'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2020-21 NBA season has been a struggle for lots of teams who have suffered from the health and safety protocol of the NBA against COVID-19. Still, the campaign has given us some interesting matchups to follow and lots of storylines, mainly James Harden's departure from the Houston Rockets and his subsequent arrival to the Brooklyn Nets. In this piece, we will review the five most interesting games of the 2020-21 NBA season, which started on December 22nd, 36 days ago.
5 Most interesting games of the 2020-21 NBA campaign
Naturally, games involving the best teams in the league will draw more attention than others. And if the biggest teams are facing each other, then the game becomes a must-watch. In this piece, we will consider those games that had high expectations, and the action fulfilled those expectations.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 LA Clippers vs LA Lakers - December 22, 2020
After their rivalry from the 2019-20 NBA campaign and the LA Lakers' 2020 championship, the LA Clippers and the Lakers resumed their duel on Opening Night of the 2020-21 NBA season, on December 22nd.
The LA Lakers received their championship rings in a tremendous ceremony before the game, while the LA Clippers started the match with a solid 39-19 first quarter against an emotional LA Lakers' squad.
The Lakers made it an interesting game after they dominated the second quarter 35-17. At the end of the first two quarters, the Clippers led 56-54 on the back of 13 points from Kawhi Leonard. LeBron James and Anthony Davis had two apiece for the LA Lakers after 24 minutes.
Paul George, who was heavily criticized for his poor performances in the 2020 NBA postseason, took over the second half of this game. PG-13 scored 26 points in the second half to finish the game with 33 points and guide the Clippers' 116-109 victory. George made 13 of his 18 field goals and five of his eight three-pointers in the night.
#4 Golden State Warriors vs LA Lakers - January 18, 2021
After a torrid start to their 2020-21 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors had started to find their stride on the back of some extraordinary performances from their two-time NBA MVP, Stephen Curry. After defeating the LA Clippers on January 8th with a huge second-half comeback, the Warriors then lost two of their following three games.
On January 18th, Golden state went to the Staples Center to face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the reigning champions LA Lakers. Golden State had two consecutive losses at that time and a 6-6 record, while the Lakers were flying high with the best record in the NBA (11-3).
As most expected, the Lakers jumped to a 64-48 lead at halftime in a nationally televised game that they did not want to lose at home. Stephen Curry had struggled in the first half (seven points scored and just one three-pointer made out of six attempts) while LeBron James had 10 points and Dennis Schroder had 18.
However, Golden State totally dominated the second half (67-49) and took a two-point win over the reigning champions. Curry put up 19 points on 13 shots in the third and fourth quarters. Andrew Wiggins (12) and Eric Paschall (10) were key contributors in the second half to seal the 115-113 win for the Warriors.
Curry made three of his 12 attempts from deep in the game, but he scored a huge one in the late stages of the fourth quarter to give Golden State a 115-110 lead which eventually proved to be definitive.
#3 Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics - December 23, 2020
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics have been among the elite teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference in recent years. To start the 2020-21 NBA season, the Bucks visited Boston on December 23rd to play in a matchup of two likely contenders for the East's throne in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Milwaukee put together their Big Three for the first time in the year, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday did not disappoint. On Boston's side, not many additions were made, as Tristan Thompson was the noisiest move for Boston in the offseason. Still, they continued to put their hopes in the developments of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Each player on Milwaukee's trio scored over 25 points in the game, while Tatum and Brown went for 33 and 30, respectively. Though Boston entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, the game was decided when Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game-tying free-throw without time on the clock.
Before Giannis' free-throw attempts at the end, Tatum had made a huge three-pointer to put Boston up by two with one second left.
#2 Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets - January 18, 2021
The Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Eastern Conference during the last two regular seasons. However, the 2020-21 NBA season presented them with a different challenge. Initially, the Brooklyn Nets were a huge threat to Milwaukee and the rest of the East after pairing Kevin Durant with Kyrie Irving. Then, adding James Harden only made them the clear favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
On January 18th, the 9-4 Milwaukee Bucks visited the Barclays Center to go against the 8-6 Brooklyn Nets. Even though Irving was still inactive and away from the team due to personal reasons, the game was interesting due to Harden's presence. It was The Beard's second game with the Nets, and he was huge for them.
Brooklyn defeated Milwaukee thanks to a game-winning three-pointer by Kevin Durant with 36 seconds left. Harden scored 32 points and dished out 12 assists in the game. Durant also scored 30 points, while Antetokounmpo scored 34 for Milwaukee with 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
#1 Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers - January 20, 2021
This game, which was played on January 20th, will always be remembered as the game where the Brooklyn Nets trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden played for the first time together. However, that will be the second thing mentioned, as the Cleveland Cavaliers' Collin Sexton stole the show.
Up to that point in the NBA season, Cleveland had been a nice team defensively, and they had a 6-7 record. Brooklyn had a 9-6 record, and expectations for their trio were incredibly high.
However, Cleveland stayed in the game long enough and entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead. However, 28 points from the Nets' Big Three forced the first of two overtime periods, and the game had a thrilling end. In the first overtime, Sexton scored seven points and the game-tying three-pointer with a second left.
In the second overtime period, Sexton went off for 15 points to give Cleveland a huge 12-point win over Brooklyn and their Big Three. Sexton finished with 42 points. On the Nets' side, Durant had 38, Irving 37, and Harden had a 21-point Triple-Double.
Also read: What is a buyout in the NBA?
Guess the Lakers players!
