Last Night In The NBA: James Harden Continues To Make History, Luka Joins Elite Company, Terrible Collapses And Much More!
Good morning everybody happy Saturday and welcome back to another edition of Last Night In The NBA where we bring you up top speed on everything that happened from the night before in the Association. Maybe you went out and had a few too many last night and you find yourself pretty hung over at the moment. Maybe you’re with your girlfriend as she’s dragging you all around doing errands or some shit. Whatever the case may be, this blog is here to help. Friday night was jam packed with 10 games on the schedule which means we have a ton of awesome highlights to get to. It was a night in which we saw some history be made, a young phenom do something only previously done by legends, god awful collapses, and a ton more. If you didn’t get to watch any of it just keep reading, here’s what happened
Washington Wizards (21-27) 95 vs Orlando Magic (20-29) 91
Heading into this matchup I’d say it wasn’t the sexiest game of all time, and one they actually played the game it was for the most part a snoozefest as well. Both of these teams are lottery bound and weeks away from trading away assets, but I must say I was surprised that WSH could go on the road and actually play well. You see they STINK away from home, just 6-18 on the season, but I guess when you’re playing a bad team like ORL it may not matter. Offensively they were solid with 44/55% splits, 15 3PM and for the most part rode on the backs of both Bradley Beal and Jeff Green who combined for half their points
Despite their dogshit season, I do want to give Beal a shoutout. He’s been incredible this season and even better once John Wall went out. He’s played in all 48 of their games this season so his injury issues are a thing of the past, and I think it goes without saying he absolutely should be an All Star reserve this year.
For ORL, things sort of fell apart for them in the second quarter, can’t score only 17 points at home that’s Day 1 stuff. Much like WSH it really came down to just two players in Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic who like Beal/Green combined for half of the Magics points
The did pull off a nice 14-2 run in the third quarter to make it somewhat close so that was fun, and then I’ll always be down to see Mo Bamba swat shit too the moon
I do find myself being intrigued by Gordon/Isaac/Bamba, they are all such athletic freaks part of me thinks eventually they’ll for sure be a playoff team.
New York Knicks (10-37) 99 vs Brooklyn Nets (27-23) 109
Gotta love the battle of NY where one team 100% does not want to win. If you aren’t impressed with the tanking job that the Knicks are doing you’re just a hater. They are pulling this off to perfection and what’s going to make it sweet this summer is they’ll still probably get boned at the Lottery because they’re the Knicks. In this one offense was tough to come by since they finished with 42/25% splits, but they did get great performances from both Noah Vonleh and Trey Burke
Vonleh threw up a career high 22/13 and has turned into an actual player in NY. He never showed anything like this in any of his previous spots, but he has turned himself into a legit player in NY
The Knicks scored just 39 points over the final 24 minutes, which tells me that they went into halftime, saw they were tied, and from then on knew it was time to initiate the tank.
For BKN, I’m sure Nets fans out there are a little depressed with the news of Spencer Dinwiddie’s fractured finger given the year he was having, and things weren’t exactly all that much better for them offensively in this one as they finished with just 40/27% splits with 19 TOs. So how did they pull this off? Well for starters their bench was legit. That unit dropped a combined 72 points and as a team the Nets took a ridiculous 47 FTA.
Whether you want to accept it or not, the Nets have actually been one of the best teams in the entire league over the last 6 weeks or so. They’re tied for the longest active winning streak in the conference, are 8-2 over their last 10 and have won 10 of their last 12. Sure they are beating up on some bad teams over that stretch but that’s not their problem. They’ve solidified themselves as a top 6 seed and that’s not too shabby given the injuries they’ve suffered.
Miami Heat (23-24) 100 vs Cleveland Cavaliers (9-41) 94
I don’t know what the Heat were doing, but being down 53-48 at the half to the lowly Cavs was a terrible look. Not because the Heat are all that good, but because the Cavs are that bad. They immediately got their shit together in the third quarter holding CLE to just 17 points, and from there it was smooth sailing. Something I feel like isn’t getting talked about enough is what a great season Justise Winslow is having. He seems to have figured things out in terms of his new role this year and it’s showing up on the floor
He led the team with 27/7 on 11-18 shooting and also made 4 (!!!) threes in his 36 minutes. We also got some Vintage Wade in his return to CLE
he was actually a bench best +16, and the Heat are just chugging along in that 7 spot which is where they’ll most likely end up given that BKN has separated themselves.
