The Clippers Cannot Stop Jokic!; Western Conference Playoff Race Heats Up! 5.1.21
It’s a Saturday slate of NBA basketball and we have 10 games on the schedule tonight.
Detroit Pistons vs Charlotte Hornets
Youth
At least Detroit is getting with the youth movement. Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Doumbouya, and Killian Hayes all started. 22-7-5 for Bey, 10-6-6 for Hayes. Frank Jackson led the way with 25 off the bench but Detroit trailed for most of this game as the Hornets were in control for most of the way. But Detroit seems to be embracing their rebuild.
He’s Back
Lamelo and Malik Monk made their returns and both were good in their respective returns. 11-7-8 for Ball who offers something other than scoring at the guard position. Rozier and Graham are both scorers but Ball is a willing passer and he makes the offense more fluid. 27 points for Miles Bridges who is having such a good year. 29 for Rozier and 16 for PJ Washington along with 11 off the bench from Monk.
The Hornets now have a couple of weeks to get Ball and Monk re-incorporated and stay out of the play-in at all costs. Gordon Hayward might return in that two-week window and it would be great for Charlotte if he did. But the Hornets are getting healthy at the right time, trying to make some noise in the playoffs for the first time in a while.
Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets
There We Go
The first half of this game was close, the Warriors were just chucking 3’s and not playing defense. However they got things going in the 3rd thanks to a 24-0 run in the 3rd that gave the Warriors a 18-point lead. Steph outscored the Rockets 23-12 in the 3rd alone and it was easy sailing after that. The Warriors get another win, now moving into 9th place in the West. They are tied with the Spurs who might regret blowing that 32-point lead last night.
30-6-5 for Curry, 20 for Wiggins, and finally some bench help. 17 from Mulder and 17 from Poole. 17 turnovers is a problem that has to be addressed but Golden State did force 18 themselves. They contained Porter Jr and Christian Wood in the 2nd half. The Warriors just have to keep winning with them being tied with the Spurs. If they can do that, they can maybe make the playoffs.
Houston Rockets
Fade for Cade.
Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks
Surprised
The season is likely over for the Bulls, but it’s surprising this game was this close with Chicago missing both All-Stars. But like I said, the season is over (in all likelihood).
Atlanta Hawks
With 33 points from Trae Young, the Hawks are now the 5th seed, 0.5 game ahead of the 6th seeded Celtics and 7th seeded Heat. The Hawks are 1 game behind the 4 seeded Knicks but if they can stay healthy, the Hawks have a really good chance of avoiding the play-in.
Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Taking Care Of Business
After the first quarter it was all Miami as they get another win, trying to stay afloat in the East. 6 guys in double figures, including all 5 starters. Solid win, on to the next one. The Heat are tied with the Celtics and they are currently 7th in the East.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Here comes the draft.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Orlando Magic
Memphis Grizzlies
As a Blazers fan I couldn’t be more happy. A team chasing us in the standings losing to the Magic, at the buzzer too.
Winning, At The Buzzer
Cole Anthony’s 2nd very difficult buzzer beating 3. Yes there was 0.1 seconds left, but close enough. That was surprising.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota T-Wolves
Offense
Like we probably all expected, this game was a shootout. Both teams were scoring at will and it came down to the wire and OT, but New Orleans got the win. But things looked bad for a moment in the 4th. The Pelicans offense slowed down and with 4:22 left they trailed by 10. They would need a turnaround and fast. Luckily that came in the form of free throws. The Pelicans hit 6 straight free throws to cut the lead to 4. A couple of Zion layups tied the game at 121. A Hernangomez tip-in tied the game at 123 and they got a stop, forcing OT.
Zion had 7 points in the OT and he not only fouled out KAT, but also Naz Reid. The Pelicans got a win, but it’s not likely they make the playoffs. However, there were a lot of bright spots in this game.
37-9-8 for Zion on 82% shooting
33-11-8-3 steals for Lonzo with 8 3’s.
It’s clear Zion is a star but New Orleans would be foolish not to try and resign Ball. He’s a perfect fit with Zion and he’s not the problem. The Pelicans have their core, now it’s time to build the team.
Not Enough Scoring
Losing both Towns and Reid in OT was bad, as Zion was simply unstoppable. He got to the rim with ease, only missing 3 shots. Lonzo Ball couldn’t be contained either as defense remains the problem for this team.
Before fouling out, 28 points and 14 rebounds for Towns. 29-9-6 for Edwards. 17 for D-Lo off the bench and 17 for Naz Reid. So Minnesota lost 45 points in that OT alone thanks to Zion. The T-Wolves also have a core, it’s just time to build a team around D-Lo, Edwards, and Towns.
Indiana Pacers vs OKC Thunder
Wow
The Pacers led by 67 at one point. Safe to say they won this game. Sabonis had a triple-double at halftime and they did all without Malcolm Brogdon. Too bad they probably aren’t making the playoffs.
