This is the Hangover. This is where I get drunk on the NBA as I recap last night’s action as well as a few things going on around the league. Here’s your word vomit.
11/29/2016
THE GAMES
DET 112 (9-10) @ CHA 89 (10-8)
LAC 122 (14-5) @ BRK 127 (5-12) [2OT]
LAL 88 (9-10) @ NO 105 (7-12)
CLE 101 (13-3) @ MIL 118 (8-8)
ORL 95 (7-11) @ SA 83 (14-4)
HOU 101 (11-7) @ UTA 120 (11-8)
(PHOTO CREDIT: Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal.)
THE INJURY BUG
And now we get to the worst part in sports.
Mike Conley is out with what is basically a fractured spine. That does NOT sound great at all. The team said he’ll be reevaluated in a month but a fractured spine doesn’t sound like a 6-8 week injury.
It sucks, too, because the Grizzlies were getting it going. They’re back to their grit-n-grind mode but even with Conley on the team, they’re 26th in offensive rating. That’s not great at all. With Conley out, they’ll need Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to take more of the offensive load. And they’re going to have to do it with point guards like Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV.
Nick Young left the game against the Pelicans on Tuesday night with an apparent Achilles strain. But now the Lakers are saying he’s out with a calf strain from 2-4 weeks. That’s actually better news than what we all expected but Young has been, believe it or not, their most consistent player on both ends of the court. D’Angelo Russell is still out with a knee injury and they have some long road trips coming up. I assume they’re going to try to aim for the postseason but we’ll find out if they survive those treks come Christmas.
Dirk Nowitzki continues to be out and, even at 38, he’s still the focal point of the offense. Not only is Dirk hurt but also J.J. Barea, Deron Williams, and Devin Harris. Those multitude of injuries have sunk the Mavs to 3-13 and while Harrison Barnes is doing better than expected, the Mavs don’t have enough talent to surround him.
What sucks about the NBA, sometimes, is that it seems to be more of a battle of attrition than a battle on the court. You won’t get the best possible teams on the court because one of your best players will have some sort of reoccurring foot injury or whatever. In 2015, fans were quick to point out that LeBron James didn’t have Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. In 2010, Doc Rivers will point out that his regular starting five from Boston has never lost a playoff series. In 1989, the Lakers couldn’t even win a game against Detroit in the Finals because of all the injuries. It sucks but it’s, unfortunately, part of the game.
Stay healthy, everybody.
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE
So a few things happened around the league.
Paul Pierce looked really old after missing a dunk. It was apparently all fun and games as Chris Paul pretended to give him CPR.
Paul Pierce tried to dunk & it didn’t go well https://t.co/IeXE6VxuEF
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) November 30, 2016
It wasn’t fun and games later, though. Doc Rivers got ejected in the first OT of that game. He complained about a foul call… and then went berserk after he got a technical.
Doc Rivers explosion after being T'd up with game on line pic.twitter.com/rPjxNQprJe
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) November 30, 2016
The Clippers would go on to lose that game as you saw on the top of this entry earlier.
J.R. Smith is an NBA champion. He decided to say what’s up to fellow NBA champion Jason Terry, now with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The problem, though? He did it during an NBA game that they were BOTH in. WHILE IN PLAY.
Jason Terry daps up JR Smith, Tony Snell gets an easy bucket https://t.co/W2V72A0NpQ
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) November 30, 2016
Never change, J.R.
It seems like it’s backwards day. The Spurs lost a home game against the Magic. The Cavs lost to the Bucks. And the Clippers lost their third straight game. Fun, fun Tuesday in the league.
LINE CROSSER
(PHOTO CREDIT: AP.)
So many great statlines on Tuesday but I’ll go with Anthony Davis smashing the Lakers with…
41 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals.
But shoutouts to:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 12 boards, 5 assists, 5 steals)
Chris Paul (26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists)
DeAndre Jordan (21 points, 23 rebounds)
Sean Kilpatrick (!!!) (38 points, 14 rebounds)
WATCH THIS PLAY
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
This slam by Gordon Hayward over Patrick Beverley set the tone for the night as the Jazz beat the Rockets on Tuesday night.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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