“Jimmy Buckets” does everything but score in a huge performance
Jimmy Butler has been known as a great two-way player for a long time. However, in a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, he showed that he can have a massive impact for the Miami Heat even when barely scoring the ball.
Butler put up a crazy statline for the night: 5 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals, and 3 blocks. He only picked up one foul while being a terror on defense, and finished the night with a +21 plus-minus rating.
His defensive impact was balanced out by Kendrick Nunn, who led the team with a smooth 28 points. The rookie is having a pretty impressive start to the season, posting up 21 points per game on 48.6% shooting. He’s also shooting 44% from beyond the arc.
Jabari Parker had a good game for the Hawks with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough in the 106-97 loss.
The Pelicans picked a hell of a time to turn it on
We expected the New Orleans Pelicans to be an entertaining team with Zion Williamson on board with the rest of their young talent. But no one expected them to play together so well on the offensive end without their star rookie to start the season.
They’re certainly far from scratching the top of the heap in the Western Conference, but their outing against the Denver Nuggets today showed how deadly their fast offense can be. They outscored their opponents in every quarter of the game, showing their potential especially against opponents whose star Nikola Jokic has a knack for getting winded later in games. The score was 86-80 in the fourth until the Pelicans went on a 20-4 run to pull away for good.
The Pelicans saw 3 players score 20 points or more, and Jrue Holiday narrowly missed that mark with 19. That’s very impressive. No one’s saying the Pelicans will make the playoffs this year, or even next, but their collection of young talent gives home fans a legitimate reason to look forward to the future. This 122-107 victory was a fun one to watch.
This is why the Board Man got paid
Oh what a difference one man can make. The Clippers, who looked discombobulated without their star man Kawhi Leonard against the Jazz, got back to their winning ways against the San Antonio Spurs.
Leonard picked up a double double with 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals. As usual, he made buckets when it mattered, helping widen a small lead in the fourth to pull away. At one point, he scored 15 of 17 Clippers points in the fourth. He showed off his deadly mid-range game again as well.
Montrezl Harrell had a great offensive game as well, putting up 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
The San Antonio Spurs put up a good fight, as they always do, but ultimately fell short in the 103 – 97 loss, their first of the season.
