Boston Avenges Game Seven Loss, While Sacramento Falls Victim to Another Stephen Curry Masterpiece
ESPN's Friday night NBA doubleheader featured a pair of rematches of 2023 playoff series. The last time the Miami Heat visited Boston, Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Heat to a 103-84 win in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals; the last time the Golden State Warriors visited Sacramento, Stephen Curry scored 50 points as the Warriors routed the Kings 120-100 in game seven of their first round playoff series.
Some things change, and some things stay the same: the Celtics flipped the script on the Heat with a 119-111 win, while the Warriors defeated the Kings 122-114.
Boston reserves only scored eight points, but that did not matter because each Boston starter scored at least 17 points, topped by Derrick White (28 points on 9-15 field goal shooting), Jaylen Brown (27 points on 11-22 field goal shooting), and Jayson Tatum (22 points on 9-22 field goal shooting). The Celtics won the rebounding battle 55-45 as Al Horford and Jrue Holiday tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds each.
Miami shot just 38-89 (.427) from the field as 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jimmy Butler scored 14 points on 3-11 field goal shooting. Tyler Herro, who missed the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals due to injury, led the Heat with 28 points on 10-20 field goal shooting. Bam Adebayo scored 27 points but did not shoot efficiently from the field (10-23).
The Heat jumped out to a 26-13 first quarter lead as the start of the game looked like a replay of Miami taking a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, but by the end of the first quarter Boston had trimmed the margin to 28-25. Neither team led by more than seven points again until White's three pointer at the 4:19 mark of the fourth quarter put Boston up 109-101. Kevin Love's three pointer with :59 remaining cut the Boston lead to 114-111 but then two free throws by White and a Brown three pointer closed out the scoring as Herro and Love missed long jumpers on the Heat's final two possessions.
Both teams were at full strength, but this was just game two out of 82 so how much can we learn from Boston's win? It is evident that Boston has a tremendous starting lineup, arguably the best 1-5 in the league. Boston has size at every position, and used that size to muscle the Heat by not only winning the rebounding battle decisively but also by outscoring Miami 52-36 in the paint. Miami's reserves outscored Boston's reserves 20-8, but every Heat reserve had a negative plus/minus number while every Boston reserve had a positive plus/minus number, which suggests that Boston did a good job of using a few starters with the reserves to stabilize that unit. The Heat missed Gabe Vincent, who signed with the L.A. Lakers in the offseason after making key contributions to the Heat's 2023 playoff run. The Heat need "Playoff Jimmy" to beat the Celtics, but now that the Celtics have added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis even "Playoff Jimmy" may not be enough for the Heat to win a seven game series versus the Celtics.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry torched the Kings with 41 points on 14-19 field goal shooting. Klay Thompson had a solid game (18 points on 7-12 field goal shooting), and the undersized Warriors only lost the rebounding battle by two (41-39) despite being without the services of the injured Draymond Green. The Warriors are starting Chris Paul at least until Green returns, and Paul had a solid game (10 points on 5-12 field goal shooting, game-high 12 assists). Paul can be a very efficient player--particularly in the regular season--but he is undersized, which means that in the playoffs he can be overpowered and he is also prone to getting injured or just being worn down. If the Warriors are going to continue to trot out a starting five this small then opposing teams must make a concerted effort to attack the Warriors in the paint, because otherwise the Warriors will exploit their advantages in terms of range shooting and having multiple skilled ballhandlers.
De'Aaron Fox nearly matched Curry shot for shot, finishing with 39 points on 14-28 field goal shooting, including 22 fourth quarter points on 7-13 field goal shooting. Domantas Sabonis had a strong game (19 points on 7-15 field goal shooting, game-high 18 rebounds, team-high seven assists) but the Kings shot just 41-94 (.436) from the field after ranking first in the league in scoring (120.7 ppg) and second in the league in field goal percentage (.494) last season; the combination of scoring much less efficiently than usual without demonstrating any improvement defensively was too much for the Kings to overcome.
