Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
The Oklahoma City Thunder snapped their 14-game losing streak after beating the Celtics.
(PHOTO CREDIT: The Oklahoman.)
The mostly-unknown Oklahoma City Thunder ended their long nightmare by defeating the much-maligned Boston Celtics. They had lost 14 in a row coming into Boston and, really, their fortunes changed when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went out with a foot injury after their game against Minnesota on March 22. The Thunder went 2-17 (including Tuesday‘s game) since then and they went from a Cinderella story to a lottery team.
It’s also a position that the Thunder haven’t been in quite a while. They had made the postseason 10 out of the last 11 seasons, including that wonderful Chris Paul-led squad that took the Houston Rockets to 7 games in the bubble. They decided to let go of nearly the entire core except for Shai in the offseason. OKC was fighting for a possible play-in/playoff spot at 19-24 before SGA was deemed unable to play.
But they also have an executive that can make all the great deals. The Thunder’s drafting as of late hasn’t been great lately but Sam Presti did draft Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in three consecutive years. And he also made shrewd moves to trade for Paul George and Chris Paul. Now he’s got a plethora of draft picks for the next 7 years that he can either use for the team or deal for bigger stars. So OKC is in a very interesting position. Yes, they haven’t been in the lottery for a while. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they suddenly dealt for an all-star out of nowhere. We’ve seen it before and we will likely see it again.
At the very least, the Thunder know they already have a star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Even if he ends up being dealt for “someone better”, I feel like it won’t be long before the Thunder are right back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
Now to finish this nightmare of a season…
Bullet Passes
The Golden State Warriors couldn’t do anything against the Dallas Mavericks. 36-12 at the end of 1. 62-29 at the end of 2. That burns.
Don’t look now but the Minnesota Timberwolves have won three straight. They beat the hapless Houston Rockets, who have lost John Wall for the rest of the season. I mean, the season only has two weeks remaining but still…
The Blazers needed that win so badly against the Pacers. I just don’t understand why the Pacers aren’t better. They don’t have Myles Turner and they didn’t have Domantas Sabonis for this game, though.
It’s good to see Mike James back in the league. Also, I knew it would be like this but the Nets have had 27 players play for them over the course of this season.
Looks like Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting back into it. 29-12-8 along with three steals in over 37 minutes in the Bucks‘ win over the Hornets.
Even with Golden State‘s loss, the Pelicans are still 3.5 games behind the 10th spot. They only have 11 games remaining. Time is running out, guys.
NBA Scoreboard
Apr. 27, 2021
Watch This Play
Jrue Holiday is known for his defense. But here he is, dunking on someone like Bismack Biyombo.
(VIDEO CREDIT: House of Highlights.)
And he did with the left hand, too!
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.