01-25-22 NBA Blog Train Tuesday
Welcome in to a rare Tuesday night edition of the Blog Train, where we keep track of the Vegas lines, the power dunks, #NBATwitter, the WHO HE!? characters and whatever other game observations and box score musings might tickle our fancy.
Nine games means nine capsules below. (Nine games might just be our favorite amount of games.)
All aboard!
Hornets at Raptors +1.5 OVER 220.5
Truth be told, we stayed away from this Hornets Over. Why? The Hornets were fresh off scoring a season-low 91 points on Sunday night against a Hawks team that has had one of the worst defenses all season. And the Raptors? They just had a similar scoring problem in their most recent game against the Blazers, another offensive-oriented team not known for their defense. (For the season, the Hawks defense is 28th and the Blazers is 27th going into Tuesday.)
But this Hornets Over was THE MOVE.
The Raptors were canning 3s like crazy, but unfortunately in front of nobody. Still no fans at games north of the border to see the Raptors start the game with a blistering 6-for-8 from 3 to take a commanding lead early.
By halftime, the Raptors had scored 76 points which was more than double the 34 points they scored at halftime in the previous game against Portland. The Hornets were scoring, too, 61 points in the first half, but 61 points is not as good when you give up 76. That’s the breaks.
The third quarter, however, was a different story entirely. The Hornets became the cardiac cats, opening the second half with a 14-2 run that cut the lead to just three. That’s precisely when we jumped on a Hornets live MoneyLine at precisely the wrong time.
The Raptors, in particular Gary Trent Jr., went right back to those first half ways to push the lead all the way up to 19 by the end of the third. The Hornets momentum was completely deflated. It was a wrap.
Raptors 125, Hornets 113.
This Over would have been such a Pure Lock. They went Over with five minutes left!
It should be noted that this game was affected by a double-ejection between P.J. Washington and Justin Champagnie in the first quarter. Advantage Raptors seeing as though Champagnie is a two-way player averaging 2.7 points per game while P.J. Washington is part of the Hornets core.
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Nuggets at Pistons +7 Under 218.5
The Nuggets and Pistons just faced off on Sunday in Denver and the game was surprisingly close, a six-point Nuggets win.
Tonight in Detroit was very much more of the same. Except the Nuggets only beat the Pistons by five instead of six.
Nuggets 110, Pistons 105
If you had this Over, you were looking SO good throughout — as high as an 89 percent chance to hit late in the 3rd quarter according to our handy dandy Action Network app. But the fourth quarter saw a combined 33 points scored, pulling the carpet out from underneath the Over and sending this one Under.
Jokic: 28 points, 21 rebounds and 9 assists. HO HUM for Big Honey, his fourth 20-20 game of the season. Uncle Jeff put in 20 points and every Nuggets starter reached double-digits.
Cade Cunningham scored a career-high 34 points to go along with 8 assists, four blocks and two steals, 6-for-9 from 3. The NBA on TNT post-game highlights did not show one Cade highlight. Candace Parker was pissed.
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Clippers +5 at Wizards Over 219
The Wizards were up by 30 at halftime and by as many as 35 points. It was looking like a laughable blowout. In fact, some people on NBATwitter were already laughing.
But the Clippers did what they do best. They kept clipping away. Clip clip.
No SERIOUSLY: all of a sudden the Clippers were down by 6 points with four minutes left after an Amir Coffey 3-pointer. The brewmaster! That’s when we jumped on another live MoneyLine, taking the Clippers because we really needed to get the taste of The Bad Beat of the Year from last night out of our mouths.
(Yeah, it was bad.)
To our delight, though, the Clippers clipped the lead to just two, but then a Bradley Beal And-1, an incredible block by Trez and a Bradley Beal 3 halted the Clippers momentum.
This one looked like another live MoneyLine miss as the Wiz pushed the lead to 8.
But the Clippers weren’t done clipping! There were some free throws exchanged, and an Amir Coffey dunk…
And then out of nowhere, Luke Kennard drilled a DEEP 3, almost from half court, with nine seconds left to cut the lead to three! And then the Wizards got a five second violation!! The Clippers would have a chance to tie it!!!
Why tie it when you can get a miraculous Luke Kennard four-point play to take the lead and win the game!?!?
YES. That happened! Brian Siemen couldn’t help but let out a HOT DAMN!!! And several: “I do not believe what we have seen!”
It was sweet, luscious redemption from having the Bulls -1.5 last night.
The Thrill at Capitol Hill. Walking through raindrops!
Clippers 116, Wizards 115.
IT WAS THE SECOND LARGEST COMEBACK IN NBA HISTORY. Only one point away from the record. It was the Clippers third comeback of 24+ points in the last two weeks.
The Clippers scored 80 points in the 2nd half after having just 36 points at halftime.
The Clippers led for 1.9 seconds.
HOT DAMN, INDEED!
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Pelicans +11 at 76ers Over 212
No Zion. No Ingram. No Valanciunas. No Devonte’ Graham.
And yet, the Pelicans were hanging tough with the Sixers? It’s true, up until the final seven minutes when the Sixers went on an 8-0 run and battened down the hatches on D.