The first quarter was tightly contested, and the Kings led 29-24 entering the second quarter. The Kings pushed their advantage to 11 three different times only to watch the Warriors take a 60-57 lead by halftime. Jalen Rose used to quip that the "third quarter Warriors" were the NBA's 31st team, and the Warriors lived up to that moniker in this game, exploding for 39 third quarter points and leading by as much as 18 points before settling for a 99-84 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Warriors still led by 15 at the 3:42 mark of the fourth quarter but on their next five possessions they had four turnovers and a missed Andrew Wiggins three pointer. The Kings exploited those empty possessions to cut the lead to 117-112 before Curry hit the "night, night" three pointer with 43 seconds remaining. It is worth noting that Paul--who was brought in to stabilize the Warriors and curb their tendency to be sloppy with the ball--was on the court while the Warriors collapsed, and he "contributed" one turnover and one foul during that time. The Kings missed three treys and a free throw during that sequence, so they had chances to tie the game or even take the lead.
The 1-1 Warriors are scrappy and as long as they have a highly productive Curry they will be competitive, but their small lineup is unlikely to be successful over the course of an 82 game regular season and what they hope will be an extended playoff run. It will be interesting to see if Coach Steve Kerr moves Paul to the bench after Green returns; that would be the most logical move, even though Paul has already bristled at the idea of not being a starter.
The 1-1 Kings' poor shooting versus the Warriors is an aberration, but their shoddy defense--the Warriors shot 48-87 (.552) from the field--is concerning. Mike Brown is a defensive-minded coach, but the Kings are not a defensive-minded team and that must change in order for the Kings to become a legit championship contender.
Labels: Boston Celtics, De'Aaron Fox, Derrick White, Golden State Warriors, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Stephen Curry, Tyler Herro
posted by David Friedman @ 9:55 AM
Davis and James Save the Day for Listless Lakers Versus Shorthanded Suns
Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined to score 23 fourth quarter points as the L.A. Lakers rallied from an 84-72 deficit at the start of the final period to post a 100-95 win versus a Phoenix Suns team missing injured stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Davis led the Lakers with 30 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while James finished with 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 39 points on 14-28 field goal shooting, and he was the only Phoenix player with a double digit plus/minus number (+18). Durant topped the Suns with 11 rebounds, but he also had a game-high eight turnovers. Both teams struggled to score, with the Lakers shooting 36-84 (.429) from the field and the Suns shooting 34-81 (.420) from the field--and the three point shooting was horrific, with the Lakers shooting 5-29 (.172) and the Suns shooting 9-31 (.290).
The Suns jumped out to a 30-18 lead by the end of the first quarter, with Eric Gordon and Jordan Goodwin (seven points each) leading the way while Durant scored six points. James did not score in the first quarter. In the second quarter, James led both teams with 11 points as the Lakers almost reversed the first quarter margin, outscoring the Suns 30-22 to only trail 52-48 at halftime.
The Suns heated up in the third quarter, scoring 32 points on 10-17 (.588) field goal shooting as Durant scored 15 points while shooting 5-6 from the field. James did not score and shot 0-1 from the field, and it looked like the Suns were poised to win even without All-Stars Booker and Beal. The Lakers have indicated that they intend to limit James to around 30 minutes per game during the regular season, and if they had stuck to that plan then he would have barely played half of the fourth quarter--but James played all 12 minutes in the final stanza, and he attacked the hoop relentlessly instead of settling for long jump shots. James scored layups on back to back possessions to break a 91-91 tie, and then after Austin Reaves split a pair of free throws Davis closed out the scoring by sinking four straight free throws in the final seven seconds. Davis scored 13 fourth quarter points, while James added 10 fourth quarter points
Regardless of all of the talk about various personnel moves transforming the Lakers, at their core the Lakers are the same team now that they were at the start of last season: they can be very dangerous when both James and Davis are healthy and engaged, and they are mediocre at best otherwise. James' level of play as a soon to be 39 year old in his 21st NBA season is remarkable; no player in pro basketball history has been this athletic and retained this much skill at his age level/experience level. James is understandably not as durable as he was during his prime, but when he is healthy he still plays at an MVP level. It is tempting to call Davis an enigma, but an enigma is a mystery and Davis is not mysterious, because the 12 season veteran has consistently demonstrated who he is: he is a very talented player who misses a lot of games due to injury, and who does not consistently play with a high energy level after returning from injury. When James and Davis play the way that they did in the fourth quarter versus the Suns, the Lakers will be successful whether they have Russell Westbrook or D'Angelo Russell; when James and Davis do not play at all or when they do not play at a high level, the Lakers are not very good.
