NBA
FULL NBA Review From February 27, 2021
See the full NBA Game Reviews from Saturday, February 27, 2021 with entertaining highlights, interesting facts, valuable takeaways, and more!
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The NBA didn’t feature many exciting matchups on Saturday, but a few games still came down to the wire with fans of those teams on the edge of their seat. Let’s start in Philadelphia where the 76ers owned a Conference-best 14-2 home record but were upset by Cleveland thanks to Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, as a MVP-caliber performance from Joel Embiid wasn’t enough in OT.
DeMar DeRozan helped the Spurs fend off the Pelicans as they both fought hard until the end. Julius Randle and Derrick Rose electrified the world’s most famous arena during their close victory over the Pacers as Indiana botched their final possession with the game on the line. Utah and Washington kept their winning ways going vs. Orlando and Minnesota while Nikola Jokic’s triple-double fueled Denver’s blowout win in Oklahoma City.
The best matchup of the day was supposed to be Brooklyn vs. Dallas with Kristaps returning, but KD and Kyrie‘s absences poured water on what could’ve been a fire of heated moves in the Barclays Center. Instead, the Beard’s big first half was neutralized by double-teams as Mavs HC Rick Carlisle had an excellent defensive strategy to mitigate the future HOF Harden‘s impact during DAL’s dominant victory.
Here are the best NBA highlights, facts, performers, and takeaways from February 27th, 2021:
Cleveland Cavaliers (112) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (109) [OT]
[Highlights] CAVALIERS (+497; $10.70) d. @76ERS (-497; $10.90) 112-109 (OT) [CLE +11 | u222]
[Highlights] @SPURS (+128; $14.66) d. PELICANS (-128; $8.92) 117-114 [SAS +2.5 | u234.5]
[Highlights] @KNICKS (+109; $15.22) d. PACERS (-109; $9.40) 110-107 [NYK +1.5 | u218]
[Highlights] JAZZ (-479; $14.12) d. @MAGIC (+479; $8.71) 124-109 [UTA -10.5 | o221.5]
[Highlights] @WIZARDS (-162; $9.43) d. TIMBERWOLVES (+162; $6.14) 128-112 [WSH -4 | o237]
[Highlights] MAVERICKS (+155; $8.69) d. @NETS (-155; $10.64) 115-98 [DAL -3.5 | u236]
[Highlights] NUGGETS (-251; $9.17) d. @THUNDER (+251; $8.52) 126-96 [DEN -7 | o220.5]
R.J. Hampton MY GOODNESS! 😱 pic.twitter.com/8sQ52irLIy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 28, 2021
Dropped him off the spin 😳 (via @utahjazz) pic.twitter.com/NzWUYQqTcb
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2021
Embiid said Jarrett Allen is too small 😳 pic.twitter.com/pKXB818RYo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2021
JOEL EMBIID DOING WHAT NOW!? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GXsrdP3XGB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2021
Bertans follows his own miss from 3! 👏
— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2021
📱💻: https://t.co/Qmz2bmUrBI pic.twitter.com/yYsbUd6TKE
Anthony Edwards sending it away 😤 pic.twitter.com/GOJj7dBwG7
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 28, 2021
D-Rose beats the 2nd QTR buzzer 🌹 pic.twitter.com/31UEdTIjEo
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 28, 2021
Julius Randle full speed on the break: Scary sight 😤 pic.twitter.com/kzS26hWVDH
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 28, 2021
[Highlights] C Joel Embiid, PHI (L v.CLE): 42 PTS (13-22 FG | 2-3 3PT), 6 AST, 13 REB, 2 BLK, 1 STL, 3 TO
[Highlights] C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W @OKC): 19 PTS (8-10 FG | 1-2 3PT), 13 AST, 11 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 0 TO
[Highlights] SG DeMar DeRozan, SA (W v.NO): 32 PTS (11-18 FG | 0-1 3PT), 11 AST, 1 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 1 TO
[Highlights] SG Bradley Beal, WAS (W v.MIN): 34 PTS (12-23 FG | 2-6 3PT), 6 AST, 8 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 3 TO
[Highlights] PF Julius Randle, NYK (W v.IND): 28 PTS (12-22 FG | 2-5 3PT), 6 AST, 10 REB, 0 BLK, 4 STL, 5 TO
JOEL EMBIID IS THE MOST UNSTOPPABLE BIG MAN IN THE NBA
The Philadelphia 76ers entered their Saturday night contest against Cleveland sporting the best total record and home record in the Eastern Conference. Despite another monster performance from Joel Embiid (42 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST), the Sixers came up short to the Cavs in OT thanks to big games from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.
While the East’s No.1 team wasn’t able to walk away with the win, they were able to go to sleep knowing they have the most unstoppable big man in the game. Starting at Center in the 2021 All-Star Game, Joel Embiid is the most difficult 7-footer to defend, possibly ever. While he’s not as dominant around the rim as Shaquille O’Neal or as lethal from the 3-point arc as Dirk Nowitzki, Embiid’s versatility is unmatched for anyone his size.
He can punish opponents in the restricted area, give them the Dream Shake in the post, step-back for mid-range buckets, and cash 3’s from outside. Embiid can truly do it all and his offensive prowess would make one think he’s rather one-dimensional, but “The Process” might be even better on the defensive end. Even though Cleveland was able to score in his presence late on Saturday, the former top-3 pick has established a reputation as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic has deservedly received MVP consideration, but if the season ended today, there’s no doubt it should go to Joel Embiid. He’s leading a No.1 seeded team as the clear-cut best player and can contribute in basically every facet of the game with elite production. His power, shiftiness, and arsenal of skills were on full display vs. the Cavs, and it showed the world he’s the most unstoppable Big Man in the entire Association.
COLORS KEY | FULL 76ERS FUTURE OUTLOOK
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