It was an underwhelming top of the league showdown on Wednesday, as Detroit defeated and undermanned Oklahoma City 124-116. Missing six key rotation players, the defending champions were always a step slower than Detroit, as the Eastern Conference leaders recorded a relatively straightforward victory, despite OKC bringing it to within single figures in the final minutes. A 2-15 run from Oklahoma City at the end of the first quarter put them up 12 points, indicating that the second-string squad were up for the fight, but Detroit were quick to bounce back and took the lead before halftime. It was a stellar two-way performance from Cade Cunningham, who had 29 points, 13 assists, three steals and three blocks to lead the charge, while Jalen Duren also stood out on both ends. The big man had 29 points and 15 rebounds and an efficient night, making the most of an OKC team without Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Ausar Thompson also impressed when 11 points, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, wreaking havoc against the defending champions who were without a proven ball handler.
Cleveland suffered a costly 116-118 defeat to Milwaukee on Thursday. There were 22 lead changes in the game and Milwaukee looked like they were going to pull away in the third quarter as they built a 12-point lead, but Cleveland immediately bounced back to set up tight final quarter. Neither team was able to gain much separation in the fourth, leading to Cleveland having a chance to tie the game or win it in their final possession. Jarrett Allen looked to have tied the game with a last-second put-back but it was waived off on review, seeing Cleveland go down. With James Harden and Donovan Mitchell on the sidelines sitting out with injury, Dennis Schröder was given the lead guard responsibilities and he delivered, recording 26 points and five assists. The same couldn’t be said about Jaylon Tyson, who also had an increased role, recording an inefficient 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, but Jarrett Allen was the star for the visitors recording 27 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and one block.
It was a flat overall showing from the hosts and they will be hoping that Mitchell recovers quickly from his groin injury and that Harden’s thumb injury will not impact his play too much as he looks to play through it. However, against a dogged Detroit defence, I don’t have high hopes for this, with the #1 seeds set to assert their dominance at home.
Milwaukee have quietly worked their way to an 8-2 record in their last two games, with a 118-116 victory over Cleveland being their latest scalp. Kevin Porter Jr was the hero, hitting the game-winner over Jarrett Allen, before Allen himself got off what would have been the game-tying shot milliseconds too late, seeing Milwaukee hang on for the win. Porter did it all for the hosts, with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and one block and his backcourt partner Ryan Rollins had 18 points and nine assists in another smooth showing. Kyle Kuzma hit five threes for 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and one steal, with AJ Green also drilling five threes.
New York were made to look ordinary against Cleveland on Wednesday, losing 94-109. New York never really looked like they were in the fight, falling behind 26-35 at the end of the first quarter, but it was an 11-point third quarter that really killed them. That contributed towards a woeful 95.5 offensive rating, as Jalen Brunson (6/19 FGs), Mikal Bridges (6/17) and OG Anunoby (2/9) all had awful shooting nights from the floor. Mitchell Robinson was perhaps NY’s best, with 11 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive) and two blocks in just 19 minutes, but there were few other positives in a loss that could mean a lot in the standings at the end of the season.
New York have been mediocre since returning from the All-Star break and I can’t get behind them as big road favourites. Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee have been decent in recent weeks, with a +5.5 net rating in their last 10 games, and they will make things hard for the visitors.
The big news for Oklahoma City is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will make his return from injury on Saturday after missing the team’s last nine games, setting up a showdown between the last two MVPs. His return from an abdominal injury comes at a much-needed time for the defending champions after a 116-124 loss to Detroit on Thursday. SGA was one of the six key players that were out for the visitors, and their skeleton squad fought hard but never really threatened Detroit other than during a hot run to end the first. Jaylin Williams was the hot hand, with 30 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and one block, including going 5/10 from deep, while Cason Wallace had another solid game as the starting point guard, with 23 points and five dimes. The team’s lack of interior defence really hurt though, as Detroit regularly got into the paint and were met with little resistance, resulting in a loss for OKC.
It all came together for Denver on Thursday, as they thumped Boston 103-84. Boston came to town as one of the hottest teams in the league but the 2023 champions made them look very poor, holding them to just a 88.5 offensive rating thanks to a dominant second half. The hosts were behind 47-48 at halftime but an elite defensive effort saw them hold Boston to just 36 second half points, allowing them to run away with a comfortable win. Denver’s big men, namely Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valančiūnas, were elite, with the Joker posting 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, despite struggling from the field with 11/28 FGs, and his backup had 11 points, six rebounds and one block in just 12 minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr had a tidy 14 points as Jamal Murray was unable to play past the first quarter, leaving the game with an illness.
He’s questionable for Saturday, while SGA, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso are all set to return for OKC. That puts the defending champions in a good position to focus their defence on Jokić and keep a lid on Denver’s offence, which will see them win well at home.