FULL NBA Review From May 8, 2021

Top teams held strong across the NBA on Saturday night. Brooklyn finally got back to their winning ways thanks to both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving having 30+ points in their dub over Denver. Philadelphia won their eighth in a row over Detroit as they look to lock up the one seed in the East. Utah grabbed their fifth straight victory over Houston to extend their Western Conference lead to one and a half games.

The game of the night was between the nine and ten seeds in the East, Washington and Indiana. DC’s backcourt exploded with Bradley Beal dropping 50 points and Russell Westbrook adding 33 points along with tying Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history. Memphis and Golden State both picked up wins, staying within half a game for the 8th seed. Steph Curry made 11 threes along with 49 points. Portland won again over San Antonio, leaving the LA Lakers further behind in seventh.

Here are the best NBA highlights, facts, performers, and takeaways from April 8th, 2021:

FINAL RESULTS

GAME OF THE DAY

Washington Wizards (133) vs. Indiana Pacers (132) [GW-FTs in OT]

[Highlights] WIZARDS (-155; $11.00) d. @PACERS (+137; $8.69) 133-132 (GW-FTs in OT) [IND +3.5 | o248.5]

[Highlights] NETS (-159; $10.63) d. @NUGGETS (+141; $10.85) 125-119 [BKN -3.5 | o232.5]

[Highlights] @JAZZ (-1900; $13.21) d. ROCKETS (+989; $4.00) 124-116 [HOU +15.5 | o225]

[Highlights] GRIZZLIES (-230; $11.73) d. @RAPTORS (+198; $6.74) 109-99 [MEM -6 | u227]

[Highlights] @76ERS (-473; $11.45) d. PISTONS (+379; $9.19) 118-104 [PHI -9.5 | o218]

[Highlights] @BLAZERS (-224; $10.86) d. SPURS (+191; $12.15) 124-102 [POR -5.5 | u232.5]

[Highlights] @WARRIORS (-1400; $8.63) d. THUNDER (+823; $6.70) 136-97 [GSW -14 | o224.5]

NBA Game Odds via Vigit App

NBA Stock Prices via FANDEX

INTERESTING FACTS

Russell Westbrook’s incredible triple-double streak has him in the record books

T-most triple-doubles (181) in NBA history, joining Oscar Robertson
1st player with consecutive GP of 15+ REB & 15+ AST in NBA history
1st player with 33+ PTS/19+ REB/15+ AST during 1 GP since the NBA merger in 1976
Most triple-doubles by active NBA players: 1. Russ (181), 2. LeBron (99), 3. Harden (58), 4. Jokic (56), 5. Luka (35)
1st Wizards player with 15+ AST in 4 consecutive GP in franchise history

Nobody in Wizards history goes off as consistently as Bradley Beal does

Bradley Beal has the most GP (5) with 50+ PTS in Wizards franchise history
Beal and Westbrook are the 3rd teammates with 50+ PTS plus a triple-double during the same game

Add another 3PM record to Steph Curry’s long list

Most GP (4) with 11+ 3PM during a single season in NBA history

BEST HIGHLIGHTS

Russ clutched up during his historic game

RUSS FOR THE LEAD 👀 pic.twitter.com/f4nNP7BY8W
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2021

🤯 Tie all-time triple-double record
🤯 Knock down go-ahead free throws
🤯 Seal the game with the clutch block

WHAT A NIGHT FOR @RUSSWEST44! pic.twitter.com/XSJ6TA5MKq
— NBA (@NBA) May 9, 2021

Curry doing what only Curry can do

Steph gonna Steph ☔️ pic.twitter.com/C4clDiQV3i
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2021

STEPH IS NOT FAIR 😱 pic.twitter.com/mztFZxBgex
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2021

Jordan Clarkson dropped him

Jordan Clarkson had ‘em slipping 🤭 pic.twitter.com/Im33xHnUSV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2021

Kyrie’s sweet euro to the basket

Kyrie breaking out the euro 👀 pic.twitter.com/VXXKI0A0Zv
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 9, 2021

Crafty CJ had Rudy Gay lost

NSFW pic.twitter.com/7UHMNNKEsh
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 9, 2021

TOP PERFORMERS

[Highlights] PG Russell Westbrook, WSH (W @IND): 33 PTS (11-26 FG | 3-7 3P), 15 AST, 19 REB, 2 BLK, 1 STL, 7 TO

[Highlights] SG Bradley Beal, WSH (W @IND): 50 PTS (19-31 FG | 3-7 3P), 1 AST, 5 REB, 2 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO

[Highlights] PG Steph Curry, GSW (W v.OKC): 49 PTS (14-26 FG | 11-21 3P), 2 AST, 5 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO

[Highlights] F Kevin Durant, BKN (W @DEN): 33 PTS (9-14 FG | 3-6 3P), 7 AST, 11 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL, 5 TO

[Highlights] PF Domantas Sabonis, IND (L v.WSH): 30 PTS (12-21 FG | 0-3 3P), 13 AST, 13 REB, 0 BLK, 3 STL, 4 TO

NBA TOP PERFORMERS

MAIN TAKEAWAY

WASHINGTON HAS THE BEST BACKCOURT IN THE NBA THIS SEASON

The Washington Wizards have been one of the hottest teams as of late and are turning into a squad nobody wants to face in the play-in tournament or playoffs. The main reason for their success has been the impressive duo of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook. The high-powered scoring prowess of Beal and the historic triple-double streak from Westbrook has revived DC’s season and is why they’ve earned the title of best backcourt in the NBA this year.

Beal and Westbrook are coming off of an overtime win against Indiana where they combined for 83 points. The Brodie had another triple-double, which has tied him for the most in NBA history with Oscar Robertson. DC’s other guard racked up 50 points for the fifth time in his career (most in Wizards history), and is second in the league in points per game this season. When it comes to ranking them amongst other backcourts, Phoenix’s Chris Paul and Devin Booker as well as Brooklyn’s backcourt of Kyrie Irving and James Harden come to mind as contenders for the top spot.

The Suns’ duo were both All-Stars, but Russ would’ve easily been one too after his amazing second half of the season. At this point, he’d likely replace Irving in the starting lineup, which would’ve made it an all DC backcourt for starters in the East. Harden and Kyrie have missed a lot of time together, forcing them to fall below Washington’s duo. At the end of the day this year, it’s hard to argue that the Wizards don’t possess the best pair of guards in the league this season.

COLORS KEY | FULL WIZARDS OUTLOOK