Kobe’s swan song continues close to home as the Lakers travel to Philly to face the winless 76ers.
Rockets (7-10) versus Pistons (8-9)
Dwight Howard versus Andre Drummond is must-watch ball. If there’s a player in history whose career arc and style of play is similar to Drummond’s, it might be Dwight—minus last season’s regression prior to Detroit acquiring Reggie Jackson.
The Pistons have fallen off a bit of late, losing four of their last five while slipping out of the playoff picture. If the Pistons are going to be among the top eight teams in the suddenly competitive East, Stan Van Gundy’s team needs to get it together—starting with R-Jax. It’s not that he isn’t having a decent season thus far—he is. It’s the stupid turnovers that are killer—especially live-ball ones that result in transition opportunities for opponents.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will try to slow James Harden, but lately the Rockets have been losing even on nights when he goes for 40 points on less than 20 shots. Hopefully this game doesn’t become a hack-fest with Howard and Drummond alternating free-throw attempts, although it would only further illustrate the similarities between the two centers.
The Rockets have gotten next to nothing from Ty Lawson, who was the team’s big off-season acquisition that GM Daryl Morey undoubtedly thought could be the final piece. Sunday versus the Knicks, Lawson sat the entire game but was not on the injury list.
Houston has a lot of eyes on them right now, especially after firing Kevin McHale and getting off to a slow start amid injuries and questionable defensive effort. In an effort to fix that, coach J.B. Bickerstaff has thrown Clint Capela into the starting lineup alongside Dwight Howard. That’s about as strong of a two-man frontcourt as anyone could hope for, and should make life more difficult for opponents attempting to attack the paint. Capela spent a lot of time developing in the D-League, and he has impressed all season after breaking out in the playoffs. This frontcourt duo will be tested against the Pistons, a team that basically only plays four-out-one-in these days.
Both teams had games in New York on Sunday, with Detroit losing to Brooklyn and Houston beating New York, so fatigue could be a factor. Houston and Detroit are both desperate for a win, and this Monday night match-up should be a wild ride.
(Editor’s Note: Pistons won 116-105 on Monday night)
Lakers (2-14) versus 76ers (0-18)
Kobe Bryant makes his final visit to Philadelphia as a professional basketball player. Bryant graduated from local Lower Merion High School, and needless to say Lakers fans are everywhere—even when the team isn’t doing well. I’ve already purchased a ticket for Tuesday’s game, which may very well be the Sixers’ first victory of the season. For Bryant, he’ll probably have a tough time scoring the ball with Robert Covington shadowing him, but there’s no doubt Bryant will be looking to give the Philly fans one final show.
Coming off games versus the Rockets and Grizzlies, Jahlil Okafor will have another brutal matchup at center in Roy Hibbert. The rookie will be hard-pressed to carry the scoring load against one of the league’s top rim protectors unless he brings Hibbert out of his comfort zone by consistently hitting short- to mid-range shots. If he can force Hibbert away from the basket, there’s no denying Okafor has the quickness to blow by him, but first he has to gain his respect and force him to play outside of the paint.
That’s the problem for the Sixers, though. Their most established scoring option is a rookie. Worse yet, the majority of the players don’t exactly complement Oak on either side of the floor. If Covington gets it going on offense, that will certainly help, and hopefully Kendall Marshall is able to make a difference when he is able to return, but the reality is that this team still lacks enough respectable outside shooters, which is necessary to successfully surround a big man without infinite range like Oak. It’s like Al Jefferson said: “three-point shooting is what makes me who I am.”
The short reason that the Lakers present a good chance for Philly to earn its elusive first victory is that they aren’t a good basketball team. Head coach Byron Scott should probably have been shown the door this past summer if he wasn’t planning to play D’Angelo Russell, and Bryant is years removed from resembling an efficient basketball player. Apart from Jordan Clarkson’s quality play and the occasional Julius Randle outburst, the season has largely been a disaster that can be summarized with a GIF of Marcelo Huertas getting his ankles annihilated.
The Sixers’ Sam Hinkie, tired of failing to tank (Philly hasn’t finished with the worst record yet in his tenure), would probably love to see the Lakers win this one, especially since they own the Lakers’ first-round pick (top-three protected). Still, I have a feeling that this will be the night Philly gets off the ground.
Magic (9-8) versus Wolves (8-9)
These two teams met on Nov. 18, making this their final match-up of the 2015-16 season. This duel made the Games of the Week list that week and wound up being a 104-101 thriller in which Evan Fournier sealed the overtime win with a three-pointer in the closing seconds.
Victor Oladipo was making his return from a concussion, and coach Scott Skiles benched him and Nikola Vucevic in the second half since they were struggling. Meanwhile, Fournier, Elfrid Payton, Tobias Harris and others carried the Magic past the finish line despite solid showings from Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Ricky Rubio.
Orlando is 9-8 entering the contest after winning three straight games since Skiles opted to change the starting lineup by replacing Oladipo with Channing Frye. Oladipo has been able to come off the bench playing extremely aggressively, and he looks much more comfortable than he did early in the season. Perhaps it’s that he isn’t sharing the floor as frequently with Payton, but I think it’s also the fact that the Magic’s bench unit lacks a true scoring punch. Jonathan Tjarks predicted a lineup change might be forthcoming after the team’s marathon-loss to the Thunder in the opening weeks of the season, and though Channing Frye has been Oladipo’s replacement as a starter instead of Aaron Gordon, the team adds a more consistent shooter to start the game while bringing in a much-needed playmaker for the second unit.
Now things get rough and tumble. Tuesday is the first of a five-game road trip in which they’ll face the Wolves, Jazz, Clippers, Nuggets, and Suns. The good news is that the trip features only one back-to-back set. The bad news is that they have no cushion between themselves and the ninth-seeded 9-8 Celtics whom they blew out on Sunday night—with Detroit, New York, and Washington all not far behind either.
The Wolves on the other hand are 8-9 entering the game, and have been playing it cautious with Rubio’s left ankle—the same one he had trouble with last season. Zach LaVine has continued to improve, and will draw the start if Rubio can’t go. The one thing I expect from this game is for Oladipo to pile up the points off the bench, as the Wolves’ bench is not particularly strong defensively, and if Kevin Martin makes another start at the two in favor of an injured Tayshaun Prince, Fournier will probably get back on track after a few off nights.
Nets (4-13) versus Knicks (8-10)
New York has stolen back the trophy in the battle of the boroughs—and for the foreseeable future. If you don’t know who Kristaps Porzingis is, there’s simply no chance you’ve read this far. The guy is unbelievable, and regardless of what team you like, it’s really hard not to root for the guy. The Knicks probably still don’t feed him the ball as often as they should, but I’m definitely happy for Knicks fans, who have endured a lot of losing in recent memory. Sure, they’ve lost four games in a row now, but competing for a playoff spot should make for a fun season even if they fall short in the end.
The Nets are actually winning a few games these days. Believe it or not, they are 4-6 in their previous 10 games entering Tuesday’s match-up with the Suns. Rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been hosting his coming out party of late, and already has a great nickname in the Brooklyn Bandit. The team actually looks competitive on a near-nightly basis now that they began giving him meaningful minutes. It’s undoubtedly going to be a long season for the Nets, who, like the Knicks, don’t own their own first-round pick in 2016, but I for one am excited to watch the Brooklyn Bandit matchup with Carmelo Anthony on Friday. With names like Kristaps Porzingis and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, it’s not like these guys needed neat nicknames. Still, I’m a fan of the three-six Latvia (h/t Robert Silverman) and B.B. monikers.
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