Tatum Wins It For Surging Celtics!; Clippers On A Roll With Rondo! 4.13.21
It’s a Tuesday night of NBA basketball and we have 7 games on the schedule tonight.
Brooklyn Nets vs Minnesota T-Wolves
A Day Late, No Less
The Nets had to wait an extra day for this beatdown, but it was still a blowout nonetheless. Even without Harden and Irving this was a complete blowout from the jump. The Nets shooting was great as they led by as much as 30 at some points. KD had 31 points on just 15 shots as he seems to be fine after that 2-month hamstring injury.
23 points on 8/12 shooting for Joe Harris and 19 for Landry Shamet on 7/12 shooting. Both of these guys can catch fire and they help make this Nets offense become even more lethal. Nicolas Claxton finally got to start with Aldridge being out and, surprise, surprise, he was good. His box score of 6 points and 8 rebounds doesn’t look great but he’s the best defensive big they have. I have loved what Steve Nash has done with this team, but not starting Claxton has been his one blemish. Doing that would make me forgive him.
Yikes
With no Towns this was a blowout. D-Lo made his first 5 shots and then missed his final 7. Edwards had 27 points but he was alone without his pick and roll partner. While the T-Wolves have made strides, they still suck. They also might have a new home in the coming years. Such is life for the worst franchise in NBA history.
LA Clippers vs Indiana Pacers
Ball Movement
I am such a genius (totally humble by the way). I knew adding Rondo to this team would improve the passing. LA had 34 assists on the night as the ball was constantly moving. Guys were making that extra pass, making a good shot a great one. The Clippers without Kawhi had no problem scoring and a lot of it has to do with Rondo, as LA is now 5-0 with the 2x champ.
Marcus Morris was dominating Brogdon down in the post, 9/12 shooting for 22 points. PG had 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists in his return to Indiana. He was very aggressive getting to his spots and it seemed like everything was falling for him. Kennard and Zubac were solid but the bench again comes up big. Nicolas Batum, the gadget guy, had 14 points and 5 blocks off the bench. He does anything this team needs him to do. Terrence Mann brings some paint scoring that LA doesn’t have and a lot of energy as he added 12.
I love how the Clippers are playing and with Denver (likely) being out of the upper echelon of contenders, LA has a chance to do some big things.
Defense
That was terrible defense. The offense was good enough but they couldn’t guard a parked car, to quote Bradley Beal. Double-double for Sabonis, 29 for Brogdon, and 26-6-6 for Levert. Brogdon and Levert were very good at getting to the rim, both very aggressive. McConnell did his usual amount of pestering, stealing, and passing off the bench but the Pacers offense kind of sputtered in the 4th. The Pacers shot 23% from 3 compared to 46% for LA, literally doubling them in percentage. The Pacers will need Myles Turner back fast otherwise this defense will continue to be bad.
Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors
No Young, No Problem
Impressive. No Hunter, Young, Reddish, or Gallinari. W. Bogdanovic and Huerter combined for 40 to lead the way. Brandon Goodwin has been great as a starter, another 18 points in this game. 19 points and 21 rebounds for Capela as he continues to play so well, even without Young in this game. The Hawks led throughout, which is very promising without their superstar on the floor. The Hawks have been great with Nate McMillan (16-5) and they don’t look like they are slowing down.
Shooting
This game wasn’t that close. The Raptors shot horribly throughout and were losing to a team without Trae Young. They made a little run late but it was too little too late. The Raptors shot just 10/39 from 3 (26%). Siakam was excellent with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Rookie Malachi Flynn had 22 and OG had 15. But Gary Trent was just 3/15 from the field and the bench was just newly added Khem Birch having 13. This team needs a refresh button, now.
LA Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets
Caruso Dagger
What can I say? He is the G.O.A.T after all.
Excused
No Rozier, Ball, Hayward, or Monk. Yeah this one’s excused.
OKC Thunder vs Utah Jazz
Come Back Soon SGA
Oh yeah. Lu Dort had a career-high 42 points with a career high 3-PTM. Only one player has scored more points before turning 22 in OKC franchise history – Kevin Durant.
Taking Care Of Business
It’s the Thunder, moving on.
Miami Heat vs Phoenix Suns
Offense
After scoring 34 points in the first quarter, the Heat managed just 52 for the rest of the game. They went 9/44 from 3 (21%) as those shooting struggles continue. Dragic and Butler both struggled and Adebayo only took 6 shots. The Heat need better offense otherwise they can’t beat the big guns like Milwaukee, Philly, or Brooklyn in the East.
Good Teams
The Suns improve to 19-7 against teams over 0.500 as they seem to thrive when they play against good teams like themselves. After a slow start it was all Phoenix. Their defense was smothering as they never gave Miami open looks for 3. Outscoring the Heat by 14 in the 2nd and 9 in the 4th helped them grow a lead and eventually win by 20.
Deandre Ayton won his battle with Bam, 19 points and 13 rebounds for him on the night. Only 12 for Booker as this bench was great once again.
15 for Cam Johnson
14 for Torrey Craig and Cameron Payne
13 for Saric
The Suns bench continues to play so well as a unit as the Suns have been very good lately. With Denver (likely )out of the picture, this leaves a gap in the West. The Suns are definitely in contention to try and take that spot.
Boston Celtics vs Portland Trail Blazers
Tatum
As a Blazers fan I would throw a tantrum at losing like this, but I have been a Jayson Tatum supporter since he came into the league. He’s been on fire lately and while that did come in the way of my team, he was still incredible. He only had 7 in the first half but came alive in the 2nd half. He got to the rim and was hitting ridiculous shots, including the step-back dagger late. Again, it’s bittersweet.
Kemba had 21-8-7 and Brown added 24. The bench did literally nothing so it was the Big 3 plus 16 from Robert Williams and 13 from Smart. The Celtics just held their lead throughout the 4th and they got a great win. The Celtics have won 6 of their last 7 games and Evan Fournier still hasn’t played that much.
Jayson Tatum Last 7 Games: 29.1 points and 8.6 rebounds on 51% shooting from the field and 41% from 3.
Heart Attack
For once I’m not going to criticize my Blazers. They played pretty well. My one thing is why wasn’t Roco on the floor to guard Tatum on that possession? I get Melo was good on offense, but Roco had done a pretty good job guarding Tatum. Portland led a lot in the first half but they lost that lead with a sloppy end to the 3rd. Dame brought Portland back into the game and then Tatum did what all All-Stars do, they hit big shots. CJ was guarding him, which is why I would have wanted Roco on the floor. But we played well. Big-time player made a big-time shot.
Dame had 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists as he finally got going after that horrible slump (that wasn’t his fault). Norman Powell had 20 and Melo had 25 off the bench on 67% shooting (still should have been Roco out there). CJ struggled but Portland shot 40% from 3. They fought hard but again, just like Dame does to many, many teams, a great player hit a great shot.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 7 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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