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Matt Skilton
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NBA Weekly 2/14 - 2/20
Mixed Week For Embiid & Nets Shock In NY Derby
Joel Embiid struggled against Boston but bounced back later in the week against the Bucks, the Nets shocked the Knicks, the Suns picked up their sixth straight win and Lebron led a clutch Lakers comeback after watching the Rams win the Super Bowl, let’s jump in.
Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers
Final Score: 135 – 87
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics as they rolled past the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Brown poured on 29 points on 10-17 from the field and pulled in eight rebounds, while Jayson Tatum had 28 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes, he also had six dimes.
Joel Embiid dropped in 19 points on a difficult shooting night, he also had nine rebounds and six assists, Tyrese Maxey was the only other player to reach double digits in points with 11 while shooting 3-11 from the field.
Boston put up 32 points in the first quarter to lead by 10 points heading into the second, the Celtics dominated the following 12 minutes, outscoring Philly by 17 points to take a 27-point lead into the second half.
Boston piled another 16 points onto their lead in the third, to lead by 43 with a period to play, the lead then grew out to 51 points with a couple of minutes to play, but Philly had no chance as Boston blew them away.
“They were better in every way: coaching, playing and if there's another category, they were better in that, too,”
- Doc Rivers
Wounded Warriors:
Marcus Smart limped off the floor after getting hurt while driving to the basket in the second quarter, he appeared to pick up an ankle injury after stepping on Embiid’s foot. Additionally, Embiid had his right wrist wrapped up again, as he has done for Philly’s last two games.
Los Angeles Clippers @ Phoenix Suns
Final Score: 96 – 103
The Phoenix Suns survived a late surging Clippers outfit to pick up their sixth straight win at the Footprint Center.
Devin Booker dropped in 26 points on 11-19 from the field in 36 minutes, while his backcourt duo Chris Paul added 17 points while shooting 50% from the field, he also had 14 assists in 35 minutes.
“We turn it on, I don't want to make it sound like it's an on/off switch like we're not trying the rest of the game, but we've been in those situations, and we understand how much those little plays and 50/50 balls matter,”
- Devin Booker
Marcus Morris Sr. led the Clippers with 18 points in 30 minutes, Nicolas Batum had 18 points in 25 minutes, while Ivica Zubac pulled in 13 rebounds.
The Clippers built out a small early lead in the first quarter, leading by four points heading into the second, but the Suns rallied to outscore their opponents by 10 points, to lead by six heading into the locker rooms.
The Suns blew their lead out to 13 in the third and took an 11-point lead into the final period, however, the Clippers put together an early quarter surge, taking the lead with 6:12 remaining, but the lead was short-lived as the Suns retook control and were able to close out the game.
10,000 for Batum:
Batum reached the 10,000-point milestone during the game; the Frenchman is in his 14th season in the NBA and averaging 11.2 points per game for his career.
Brooklyn Nets @ New York Knicks
Final Score: 111 – 106
Brooklyn came back from 28 down to shock the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Cam Thomas led the Nets with 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench, Seth Curry had 20 points, while Andre Drummond added 11 points and 19 rebounds.
“I’m glad it went in because I was struggling tonight, I went like 1 for 9, 1 for 10 to start, I wasn’t getting any calls, so I just had to play through it, keep playing. So I’m glad it worked out for us,”
- Cam Thomas
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 31 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes, Immanuel Quickley chipped in with 18 points off the bench, while Evan Fournier had 16 points in 31 minutes.
New York blew out to a 20-point lead, outscoring the Nets 38-18 in the first quarter, the Knicks built their lead to 28 points in the second, before the Nets cut the lead back to 21 heading into the break.
The Nets chipped into the lead in the third, outscoring the Knicks by seven points, but the visitors still had a lot of work to do in the final period. The fourth quarter saw the Nets shock their cross-town rivals, outscoring them 38-19, to take a 5-point and a 2-0 lead in the season series.
Mandate changes coming soon?
Nets coach Steve Nash said the organization is hopeful that the mandatory vaccine mandate will be lifted, with New York City mayor Eric Adams mulling over the decision to remove it.
Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers
Final Score: 101 – 106
The Lakers produced a late surge to take the win over the Utah Jazz at the Crypto.com Arena.
Lebron James led the Lakers with 33 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 40 minutes, while Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook both had 17 points.
Donovan Mitchell poured on 37 points in 37 minutes for the Jazz, Bojan Bogdanovic had 15 points and Jordan Clarkson added 13 points off the bench.
The Lakers shot out to an early lead in the first quarter but were reeled back in as both sides went into the second tied at 27, after trading baskets in the early exchanges it was Utah who was able to build a 7-point lead as the sides went back to the locker rooms.
Utah kept building their lead in the third, with the score being 73-60 with 4:46 remaining in the quarter before the Lakers cut the deficit to five with a period to play. The Lakers put together a big run in the fourth, outscoring the Jazz 35-22 to pick up a much-needed win.
“What we saw LeBron do, it's just remarkable, what he continues to do at this point of his career, to take over a game in the fourth quarter the way that he did with his energy, will, and determination, it was really something special,”
- Frank Vogel
Super Bowl magic:
Lebron James was at the Super Bowl last weekend. There he witnessed Aaron Donald lead a Rams fourth-quarter win. He took that momentum Donald created to lead his team to victory over the Jazz.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Milwaukee Bucks
Final Score: 123 – 120
Joel Embiid had a massive game to lead the Sixer past the Bucks at the Fiserv Forum.
Embiid led the Sixers with 42 points and 14 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris both had 19 points, while Georges Niang had 18 points in 40 minutes.
“It was all about the start, from the start, everybody was aggressive,”
- Joel Embiid
Giannis led the Bucks with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in 39 minutes, Jrue Holiday chipped in with 24 points as all the Bucks starters reached double digits in scoring.
Both sides traded baskets in the first quarter, with the Bucks taking a 3-point lead into the second, Milwaukee jumped out to a 12-point lead, before a late Sixers surge gave the visitors an 8-point lead heading into the locker room.
Philly controlled the third quarter, holding keeping their lead to around eight points, with the Bucks only cutting the lead down by a point as the fourth quarter loomed. The Bucks fought hard to take the lead in the fourth, but the Sixers were able to ice the game after several late free throws.
Harden Arrives:
Despite not making his debut, James Harden traveled with the team to Milwaukee and supported his teammates on the bench.
Next Week’s Games:
February 24:
Boston Celtics @ Brooklyn Nets
Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trail Blazers
February 25:
Miami Heat @ New York Knicks
Los Angeles Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers
February 26:
Brooklyn Nets @ Milwaukee Bucks
February 27:
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors
New Orleans Pelicans @ Los Angeles Lakers
Matt Skilton is a multimedia sports journalism graduate and covers all of your sports needs at ThePyrrhic.com. Keep watching for recaps, analysis, trade news, and more!
Follow Matt on Twitter @MSkilton16
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