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.
Saturday wasn’t Dame Time but Sunday definitely was.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin C. Cox/USA Today.)
The Blazers bounced back from their close loss to the Clippers (which had some drama after the game was over) by upending the Sixers (who are now having their own problems with injuries). Damian Lillard went off for 51.
Lillard has become one of my favorite players to watch in the league. He’s scored 50 or more in five games this season. When Lillard takes over a game (which you all know as Dame Time), it is one of the most electrifying things in basketball. And Dame Time couldn’t have happened at a better time as he made clutch shot after clutch shot against the Sixers.
The Blazers are 4-2 in the bubble. Two of those games involved the aforementioned 51-pointer against the Sixers and the game against the Nuggets when he scored 45 points. With Portland at nearly a full deck (Rodney Hood is still out), the Blazers and Dame are going to be a tough out should they make it to the postseason. A play-in series is guaranteed in the Western Conference with the Grizzlies and Blazers as the current occupants of the 8th and 9th seeds. And the winner of that play-in series plays the Lakers in the first round.
The Lakers should overwhelm whoever’s playing them but you can’t help but salivate at the possibility of the Lakers against the Blazers. Who can stop Lillard from going for 40 or 50? The guy gets to the rim at ease. Stephen Curry made deep threes vogue in the NBA but Lillard has become just as prolific from distance (Paul George knows). When Dame scores in bunches, it’s tough to stop Portland from blazing. It’s really too bad that the Blazers were wrecked with injuries during this campaign.
Regardless, we’ll see what else Portland and Dame can do in the bubble. Dame Time might be short-lived in Disneyworld but it’s going to be enjoyable as hell.
Bullet Passes
Triple-doubles are rare in the WNBA. First off, WNBA games are only 40 minutes long so it’s a little tougher to accumulate more stats. Thus, only eight triple-doubles have happened in the history of this league.
Candace Parker, who was one of the eight players to achieve that, could have been the first player in WNBA history to have TWO career triple-doubles. In their victory against the Lynx, she was at 11-10-9. But the Sparks bench did too well against the Lynx in the fourth quarter that she never got a chance to go back in to get that 10th assist.
Carmelo Anthony is now in the Top 15 for most career NBA points:
Stay Melo, y’all.
The New York Liberty was on the verge of an upset against the Las Vegas Aces. But trying to stop A’ja Wilson is a real difficult task.
.@_ajawilson22 with less than 7 seconds left… 👀 pic.twitter.com/kIVYsWH8t7
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 9, 2020
That was the eventual game-winner. A’ja ended with 31 points as the Aces go to 5-2. Vegas has now won four straight games.
Austin Rivers went off for a career-best 41 points against the Sacramento Kings. It’s easy to make fun of Doc‘s kid but he’s found his role in the NBA and we shouldn’t be surprised he’s capable of something like that.
I’m so sad that the Washington Mystics’ 3-0 start has become nothing more than a mirage. But the Indiana Fever are showing some improvement and Kelsey Mitchell has become quite the #1 option for the team. She is now the second-leading scorer in the league (20.3 points per game) right behind the previously mentioned A’ja Wilson (now at 22.3 PPG).
It’s just sad to see the Wizards in the bubble. They are 0-6 in Disney. Ouch.
Boston is starting to get it together with three straight wins. Another impressive team in Disney? The Brooklyn Nets are 4-2 with their ragtag bunch.
With the Blazers win, the Pelicans and Kings have been eliminated from contention. The Pelicans not making it also means the first time J.J. Redick missed a postseason in his basketball career. That includes high school, college, and his first 13 years in the league. That’s quite a run.
NBA Scoreboard
WAS 103 (24-46) v OKC 121 (43-26)
MEM 99 (33-38) v TOR 108 (50-19)
SA 122 (31-38) v NO 113 (30-40)
ORL 119 (32-38) v BOS 122 (46-23) (OT)
PHI 121 (42-28) v POR 124 (33-39)
HOU 129 (44-25) v SAC 112 (29-41)
BRK 129 (34-36) v LAC 120 (47-23)
Double U Scoreboard
MIN 81 (5-2) v LA 97 (4-3)
LV 78 (5-2) v NY 76 (1-6)
WAS 84 (3-4) v IND 91 (3-4)
Watch This Play
Ja Morant on the break is just off the page.
1️⃣2️⃣😤@JaMorant | #MemphisVsErrbody pic.twitter.com/gm6Zml0BwG
— FOX Sports Grizzlies (@GrizzliesOnFSSE) August 9, 2020
Just so good when he’s on the loose.
Everybody in the Bubble and Wubble, please stay safe!
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.