On a recent episode of his podcast, Rich Paul made the claim that Anthony Edwards is currently the best player in the NBA.
“You can’t watch a game on any given night against anybody and look at that game and say, ‘Oh, that person is better than Anthony Edwards.’ I love Jokic, but no.”
– Rich Paul, via Game Over podcast
So now you know I gotta ask…
There’s just something about the Nuggets/Clippers matchup that always produces incredible matchups and this was no exception. Benedict Mathurin (career-high 38pts/5r/4a/3stl) put on a show in his first game with LA but it was a missed free throw late from Jamal Murray that’s going to be the talking point. At the line with a chance to tie and Murray’s shot just bounced out, depriving fans of an extra period between those two teams.
It’s been an interesting stretch for Denver since Nikola Jokic returned from injury. Denver is just 3-5 in the eight games since his return and Jokic’s own numbers are below his lofty standards, averaging 24pts/13r/9a on 59.9% TS. Obviously injuries have been a huge part of this team’s up and down performance but this is going to be an interesting second-half team to watch.
Shoutout to Cade Cunningham man. Thursday morning GQ Magazine posted an interview with him where he called himself the “best American basketball player” and some of the league’s other best players free throw merchants and then Thursday night he walked into Madison Square Garden and gave the Knicks a clean 42pts/13a/8r with just three free throw attempts for the game. It was unbelievable to watch.
What’s even crazier is although Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren remain suspended by the league, the Pistons somehow still out-rebounded the Knicks 44-38.
The Celtics kicked off the second-half of their season by heading into the Bay to take on the Warriors and former teammates Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. It was a pretty thorough beatdown as Boston led 74-51 by halftime.
Kristaps Porzingis (making his team debut) had 12pts in 17 minutes of action and provided a bit of a spark during the Warriors’ 37-19 fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough, prompting Jaylen Brown to tease his former teammates afterwards.
That’s why he’s the GOAT.
Some disappointing news for Warriors fans as the team announced Steph Curry would miss at least the next five games with lingering soreness in his right knee. MRI’s show no structural damage which is encouraging but still, Steph just can’t quite shake the injury, commonly referred to as “Runner’s Knee.” The earliest Steph may return now would be March 2nd, a Warriors’ home game vs. the Clippers.
If you’ve been following LaMelo Ball’s time in Charlotte then you’re probably not too shocked to hear he was involved in a car accident this week but thankfully everyone walked away without injury.
The incident was caught on video as well.
On Thursday after the Hornets’ loss, LaMelo was asked about it and left mid-interview, revealing one of the craziest wardrobe choices imaginable for someone who knew he was going to be asked about such a serious topic.
Earlier this week there were reports that multiple gambling companies had been campaigning for the NBA to address tanking and players resting as it was impacting their ability to set odds for games and individual performances. Well, wouldn’t you know it that about a day after those stories started coming out, the NBA suddenly announced that they would be making anti-taking rule changes to begin next season. Some options being discusses include:
First-round picks can be protected only top-4 or top-14+
Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date
No longer allowing a team to pick top 4 in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-3 finishes
Teams can’t pick top-4 the year after making conference finals
Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records
Lottery extended to include all play-in teams
Flatten odds for all lottery teams
I don’t hate that they’re going to address this but I wish it wasn’t just a result of angry gambling corporations. Like, I’d like for the people running the league to at least pretend they care about basketball too.
– Cade Cunningham profiled for GQ
– Devin Booker forced out of Suns/Spurs matchup with hip injury
– “I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense” – KD for the first time ever
– Trae Young ramping up basketball activities, will be re-evaluated next week
– Lakers expect Reaves, Luka to be available for Friday vs. Clippers
– Mavs’ Cooper Flagg to miss Friday’s game vs. Timberwolves
– Brandon Miller broke the Hornets’ record for consecutive free throws, and then missed his very next one
– Jaylen Brown responds after Beverly Hills PD issues apology statement
Cavaliers at Hornets
Heat at Hawks
Clippers at Lakers
Magic at Suns
Rockets at Knicks
Cavaliers at Thunder
Nuggets at Warriors
Celtics at Lakers
76ers at Timberwolves
Trail Blazers at Suns
Thank you guys so much for checking out today’s HOOPS, I hope you had a great week and enjoyed some time before the second-half of the season really ramps up. Have a good weekend everyone, stay safe and take care.
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