The trade deadline is Thursday, and teams are finalizing their rosters for a postseason run or a top-five lottery pick run. There were a couple triple-doubles this week, and a couple buzzer beaters — mix it all together and the league continues to be a great source of entertainment.
The big game on Sunday for the NBA was the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers, with Al Horford knocking in a buzzer beater to help Boston at least win one important game this weekend. The Pelicans responded to the DeMarcus Cousins injury by trading for Nikola Mirotic, and the Grizzlies have benched Tyreke Evans to prevent him from suffering an injury before Thursday.
Meanwhile in Cleveland, the Cavaliers can’t stop getting blown out on national television, and it sounds like LeBron James is buckling his seatbelt on a Viking funeral pyre for his career in burgundy and gold. Let’s kick off these rankings with the worst team in the league.
The Magic were able to be a part of history on Monday, giving up the first 60 point triple-double in NBA history to James Harden. The Magic stayed fairly close to the Rockets, taking advantage of the absence of Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza, and Eric Gordon, who left the game early with back spasms. The game was tied with a few minutes remaining, but Mario Hezonja fouled Harden on a 3-point shot and that was too much offense for Orlando to overcome.
Orlando returned home for their next game, and were able to pull out a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers behind a 43-point outburst in the third quarter. The Magic knocked down nine 3-point shots in the third quarter, and made 18 of their 32 3-point attempts overall, finding a groove against the lethargic Lakers defense. The big third quarter drained whatever energy the Lakers had left at that point, and they rolled to a 127-105 win. The good vibes didn’t carry over for their final game of the week, and they got thumped by the Wizards on their home court, 115-98. Their defense looked chaotic all evening, and the Wizards finished with 35 assists on 46 made field goals, finding open shots trip after trip down the court.
The Kings began their week with a road loss to the Spurs, and while it was nice to see De’Aaron Fox put up 26 points, the thing that was most alarming was head coach Dave Joerger collapsing on the sideline a few minutes into the game. He was examined by members of the Spurs medical team, and treated for symptoms of lightheadedness. He would miss the Kings next game, a road match against the Pelicans, before returning on Friday against the Warriors. The Kings won that game that Joerger missed, closing out their six-game road trip with a 114-103 victory over New Orleans.
The Kings found great success attacking the Pelicans frontline, finishing the game with 14 offensive rebounds as a team while both their starting bigs, Zach Randolph and Kosta Koufus, had double-doubles. They gave themselves a shot in their first game home after the road trip, pulling within one point of the Warriors in the fourth quarter, 89-88, but the Warriors scored 30 points in the next eight minutes to pull away down the stretch. The Kings lost on the second night of a back-to-back, running out of gas in the final quarter against the Dallas Mavericks, giving up a 16-0 run to start the frame to see a 85-81 lead evaporate. You can’t miss 10 shots in a row and not expect the other team to take advantage, but that’s what happens sometimes when you have a young, rebuilding team that hasn’t quite figured out how to win games just yet.
Kent Bazemore had himself a nice week, leading the Hawks in scoring over the last four games and knocking down a couple clutch jumpers to help Atlanta to two wins this week. Bazemore broke a tie game against the Timberwolves in their first game, helping cap a fourth-quarter rally in a game where former Hawks guard Jeff Teague made some critical mistakes, especially down the stretch.
The Hawks were torched for the third time this season by Dwight Howard and the Hornets, with their former center picking up another double-double while Kemba Walker cooked the Hawks guards for 38 points. The roasting wouldn’t end there, with Atlanta going on the road to Boston and losing 119-110, with Terry Rozier scoring 31 points and Jayson Tatum scoring 27 points — career-highs for both players. Taurean Prince did his best to keep the Hawks in the game, scoring 31 points, celebrating his addition to the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend with a career high.
Bazemore stepped up against the Knicks, helping the team end the week on a high note, knocking down a 3-pointer with about six seconds left to secure a 99-96 victory over the struggling Knicks. “It’s just a catch-and-shoot situation,” Bazemore said. “We work on plays all the time in practice where we have a guy who drives and kicks it out to somebody in the corner. It’s just a synergy and rhythm thing.” I read a book called the `Zen in the Art of Archery.’ It talks about just let it go. Let it go and let the energy of the world take care of the rest.” Congratulations are due for John Collins as well, who will join Prince in the Rising Stars game.
