Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
The Rockets’ nightmare is over.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Levey/AP.)
Well, first of all, someone had to win. A team’s losing skid was going to end. The Raptors were losers of 8 straight games. The Rockets had a streak that seemed to last forever; they had lost 20 in a row.
In the end, it was Houston that came out on top. Canada has now lost 9 straight. And the Rockets’ losing streak has finally stopped.
It doesn’t matter how talented the roster is. But losing can be so deflating and contagious. Suddenly, that’s all a team knows how to do. Confidence is shot. Players might get anxious the minute they go down by 5. They don’t know what to do with their hands when they miss three shots in a row. Their thoughts get so deep and to the point that they wonder if they should’ve just become doctors or something. Simply put, everything that could go wrong WOULD go wrong.
So Toronto was what the doctor ordered. They’re in their own slide. Now they have to wonder about all these things. Now they wonder if they’ll also suffer the same fate and lose 20 in a row. Getting that win can do so much to a team’s confidence. It can restore the belief in their games and everything would be back to normal.
And the thing was that the Rockets were 11-10. They were certainly doing better than anyone predicted. Then Christian Wood went down (who was having a marvelous season) and it was all curtains from there. I thought the team still wasn’t bad with John Wall and Victor Oladipo there. But man, was I wrong. Woof.
Anyway, that downhill run is over and they can start anew.
As for the Raptors? Well, 20 straight isn’t as far away as they think. Please get that win soon.
Bullet Passes
The Hawks had it. They were up by 21 halfway through the third against the Clippers. Then Luke Kennard (20 points and making all 8 of his shots) and Terance Mann (21 and 10) helped lead a major rally against ATL. Kawhi Leonard (25 points) finished it off with back-to-back threes.
That would’ve been an incredible win for the Hawks. They would’ve won 9 straight. Instead, it was an incredible win by the Clips itself. They needed to get some consistency going and they beat the hottest team in the league.
The Bucks put up 48 in the first quarter and then 83 after the half. Good grief.
Rudy Gobert nearly got a triple-double in the blocks department (21-10-9) as the Jazz took it out on the Bulls.
Tyrese Haliburton scored a career-best 28 points as the Kings defeated the Cavs.
In the meantime, Marvin Bagley III is now on the trading block and, unless they get a star out of this trade, what a wasted pick it was. Let me remind the Kings fans for the 8,415th time that they could’ve taken either Luka Doncic or Trae Young.
So LaMelo Ball got surgery on the wrist and he’ll be reevaluated in a month. There’s a chance he could return this season. That’s good news.
And man… maybe the Boston Celtics really are not that good.
NBA Scoreboard
Mar. 22, 2021
Watch This Play
Another JA-dropper.
(VIDEO CREDIT: Bleacher Report.)
Just throw it anywhere. Somehow, Ja will catch it.
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.