No love lost as LeBron James cuts down Kyrie Irving and the Nets, Damian Lillard has scored 108 in his last two games, and Bradley Beal has 74 in his last two.
Just three games in the NBA last night as trade rumors begin to swirl.
Few of the principals in last night’s games are thought to be considered being moved, with the lone exception of Kyle Kuzma, who’s been at the top of many lists the past couple of weeks.
Andre Drummond is still a consideration to be moved, and I hope he lands on a contending team, because that guy has languished loyally for far too long in Detroit.
The same can be said for Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams, who might look darn good in a Dallas Mavericks uniform, certainly would give Dallas some strong and sturdy depth in the middle with Dwight Powell going down.
The Los Angeles Clippers also need help in the middle, and Drummond might look good there, certainly would make them an elite contender.
And I’m still liking the notion of LaMarcus Aldridge going to Miami to pair with Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Love returning to his and my hometown to play for the Portland Trailblazers. Aron Baynes might be a suitable replacement for Oklahoma City if they can get a third team involved.
And let’s go ahead and have Clint Capela and Hassan Whiteside switch places – that’s going to do nothing but help the Houston Rockets and Portland Trailblazers.
What moves would you like to see happen?
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Washington Wizards 124 Cleveland Cavaliers 112
The Washington Wizards outscored the host Cleveland Cavaliers in every quarter but the fourth, including a 32-25 burst that put the game out of reach for the Cavs. Bradley Beal, who scored 38 points the night before in Miami, dropped 36 on the Cavaliers while Ish Smith and Davis Bertans each added 17 apiece. Isaiah Thomas added 13 to the Wizards’ mix.
WIZARDS (15-29) 11th in the East
CAVALIERS (12-33) 14th in the East
Bradley Beal 36 points – two rebounds – eight assists
Collin Sexton 29 points – four rebounds – four assists – two steals
Ish Smith 17 points – four rebounds – five assists – two steals
Larry Nance, Jr. 22 points – 12 rebounds – three assists
Davis Bertans 17 points – two rebounds – two assists – one steal
Kevin Love 21 points – five rebounds – two assists – two steals
NEXT GAMES Bulls at Cavaliers – Saturday Wizards at Hawks – Sunday
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Los Angeles Lakers 128 Brooklyn Nets 113
It was LeBron James versus his former backcourt mate Kyrie Irving last night in Brooklyn. James posted his 10th triple double of the season and Irving scored 20 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a defeat. I was surprised he showed up at all, given the fact that he’d taken the last game off. Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma both notched 16 points apiece in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 36th win of the season. The Lakers are still three games behind Milwaukee in the win column for NBA’s best record, but remain in first place in the Western Conference.
LAKERS (36-9) 1st in the West
NETS (18-25) 8th in the East
LeBron James 27 points – 12 rebounds – 10 assists – one steal – one block
Kyrie Irving 20 points – three rebounds – four assists – two steals – one block
Anthony Davis 16 points – 11 rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block
Taurean Prince 18 points – three rebounds – four assists – three steals
Kyle Kuzma 16 points – two rebounds – one assist
Caris LeVert 16 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal
NEXT GAMES Lakers at Sixers – Saturday Nets at Knicks – Sunday
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Dallas Mavericks 133 Portland Trailblazers 125
After a 78-point first half, you knew this was going to be in Dallas’ favor, but still a fun ride. That’s because Damian Lillard was coming off a 61 point performance and he added another 47 last night to lead all scorers once again. But it wasn’t enough as Dallas had seven players hit double digits in scoring, while Portland only had five. Carmelo Anthony had 16 and 11, while Hassan Whiteside finished with 14 and 10. The Mavericks had Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jalen Brunson lead them, while Seth Curry matched Brunson’s 17 point effort, Maxi Kleber added 15, and it was 11 apiece for both Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith. Dallas finished with 22 three pointers.
MAVERICKS (28-16) 5th in the West
TRAILBLAZERS (19-27) 10th in the West
Luka Doncic 27 points – six rebounds – nine assists – two steals
Damian Lillard 47 points – six rebounds – eight assists – one steal
Kristaps Porzingis 20 points – five rebounds – one assist – one steal – two blocks
Trevor Ariza 21 points – seven rebounds – two assists – two steals
Jalen Brunson 17 points – three rebounds – one assist
Gary Trent, Jr. 20 points – two rebounds – one assist
NEXT GAMES Mavericks at Jazz – Saturday Pacers at Blazers – Sunday
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FRIDAY’S LINEUP (All Times Eastern)
3 p.m. Milwaukee Bucks Charlotte Hornets NBATV
7 p.m. Memphis Grizzlies Detroit Pistons Fox Sports Southeast
7 p.m. Boston Celtics Orlando Magic NBC Sports Boston
7:30 p.m. Toronto Raptors New York Knicks MSG Network
8 p.m. Denver Nuggets New Orleans Pelicans Altitude
8 p.m. Sacramento Kings Chicago Bulls NBC Sports California
8 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers Miami Heat FSN Prime Ticket
8 p.m. Atlanta Hawks Oklahoma City Thunder Fox SportsNet Oklahoma
8:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs Fox Sports Arizona
10:30 p.m. Indiana Pacers Golden State Warriors NBATV
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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, and Oklahoma City. A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in Tennessee. Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
