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 Blazers have advanced to the postseason.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Murphy/Getty Images.)
What a play-in game that was.
Portland had become a sentimental favorite over the last week, especially with all the subplots coming in. We know that Damian Lillard had averaged over 51 points in the last three games. C.J. McCollum had been playing with a fracture in his back. Carmelo Anthony had resurrected his career this season. And hours before the game, Jusuf Nurkic‘s grandmother had passed because of the deadly Coronavirus.
But Memphis had been so fun this season. They just hadn’t played well in the bubble, going 2-6 in those regular season games. Worse yet, they had lost Jaren Jackson, Jr. because of a knee injury. But Ja Morant, the favorite for Rookie of the Year, wasn’t going to let his team go quietly into the night.
While Lillard didn’t get on fire like he did in the past week, he made all the plays necessary to keep them in (especially that dunk on Jonas Valanciunas). Nurkic played an inspired game as we saw throwback duel between the big men; Nurk finished with 22 points and 21 boards while Jonas had 22 points and 17 rebounds. Ja Morant played the game of his life as he had a career-best 35 points to go along with 8 assists. Brandon Clarke should’ve been a finalist for ROY; he proved it by sinking four threes on the way to 20 points. And McCollum played a gutty game as he hit two electrifying jumpers in the closing minutes; he scored 29 points.
The biggest redemption story, however, goes to Melo. As the defense collapsed onto Dame, Lillard kicked it to Anthony for a corner three to push the lead to 6 points with 20 seconds left. Remember that Anthony’s career was dead in the water after the Rockets let him go early last season. Now he gets to match up with his friend, LeBron James, starting Tuesday as the Blazers get a date with the Lakers.
We’ll have more on the playoff preview later today. The Blazers may be the #8 seed but they’re a pretty deadly team in that spot. Plus in these pandemic times, home court advantage is out the window. This series is going to be intriguing.
Memphis is going to be hella fun to watch in the next few seasons. But for now, Portland gets a chance at the playoffs for the 7th straight year.
Bullet Passes
The Mystics crash continues as they lost their 7th straight game. This makes me really sad. In the meantime, the Aces continue to roll as they won their 7th straight game. And they actually exceeded 5 threes made for the third time this season. Goodness, they’re so old-school.
Speaking of three-pointers, Riquna Williams exceeded the Aces’ total by herself in the Sparks‘ game against the Fever. She went 7 for 12 on her way to 21 points off the bench. The Sparks themselves are a solid 7-3.
The Lynx had that great 1-2 punch with Napheesa Collier going for 26-13-5 while rookie Crystal Dangerfield had 22 points. Minnesota is also at 7-3. And the New York Liberty at 1-9? Ugh.
So we’ve had two coaching firings over the last couple of days. Jim Boylen was axed by the Chicago Bulls while Alvin Gentry was let go by the New Orleans Pelicans. Boylen was actually long overdue while Gentry probably got dealt an unfair hand, especially with the way Zion Williamson‘s minutes were limited after he was able to play.
Vlade Divac left his post as Sacramento Kings general manager. Divac picking Marvin Bagley III over Luka Doncic in 2018 will haunt him forever, no matter what his reasoning is. Bagley III has struggled with injuries while Doncic is arguably a Top 5 player in the league today. We’ll see who follows Divac’s footsteps in Sactown soon.
NBA Scoreboard
MEM 122 v POR 126
The Blazers have advanced to the playoffs and play the Lakers in the first round.
Double U Scoreboard
WAS 73 (3-7) v LV 88 (8-2)
LA 90 (7-3) v IND 76 (4-6)
NY 64 (1-9) v MIN 94 (7-3)
Watch This Play
Dame busts a bucket on Jonas Valanciunas.
DAMIAN LILLARD POSTER pic.twitter.com/cr3d7vvkp5
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) August 15, 2020
Dame time has now been extended for, at least, another week.
Everyone in the bubble and wubble, please take care!
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.