The Grip -- Tues, 1.16.18

Every Cavs-Warriors game is the same

1.16.18

Starting with a real clunker in Charlotte-Detroit at 12:30 p.m., there were 11 games to choose from yesterday, and all were free and available on League Pass. The thing is, Reddit is always free, and neither of us worked, so……. 

YOUR MLK 2018 NBA ROUNDUP

Charlotte 118, Detroit 107Dwight Howard scored 21 points, grabbed 17 boards and blocked four shots and one mediocre team beat another team that is quickly becoming mediocre after a hot start. 

Philadelphia 117, Toronto 111The 76ers held a sizable lead for the most of the game but nearly blew it in the final few minutes. The Raptors got within three with a minute left, but did a bunch of stupid stuff and lost. The most important thing in this game: Kyle Lowry telling Ben Simmons to meet him in the tunnel after the game. It never happened.

After Double Ejection, Ben Simmons Tells Kyle Lowry To Meet Him In The Hallway

Milwaukee 104, Washington 95Giannis Anterlkjbwsljbwrthiu threw up a ridiculous 27 point, 20 rebound, six assist performance and the Bucks beat the Wizards in a battle of the Eastern Conference’s middle-class. The Wizards continue to play like a team that hasn’t made it out of the second round in the last four decades. 

Atlanta 102, San Antonio 99Sigh. Wake the Spurs up when it’s May, although this Kawhi Leonard business is concerning. 

New York 119, Brooklyn 104Maybe someday this matchup will be relevant. 

Chicago 119, Miami 111The suddenly very competent Bulls snapped the Heat’s seven-game win streak, and Chicago rookie Lauri Markkanen became the fastest player ever to hit 100 three-pointers. Zach Lavine scored 18 in his second game back from a torn ACL. 

Memphis 123, Los Angeles 114In a basement battle in the West, the city where MLK was assassinated pulled off a victory with a hot third quarter. Tyreke Evans missed a triple-double by a rebound, throwing up a 15-9-12 line. 

Oklahoma City 95, Sacramento 88We’re done falling for the Thunder, who were down 15 in the second half in this one. 

Golden State 118, Cleveland 108Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Cleveland and Golden State play an incredibly entertaining first three quarters, followed by a fourth quarter in which the Warriors pull away and turn a doozy into a sleeper.It was a two-point game going into the final frame, then it got boring.We’ll never forgive you, Kevin Durant. 

Indiana 109, Utah 94Victor Oladipo continues to shine for the Pacers, dropping 28 points on 16 shots. The Jazz’s descension back towards the bottom of the conference after a gradual rebuild humbles Mormons everywhere. 

L.A. Clippers 113, Houston 102 Chris Paul returns to Staples Center, gets in a passive-aggressive fight with Blake Griffin, and Lou Williams dropped 31 points, continuing his all star campaign as the resurgent Clippers beat the slumping Rockets.Things got heated in the dying minutes of the game, resulting in Trevor Ariza and Griffin getting ejected. 

 Shabazz Napier and C.J. McCollum kept Portland afloat  

With Damian Lillard recently sidelined, C.J. McCollum is proving to the league that he can lead a team by himself, perhaps as a No. 1 option. The Trail Blazers are capped out, and, despite some entertaining pieces, have a relatively low ceiling, but McCollum, along with Roxbury’s own Shabazz Napier, showed out during a recent Lillard-less stretch. Portland was 5-2 without him; Shabazz came in and looked like the promising stud that LeBron James loved entering the draft. During the five game stretch, Napier averaged 18.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and two steals.A main factor in a hopeful contender is its ability to win games without its superstar. It proves that there is a solid system on both offense and defense and that there are players capable of sliding into other roles comfortably. And when plan A fails in the playoffs, these adjustments can make or break a team. Tempting as it is to blow this team up, the talent is so evident.Perhaps a Nikola Mirotic deal could be the final addition towards a fighting chance in the West?(And by fighting chance we mean win a first round playoff series as a four or five seed against the Timberwolves, Thunder or Nuggets, or maybe a Kawhi-less Spurs.)

  • The Bulls are looking for a first round pick for Nikola Mirotic, who is averaging 17.3 points per game after returning from a caved face.

  • Giannis just sees basketball differently:  

  • Chris Paul made an adult in the NBA look like a child on the playground:  

  • Anthony Davis dropped 48 points on the Knicks in Madison Square Garden the other night, completing a comeback win. But the real story was this mesmerizing moment when Davis and Boogie glitched:  

  • Also, the Knicks have lost 10 of 13 and are soundly out of the playoff race.

  • With 23 points on Monday night, Utah rookie Donovan Mitchell passed Karl Malone for most 20 point games for a first-year player in Jazz history (21).

  • After starting the season 8-4, the Orlando Magic are now 4-27 in their last 31 games.

  • Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is fast:  

  

  • The Guardian interviewed Jaylen Brown about race, the NBA, and the death of a close friend. If you don’t know much about Brown, this is worth your time.

"Brown’s readiness to talk about politics and culture might account for the surreal suggestion in 2016 that he was “too smart” for the NBA. From the outside, ‘smart’ seemed a euphemism for ‘troublesome’. What did Brown think when, as a teenager, he heard words unlikely to be used in conjunction with a white athlete? “It was hinting at something very problematic within society. It bothered me but I was so focused on getting to where I was going I never dissected it or pointed it out to anybody.’”

         To read more, Tap Here. 

  • Jahlil Okafor put his life story out on The Players Tribune. Seems like his dad was a really cool dude. [Tap Here]

  • Zach Lowe dissects Miami’s turnaround, including this brilliant anecdote from last season on the G-League, which Heat players nicknamed “The Jungle.”

"That became 'The Jungle,'" James Johnson says. "Every morning before practice, you're gonna see the same thing written on that whiteboard: 'Mouthpiece, knee pads, rib pads.' You wear all of that for practice. The Jungle became our obsession. If you're from The Jungle, no top draft pick should ever get a loose ball over you. If a top pick and Rodney McGruder are going for a loose ball, I'd bet my house on Rodney."

         To read more, Tap Here.

  • Andrew Sharp and Ben Golliver get introspective about LaVar Ball, and how the media covers him. [Tap Here]

 A LOOK AHEAD Here are the must-see games of the week. 

TUESDAY, 1/16The New Orleans Pelicans (22-20) visit the Boston Celtics (34-10).7:30 PM EST WEDNESDAY, 1/17The Golden State Warriors (36-9) head to Chicago to play the Bulls (17-27).8 PM EST