Rundown v01.25.20 – Bucks in Paris, Westbrook Dominating, and Teague Vs. Schroder

Eleven games and one trade in the NBA last night, including the first ever NBA game played in Paris, France …

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Milwaukee Bucks  116
Charlotte Hornets  103

Les Milwaukee Bucks boudent ensemble une 66-48 seconde mi-temps pour revenir d’une première mi-temps où les Charlotte Hornets ont pris une surprenante avance de 55-50 à la mi-temps dans les vestiaires à Paris, France hier soir (montré à 15 heures, heure de l’Est hier après-midi) . Giannis Antetokuonmpo a marqué 30 points et récolté 16 rebonds pour la meilleure équipe de la NBA, mais c’est Malik Monk en tête de tous les buteurs avec 31 points. Milwaukee a tiré à 50% sur un sol inconnu de l’AccorHotels Arena, Antetokuonmpo, Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill et Pat Connaughton tirant tous au-dessus de la barre des 50%. Les 40 victoires des Bucks jusqu’à présent sont leur meilleur départ depuis un début de 39-7 pour la franchise en 1970-71, quand ils ont remporté le championnat NBA.

(Translation)
The Milwaukee Bucks pout together a 66-48 second half to come back from a first half where the Charlotte Hornets took a surprising 55-50 halftime lead into the locker room in Paris, France last night (shown at 3 p.m. Eastern time yesterday afternoon). Giannis Antetokuonmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the NBA’s best team, but it was Malik Monk leading all scorers with 31 points. Milwaukee shot 50 percent on an unfamiliar floor in AccorHotels Arena, with Antetokuonmpo, Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill and Pat Connaughton all shooting above the 50 percent mark. The Bucks’ 40 wins thus far is their best start since a 39-7 start for the franchise in 1970-71, when they won the NBA championship.

BUCKS (40-6) 1st in the East, NBA	HORNETS (15-31) 12th in the East
Giannis Antetokuonmpo 30 points – 16 rebounds – six assists – one block	Malik Monk 31 points – five rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block
Eric Bledsoe 20 points – three rebounds – five assists – two steals – two blocks	Devonte’ Graham 19 points – seven rebounds – four assists – one steal
George Hill 16 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal	Marvin Williams 18 points – six rebounds – one assist – one steal – one block

NEXT GAMES
Wizards at Bucks – Tuesday
Knicks at Hornets – Tuesday

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Memphis Grizzlies  125
Detroit Pistons  112

The first and fourth quarters were fruitful for the Memphis Grizzlies, aching to get back in the win column after two losses, which was preceded by a seven game win streak that gave the Grizz a taste of that sweet honey, and they want a little more of that. Jaren Jackson, Jr. scored 25 of his 29 points in a 66-61 first half performance from the Grizzlies that featured a 12 point advantage in the first quarter. Memphis also sealed the deal with a 33-27 fourth quarter.

GRIZZLIES (21-24) 8th in the West	PISTONS (17-29) 9th in the East
Jaren Jackson, Jr. 29 points – six rebounds – one assist – one steal – two blocks	Derrick Rose 22 points – three rebounds – eight assists – one steal
Dillon Brooks 27 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal	Christian Wood 20 points – six rebounds – one assist – one block
Ja Morant 16 points – two rebounds – 12 assists	Langston Galloway 14 points – four rebounds – one assist – one steal

NEXT GAMES
Nets at Pistons – Tonight
Suns at Grizzlies – Sunday

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Boston Celtics  109
Orlando Magic  98

Three places in the Eastern Conference standings separate these two teams. Ten games. But these two teams couldn’t be farther apart. Kemba Walker showed just how far with his 37 point performance last night, while Gordon Hayward wowed everyone with 22 and 14 on a night when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did not play, yet the Boston Celtics fought back from a 16 point deficit to snuff the Orlando Magic by 11 points. Despite being in seventh place, the Magic have more questions than answers 46 games in.

CELTICS (30-14) 4th in the East	MAGIC (21-25) 7th in the East
Kemba Walker 37 points – two rebounds – six assists – four steals – one block	Evan Fournier 30 points – five rebounds – one assist – one steal
Gordon Hayward 22 points – 14 rebounds – five assists – one steal	Nikola Vucevic 17 points – 12 rebounds – four assists – one steal
Daniel Thies 16 points – six rebounds – four assists – one block	Aaron Gordon 12 points – four rebounds – two assists

NEXT GAMES
Celtics at Pelicans – Sunday
Clippers at Magic – Sunday

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Toronto Raptors  118
New York Knicks  112

A 36-25 second quarter burst helped the Toronto Raptors overcome a lethargic first quarter in which the host New York Knicks jumped out to a 28-20 lead on Star Wars Night at Madison Square Garden. The force was with the reigning NBA champs as Toronto staples Kyle Lowry and first time All Star Pascal Siakam led the champs, with Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell posting 16 points apiece in support. New York’s top three looked impressive, but got little support outside of Elfrid Payton (13 points, 11 assists), Bobby Portis’ 12, and 11 from Reggie Bullock. 

