What Is Wrong With Jamal Murray?; Jazz Win Again! 1.19.21
It’s a Tuesday night of NBA hoops, and we have 2 games on the schedule today.
Game Of The Day Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz
OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets
Pre-Game Thoughts: The Thunder are in a rebuilding stage, and although they’ve been winning games, I really don’t expect much from them. It takes a very good performance to beat the good teams, and the Nuggets fall into that category. I don’t place much faith into this OKC Thunder team. The Nuggets have been up and down this season, but they haven’t been able to get things going this season. Their defense has taken a bit with the departure of Jerami Grant, and Jamal Murray has been hot and cold this season. If Denver can unlock Murray, play solid defense and get solid scoring from their bench, I find them a hard team to beat. I think that Denver will win this game.
OKC Thunder
Yeah, the outcome was this was kind of expected. The Thunder have been surprisingly competitive throughout this season, but I doubt that they can consistently compete with the best teams in the West. After the first quarter, the Thunder scored just 70 points, after scoring 31 in the first quarter. They were rolled in this game, as they should have been. OKC falls to 6-7 on the year.
Lu Dort had 20 points and 5 rebounds on 8/11 shooting.
SGA had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists on 5/11 shooting.
The Thunder are remaining competitive while rebuilding, a tough task to accomplish. But expect this type of outcome when they face the best teams in the league. I know Denver’s record is nothing crazy, but they are good. They are still developing a lot of guys, and it’ll be a little while before they are contenders again. OKC takes on the LA Clippers next on Friday.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets needed this, as they have so up and down this season. They faced a far inferior team in the OKC Thunder, and they took advantage. After the first quarter, where Denver’s defenses was poor, they stepped it up on both ends, and dominated. Jamal Murray hasn’t been 100% as he deals with an elbow injury, but he hasn’t been the same to start this season. Jokic continues to dominate, as Denver looks to fall into a rhythm and get things going.
Nikola Jokic had 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12/21 shooting.
Monte Morris had 15 points and 5 assists on 7/11 shooting.
I know that Jamal Murray has been dealing with an elbow problem, but if it was really bad, he wouldn’t be playing. I understand that might hinder his playing ability a bit, but he hasn’t been as aggressive this season, nor has he been shooting the ball as well. Now, the elbow might be a problem, but because Denver hasn’t been great this season, they might be playing him. Whatever is wrong, weather it be injury or not, the Nuggets need Murray to get going. Just Jokic won’t get them deep in the playoffs, even if guys like Monte Morris and Will Barton shoot this well in the post-season. If Murray can be as aggressive as he was in the bubble, and start hitting his shots, the Nuggets will reach their max potential. Denver is back to 0.500 with a 7-7 record, and they take on the Phoenix Suns next on Friday.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Utah Jazz
Pre-Game Thoughts: The Pelicans had been struggling to score, as their spacing had really been killing them. But they took advantage of a very poor Kings defense, as maybe that can get them going. They proved that Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram can work even with limited floor spacing, but will they find similar success against one of the best defenses in the league? We’ll have to see. The Jazz have been up and down this season, but they’ve won their last 5 games. Their offense has been very good, even with Bojan Bogdanovic starting slow. They need their scorers like Conley, Mitchell, and Clarkson to get going, otherwise they will struggle. This will be a good game, but I do think that the Jazz will win.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans offense has just not been good enough. I watched most of this game, and the Pelicans looked good, but they could look a lot better if they had more spacing. Steven Adams might be a good rebounder, but could you imagine if they had somebody like Myles Turner who could defend and also stretch the floor? New Orleans would be a lot better. And the Pelicans defense allowed the Jazz to fire 3’s at will, as Utah made 21 3-pointers, while the Pelicans made just 6. Something has to change personnel wise for New Orleans, otherwise they will continue to struggle.
Zion had 32 points and 5 rebounds on 14/19 shooting.
Brandon Ingram had 17 points on 8/18 shooting.
When Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe shoot a combined 2/10 from 3, you don’t get a lot of spacing, even less than the limited space that you already have. Zion continues to score, even with the spacing problems. Eric Bledsoe has been shooting the ball pretty well from 3, shooting over 40% on nearly 5 attempts. But Lonzo Ball has been struggling, shooting 31% from 3 on 7 attempts. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been shooting 39% on nearly 4 attempts. I get that Lonzo is a good defender and passer, but he just can’t shoot. The Pelicans have to change something, and that might have to be it. New Orleans has lost 6 of their last 7 games, and they are now 5-8 on the year. They take on the Jazz again on Thursday.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz have been rolling on offense, as their 3’s have been falling thanks to the resurgence of Bojan Bogdanovic and Donovan Mitchell. Rudy Gobert was making it tough for the shooting-less Pelicans down low, and the Jazz just kind of poured it on. They shot 45% from the 3-point line, making 21 of them. Bojan Bogdanovic has been getting better, but guys like Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson off the bench really stretch the floor for Utah. If the Jazz can keep these type of shooting numbers up, they are a very tough team to stop. Utah has won 6 straight, and they are now 10-4 on the year.
Donovan Mitchell had 28 points and 7 rebounds on 9/15 shooting.
Jordan Clarkson had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 6/15 shooting off the bench.
Joe Ingles had 15 points on 5/6 3-PT off the bench.
The Jazz have been shooting at a torrid pace, as they have been torching teams from deep. Donovan Mitchell has been shooting much better, and to have guys like Clarkson and Ingles come off the bench is such a luxury. Maybe I was wrong about the Jazz. I still think that they need to be scoring to win, but they’ve been rolling for the past week or so. The Jazz are the 3rd team in the West to reach 10 wins, as they have been looking like contenders. Utah takes on the Pelicans again next.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 2 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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