Magic vs. Nuggets recap: Melo’s last game in Denver?…
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If tonight’s Nuggets victory over the Magic proves to be Carmelo Anthony’s last in a Nuggets uniform, then he leaves on a high note having put up 35 points (on a very impressive 14-21 shooting) and grabbing 11 rebounds.
There was nothing 70′s about “70′s Night” at Pepsi Center other than the final score. I’ll get to the game recap and the ongoing Carmelo Anthony situation shortly, but I first must point out – yet again – that the Nuggets organization appears to be clueless when it comes to in-game presentation and promotion. Having a “70′s Night” is a great idea if properly executed. Instead, the Nuggets dropped the ball.
You’d think on a night promoted as “70′s Night” that the Nuggets would play against a team they played against in the 1970′s, like the Spurs, Nets or Pacers. You’d think that the Nuggets and their opponent would wear retro jerseys hearkening back to that era. You’d think that Pepsi Center – given the countless empty seats in the building all season long – would roll back the prices for beverages and food back to 70′s prices for one night. You’d think that the Nuggets would roll out a few legends from the 70′s like David Thompson, Spencer Haywood, Byron Beck, Bobby Jones and so on either before tipoff or at halftime.… Continue reading
Orlando 94 – Clippers 85 – Game Recap
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Here are the scoring leaders for the Clippers tonight:
- Eric Gordon – 28
- Blake Griffin – 27
- Rest of Team – 30
Nine guys, playing 157 minutes, managed to put up just 30 points total, on 12 for 38 shooting. There’s no way the Clippers are going to beat a decent opponent when the third leading scorer on the team has just 8 points.
It was strange in fact that the Clippers managed to get back into this game at all. They were behind 35 to 14 at the end of the first quarter, and after giving up the first five points of the second, the lead stretched to 26. From there, the Clippers chipped away, getting it all the way down to six with nine minutes still to play. But they could get no closer. I’m not sure how they got that close without anyone other than Griffin or Gordon capable of making a shot.
Perhaps the most amazing stat of the game is that Gordon was +3 in his 41 minutes. In his first stint at the beginning of the game, he was 0 for 6 and the Clippers fell behind by 13. He left for a seven minute rest, and when he came back the team was behind by 25. Once he got a couple of shots to go, the Clippers outplayed the Magic the rest of the way. But the hole was just too deep.… Continue reading
Game 22 Recap: Blazers 97, Magic 83
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In a Nutshell
Dwight Howard proves himself worth twice the price of admission but his teammates come in somewhere south of a chalupa as the Blazers’ perimeter players destroy their Magic counterparts in an unexpectedly easy (and energetic) Portland win.
Game Flow
Portland lost this game early on and they weren’t getting it back. Let’s just state that from the top. Portland came out with a 24-second violation on their first possession, looking confused and flat-footed. Dwight Howard scored on a simple post move on Orlando’s first play. That set the tone for the first period. The Magic had more fire and more firepower, the latter concentrated fully in their chiseled center. Howard scored in an array of post moves so impressive and smooth they would have made Kareem Abdul-Jabbar look twice. Seriously, he looked like a wholly unstoppable force out there, not just because of his obvious physical attributes but because he was playing basketball. The Blazers looked silly by comparison. The first sign that the Magic had this game in the bag was Howard’s 18 points in the first period. The second sign was predicted in the Blazersedge game preview: Portland’s offense consisted solely of shooting and missing outside jumpers. The Magic rebounded, walked the ball up the court, tossed it to Dwight, and racked up another score. The third sign came in the second period when… Continue reading
Game Recap: Hawks End Long Dry Spell in Orlando With 80-74 Victory
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The Hawks 80-74 victory over Orlando on Monday night was a stark turn of events for the the two teams that dates back to last season. This time it was a Hawks team that grinded out a victory in a less than stellar played game from either side. This was also a game where new Hawks coach Larry Drew showed a willingness to change in an effort to grab a victory. In case you missed it, the Hawks started a big lineup that featured Marvin Williams at shooting guard, Josh Smith at small forward, Al Horford at power forward, and Jason Collins at center. The decision to make the change in the starting lineup was made a little easier with Joe Johnson out but the decision to place Collins on Howard with no double teams was different than the way the Hawks have approached this team in the past.
By single covering Howard, the Hawks were able to stay on Magic shooters and weren’t constantly trying to chase following a rotation. Without Jameer Nelson, the Magic were missing that penetrating force that usually draws the defense in and that led to Vince Carter having to try and go out and win this game alone. Add to the fact that the Hawks big men were able to take Howard out of his comfort zone which led to him only scoring 14 points on… Continue reading
Game Recap: Miami Heat 89, Atlanta Hawks 77
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Last night in Miami was a familiar recipe for the Atlanta Hawks. Get down early, make a spirited comeback, and then fold at the end due to a lack of execution down the stretch. I wrote in the game preview that the Hawks had no reason to come out tight. Even with Joe Johnson in the lineup they would be considered underdogs in a game in Miami. To say the least I didn’t like the team’s approach. Atlanta came out tentative and settling for a variety of jump shots. Even the Hawks resident superhero Al Horford was reluctant to put the ball on the floor and drive his way to the hoop. The motion offense looked like it repeatedly broke down in the first half as the Hawks failed to establish any sort of rhythm on offense in trailing 26-15 after one period of play.
The second quarter wasn’t much better for Atlanta but they were able to prevent themselves from being blown out of the game. Miami outscored Atlanta 24-21 in the second but as I pointed out in the game thread, the Hawks were lucky to only be down 14 at the half. Miami shot 54% in the first half while the Hawks shot 34%. Al Horford went to the bench early with two fouls and ended up with six points on 3-4 shooting… Continue reading
Nuggets vs Clippers recap: A free throw contest breaks out, blah
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The Denver Nuggets score 109 points in their win tonight over the Los Angeles Clippers (109-104). The boring part … the Nuggets scored 41.2% of their points from the free throw line tonight.
Going to try something a little bit different … I’ve broken the game down in quarter before, but I’ve gone back over my hand written notes and cleaned up my thoughts a bit. Tonight, let’s just take a look at my thoughts as the game is going and see how it turns out. I’ll even toss in some post game thoughts to see how it all comes together.
First Quarter rants …
My boy Rory texted me before tipoff to inform me the key to the Nuggets game tonight … his thoughts:
1.) “Keys to tonight’s game? Contain the Man-Beast. (Blake Griffin)”
2.) “Contain aka don’t let him (Griffin) tear down the Pepsi Center and eat all babies in attendance.”
Seems like some pretty reasonable keys to this contest. He also texted to tell me that Key No. 2 was said by our friend Jason, but I doubt Jason was that creative.
- Masai Ujiri, Chris Marlowe tells us, will be joining him and Scott Hastings at some point to talk. …Ujiri is sitting with Josh Kroenke in… Continue reading
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