The Suns are who we thought they were: a team with elite players who often miss games due to injury, supported by a thin bench. Bradley Beal has missed the first two games of the season due to a back injury. Devin Booker starred in the first game, then missed the second game due to injury. Durant has played in 55 games or less in each of the four seasons since he ruptured his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals, and if the Suns are relying on him to consistently score 39 points in 39 minutes that is a recipe for him to miss a lot of games later in the season. Jusuf Nurkic, acquired in an offseason trade for Deandre Ayton, has appeared in 56 games or less in each of the past four seasons. The Suns are betting that their four best players will be healthy enough during the playoffs to make a championship run, regardless of how many regular season games they miss or where the Suns finish in the regular season standings.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Phoenix Suns
posted by David Friedman @ 1:30 PM
Lillard Lights up 76ers in Bucks' Debut
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 39 points as the Milwaukee Bucks built a 19 point first half lead, fell behind by eight points in the fourth quarter, and then rallied to outlast the Philadelphia 76ers. Lillard shot 9-20 from the field and 17-17 from the free throw line while setting the franchise record for most points scored in a player's first game with the team. Giannis Antetokounmpo had an uneven performance, scoring 23 points, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds, and accumulating three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots--but he shot 10-22 from the field (not good by his standards) and just 3-9 from the free throw line while committing seven turnovers and posting a team-worst -13 plus/minus number. Brook Lopez (13 points) and Bobby Portis (10 points) were Milwaukee's other double figure scorers.
According to pregame reports, James Harden showed up at the airport to travel with the 76ers to Milwaukee, but team officials refused to let him board the plane in the wake of his 10 day absence from team activities. Without Harden dribbling the ball until he created craters in the floor, other players had opportunities to handle the ball and score. Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 31 points on 10-22 field goal shooting while passing for a game-high eight assists and not committing any turnovers. Kelly Oubre scored 27 points off of the bench on 9-11 field goal shooting.
Reigning regular season MVP and two-time defending scoring champion Joel Embiid scored 24 points, tied for the team lead with seven rebounds, and passed for six assists. Those numbers look OK, but he shot just 9-21 from the field and 3-8 from the free throw line while tying Antetokounmpo with a game-high seven turnovers. More concerning than Embiid's low free throw percentage--which is an aberration--is that seven of Embiid's field goal attempts were from beyond the arc. He is not a bad three point shooter, and he made three treys versus Milwaukee, but when Embiid takes a three pointer he bails out the defense. In contrast, when
Embiid attacks the paint he creates a high percentage shot for himself
or for a teammate, and he increases the likelihood that he will draw a
foul; drawing fouls puts the opposing team in foul trouble, and helps
the 76ers get into the bonus.
In the fourth quarter with the game up for grabs, Embiid scored four points on 2-8 field goal shooting. This is a recurring theme throughout Embiid's career: he puts up good numbers overall, but when the game is on the line--particularly in the playoffs--he wears down or just disappears. It never seems like Embiid is in tip top physical condition, and he also often seems to lack the closer's mentality possessed by the truly great players.
After Lillard hit two free throws to put Milwaukee up 57-38 with 4:04 remaining in the first half, it did not appear likely that Embiid's inability to dominate down the stretch of a close game would be relevant; it looked like the Bucks were cruising toward a 20 or 30 point blowout. However, the 76ers pulled to within 63-54 by halftime after draining three treys in a little over a minute.
The Bucks clung to an 88-85 lead at the end of the third quarter, but they trailed 102-94 with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter after Maxey drained two free throws. Lillard scored nine points in the final four minutes, including a pair of game-clinching free throws to give the Bucks a 118-114 lead with 11.5 seconds remaining.
