It’s some NBA team in reality good?
It was only a few days ago that the Boston Celtics, after being put 150 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, responded by snapping the Dallas Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak.
Because it makes perfect sense, right?
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Saturday, Jan. 7
Saturday January 7
Westbrook drives Lakers to win against Heat | 01:17
Well, in a season where it seemed impossible to pick a clear favorite, the Milwaukee Bucks just became the latest contender to get wet in impressive fashion.
Facing a 10-29 Charlotte Hornets team that had given up 131 points two days ago, it was expected to be one-way traffic, and it was. Just not in the way anyone expected.
The Hornets made history by outscoring the Bucks 51-28 in the first quarter, tying an NBA record for most points in that period. Milwaukee would go into halftime trailing 84-60.
Oh, and Charlotte did all that damage outside of the house. This wasn’t one of those games where Milwaukee rested some of its biggest names, either, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday all ready.
The Greek Freak had just six points and three rebounds in the first half while turning the ball over three times, with Lopez (nine points) leading the way for Milwaukee.
For the Hornets, Terry Rozier exploded, draining five 3-pointers to have 25 at the half, while LaMelo Ball (19 points, seven assists) and PJ Washington (13 points) also caught fire.
Mason Plumlee was also wreaking havoc, with the Bucks unable to contain the Charlotte big man who had eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the first half.
The Hornets finished 138-109 winners, with Rozier (39 points) leading the scoring, as the Bucks took the opportunity to rest their starters as the game quickly spiraled out of control.
GIDDEY’S HOT STREAK CONTINUES FOR THE THUNDER
In other news, Josh Giddey continued his scoring streak for the Oklahoma City Thunder with 20 points along with five rebounds and nine assists in a 127-110 win over the Washington Wizards.
It was the eighth game for the Australian to score more than 20 points this season, with five of them in the last fortnight.
The focus was on Giddey’s 3-point shooting heading into his second season, especially after the Thunder brought in renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland.
Engelland has worked closely with Giddey, who shot 2-for-2 from deep on Saturday and is now shooting 35 percent from downtown this season after shooting 26.3 percent last season.
Speaking to reporters last month, Giddey revealed the biggest mistake he made during his rookie season when it came to his shooting and how Engelland helped him overcome it.
“I think last year I fell into the trap of trying to show people I could shoot the ball, whereas now I’m making the right shots,” Giddey said.
“[Shooting coach] chip [Engelland] he was great in telling me about it. He said, “You don’t have to prove to anyone that you can shoot.” Get the right ones and the percentages will slowly go up’ and here we are.”
All five Thunder starters finished in double figures on Saturday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30 points) leading the way to continue his Most Improved Player claims.
Kyle Kuzma, meanwhile, had a game-high 23 points for the Wizards, only to raise his asking price amid suggestions he could be traded before the February deadline.
Washington was without star guard Bradley Beal, who is expected to be sidelined for at least a week with a low-grade left hamstring strain.
AUSSIE DANIELS IMPRESSES THAT UNDERMANAGED HAIR IS SHORT
The New Orleans Pelicans failed to make a statement against the Brooklyn Nets, falling 108-102 on Saturday.
The Pelicans got off to a promising start without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, with CJ McCollum (28 points, six assists) and Naji Marshall (23 points, nine rebounds) taking on additional responsibility.
But the Nets, led by Kevin Durant (33 points, 10 rebounds) and a heroic finish by Kyrie Irving (19 points, nine in the third and 10 in the fourth), came strong.
Ben Simmons was at his aggressive best early on, driving the rim hard to score his first points of the game. The Australian continued like this in his next place, but could not push the bucket forward. Even so, it was still a good sign.
It would have been especially nice given that the Nets didn’t have the kind of production they would normally expect from Kevin Durant early in the game.
Durant got off to a slow start but heated up when the Nets needed him. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Durant started the quarter 0-for-5 from the field, with the Pelicans jumping out to a 12-6 lead midway through the quarter when Nets coach Jacques Vaughan was prompted to call a timeout.
Everything Vaughn said seemed to work, with Brooklyn going on a 10-1 run after timeout to close the quarter trailing 28-27 and Durant finishing the quarter with 11 points (3-of-9).
