Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler did some history on Tuesday night.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Lynne Sladky/AP.)
The Miami Heat had a lot going on Tuesday night. They defeated the Hawks after a one-sided overtime period. The Hawks were up by six with 59 seconds left but that deficit was quickly erased after Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler made back-to-back threes.
Then the Heat went to work by scoring 16 straight in overtime. It was an overall 22-0 run by the Heat, who are still unbeaten in Miami.
That craziness carried over to the player statlines.
First off, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler had triple-doubles. Bam went for 30-11-11 (career-best in scoring). Jimmy had 20-18-10 (career-best in boards).
Yes. Teammates in the same game that had triple-doubles. That was the 12th time in NBA history that happened. And the first pair of Miami Heat teammates to do it, which is ridiculous because this franchise has had LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade on the same team at one point. Hell, they had Wade and Shaquille O’Neal at the same time. And somehow, that feat didn’t happen then.
The most recent time that happened was actually the first time this rarity happened in the playoffs. Stephen Curry went for 37-13-11 and Draymond Green got in an 18-14-11 line in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals last May.
This also happened twice in last year’s regular season.
Russell Westbrook is never a surprise for a triple-double. In a February game against Portland, he had 21-14-11. But Paul George had one in the same game and it was a monster 47-12-10 trip-dub. This followed LeBron James (24-12-11) and Lonzo Ball (16-10-10), when they did it in a win against Charlotte in December. That James/Ball historical moment was the first time teammates had a triple-double in the same game since April 7, 2007 when Vince Carter (who ironically played in this Hawks/Heat game on Tuesday) had 46-16-10 and Jason Kidd went for 10-16-18 in a NEW JERSEY Nets win over the Washington Wizards.
So yeah, that is incredibly wild. But the wildness isn’t done. Kendrick Nunn (yeah, yeah, I know) went for a cool 36-point night, which was easily his career-best. Duncan Robinson tied the Heat franchise record by sinking 10 threes in that game. He put in 34 points, also a career-high.
The Hawks had one guy that went for a career-best in scoring as well. Rookie DeAndre Hunter had 28 points in a losing effort. How did Trae Young do? 21 points and 9 assists.
By the way, that 14-point OT win? Largest margin of victory in an overtime game in 10 years (Halloween 2009 saw the Sixers beat the Knicks, 141-127.)
Lastly, Trae Young signaled it was over (he slashed his arms, which mimicked his current teammate Vince Carter in the dunk contest in 2000) when the Hawks went up by that magical six-point margin. I LOVE Trae Young but I just thought, “Man. Time and place.” And we know what happened. Butler could NOT resist referencing it on Instagram. And their peers loved it, too.
(From Jimmy Butler’s Instagram.)
Woof. Veteran’s got one up on the sophomore there. How did Trae Young react to his gaffe?
(From Trae Young’s Twitter account.)
Me, too, Trae. Me, too.
Bullet Passes
The Nuggets are on a freefall here. Their road trip went sour at 1-3 (of course, they beat the Knicks) and they have lost five of six overall. Once again, they had a tough time scoring as they only got 92 points. Sure, it’s the Sixers and their defense but Denver is more than capable of putting up points. They just haven’t been able to this season.
James Harden has made 107 total three-pointers this season, which leads the league. So who’s second? Our boy, Devonte’ Graham of Charlotte; he has 96. Third? Davis Bertans of Washington, who is shooting a molten .465 from three. He has put in 92 threes this season.
And they did not disappoint when their teams went against each other last night. Bertans scored 32 points and went 8/12 from three in a losing effort. Graham’s team won and he paced them with 29 points. He went 6/11 from behind the arc.
Carmelo Anthony faced the New York Knicks for the first time in two years. But at this point, is it that much of a momentous occasion these days when the Knicks play? Well, I suppose if you can’t turn away from a trainwreck.
The Knicks lost by 28 against Melo’s Blazers. Melo went for 16 points but that just seemed more like a footnote performance than anything. The Knicks continue to be a disaster and are now 4-20 this season. Whooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Vince Carter has played a LOT of games.
Seriously, that is a lot of games.
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA.)
Fifth player in NBA history to play 1,500 NBA regular season games. Sheesh.
Watch This Play
Bradley Beal showing some zeal because he’s the real deal.
RISE UP, BRAD! 😳#RepTheDistrict pic.twitter.com/rNznUNyNLM
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 11, 2019
He’s having one hell of a season. Too bad, his team isn’t doing as hot.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.