THE Portland Trail Blazers I went 1-3 this week at home. Let’s take a look at how internet power rankings rank the Blazers: John Schuhmann, NBA.com: n°26 (formerly n°26) We’re well past the All-Star break, but the Blazers have still been somewhat competitive. They lost by single digits to the Wolves and Thunder last week, and they picked up a win against Toronto on Saturday. With their overtime win over the Raptors, the Blazers are now 8-3 (with four straight wins) in second-straight games, with only the Celtics (8-2) having a better record without rest. They scored 115.0 points per…
Author: Game Recap
Bucks vs. Kings PredictionMilwaukee Bucks PreviewThe Doc Rivers era of the Bucks is getting closer.Despite a rough start marked by fourth-quarter collapses and a complete lack of offensive cohesion, those were signs that Doc’s message was permeating, especially on the defensive end. These signs are now real alarm bells which should alert the rest of the East of the arrival of the champions of a few years ago.Since the All-Star break, the Bucks rank fifth in net rating (second in the East behind the Boston Celtics) and are outscoring their opponents by eight points per 100 possessions, more than twice…
There’s a familiar axiom in the NBA about how everyone makes a run.Well, not always, and certainly not Monday as the only run in evidence was the cattle stampede you might see in those old cowboy movies as the Dallas Mavericks had a double digit lead less than five minutes into the game, scored 44 first-quarter points for a 28-point lead and pretty much kept that and extended it to 37 at times in a 127-92 flattening of the Bulls.Anyone get that license plate?It seemed also to be as much as inaccurate a pretty much exhausted Bulls team from their…
It’s the final month of the NBA season and the Miami Heat are up to their old tricks. Only, it’s difficult to know what trick, exactly, they’re trying to pull.Even for this motley and unpredictable crew, this affair of winning 11 of 14 but then three straight losses, including one egg, against the deeply unserious Wizards is a new addition to their bag of tricks.Never let them know your next move? Play possum? No one knows, but maybe that stench isn’t that of an unfed rabbit that’s been hiding in a hat for five months. Maybe the heat stinks.Subtract the…
David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty ImagesDonovan Mitchell won’t make any All-NBA teams this season, no matter how he performs over time.As Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel pointed out, Mitchell joined a list of some of the NBA’s brightest stars who missed too many games to be eligible for MVP and All-NBA honors. The Cleveland Cavaliers guard did not participate in Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns due to a knee injury:Brett Siegel @BrettSiegelNBADonovan Mitchell will miss his 18th game of the season tonight, which means he won’t be eligible for MVP and All-NBA honors. Here are the others he joins on…
Whenever a player threatens to break one of the Wilt Chamberlain’s 72 NBA recordsyou know they are doing something right. Entering an away game against Chicago on Monday, Mavericks center Daniel Gafford had gone 19-for-19 from the field in his previous three outings. With another perfect 9-9 night against the Bulls, he extended his streak to 28 consecutive field goals over his last four games. Gafford is down to seven field goals Chamberlain’s File of 35 consecutive games, which “The Big Dipper” established during a four-game span between February 17 and 28, 1967. While some would ignore Gafford’s feat as…
Nikola Jokic has been the target of harsh criticism regarding his defense, or alleged lack thereof. It seems Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has had enough, prompting him to retaliate with his own response. As it stands, the Nuggets are second in the Western Conference with a 45-20 record. They exceeded the Minnesota Timberwolvesand are just one win behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the standings. Denver’s offense this season is ranked seventh in the entire NBA. With an animator in Jokicnot to mention a reliable scorer in his own right, it makes sense for the Nuggets to rise…
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested superstar guard Stephen Curry is unlikely to return from an ankle injury for Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.When speaking to reporters, Kerr said, “I don’t expect him to play,” referring to Curry:Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors“I don’t expect him to play in Dallas.”Kerr provides update on Steph’s ankle injury ???? pic.twitter.com/IE1qWBaOgCCurry suffered a sprained right ankle late in last Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, and ESPN Adrien Wojnarowski later reported that while he was likely to miss time, Curry was not expected to miss “many games.”Following his…
Coach Jamahl Mosley and Orlando Magic agree to contract extension through 2027-28. Galveston County Daily News
The Oklahoma City Thunder are scheduled to face the Indiana Pacers in the coming hours. This will be the first time that young and up-and-coming teams will face each other since the start of the season. The Thunder recently earned a decisive 31-point victory over the Grizzles and established their top seed in the Western Conference points standings. Unfortunately, the victory came at a cost, as the team’s shooting guard, Jalen Williams, ended up with injuries has his right ankle during the match and was ruled out for the remainder of its duration. Since then, fans have wanted to know…