Saturday was a good night in the NBA. Divisional matchups. Big Inter-Conference matchups. We even got a career high. Stay tuned to see who battered their career high in points. We start in Los Angeles.
Toronto Get Big Win, Beating The Clippers 110-98
Toronto keep on proving the doubters wrong. It’s warranted. Even though they have the best record in the East I can’t get past the fact that they have very limited Playoff experience. Compared to Cleveland and Chicago they seem a little raw in terms of having the stamina to get to the Finals. But they keep on winning games and in convincing fashion. Despite JJ Redick dropping 23 points and DeAndre Jordan grabbing a stupid 20 rebounds. They always keep their cool and punch away. Solid win for the Raps.
Orlando Comfortably Beat Charlotte 102-94
This was painful to watch. Orlando were totally balanced. Everybody got in on the action. Led by Nikola Vucevic who hot 22 points and 11 rebounds. But on Charlotte’s side. It was excruciating, especially in the second half when literally nobody but Kemba Walker was pushing for the win. Al Jefferson scored 10 in the first half. The next four points. Came late in the fourth quarter. Too little, too late. The man of the night was without doubt Kemba Walker. 42 points. Smashing his career high. Just a damn shame none of his teammates rode the same wave.
Washington Easily Beat Boston 101-88
Washington just keep finding players that want to shine. John Wall is a legit MVP candidate. Bradley Beal is a great lieutenant. Gortat the Polish muscle and now Kris Humphries. They just keep on rolling. Boston nearly beat the Wiz last time. Coming back from a 23 point deficit to force overtime. But in this game. Washington left nothing to chance. They took the lead and they kept the pressure on. That shows learning. And that is one trait of a championship squad. Knowing what went wrong and making sure it doesn’t happen again.
Memphis Take Care Of Miami In South Beach. 103-95
Memphis once again beat Miami and in a good fashion as well. The only positive I can think of for Miami is how good Dwyane Wade looks. 25 points and 7 assists. The man is really turning back the clock. But other than that. It was all Memphis. The Grizzlies took the game to the Heat. Miami did respond in the 3rd dropping 28 on Memphis while the Grizzlies could only get 15. But that was Miami’s first and last attempt at a comeback.
Butler, Chicago Go On 2nd Half Surge To Beat New Orleans 107-100
The Chicago Bulls are looking great these days. They’re now on a 6 game winning streak and I don’t see them losing anytime soon. Especially when Jimmy Butler is on this kind of tear. Another 30 point game for Butler. Pau Gasol led the team in assists which was an intriguing stat. Just goes to show how versatile he really is. Taj Gibson grabbed 10 boards. New Orleans suffered a real tough loss. Anthony Davis was wiling out. 29 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. Savage game by Davis but the Pelicans lose once again due to poor efficiency. They are now 15-15 and that’s what they look like. A middle of the road team.
Indiana destroy Brooklyn 110-85
Brooklyn, in my mind. Are in just as much turmoil as the Knicks. The only difference is that Brooklyn’s downfall is much slower. They have a great potential frontcourt of Lopez and Plumlee but other than that. They are straight up average. Joe Johnson is fading away. Jarrett Jack can do so much. All Indiana had to do was show up. And they did. Rodney Stuckey dropped 20 points and 8 assists. They always have a player that steps up. It’s a plus to a dark and slow Pacers season.
Atlanta Beat Injury Ridden Milwaukee 90-85
This was a unfair matchup from the tip-off. Milwaukee were without Ilyasova who was out with a concussion. And Larry Sanders was out with an illness. Which left bench players OJ Mayo and Kris Middleton to pick up the slack. Milwaukee’s starters were nowhere to be seen. Whereas Al Horford and Jeff Teague combined for 45 points. Atlanta got steals, blocks, incredibly balanced and despite the final score being close. It was clear who the winner was going to be.
Favors Dominates As Utah Take Care Of Philly 88-71
Utah had one job. Shut down Michael Carter-Williams and the spoils will follow and boy did they shut him down. Carter-Williams finished the night 2-20 shooting. 6 turnovers. He was non-existent all night. That left Tony Wroten and Robert Covington to pick up the offensive duties. But it wasn’t enough. Led by Derrick Favors’ 17 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocks. The Jazz rode the wave and got the W. Favors was an out and out tank. Philly had no chance.
Sacramento Beats Tragic Knicks In OT. 135-129 Final Score
The New York Knicks. Simply put. Are unwatchable. Even if they’re relevant in the game they still look like they have “L” written all over them. If Carmelo Anthony drops 36 and 11 rebounds. Their opponent tops it. In this case it was DeMarcus Cousins who got 39 and 11. They can’t catch a break. The Kings were slumping hard and this was a much needed win. They couldn’t possibly lose this one. The Knicks only had 9 players dressed for the game!
Golden State Go “Slate” And Beat the T’Wolves 110-97
Warriors have had a little skid recently. And even in this win, head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t impressed. They have taken a step back but this win was much needed. Curry led the game dropping 25 points. While Draymond Green did everything else. He led the Warriors in rebounds, steals, blocks and tied Curry for the team lead in assists. He’s really becoming the engine behind the Warriors. For the T’Wolves. They’re just trying to find a long term leader. With Rubio, Martin and Pekovic out. Minnesota are left with youth and average bench players. But it does give players like Wiggins, LaVine and Muhammad a chance to shine.
