Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. We jot down NBA and WNBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
The soaring Suns are now 4-0 in the bubble.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
What is going on here?
We’ve had many big surprises in the bubble but the biggest surprise of them all might be the Phoenix Suns surging. They have yet to lose in the bubble and are becoming a factor in the battle for the 9th seed.
We know what Devin Booker can do but his chemistry with this young team is becoming more and more fluid. He’s really improved as a playmaker over the last two years and it has paid dividends here in the restart. His game-winner against the Clippers was incredible.
Deandre Ayton is becoming the guy that the Suns wanted when they drafted him first overall in 2018. He’s not there yet as the ultimate two-way big but you can see the potential. He’s shown some defensive improvements, for sure. He’s becoming that anchor as the Suns are actually 4th in defensive rating in the bubble (allowing 106 points per 100 possessions).
And the entire team is stepping it up. Cameron Johnson has been great as their new starter at power forward. Dario Saric has actually become a more consistent scorer before the pandemic and it’s continued in the bubble. Mikal Bridges has been a hellacious defender. CAMERON PAYNE has been steady as a back-up point guard to Ricky Rubio, who has been very good on both ends as well (and has really become the complementary player the Suns and Booker needed).
I know some have said that this run is going to be useless because whoever comes out of the play-in series will face the Lakers.
Maybe the result is academic. But the experience for the Suns should they make it to the spot would be great for them. Going against a team like the Lakers can further their education in the NBA and they could take it to the next level in the next season.
Remember that the Blazers have also become quite the team in the bubble. The Spurs never seem to die so they’re ones to watch as well. They’re all taking advantage of the Grizzlies‘ freefall, which has become sad to watch.
But the SUNS, man. They haven’t done anything significant in years so this has certainly been a welcome sight for them. This might be the time for Phoenix to rise out of the ashes.
Bullet Passes
Of course, T.J. Warren‘s scoring run would end against his former team, the Suns. He only scored 16 points against them. But the Pacers are going to be okay. I mean, they don’t have Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo is still trying to get back to 100 percent. Warren has been really good to them.
Like we mentioned, Portland is surging. They’re 3-1 in the bubble and their only loss was against the Celtics. And they nearly won that one after being down 24.
Damian Lillard was incredible against the Nuggets. He made 11 threes on the way to 45 points while also dishing out 12 assists. What the hell, man.
That Pelicans/Kings game was going to be huge for either team. The Kings won, which was their first win in the bubble. But the Pelicans needed it, too, because they’re trying to keep up with the Suns, Blazers, and Spurs. Like I said, the battle for the #9 seed is ROUGH.
I love that I’ve been seeing tweets about Giannis Antetokounmpo only having ONE MOVE. Well, he has more than one move, first of all. And if that one move can’t be stopped, why not keep going back to it?
Great comeback win by the Bucks, though.
As for the Lakers, they lost against the Rockets. They didn’t have LeBron James and Alex Caruso for that game. They already clinched #1, anyway, so it’s all about staying healthy and sharp going into the postseason.
Chennedy Carter dropped 35 points against the Seattle Storm and she’s probably the prime candidate to win WNBA Rookie of the Year. It takes a lot of moxie to drop that many points against a contender like the Storm. By the way, Breanna Stewart is looking better on the court every game (27 points, 8 rebounds).
Let’s rejoice because the Connecticut Sun finally won a game! Thursday was great for anything about the sun in basketball. They did start out 0-5; will this hole be too deep? They’d better continue winning games.
Looks like the Mercury are getting it together as they defeated the excellent Chicago Sky. I mean, seriously. Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Skyler Diggins-Smith? Just reading that gives me chills. That’s such a deadly trio.
NBA Scoreboard
NO 125 (29-39) v SAC 140 (29-39)
MIA 116 (43-26) v MIL 130 (55-14)
IND 99 (42-27) v PHX 114 (30-39)
LAC 126 (46-22) v DAL 111 (41-30)
POR 125 (32-38) v DEN 115 (45-24)
LAL 97 (51-17) v HOU 113 (43-25)
Double U Scoreboard
SEA 93 (5-1) v ATL 92 (2-4)
CON 91 (1-5) v DAL 68 (2-4)
CHI 86 (4-2) v PHX 96 (4-2)
Watch This Play
Jusuf Nurkic, well, NURKS Bol Bol.
Nurkic BANGS it. 😳😱 pic.twitter.com/dDr3AD3iFR
— NBA (@NBA) August 7, 2020
Portland has really added another dimension on the court with Nurk.
Stay safe, people in the Bubble and Wubble!
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.