The Mavericks’ losing streak stretched into this week, with the team dropping their first matchup this week against the Miami Heat, 95-88. They went on the road for their next game, and fell to the Phoenix Suns, 102-88, in a game where the Suns shook off a horrific leg injury to Isaiah Canaan. Dallas was able to finish the week off with a win, just their second in their last ten games, with a nice finish against the Sacramento Kings for a 106-99 win.
The Kings looked like a team that was on the second night of a back-to-back after having returned home from a six-game road trip, and the Mavericks took advantage of weary legs for a 16-0 run to start the fourth quarter and take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the remainder of the game. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 18 points, and all the Mavericks starters finished with double-digit points to help the team pick up their seventeenth win on the season.
The Bulls have officially entered the tank zone, trading Nikola Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans for Omer Asik and a first round pick. They lost both of their games this week, missing Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn, with Markkanen out due to personal reasons and Dunn recovering from a concussion. Without good players, the Bulls saw CJ McCollum go off for 50 points in a 124-108 defeat, and he did it in three quarters to boot.
The Bulls second game of the week was a loss as well, with the new look Clippers pulling out a 113-103 win in a game the Bulls never seemed to interested in winning. The good news is that they are tied for the sixth-worst record in the league, and they didn’t do too much damage to their lottery odds with that hot streak they went on a few weeks back.
The Suns are in a bit of a rough stretch, having lost seven of their last eight games. Even when they won this week, in their game against the Dallas Mavericks, they suffered a loss, with Isaiah Canaan suffering a horrible leg injury that was reminiscient of Gordon Hayward’s injury earlier in the year. Devin Booker missed the first game this week, and the Suns looked terrible against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 120-109 loss on the road. Josh Jackson had 21 points against the Mavericks, showing a degree of confidence that was lacking earlier in the season, and the team won 102-88. Canaan fractured his left ankle on a drive at the end of the first quarter, landing awkwardly and then sitting up to see his foot twisted backwards as everyone in the arena averted their eyes.
Jackson had another nice game on offense against the Jazz, with 20 points, but they saw Donovan Mitchell go for 40 points in a 129-97 victory for the Jazz. The Suns had the lead once, scoring the first basket of the game, but after that it was all Utah. The week ended in similar fashion to how it began, with the Suns reserves taking a close game and then gifting it to the other team, as the Hornets reserves spurred a fourth-quarter rally to secure a 115-110 win in Phoenix.
The Suns were unable to find a trade partner for Greg Monroe, wasting one of the assets they acquired in the Eric Bledsoe trade, and reached a buyout agreement with the veteran center. Monroe has since signed with the Boston Celtics, returning back to the Eastern Conference.
An encouraging stretch of the season has transitioned into a sad stretch for the Nets, owners of a six-losses-in-seven-games streak that has sent them back into the cellar of the league. They lost for the fourth time this season to the Knicks, in a game where they needed Jahlil Okafor to be better than he was with Enes Kanter and Kristaps Porzingis taking it to the Nets. Okafor got revenge against the 76ers in their next game, although most of the credit should go to Spencer Dinwiddie (27 points) and Jarrett Allen (16 points) for that victory.
Dinwiddie and Allen had good games against the Lakers, in Brook Lopez’s return to Brooklyn for the first time since he was traded for D’Angelo Russell. But Lopez’s team held on down the stretch for a 102-99 win. The Nets really struggled against the Bucks to close out the week, getting dominated in the first half on their way to a 109-94 loss that had their head coach searching for answers. “Somehow, some reason, not ready. We weren’t ready,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand how that happens. A little upset with our group that we weren’t ready mentally, physically.”
The Grizzlies had a bit of a down week after a nice month of January, defeating the Suns in their first game of the week but losing to the Pacers, Pistons and Raptors as they continue to struggle on the road. They had a big game from Tyreke Evans against Phoenix, with the veteran guard scoring 27 points to help secure a 120-109 win on Marc Gasol’s birthday. It looks that will be the last game Evans plays for the Grizzlies unless they can’t find a team willing to trade for him, because he was benched for the remainder of the week to help make sure he doesn’t get hurt prior to the deadline.
