The Blazers Need Aaron Gordon; Is It Time For Washington To Pull The Plug? 3.23.21
It’s a Tuesday night of NBA basketball and we have 6 games on the schedule tonight.
Denver Nuggets vs Orlando Magic
It’s The Magic (Will Barton Stop)
The Magic aren’t good, we all know this. But would Will Barton stop shooting? He was 6/14 from the field, 2/7 from 3. MPJ was 8/14. How are these guys getting the same amount of shots. When Gary Harris comes back he’d better demote Barton because he belongs on the bench. Not taking similar amounts of shots to Jokic and MPJ.
Speaking of the Joker, Jokic had 28-15-10 on 11/17 shooting. He has to be the MVP. Murray was inefficient and PJ Dozier was good with 14 off the bench. Again, my public PSA for Will Barton to stop shooting. Please.
Two Days
Half their roster has been rumored to be moved. So we’ll likely see a different Magic team in the following days.
Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks
Please Just Rebuild
Allowing 131 points to the Knicks, who are the 28th ranked scoring offense in the league. Nice.
Offense
Finally the Knicks scored the ball. They were shooting well and they dominated this game. New York and shooting don’t go hand in hand, but going 16/30 (53%) from 3 isn’t too bad. They dominated this game as they couldn’t be stopped.
Julius Randle had 37 points and 6 rebounds on 7/10 3-PT shooting. RJ Barrett had 21-5-5 but the bench was really good in this game. Alec Burks had 20 and Quickley added 14. Mitchell Robinson was 7/9 from the field, finishing with 16 and 12 with 3 blocks. New York’s defense is now at full strength with him and Noel down low.
Once D-Rose comes back this offense can once again be at full strength. Offense continues to be the key for the Knicks, if they can score, they’re very tough to stop.
LA Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans
LA Lakers
No Lebron, no AD, this was to be expected (and yes I will be saying this after every Lakers loss, you should see this more).
Taking Care Of Business
I had the sneaking suspicion that the Pelicans would blow this game, because they’re the Pelicans, but alas they finally beat a team they should be beating, even without Lonzo Ball (who shouldn’t be traded).
Ingram was 14/21 from the field and finished with 36 points. A reminder to LA what they traded. Zion was 9/13 with 27-9-5 as his playmaking and rebounding continues to improve. NAW had 18 and 7 in the starting lineup as he brings much more offense than Lonzo does. Hayes had 15 off the bench as a spark plug and Lewis had 16.
If the Pelicans offense is this good more often, they’ll win more. They have so much talent that this should be happening more often.
Phoenix Suns vs Miami Heat
Domination
This game wasn’t close, despite that it was a 10-point win. The Suns dominated this game. Their defense smothered the Heat shooters and playmakers and never let anybody get anything going. Their offense was good, but man that defense was excellent. Balanced scoring again as this team seemingly has no weaknesses.
Booker had 23 and 5, Ayton had 17 and 16 (finally being aggressive), and Bridges and Crowder were good on both sides. Newly acquired Torrey Craig had 10 off the bench as he becomes another wing stopper, similar to Crowder. I love the makeup of this team and I’m beginning to think them as less of a dark horse and more and more like contenders.
Need Offense/Shooting
This team’s offense has been far worse this season, especially in the shooting department. Guys like Herro and Robinson have taken a step back in 3-PT production. Nobody could get anything going as this game got out of hand at times. The Heat need offense or they aren’t making it out of the East with a juggernaut like the Nets.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors
Bucks Deva Vu
The 76ers have been in a similar situation. Dominating a game (up 24 in the 1st quarter of this game) to where they just shut down and lost the lead. They were controlling the first half of this game and then things went up in smoke. The Warriors scored 40 in the 3rd and actually led by 6 in the 3rd. A 30 point turnaround in just two quarters. The 76ers looked lost but they managed to collect themselves in the 4th. A 10-0 run starting at the mid-way point in the 4th put them back up 4. A 12-2 run to finish the game gave the 76ers a comfortable margin, one that they rode for the win.
Tobias Harris was solid, going 9/18 from the field and finishing with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Simmons had 22 points and 8 rebounds as well. Tony Bradley put in another great performance with 18 and 11 and Korkmaz and Green were solid. Milton led the bench charge as Philly was able to pull out this game.
The 76ers need a serious lesson on how to hold onto leads as this could have very well been a loss if not for the fact the Warriors lost steam at the end.
A For Effort
With no Paschall and Curry again, the Warriors were missing a lot against the best in the East. They fell behind by 24 early and things weren’t looking good. But their energy turned the tide of the game in the 3rd as they scored 40 to take the lead. But in the 4th they ran out of steam. Two separate runs from Philly, one 10-0 and another 12-2 really hurt Golden State as their offense went cold. Again, you tried.
Oubre had 24 and 10 as he was finally good. Jordan Poole had 19, Wiggins and Wiseman were ok and Draymond Green did his usual amount of not scoring and doing everything else. Damion Lee got back into the rotation and had 16 off the bench. With Curry out for a week, the other Warriors will have to continue to step up if they want to stay afloat.
Brooklyn Nets vs Portland Trail Blazers
Harden
I knew this game wouldn’t be easy with Harden on the floor. My hunch was correct. Harden orchestrated a masterful game for the Nets and caused havoc. The bench and others stepped up in an all-around effort for the Nets. That’s as much positivity as I can find without ranting.
Harden didn’t score well, 24 shots for 25 points. But he did have 7 rebounds and 17 assists as he picked Portland apart, by the pass or by drawing fouls. Harris was very good as well with 17 as he got to the rim and made some tough shots. Uncle Jeff Green had 20 as got a lot of open shots and took advantage.
The bench was also far better than Portland’s. Nicolas Claxton was a great lob threat with Harden as he had 16 points and 9 rebounds. TLC had 11 but Blake Griffin was good. Most of his shots were at the rim but his hustle and defense were solid. He got 5 rebounds and 2 steals along with 8 points. If he can do that in 10-20 minutes per game he’ll be extremely valuable.
Friendly reminder that the Nets don’t have Shamet, Durant, or Irving. They’re probably the best team in the league with some defense.
Aaron Gordon
This team needs a change and Aaron Gordon might be that. While the offense was good it stalled out in the 4th as it was just chucking 3’s and hoping they went in. Their best offense in the 4th was Kanter offensive rebounds. They have to a better job getting into sets and making things happen. Defensively Harden was a problem, getting guys like Roco into foul trouble. Portland is again too reliant on the 3-pt shot. When it’s not falling they struggle. The bench continues to just be horrible. There’s no consistency as guys like Rodney Hood looks like a shell of his former self.
That’s why I’ve been liking the Aaron Gordon move more and more. Trade pieces are like Little, Collins, and Hood plus draft capitol. Collins is always hurt, Little is raw, and Hood is bad. If you can get Gordon he’s another win who can give you more consistent scoring and rebounding, something Portland desperately needs. I was on the fence with this move but this game was another prime example that Portland needs to make a move to stay pace in the West.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 6 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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