RAPTORS (31-14) 3rd in the East	KNICKS (12-34) 14th in the East
Kyle Lowry 26 points – six rebounds – three assists – four steals – one block	Marcus Morris 21 points – 10 rebounds – two assists
Pascal Siakam 23 points – seven rebounds – three assists – one block	Damyean Dotson 21 points – one rebound – one steal
Norman Powell 16 points – two rebounds – three assists – one block	Julius Randle 20 points – 11 rebounds – two assists – one steal – three blocks

NEXT GAMES
Raptors at Spurs – Sunday
Nets at Knicks – Sunday

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Denver Nuggets  113
New Orleans Pelicans  106

After the Denver Nuggets opened up a 37-28 first quarter to set the tone for last night’s game against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, you knew this game was going to be a dogfight that Michael Vick would be proud to have hosted. After all, Williamson did a Tasmanian devil impression with his 17 points in mere minutes the night before last in his debut. It could happen again. Nope. This time, Williamson scored a pedestrian 15 points in 21 minutes of play as the Pelicans lost. But that one block he had still hasn’t landed and the Pelicans are requesting help from NASA to locate their basketball after Williamson’s block sent it soaring. The Pelicans are 0-2 with Williamson in the lineup, but they did outscore Denver 16-0 when Williamson played. Baby steps.

NUGGETS (31-14) 4th in the West	PELICANS (17-29) 12th in the West
Nikola Jokic 27 points – 12 rebounds – seven assists – four steals – one block	J.J. Redick 18 points – two rebounds – one assist
Torrey Craig 15 points – 10 rebounds – two assists – one block	Josh Hart 15 points – 13 rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block
Michael Porter, Jr. 15 points – 10 rebounds – one assist – one steal	Zion Williamson 15 points – six rebounds – one steal – one block

NEXT GAMES
Rockets at Nuggets – Sunday
Celtics at Pelicans – Sunday

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Sacramento Kings  98
Chicago Bulls  81

A 12 point fourth quarter was a microcosm of the Chicago Bulls recent years of disappointment, aka giving up. It all has started and ended with the inconsistency of Lauri Markkanen, who looked to be an integral part of the Bulls’ future a year ago, but has been MIA for most of this season. Now, he is out 4-6 weeks with a right hip injury. For the Sacramento Kings, it was on opportunity to be seized upon and Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, and De’Aaron Fox came through, combining for 58 of the team’s 98 points. Nemanja Bjelica added 13 and Bogdan Bogdanovic popped for 12 points in the win.

KINGS (16-29) 13th in the West	BULLS (17-30) 10th in the East
Buddy Hield 21 points – eight rebounds – one assist – one block	Zach LaVine 21 points – six rebounds – two assists – one block
Harrison Barnes 19 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal	Chandler Hutchison 11 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal
De’Aaron Fox 18 points – six rebounds – seven assists – three steals	Thaddeus Young 10 points – eight rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block

NEXT GAMES
Bulls at Cavaliers – Tonight
Kings at Timberwolves – Monday

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Los Angeles Clippers  122
Miami Heat  117

It’s a good thing that nearly the entire Los Angeles Clippers team took a game off for load management to gear up for the Miami Heat, who remain second in the Eastern Conference despite last night’s loss. The rest proved beneficial for Kawhi Leonard, who led all scorers with 33 points in a triple double performance that should have embarrassed Jimmy Butler to the point that he should have texted T.J. Warren for help. The Heat jumped out to a 30-22 first quarter advantage, but allowed the Clips to outscore them 77-55 over the second and third quarter and didn’t have enough heat to come back in the fourth.

CLIPPERS (32-14) 3rd in the West	HEAT (31-14) 2nd in the East
Kawhi Leonard 33 points – 10 rebounds – 10 assists – two steals – one block	Jimmy Butler 20 points – eight rebounds – seven assists
Landry Shamet 22 points – two rebounds – six assists	Kelly Olynyk 19 points – nine rebounds – two assists
Lou Williams 16 points – two rebounds – seven assists	Tyler Herro 19 points – four rebounds

NEXT GAMES
Clippers at Magic – Sunday
Magic at Heat – Monday

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Houston Rockets  131
Minnesota Timberwolves  124

The Houston Rockets blasted off to a 10 point margin in the first quarter and then burned on rocket fuel the rest of the game to give them their second consecutive win as Russell Westbrook led the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive game last night with a season high 45 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ lone bragging rite of the night was Jordan McLaughlin’s posterizing dunk on Clint Capela, which flooded social media and almost broke the sports internet throughout the night. But Capela and the Rockets got the last laugh; Capela had 18 and nine, with five blocks – JMac had eight points and four rebounds and his moment of fame.

