Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook stole the game from the Nets in a matter of seconds.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Donnie Becker/AP.)
I don’t particularly have a focus on any of Sunday‘s games but I do want to focus on the incredible comebacks teams made this weekend.
Let’s go back to that Blazers game. They barely had 10 seconds and were down five to the Bulls. Damian Lillard made a patented long distance three to cut the lead to two. Then Gary Trent, Jr. was able to force a jumpball with Zach LaVine with the clock down to 6.2.
Then Trent somehow won the jump. Lillard was able to scramble for the ball and put up a fadeaway three in time over Lauri Markkanen. And it went in. The Blazers won.
The Wizards had a similar situation. THEY were down five points to the Brooklyn Nets with 12 seconds left. Bradley Beal made a three to cut the deficit down to two. And then Garrison Matthews stole the inbounds pass and passed it to Russell Westbrook. Russ put it up for three and that was good. Just like that, the Wizards led. They would end up winning the game.
Check both situations out here:
Down five.
Little time left.
These comebacks on back-to-back nights were UNREAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LIvt3kW8Tc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 1, 2021
I guess I’m making the same point that I was last year: game’s truly not over until the final buzzer sounds. Ironically, it was Zach LaVine that did something like this last season since his Bulls were beat in the same manner by the Blazers. That’s why, sometimes, you still see teams really really compete when they’re down double digits with a minute left. A miracle could be pulled off but, of course, that also depends on a lot of luck from the other team.
But yeah, my friends really aren’t in the same boat as me. It is why, though, that I keep watching until the clock says 0.0.
You just never know, sometimes.
Bullet Passes
The winning streak is over as Nikola Jokic (who went for a career-best 47 points) and the Denver Nuggets stop the Jazz’s 11-game run.
With that Jazz loss in mind, the Clippers overtook them for the best record in the league. The Clips defeated the Knicks.
We talked about the Nets loss. Again, they’re just trying to outscore everyone. 149-146 final?! Good grief.
No Joel Embiid but they got 11 points and 15 boards off the bench from Dwight Howard as the Sixers defeated the Pacers.
The Magic lost the game AND Aaron Gordon. He is lost for a month or longer due to a sprained ankle.
The NBA is talking about having the dunk contest and three-point shootout to go with the all-star game that COULD go on March 7th. We’ll have more updates later.
NBA Scoreboard
Jan. 31, 2021
Watch This Play
Let’s check out those back-to-back threes from the Wizards as they stole the game from the Nets.
BEAL AND WESTBROOK.
UNREAL. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aMJfXTxWy7
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 1, 2021
The demise of Russell Westbrook has been greatly exaggerated. For now.
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.