Golden State have won two on the trot after a 120-97 beatdown of Orlando on Tuesday. The win was somewhat overshadowed by Draymond Green marching off the floor after an exchange with Steve Kerr, but the result was the more important thing for GS, who flexed their two-way muscle as Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry each put up 20+ points. Moody was excellent on both ends, with 20 points, three assists and two blocks, while Butler had a very efficient 21 points, four assists and one block. Curry didn’t have his best shooting night, with 26 points on 10/23 shooting, while also adding six assists and two steals and Brandin Podziemski chipped in with 16 points and five assists to make it an excellent night in San Francisco.
Dallas held on to beat Dallas 131-130 on Wednesday, marking another big moment in Cooper Flagg’s rookie season. It was a nervous watch down the stretch, with a 21-point lead in the second quarter disappearing early on in the fourth, making for a back-and-forth final period. Dallas managed to keep their noses in front for most of the final four minutes and the door was left ajar for the visitors as Ryan Nembhard missed his shot on Dallas’ final possession. However, a wide-open Payton Watson couldn’t knock down the three, seeing Dallas record a big win on the back of a near triple-double from Flagg. The young gun finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on excellent shooting splits, making for perhaps his best game of the season, while Anthony Davis dropped 31 points and nine rebounds.
With what looks like a fully-healthy Golden State team, with Al Horford set to return after missing the last seven games, it’s hard to see the hosts dropping this game. Dallas are finding their identity as Davis returns to full fitness and Flagg continues to improve, but this established GS side will be too savvy and too good, and they will have a plan to keep Flagg pressured which will shut down Dallas.
The Lakers lost to Phoenix for the second time this month on Wednesday, in a 108-132 thumping in the Valley. It was all Phoenix in this clash, as Luka Dončić missed the game with a lower leg contusion and Rui Hachimura sat out with a groin niggle. With the team’s lead ball handler out, LA coughed up 17 turnovers and that resulted in a sub-par offensive night, but it was on the defensive end where it all went wrong. With a defensive rating of 152.6, it was a disaster of a defensive showing, as Phoenix shot the lights out and consistently got to the rim, where little resistance was offered from Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes and co. LeBron James did his best to get the offence going with 23 points and six assists and Reaves had 17 points in 22 minutes, but it became clear in the third quarter that this wasn’t going to be the Lakers’ night, as Phoenix’s scoring avalanche continued.
Houston also come into this game off a disappointing defeat, falling to the Clippers 108-128 on Wednesday. It’s been a rough road trip so far for Ime Udoka’s side, with a 1-4 record, and they had no energy on Wednesday, as the game got away from them in the second half. Scoring just 73 points across the final three quarters, it was a lackluster offensive night from the visitors, but their defence was their downfall, as Kawhi Leonard ran riot and Houston had no answer. It was a midrange and three-point masterclass from Leonard and the Clippers, and solid scoring nights from Alperen Şengün, Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson couldn’t get Houston the offence that they needed. Şengün had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, Durant had a smooth 22 and Amen Thompson had 19 points, nine boards and five assists, but poor showings from Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason and Steven Adams meant that there was little offence coming from elsewhere.
Dončić is expected to return for the Christmas game which is a huge boost for Los Angeles, while Şengün is questionable for Houston. That leaves some question marks around Houston’s star, but they match up very well against this Lakers outfit and have the tools to really disrupt their offence. Their length and strength will bother Dončić and Reaves, and they will be able to limit James’ opportunities. I really like Houston in this spot.
Denver have lost two of their last three games, with a shock 130-131 loss to Dallas on Wednesday being the most recent blow. They fell behind by 21 points early in the second quarter after a terrible defensive start to the game, with the hosts leading 29-50 after just 14 minutes of play, and while Denver’s offence came to life from that point on to eventually take a small lead early in the fourth, they didn’t have gas in the tank down the stretch. Denver’s usual late-game polish wasn’t quite there this time around and it was Payton Watson who was especially guilty, missing a wide-open look in the final possession which would have been the game-winner. Jokić was the one who set him up with an excellent pass in another excellent playmaking game from the Serbian, who finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists and three steals and Jamal Murray also continued his hot form, with 31 points, seven boards and 14 dimes. Tim Hardaway Jr again knocked down his shots for 23 points and Bruce Brown Jr was solid with 13 points and seven boards, helping cover for the injured Cameron Johnson who hobbled off the court early in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota are in a hot run of form, with five wins from their last six games and they come into this clash off a 115-104 win over New York on Wednesday. With no Jalen Brunson in the visitors’ lineup, it was certainly a weakened NY team, but Minnesota again showed off their defence when it mattered most, limiting the visitors to just 25 points in the fourth to seal the win. It’s now five elite defensive performances on the trot for Chris Finch’s men and it was Rudy Gobert who was at the forefront of that effort, with 11 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Anthony Edwards was also engaged defensively but his offensive performance was the standout, dropping 38 points and four steals, while Julius Randle found his range for 25 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Johnson will miss Friday’s game for Denver, joining Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun as key injuries for the hosts, and that leaves the door ajar for Minnesota here. Their defence is locked in at the moment and we have seen them have success in slowing Jokić and/or Murray in the past. As underdogs, I fancy Minnesota.