ROCKETS (28-16) 6th in the West	TIMBERWOLVES (15-30) 14th in the West
Russell Westbrook 46 points – six rebounds – 10 assists – one steal	Karl-Anthony Towns 30 points – 12 rebounds – three assists – two blocks
Eric Gordon 27 points – five rebounds – three assists	Andrew Wiggins 28 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal
Clint Capela 18 points – nine rebounds – five blocks	Josh Okogie 17 points – six rebounds – four assists – three assists

NEXT GAMES
Thunder at Timberwolves – Tonight
Rockets at Nuggets – Sunday

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Atlanta Hawks  111
Oklahoma City Thunder  140

No disrespect to Jeff Teague, but in their time away from the Atlanta Hawks, I’m going to say Dennis Schroder’s development and evolution has been a better experience than Teague’s. Schroder, who played backup to Teague in Atlanta before he was brought to Oklahoma City via the trade for Carmelo Anthony, has been a stalwart staple this season under Chris Paul’s mentorship. Teague languished in Indiana and Minnesota, and is back in Atlanta as of a trade for Allen Crabbe. I’d have traded Crabbe to the Thunder to get Schroder back – not that the Thunder would have let him go. Schroder and the Thunder thumped the Hawks last night by 29.

NOTE: The Thunder made a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, obtaining Isaiah Roby from Dallas for center Justin Patton. Not the move I expected the Mavericks to make – I’d have rather seen Steven Adams in a Mavericks uniform – but a move nonetheless.

HAWKS (11-35) 15th in the East	THUNDER (27-19) 7th in the West
John Collins 28 points – six rebounds – one steal	Danilo Gallinari 25 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal
Trae Young 26 points – two rebounds – 16 assists – one steal	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24 points – three rebounds – six assists – one steal – three blocks
Cam Reddish 20 points – six rebounds – one steal – one block	Dennis Schroder 21 points – three rebounds – eight assists

NEXT GAMES
Thunder at Timberwolves – Tonight
Wizards at Hawks – Sunday

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Phoenix Suns  103
San Antonio Spurs  99

There are three Jekyll and Hyde teams in the NBA right now – the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons, and the San Antonio Spurs. Of the three, believe it or not, the Spurs’ inconsistencies are the most surprising and disappointing. After beginning the season 4-0 (only one game behind the 5-0 Philadelphia 76ers), the Spurs have arguably had their most inconsistent season to date in the Gregg Popovich era. Letting Devin Booker, Dario Saric, and Kelly Oubre Jr. combine for 71 points while San Antonio’s top three only mustered 59 is a black eye on the storied franchise. Never mind the fact that San Antonio laid down with only 16 points in the second quarter to Phoenix’s 34 spelled the difference in the game at San Antonio’s AT&T Center. Back to the drawing board, Pop. Is it time to jettison LaMarcus Aldridge?

SUNS (19-26) 10th in the West	SPURS (20-24) 9th in the West
Devin Booker 35 points – four rebounds – 10 assists – one block (fouled out)	DeMar DeRozan 30 points – eight rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block
Dario Saric 20 points – four rebounds – one assist – one steal	LaMarcus Aldridge 16 points – six rebounds – four assists – one steal – two blocks
Kelly Oubre, Jr. 16 points – nine rebounds – two assists – two steals – three blocks	Derrick White 13 points – six rebounds – four assists – three steals – four blocks

NEXT GAMES
Suns at Grizzlies – Sunday
Raptors at Spurs – Sunday

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Indiana Pacers  129
Golden State Warriors  118

T.J. Warren isn’t a basketball player? He shouldn’t even be on the court? Check your stats from last night, Jimmy Butler. You might want T.J. Warren on your team. But he may not want to be. Warren dueled D’Angelo Russell last night as the Indiana Pacers vanquished the Golden State Warriors by 11 points to net their 30th win of the season through 46 games. Doug McDermott has also slowly emerged as a factor in each of the Pacers’ last four games.

PACERS (30-16) 5th in the East	WARRIORS (10-37) 15th in the West
T.J. Warren 33 points – five rebounds – two assists – four steals – one block	D’Angelo Russell 37 points – four rebounds – five assists
Doug McDermott 24 points – two rebounds – one assist – one steal	Glenn Robinson III 18 points – seven rebounds – one assist – one block
Domantas Sabonis 16 points – 10 rebounds – eight assists – three steals	Marquese Chriss 13 points – three rebounds – one assist – two steals – two blocks

NEXT GAMES
Pacers at Blazer – Sunday
Warriors at Sixers – Tuesday

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SATURDAY’S GAMES
(All Times Eastern)

5 p.m. Dallas Mavericks Utah Jazz AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain	7 p.m. Brooklyn Nets Detroit Pistons YES	8 p.m. Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers NBC Sports Chicago
8 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder Minnesota Timberwolves FSN	8:30 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers ABC

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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