Five games, with the current two-time Kia MVP, defending champions, second choice in the draft, a New York team (no, not that – the From others 1) and choice # 1 from the previous year.
It was all that and more on NBA Christmas Day, a typically busy annual event, only this time it was extra. There was something and someone for everyone, with star flares and early Christmas debuts, all in 12 hours of basketball.
Here’s what to get out of these games, the teams involved and the players who had basketball fans holding their heads and sometimes scratching them:
Round 111, Pelicans 98
Duncan Robinson opened the action on Friday with a Christmas record of seven 3 points.
Miami is the less orthodox NBA title contender, and Christmas Day showed why. Jimmy Butler tried to play with an injured ankle and lasted only 16 minutes. He’s the best player in the Heat, but maybe not in the top 10 in the NBA, and after him, does Miami have a player in the top 20? Anyway: it doesn’t matter. The Heat is such a balanced and cohesive group that there is no need to rely on any player. Try to find another elite team with Miami makeup. Duncan Robinson helped build massive leadership by scoring six points out of 3 in the first half and hitting 7 out of 13 for the game, leveling the Christmas Day record Brandon Ingram set in 2019. Usual suspects – Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro – had strong stretches. Newcomer Avery Bradley (12 points, solid D) is joining the program. And Miami won 13, displaying the same elements that helped them reach the NBA finals a few months ago. Miami is a TEAM.
Zion Williamson and Ingram combined 60 points, but they faded in the fourth period, leaving no basket until the last minutes; then the score escaped them. Despite that, they are strikers who can create their own shots, combine well and have a decent defense. The question for Pelicans is how and when they update the backcourt here in the first year without Jrue Holiday. Lonzo Ball obtained a negative vote of confidence when the club did not extend its rookie contract. JJ Redick is 36 years old. Eric Bledsoe was not wanted by the Bucks. These players pitched 5 to 25 with nine combined turnoversx. Interestingly, the Pelicans could have chosen Tyler Herro (taken 13th by Miami) with the fourth choice of 2019 received from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis deal, but GM David Griffin switched him to No. 8 Jaxson Hayes and 17 Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two players at the end of the rotation.
Bucks 138, Warriors 99
Stephen Curry-James Wiseman’s pick and roll could quickly become an elite level option.
Let’s put aside for the moment how the Warriors resemble a bottom-ranked team again in this very, very small sample size from 2020-21. And also recognize that the 0-2 record is courtesy of the East Brooklyn and Milwaukee heavyweights. And mention that Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins were weak heterosexuals, Oubre struggling heavily with his jumper (1 to 10 on Friday), while Wiggins can’t shake those head-scratching moves that fuel the realization that he is a failure. Yes, put everything aside for another day because of James Wiseman (18 points, eight rebounds, three blocks).
The initial performance of the 7-foot rookie is very encouraging and remember, he did not play in the preseason and his entire college career in Memphis lasted about five minutes. It’s a lot of idle time, making what he’s doing even more impressive. The great 19-year-old man shows no caution or intimidation, what do you want from general choice # 2 (“The game is starting to slow down for me,” he said). He had moments against Brook Lopez, a second-team All-Defensive pivot last season, keeping the Bucks big on alert. Until the Warriors come together – and that may not happen until next season, when Klay Thompson returns – Wiseman’s development will be the key to the season and, by extension, the future.
Meanwhile, it appears that Bucks made a mistake in granting Giannis Antetokounmpo the extension of the contract. After losing the free throw that tied the game in his debut against Boston and then following with a “meh” performance on Friday, he is obviously … OK, we play. In fact, Giannis must feel even better with his team in the two games of the season, because the Bucks covered his sloppy start.
Khris Middleton (31 points in 26 minutes) was a Grinch for Golden State and debutants Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis are making their arrivals felt. Obviously, Giannis will pull the load again. That said, there is still a long view of Giannis losing the jumpers from 6 meters and beyond. This was a problem in the Orlando bubble and, even with the defenders relaxing and making room for him, Giannis’ reach remains a work in progress.
He lost all three of his 3 points against the Warriors and is now 3 out of 11 this season – not terrifying, but neither is it comforting. You wonder if Bucks, who sings the three-point gospel, is going to mention to Giannis that a medium-range jumper is fine, that not everyone has to stretch the ground. Of course, that would be a radical and original thought here in today’s NBA imitation, so it doesn’t matter.
Nets 123, Celtics 95
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant added 66 points against the Celtics.
Attention, contenders of the Eastern Conference: this is the deal when you receive the Nets. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving staring and owning property, rooms and halves, perhaps whole games, at their whim. As if their individual skills and kicking were not enough, they apparently liked the attack tempered by Nets assistant coach Mike D’Antoni, one of the most influential offensive minds in modern hoops. The Nets principal assistant is probably thanking the basketball gods for being away from the chaos in Houston and working for a club where star chemistry is not an issue, at least so far.