Wayne Selden Jr. and Gasol both missed shots in the final seconds against the Pacers, with Selden getting ejected after vehemently disagreeing about the decision to not call a foul on his shot, and the Grizzlies lost 105-101. They went down to the wire against the Pistons, but Gasol wasn’t able to get a basket with new Piston Blake Griffin guarding him. The Pistons made their free throws and the Grizzlies ran out of time in a 104-102 loss. The Grizzlies didn’t have to worry about end of game execution against the Raptors, with Toronto winning easily, 101-86. The X-factor in that game was the play of the Raptors bench, who outscored the Grizzlies bench 52-19, helping bring energy to a game that had a noon ET tip-off to accommodate the Super Bowl.
The Lakers weren’t able to muster up enough energy against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, allowing the Magic to shoot 52 percent on 32 3-point attempts for a 127-105 loss. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson each finished with 20 points, but they never had a lead after the first quarter, and looked like they deflated in the third quarter, when Orlando outscored them 43-30. This was disappointing, since they had two days rest before this game. They were able to bounce back against the Nets on Friday, with Brook Lopez helping deliver a 102-99 win over his former team. The Nets had a chance to claim the lead late, but Lopez blocked a shot and Joe Harris couldn’t send the game to overtime.
Lopez stepped up in the Lakers final game of their five-game road trip, and the Lakers beat the Thunder 108-104. “I was most proud of the way that we engaged ourselves in the fight this time,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “Again, we went off to a good start where we were competing back and forth and this time, we sustained it for much longer.”
The Knicks were able to finish a season sweep of the Nets, winning 111-95 over their cross-town rival. Enes Kanter and Kristaps Porzingis went off against the overwhelmed Nets froncourt, with Kanter racking up a 20/20 game while Porzingis scored 28 points and five rebounds (Kanter didn’t leave any rebounds for his teammate). The Knicks lost both games on a short two-game road trip, getting blown out by the Celtics and narrowly losing to the Bucks. Terry Rozier went off against the Knicks backcourt in a spot start for Kyrie Irving, picking up a triple-double in a game the Knicks would lose by 30 points, 103-73. The 73 points is a season-low for the Knicks, as they shot just 32 percent from the floor with just eight points in the fourth quarter, failing to take advantage of garbage time to help pad some stats.
Giannis Antetokounmpo flipped in the game-winning layup for a 92-90 win, with Porzingis unable to get his fingers on the ball despite a solid effort helping contest the shot. Tim Hardaway Jr. had a chance to give the Knicks the lead late, but missed two free throws, and Antetokounmpo seized the moment. The Knicks were only able to score three points in the final two minutes against the Hawks, losing 99-96 after Atlanta finished the game on a 12-3 run.
Porzingis complained to media after the game about the Knicks inability to win close games, with the Knicks dropping to 2-6 in games decided by three points or fewer. “We’re learning how to win,” he said after the game. “We’re doing the same thing over and over again.”
The Hornets continue their resurgence with Steve Clifford back on the bench, winning three of their four games this week. The Hornets weren’t able to overcome the Pacers energy in the fourth quarter — they were outscored 24-18 in the final frame, and they lost 105-96. Kemba Walker helped lead the Hornets to wins in the next two games, a 123-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on the road and a 133-126 revenge game against the Pacers back home. Walker had a career-high nine 3-pointers against the Hawks, and Dwight Howard picked up another double-double against the team that traded him to Charlotte in a salary dump in the offseason.
Walker scored 41 points against the Pacers in their second matchup this week, helping Charlotte run out to 49 points in the first quarter. The Hornets made 19 of their 23 field goal attempts in the first quarter, and the 49 points is a franchise-record for points scored in a single quarter. The Hornets reserves helped deliver a win against the Phoenix Suns to close out the week, spurring a 20-2 run in the fourth quarter to lead them to a come from behind, 115-110 victory.
What happened to the Jazz? The team that couldn’t buy a bucket earlier in the season is on fire, having won six of their last seven, including five in a row, and have scored 120 points or more in their last three games.
The Jazz took advantage of a fatigued Warriors team, beating them by 30 at home in Salt Lake City, 129-99. The Jazz found a great rhythm on offense, and won their first game in their brand new “City Edition” jerseys. Donovan Mitchell had his second 40-point game of the season in a 129-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns, showing one of the teams that passed on him in the draft what they passed on. Mitchell missed the Jazz’s last game of the week, but it didn’t matter, with his starting backcourt mate Ricky Rubio scoring 34 points and handing out nine assists in a 120-111 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, who lost just their sixth game of the season at home.