In garbage time, a Willy Hernangomez shot with 23.9 seconds left gave the Pelicans the backdoor cover.
76ers 117, Pelicans 107.
This Over 212 would have been a Solid Lock after a slow first quarter.
Another night, another ludicrous stat line from Embiid: 42 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks with 18-of-20 on free throws. The wrecking ball with the soft, deft shooting touch continues to wreak havoc on the league. And Tobias Harris chipped in with 33 big ones!
Shoutout to Jose Alvarado who made his first career start tonight. Alvarado is a WHO HE!? character you probably aren’t familiar with unless you are a true hoop head. Or if you watch the Pelicans, you’ve probably seen him. Jose Alvarado is a 6 ft. undrafted rookie from Georgia Tech. When we were at the Wizards-Pelicans game back in November, Alvarado sure stood out as the ultimate hype man for his teammates. Always great to have those kinds of guys on the team.
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Kings at Celtics -9 UNDER 218
A phrase we like to use in really big blowouts is that one team blew the roof off the other team’s doors.
The Celtics BLEW THE ROOF OFF THE KINGS’ DOORS.
Celtics 128, Kings 75.
#KANGZ
Hey, Monte McNair. Make the trade for Ben Simmons.
But don’t include Haliburton, he’s a real one!
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Lakers -3.5 at Nets Under 224.5
Earlier this season, LeBron was suspended from the Angry Beef Stew incident, so tonight was his first time playing in NY this year.
Oh, and AD made his grand return (!!) after missing over a month with that MCL sprain.
No KD or Kyrie for the Nets, but they also didn’t have those guys on Christmas when Patty Mills lit up the Lakers for 34 points in the first game and upset in the Crypt.
Tonight, though, was all about the Lakers defense regaining its footing with AD back, and LeBron showing out for… Michael Strahan!
Lakers 106, Nets 96.
This Over/Under was hovering around 50 percent for most of the game until it took a complete NOSEDIVE in the 4th quarter that only saw a combined 32 points scored.
LeBron: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. AD had 8 points in 25 minutes, but his impact on the defensive end was there, including 4 blocks. Malik Monk hit six 3s off the bench and Melo hit three of his own.
Harden managed a 30-point triple double (33-12-11) in the loss. It was unfortunate to hear that Joe Harris has had a setback after his ankle surgery and will not return until after the All-Star Break. His initial timetable was right about now.
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Spurs -5 at Rockets Over 234.5
Usually a 30-point drubbing would be the blowout of the night, but the Rockets can thank the Kings for that.
Dougie McBuckets, SURPRISED TO SEE YA!
Spurs 134, Rockets 104.
This Over would have been such Squeaky Lock.
The Spurs continue to have lots of players score in double-digits: EIGHT Spurs tonight. The Rockets did have six in double-figures as well.
Points in the paint: Spurs 82, Rockets 58.
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Mavericks at Warriors -3.5 OVER 211.5
Steph wasn’t quite Steph, but he still splashed in a few and Klay Thompson was splashing, too. But even more important than the The Splash Brothers splashing: the Warriors had excellent and crisp ball-movement reminiscent of the Warriors of old, ripping the stout Dallas defense apart all night.
The Warriors kept pouring gasoline on a fire late. Who was the Dubs leading scorer?
Johnathan Kuminga who also slammed home this power dunk!
Warriors 130, Mavs 92.
This Over would have been a Pure Lock. It was just the Mavs second time hitting the Over in the last 16 games!
Klay had not one, not two, but THREE behind the back assists tonight.
Unfortunately for the Mavs, Tim Hardaway Jr., who was having a great start to the game, suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in the second quarter. The good news:
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Timberwolves at Blazers +3 Under 234.5
The story in this one was Ant-Man balling out to the tune of a 40 points and 0 assists. (Shoutout Melo!)
But the Blazers went on a flurry of a 10-1 run late with a CJ McCollum 3 tying the game at 107 with ten seconds left.
Ant didn’t get the rock, it was D-Lo who drove in for a layup. Simons blocked it but after it already hit the backboard. Goaltending. 2.9 seconds left.
Anfernee Simons had a pretty good look at a game-winning 3-point buzzer beater. Alas, she did not fall. (And was a brick.)
T-Wolves 109, Blazers 107.
This Under would have been a Solid Lock, the only bump in the road was a high-scoring second quarter.
Ant, KAT and D-Lo combined for 79 points.
Norm Powell played in his first game tonight since January 7th, out in the health and safety protocols and then out for personal reasons. Welcome back, Norm!
@DeePee30 on that good shit!
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WHAT a night of hoops!
The Clippers INSANE 35-point comeback with Kennard’s 4-point play while having a live MoneyLine.
AD back and LeBron with 33 points in the Lakers big win in Brooklyn.
Embiid dropped 42. Ant-Man had 40.
The Warriors big win over the Mavs with Klay looking good and the Kuminga power dunk.
And we have 10 games on the menu tomorrow night to do it all again!
WE LOVE THIS GAME!
