“A River Runs Through It” is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Redford and starring Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt that focuses on a coming of age story between two brothers; one studious, the other rebellious. “The West Runs Through It” is a 2022 National Basketball drama directed by Adam Silver and starring the Trail Blazers, Spurs and Jazz that focuses on a coming of age story between three teams who refuse the temptation of drafting Victor Wembanyama, rather focusing on reaching the playoffs. Just like we all expected… You have Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons going a combined 60/9/13 on 21-33 shooting and 11-19 from beyond the arc in a blowout against the Nuggets, yet another Spurs win fueled by Devin Vassell‘s 23/9/7 and of course the powerhouse Jazz team where you can’t tell the starters from their bench, netting their first loss may have slowed them down, but still, at 3-1, who else was I going to put here in the lede? The Lakers? (ROFL.)
Here’s what else I saw during last night’s games…
James Harden – 35 MIN, 10-18 FG, 5-10 3PT, 4-4 FT, 9 REB, 11 AST, 2 STL, 1 TO, +16, 29 PTS. Looked like his old self, carrying the team to their first win of the season and making sure we don’t make the mistake of thinking the Sixers are tanking for Wembanyama on behalf of the Nets, which would be quite the avante garde strategy, even for the likes of Doc Rivers.
Bennedict Mathurin – 25 MIN, 6-16 FG, 1-7 3PT, 4-4 FT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 TO, -18, 17 PTS. Showed his speed and agility and had a pretty good night despite starting 0-7. Might end up being a really great fit with Tyrese Haliburton (31 MIN, 7-11 FG, 3-6 3PT, 2-2 FT, 6 REB, 10 AST, 4 TO, -8, 19 PTS).
Precious Achiuwa – 34 MIN, 5-12 FG, 0-3 3PT, 0-1 FT, 22 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK, +10, 10 PTS. Do you think for Halloween he should dress up as Golem and after every rebound, whisper-yell “MY PRECIOUS”? The answer is yes, of course.
Jimmy Butler – 34 MIN, 8-15 FG, 2-3 3PT, 8-9 FT, 8 REB, 4 AST, 1 TO, -2, 26 PTS. Random three-minute appearance in the fourth… Guess Spoelstra is just figuring out the rotation in real time? I mean, Nick Nurse doesn’t even have starters right now, so whatever.
Joseph Randle – 34 MIN, 10-19 FG, 2-9 3PT, 3-5 FT, 12 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, +4, 25 PTS. Does this make the even/odd years a thing for Randle officially? Or maybe just having a functional point guard makes a difference? The Knicks have ruined my ability to analyze anything on this team.
Bol Bol – 20 MIN, 8-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 5 REB, 4 BLK, 2 TO, +/-0, 19 PTS. “Bol Bol will be the first player in the NBA’s 76-year history to win MVP, DPOY, 6MOTY and MIP in a single season.” – The Woj, May 2023.
Nick Vucevic – 31 MIN, 7-19 FG, 0-3 3PT, 4-5 FT, 23 REB, 5 AST, 2 TO, +1, 18 PTS. 27 rebounds for the Celtics versus 46 rebounds for the Bulls. Mix in some questionable officiating and you have yourselves a love letter from Adam Silver to the Windy City.
Simone Fontecchio – 16 MIN, 5-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3 REB, 2 TO, -4, 13 PTS. “I don’t know who I am or why I’m here. All that I know is that I must shoot the three.”
Kevin Durant – 39 MIN, 14-20 FG, 1-3 3PT, 8-9 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 TO, -10, 37 PTS. Had the mid-range jump shot going all night, making 12 in-a-row during the third quarter but could only get two shot attempts the rest of the night.
Ja Morant – 34 MIN, 12-22 FG, 4-6 3PT, 10-11 FT, 8 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 2 TO, +20, 38 PTS. He won’t sit at 60% from beyond the arc for much longer, but his improvement with the 3-ball might be legit and scary at the same time.
Kyrie Irving – 39 MIN, 14-24 FG, 2-6 3PT, 7-8 FT, 8 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 3 TO, -9, 37 PTS. When Kyrie isn’t spouting crazy conspiracy theories and quoting Alex Jones, he seems like a… hmm, naw. He’s pretty unlikable too.
Devin Vasssell – 33 MIN, 8-22 FG, 5-10 3PT, 2-2 FT, 9 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 1 TO, +16, 23 PTS. Do the Spurs know they need to lose games if they want to tank? Pop’s gonna have to trade this whole team if he wants Wenbanyama…
Jakob Poeltl – 31 MIN, 7-12 FG, 14 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, +/-0, 14 PTS. Quickly becoming the new Steven Adams as the most underrated big in the association, just maybe with a slightly better touch and better finishing.
Anfernee Simons (36 MIN, 11-17 FG, 7-12 3PT, 3 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, +14, 29 PTS) and to a lesser extent, Shaedon Sharpe (16 MIN, 4-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 1 REB, 1 TO, +7, 11 PTS), look legit. The present and future looks bright in Portland with these two.
Jeremiah Grant – 36 MIN, 7-13 FG, 1-6 3PT, 6-7 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, +19, 21 PTS. He might just be the best wing Dame has played with and the best wing Portland has started this decade, no hyperbole.
Jamal Murray – 27 MIN, 3-12 FG, 2-4 3PT, 0-2 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, -15, 8 PTS. Who is doing less for Denver sports right now Russell Wilson or Jamal Murray?
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.