The Pelicans slide without Cousins continued in a home game against the Kings, when they were dominated on the defensive glass in a 114-103 defeat. Kosta Koufous had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Zach Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds, as the Pelicans gave up 14 offensive rebounds to the Kings. New Orleans only made nine 3-pointers in the game, attempting just 25, but couldn’t take advantage of their smaller starting lineup’s spacing against the Kings bigger lineups.
They were able to hop out of their funk against the Thunder, with Anthony Davis scoring 43 points to lead his team to a 114-100 win. The Pelicans defense was as good as they could ask for, limiting Oklahoma City’s Big Three to a poor shooting night. Westbrook went 7-for-21, Paul George went 4-for-16, and Carmelo Anthony went 6-for-17. It was a solid team effort, and a nice win for a team that was justifiable shaken in the previous games. Davis had 38 points on Saturday night, but they weren’t able to pick up a win in the town hosting Super Bowl LII, falling 118-107 to the Timberwolves.
Nikola Mirotic did have 18 points in his first game with his new team, having been acquired via trade from the Chicago Bulls earlier in the week for Omer Asik and a future first round pick.
The Clippers big news continues to be their decision to move on from their franchise power forward and former No. 1 overall draft pick, Blake Griffin, trading the former All-Star to the Detroit Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and draft assets. The team had given the star forward a five-year contract in the offseason, but seemed like they had buyers remorse after seeing Griffin suffer another small injury this season. They could have used him against the Portland Trail Blazers, dropping their first game of the week, 104-96. Danilo Gallinari, one of their offseason acquisitions, returned from an injury to score 15 points, but they needed him to score 25 points on that night. They followed that loss up with a win over the hapless Chicago Bulls, showing a glimpse of the future the Clippers brass envision, with ball movement and a scrappy defensive effort helping contribute to the victory.
Moving Griffin is a curious move, and one I don’t agree with. Los Angeles has to hope that they can eventually find a player as good if not better than Griffin, and that’s not guaranteed. While this trade creates cap space and flexibility for them, last time I checked, neither of those two things can put the ball in the hoop or grab a rebound. They’ll need to find Griffin’s replacement, because it certainly isn’t Tobias Harris, no matter how well he’s been playing this season.
This was a fun week for the Pistons, who celebrated a trade for Blake Griffin by going out and beating the Cavaliers in their first game of the week, 125-114, and then followed that up with two more wins, defeating the Grizzlies 104-102 and the Heat, 111-107. Griffin had 24 points against the Grizzlies, but struggled a bit against the Heat, with 16 points on 19 shots.
While it will take time for things to come together, the Griffin trade seems like a good move for the Pistons. It’s going to be difficult for them to attract free agents, especially players of Griffin’s caliber. He should help fill seats in their new arena, and he should help them win more basketball games. They’ll have to work to fill out the roster around him and Drummond, but they’ve got the beginnings of a fun playoff team now.
The basketball team in Philadelphia didn’t have quite of good as a week as the football team did, with the 76ers dropping three of their four games this week. The 76ers couldn’t stop Giannis Antetokoumnpo, with the Greek Freak going off for 31 points and 18 rebounds in a 107-95 loss on Monday. The 76ers gave up a late run to the Nets, and couldn’t rally afterwards, dropping their game Wednesday, 116-108. J.J. Redick had 20 points in his first game back after missing seven games with a leg injury, but former 76ers draft pick Jahlil Okafor had some good plays in the deciding stretch of the game to help his new team to a victory.
They picked up a win over the Miami Heat, 103-97, using a big third quarter to give them a large enough lead to hold off a Heat run in the fourth quarter that threatened to be enough to even the score. The 76ers looked like they were a little distracted by a different game on Sunday, and dropped a road game to the Pacers, 100-92. The big news from the game is that Joel Embiid was cleared to play in the second night of a back-to-back, and the young big man had 24 points and 10 rebounds, giving Philly fans a glimpse of what the future could hold.
The Nuggets are continuing to play well after head coach Michael Malone ceded playcalling responsibilities, splitting their four games this week, with each game having a thrilling finish. The Nuggets nearly beat the Celtics in their first game of the week, with Will Barton missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have given them a win on their home court. They followed that up with another buzzer-beater miss, losing 106-104 to the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. Barton had a good look at the end of that game as well, but the shot rimmed out, and they fell just short again.
