NBA Christmas: Recap and Review
As expected on Christmas we got a phenomenal day of basketball so let’s break down Monday’s 5 game slate of banger games
New York Knicks def. Milwaukee Bucks 129–122
To kick off the day, we got an excellent game where the Knicks were able to upset the Bucks. Without Mitchell Robinson in the lineup, I expected Giannis to feast in the paint. While he and the Bucks’ big 3 all played very well, the story coming out of the game was Jalen Brunson’s 38-point explosion. Milwaukee has one major flaw, and it was as apparent as ever in this matchup: their perimeter defense. It seemed as if Brunson was getting to the rim at will, and although they tried various defensive looks, none were effective. Though the Bucks’ rim protection with Lopez and Antetokounmpo is obviously a major strength, when matched up against a player like Jalen who is so crafty with his footwork and has such a strong floater game, allowing him to get downhill with such ease allows him to play at his pace and be far too comfortable. Even with a lesser player like Immanuel Quickley, the same issues existed as he scored 20 even in his limited minutes, largely with a similar shot diet to Brunson. With Khris Middleton’s history of injuries in recent years, he is not the perimeter stopper he once was, and it would be irresponsible for them to even expect that of him anymore. So, the Bucks have to find a way to address this problem because once it comes playoff time and teams really dial in on game planning against your weaknesses, they will be in trouble. Speaking more on the Knicks, I have been impressed with Isaiah Hartenstein ever since the season-ending injury to Robinson. Hartenstein has always been a great backup big, but sometimes it’s hard to translate that into being reliable as a full-time starter, yet he has done that and turned what I thought could be a crippling injury to the Knicks into something that is no longer even a thought. The Bucks will continue to realize great regular-season success, especially with their chemistry clearly growing and players figuring out each of their roles, but the issues that I previously brought to light will continue to be something we as fans should keep a close eye on.
Denver Nuggets def. Golden State Warriors 120–114
While the Warriors did take a loss in this game, I find myself being quite optimistic about the trajectory of the team based on how they have been playing as of late. Brandin Podziemski was a major highlight of this game as he was just all over the court. Podziemski has been gifted a much larger role recently and has capitalized on it in a big way, seemingly being a core piece for Golden State moving forward. With this direction of finally putting more on the young guys’ plates, they have all performed well, and as long as you don’t get a terrible outlier shooting game from Steph Curry like we saw yesterday, their outlook for the rest of the year is far better than it was even just a few weeks ago. The Nuggets themselves had a strange performance from their star player as well, with Nikola Jokic shooting just 4/12 yet making up for it with 18 free throws and 8 assists. This was about as classic as a Nuggets game as you can get, with a well-rounded performance from the starting 5 as they each at least eclipsed 15 points. Jamal Murray’s shot-making down the stretch was ridiculous, as his multiple clutch buckets were huge in getting them the win. The depth is a bit of a reason for concern, as in this game and in many others, the non-Nikola Jokic minutes have been really rough, and even if it’s just 6 minutes, in a playoff setting, that is huge. But as a whole, after a bit of a championship hangover to begin the year, Denver largely looks like the well-oiled machine that won it all just months ago.
Boston Celtics def. Los Angeles Lakers 126–115
Boston continues to prove that when healthy, they are near unstoppable and the clear best team in the East. Kristaps Porzingis is the X-factor for the Celtics as he completely shifts the dynamic of the team when healthy. Even with below-average performances from their top 2 guys, this starting 5 is so well-balanced that it doesn’t even matter more often than not. The C’s backcourt continues to wreak havoc defensively, and with Jrue Holiday becoming more comfortable offensively by the day, they are on a shortlist as one of the best backcourts in the sport. After this excellent performance from Derrick White, there was a ton of noise about him being an All-Star, and while I find it hard to see with the guard depth out East, he is absolutely that caliber of player, and that should be the bigger storyline than anything. After Monday, LA now falls to 16–15 on the year and has struggled majorly as of late. The Lakers need to show urgency in the trade market, as far too much responsibility still falls on AD and LeBron. I appreciate their willingness to make changes, shown in them benching D’Angelo Russell, but unless a major move is made, they simply fall short of more balanced teams like Boston, Denver, Minnesota, and others. Anthony Davis was completely dominant offensively as he put up 40, but it was all for none as LeBron had maybe his weakest game of the year, and their wings are just so limited scoring the ball.
Miami Heat def. Philadelphia 76ers 119–113
To be honest with you, I did not watch a single second of this game. It was already a matchup I was lukewarm on, and with the injuries to each of the team’s best players, I would have much rather watched the 2 best teams in the NFL square off. Jaime Jaquez did seem to have an incredible game as he continues to be a massive steal for Miami. I also thought we could’ve gotten a massive game from Tyrese Maxey, but instead, he had his worst game of the season shooting 4/20.
Dallas Mavericks def. Phoenix Suns 128–114
Luka Doncic, man. We may very well be looking at the season where he wins MVP and establishes himself as the best player in the world. Even with being doubled off nearly every screen, Doncic still managed to drop 50 points on insane efficiency. The shotmaking from Luka was out of this world, but to me, that somehow was not even the most impressive part of last night. While his scoring was the story of the night, Doncic also had 15 assists and easily could have had 20+ with better talent surrounding him. The way Luka dissects a defense is truly special as, off being doubled, he would always make the right decision. I find it hard to name a player who I’ve seen be able to read the defense’s next move like 77 does. He was always predicting the defense’s rotations perfectly and got them so many open corner threes, many which they didn’t even hit, as well as easy buckets off the short role for Derrick Lively. Lively truly is the perfect pick-n-roll partner for Luka as his 20 points came up huge last night. I do find the Mavs’ success a bit of fool’s gold because their wings are very unreliable, but if they can somehow address that, the core of Luka, Kyrie, and Lively can compete with anyone. That’s just how good Luka Doncic is. The Suns are now below .500 on the season, and I think we are reaching an implosion of this roster. It had been reported previously to the game that KD has been airing his frustrations about the team’s performance, and an ugly loss like last night certainly won’t help his spirits rise any higher. The effort from the Suns last night was nothing short of embarrassing. Fans at home could even hear the verbal frustration from Devin Booker as after Chimezie Metu turned the ball over, he did not get back on defense, and Booker let him hear about it. It seems completely hopeless for them to get healthy, and they have very little flexibility to improve an extremely flawed roster. When you get 55 points combined from Metu and Grayson Allen, that’s a game you just have to win, simple as. But Dallas came in with the perfect game plan of letting the role players do the damage and throwing all their attention towards Booker and Durant. The difference with these 2 teams is even with the growth KD and Book have had as playmakers, they are nowhere near the same stratosphere as Doncic in that aspect, and that becomes a massive problem when the role players are not built to relieve any of the pressure off of them. This was a very concerning loss for Phoenix, and they are in massive trouble as the 11th seed out West.
