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Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had 10 games to watch and we have just four games to review tomorrow.
Let's analyse some of the meaningful performances from the last night, results of the matches and the top players to look out for in the matches tomorrow.
Wednesday's recap:
- Philadelphia 76ers 106-123 Washington Wizards
- Indiana Pacers 108-135 Boston Celtics
- Atlanta Hawks 100-116 Brooklyn Nets
- Milwaukee Bucks 116-109 Houston Rockets
- Cleveland Cavaliers 124-140 New Orleans Pelicans
- San Antonio Spurs 86-96 Memphis Grizzlies
- Phoenix Suns 94-104 Dallas Mavericks
- Orlando Magic 93-106 Utah Jazz
- Chicago Bulls 112-124 Portland Trail Blazers
- Detroit Pistons 100-113 Los Angeles Lakers
Highlights:
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks): 27 points, 8-16 FG, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 3 TOs.
2. Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans): 38 points, 11-17 FG, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and 1 TO.
3. Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz): 33 points, 12-21 FG, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 TOs.
Lowlights:
1. DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs): 9 points, 4-15 FG, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 4 TOs.
2. Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns): 6 points, 1-7 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 TOs.
3. Evan Fournier (Orlando Magic): 1 point, 0-8 FG, 1 steal and 1 TO.
Wednesday's takeaways:
1. The Washington Wizards played the Philadelphia 76ers in a back to back game, but this went the Wizards way, 123-106.
The Boston Celtics defeated a weary Indiana Pacers 135-108, thanks to an all-round show from the Celtics. The Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks in a close game which got out of hand later, with the Nets winning 116-100.
2. The blockbuster game of the night was the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Houston Rockets, with the Bucks winning, 116-109. The Cleveland Cavaliers were blown off the court by the New Orleans Pelicans, 140-124.
The San Antonio Spurs lost in a low scoring game, to the Memphis Grizzlies, 86-96. The Dallas Mavericks ended their losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns, 104-94.
3. The Utah Jazz faced the Orlando Magic in a game which the Jazz won without many problems, 106-93. The Portland Trail Blazers went up against the Chicago Bulls, with the Blazers coming out on top, 124-112.
In the final game of the night, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 2nd game in a row without LeBron James, beating the Detroit Pistons, 113-100.
Thursday's games:
- Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat
- Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs
- Detroit Pistons @ Sacramento Kings
PG - Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been having an exceptional season this year. They are fighting for the top seed in a very competitive Western Conference and are currently third with a 25-15 record.
They have lost form of late, winning just five of their last 10 and are on a two-game losing streak, something Russell Westbrook will be hoping they can get over soon.
Westbrook has come under criticism of late, after his shooting has been exceptionally poor this season but has still managed to average a triple-double this season.
He is averaging 21 points per game, along with 10 assists and just under 11 rebounds per game this season.
In the loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 119-117, Westbrook had a really good game, scoring 25 points, off 50% shooting from the field, along with a huge 16 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and 2 big blocks.
It was not enough to get them a win last time around, but the Thunder will be hoping his form sticks and he will be able to continue playing like this tomorrow against the San Antonio Spurs.
Alternate pick: De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
SG - DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)
San Antonio Spurs had not had a great start to their 2018-19 NBA season, but now have found a steady lineup and the players too have adjusted to this.
It has resulted in some amazing basketball recently for them, shooting them up to the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 24-18 record. They've gone on a 7-3 run of late but lost their most recent game to the Memphis Grizzlies, 86-96.
DeMar DeRozan did not show up for the Spurs against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring just nine points, along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal, which is in stark contrast to how he has been doing this season.
DeRozan has been playing some sensational basketball for the Spurs, averaging more than 22 points per game, along with a career-high 6 assists and 6 rebounds as well.
He has become an elite playmaker and it has helped Spurs improve leaps and bounds this season. His next game is against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where both DeRozan and the Spurs will be looking to bounce back with a win.
Alternate pick: Buddy Hield (Sacramento Kings)
SF - Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The Oklahoma City Thunder, as we read in the earlier slide, are fighting for the top seed in a very difficult western conference and are currently third with a 25-15 record.
They have lost form of late, winning just five of their last 10 and are on a two-game losing streak. Their performances are still being propped up by some amazing basketball this season by Paul George.
George has been playing some amazing basketball of late, averaging just under 27 points per game, along with 8 rebounds and 4 assists as well. He is an elite defender and has averaged more than 2 steals a game.
In the loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, George had a really good game, scoring 27 points along with 9 rebounds and an assist.
He had 5 fouls which limited his defensive game but all in all, it was a great showing, apart from the loss.
The Thunder will be hoping to beat the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow and George will have to come up big again for that to happen.
Alternate pick: Danilo Gallinari (Los Angeles Clippers)
PF - Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)
The Detroit Pistons have been struggling to get anything going for them this season. After an amazing start to their season, they have limped to the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a 17-22 record and have won just two of their last 10 matches.
Even though Blake Griffin is having a resurgence this season, it has not been enough to uplift the Pistons.
Griffin has been an absolute menace to his opponents and has been averaging 25 points per game, along with more than 8 rebounds and 5 assists a game. His improved passing ability and 3 point shot has made him a relevant player once again.
In the most recent game, a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Griffin had a bad game in a long time, scoring just 16 points, along with 6 assists and a steal.
This seems like just a blip on the radar and the Pistons will be hoping that Blake will be back to his best tomorrow against the Sacramento Kings to maybe lead them to a win.
Alternate pick: Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers)
C - LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs)
The San Antonio Spurs have been playing really well of late, as we read in one of the previous slides and are at the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 24-18 record.
They've gone on a 7-3 run of late but lost their most recent game to the Memphis Grizzlies, 86-96.
One of the main players for them this season has been LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge has been doing really well for the Spurs, averaging just under 20 points a game, more than 8 rebounds and 2 assists a game as well.
His game has dropped since last season due to the presence of DeMar DeRozan, but he is still enjoying a great season for the Spurs. In the loss against the Grizzlies, he had a bad game, scoring just 13 points, along with 7 rebounds, 1 assist and a big block also.
He has been very efficient for the Spurs and they will be hoping he returns to his best against the Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow.
Alternate pick: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Guess the Lakers players!