They changed their luck on Thursday against the Thunder, winning 127-124 on a 3-pointer from Gary Harris as time expired. They didn’t wait for the final buzzer to decide the outcome of their final game this week against the Warriors, knocking in shots down the stretch to secure a 115-108 victory. This is a team poised to make a trade at the deadline, it just remains to see how much faith they have in their roster once Paul Millsap returns at the All-Star break.
The Heat started the week off with a solid win over the Dallas Mavericks, rallying behind Hassan Whiteside for a 95-88 win on Monday. They weren’t able to knock off LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the next game, losing 91-89 in a game where the final minute seemed to last an hour due to timeouts and reviews. James made a heady defensive play on the final possession, cutting off James Johnson’s dribble and causing the forward to dribble out the clock before he could get a shot attempt off.
The Heat played with great energy against the 76ers, but couldn’t score efficiently in a 103-97 loss. Miami had 16 offensive rebounds, with Justise Winslow, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo combining for 12 boards off the bench, but they shot just 39 percent from the floor as a team on 87 field goal attempts. Their losing streak extended to three games, and five of their last seven, with a 111-107 loss to the Blake Griffin-lead Pistons on Saturday.
The Wizards picked up a victory over the Thunder on Tuesday, rallying without John Wall for a 102-96 victory over the Thunder. They managed to win despite shooting just 38 percent from the field — they limited Oklahoma City to 37.5 percent shooting from the field, and Tomas Satoransky had a good game on defense against Russell Westbrook. Bradley Beal went off against the Toronto Raptors, with 27 points in the final quarter to help lead Washington to a 122-119 win on their home court.
The Wizards won their final game of the week, defeating the Orlando Magic 115-98 in another balanced, team win, with Tomas Satoransky putting up 19 points and six assists. They continued to show off superb ball movement, frequently zipping the ball around the court to find their teammates for wide open 3-point shots or easy layups. The Wizards had 35 assists on 46 made field goals, their second time in the last week with 35 or more assists in a game, having picked up 40 assists against the Hawks last Saturday. The Wizards look like they’ve figured things out on offense, and it’s too early to tell if that’s because John Wall isn’t playing or if it’s just finally come together for them — I’m going to go with the latter for now.
The Bucks picked up their fourth straight win since firing Jason Kidd with a 107-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. While it seemed like their odds of being an impact team in the playoffs was slipping away in Kidd’s final weeks, they’ve turned things around by beating the teams they’re supposed to beat, and having Giannis Antetokounmpo attempting more 3-pointers. Giannis had 31 and 18 against the 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid due to rest.
The Bucks feel-good stretch ended against Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Milwaukee struggled to score against the Timberwolves defense, shooting just 37 percent from the floor in a 108-89 loss. Giannis and Khris Middleton combined to shoot 13-for-34 from the floor, and the team had just six 3-pointers on 29 attempts. Malcolm Brogdon injured his left leg in the second quarter, an injury that was later diagnosed as an injury to a quad tendon that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. While Brogdon will be out of the lineup, Jabari Parker returned against the Knicks on Friday, and Giannis flipped in the game-winning layup to give them a 92-90 win on their home court. Parker had 12 points in 15 minutes, with the coaching staff easing him back into game action. Eric Bledsoe stepped up against the Nets on Sunday, with 28 points in a 109-94 victory.
They’ll be crossing their fingers that a Giannis’ sprained ankle isn’t anything serious, and they’ll kick off next week with a road game at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks for their second matchup in five days.
The Pacers split a pair of games against the Hornets this week, mustering up a run in the fourth quarter on Monday in a 105-96 win and then getting run over in the first quarter to the tune of 49 points on Friday in a 133-126 loss. They were able to defeat the Grizzlies in between those two games, 105-101, in a game where Myles Turner picked up a 15 point, 11 rebound double-double in his return to the starting lineup after missing time with an elbow injury. They took care of business on Sunday against the 76ers, outlasting Philadelphia on a night where both teams were on the second night of a back to back. The win against Philadelphia made for six straight wins at home for Indiana, and they’re 19-10 in front of their own fans with just a few days remaining until the trade deadline.
