Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers 112- 109
The Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Sixers tonight in an overtime confrontation. Impressive win by the Cavs.
SexLand combined for 53 points (28 from Collin Sexton, 25 from Darius Garland). Garland also provided nine assists while Sexton stole the ball three times. Their big man of the future, Jarrett Allen, put up another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while also blocking one shot. The rookie Isaac Okoro also had a good outing with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.
MVP front runner, Joel Embiid, had another spectacular performance scoring 42 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, while Ben Simmons had a near triple double with a 24/7/8 statline. Danny Green had a peculiar game scoring nine points but swatting three shots and stealing the ball twice.
The Sixers seemed to miss that extra spark besides Embiid and Simmons, and that could have been the cause of this tough loss for them.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Washington Wizards 112-128
The Wizards continued their resurgence tonight against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves getting another win, putting them at a record of 13-18 after a rough start to the season.
Let’s start with the Timberwolves first. Jarred Vanderbilt had the most eye-catching performance, posting a double double of 11 points and 12 rebounds while also getting two blocks. Their superstar, Karl-Anthony Towns, had a somewhat underwhelming performance with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. The rookie Anthony Edwards contributed with 21 points, a steal and two blocks.
For the Wizards, Bradley Beal scored 34, with two triples, and hauled in eight boards. Russell Westbrook had a triple double, surprise surprise. He scored 19, had 12 dimes and grabbed 14 rebounds. Garrison Matthews also had himself a game scoring 28 and sinking three triples.
The Wizards seem hell-bent now to eradicate that underwhelming start to the season and get into the playoff spots in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs 114-117
The scrappy Spurs came away with an important win against Zion and the Pelicans. The Spurs now have a 17-12 record, leaving the Pels at a potentially worrying 14-19.
The Pels got 29 points from Brandon Ingram and 23 from All-Star sophomore Zion Williamson, who also grabbed 14 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe had a nice game scoring 19, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Lonzo Ball did not have his best game, but he had a respectable 16 point and four assist outing.
For the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan returned with a vengeance, pouring in 32 points and dining up his teammates 11 times. Jakob Poetl scored six and grabbed 11 boards, while Dejounte Murray scored 18, hauled in 6 rebounds. and had seven assists with three steals. Lonnie Walker IV also had a solid game with 17 points with three triples.
The Spurs have been flying high this season and yet are still below the radar. They are quietly putting together an impressive season with solid play from both veterans like DeRozan and youngsters like Murray and Keldon Johnson.
Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks 107-110
In the battle of the All Star power forwards, Julius Randle led the New York Knicks to a victory over Domantas Sabonis and the Indiana Pacers in a close on at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers tonight were without Malcolm Brogdon so they had to rely mostly on Sabonis and Myles Turner, who unfortunately for them, did not get the job done, Sabonis scored 15, dished out nine assists, and grabbed seven boards while his Turner blocked four shots, had one steal, and scored 11 points. TJ McConnell also stood out with a double double (17 points and 12 assists).
On the other hand, Julius Randle with just another day at the office posting a 28/10/6 statline while also getting four steals! RJ Barrett finally had a good game after a while with 24 points and seven rebounds while Derrick Rose got a double double with 17 points and 11 assists. Nerlens Noel continued his run of good form with eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks with a steal as well.
The Knicks finally reached the .500 mark, getting up to the 5th seed, and leaving the Pacers at 9th. Things are most definitely heating up in the East.
Utah Jazz vs Orlando Magic 124-109
The Utah Jazz took care of business tonight with a pretty routine win over the Orlando Magic.
The Jazz had Donovan Mitchell score 31 points and hand out six assists while Rudy Gobert had 12 points with 16 rebounds and two blocks. Jordan Clarkson had another game solidifying his claim to the 6th Man of the Year award with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Joe Ingles also contributed with 17 points and seven assists.
For the undermanned Magic, All Star Nikola Vucevic scored 34 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked one shot, and had four assists. The frenchman Evan Fournier had 16 points with seven rebounds while Dwayne Bacon scored 13 and Michael Carter-Williams handed out seven assists.
The Magic are in a tough spot this season after being ravaged by injuries. Their free fall continues in the standings.
Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder 126-96
Here we find another routine win of Nikola Jokic and company against All Star snub Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Nikola Jokic tonight posted a triple double, 19/11/13, in 30 minutes of action on 80% efficiency while his running mate, Jamal Murray scored 26 points. Michael Porter Jr. also had a good night for the Nuggets scoring 20 and grabbing 10 rebounds.
An underwhelming night for the Thunder saw SGA score 13, grab five rebounds, and dish out six assists while Darius Bazley scored 22 and Isaiah Roby had a near double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Thunder have been a surprising team this season, but nights like this are expected for a rebuilding team like them. The Nuggets on the other hand, need these games to be “gimmes” if they want to climb the ranks in the West.
Dallas Mavericks vs Brooklyn Nets 115-98
Primetime on ABC tonight saw the Dallas Mavericks lay the Saturday Night dunk-down on the Kyrie and Durant-less Nets.
Luka Doncic poured in 27 points, stole the ball twice, and had seven dimes for the Mavs, while Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 on 7-13 shooting with four rebounds. Four more players hit double digits for them tonight including Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Richardson.
For the Nets, James Harden did not get his usual triple-double, He scored 29, but only seven rebounds, and six assists. He didn’t have much help however with the exception of Bruce Brown’s 12 points and nine rebounds and Jeff Green’s 12 points. Not much one guy can do right?
This loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the streaking Nets, but it was bound to happen at some point. No shame to losing to Doncic and the Mavs while missing two of your big three.
