Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
Kyle Lowry Over Everything. That is so 2000 and late.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Chris O’Meara/AP.)
So the Raptors have won three in a row. They finally had a game where they held a team under 100 in their blowout win against the Mavericks, who have had some issues of their own.
They’re middling on both ends of the court this season but what’s really gotten them going is the offense, ESPECIALLY from behind the arc. Since January 7, they’re second in attempts (42.7) and 5th in percentage (.410). That could overwhelm anybody. The Raptors have been 4-2 since that day and if both of Pascal Siakam‘s attempts went down at the buzzer in those losses, we’d be talking about how the Raptors have gotten it back in track with a 6-game win streak.
But alas, that’s just the way the basketball gods can be, sometimes. Still, the Raptors are now 5-8 after three straight Ws. Chris Boucher has become a Sixth Man of the Year candidate with his play. Norman Powell is also starting to become that consistent weapon again like he was last year.
The rest of the team still has to get it going. Fred VanVleet has been mired in a slump the last few games. Kyle Lowry continues to play through it all but, at some point, he might break down sooner than later. Stanley Johnson has found a role off the bench to help give the Raptors some much-needed defensive punch. And OG Anunoby has been reliable for them.
It’s Aron Baynes that has been a disappointment and maybe that could be attributed to many reasons (including COVID in the summer) but he’s just been getting spot minutes as of late since he had not been up to par thus far. Still, at least, the Raptors are winning again. For now.
If their defense catches up to their offense, then the Raptors may be something to reckon with again. They may not be title contenders this season but of course, underestimating Toronto is something that could be perilous for the rest of the league. After all, it seemed like we wrote them off last season and then they won 15 straight in the middle of the campaign. They were certainly a few possessions away from an Eastern Conference finals berth last summer and who knows how they would’ve fared against Miami, who had a similar battle cry on being looked over last season.
As of now, the Raptors are still 5-8. We’ll talk about them slipping under the radar if or when they go over .500.
Bullet Passes
Look at the Golden State Warriors be comeback kids again. Stephen Curry hits yet another clutch shot and the Dubs came back from 19 to defeat the mighty Lakers. Earlier this season, the Warriors were 22 down before beating the Clippers.
What a turnaround this has been. Remember how awful they looked in their first two games?
James Harden looked great again as he went for 34-6-12 against the Bucks. But it was Kevin Durant‘s clutch three (30-9-6, by the way) that put the Nets over the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo himself had 34-12-7. What a game that was.
With both the Lakers and Bucks losing, the hottest teams right now are the Utah Jazz (off on Monday) and the Memphis Grizzlies (who beat the Phoenix Suns). Both teams have now won 5 straight games. And good thing, Ja Morant came back recently.
Victor Oladipo made his debut with the Rockets and promptly went to work with a 32-5-9 line. But Lauri Markkanen made a clutch three to get the Bulls the win.
For the casuals, Christian Wood went for 30 points and 9 boards.
Jerami Grant went for 27 points as he continues to be the focal point of the Pistons offense. But man, it’s sad to see Blake Griffin like this these days (5 points off 2-for-8 shooting). The Heat beat the Pistons in a win that they needed badly.
CJ McCollum will be re-evaluated in a month after suffering a fractured left foot. McCollum is averaging nearly 27 PPG and it sucks that his season was interrupted with something like this. Damian Lillard will have to pick up the slack. They lost Jusuf Nurkic earlier in the week, too.
WNBA’s current MVP, A’ja Wilson from the Las Vegas Aces got herself a statue at her alma mater, the University of South Carolina. That is so cool and so well-deserved as Wilson, even at the age of 24, is such a legend already. She helped lead the Gamecocks to an NCAA title in 2017 and, as I just said, she’s the current MVP in the WNBA. Little girls (especially little black girls) can have someone to aspire to. A’ja is that perfect role model.
A’ja Wilson makes a powerful statement on getting a statue at the University of South Carolina pic.twitter.com/PPDu4wEj2a
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 18, 2021
And how perfect is it that her statue was unveiled at Martin Luther King Day?
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention anything about Martin Luther King Day, which is such a celebration for the league. I wish it could be a celebration for the whole country but, unfortunately, we still have terrible people that would only quote Dr. King and then turn around and do the opposite of what he had talked about.
I’m hopeful but, unfortunately, Dr. King’s dream is still far far away. I may never see that dream come to reality in my lifetime but I will continue to help and fight for that equality.
NBA Scoreboard
Jan. 18, 2021
Watch This Play
Reach for the skies, John Collins.
John Collins got UP 😳 pic.twitter.com/yLu4thzd9U
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 18, 2021
He’s so hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh! High above me! It’s so lovely!
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.