Kyrie, scoring 37 points, decided on a Christmas game that did not include Kemba Walker on the other side. And KD (29 points) started the Nets’ prank by entering his bag for layups and jumpers. They combined to shoot 10 to 14 deep. And for the second time in two games, the Nets won by rupture. They are a team with a pair of championship proven stars and great courtesy players and a system that suits their talent. Until proven otherwise, they are your favorites in the East.
Yes, Kemba is injured, he didn’t play and he could be out for a few more weeks, so let’s admit it. That said, the Celtics don’t look any better than last season, and that’s a problem when Milwaukee got better (notably adding Jrue Holiday) and Brooklyn really got better, bringing in healthy Irving and Durant. After taking this Christmas beating, do the Celtics pause, reevaluate and explore the possibility of adding James Harden to the mix? Of course, that would represent the nuclear option, essentially admitting that the current team will not do this this summer.
Jayson Tatum remains a rising superstar, Jaylen Brown has continued to improve, and yet Danny Ainge has some ideas to make: GM lost Gordon Hayward last season and has no proven player. Is Boston really better than Bucks, Nets, Sixers or Heat? With a shortened schedule, competing teams must make judgments faster than normal with respect to making changes to the negotiation deadline. And Harden represents a major change.
Lakers 138, Mavericks 115
Current Kia Sixth NBA man, Montrezl Harrell, racked up 22 and 7 against the Mavericks on Friday.
The last time Montrezl Harrell faced the Mavericks, he played badly and made an unpleasant comment to Luka Doncic who forced an apology – the beginning of a collapse in value in the free agent market. That playoff series, and the next equally bad one against the Nuggets, in the Orlando bubble seemed to expose Harrell as a weak defender and sniper. The teams chilled him, the Clippers didn’t even try to hire him again, and the Kia NBA Sixth Man award winner signed a two-year deal for $ 19 million with the Lakers (in comparison, Jerami Grant was three years old and $ 60 million with Detroit).
But Harrell has been bestial so far this season, and was a very different player on Friday in a rematch with the Mavericks. He scored 22 points from 10-in-13 shots, with seven rebounds in 28 minutes. With Dennis Schroder adding 18 points and six assists, the Lakers off season is getting better and better.
In Dallas, there is no schedule for the return of Kristaps Porzingis after meniscus surgery, although January seems possible. The Mavericks will not rush their 2.13 meter co-star, especially due to their history of injuries, which means that Doncic will remain alone for a while longer. This can be costly in a 72-game season, during which the Mavs cannot afford a mediocre period and expect a playoff spot, especially due to stiff competition in the west.
Doncic accumulated 27 points and seven assists against the Lakers and looked reasonably well, but there is a big drop between Porzingis and the third best player of the Mavericks, who is Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Richardson, neither of whom hurt the Lakers or was an All -Star. The Mavericks were one of the teams hurt by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to re-sign in Milwaukee; Dallas was concerned with adding more pieces at the end of the season, hoping to keep the limit clear for Giannis next summer, but now plans to change plans. To be taken seriously as a threat to the title, they will need a third star or at least some updates among the supporting cast, and that help may not arrive this year.
Clippers 121, Nuggets 108
Kawhi Leonard left Friday’s game in the middle of the room after getting the wrong kick in the chin.
The Clippers had reason to collapse, as did Kawhi Leonard after elbowing Serge Ibaka in the chin with six minutes to go. That’s because their lead went from 24 to 11 points, Kawhi ended that night, and that’s just a few months from The Real Collapse in the Orlando bubble. But what the Clippers did was score a mentally invigorating victory on Friday, considering how destroyed they were to lose a 3-1 lead to Denver in the playoffs.
So far, this season is fine for the 2-0 Clippers, who are still without the injured Marcus Morris, but showing the movement of the ball and the stance that coach Ty Lue wants from this team. Look, that breakdown in the playoffs will haunt them until they are reconciled, not in the regular season, but when the postseason comes again. Between now and then, the best that Clippers can do is achieve these mini-goals and position themselves for the biggest ones in the spring.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, were concerned about Jamal Murray for about six quarters: the four he played in the debut, when he scored just one basket against the Kings; and the first two on Friday, when he reached the total of goals. Murray finally found his pace at the end of the third quarter and finished with 23 points.
But if he plans to be in the conversation for an All-NBA team, especially considering how devastated he was by Earth and scored 40 or more points in three playoff elimination games last summer, he needs to remain at a consistently high level. The Nuggets will need this after losing a pair of rotating players to Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, while waiting to see if Michael Porter Jr. is real.
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Shaun Powell covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can email him here, find your file here and follow him Twitter.
The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.