Last season, the Bucks ranked second in the NBA in defensive field goal
percentage (.456), but swapping elite defensive player Jrue Holiday for Lillard will
inevitably lead to defensive slippage, so it is not surprising that the
76ers shot 41-80 (.512) from the field during this game or that the 76ers scored 32 fourth quarter points. The Bucks' offense down the stretch consisted of Lillard dominating the ball, and often settling for long jump shots; those "logo threes" look cute when they go in, but more often than not they don't go in, which is one reason why Lillard's Portland teams posted a 4-8 playoff series record in 11 seasons. The Bucks have been criticized for having a stagnant offense, a problem that the acquisition of Lillard is meant to solve--but a team with a dominating inside force like Antetokounmpo and an excellent shooter/ballhandler like Lillard should never be settling for "logo threes." That is just not how championships are won, particularly considering that it is doubtful that Milwaukee's defense will ever be as good as it was with Holiday at point guard. The Bucks should be running an offense revolving around Antetokounmpo and Lillard running screen/roll actions that result in (1) a high percentage paint shot for Antetokounmpo, (2) a high percentage open shot (not from the logo) by Lillard, or (3) a high percentage open shot for one of the other three players on the court. This is the first regular season game of the Antetokounmpo-Lillard era, and we have seen previous duos and trios need some time to hit their stride, so in no way am I suggesting that the Bucks will not be very, very good. My point is simply that one win against a shorthanded 76ers team should not be overrated.
As for the 76ers, we have already seen that they cannot win a championship with Harden--but they also cannot win a championship by giving up Harden for nothing. Harden wants out, and the 76ers should accommodate him as soon as possible so that the franchise can move forward without being held back by a player whose overestimation of his abilities markedly contrasts with his epic playoff failures, culminating in his disappearing act in a game seven loss versus Boston last May.
Labels: Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 1:53 AM
Late Dallas Run Spoils Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Debut
Victor Wembanyama's debut may have been the pregame headline, but Dallas' late 8-0 run was the story as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 126-119. Luka Doncic posted game-high totals in points (33), rebounds (13), and assists (10) to lead the way for Dallas. Doncic joined Oscar Robertson and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only
players to post a 30 point triple double in a season opener (Robertson
did it twice). Kyrie Irving added 22 points on 10-24 field goal shooting while also passing for six assists. Grant Williams and Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 17 points.
Devin Vassell scored a team-high 23 points as seven Spurs scored in double figures. Wembanyama was fourth on that list behind Vassell, Keldon Johnson (17), and Tre Jones (16). Wembanyama had 15 points on 6-9 field goal shooting, plus five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot--but he also posted game-high totals in fouls (five) and turnovers (five). Wembanyama's size, athleticism, and basketball talent are obvious--but he is also a skinny 19 year old whose body is still developing and who still is learning the NBA game. It is easy to push him out of the post, and he is far from being a dominant player at this early stage of his career. It is important to remember that few 19 year old NBA players--even the ones who developed into all-time greats--played at even an All-Star level (let alone an all-time great level). Wembanyama will have some big games this season, and his season averages will likely exceed his first game totals in every category, but it is way too early to crown him as a once in a generation player or whatever other hype has been attached to his name.
The Spurs are likely way too young and inexperienced to be a playoff team this season; that is the price of tanking. Perhaps the Spurs will prove to be the rare (or only) team that can tank without creating a losing atmosphere, but in general once a franchise takes the stance that winning does not matter it is not so easy to change the mindset to the "every possession matters" attitude that playoff contenders have.
On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks have an MVP candidate in Doncic, an NBA champion in Irving, and several solid veteran players. The Mavericks figure to be an explosive offensive team, but their fate will be determined by their commitment to consistently playing good defense--and even though the Mavericks won this game, this was not even close to a championship-caliber defensive performance. The Spurs tied for the worst record in the Western Conference last season while ranking 23rd out of 30 teams in scoring and 25th in field goal percentage, but against Dallas they poured in 119 points while shooting 46-89 (.517) from the field. It is reasonable to believe that the Spurs are better now than they were last season, but it is doubtful that they will be a playoff team with an elite offense, so any Dallas fan should be alarmed that the Mavericks struggled to keep the Spurs under 120 points. The Mavericks did not lead at all during the first half, and in the final 1:51 they needed an Irving three pointer, an Irving drive, and a Doncic three pointer to escape with a win.
If the Mavericks' defense does not improve significantly, they will have many games during which they give up at least 125 points, which happened 17 times last season; the Mavericks posted a 4-13 record in those games.
