FULL NBA Review From February 15, 2021

What a way to start the week in the NBA. Before the games even began, the Pistons and Cavaliers both publicized their desire to trade Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, two former All-Stars. Once the action did get going, it was a John Wall reunion in the nation’s capital spoiled by his former teammate Bradley Beal‘s 37-piece in a Wizards win.

Zach LaVine stepped up in the clutch once again as he led the Bulls to OT where Chicago came out on top over Indiana, crowding the Eastern Conference even more. Two of those teams right in the thick of the race in the East are the Knicks and Hawks who battled on Monday until ALL-STAR Julius Randle showed up with a career-best performance.

Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Clippers featured two potential title contenders but a Kawhi/PG-less LAC squad showed the Heat’s recent winning streak could have been fools gold. Utah Jazz vs. Philadelphia 76ers was the most prominent matchup of the night as the current East & West’s No. 1 seeds. Ben Simmons dropped a career-high 42 points, but Jordan Clarkson came off the bench with 40 points of his own in ANOTHER Utah victory.

KD’s two most recent teams were in action as well even though Durant is out with a calf strain. His current squad in Brooklyn traveled to Sac-town to pick up a big win behind James Harden’s triple-double and Kyrie Irving’s efficient 40-point display while his former squad in the Bay hosted the Cavs in a game that looked nothing like their epic NBA Finals matchups a few years ago, yet Draymond and Steph Curry’s strong showings were familiar.

Here are the best NBA highlights, facts, performers, and takeaways from February 15th, 2021:

FINAL RESULTS

GAME OF THE DAY

Chicago Bulls (120) vs. Indiana Pacers (112) [OT]

[Highlights] BULLS (+187; $9.83) d. @PACERS (-187; $9.59) 120-112 (OT) [CHI +4.5 | o223.5]

[Highlights] @CLIPPERS (+136; $11.10) d. HEAT (-136; $6.88) 125-118 [LAC +6.5 | o217.5]

[Highlights] @KNICKS (+117; $15.67) d. HAWKS (-117; $9.87) 123-112 [NYK +1.5 | o218.5]

[Highlights] @JAZZ (-249; $13.83) d. 76ERS (+249; $10.66) 134-123 [UTA -8.5 | o225]

[Highlights] NETS (-161; $9.33) d. @KINGS (+161; $10.73) 136-125 [BKN -4.5 | o242.5]

[Highlights] @WIZARDS (-101; $7.49) d. ROCKETS (+101; $7.77) 131-119 [WAS -2 | o233.5]

[Highlights] @WARRIORS (-372; $8.51) d. CAVALIERS (+372; $11.20) 129-98 [GSW -10.5 | p227]

NBA Game Odds via Vigit App

NBA Stock Prices via FANDEX

INTERESTING FACTS

LaVine is avg career-highs for: PTS (28.2), REB (5.5), AST (5.2), 3PM (3.6), FG% (51.5), 3P% (43.1), PER (22.3), & Win% (42.3)
Utah Jazz are the 1st team to record 17 double-digit wins over a 20-game span in NBA history
Brooklyn Nets recorded a franchise-record 27 3PM in their win over Sacramento
Monday’s 76ers-Jazz game was the 1st ever with 2 players scoring 40+ PTS, 1 with 8+ 3PM (Clarkson) and 1 with 0 (Simmons)
Hassan Whiteside is the only player to record 25+ PTS/15+ REB/5+ AST while playing under 25 MIN over last 40 seasons
James Harden (15 GP) is already tied for the 2nd most career triple-doubles (5) in Nets history (Jason Kidd – 61)
Harden has surpassed Jason Kidd for the most 20-pt triple-doubles (5) during a season in Nets franchise history
Only PF/C to record more AST (86) than Draymond over a 7-GP span in NBA history is Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68
Julius Randle is the 2nd player with 7+ 2PM/7+ 3PM/7+ FTM during a GP in Knicks history, joining Carmelo Anthony (2x)
Randle is on pace to become the 2nd player to avg 20+ PTS/10+ REB/5+ AST/40%+ 3P in a season in NBA history
Ben Simmons is the 1st 76ers player with 40+ PTS & 10+ AST in a GP since Allen Iverson in 2006
Simmons is the 1st 76ers player with 42+ PTS/9+ REB/12+ AST in a GP since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968

Jordan Clarkson facts:

Tied the Jazz record for most 3PM (8) in a game,
1st bench player to record 40+ PTS for Utah since 1988
1st Jazz player with 40+ PTS off the bench in under 30 MIN since 1991

Steph Curry facts:

Longest GP streaks with 1+ 3PM: 1. Steph Curry (157), 2. Kyle Korver (127), 3. Klay Thompson (95), 4. Steph Curry (90)
1st Guard with 25+ PTS & 50% FG in 10 straight GP since Michael Jordan in 1995-96
Longest streak of 25+ PTS with an eFG% of 60+% games (10) in NBA history

