The future of the Banana Boat Crew might be in jeopardy as the captain – Chris Paul – kicked one of the crew overboard last night in the lakes surrounding the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Oklahoma City continues to defy logic, upend pre-season prognostications, and piss people off in Las Vegas sports books, continuing to find ways to win and shut big names down. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers last night resoundingly, with LeBron James playing only five minutes fewer than his bubble average and Anthony Davis barely showing up at all inside the three point arc.
Toronto remains undefeated in the bubble after dispatching the same Lakers, and both Florida teams this week.
On the other end of the spectrum, Washington and Memphis remain winless through their first four games, and the San Antonio Spurs are watching their chances at what would be an NBA record 23rd consecutive playoff berth fade away like Ben Simmons’ game.
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Memphis Grizzlies 115
Utah Jazz 124
I’ve often joked that the games in the bubble, played without fans, are like watching a YMCA pickup game or worse, a church ball game. So then it’s entirely appropriate that Joe ‘Church Ball’ Ingles was the leading scorer in yesterday afternoon’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz.
The Jazz, from the heart of church ball country in Salt Lake City, won the game behind an explosive 39-24 second quarter, and Ingles scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Memphis was forced to play without Jaren Jackson, Jr. who suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, giving way for Brandon Clarke to get the starting nod. Clarke had a very humble six points. Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant combined for 43, and while it was nice to finally get to talk about Jonas Valanciunas in this bubble run, his 21 and 14 was edged out by perennial Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert’s 21 and 16.
Utah had it’s top six players score in double figures. Besides Ingles’ 25 and Gobert’s 21, Mike Conley has looked better in the bubble than he has all season; he had 23. Donovan Mitchell chipped in 18, seven, and six, while the Jazz got 15 from Royce O’Neale and 14 off the bench from Jordan Clarkson.
The path to cling to the eighth seed doesn’t get any easier for Memphis, winless in the bubble – their last four games are all against teams with winning records (Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Bucks) … and the Portland Trailblazers (1 game back) and San Antonio Spurs (1.5 games back) are in hot pursuit.
| GRIZZLIES (32-37) 8th in the West | JAZZ (43-25) 4th in the West |
| Dillon Brooks 23 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal | Joe Ingles 25 points – four rebounds – five assists |
| Jonas Valanciunas 21 points – 14 rebounds – three assists | Mike Conley 23 points – five rebounds – seven assists – one steal |
| Ja Morant 20 points – six rebounds – nine assists – two steals | Rudy Gobert 21 points – 16 rebounds – one assist – two steals – three blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Grizzlies vs. Thunder – Friday
Jazz vs. Spurs – Friday
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Denver Nuggets 132
San Antonio Spurs 126
Now that he’s healthy, anyone – even the blind – can see that Michael Porter, Jr. is the Denver Nuggets’ future. Thankfully, for the Nugs, he’s their present, too, especially in the last two games, both Denver wins.
Porter carried the Nuggets on his back, showing that there are no issues with his back, for the second consecutive game yesterday, the Nuggets’ win giving Denver a two game cushion over the Utah Jazz. Nikola Jokic has had 55 points in the past two games and been very solid, assimilating well to Porter’s style of play while missing Jamal Murray. Jerami Grant was strong with 22 points, as the Nuggets outscored San Antonio every quarter but the third.
The Spurs failed to gain any ground in their journey to capture a spot in the playoffs for what would be a record 23rd consecutive season. With Memphis losing to Utah earlier in the day, you’d hope that the Spurs would find motivation to gain ground on the eighth and final seeding spot in the Western Conference.
But the San Antonio bench outperformed their starting five, 70-56, and when that happens, it’s not a good day for the Spurs or any team where their starters fail to live up to the honor of being a starting five (see the Los Angeles Lakers below).
