With Powell Are Portland Contenders?; Blake Gets His Revenge On Detroit! 3.26.21
It’s another day of NBA action and we have a very busy day with 11 games on the schedule tonight.
Brooklyn Nets vs Detroit Pistons
Blake Griffin Revenge Game
Harden had 44-14-8. He was a god. But the only other person to score consistently was Griffin off the bench. Blake was 5/8 from the field with 2 3’s and a dunk and he had 17 off the bench. Blake has been really good for the Nets and I think he’ll be an x-factor for them in the playoffs.
You Tried
The Pistons tried with all their might to win but James Harden and 17 from Blake Griffin proved to be too much. At least Saddiq Bey played well.
Phoenix Suns vs Toronto Raptors
Nearly Choked It
The Suns were in the drivers seat for a lot of this game, especially in the 4th. They held by 10 with over 4 minutes to go but the Raptors got back into the game. Up just two with under 20 seconds left, Booker missed but Mikal Bridges got a big offensive rebound that led to a Suns win.
19 points and 9 rebounds from Ayton as he has been getting more shots lately and looking good. CP-3 had 19-6-8 with 2 steals and Booker added 16. Not the best shooting night (9/36 from 3), but the Suns defense was solid as they got a hard earned win against Toronto.
No Powell Hurts
Not having that consistent scorer like Powell hurts. While Trent is good, he’s not as good of an all-around scorer like Powell is. Despite 26-11-6 from Siakam, 22 from VanVleet and 15 from OG Anunoby, they didn’t have that 3rd scorer. The bench still struggles to find offense. Maybe Norman Powell should have been a guy to keep as he was a very good piece that was holding this offense together. I get it’s early, but Trent has some big shoes to fill on offense.
Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks
Energizing
Danny Ainge said that he hoped his moves at the deadline gave his team some energy. Even though Boston was missing some of their guys and no Evan Fournier yet, Boston looked really good. The Big 3 finally showed up and played well together. Jayson Tatum was a well oiled machine, going 13/18 from the floor with 34-6-7. If he’s taking smart shots, this is what happens.
Walker had 21 and 5 and he started off well and aggressive. Brown had 18 as well and Marcus Smart hit 7 3’s. Robert Williams as a starter was an animal. 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists with 5 blocks and 2 steals. He did a great job defending Giannis.
When Boston gets Fournier off the bench they get more scoring. They just need the defense to come together and I believe the season is still salvageable.
Same Bucks
No matter the winning streak I still don’t believe in this team because of their flawed schemes. Another prime example was today. The Bucks kept helping on drives and then the Celtics hit the open kick-outs with 22 3’s. 7 from Marcus Smart alone. The Bucks just don’t know how to defend the 3, even in this day and age of shooting. Giannis was held in check throughout this game by Robert Williams.
When you’re relying on guys like Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Sam Merrill for bench scoring, we have a problem. Both of them were good but the regulars were not. These type of games for the Bucks keep cementing the fact that this is the same flawed team from the past two season. No 8 game winning streak is going to change my mind on that.
Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets
Made It Look Close
This game wasn’t close. The Hornets let things get close after destroying Miami in the first half. The Heat defense was getting torched by Rozier and Monk. The Heat offense was again terrible and they trailed by as much as 30 in the first half. They made things look close but the Hornets had this game in hand. This team struggles with consistency. Maybe that goes away with Oladipo comes to town.
Nearly Blew It, But Good Job
The Hornets dominated that first half and while they nearly let their foot of the gas too much there at the end, they won this game. Monk and Rozier were the main reason the Hornets led by as many as 30 in the first half. Monk was 8/11 off the bench with 24 points and Rozier had 17. The Hornets dominated and essentially just cruised to the win.
Monk was 12/17 from the field with 32 off the bench. Rozier had 26 and Graham added 16. This team continues to win and score on offense even without Ball as I expected them to be much worse. That still may happen but not right now apparently.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Orlando Magic
No Dame, No Problem
Norman Powell made his Portland debut, Jusuf Nurkic returned from his wrist injury, and Damian Lillard was out. A weird game but one that Portland won eventually. The offense was pretty solid with no Dame and two new pieces so it was a pretty successful first run.
Norman Powell is an upgrade over Trent because of his off the dribble capabilities. He was 5/7 from 3 in this game with 22 points and I can definitely see him being that true 3rd scorer that Portland hasn’t ever had in the Dame and CJ regime. CJ has 22 and the duo of Simons and Kanter off the bench had 30.
But if Portland can work in Jusuf Nurkic slowly, get Dame healthy, and get a competent 3rd scorer in Powell, this just might be the best Blazers roster to date in the Dame and CJ era.
Rebuild
Rebuild, Chuma Okeke looks really good. Also Mo Bamba minutes.
Houston Rockets vs Minnesota T-Wolves
This Team Is Miserable
The Rockets led by 15 entering the 4th, trying to get a rare win. The Rockets then didn’t score for the final 7:31 of the game. The T-Wolves outscored them 22-0 in that span led by KAT and this team continues to fail at this rebuild. They botched the James Harden deal and now they are stuck.