Portland continues to play well, helping firm up their case for a top-10 spot in my power rankings with good wins over the Clippers and Bulls and a good loss against the Celtics. Damian Lillard had 28 points in their first game, helping make sure that the Clippers wouldn’t upset his team without Blake Griffin. The Trail Blazers took advantage of Griffin’s absence on the offensive glass, grabbing 18 boards to help counter a 37 percent effort on field goal attempts in the game. Things were much easier for Portland against Chicago, with CJ McCollum dropping 50 points in three quarters to help absolutely steamroll the Bulls, 124-108. McCollum probably could have gone for 65 against the Bulls guards, who were helpless against him the entire game. The Bulls win was their eleventh of the month, tops in the league.
The Trail Blazers defense had an off night north of the border, giving up 130 points in a loss to the Raptors, continuing their recent stretch of struggling on the road. Lillard became the fastest player in Trail Blazers history to score 10,000 points, and finished with 32 points against Toronto. They were done in on Sunday by Al Horford, who knocked down a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to send the Blazers to a 97-96 loss. Lillard had given Portland a one-point lead, going on a stretch of eight points in a row for his team, but the clock ran out with the Celtics ahead this time.
The Cavaliers dropped their first game of the week, falling to the short-handed Detroit Pistons 125-114 on the day Detroit traded for former Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Kevin Love suffered a hand injury during the game, and was later diagnosed with a broken hand that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. The injury to Love leaves Cleveland with Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye as their remaining big men, and a rumored trade involving Frye and George Hill of the Kings was shelved as Cleveland moved Frye back into the rotation. LeBron James lead his team to a win over his former team, the Miami Heat, in a 91-89 win. James stymied James Johnson on the Heat’s final possession, preventing him from getting a shot off before the final buzzer, giving his team a defensive win for a change.
The Cavs were blown out on national television by the Houston Rockets, 120-88, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard would indicate. Brian Windhorst reported that James and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s relationship is nearly ruined, as James approaches an offseason where he will be an unrestricted free agent and Gilbert is unwilling to sacrifice future assets to win now when James could leave in the summer. It’s starting to look like James will be able to get an early start on his offseason and have more time to think about what team he’ll be playing for next season.
While the Thunder’s eight-game win streak was nice, they went the opposite direction this week, dropping four in a row to cede first place in the division to Minnesota. They finished the week a half game ahead of Portland and 1.5 games ahead of the Nuggets in the standings, with a big game against the Thunder to start next week staring them in the face. Their Big 3 struggled against the Washington Wizards, making just 20 of their 50 field goal attempts against a team that was without John Wall, but didn’t really seem to miss him. The Thunder lost on a Gary Harris buzzer-beater against the Nuggets on Thursday, losing 127-124. Paul George was magnificent, with 43 points while Westbrook had 21 assists, with the reigning MVP falling one rebound short of another triple-double.
Westbrook went 7-for-21, Paul George went 4-for-16, and Carmelo Anthony went 6-for-17 against the Pelicans on the second night of a back to back, and they lost to Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. It seemed like one of those nights that was a schedule loss, with the team having played three games in four days in three different time zones. They weren’t able to stop the Lakers when it mattered, losing 108-104 on their homecourt. It looked like they were focused on their next game instead of the one they were actually playing in, letting Josh Hart go for 14 points and 11 rebounds. Since being put in the starting lineup for Andre Roberson, Terrance Ferguson hasn’t made a single field goal, with his only two points coming from the free throw line, a remarkable feat to accomplish in about 60 minutes of gameplay.
San Antonio was able to give head coach Gregg Popovich a victory for his 69th birthday, rallying in the second half against the Kings for a 113-98 win. The Spurs were down by one at halftime, but were showing signs of discord on offense for a second game in a row before Popovich laid into his team at halftime, a lecture they responded to with 64 second half points. Dejounte had another fine game as the starting point guard, making all six of his field goal attempts on his way to 14 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out six assists. Bryn Forbes chipped in 23 points off the bench too, getting extra run while Danny Green finished with just nine minutes played.
The Spurs won a well-fought game against the Nuggets, 106-104, surviving a last-second 3-point attempt from Will Barton that was just short, with a tip-in from Nuggets guard Torrey Craig coming about 0.3 seconds too late. The Spurs couldn’t solve James Harden in their next game, and weren’t able to get close from the first quarter to the end of the game against a Rockets team that seems to have figured out the 2017-Spurs. The Spurs lost their final home game before they embark on their annual Rodeo Road trip, giving up 57 percent shooting to the Jazz in a 120-111 defeat. Aldridge had 31 points, but they were sloppy on defense and seemed like they were looking past this game.
