Klay Thompson and Draymond Green’s stupidity got them kicked out of a game less than two minutes in
The Golden State Warriors have a couple of fading stars who only seem to know how to make stupid plays these days. The most recent example was against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Klay Thompson and Draymond Green found themselves thrown out of a game with less than two minutes played thanks to a stupid exchange that was started by Thompson.
Thompson grabbed Jaden McDaniels’ jersey on one end of the floor, then refused to let go which prompted a reaction from his opponent. As the two took their tiff to center court, other teammates started to surround them. Then, as Green does best, he went for the easiest cheap shot that he could find, which was to choke Rudy Gobert from behind.
That resulted in the expulsion of Green, Thompson and McDaniels, which was surprising since they were playing at Chase Center. The Warriors team was pretty disgusting in their commentary as well, asking what Thompson is supposed to do when someone is grabbing his jersey. Uh… how about he doesn’t grab his opponent’s first?
The Green ejection is made even funnier considering how he tried to rile up Anthony Edwards in their previous game and was promptly laughed at by Minnesota’s young start.
The Warriors ended up losing the game 104-101. They were already without Steph Curry before Thompson and Green decided to head for an early shower.
The Nuggets come from behind to keep James Harden winless in LA
The James Harden era in LA continues to be a winless one after a visit to Denver ended up in a painful 111-108 loss, where they even had multiple leads in the fourth quarter. It started off looking like it was going to be an easy win for the Nuggets, who grabbed a 13-point lead early on, but the Clippers clawed their way back into the game and even led by as much as seven.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, the Nuggets closed the game out with a 19-9 run to take the victory.
Nikola Jokic barely missed a triple-double again with 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. The Joker is potentially putting together his third regular MVP season.
Jokic got a lot of help from Aaron Gordon who had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. Reggie Jackson also had an efficient night, scoring 18 points while shooting 7 of 11 overall.
The Clippers wasted a huge night from Paul George, who had 35 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kawhi Leonard struggled with his shot and made only 5 of 14 shots on the way to 15 points, while Harden had a decent night with 21 points and four assists. The game ended with a bit of an amusing moment after Jokic realized that the Clippers decided to avoid handshakes and just go straight to the locker room.
The Clippers are on a six-game losing streak at the moment and are 0-5 since Harden started playing.
The Pacers and 76ers put on a barnburner of a game
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers handed the Philadelphia 76ers just their second loss of the season. It was a hell of an entertaining contest between two teams that are enjoying their offense this season. The 132-126 contest saw the Pacers lead most of the way, but the 76ers clawed their way back into things in the fourth quarter, even taking a couple of leads, but were unable to close things out.
Haliburton is putting himself in the top five point guard conversation this season and his 33 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists on 11 of 18 shooting was something to behold. These types of games are become more common for him now, but that doesn’t mean we should stop appreciating them.
Obi Toppin also put up 27 points for the Pacers in the victory. The Sixers’ starting five did better than the Pacers, with four players scoring at least 22 points, including 39 by Joel Embiid and 30 for Tyrese Maxey, but they only got six points from their bench, which contributed to the loss. The Pacers, on the other hand, got 33 points from their reserves.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had no answer for rookie Jordan Hawkins
The Dallas Mavericks are in the top three of the Western Conference but today’s 131-110 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans is going to sting. The two stars combined for 33 points, four rebounds eight assists and nine turnovers in 26 minutes apiece while shooting a combined 11 of 31 from the field. That was not enough to outduel Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones, who had 63 together.
Jordan Hawkins, who New Orleans picked 14th in this year’s draft, had a bit of a breakout game as well. He finished with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists with no turnovers.
The San Antonio Spurs are starting to really feel the growing pains
The NBA marketed today’s game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder as the Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgen show, but the two rookies combined for 17 points, 21 rebounds and six assists and didn’t make that much of an impact on the game. What was clear, though, was how much more advanced the Thunder are in their rebuild.
It’s also a good time to point out that comparisons between Wembanyama and Holmgren may be fun because of their size, but it’s a bit unfair for Holmgren as they play entirely different roles. The former is in a situation where he’s expected to instantly be the best player for the team, while the latter is at best the third option playing behind rising stars like Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA led the game in scoring with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists and seven (!) steals while shooting 10 of 16 from the field – and he’s been kicking serious ass recently.
The 123-87 defeat hurts for the Spurs, but these are the kind of learning experiences that Wembanyama and the rest of his teammates will go through a lot this year.