San Antonio is two games back of Memphis, so anything is still a possibility with four games remaining. They face Utah twice, New Orleans, and Houston. Their destiny is in their hands. Hopefully they can finish strong – the opposite of how they began this season.
| NUGGETS (45-23) 3rd in the West | SPURS (29-38) 10th in the West |
| Michael Porter, Jr. 30 points – 15 rebounds – one block | Rudy Gay 24 points – four rebounds – four assists – one steal – two blocks |
| Nikola Jokic 25 points – four rebounds – 11 assists – one steal | Derrick White 23 points – three rebounds – seven assists – two steals – one block |
| Jerami Grant 22 points – two rebounds – one assist – one steal – one block | Keldon Johnson 20 points – six rebounds – two assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Mavericks vs. Clippers – Thursday
Kings vs. Pelicans – Thursday
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Philadelphia 76ers 107
Washington Wizards 98
Six point margins in the first and fourth quarter set the Philadelphia 76ers up for their second win in the bubble over the Washington Wizards, who might as well already pack their bags, as they are as winless as the Memphis Grizzlies are in this seeding round, but look a lot worse.
People are having much more enjoyment, excitement and exhilaration watching the ninth seed in the West (Portland) play than they are with the Washington Wizards. Hell, they’re having more fun watching the Phoenix Suns. I know I am. For my money, I’d have rather seen the Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bulls in the bubble. May have been the same result(s), but it would have been more entertaining.
The two from Tennessee helped Joel Embiid bail the Sixers out for another game, though as Ben Simmons (as seen above) simply seems to be nothing more that JAFO (just another f******** observer) in the bubble. #VFLs Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson combined for 32 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Simmons underwhelmed again with eight points in 23 minutes on 20 percent shooting.
Washington has been without Bradley Beal and John Wall, while their best hope – Rui Hachimura – suffered through a Simmons-like game himself. The East is set 1-8. Washington simply needs to pick a team to root for and continue to enjoy watching the rest of the season and playoffs like they have been during games they were supposed to be playing in.
| SIXERS (41-27) 6th in the East | WIZARDS (24-44) 9th in the East |
| Joel Embiid 30 points – 12 rebounds – three assists – three steals – two blocks (FOULED OUT) | Thomas Bryant 19 points – 10 rebounds – one assist – two steals – four blocks |
| #VFL Tobias Harris 17 points – six rebounds – two assists – one steal | Jerome Robinson 19 points – three rebounds – three assists – two steals |
| #VFL Josh Richardson 15 points – three assists – two steals | Troy Brown, Jr. 17 points – eight rebounds – four assists |
NEXT GAMES
Suns vs. Pacers – Thursday
Clippers vs. Mavericks – Thursday
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Oklahoma City Thunder 105
Los Angeles Lakers 86
Not sure if the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their trend of overachievement in last night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, or if the Lakers are simply content now that they’ve locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Actually not even sure that record and seeding matter, as there is no home court advantage, no home crowd, no sleeping in your own beds and having dinner in your own homes during the disjointed 2020 Playoffs.
Regardless, the captain of the offseason Banana Boat Crew seemingly left LeBron James and his teammates in the wake last night, jumping out to a 52-45 halftime lead, and then holding the Lakers to 41 in the second half as they cruised to another 53.
Anthony Davis seemed content to try and stretch the Thunder defense by shooting from the perimeter all night long, but that didn’t work as Davis underwhelmed to the tune of nine points on 27.3 percent shooting and a goose egg from downtown. LeBron James played 30 minutes, as opposed to 35, 35, and 34 in his previous three outings, so the theory that the Lakers’ coaching staff was going to sit Davis and James for the remaining five games is out the door, or at least it was last night.
Danilo Gallinari is more involved in the offense flow in the bubble than he was during the earlier part of the season, as is what seems to be a renewed and invigorated Steven Adams, who lumbered through trade rumors through the first part of the year. Adams is probably one of the most athletic and two way of the centers in the league, and is showing it in the bubble.
Sitting at 3-1 in the seeding schedule, the Thunder still have some solid challenges ahead with Washington, Phoenix, Miami, and close out with that other L.A. team and that guy that used to play for them who likes getting posterized from the three point line with the clock expiring. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that’s your cue – start warming up your three point shot for Friday, August 14th.
| THUNDER (42-25) 5th in the West | LAKERS (51-16) 1st in the West |
| Chris Paul 21 points – seven rebounds – six assists – one steal | LeBron James 19 points – 11 rebounds – four assists – one steal |
| Danilo Gallinari 19 points – seven rebounds – one steal | Dion Waiters 14 points – two rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block |
| Steven Adams 18 points – seven rebounds – two assists | Kyle Luzma 10 points – three rebounds |
NEXT GAMES
Magic vs. Raptors – Tonight
Pacers vs. Suns – Thursday
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Toronto Raptors 109
Orlando Magic 99
Fred VanVleet is making it hard to count the Toronto Raptors out of anything, including potentially ousting the Milwaukee Bucks and repeating as Eastern Conference Champions and positioning themselves to repeat as NBA Champions for the second consecutive season.
