Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers 99-94
The scorching hot Atlanta Hawks extended their winning streak to eight in Los Angeles against the defending champs. MVP candidate LeBron James did go down with an ankle injury in the second half and did not return.
John Collins had the standout performance for the Hawks, racking up an impressive 16 rebounds with 27 points on 11-15 shooting. Trae Young contributed with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists but was 0-7 from beyond the arc. Clint Capela continued his excellent season hauling in 16 rebounds, blocking one shot, and scoring eight points. The Italian Rooster, Danilo Gallinari, also continued his good run of form with 18 points and four rebounds as well as three assists and two steals.
For the Lakers, before getting unfortunately injured after his ankle got caught between the court and Solomon Hill, LeBron scored 10 points and dished out four dimes in only 10 minutes of play. Dennis Schroder picked up the slack with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while Kyle Kuzma hauled in five boards, stole the ball once and had eight points. But the stat line of the night came from Montrezl Harrell who scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had one block as well.
Sacramento Kings vs Philadelphia 76ers 105-129
The Sixers bulldoze the Kings without their two stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and without one of their lethal shooters in Seth Curry. Scary stuff.
The underwhelming Kings saw De’Aaron Fox score 16 points and hand out six assists while grabbing four rebounds and shooting 5-14 from the field. Buddy Hield had a good game with 25 points on the back of seven triples while Richaun Holmes hauled in only four rebounds with no defensive stats. Harrison Barnes scored 12 points with seven rebounds.
Tobias Harris had Philadelphia on his shoulders and boy did he deliver. He ended with 29 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals on the back of an efficient shooting night (66.7%). Shake Milton also chipped in with 28 points and a steal while Danny Green had his shooting stroke sinking four of his six attempted triples. Dwight Howard continues to thrive in his minutely expanded role now without Embiid, as he posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Tony Bradley also had a decent 14/8 game.
Golden State Warriors vs Memphis Grizzlies 103-111
The Grizzlies came out and took revenge on the Curry-less Warriors in the second half of this two-game mini-series.
Jordan Poole once again impressed since he picked up the slack with no Steph Curry and piled on 26 points while also having five assists, a steal, and four rebounds. Andrew Wiggins followed up last his 40 point outing with a 20/9/2 game including two steals as well. Kelly Oubre Jr. posted a pretty mediocre stat line of 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists, though, but he has been up and down all season.
On the Grizzlies’s side of things, Jonas Valanciunas had another great game with 19 points and 15 rebounds as well as two blocks while Dillon Brooks scored 19 and dished out three assists. Brandon Clarke also had a solid game with 16 points and six rebounds. But let’s get to the elephant in the room, Jamel Temetrius Morant. As a Ja owner myself, I have been very disappointed. It just seems like Ja has not been the same ever since that ankle injury and I am starting to think we won’t see the real Ja again this season. Last night, he scored 14 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out eight assists, but was an atrocious 25% from the field. I really hope though that he does turn it around and soon.
San Antonio Spurs vs Milwaukee Bucks 113-120
The Bucks pick up a nearly routine win while Giannis Antetokounmpo continues his MVP bid.
Lonnie Walker IV popped off in Dejounte Murray’s stead scoring 31 points while having two steals and six rebounds. DeMar DeRozan had another solid game, scoring 22 points and dishing out an impressive 13 assists with three rebounds and a steal. Keldon Johnson followed up his 20/20 game last time out with 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Jakob Poetl also contributed with eight points and six rebounds while Rudy Gay put up 15 points, six rebounds, and a steal.
Two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, had another excellent night with a near triple-double. He poured in 26 points, hauled in eight rebounds, and had 15 dimes. 15! Khris Middleton was efficient once again scoring 23 on 56.2% shooting from the field while Donte DiVincenzo got another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds which he rounded off with three steals and three assists as well. Jrue Holiday also flew under the radar with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Charlotte Hornets vs Los Angeles Clippers 98-125
The Clippers came out strong and did not mess around. They picked up their 27th win of the season.
For the Hornets, we saw an even contribution essentially from all. Miles Bridges scored 21, grabbed three rebounds, and handed out four assists while LaMelo Ball scored 13 and had three steals with five rebounds in 21 minutes of action as he spent some time treating a small injury in the locker room. Gordon Hayward put up 17 points with eight rebounds on 41.7% shooting while PJ Washington had an underwhelming game in which he scored only six points and had three rebounds. A night to forget for a fun Charlotte Hornets team.
Paul George led the way for the Clippers handing out 10 assists and scoring 21 points while hauling in five rebounds. The Klaw, Kawhi Leonard, chipped in with 17 points, four steals, and four assists while the Swiss army knife, Nicolas Batum, stole the ball twice, assisted his teammates twice, pulled in five rebounds, and scored three buckets on 3-5 shooting. Marcus Morris scored 13 on the back of three triples and Ivica Zubac put up a routine 10 points and five rebounds.