Andre Drummond facts:

Recorded the most or 2nd most RPG in each of the last 8 years
Most career RPG (13.8) among active players and 8th all-time
4.7 Off RPG is also most among active players & 3rd all-time

BEST HIGHLIGHTS

Jeff Green rocks the rim in Sac-town

UNCLE JEFF BROUGHT HIS HAMMER pic.twitter.com/UmKfIkLFSS
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 16, 2021

LaVine drained the clutch 3PM

ZACH LAVINE IS COLD. 🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/e4icOL9318
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) February 16, 2021

Steph has way too much sauce

Dance class with Steph. (via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/SBJIppwc7Y
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 16, 2021

Korkmaz got fancy for the assist

ASSIST of the Night: February 15th

👉 Furkan Korkmaz of the @sixers pic.twitter.com/e3gt40B9Oz
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) February 16, 2021

Eyes in the back of Lou Will’s head

Behind the back to Action Jackson.@TeamLou23, @Reggie_Jackson | @FoxSportsWest pic.twitter.com/7OSIh0RGYT
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 16, 2021

Behind the back from Ice Trae

Trae getting fancy with it 👀 pic.twitter.com/7uELT2dpwe
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 16, 2021

TOP PERFORMERS

[Highlights] PG James Harden, BKN (W @SAC): 29 PTS (10-18 FG | 6-10 3PT), 14 AST, 13 REB, 1 BLK, 0 STL, 7 TO

[Highlights] PG Ben Simmons, PHI (L @UTA): 42 PTS (15-26 FG | 0-0 3PT), 12 AST, 9 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 4 TO

[Highlights] PF Julius Randle, NYK (W v.ATL): 44 PTS (14-22 FG | 7-13 3PT), 5 AST, 9 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 3 TO

[Highlights] SF Jimmy Butler, MIA (L @LAC): 30 PTS (10-19 FG | 0-2 3PT), 10 AST, 10 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 1 TO

[Highlights] SG Kyrie Irving, BKN (W @SAC): 40 PTS (15-22 FG | 9-11 3PT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 3 TO

NBA TOP PERFORMERS

MAIN TAKEAWAY

PRIME DESTINATIONS FOR 6X ALL-STAR PF BLAKE GRIFFIN

On Monday, the Detroit Pistons announced they will be sitting Blake Griffin for the foreseeable future until they figure out a trade for the former 6x All-Star. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also doing the same thing with Andre Drummond. While Griffin surely isn’t the same All-Star caliber player he used to be, the former No.1 overall pick has evolved his game and become a threat from deep as he’s making 2.0 3PM per game this season.

Considering the lack of prominent players on expiring deals and household names looking for new teams, Griffin might be the most well-known player moved before the upcoming trade deadline. It won’t be easy for Detroit to find a team willing to take on his $37M 2021 salary AND his $39M 2022 player option.

They’ll likely have to ADD assets to the deal instead of receiving them, which isn’t what a rebuilding team wants to do. A buyout is certainly an option, helping DET save money, and providing Griffin with a chance to play for a contender.

After spending most of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Griffin has yet to play in a Conference Finals and has publicly shared his interest in contending for a Championship. There are a lot of factors to consider, but with that being said, here are the prime destinations for Griffin whether it be through a trade or after being bought out and on the free-agent market:

Prime Destinations for PF Blake Griffin:
1. Heat
2. Mavs
3. Celtics
4. Rockets
5. Blazers pic.twitter.com/AM1EiFETiG
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 15, 2021

Miami Heat: Miami has had a problem at PF all season since Jae Crowder‘s departure and getting Griffin to buy into the ‘Heat Culture’ shouldn’t be much of an issue. They need scoring and spacing from that position and Griffin can provide both while complementing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo‘s game well.
Dallas Mavericks: Luka–Kristaps-Griffin could be the new ‘Big 3’ in the West if Griffin gets back to his All-Star ways. He’s only 31 years old and might have been unmotivated playing in the Motor City but playing alongside the best teammate he’d ever play with as well as another monster in the post could get the best out of Blake.
Boston Celtics: No team seems more primed to make a big move before this trade deadline than Boston who’s equipped with that mega $30M trade exception from the Gordon Hayward sign-and-trade. If the Celtics can acquire Griffin while still keeping Tatum, Jaylen, Kemba, and Smart intact, they could be right next to Brooklyn as the favorites in the East.
Houston Rockets: The one non-contender to make the list, but Houston does have plenty of veterans in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, and Griffin’s teammate last season Christian Wood. Those relationships could help convince Griffin to stick it out in H-Town this year and add another piece in hopes of really contending in 2021-22.
Portland Trail Blazers: Portland has been impacted by injuries more than any other contender this year with two of their best three players (CJ McCollum & Jusuf Nurkic) missing over half the season up to this point. Griffin would provide insurance if they aren’t able to come back to full strength, and if they are, a closing lineup of them two, Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony, and Griffin would be LETHAL.