Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
The Lakers, still without Anthony Davis, seem to be back on the driver’s seat.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
So we’re now wondering if anyone in the West can unseat the Lakers because guess what? The Lakers seem to be finding a groove once again as they have won their last four games. And remember that they still don’t have Anthony Davis back.
Even without Davis, the Laker STILL hold the top spot in defensive rating (that’s points allowed per possessions, guys). They’ve slowed down on their offense (and that will happen when Davis is not there) but if teams can’t score on the Lakers then it doesn’t matter as much.
LeBron James continues his case to get his 5th MVP award at 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. He’s been pretty much carrying this team since Davis came back and I’ve said repeatedly how remarkable it is that he’s doing this at age 36. James went for 37-8-6 in their win over a plucky Hornets team.
And yes, the Lakers’ opponents haven’t been exactly the toughest. But if you look at the Jazz and the Clippers, they have just been quite inconsistent over the last few weeks. We’ll see how Utah bounces back but they’re 5-6 since their 24-5 start. They had a huge mishap against the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Clippers have been well-documented over here as they have lost 8 of their last 13 games. It doesn’t look great right now and it doesn’t inspire confidence as we enter the last two months of the regular season.
No one is taking Phoenix seriously because they’re the new kids. Yes, Chris Paul is their veteran that’s taking them over the hump but their core is very young in Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. They’re expected to put up a fight, for sure, but not expected to go deep into the postseason. The Denver Nuggets and Portland TrailBlazers are some wild cards right now. Denver has recovered nicely from a slow start and they were Western Conference finalists last year. The Blazers have Damian Lillard and are getting healthier. They’re going to be a tough out.
But the Lakers are gonna get healthier, too, and they’ve been playing lights out the last week. And of course, they have LeBron. They’re going to be the toughest out of them all and the last 9 times LeBron was in the playoffs, he’s reached the Finals.
I’m beginning to think it’s gonna be a major upset if the Lakers don’t make the Finals in 2021.
Bullet Passes
As mentioned, the Wizards shocked the Jazz on Thursday. Bradley Beal scored 43 to counter Donovan Mitchell‘s 42. Russell Westbrook had a major trip-dub with 35-15-13. And the Wizards didn’t need many threes (7) to counter Utah’s 18 from behind the arc; the Wiz decided to use the paint as their main weapon (54-38).
It’s okay, C.J. McCollum. You’ll find your way through soon but Damian Lillard‘s got your back (36 points in a win over New Orleans).
Lonzo Ball continues to play well but before that, it wasn’t well enough for the Pelicans to offer him an extension. Looks like the Clippers are looking to add him and we know the Clips need a MAJOR playmaker to help out Kawhi Leonard.
Anthony Edwards scored a career-best 42 points as the Wolves upset the Suns. Also, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 41. They are the 7th pair of teammates since 1996 to score 40 or more in the same game.
Edwards is the third youngest player to put up 40 at 19 years, 226 days. LeBron (of course; he did it at 19 years, 88 days) and Kevin Durant (19 years, 200 days).
The playmaking of Julius Randle continues to impress. He finished at 18-10-17 as the Knicks skate by the Magic.
Yes. 17 assists.
Guess who continues to stay undefeated under Nate McMillan! That’s 7 in a row for the ATL Hawks.
NBA Scoreboard
Mar. 18, 2021
Watch This Play
You try to stop this train that is named Nathan Knight.
NATHAN KNIGHT MEANS BUSINESS. 😤 pic.twitter.com/UFmvC1VpJx
— Atlanta HaWWWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2021
CHOO CHOO.
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.
R.I.P. Nala.