Labels: Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama
posted by David Friedman @ 1:25 AM
Porzingis, Tatum Lead the Way as Celtics Beat Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis scored 12 fourth quarter points as the Boston Celtics rallied from a six point deficit to defeat the New York Knicks 108-104 in the season opener for both teams. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a game-high 34 points and a game-high tying 11 rebounds while shooting 13-22 from the field and dishing for four assists. Porzingis finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, and a game-high +13 plus/minus number. Derrick White added 12 points, Jaylen Brown had a quiet performance by his standards (11 points, six rebounds, five assists), and Jrue Holiday contributed nine points, four rebounds, and three assists in his debut for Boston.
R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley each scored 24 points for the Knicks, while Jalen Brunson (15 points on 6-21 field goal shooting) and Julius Randle (14 points on 5-22 field goal shooting) struggled to score. Randle had a very good floor game (11 rebounds, seven assists, no turnovers) but he also had a game-worst -13 plus/minus number. A major unanswered question for the Knicks is whether Randle can be a productive and efficient scorer against elite teams; his performance against the Celtics echoes his career playoff averages (17.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, .344 FG%).
The Celtics led 30-18 at the end of the first quarter, paced by Porzingis' 15 points and Tatum's 10 points. The Celtics shot 11-21 (.524) from the field while holding the Knicks to 7-26 (.269) field goal shooting, and it looked like the Knicks did not belong on the same court with the Celtics--but the Knicks settled down in the second quarter and outscored the Celtics 28-21 despite shooting just 10-24 (.417) from the field. The Knicks shot 5-14 from three point range, with Quickley scoring eight points and shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc in just 6:58 of playing time.
The Celtics won the third quarter 31-27 despite the Knicks shooting 5-10 (.500) from three point range, and thus led 82-73 heading into the final stanza. The fourth quarter was high scoring but also a bit of a slog as both teams struggled to make field goals; the Celtics shot 5-14 (.357) from the field while the Knicks shot 10-26 (.385) from the field, but the Celtics still scored 26 points because they shot 14-15 from the free throw line and the Knicks scored 18 of their 31 points from beyond the arc. The Celtics never trailed prior to the 8:56 mark of the fourth quarter, when Josh Hart's three pointer put the Knicks up, 86-84. Neither team led by more than three points until Quentin Grimes' three pointer with 4:10 remaining gave the Knicks a 99-93 lead. Porzingis then scored nine points down the stretch--including a three pointer with 1:29 remaining to put the Celtics up 104-101--to clinch the Boston victory.
Despite the lapses midway through the fourth quarter, overall this was a solid performance by the new-look Celtics, who are integrating offseason acquisitions Porzingis and Holiday into the starting lineup. The Knicks showed once again that they are capable of competing with an elite team, but it remains to be seen how often they can beat elite teams.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Julius Randle, Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
posted by David Friedman @ 11:55 PM
Suns Tame Warriors in Second Game of NBA Opening Night Doubleheader
The new-look Phoenix Suns outlasted the new-look Golden State Warriors 108-104 in the second game of the NBA Opening Night doubleheader. Devin Booker led the Suns with a game-high 32 points on 13-21 field goal shooting and a team-high eight assists while also grabbing six rebounds. Kevin Durant scored 18 points and snared 11 rebounds, but he shot just 7-22 from the field in his first game at Golden State since fleeing the Warriors for what he expected to be greener pastures in Brooklyn after the 2018-19 season. Josh Okogie added 17 points on 7-9 field goal shooting, and Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds as the Suns dominated the undersized Warriors 60-49 on the boards. The Suns are hoping that Nurkic will fit in better--and be less disgruntled--than Deandre Ayton was.
Stephen Curry paced the Warriors with 27 points, but he shot 8-20 from the field (including 4-14 from three point range) while passing for just one assist and accumulating a -9 plus/minus number. The other "Splash Brother," Klay Thompson, also struggled, finishing with 15 points on 6-18 field goal shooting. In his first game with the Warriors after spending the past three seasons with the Suns, Chris Paul scored 14 points on 4-15 field goal shooting but he also had a game-high nine assists while only turning the ball over once. Paul had six rebounds and a +5 plus/minus number.