The Timberwolves had a 2-2 week dropping a pair of close five-point games to the Raptors and Hawks before bouncing back to pound the Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Timberwolves offense slipped a bit this week, averaging just 109.3 points per 100 possessions against their season average of 110.8.
Jimmy Butler was sensational as usual, averaging 26.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this week, shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 46.7 percent on 3-pointers. It was a rougher week for Jeff Teague who made some key errors down the stretch in the loss to Atlanta and finished the week shooting just 13-of-35 from the field.
The Celtics managed to hold off the Nuggets on Monday, with Jaylen Brown knocking down a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to help them to a 111-110 win on the road in Denver. That would be the last game they’d have Irving for this week, with their All-Star guard sitting out a few games with a quadriceps injury. That meant that Terry Rozier was the next man up, and he responsed with a triple-double in a 30 point win against the Knicks and 31 points against the Hawks in a 119-110 victory.
“Both (starts had) just the same feeling,” Rozier said. “Just wanting to come out aggressive, do what I can on the offensive and defensive end. My teammates made it so easy for me because they play so hard. We just play hard collectively as a group.” Rozier fell back to earth against the Blazers, going 5 for 18 from the field for 11 points, but Al Horford was able to knock down the game-winning bucket at the buzzer to send the Celtics home with their fourth win in a row.
The Raptors were able to stay ahead of the Cavaliers in the standings with three wins this week, starting with a win over the Timberwolves on Monday in a 109-104 victory. They tightened up on defense in the second half, limiting Minnesota to 18 for 44 shooting and executing down the stretch to secure their 19th home win on the season. Their defense wasn’t able to deliver a win in their next match, with Bradley Beal scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Wizards rallied for a 122-119 victory over the Raptors, picking up a win without John Wall. DeMar DeRozan popped for 35 points, including six 3-pointers, tying a career high, in a 130-105 throwdown against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Raptors offense had great rhythm in the Trail Blazers game, and when things are popping for them, they make it look so easy on offense. They had an early start on Sunday, but their reserves were able to power a victory with 52 points off the bench, lead by Delon Wright’s 15 on nine field goal attempts. Fred Van Vleet chipped in 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, helping lead the second unit through the fourth quarter to give their starters a bit of a breather.
The Rockets had a wonderful performance by James Harden in their first game of the week, with James Harden stepping up with Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza resting due to injuries, registering the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history. Harden added 10 rebounds and 11 assists, on a night when he had to take over for the team, especially after Eric Gordon left early with back spasms. Harden played nearly 47 minutes, a career-high, and completed a four-point play in the final minute to give the Rockets the advantage they needed for the victor. They were able to pick up another win over an in-state rival, polishing off the Spurs in a 102-91 victory, in a game where they were ahead by double digits for most of the 48 minutes.
The Rockets had a good old time against the Cavaliers in their final game of the week, knocking off LeBron James on national television. The Rockets had a 35 point lead in the third quarter, and had so thoroughly mentally won the game at that point, Cleveland players were left just gazing off into the stands during timeouts. They’ve won eight of their last nine games, and are just two games back of the Warriors for first place in the Western Conference.
Golden State had a tough week, looking mentally worn out as they ride out the first half of the season. They dropped their first game of the week, losing 129-99 on the road to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz really just dominated the Warriors, punching back twice as hard whenever Golden State would try to mount a comeback. The Warriors rallied in the fourth quarter against the Kings, shaking off a sluggish start to pull out a 119-104 victory on the first night of a back-to-back. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green combined for 16 turnovers, perhaps showing some of the mental fautigue that builds up over the course of an 82-game season. “It’s a lot of stuff that we can correct,” Durant said. “Stick to our fundamentals and we’ll cut those turnovers down. But for the most part I like where our defense was.”
Next: The Encyclopedia of Modern Moves
Golden State wasn’t able to beat the Nuggets on Saturday, unable to stop Denver when they needed to late. They blew a lead in the fourth quarter, and then Nick Young missed a 3-pointer and was called for a technical for complaining about not getting a whistle. The good news? They get to host the Thunder on Tuesday on TNT – now that should be an exciting game to watch.