Westbrook Out Indefinitely; No Nurse No Problem! Thought From Day 14!
After 4 games of action from Day 14 of the NBA Restart, I’m giving my thoughts/opinions for each team!
After 4 games of action from Day 14 of the NBA Restart, I’m giving my thoughts/opinions for each team!
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers won their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Pacers were 4-2 entering this contest as they looked to end the bubble on a hot note. TJ Warren was out with a foot injury, but the Pacers say he will be ready for the playoffs. Malcolm Brogdon was also out and Domantas Sabonis has yet to return. So the Pacers were short-handed against the small ball Rockets. And the game was close throughout but Justin Holiday hit 2 big free throws with 6.5 seconds left to give the Pacers a 108-104 win.
Offensively the Pacers were ok as they shot 40% from the field and 36% from 3. The Pacers were also 17/22 from the free throw line. The Pacers had 12 offensive rebounds. The Pacers turned the ball over 14 times. The Pacers had a good paint presence as they had 46 points in the paint.
Defensively the Pacers were great as the Rockets shot 37% from the field and 28% from 3. The Rockets were also 24/28 from the free throw line. The Pacers forced the Rockets into 20 turnovers as they did a good job creating extra possessions. The Pacers allowed just 32 points down low.
Justin Holiday had 18 points and 6 rebounds to lead Indiana. Myles Turner had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Edmond Sumner had 17 points off the bench. Victor Oladipo added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Doug McDermott had 16 points as well.
Conclusion
The Pacers are now 5-2 in the bubble. The Pacers will be playing the Miami Heat in the 1st round, but they face the Heat on Friday. The Pacers have the potential to have ‘home-court’ in the series, although it does not really matter. TJ Warren is apparently going to be fine in time for the playoffs, so he will likely not be playing on Friday. But the Pacers and Heat should give us a very good 1st round series.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets lost their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Rockets entered this game 4-2 in the bubble and they seemed to be preparing for the playoffs more than the seeding game. Russell Westbrook has been missing time as he has a strained quad. Westbrook will miss the Rockets last seeding game and will be re-evaluated before the playoffs. James Harden was back in the lineup as was Eric Gordon, who got injured during a scrimmage game. And the Rockets were in a close game, but ended up losing 108-104.
Offensively the Rockets were poor as they shot 37% from the field and 28% from 3. The Rockets were also 24/28 from the free throw line. The Rockets had 20 turnovers as they did not take good care of the ball. The Rockets only had 32 points down low.
Defensively the Rockets were ok as the Pacers shot 40% from the field and 36% from 3. The Pacers were also 17/22 from the free throw line. The Pacers had 12 offensive rebounds as the Rockets could not keep them from just one shot. The Rockets forced 14 turnovers. The Rockets didn’t have much paint defense as the Pacers had 46 points down low.
James Harden had 45 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists for Houston. Jeff Green had 14 points off the bench. Eric Gordon had 13 points in his seeding debut. Robert Covington added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
Conclusion
The Rockets seem to be relaxing a bit before the playoffs. They have already proved that they can win with their small-ball lineup, now they just want to be rested and healthy in time for the playoffs. Russell Westbrook will be re-evaluated before the playoffs, and the Rockets hope he will be ready for their 1st round matchup. Eric Gordon is back and he will be another shooter for the Rockets to use on offense. The Rockets will be facing the OKC Thunder in the 1st round.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors won their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Raptors have also been putting their foot off the gas pedal as of late. Against the 76ers, the Raptors did not have their coach Nick Nurse. One of the Raptors assistants took over. And the Raptors were still very good. With the starters playing limited minutes, the supporting cast played very well. And with 6.9 seconds left, Stanley Johnson hit a short floater to give the Raptors a 123-121 lead. The Raptors hung on to win 125-121.
Offensively the Raptors were good as they shot 44% from the field and 41% from 3. The Raptors were also 27/40 from the free throw line. The Raptors had 11 offensive rebounds as they created a lot of 2nd chance opportunities. The Raptors only had 12 turnovers. The Raptors had 42 points in the paint.
Defensively the Raptors were sub-par as the 76ers shot 46% from the field and 43% from 3. The 76ers were also 26/33 from the free throw line. The Raptors forced the 76ers into 17 turnovers. The Raptors locked down the paint as the 76ers had just 34 points down low.
