November 10, 2023 Games

Philadelphia 76ers 114 (7-1) @ Detroit Pistons 106 (2-8)

The Pistons were looking good to start the game in the first half. Their success was as a result of attacking embiid in the pick and roll, and making the mid-range jump shots. Embiid had to drop back when put into that situation, allowing space for the players to get a shot off. Detroit has a good balance of shooting, they don't shoot too many 3's but when they do, they can make them. Their scoring comes from close to the basket. In the second half, the Sixers took over by giving scoring in the paint, mostly Embiid and Maxey. One theme with Embiid is that because he is so big, he is able to draw a lot of fould, causing a large percentage of his totla points coming from free throws. This was the case today, as the Pistons are undersized at the Center position, Embiid was able to get alot of foul calls allowing him to get 16 points at the free throw line out of his 33 total points in the game, almost 50% where the average may be around 10%-20%.

Charlotte Hornets 124 (3-5) @ Washington Wizards 117 (2-6)

I don't enjoy watching these teams :( They both have poor shot quality, and aren't smart teams. They're also so unpredictable, you don't know what you're going to get from them. Today, they both looked for their shots inside but the Wizards found themselves getting good shots from 3, more specifically Corey Kispert. It wasn't enough though as the Hornets out-rebounded them by 31 rebounds, leading to 32 second chance points which ultimately helped the Hornets win the game. Mark Williams is to credit for all those rebounds as he positioned himself well and his wingspan (almost 8 feet) helped him get the boards. Both teams lack proper defensive rotations though.

Brooklyn Nets 107 (4-5) @ Boston Celtics 121 (6-2)

The Nets will be without Cam Thomas, their leading scorer, for a couple weeks as he deals with an ankle injury. His presence was missed today and will continue to be missed. Although, it might not have made that much of a difference, it would have relieved some of the scoring pressure that is now upon others. The Celtics play defense really well, especially on the perimeter around the 3 point line, where the Nets focus their offense from. Both teams have made it clear that they're going to be 3 point shooting teams, the defnese is where they separate from each other, though. The Celtics make the right defnesive reads and know where and when to help. That was ultimately the difference maker, the Celtics made the right defensive plays and made the 3's when it mattered down the stretch.

New Orleans Pelicans 101 (4-5) @ Houston Rockets 104 (5-3)

Fred Van Vleet, the Rockets leader, took over in the last minutes of the gme which helped them get the win. That's now five straight win for the Rockets, who are one of most surprising teams so far to start the season. Ime Udoka, their coach, has them on a new defensive level this year. They are more disciplined and not flying around wrecklessly like they were last year. They also have a veterean leader in FVV who can calm them down when needed. The Pelicans will be fine as long as they can get some help from the bench, who only contributed 7 points tonight.

Utah Jazz 127 (3-7) @ Memphis Grizzlies 121 (1-8)

It looked like this was going to be a comfortable Jazz win as they were leading by 21, but Desmond Bane finally got it going and brought the Grizzlies back after Jaren Jackson Jr was ejected. The defense today was rough as they're both teams who don't rotate quick enough and are a bit slow.

Minnesota Timberwolves 117 (6-2) @ San Antonio Spurs 110 (3-6)

Karl Anthony Towns heard the chatter about him not performing and so he decided to have a monster 3rd quarter which helped open up a big lead for the Wolves. The Spurs actually put together a little run in the 4th quarter which brought the game kind of close but obviously wasn't enough. Something about Wemby thats interesting is that he's been coming alive in the 4th quarter. I'm scared to see what he'll be like if he is that dominant for all quarters.

Los Angeles Clippers 126 (3-5) @ Dallas Mavericks 144 (7-2)

Yikes, another loss for the Clippers. They're building chemistry with essentially a new team and new rotations but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be competing. Honestly, it just seemed like they didn't want to play today. Kyrie and Luka played so well for the Mavs tonight and it wasn't much of a game after the first quarter. A good ol' fashioned butt whooping. In the first few minutes of the game, it looked like the Clippers might put up a fight as the Mavs had turnovers and were missing their shots, but man that turned around in a heartbeat. the Mavs outscored the Clippers in the second quarter, 47 - 18. Wow.

Oklahoma City Thunder 98 (5-4) @ Sacramento Kings 105 (4-4)

This was a game of turnovers and missed shots for both teams, specifically missed 3's. I hate to keep saying it but the Kings really miss Fox. On defense, his quickness and IQ would've helped to keep SGA from scoring 33 points for the Thunder. He's also the most trustworthy on offense for that team as he was one of the most clutch players in the league last season. They pulled off the win though with the help of Keegan Murray who continues to impress and Kevin Huerter who had been struggling to start the season but has had solid back-to-back games. Two wins in a row now for the Kings after they had a three game losing streak.

Los Angeles Lakers 122 (4-5) @ Phoenix Suns 119 (4-5)

The role players coming in clutch down the stretch, Reddish, Rui, and Prince for the Lakers. The Suns were leaving the corner 3's open and the Lakers were knocking them down, especially Cam. They were also jumping the passing lanes creating steals for themselves. KD did what KD does and took over the game but the denfense of the Lakers was there to give him a hard time. The story of the game was the Lakers being outrebounded for most of the game until they finally started rebounding as a TEAM and running to the ball instead of standing around and watching. The Suns need Booker to get healthy soon and Beal to get back into his groove because boy oh boy do they need it.