Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. We’re here to talk about the daily happenings in the NBA!
The Lakers ran over the Timberwolves with a bulldozer.
(PHOTO CREDIT: John McCoy/Getty Images/AFP.)
I’ve said in my season preview that the Los Angeles Lakers got richer. This game was a perfect example.
Granted, they didn’t have Anthony Davis (and, yes, the Wolves did not have Karl-Anthony Towns). But if you didn’t know then, you know now. The Lakers’ depth is ridiculous.
So the Lakers lost athleticism in the middle with JaVale McGee getting dealt to Cleveland and Dwight Howard bolting to Philadelphia. That gets replaced with highly-skilled Marc Gasol and a motor in Montrezl Harrell. Gasol certainly has a myriad of things he can do on both ends while Harrell is a scoring beast inside. Markieff Morris is a holdover from last season and can certainly play the 4 or the small ball 5.
Danny Green (ultimately traded to Philly), Rajon Rondo (went to Atlanta in free agency), and Avery Bradley (went to Miami in free agency) all had big roles for the Lakers. Danny Green was their 3-and-D guy (though he didn’t do so well in the bubble), Rondo settled down the offense and was finding guys, and Bradley was a defensive bulldog (he didn’t play in the bubble). But off the Green trade comes Dennis Schröder, who had his best all-around year of his career in Oklahoma City. Wesley Matthews becomes their 3-and-D guy off the bench and Alex Caruso played well in Bradley’s place; he can play both positions. And then they have a swingman in Talen Horton-Tucker, who the Laker fans are so excited about after having a hell of a preseason.
The Lakers locked in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma to small contract extensions. KCP became a consistent shooter for them most of last season. And Kuzma has began to show flashes of becoming a better defensive player to go along with his scoring prowess.
And obviously, the Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis (who didn’t play against Minnesota). The Lakers are going to have games without either or both since they play big minutes and only had a two-month turnaround. But the Lakers will be all right since they have the depth to withstand the rigors of the regular season. And by the time the playoffs get here, it’s going to be extremely taxing to try to beat these guys four out of seven times.
The rich get richer. I’m not saying the Lakers are on a verge of a dynasty here but right now, the chance for a repeat is theirs to lose.
Bullet Passes
It’s funny because the Wolves losing by 36 wasn’t the biggest whoopin’ that happened in Staples Center.
The Mavericks beat the Clippers by 51 points. In fact, the Mavs led by halftime, 77-27. That’s the biggest halftime margin ever in an NBA game. HOW DO YOU TRAIL BY 50 BY HALFTIME?!?
We have an early feelgood story with the Orlando Magic, who are off to a 3-0 start. But also, Markelle Fultz is averaging 20.7 points in those three games, including 26 against the former Washington Bullets. He’s still shooting only 25 percent from three but once he finds that elusive shot…
It’s a bit of a bizarro day in the NBA. The Cavs blew out the Sixers by 24. The Knicks plastered the Bucks by 20. The Hornets upset the Nets.
But let’s see Scary Terry Rozier put one down on Kevin Durant:
TERRY ROZIER THREW IT ON KD. 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/4NCc7rysqt
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) December 28, 2020
The Pacers really missed Domantas Sabonis in the playoffs. But when he’s there, he’s hitting clutch buckets against the Celtics.
SABONIS CLUTCH AND ONE pic.twitter.com/QgvYcJOKQq
— NBA Quick Highlights (@NBA_QHighlights) December 28, 2020
Stephen Curry exploded with 36 points against the Bulls. But you’ll see later on that it was someone else that did the final deed against Chicago.
NBA Scoreboard
Dec. 27, 2020
Watch This Play
You would think that Stephen Curry would make this clutch three. Nope! It was his brother-in-law, Damion Lee!
DAMION LEE FTW ♨
WARRIORS GET THEIR FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/gJooQB5Nrr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 28, 2020
Three-point shooting is a family affair. Golden State NEEDED this win.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.