NBA Weekly Roundup 8

As we get set to close out the second month of NBA action this week, it’s nice to see that at least one of the major sports holds to form and is predictable. 

Quite a little shake-up at the top of the scoreboard after the end of this week in the NBA, as the Boston Celtics, keep the top with the Milwaukee Bucks closes behind, but now the New Orleans Pelicans are closing in on the third spot.

The Celtics were looking to get another long winning streak going before they snapped on 3 when they lost to the Golden State Warriors to finish their week. 

For their part, the current champions, Golden State Warriors, lost 2 of their 3 games this week, but thanks to the aforementioned victory against the Celtics, they ended the week on a high note.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – Houston Rockets vs. Philadelphia 76ers

When: 

Monday, December 05 at 08:00 pm ET at the Toyota Center

Moneyline odds: 

Rockets +270 

76ers -345

After a four-game west coast road trip, the Houston Rockets returned to their home court Monday night for a match against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Before fouling out, Joel Embiid scored a game-high 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting, but the Rockets prevailed to take a 132-123 double-overtime win over the 76ers inside the Toyota Center.

Jalen Green led the way for the Rockets with a team-best 27 points.

The Rockets found themselves in an early double-digit rut for the fourth consecutive game. 

The 76ers began the night on a 10-0 run. 

Houston’s first basket did not come until the 9:16 mark of the first quarter when Porter drilled a pair of free throws. 

He finished the game with 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

The Rockets entered the second quarter trailing the 76ers by three but ended the half with a 56-55 lead.

Tari Eason provided the Rockets a lift during the third quarter. He scored 11 of his 18 points during the period, as Houston entered the fourth quarter with a 90-84 lead.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets

When: 

Thursday, December 08 at 10:00 pm ET at the Moda Center

Moneyline odds: 

Trail Blazers +105

Denver Nuggets -115

Jamal Murray’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining lifted the Denver Nuggets to a thrilling 121-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

Damian Lillard had 40 points for the Trail Blazers, including a 3-pointer that gave them a one-point lead with 8.8 seconds remaining.

Murray then answered with his 3 from the left side for the last of the game’s 20 lead changes.

Jokic had 33 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists for Denver, which rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to snap a three-game losing streak.

Murray scored 21 points in a memorable moment in his return after missing all of last season recovering from knee surgery.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – Milwaukee Bucks vs. Dallas Mavericks

When: 

Friday, December 09 at 10:00 pm ET at the American Airlines Center

Moneyline odds: 

Bucks -105

Mavericks -115

With Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench and their outside shooting being a bit iffy, the Bucks ran a play for big man Brook Lopez to put the team up in the final seconds out of a timeout for a 106-105 win over Mavericks

Khris Middleton set a hard screen on 6-foot, 10-inch Maxi Kleber, and no other Mavericks defender picked up Lopez as he rolled to the rim. 

He corralled the inbound from George Hill for the eventual game-winner.

Antetokounmpo had one of his worst starts to a game on the season while Dončić had a bounce-back performance against Milwaukee’s No. 3 scoring defense.

Dončić tried to impose his will from the beginning, as the Dallas star played the entire first quarter and went 6 for 10, including 3 for 5 from behind the three-point line, scoring 16 points. 

Dončić finished with 33 points on 13 of 28 shooting, including 3 of 11 from behind the three-point line. He also had 11 assists and six rebounds.

He nearly got the last laugh, however, as he put his team up 105-104 with 29.6 seconds left. But, after the Bucks took a 106-105 lead with 7 seconds remaining Holiday prevented Dončić from getting a good final shot.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers

When:

Saturday, December 10th, 7:00 PM ET

Moneyline odds:

Nets -105

Pacers -115

With an explosive 41-point final period, the Brooklyn Nets turned the game around and pulled out an NBA home win with 136 – 133 over the Indiana Pacers.

Brooklyn, playing without eight rotation players, dominated Indiana in rebounding, parlaying that into a surprising road win. Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 35 points and nine assists.

The tone was set early in this one when Brooklyn took a first-quarter lead with back-to-back second-chance point opportunities, eventually going up by nine despite Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Smith pouring in five three-pointers in less than five minutes. 

Indiana quickly went to the bench, using that boost of energy to close the gap, though despite a season-high 38 points, they still trailed, allowing 40.

Throughout the night, Indiana would find themselves in comfortable situations, such as opening the second quarter on a 15-3 run to take what appeared to be a commanding 10-point lead. 

Every time the Pacers found themselves in such a position, they would grow fat, allowing the Nets to quickly storm back and regain their composure if not the lead outright.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns

When:

Friday, December 9th, 3:30 PM ET at the Smoothie King Center

Moneyline odds:

Pelicans -195

Suns +162

Zion Williamson watched his second 3-pointer go down, turned toward the Pelicans’ defensive end, and threw a triumphant punch into the air.

Adding perimeter scoring to his already formidable play in the paint, Williamson scored 35 points for a second straight game, and New Orleans beat the short-handed Phoenix Suns 129-124 in overtime Sunday for their seventh straight victory.

CJ McCollum added 29 for the Pelicans, who beat the Suns — playing without star guard Devin Booker because of left hamstring tightness — for the second time in three days and won for the 12th time in their last 14 games as they’ve surged to the Western Conference lead.

Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 12 rebounds for Phoenix but fouled out on Williamson’s drive with New Orleans clinging to a two-point lead in the final minute of regulation.

Williamson and Naji Marshall each made only one of two free throws in the final 36 seconds of the fourth quarter, allowing Chris Paul to tie it with a pull-up jumper with 2.8 seconds to go.

NBA Weekly Roundup 8 – Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors

When:

Saturday, December 10th, 08:30 PM ET at Chase Center

Moneyline odds:

Celtics -140

Warriors +120

Boston simply couldn’t keep up with the defending champions in the much-anticipated matchup at Chase Center. 

That largely was due to the performances of Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Splash Brothers combined for 66 points (26-47 FG, 10-21 3-PT) in Golden State’s 123-107 victory.

The Celtics have done a tremendous job without Robert Williams and Al Horford at points this season. 

Saturday night, however, they missed their starting bigs.

Blake Griffin got the start at the 5 and the Warriors’ sharpshooters took advantage of him in drop coverage. 

Boston had no answer for Curry and Thompson coming around screens on the perimeter. The result was the Splash Brothers getting countless open looks with predictable results.

Griffin was helpless against the Warriors’ shooters, but he did his part otherwise as a starter. The veteran big man notched 13 points (4-5 FG) and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.

Still, C’s fans will cross their fingers and hope Williams’ return is just around the corner.