Kyle Lowry had 19 points for Toronto. Chris Boucher had 19 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Normal Powell had 17 points. Pascal Siakam added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet were also in double figures.
Conclusion
Even without COTY candidate (and winner in my opinion) Nick Nurse, the Raptors were able to win this game. The Raptors face the Nuggets in their final seeding game, and the starters will likely not play at all in that game. The Raptors have the #2 seed on lock and will face the Brooklyn Nets in the playoffs. The Raptors should be well rested and poised for another good playoff run.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers lost their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The 76ers have been struggling as of late as they were 3-3 in the bubble. The 76ers have already lost Ben Simmons for the year, and Joel Embiid had an ankle injury. Embiid was back in the lineup for the 76ers as were the rest of the starters for the 76ers. But Joel Embiid got hurt again. He was holding his wrist and he went back to the locker room. His x-rays came back negative. The 76ers lost a close game 125-121.
Offensively the 76ers were good as they shot 46% from the field and 43% from 3. The 76ers were also 26/33 from the free throw line. The 76ers had 17 turnovers as they did not do a good job taking care of the ball. The 76ers only had 34 points in the paint.
Defensively the 76ers were ok as the Raptors shot 44% from the field and 41% from 3. The Raptors were also 27/40 from the free throw line. The Raptors had 11 offensive rebounds as the 76ers did a poor job limiting them to just one shot. The 76ers forced 12 turnovers. The 76ers allowed 42 points in the paint.
Tobias Harris had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for Philadelphia. Furkan Korkmaz had 21 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Raul Neto had 17 points and 5 rebounds off the bench as well. Mike Scott, Josh Richardson, and Matisse Thybulle were all in double-figures as well.
Conclusion
The 76ers are now 3-4 in the bubble as they seem to have gone down hill since the injury to Ben Simmons. The 76ers are a lock for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, and they will be facing the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have handled the 76ers in the playoffs before, and without Ben Simmons the 76ers will likely not make it out of the first round.
Miami Heat
The Heat lost their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Heat were coming off of a dominant win against their first round matchup, the Indiana Pacers. Now the Heat faced a very good Thunder team who were at full strength once again. The Heat themselves were at full strength as they were missing Kendrick Nunn. And the Heat were playing very well in this game. They led by 22 at one point but the Thunder made an incredible comeback. Mike Muscala hit the dagger 3 with 5.2 seconds left and the Heat lost 116-115.
Offensively the Heat were good as they shot 49% from the field and 33% from 3. The Heat were also 17/20 from the free throw line. The Heat turned the ball over 12 times. The Heat had 42 points in the paint as they had a nice paint presence.
Defensively the Heat were ok as the Thunder shot 43% from the field and 38% from 3. The Thunder were also 22/27 from the free throw line. The Thunder had 14 offensive rebounds as the Heat did a poor job limiting them to one shot. The Heat forced 16 turnovers. The Heat locked down the paint as the Thunder only had 36 points down low.
Tyler Herro had 30 points and 6 rebounds to lead the Heat. Duncan Robinson had 19 points. Goran Dragic added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Soloman Hill had 10 points off the bench as well.
Conclusion
The Heat are now 3-4 in the bubble, but they are a guaranteed 4 of 5 seed. The Heat are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference, but are tied with the 5th seeded Indiana Pacers. The Heat face the Pacers on Friday and the winner will get ‘home-court’ advantage. I still expect the Heat to play their starters a bit, but they might not take the game seriously. But, we get more TJ Warren vs Jimmy Butler action.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder won their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Thunder got embarrassed by the Suns last time out as they didn’t play most of their best players. But the Thunder’s best would be suiting up tonight to face the Heat. The Thunder would still be missing Dennis Schroder, but he will be ready for the playoffs. And the Thunder were playing very well. They led by 22 in the 2nd half, but they were able to come back and win the game thanks to Mike Muscala hitting the game winning 3 with 5.2 seconds left. The Thunder won 116-115.
Offensively the Thunder were solid as they shot 44% from the field and 38% from 3. The Thunder were also 22/27 from the free throw line. The Thunder had 14 offensive rebounds as they did a good job creating 2nd chance opportunities. The Thunder had 16 turnovers. The Thunder only had 36 points in the paint.
