Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
These guys have five MVP awards between them.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu/USA Today.)
We looked forward to this game, didn’t we? Both teams were 24-4 coming into Thursday‘s contest. Did it disappoint? A little bit. The Bucks controlled most of the game. The Lakers fought back but it never felt the Bucks were going to lose their grip.
Both defenses were doing their thing for sure. It’s what caused the ugly start to this game. But Milwaukee got the support they needed from both star and supporting cast while it took a bit for the Lakers to get their stars going. The bench for the Lakers never got going on the offensive end.
The Lakers really depended on their two stars. Anthony Davis had an ailing ankle but they REALLY went to him in the second half; he scored 28 of his 36 after halftime. And the Lakers were exposed to only having one threatening playmaker (that would be LeBron James, of course). Rajon Rondo, even with a good three-point percentage this season, is not looking to shoot and opposing players know he would rather give up the rock than put it up. LeBron got a triple-double himself (21-12-11) but they didn’t get the help that they needed. They were fortunate that Danny Green was hot from the perimeter (7 three-pointers) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 18 points. But the bench only went for 4 measly points on Thursday.
Milwaukee, while winning, is also a team that I’ve questioned because they have one singular star (Giannis Antetokounmpo) that does pretty much everything. Maybe it might not matter if he stays healthy. The Bucks do have terrific defense and they hope they can be that indefensible wall come playoff time. What Giannis did show on Thursday? His long-range game.
Giannis went 5 for 8 from behind the arc. We had always talked about what would happen if he developed a three-point shot. Don’t look now but he’s shooting .447 from three in the month of December on nearly six attempts. That’s a big uh-oh for everybody else.
While we wonder about dependability outside of Giannis (Khris Middleton is normally their second option), George Hill came through with 21 points off the pine. George Hill has been in the league forever (forever being his 12th season) and has been in big moments, including that Pacers run in the East Finals (under former Pacer and current Laker coach Frank Vogel) and the Finals run with Cleveland (with former teammate LeBron). He also was a huge part of the Bucks playoff run last season. Hill can be counted on to produce.
This game might have been a preview for June. Both teams know they have to get their supporting casts to produce. It’s more worrying for the Lakers because LeBron is 35 in 10 days and Davis has had trouble staying healthy in his career. The Bucks are a tier above the rest of the East right now and they hope that their guys step up as Giannis continues to be supernova. At least, that defense by the Bucks has been magnificent.
A lot can change from now to March when these teams go against each other one more time. But for now, the Bucks have this game over the Lakers’ heads.
Also, Giannis knows he should be crowned and be the new king.
OMG Giannis just put the crown on pic.twitter.com/KDLT1FMng8
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) December 20, 2019
I mean, it’s not like we don’t know what that looks like.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Nike.)
Bullet Passes
Spencer Dinwiddie went for a career-best 41 points against San Antonio. He is in the Top 20 in both scoring (22.1 points) and assists (6.2). At this point, I’d be surprised if he’s not an all-star this season.
It’s easy to make fun of Jabari Parker, especially for his defense (and also for what he said about not getting paid to play defense). But he seems to have settled into a nice groove with the Hawks. He’s averaging a cushy 16.0 points per contest. It’s too bad the Hawks aren’t winning.
Let’s add another chapter to the Russell Westbrook/Patrick Beverley feud.
Patrick Beverley has been ejected. pic.twitter.com/aRkyScieO9
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 20, 2019
I love that Russ waved goodbye to the ejected Beverley. Russ got a T for his troubles but he made no bones about getting one.
By the way, Russ had 40-10-5 in their comeback win against the Clippers. He’s woken up in the last few games. Not that it should be a surprise but James Harden had been such an overwhelming scorer this season that, sometimes (someHOW), we forget that Westbrook is in Houston.
The Scoreboard
UTA 111 (17-11) @ ATL 106 (6-23)
LAL 104 (24-5) @ MIL 111 (25-4)
BRK 105 (15-13) @ SA 118 (11-16)
HOU 122 (19-9) @ LAC 117 (21-9)
Watch This Play
Anthony Davis and Giannis had a clash in the sky. Davis won this one.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA BandWagon Fan.)
Giannis might have gotten posterized but props for him for not giving up on the play. That was one strong dunk from Davis, though.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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