NBA
FULL NBA Review From March 18, 2021
See the full NBA Game Reviews from Thursday, March 18, 2021 with entertaining highlights, interesting facts, valuable takeaways, and more!
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The NBA’s Thursday slate didn’t have many exciting matchups entering the night but the games exceeded expectations with some exhilarating finishes. The Knicks-Magic was a battle until Reggie Bullock redeemed himself from a costly turnover with a game-sealing steal on the other end. Minnesota found a way to upset Phoenix with Juan Hernangomez putting the finishing touches on an unpredictable performance that featured Anthony Edwards and KAT both going off for 40 points.
Julius Randle’s third triple-double this season is nearly unprecedented in Knicks history, but Russell Westbrook’s triple-dub is just another notch in the belt at this point. Russ still found a way to do something that’s never been done in team history while leading the Wiz past Utah, alongside Beal’s 40 points. Dame Dolla had another exceptional performance against the Pelicans, LeBron led the Lakers over Charlotte, and Atlanta hasn’t lost since firing Lloyd Pierce (7-0).
Here are the best NBA highlights, facts, performers, and takeaways from March 18th, 2021:
Minnesota Timberwolves (123) vs. Phoenix Suns (119)
[Highlights] TIMBERWOLVES (+451; $6.81) d. @SUNS (-600; $13.87) 123-119 [MIN +10.5 | o232]
[Highlights] @KNICKS (-207; $15.43) d. MAGIC (+174; $7.00) 94-93 [ORL +5 | u206.5]
[Highlights] @BLAZERS (-120; $10.40) d. PELCIANS (+100; $8.69) 101-93 [POR -1.5 | u239]
[Highlights] @WIZARDS (+472; $8.77) d. JAZZ (-638; $13.29) 131-122 [WAS +10.5 | o241]
[Highlights] @LAKERS (-303; $10.15) d. HORNETS (+254; $15.38) 116-105 [LAL -7 | u225]
[Highlights] @HAWKS (-347; $12.18) d. THUNDER (+273; $9.25) 116-93 [ATL -8 | u224.5]
NATHAN KNIGHT MEANS BUSINESS. 😤 pic.twitter.com/UFmvC1VpJx
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2021
𝐌𝐫. 𝟓𝟎@EvanFourmizz ↗️ @Double0AG pic.twitter.com/zg0j9bFUEz
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 19, 2021
King clamped it up in the 4th 🔒 (via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/j1gt89QP1t
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 19, 2021
Trae Young off-the-backboard to John Collins 👀 pic.twitter.com/PxxI5djN2g
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021
Dagger a game like that? HEARD YOU. (via @Timberwolves) pic.twitter.com/Kso20IuSsx
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 19, 2021
Air Miles has landed 😵 (via @hornets) pic.twitter.com/XCIUZnohgH
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 19, 2021
Reggie Bullock comes up with the clutch stop and steal as the @nyknicks hang on to outlast Orlando! pic.twitter.com/9ri0g3ysQ8
— NBA (@NBA) March 19, 2021
[Highlights] PG Russell Westbrook, WAS (W v.UTA): 35 PTS (12-23 FG | 2-5 3PT), 13 AST, 15 REB, 1 BLK, 2 STL, 5 TO
[Highlights] C Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (W @PHX): 41 PTS (15-24 FG | 5-7 3PT), 8 AST, 10 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 4 TO
[Highlights] SF LeBron James, LAL (W v.CHA): 37 PTS (14-22 FG | 4-9 3PT), 6 AST, 8 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 3 TO
[Highlights] SG Anthony Edwards, MIN (W @PHX): 42 PTS (15-31 FG | 4-13 3PT), 3 AST, 7 REB, 0 BLK, 2 STL, 2 TO
[Highlights] PF Julius Randle, NYK (W v.ORL): 18 PTS (8-20 FG | 1-5 3PT), 17 AST, 10 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 2 TO
IT’S ABOUT DAME TIME TO PUT LILLARD IN THE MVP CONVERSATION
Damian Lillard had a game-high 36 points in Thursday night’s 101-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Lillard is having a sensational season, averaging 30.5 PPG, which is the second-highest in the entire league this season. Additionally, Dame is top-10 in assists per game this season as well.
Lillard has his team 6th in the Western Conference, just 5.5 games back of the leader. This impressive record had been achieved mostly without star teammate CJ McCollum. This level of production, Dame Time’s constant heroics, and Portland’s position in the West has to put Lillard in the MVP conversation.
The Vegas odds currently have him behind PG counterparts Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry. Lillard’s stock deserves to be higher than any guard in the league considering he’s putting the ball in the basket more than any of them (besides Bradley Beal on a non-playoff Wizards team), leads the NBA in basically every clutch category, and has carried the Blazers to a playoff spot despite his two most valuable teammates missing a large portion of the season. Even Doncic himself said Lillard deserved to be a starter over him in this year’s All-Star game.
Like Jimmy Butler recently, Damian Lillard has put the league on notice following his consistent performances, and it is time he gets the recognition he deserves. Lillard’s MVP case has a strong argument, but it is not talked about nearly enough due to Portland being a small-market team. It would be no surprise if Lillard finishes as a top-3 or top-5 candidate for the MVP by the end of the season. What more can Dame do to be part of the conversation?
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