For CLE, they are so bad you almost don’t want to even talk about them, but Cedi Osman had a career night and I feel like their season has been so bad their fans deserve to relive the good times since they almost never happen
The Cavs may stink out loud, but Cedi can actually play, so there’s that!
Los Angeles Clippers (27-22) 106 vs Chicago Bulls (11-38) 101
How often do you see a player throw up a triple double coming off the bench? I feel like that’s extremely rare and that’s exactly what Lou Williams did last night
The human microwave was incredible, and the Clippers desperately needed this level of a performance because besides the 29/8/3 from Tobias Harris
almost no other Clipper showed up. Those to combined for 60 of their 106 points and as a result the Clips found themselves in a dogfight pretty much this entire game. They eventually got their shit together in the fourth quarter which had to be a relief for Clippers fans, because as of now this team is holding onto that final playoff spot in the West by a thread, and losing to the Bulls would have been a horrible look. Luckily, they pulled out their 2nd consecutive win and by this time next week they could be as high as the 6 seed. Finally over .500 on the road, that was the main area they needed to figure out.
For CHI, it’s probably a relief that they dropped this game given how the other tanking teams did last night, and even with their 39/28% splits they still had their fair share of good individual performances
I mean this was a tied game until LAC scored the last 6 points, so if you’re a Bulls fan you love the effort and the fact that they played hard while ultimately securing the much needed L. Well done.
Toronto Raptors (36-15) 119 vs Houston Rockets (28-20) 121
By far the best matchup heading into the night, this game did not disappoint. James Harden secured his 22nd straight game of 30 points which extended his own record and has him in Wilt territory
Did you know that Harden has been the outright scorer for BOTH teams in each of those 22 games? That’s the third longest streak of it’s kind in HISTORY behind only Wilt who did it 40 times and Bob McAdoo who did it 28. Those are some big time names to find yourself grouped with.
But we know Harden is awesome, one of the better surprises of this game was the play of the new Rocket Kenneth Faried. This man was EVERYWHERE, and showed why he can be a valuable asset to this team. His energy makes all the difference in a world and I think he’s going to be great for them moving forward
However, even though the Rockets were up big for most of this game, it nearly all came crashing down in the last 2 minutes. This was almost the worst collapse we’ve seen all year, allow me to set the stage. Harden made his FTs to put the Rocket up 11 with 1:14 left. Kawhi immediately came down and hit a three, then Harden turned it over which eventually led to a Danny Green three. Now down 5, Eric Gordon stepped out of bounds which then led to a Siakam 3. Now, with 27 seconds the Raptors down just three, Eric Gordon does this
What the fuck is he thinking? Look at the clock! I get you’re trying to draw the foul but what an awful decision here by Gordon. Now, after dominating this entire game the Rockets very well could lose with a made TOR three. What came next was something I don’t think anyone expected, and that was James Harden actually playing perfect game saving defense!
They held on, but holy shit was that one of the worst collapses we’ve seen this year. Sadly though, it wasn’t even the worst of the night.
For TOR, this was a great example of why they are so tough to beat. They’re never out of a game no matter what the score is, They just keep coming and coming and have the talent to overcome almost any deficit.
They have now dropped 2 in a row and with how well all the team below them in the East are currently playing they do have to be a little careful. With DAL/MIL/LAC/PHI up next, we could see a mini slide on the horizon which would certainly make things more interesting.
Sacramento Kings (25-24) 99 vs Memphis Grizzlies (19-30) 96
At this point, it’s getting sad for MEM. This was now their 8th loss in a row, they’re 1-9 over their last 10 and officially have the second worst record in the West. We all know they are going to blow it up, and if there was any doubt if this thing was over, I can’t imagine still holding onto any sort of hope. It’s a wrap for them so just enjoy the final Conley/Gasol moments. It’s never a good sign when Omar Casspi is turning in the best performance
and I don’t really know what else to say. They are a dumpster fire.