This game had significant momentum swings, as Phoenix led by 15 points (61-46) at halftime, but Golden State rallied to lead by eight points (88-80) early in the fourth quarter. A few consistent themes emerged: without a true point guard running the show the Suns had 19 turnovers and did not shoot as efficiently as usual (42-95, .442), while the Warriors shot even worse than the Suns (36-101, .356) and also struggled to defend the paint and get rebounds to complete defensive possessions.
Each team was missing a key player: the Suns' Bradley Beal was inactive due to back tightness, while the Warriors' Draymond Green was inactive because of a left ankle sprain. Until we see these teams at full strength for an extended period of time it is too early to make definitive judgments about how good they are. The Suns are counting on Beal to provide a significant scoring punch while Booker assumes the point guard role formerly handled by Chris Paul. Green is the Warriors' de facto point guard and the linchpin of their defense.
Labels: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 9:09 AM
NBA Opening Night: Nuggets Raise Banner, Sink Lakers
In a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the Denver Nuggets led most of the way en route to posting a 119-107 win over the L.A. Lakers on NBA Opening Night. The Nuggets raised the franchise's first championship banner, distributed their championship rings, and then sank the highly touted Lakers. Nikola Jokic was by far the best player on the court, leading both teams in scoring (29 points on 12-22 field goal shooting), rebounding (13) and assists (11); the Nuggets' superstar posted his 106th career regular season triple double, just one behind Jason Kidd and LeBron James for fourth place on the all-time list behind only Russell Westbrook (198), Oscar Robertson (181), and Magic Johnson (138). Jamal Murray added 21 points and six assists, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points against his former team. LeBron James led the Lakers with 21 points on 10-16 field goal shooting while also grabbing eight rebounds and passing for five assists. Taurean Prince scored 18 points, and Anthony Davis had just 17 points on 6-17 field goal shooting. In the second half, Davis shot 0-6 from the field and did not score a point.
For most of the time since the Denver Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976 as part of the ABA-NBA merger, the Nuggets aspired to be legitimate rivals to the L.A. Lakers but consistently fell short. Now, the Lakers can only hope to be legitimate rivals to the Nuggets. The Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0 in the 2023 playoffs in the midst of a 16-4 playoff run capped off by defeating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, and there is no indication that the Lakers closed the gap during the offseason.
The Nuggets led 34-20 at the end of the first quarter, and after the first 12 minutes Jokie already had 10 points and five rebounds. The Nuggets shot 14-23 (.609) from the field, while the Lakers shot just 8-25 (.320) from the field. After falling behind by as many as 18 points (42-24), the Lakers rallied to trail by nine (63-54) at halftime. In the first half, Jokic had 19 points on 8-14 field goal shooting plus nine rebounds and two assists. Davis led the Lakers with 17 first half points but he only had one rebound. James (10 points on 5-9 field goal shooting) was the game's only other double figure scorer at intermission.
The Lakers opened the third quarter with a 4-0 burst, but the Nuggets extended their lead to 87-71 late in the third quarter before the Lakers went on a 9-0 run to trim the margin to 87-80 by the end of the stanza. The Lakers won the third quarter despite shooting just 10-24 (.417) from the field because the Nuggets squandered too many possessions by committing six turnovers and five fouls.
Both teams shot well in a high scoring fourth quarter, but the Nuggets led by at least 10 points for the final 5:02 of the game, and the outcome was never in doubt.
Regardless of all of the talk about how much the Lakers improved after trading Russell Westbrook last season, and then improved even more after revamping their roster during the offseason, the reality is that the Lakers are very good when LeBron James and Anthony Davis are engaged and energetic at both ends of the court, and very ordinary otherwise.
As Shaquille O'Neal said after the game, the Nuggets are the story here, not the Lakers; the Nuggets are the defending champions and they look as formidable as ever: Jokic remains an MVP-caliber player, and Murray is an excellent number two option who can be a number one option at times, while starters Aaron Gordon (15 points, seven rebounds, five assists), Michael Porter Jr. (12 points, 12 rebounds), and Caldwell-Pope are consistent contributors. Perhaps the Nuggets' bench is thin, but we will not know that for sure until we see how productive the young players will be over the course of the regular season and playoffs.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Murray, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic
posted by David Friedman @ 11:46 PM