OKC Thunder
Yikes. 67 points?
Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks
Washington Wizards
The last 16 times a Wizards player has had 40+ points, the Wizards are 2-14. Westbrook was awesome, 42 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists on 57% shooting. But the Wizards seem to have the curse of 40+ points. They just somehow don’t win. They had this game too, they just doubled with the wrong guy. Beal and Hachimura were both good but the 3-PT shooting is also to blame. The Wizards made 6 and Dallas made 17. The Wizards don’t have the 3-PT shooting and if teams hit enough 3’s, that’s a problem.
Luka
The Mavs had this game in control. At one point in the first half they led by 16. It seemed like they would cruise to a win but the Wizards offense was able to keep up with whatever the heck Luka Doncic was doing, which is a lot harder than it seems. The game was back and forth down the stretch, tied at 120 with 1:10 left. With 26.1 seconds left, the Mavs trailed by two. They gave the ball to Luka, who found a wide-open Finney-Smith in the corner. He drilled the 3, giving the Mavs the lead with 9.3 seconds left. After a deflection, Beal missed a very good look from 3 and Dallas won, without Porzingis, against one of the hottest teams in the league.
31 points, 12 rebounds, and 20 assists for Luka on 52% shooting. The 20 assists is a career-high and he is only the 4th player ever to have a 30/10/20 game, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Russell Westbrook.
22 for Finney-Smith who has been really good this year. 17 for Maxi Kleber and 16 off the bench for Hardaway. Dallas has won their last 3 games and they have now tied the Lakers in the West. They have the tie-breaker so they are now 5th. The Dallas-Portland-LA race is going to be crazy down the stretch, but the Mavs currently have the upper-hand.
Toronto Raptors vs Utah Jazz
Toronto Raptors
I don’t get why the Raptors are resting guys when they are trying to make the playoffs. Perhaps they’re not trying to make the playoffs. They are currently the 11th seed but a distant 2.5 games away from the Wizards. I just don’t get the logic, unless they’ve given up on this season. If that’s the case, it was incredibly disappointing, as losing Serge Ibaka really hurt this team.
Utah Jazz
All that matters is that Utah is now 46-18 on the year, now 0.5 games ahead of the Suns for the #1 seed. They are definitely going to need Mitchell back to retain this #1 seed. Because getting 34 from Bogdanovic every night seems unrealistic. This #1 seed is likely going to come right down to the wire.
Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers
Impressive
This team hasn’t missed a beat without Jamal Murray. They are 9-1 without Murray and they now move into 3rd with this win. If Jokic isn’t the MVP, I don’t know what to say. Jokic only had 9 points at the half but he went to work. He dominated in the post and got to the free throw line for once at comparable rates to that of Joel Embiid. 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists, pure dominance.
MPJ had 25-7-6 on 10/16 shooting, unfazed by all of the Clipper wing defenders. In the 10 games since Murray’s injury, he’s averaging 25.6 points and 6.7 rebounds on 57% shooting from the field and 51% 3-PT. They’re going to need similar stuff come postseason time.
Dozier and Millsap were solid but I thought this team would struggle; and they should be struggling. But MPJ has been the main reason for their great play as of late and Jokic continues to do what he does best, everything. The Nuggets have a 0.5 game lead on the Clippers for the #3 seed as they try and hold on to that for the last stretch of the year.
Shot Distribution
This was some of the worst shot distribution I have seen from this team. Every team needs a hierarchy, not some players bleeding into other players shot’s. Here are problems I have:
Paul George: 5/21 – Unfortunately for LA, Paul George coming up short in big moments isn’t rare. LA traded their entire future for this guy and when they need him the most, he does this. Not exactly inspiring PG-13 material, more like Y-7.
Kawhi: 7/12 – If PG is that off, why is Kawhi not getting more shots. He should be getting 17-20 shots, just like PG, maybe even more because he’s actually the best player on the team. It’s your team Kawhi, take over, please.
Reggie Jackson – 5/12 – Never should Reggie Jackson take this many shots or come close to how many shots Kawhi is taking. Rondo shot the ball 12 times, but at least he made 8 of them. Jackson only made 5.
Kawhi needs more shots, PG has to be better and the role players have to play like role players. DeMarcus Cousins was 6/9 from the field, but he was awful defensively. They need Serge Ibaka back otherwise just Zubac isn’t enough to contain Jokic. If the Clippers can’t beat this version of the Nuggets, they are in trouble. Sure Jokic is a problem but you have so many bodies for MPJ and yet he’s still shooting 10/16 from the field. I just don’t believe this team is a championship team, because they aren’t good in the clutch, when it matters most. We saw it last year against this very team and I just don’t know if they can pull things together with hot many examples of coming up short we’ve seen.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 10 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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