For SAC, pick and name and they played well. The Kings have sort of come back down to earth in recent weeks, but maybe all they needed was to play a horrific team like MEM to help them get their swagger back. I would say it worked
This win has them within 2 games of the final playoff spot and while it’s true if you throw up 40/36% with 17 TOs against any other team with a pulse you probably lose, they made enough plays down the stretch to avoid their 3rd straight loss and they do still have a chance to salvage their road trip with LAC up next.
Detroit Pistons (21-27) 101 vs Dallas Mavericks (22-26) 106
I feel for Blake and Andre Drummond, I really do. They are having great years and deserve better than what they have in DET. Now 6 games under .500 on the year and 8 games under .500 on the road, it’s been a complete disaster for DET outside of the first few weeks
Drummond threw up a cool 23/15, and outside of those two no other Piston had more than 12 points. Hell they had just three total players in double figures and only threw up 16 points in the fourth. That’s pathetic.
For DAL, what more can we say about Luka? The kid is something else
Did you know his 32/8/8 as a teenager is something that only LeBron and Kevin Durant have done in the history of the NBA? I’d say that’s a couple of guys you want to be paired with.
This game was tied with 8 minutes to go until the Mavs used a 12-5 run to close it out and it should be no surprise that Luka was a huge part of that run. The kid is just so goddamn clutch. DSJ was solid with 19/5 on 8-14 as he works his way back and the Mavs move to an impressive 18-6 at home. How they can be so good at home and so bad on the road makes no sense but that’s their reality.
Charlotte Hornets (23-25) 99 vs Milwaukee Bucks (35-12) 108
I’d just like to personally say fuck you to the Hornets. How are you going to be up 11 points heading into the fourth quarter and then score 12 in the final frame. TWELVE?!?!?! How dare you. To make matters worse Kemba had a pretty scary injury
but that collapse was something else. You could see it coming a mile away and there was nothing CHA could do to stop it. Man as someone that needs MIL to start to lose, that was frustrating as hell.
For MIL, Giannis was as unstoppable as ever
he outscored the entire Bucks team in that fourth quarter!
But just like we see time and time again what makes the Bucks so tough is how balanced they are
They now have the best record in the NBA and look like an absolute force that will not be sliding anytime soon.
Phoenix Suns (11-40) 95 vs Denver Nuggets (32-15) 132
Yeah, just watch Devin Booker because he’s the only reason to watch the Suns right now with Ayton out
Let’s move on.
For DEN, at least they take care of business when they play really bad teams. This is the second time they’ve come out and handled the Suns with ease and didn’t mess around and potentially have a brutal loss on their schedule. With Jokic suspended everyone was going to have to puck up the slack, and I would say 8 players in double figures and 50/41% splits with 15 3PM did the trick
Minnesota Timberwolves (24-25) 102 vs Utah Jazz (28-22) 106
I’m telling you, don’t sleep on the second half Jazz. They are now 8-2 over their last 10, are up to the 6 spot in the West and are starting to play their best basketball of the season. The play of Donovan Michell is a huge reason for their sudden surge, and he was once again awesome last night with 24/11
But it’s more than just him. This team is getting balanced production from their entire roster,
This game was tight down the stretch after the Jazz blew their huge lead so you could say they were a little lucky to hold on. They put up just 16 points and saw MIN make their biggest push of the game, but thankfully the clock was on their side and they made their late game FTs to pull it out. Had this game gone on just a few more minutes, they probably lose.
For MIN, KAT certainly held his own going up against Gobert
and Wiggins had 21 which was nice, but clearly they were missing a ton of players both due to injury and Taj Gibson getting tossed which as you can see he wasn’t thrilled about
There are kids in the stands Taj, control yourself! This loss now has MIN 3 full games out of the final playoff spot, so it’s looking more and more like they’re headed back to the lottery.
Phew! That’s it, you’re now all caught up with everything that went down last night in the NBA. We’re back tonight with 5 games but since it’s the weekend and you probably have a life and won’t watch, just come back in the morning and I’ll bring you up to speed on what you missed. Have a good Saturday!