The Pelicans, meanwhile, got everyone involved in the first stanza with Marshall (10 points) and Jose Alvarado (five points) both heavily involved.
That continued into the second quarter as the Pelicans got off to a fast start, fueled by Marshall and Alvarado, who combined to score the team’s first 15 points of the period.
Alvarado, in particular, was constantly getting open and had no problem making Brooklyn pay for it.
The Nets went into halftime up 64-53, with Durant in desperate need of help as Irving managed just seven points after shooting 3-of-9 from deep.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, had three players (Marshall, Alvarado and McCollum) in double figures and were also shooting 58 percent from downtown as a team.
If there was one constant for Brooklyn outside of Durant, it was Nic Claxton, who scored nine points in the game to go with four assists, nine rebounds and five blocks.
Australian debutant Dyson Daniels also impressed for the Pelicans in defence, backing up the praise he received earlier in the week.
Daniels was given the big task of defending Durant in periods of Saturday’s game and impressed commentator Doris Burke with his poise under pressure.
“Look at Dyson Daniels’ battle with Kevin, making him a passenger,” Burke said in a commentary.
“This is a beginner, 19 years old. Here’s the 19-year-old rookie going up against one of the big scorers, moving down the position. Okay Dyson.”
Durant, however, could not be stopped as he inspired a 35-21 Nets run in the third quarter, opening the period with the team’s first eight points.
The Nets superstar finished the quarter with 12 points, five rebounds and one assist as the undermanned Pelicans braced for a late position and a possible Irving takeover.
Brooklyn needed it, too, with Durant sitting for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter and the Nets leading 88-85 at the time.
Brooklyn couldn’t put up any points with Durant off the court, though crucially also held New Orleans to just four to a manageable 89-88 deficit.
While Durant got the help he needed in the fourth quarter, whether it was clutch points from Irving late or Claxton flying around both ends of the court, it was enough for the Nets to get the job done.
It was a valiant effort by the Pelicans, who nearly finished as one of the league’s in-form teams without their two best players in Williamson and Ingram.
ELSEWHERE… LAVINE STATES AT BULLS WIN
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the biggest disappointments this season, to the point where genuine questions have been asked about whether they should blow up their roster.
Now, a win won’t suddenly stop those questions from still being asked before the February trade deadline. But this felt different. This felt like the Bulls and Zach LaVine of yesteryear.
LaVine exploded for 41 points, shooting 14-of-19 from the field, including 11-of-13 from deep, as the Bulls stormed to a 126-112 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
James Harden had a rough shooting night, finishing 4-for-17 from the field, with Tobias Harris (22 points) and Tyrese Maxey (26 points) enjoying more efficient games.
Harden had 11 assists and seven rebounds, although he also shot six of eight attempts from the charity stripe.
There was no Joel Embiid for the Sixers or Alex Caruso for the Bulls in Saturday’s game, with Philadelphia starting slowly with Harden, Maxey and DeAnthony Melton all starting.
Nikola Vucevic made the most of Chicago’s small lineup, adding nine points and seven rebounds to his personal tally in the first quarter alone.
The Raptors come back from 16 in 75 seconds | 01:29
Still, the Sixers would take a 30-25 lead after the first period, enjoying plenty of success from deep (6-for-11) while committing just one turnover.
Maxey continues to look more comfortable since returning from a six-week injury lay-off, impressing in just his third game with sharp and precise decision-making.
He had two 3-pointers in the first quarter, as did Melton and Georges Niang, which helped offset a slow start by Harden shooting 0-7 from the field in the first quarter.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, Harden’s struggles continued in the second period, with Patrick Williams effectively shutting him down to limit Philadelphia’s big man to 1-for-10 and a pair of turnovers.
Harden was still dishing it out, with six assists to go with seven rebounds, but the points were thin and only came from the former MVP’s trips to the lane.
It also meant Philadelphia’s offense quickly dried up when those 3-point attempts weren’t falling, and Chicago took full advantage, holding a 59-55 lead after halftime.
Trailing by 13 points at one point, the Bulls rallied late to…