Last night’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns was one of those games that I didn’t mind staying up for – not because it was the late game and I knew I was going to get an extra hour of sleep from the fall back time change – but because these are the two teams I wanted to see in the NBA Finals last spring.
They didn’t disappoint as both teams fought tooth and nail to the finish of a 121-117 Phoenix win.
Again, two teams I like so well that no matter who won, I wasn’t disappointed as long as it was a competitive game.
The Hawks, however, ended up disappointed and fell as flat as Bogdan Bogdanovic’s air ball three point attempt (there’s no way that head coach Nate McMillan drew that play up, thought the way Trae Young walked out of that final time out shaking his head, maybe McMillan did).
I would binge watch a whole season of these two teams playing (and the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on the Eastern side of things).
Twenty ties and 13 lead changes, with the Hawks having led by double digits, and the Suns never having a lead more than six points, this game was fun. Devin Booker and Trae Young showing up and out with 38 and 31 points, respectively. Young dishing 13 dimes with Chris Paul matching.
I really couldn’t have asked for more …
Except Luka Doncic driving in the dagger with an epic fadeaway jumper from downtown to send the squabbling Boston Celtics packing … presumably to even more finger pointing.
Or the Denver Nuggets all but handing the Houston Rockets an upset win … until Nikola Jokic stuffed those hopes with an epic last second block on JaeSean Tate.
It’s always the little things – even one play, as Bogdanovic, Doncic, and Jokic proved last night – that matter the most. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make you happy. Little strokes that fall great oaks.
Things are heating up this NBA season, and if you’re not noticing the small moments that go huge, you’re missing out.
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| Houston Rockets 94 | Daniel Theis – 18 points
Christian Wood – 17 rebounds Kevin Porter, Jr. – 4 assists |
| Denver Nuggets 95 | Nikola Jokic – 28 points Nikola Jokic – 14 reboundsWill Barton – 6 assists |
NEXT UP
Rockets at Warriors – Tonight
Heat at Nuggets – Monday
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| Utah Jazz 115 | Donovan Mitchell – 37 points
Hassan Whiteside, Rudy Gobert – 8 rebounds Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley – 7 assists |
| Miami Heat 118 | Tyler Herro – 29 points
Kyle Lowry – 12 rebounds Kyle Lowry – 10 assists |
NEXT UP
Jazz at Magic – Tonight
Heat at Nuggets – Monday
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| Philadelphia 76ers 114 | Joel Embiid – 30 points Joel Embiid – 15 reboundsTyrese Maxey – 8 assists |
| Chicago Bulls 105 | DeMar DeRozan – 25 points
Nikola Vucevic – 11 rebounds Lonzo Ball – 5 assists |
NEXT UP
Knicks at Sixers – Monday
Nets at Bulls – Monday
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| Boston Celtics 104 | Jayson Tatum – 32 points
Jayson Tatum – 11 rebounds Dennis Schroder, Marcus Smart – 6 assists |
| Dallas Mavericks 107 | Luka Doncic – 33 points
Luka Doncic – 9 rebounds Jalen Brunson, Luka Doncic – 5 assists |
NEXT UP
Pelicans at Mavericks – Monday
Raptors at Celtics – Wednesday
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| Atlanta Hawks 117 | Trae Young – 31 points
Clint Capela – 13 rebounds Trae Young – 13 assists |
| Phoenix Suns 121 | Devin Booker – 38 points
Jae Crowder – 8 rebounds Chris Paul – 13 assists |
NEXT UP
Hawks at Warriors – Monday
Suns at Kings – Monday
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| Los Angeles Lakers 90 | Malik Monk – 13 points
DeAndre Jordan – 9 rebounds Russell Westbrook – 6 assists |
| Portland Trailblazers 105 | Damian Lillard – 25 points
Jusuf Nurkic – 17 rebounds Damian Lillard – 6 assists |
NEXT UP
Hornets at Lakers – Monday
Trailblazers at Clippers – Tuesday
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Tracy Graven is the Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, done NBA Radio, and appeared as a guest for the last 21+ years for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show, 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 21 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (CBA, G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Oklahoma City, and 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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