The last two games, the Wichita State guard has dropped 57 points (36 and 21) to lead the NBA champs to wins over the two Florida teams, while taking the onus off Kyle Lowry’s shoulders as they prep for the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Lowry has taken on the role of bouncer, taking out Orlando’s Aaron Gordan, who grimaced after a collision with Lowry and left the game with a reported hamstring injury. In the meantime, Lowry went eight, nine, and 10 against the Magic last night, while VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, O.G. Anunoby (12 points) and Serge Ibaka (11 and nine) carried the scoring load.
Gordon had nine and 11 before leaving the game, but no one in an Orlando uniform scored more than 15 on a night that saw the Magic disappear as early as the 26-11 first quarter. A 55-35 Toronto advantage at the half was eaten into by 10 after three, but the Raptors were too much.
The 35 point first half was a low for any half the Magic has had this season. Meanwhile, the Raps have won all three games in the bubble and their win streak sits at seven if you bridge the gap between now and March, before COVID-19 stepped in with the mandatory time out.
| RAPTORS (49-18) 2nd in the East | MAGIC (32-37) 8th in the East |
| Fred VanVleet 21 points – four rebounds – 10 assists – one steal | Evan Fournier 15 points – two rebounds – three assists |
| Pascal Siakam 15 points – six rebounds – one assist – one steal | Terrence Ross 15 points – one rebound – two assists – two steals – one block |
| Norman Powell 14 points – two rebounds | Nikola Vucevic 12 points – nine rebounds – three assists – two steals |
NEXT GAMES
Raptors vs. Celtics – Friday
Magic vs. Sixers – Friday
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Brooklyn Nets 115
Boston Celtics 149
The Boston Celtics we thought were going to terrorize the upper echelon teams of the Eastern Conference have finally arrived. After a shaky 2-1 start in the bubble, it seems that head coach Brad Stevens has his team playing ball the way everyone expected. But, then again, it was against the Brooklyn Nets, whose only bragging rights were beating a load management Milwaukee Bucks team.
Seven players, including the entire starting five, dropped double digits in the nightcap blowout. With the consistent leadership of their top three, the Celtics also showcased 18 points off the bench from Robert Williams, 13 off the bench from Brad Wanamaker, as well as a dozen from Marcus Smart, and 10 and six from center Daniel Thies who shot 50 percent on the night.
For Brooklyn, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who’d stood tall for the Nets in two of their previous three games in the bubble, only had four points in 11 minutes last night. Instead, it was Memphis, Tennessee’s own Jeremiah Martin who led the charge with 20 points off the bench. Martin wasn’t alone, as Dzanan Musa and Donte Hall scored 13 and 11, respectively, off the bench to match starters Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen’s respective 13 and 11. Joe Harris shot 42.9 percent for his 14 points in 14 attempts.
And as a reminder of how well the Boston Celtics played, this was without Kemba Walker on the floor. 145 points. 71 point first half. 20+ points leads. Get on the bandwagon.
| NETS (32-36) 7th in the East | CELTICS (45-23) 3rd in the East |
| Jeremiah Martin 20 points – one rebound – four assists – one steal | Jaylen Brown 21 points – four rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block |
| Joe Harris 14 points – six rebounds – two assists – two steals | Jayson Tatum 19 points – two rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Caris LeVert 13 points – five rebounds – one assists – two steals – two blocks | Gordon Hayward 18 points – seven rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Nets vs. Kings – Friday
Celtics vs. Raptors – Friday
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THURSDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 1:30 p.m. New Orleans Pelicans Sacramento Kings NBATV | 4 p.m. Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks TNT | 4 p.m. Indiana Pacers Phoenix Suns Fox Sports Arizona |
| 6:30 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers Dallas Mavericks TNT | 8 p.m. Portland Trailblazers Denver Nuggets NBC Sports Northwest | 9 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers Houston Rockets TNT |
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Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in
- Orlando
- Boise (G League)
- San Antonio
- Phoenix
- Denver
- Oklahoma City
- Atlanta
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in SEC Country near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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