It’s The Rockets
Credit to the defense but it’s the Rockets. No points for 7:31 in the 4th allowed KAT and company to go on a 22-0 run and win. Towns had 29-16-8 as he has been playing well, but inefficient. Jaden McDaniels was 5/5 with 14 points, Edwards was ok. The bench was very good however.
19 and 9 from Hernangomez on 7/10 shooting and 16 from Naz Reid. The T-Wolves have been a much better team under Chris Finch and I think they have a future. They’ll screw it up yes, but a future nonetheless.
Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans
It’s The Pelicans
No lead is safe with New Orleans and the Nuggets demonstrated that again. The first half was terrible Nuggets defense and a Zion domination. Denver trailed by double-digits in the first half but their defense picked up and they took a lead in the 3rd. The 4th quarter was a back and forth affair but Denver trailed by 6 with 4:44 left. But back-to-back 3’s tied the game. A duel with Zion kept the game close but two straight Jokic scores put them up 3. Out of a Pelicans timeout with 13.8 seconds left, Denver led by two. They didn’t even let the Pelicans get a shot up and they won the game at the line.
Jokic was again a monster with 37-6-9. He’s the clear MVP. Porter was 10/17 from the field with 25 points as he continues to just score and score. Murray had 23 and 11 assists and Millsap had 16 and 7 rebounds. Oh yeah, no McGee or Gordon yet. We may have not seen the best of Denver yet.
Choke, Again
This team blows another double-digit lead, their 12th of the year I think, something like that. They wasted a historic game from Zion. Career high 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 84% shooting. First New Orleans player with 30/10/5 on 80%+ shooting since David West in 2010. They still lost. They’re going to waste two generational wing talents, mark my words.
Indiana Pacers vs Dallas Mavericks
Taking Care Of Business
This game was pretty close, too close for a team without their 22-year old generational talent and leader, but hey a win is a win.
No Luka
No Luka, don’t care for the result.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Utah Jazz
You Tried
The Grizzlies trailed for most this game (as they should) but they nearly cameback and won this game. But their final shot wasn’t a good look. Dillon Brooks was smothered and while he nearly made the shot, it wasn’t a good look. But credit to Memphis, they just kept fighting and fighting, never giving up.
Morant had 32 and 11, constantly attacking the rim, not seeming to care that Gobert was down low. Brooks had 22, Allen had 17, and Valanciunas had 14 and 18 rebounds. Clarke had 13 off the bench as it was a solid offensive night. But the slow start really hurt the Grizzlies in this game.
Shooting Dips
The Jazz shooting has been a bit worse recently, a lot of it has to do with Jordan Clarkson who has had a rough couple of games. I suppose anybody with a loose trigger like him can have bad games, but he’s been awful. I would know, he’s on my fantasy team. But Mitchell was great with 35 points and Gobert added 25. Bogdanovic finally shot well with 17 but I haven’t been as impressed with Utah as I once was. I really still don’t view them as contenders.
Atlanta Hawks vs Golden State Warriors
Taking Care Of Business
Atlanta got redemption for the Kings loss last night in a big way as they dominated this game. John Collins was 14/19 from the field, 4/5 from 3 with 38 points and 12 rebounds. Now that’s somebody worth max money. Trae Young had 21 points and 15 assists, mostly passing to Collins. Capela had 18 and 15 and bullied Wiseman around. The bench was solid as the Hawks are still not at full strength. De’Andre Hunter didn’t play today on the second night of a back-to-back but he’s still working his way back. Lou Williams and Kris Dunn have also yet to play for the team. The Hawks can still improve on what they have right now.
Please Comeback Curry
The Warriors have lost their last 4 and now they have been falling in the West. With teams like the Kings, Grizzlies, and Pelicans right behind them they need Curry back healthy fast if they want to remain a top-10 West team to make the playoffs. Wiggins has been very good and while guys like Poole and Oubre along with Wiseman were good, they need more. Getting Draymond Green to score a bit as well would also help.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs LA Lakers
Offense
This team’s offense was so bad in the 2nd half. They scored just 10 points in the 3rd and 35 overall in the 2nd half after 51 in the first half. Sure credit to LA’s defense, but this was a blown opportunity at a winnable game even without Collin Sexton. Another game where the offense holds this team back.
There We Go
LA hadn’t been able to win without Lebron and AD because of the offense being bad, but we all expected that. This is basically how I expected LA to play. They are still great defensively, Lebron and AD are just cherries on top and the 2nd half of this game proved that. The offense wasn’t special but when they play defense like this, holding the Cavs to 10 points in the 3rd, it doesn’t need to be great.
Schroder had 17 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals plus a lot of hustle including a chase down block in the 3rd. Kuzma and KCP were a combined 4/15 from the field. Harrell was 10/15 off the bench with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He’s been good but he’s still a defensive liability. THT also had 15 off the LA bench.
But this is how LA has to win games without both of their superstars, defense. The offense isn’t going to be great and they shouldn’t fret too much about that. Missing two top-10 players will do that to an offense. But this 2nd half proved that LA can still be competent while they wait for AD and Lebron to become healthy.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 11 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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