’s. In the 3rd the Pelicans put things together. Their defense was good against Utah shooters and Zion got going down low, dominating Gobert. The Pels led by 17 in the 4th, but then things got close. The Pels offense went cold and the Jazz roared back to cut the lead to one. But the Pelicans got a couple big stops, and 2 free throws from Zion as well as a dunk from Josh Hart gave the Pelicans the win.
Zion had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 10/17 shooting (15 pts in 3rd).
Brandon Ingram had 26 points and 5 assists on 11/20 shooting.
Lonzo Ball had 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on 9/16 shooting.
Yay! Playing up to potential! Hip-Hip Hooray!
Brooklyn Nets vs San Antonio Spurs
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets should have won this game in regulation, however they dominated OT and got a win. In the first half the Nets were playing well. Nicolas Claxton was a pleasant surprise off the bench with 13 points and the Nets led. Their defense wasn’t great, but their offense was good as usual. In the 3rd things remained close but the Nets started to pull away in the 4th. Irving and Harden were dissecting the Spurs defense and they led by 10 late in this game. But a couple of Spurs 3’s got them back in the game and the Nets needed a score. After an offensive rebound, Irving didn’t need to shoot. The Spurs needed to foul. However Irving got to the rim and he missed. Dejounte Murray got down the floor got bumped by Harden but nothing was called and threw up a prayer for the tie. The Nets blew a 10-point lead in the final 2:12 of this game and they now headed to OT. But the Nets took care of business. Harden and Irving continued to dominate and a James Harden 3 put the game away. The Nets are now 23-13 on the year.
James Harden had 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists on 12/23 shooting (0 turnovers).
Kyrie Irving had 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists on 9/24 shooting.
Bruce Brown had 23 points on 10/13 shooting.
Praise 40 combined points from Claxton and Brown. Who needs KD when you have those two?
(Harden becomes the first player ever with 30+ points, 15+ assists, 10+ rebounds and 0 turnovers). That’s cool, I guess.
San Antonio Spurs
Well at least the Dejounte Murray game-winner was cool? I really don’t know how this game was close it seemed like the Spurs defense was nonexistent in this game. 6 guys were in double figures as it was a good night offensively. But allowing 40 points between Claxton and Brown and not forcing a single Harden turnover hurt them a lot. Tough loss for the Spurs as they fall to 17-13 on the year.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets
Cleveland Cavaliers
It’s the Rockets don’t celebrate too much. But 4 in a row now after that 10-game losing streak. Collin Sexton had 39 points to duel with Wall as he was their main scorer. Good defense for Cleveland on everybody except the Rockets backcourt and the Cavs have been playing ok once again. I don’t know if they can sustain this, but it’s good to see them playing better again.
Houston Rockets
My god this team sucks. 12 losses in a row now. Wall and Oladipo combined for 52 points on good shooting. But those 52 points were nearly 60% of all the Rockets points as they couldn’t even score 100 points in this game. Oladipo and Wall were the only guys in double figures. At least Cade Cunningham looks good, as it looks like this will be a tanking year for the Rockets.
Charlotte Hornets vs Portland Trail Blazers
Charlotte Hornets
Yeah this was to be expected. The Hornets were again short-handed and the Blazers are not the Kings execution wise. The offense was solid throughout but it slowed down in the 3rd and portions of the 4th when Portland eventually pulled away. Valiant effort all-around, but the defense was awful. Lamelo had 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists as he was on fire from 3. Rozier cooled off in the 2nd half and finished with 20. PJ Washington had just 3 points after a career-high 42 points yesterday. The bench was ok but the defense was awful all-around. Portland made a franchise record 24 3’s as the Hornets just looked lost defensively. Charlotte is now 16-18 on the year.
Portland Trail Blazers
Now this is more like it. After some bad shooting nights and 4 straight losses, Portland returned home and played great. In the first half it was balanced offense. Robert Covington was 4/4 from 3 and was seemingly everywhere on the floor. But the Blazers defense couldn’t hold down Charlotte. They did in the 2nd half. A barrage of 3’s put them up big and they never looked back. Portland hit a franchise record 24 3’s on 52% shooting, as they were on fire. Carmelo had a season high 29 off the bench and Nassir Little added 11 as the Blazers bench gave very good production. Dame had 23 and 10 assists, Trent added 17 and Kanter had a double-double. But this is why Portland got Roco. He was 8/11 from the field, 5/7 from 3 and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 2 steals and 2 blocks. He was everywhere and if he can hit shots and be another floor spacer Portland becomes a lot better. Much needed win for Portland as they are now 19-14 in the tough Western Conference.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 7 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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