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Matt Skilton
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NBA Weekly 2/28 - 3/6
The Latest From The Week That Was In The NBA
The Lakers were featured in three games, Harden debuted for the Sixers and the Celtics won both their games, let's jump into the week that was.
Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics
Final Score: 98 – 107
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a win over the Hawks at The Garden.
Tatum had 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes, Grant Williams and Derrick White both added 18 points off the bench, while Marcus Smart added 16 points, five assists, and six rebounds.
Trae Young led the Hawks’ scoring with 31 points off 12-25 shooting and six assists and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 25 points off the bench off 10-16 from the field.
“I think we kind of bailed them out and let them off the hook taking some shots and obviously not attacking like we did in the first half,”
- Trae Young
Both sides played out a close first quarter before the Hawks shot out to a 28-19 lead in the final minutes, the Hawks took their momentum into the second, building a 17-point lead, but Boston was able to cut the lead to 15 points at the half.
Boston quickly closed the deficit in the third, with both sides trading baskets through the quarter, the home side made the fourth quarter their own, outscoring the Hawks 25-20, with the Hawks struggling to mount a challenge.
Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers
Final Score: 109 – 104
The Dallas Mavericks rallied to hold off the Lakers after blowing a big lead at the Crypto.com Arena.
Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, Jalen Brunson added 22 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 points in 39 minutes.
Lebron James had 26 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes, Carmelo Anthony had 20 points off the bench, while Malik Monk added 17 points.
“We still have games to play, until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, I've got a chance. So that's my confidence. We've got to come here and win ballgames and play better, but as long as we've got ballgames to play, we've got a chance,”
- Lebron James
Both sides traded baskets throughout the first quarter, with the Mavs taking a 5-point lead into the second. Dallas built onto their lead, outscoring the Lakers 41-31, to take a 15-point lead into the locker rooms.
The Lakers made their presence known in the third quarter, storming back into the game after outscoring the visitors 31-14, to take a 2-point lead into the final quarter. LA led for the majority of the fourth, but Dallas was able to retake control with a few minutes remaining, where they closed out the game.
Worrying Westbrook:
It was a tough night for Russell Westbrook, with the 2017 MVP shooting 5-17 from the field and missing all four 3-point attempts.
New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers
Final Score: 108 – 123
James Harden shot new life into a Philly team in his debut against the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center.
Joel Embiid led the Sixers’ scoring with 27 points and 12 rebounds, Harden had 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds and Tyrese Maxey had 25 points off 7-12 from the field.
“I feel like you can put me anywhere in the room and I can fit in, here is no different. Just see what you have and try your best to fit in. Be the best James Harden I can be in every aspect,”
- James Harden
RJ Barrett put up 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Julius Randle added 24 points and six rebounds as the New York roster struggled to put up points.
New York took an early lead and piled on 33 points in the first quarter, the visitors continued to build their lead in the second before the Sixers rallied to trail by seven points as the sides went into the locker rooms.
The Sixers took the lead midway through the third, on their way to outscoring the Knicks 38-19, the home side then built on the 12-point lead in the fourth, with the Knicks failing to threaten.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Boston Celtics
Final Score: 107 – 120
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics past the Grizzlies despite Ja Morant’s effort at The Garden.
Tatum put up 37 points, five assists, and six rebounds, Al Horford added 21 points and 15 rebounds and Marcus Smart had 18 points and 12 assists.
“I think it was just kind of one of those moments — two guys just going at it and doing what they can to try and will their team to a victory, it just so happened that it was kind of a back-and-forth thing,”
- Jayson Tatum
Morant had 38 points and seven assists, Jaron Jackson Jr. added 20 points and seven rebounds and Desmond Bane had 17 points in 34 minutes.
Both sides played out a close first quarter, but the Celtics were able to pull out to a 5-point lead late on. The Grizzlies then reeled the home side back in, to cut the deficit to two points with a half to play.
Boston built their lead up again in the third, outscoring Memphis 36-27, both sides played out a high-scoring fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies weren’t able to cut into the deficit.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Los Angeles Clippers
Final Score: 111 – 132
The LA Clippers claimed the season sweep over the Lakers in a blowout win at the Crypto.com Arena.
Reggie Jackson poured on 36 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, Ivica Zubac had 19 points and nine rebounds and Marcus Morris Sr. added 14 points.
“We came out on a mission, we wanted to close out. We're still a hungry team. We feel like we're writing our own story. We know what the narrative is with our guys out. We're trying to do something special with this group. It's about this team, to write our own story,”
- Reggie Jackson
Lebron James had 26 points and seven rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 17 points and eight rebounds and Carmelo Anthony added 13 points off the bench.
The Clippers outscored the Lakers 36-31 in a high-scoring first quarter and built their lead out to 17 points in the second, but the Lakers rallied, making the deficit 66-63 heading into the locker rooms.
The Clippers surged to a 40-point quarter during the third, and built a 30-point lead in the process, the Lakers outscored their rivals by four points in the fourth, but this one was over long before the final buzzer.
New DJ:
After DeAndre Jordan left the Lakers for Philadelphia, the 17-time NBA champions added DJ Augustin, who had three points and six assists in his Lakers debut.
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
Final Score: 116 – 124
Lebron James led the Lakers past the Warriors at the Crypto.com Arena.
Lebron James led the Lakers with 56 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 20 points and Carmelo Anthony added 14 points off the bench in 25 minutes.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 30 points, Jordan Poole added 23 points off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga also came off the bench for 18 points.
The Lakers took an early lead, taking a 32-25 lead into the second quarter, the Warriors then kicked into gear, outscoring the home side 42-30 to take a 5-point lead into the break.
The lead stayed the same throughout the third, with both sides trading baskets and scoring 27 points each. The Lakers quickly cut down the deficit in the fourth, before both sides traded leads, a late surge from the Lakers sealed the win.
Next Week’s TV Schedule:
March 8:
New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies
LA Clippers @ Golden State Warriors
March 9:
Phoenix Suns @ Miami Heat
Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz
March 10:
Brooklyn Nets @ Philadelphia 76ers
Golden State Warriors @ Denver Nuggets
March 12:
Milwaukee Bucks @ Golden State Warriors
March 13:
LA Lakers @ Phoenix Suns
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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