Defensively the Thunder were poor as the Heat shot 49% from the field and 33% from 3. The Heat were also 17/20 from the free throw line. The Thunder forced 12 turnovers. The Thunder allowed 42 points in the paint.
Darius Bazley had 21 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 18 points. Danilo Gallinari added 14 points. Abdel Nader had 13 points off the bench. Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo were both in double figures.
Conclusion
The Thunder are now 4-3 in the bubble. The Thunder are currently the 4th seed in the West. They are tied with the 5th seeded Houston Rockets. If the Thunder win their final game against the Clippers, they will be the 4th seed. This would give them a slight advantage as they would have ‘home-court’. I think that the Thunder will take their final game semi-seriously, but the ‘home-court isn’t the biggest of deals.
LA Clippers
The Clippers won their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Clippers have still been without a fully healthy roster throughout this NBA Restart. PG-13 and Kawhi Leonard have been in and out of the lineup, and Montrezl Harrell has not played at all. Lou Williams has been getting better since the Magic City fiasco, and he will likely be ready for the playoffs. Against the Nuggets the Clippers had a critical game. With a win the Clippers clinched the 2nd seed and would face the Dallas Mavs in the first round. With a loss the Nuggets would get closer to the 2nd seed and the Clippers would need to win their 8th and final game to get the 2nd seed. And the Clippers took care of business as they outscored the Nuggets by 15 in the 4th quarter and they won 124-111.
Offensively the Clippers were great as they shot 54% from the field and 38% from 3. The Clippers were also 18/23 from the free throw line. The Clippers took good care of the ball as they only had 7 turnovers. The Clippers had 42 points down low.
Defensively the Clippers were poor as the Nuggets shot 49% from the field and and 37% from 3. The Nuggets were also 12/19 from the free throw line. The Clippers forced Denver into 12 turnovers. The Clippers got pounded down low as the Nuggets had 52 points in the paint.
Paul George had 27 points to lead LA. Kawhi Leonard added 26 points and 5 rebounds. Lou Williams had 23 points and 7 assists off the bench. Ivica Zubac had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Reggie Jackson had 10 points as well.
Conclusion
The Clippers are now 4-3 in the bubble but more importantly they have locked down the #2 seed in the West. They will face a tough Dallas Mavericks team in the 1st round, but the Clippers will likely be at full strength with their big 4 of Leonard, George, Williams, and Harrell all playing. After a whole year filled with load-management and time off, it’s almost time to see how the Clippers will fare in the NBA Playoffs.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets lost their 7th game in the bubble. Here is what I thought about their performance.
The Nuggets have also not been very healthy in the bubble. Gary Harris and Will Barton have yet to even play in the NBA Restart and Jamal Murray missed some games as well. The Nuggets have been very relaxed in the bubble as they have been going easy on their starters and giving their supporting cast more time. But they played an important game vs the Clippers. A win for Denver meant they had a chance to steal the #2 seed from LA, but a loss meant that they stayed at #3. And the Nuggets fell apart in the 4th quarter and they lost 124-111, meaning they stay at the #3 seed in the West.
Offensively the Nuggets were good as they shot 49% from the field and 37% from 3. The Nuggets were also 12/19 from the free throw line. The Nuggets had 12 turnovers as they took good care of the ball. The Nuggets pounded the ball down low as they had 52 points in the paint.
Defensively the Nuggets were poor as the Clippers shot 54% from the field and 38% from 3. The Clippers were also 18/23 from the free throw line. The Nuggets only forced 7 turnovers. The Nuggets had solid paint defense as the Clippers only had 42 points down low.
Jerami Grant had 25 points and 6 rebounds to lead Denver. Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 13 assists. Michael Porter Jr. had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jamal Murray and Torrey Craig each added 10 points.
Conclusion
The Nuggets are now 3-4 in the bubble and they are the #3 seed in the West officially. The Nuggets did not make a great push for the 2nd seed as they were missing 3 of their key players. Jamal Murray is back but Gary Harris and Will Barton are not. The Nuggets are hopeful that they can come back in time for the playoffs. The Nuggets will be facing a tough Utah Jazz team, that is short-handed. The Nuggets should be able to win that matchup handily.
What Are Your Thoughts/Opinions From Day 14 of the NBA Restart? Leave a Comment Down Below!
My Thoughts/Opinions From Day 15 Will Be Posted Tomorrow @ 2:30 PM PT.
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