By Joe Torosian —
A.D. not the answer. Dončić does Lakers in Dallas for win and “The Brad Davis Trophy.”
(April 22)
Lakers at Dallas: Mavericks win—115-10
“The Brad Davis Trophy”
The Lakers (35-24) got Anthony Davis back (17-minutes, 4-pts, 4-rebs), but the Mavericks (32-26) still had Luka Dončić, who scored a game-high 30 and ended every LA rally with his play.
Dallas, which put seven different players in double-figures, led by 11 at the half and fell behind briefly in the third before controlling much of the fourth quarter. They also shot 36 free-throws to Los Angeles’ 17.
The Lakers were led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 29 and Dennis Schröder’s 25. Andre Drummond added 14-points and 19-rebounds. LA has lost six of its last ten and holds a 2.5 game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers for the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
The Mavericks are tied for sixth with Portland.
***
NBA Games Seen 103:
Lakers:19
Celtics:18
Mavericks:16
Pelicans:15
Clippers:15
Nets:14
Warriors:14
76ers:15
Bucks:11
Suns:12
Heat:7
Jazz:8
Rockets:6
Trail Blazers:6
Nuggets:5
Wizards:4
Knicks:4
Grizzlies:3
Pacers:3
Magic:2
Pistons:2
Bulls:2
Kings:1
Raptors:1
Spurs:1
Hawks:1
Hornets:1
***
(April 21)
Phoenix at Philadelphia: Suns win—116-113
“The Tom Van Arsdale Trophy”
With an .8th of a second remaining the improbable and the impossible were in play. Phoenix (42-16) guard Chris Paul, who shoots 90+% from the line, made the first of two free throws, but missed the second. Philadelphia (39-19) center, Joel Embid grabbed the rebound and fired the length of the court.
The ball banked in—just long enough to believe the impossible had happened—and then popped out. Game over.
The 76ers took the floor again without Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Tobias Harris. The Suns with a full complement simply had more weapons to counter Embid’s 38-points and 17-rebounds..
The Suns lead 77-76 heading into the fourth quarter, and built a 101-94 advantage after Javon Carter hit his third trey of the quarter to give Phoenix it’s largest lead of the night.
Embid brought the 76ers to within three, 110-107, before Devin Booker’s quiet night got loud with a fall-away along the baseline. Booker, Phoenix’s shooting guard, then made a pair of free throws to make it 115-110 with 5-ticks to play.
This was followed by another Philly three to set up the near miracle at the buzzer.
The loss was the 76ers second straight to a Western Conference team. They still lead the East by a half-game over the Brooklyn Nets who lost in Toronto on Wednesday night. For the Suns, winners of eight of their last ten, they remain a 1.5 back of the Utah Jazz, and 1.5 up of the Los Angeles Clippers.
***
(April 20)
Brooklyn at New Orleans: Nets win—134-129
“The van Breda Kolff Trophy”
Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 32-points in the fourth quarter to spark the Nets (39-19) to a victory over the Pelicans (25-33)
New Orleans, currently outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, was led by Zion Williamson’s game-high 33 and Brandon Ingram’s 27. However, the combined effort wasn’t enough to overcome the six other players Brooklyn put in double-figures.
The win put the Nets a half-game back in the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans continue to trail the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors for the West’s final playoff spot.
***
(April 19)
Golden State at Philadelphia: Warriors win—107-96
“The World B. Free Trophy”
Steph Curry’s flurry of five, fourth quarter, treys broke open a one-point game and gave the Warriors (29-29) a victory over the 76ers (39-18) on Monday night.
Curry led all scorers with 49-points and was the difference in a contest tied after one, 24-24, and at the break 55-55. Joel Embid led Philadelphia with 28-points, 13-boards, and 8-assists. Except for Curry, neither team shot the ball particularly well.
And because it was an NBA game slated to feature stars from both conferences, Philly played without Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. Tough to dispute injuries and fatigue, but this is the new NBA. Exceptional prices with a 50/50 chance the exceptional talent will be on the floor.
In the Eastern Conference, the 76ers still lead the Brooklyn Nets by a game and the Milwaukee Bucks by four. In the West, the Golden State is currently in the ninth slot and tied with the San Antonio Spurs.
***
(April 16)
Clippers at Philadelphia: 76ers win—106-103
“The Franklin Edwards Trophy”
Two of the top teams in the NBA. A preview of a possible NBA Final. A contest that could influence the balance of power. The Fate of The World hanging in the balance…
…And Kawhi Leonard takes the night off.
The Clippers (39-19) Paul George led all scorers with 37-points, but it was Philly (39-17) center Joel Embid’s 36 and 14-boards that made the difference.
LA found itself down 20-3 at the start of the contest, down 12 at halftime, before finally taking the lead 82-81 early in the fourth quarter. The 76ers, playing without Tobias Harris, forced the Clippers into 19 turnovers and stole the ball 13 times to secure the victory.
***
(April 15)
Boston at Lakers: Celtics win—121-113
“The Charlie Scott Trophy”
Jaylen Brown scored 40-points, Boston (30-26) shot 56% from the floor, 43% from beyond the arc, and 84% from the foul line. Just a classic romp, right?
Wrong.
The Lakers (34-22), playing without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, and Markieff Morris, hung about ten back for most of the game before falling behind 111-84 early in the fourth quarter. A “garbage time” rally outscored the Celtics 24-4 and got LA back within five before ultimately falling.
Boston is not good. I keep hearing how wonderful and talented they are, but they are not good. They should have averaged a 20 point lead against the Lakers and blown them out by 25. Instead, they barely held on for their fourth consecutive win.
LA, obviously, needs to get its horses back…but aren’t fans and followers done with Kyle Kuzma? And…maybe…rethinking Dennis Schröder?
***
(April 7.)
Utah at Phoenix: Suns win—117-113 OT
“The Jeff Hornacek Trophy”
In a game that wasn’t perfect but easy on the eyes compared to the rest of the NBA, the Suns (36-14) led most of the night.
But the home team never built a lead beyond 11 points. The Jazz (38-13) caught them and led by a point at the end of three, and the two best teams (record-wise) in the NBA were tied at 91 with 5:29 left to play.
The difference down the stretch was Phoenix guard Chris Paul, who made play after play. Including the two free throws at the end of overtime to ice the contest. Paul finished with 29-points and 9-assists.
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 41, and Devin Booker led the Suns with 35. Phoenix dominated on the boards (61-45), especially at the offensive (16-7) end. The Jazz shot 11-of-44 from beyond on the arc, including 3-for-22 in the first half.
Utah continues to lead the Western Conference by 1.5 games over the Suns. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently in third, 4.5 off the pace.
***
(April 6)
Philadelphia at Boston: 76ers win—106-96
(The Doc Rivers Trophy)
The most straightforward assessment would be the Celtics (25-26) had no answer for Philly’s Joel Embid…And it would be the correct assessment. Very few teams in the NBA have a legitimate response to Embid.
The 76ers (35-16), who took control of the contest midway through the second quarter, sometimes building the lead to 20 and even letting get as low as nine, were never threatened–Which says a lot with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker in your starting line up.
Embid led all scorers with 35-points in his second game back after injury.
Philadelphia now shares the top spot in the Eastern Conference with Brooklyn. Both teams hold a 2.5 game lead over Milwaukee. Boston is currently tied with New York for the seventh spot.
