After a three-game lull on Thursday for the TNT spotlight, tonight’s slate offers a robust 11 games from which to choose, highlighted by NBATV’s national coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the upstart New York Knicks.
New York gave the Cavs all they could handle for about two and a half quarters or so when they battled at Quicken Loans Arena just over a week ago, and despite their losing record they have continued to give opponents fits, as evidenced by their meager -0.2 point differential.
The early emergence of rookie Kristaps Porzingis has strengthened their interior defense while freeing up Carmelo Anthony to find his shot. The return of Arron Afflalo to the guard rotation should help to mitigate the middling 32.4 percent rate they’re allowing from behind the arc as well.
It’s tough to say whether this is a playoff team yet, but since the eighth seed in the East is pretty much up for grabs every year it’s certainly feasible to think we might see them in the postseason for the first time since former coach Mike Woodson led them there in 2012-13.
Of the six teams that played on Thursday, two of them are also playing tonight: the Utah Jazz follow the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent trek through Florida, as they travel from Miami to Orlando to face the Magic; and the Minnesota Timberwolves meet the Pacers in Indianapolis after hosting the Golden State Warriors the night before.
Both teams will be playing their third game in four nights, but the T-Wolves sat three starters against Charlotte on Nov. 10. Like the Knicks, the Lobos have also been a pleasant surprise so far, but with the defending champs having their way on Thursday it could mean additional bench time for rising stars Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins.
Statistical Insights
Last season the Atlanta Hawks took two out of three from the Boston Celtics, with an average margin of victory of +5.7 that includes a one-point loss. Hawks center Al Horford played in two of the meetings, and his 19.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG were both above his season averages of 15.2 and 7.2, respectively.
In two games against the Philadelphia Sixers last season, OKC’s Russell Westbrook averaged 38.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game, but by far the better game of the two was a ridiculous triple-double that took place after Kevin Durant was lost for the season. It would be difficult to fade the former UCLA Bruin under similar circumstances.
As of this writing, the highest Vegas total goes to the L.A. Lakers/Dallas Mavericks tilt at 210. The Mavs should find smoother sailing in this contest after pulling away late against the other Staples Center denizens on Wednesday. Any Dallas player who is not on a minutes restriction would probably merit consideration here, including Dirk Nowitzki (who has discovered der Jungbrunnen as of late), Zaza Pachulia (who can make free throws) and possibly Deron Williams or Dwight Powell, if you’re feeling lucky.
Interestingly, the Lakers have multiple players who are among the league leaders in defensive rating (through 11/11): Brandon Bass (114.8), Julius Randle (114.4), Jordan Clarkson (113.2), D’Angelo Russell (112.9), Roy Hibbert (112.6) and Kobe Bryant (112.3). Would you like to guess how many of them have a positive net rating (offensive rating minus defensive rating)?
Zero.
The team is in the bottom five in terms of assists and they are turning the ball over more than their opponents, so it doesn’t matter enough that they are ahead in both steal and blocks if they can’t convert them into points on a consistent basis.
By contrast, here are some of the net rating leaders: Andre Iguodala (22.4), Harrison Barnes (22.2), Draymond Green (19.3), Stephen Curry (19.3), and Shaun Livingston (18.3). The Golden State Warriors don’t just “outgun” everyone; they shut them down in the process. The up-tempo teams that emphasize offense (e.g., Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns) are fun to watch but they don’t seem to get very far in the playoffs.
Next: Injury Notes & Elite Options
Add us as a preferred source on Google