NBA
NBA Game Reviews: January 23, 2021
See the NBA Game Reviews from Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 with entertaining highlights, key facts, valuable takeaways, and more!
NBA/YouTube
Saturday in the NBA was an electrifying night, as seven games tipped off within a one hour span. Steph Curry passed Reggie Miller for second place on the all-time three-pointers list, however, the Warriors were steamrolled by the Jazz, who have now won eight games in a row. The Nuggets outlasted the Suns in a double-OT thriller, less than 24 hours after their OT win on Friday in Phoenix. The Nets grabbed their first win with KD, Harden, and Kyrie, as they narrowly edged out the Heat despite a late comeback push. The Lakers moved to a franchise-record 9-0 start on the road, while the 76ers, Rockets, and Timberwolves all grabbed big wins, respectively.
Here are the best NBA highlights, facts, performers, and takeaways from January 23rd, 2021:
Denver Nuggets (120) vs. Phoenix Suns (112) [2OT]
[Highlights] NUGGETS (+125; $9.26) d. @SUNS (-125; $12.12) 120-112 (2OT) [DEN -2.5 | o216.5]
[Highlights] @NETS (-325; $8.84) d. HEAT (+325; $7.96) 128-124 [MIA +7.5 | o232]
[Highlights] 76ERS (-355; $10.55) d. @PISTONS (+355; $7.88) 114-110 [DET +8.5 | o215.5]
[Highlights] @TIMBERWOLVES (+360; $6.87) d. PELICANS (-360; $9.01) 120-110 [MIN +8.5 | o217.5]
[Highlights] LAKERS (-450; $11.31) d. @BULLS (+450; $11.55) 101-90 [LAL -10 | u227]
[Highlights] @JAZZ (-280; $11.77) d. WARRIORS (+280; $8.56) 127-108 [UTA -7 | o228.5]
[Highlights] ROCKETS (+275; $7.32) d. @MAVERICKS (-275; $10.13) 133-108 [HOU +7 | o222]
MURRAY SENDS IT TO OT 😱 pic.twitter.com/bBmbqB73hf
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 24, 2021
This game 😨
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 24, 2021
Jae Crowder sends it to 2OT! pic.twitter.com/Afjzd6XGaQ
Drive.
— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2021
Give it up.
Relocate.
Catch and shoot.
Splash No. 2,561.
A classic @StephenCurry30 three to reach 2nd on the all-time list, from every angle. pic.twitter.com/cpYkyseWAC
a JO behind-the-back beauty,
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 24, 2021
and a JV dunk. Smooth.@SharecareInc Share of the Game pic.twitter.com/XZvNkTMCBJ
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1353181161439322112
GET THAT OUTTA HERE 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/A14UZNlgPU
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 24, 2021
[Highlights] C Bam Adebayo, MIA (L @BKN): 41 PTS (14-20 FG | 1-1 3PT), 9 AST, 5 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO [Player of the Day]
[Highlights] C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W @PHX): 29 PTS (9-21 FG | 0-0 3PT), 6 AST, 22 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 6 TO
[Highlights] PF Anthony Davis, LAL (W @CHI): 37 PTS (14-21 FG | 2-3 3PT), 3 AST, 6 REB, 1 BLK, 2 STL, 1 TO
[Highlights] C DeMarcus Cousins, HOU (W @DAL): 28 PTS (9-15 FG | 4-8 3PT), 5 AST, 17 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 4 TO
[Highlights] PG Kyrie Irving, BKN (W v.MIA): 28 PTS (10-17 FG | 3-5 3PT), 7 AST, 6 REB, 1 BLK, 0 STL, 2 TO
1. The Pelicans are the NBA’s biggest early-season disappointment
The Pelicans were a popular pick to be a playoff team in the crowded Western Conference this season. Led by rising superstars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson while surrounded by talent with Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Lonzo Ball, JJ Redick and more, the Pelicans seemingly have all the pieces to do it. However, 15 games into the year, the Pelicans may be the biggest early-season disappointment.
The Pelicans lost to the Timberwolves on Saturday 120-110, in a game where the Wolves didn’t have their two best players Karl-Anthony Towns or D’Angelo Russell, owned the worst record in the West (3-11), and coming off 11 losses in 12 games since KAT’s absence. The Pelicans allowed six guys to score double figures while another two had nine, and had no answer for the role-player filled lineups the Timberwolves threw at them. The Pelicans now find themselves at No. 14 in the West at 5-10, sitting just in front of the 4-11 Timberwolves.
The Pelicans are in the bottom half of the league in offensive and defensive points per game, and in the bottom five in 3P% and FT%. It’s still very early in the season, and the Pelicans do have the talent to be successful. However, they’ve lost eight of nine, and this loss against the depleted Timberwolves feels like rock bottom. On the bright side, if this is rock bottom, they can only go up from here, as they possess one of the brightest futures of any team in the league.
2. Jamal Murray has become one of the game’s best closers over the past year
Jamal Murray came through in the clutch on Saturday for the Nuggets in their 120-112 2OT win over the Suns. Murray sent the game to its first OT with a fadeaway off-balance three-pointer over the 6’11” Deandre Ayton. In the second overtime, Murray hit the dagger with 1:17 to go, a stepback 18-footer to finally put the game away.
This game was not even 24 hours after the Nuggets and Suns battled in OT on Friday, when Murray, again, came through in the clutch. Murray knocked down a pull-up 13-footer with 28 seconds to go in OT to give the Nuggets a three-point lead, which they wouldn’t give away again. Jokic is the leader of the team and can knock down big shots himself, but Murray is Denver’s primary playmaker and has stepped up in situations that matter most.
Since last year’s bubble run, Murray has turned into one of the league’s best scorers in clutch moments. Murray trailed only Jimmy Butler for the most clutch points in last year’s postseason with 39. In last year’s regular season, Murray ranked 22nd in the league with 82 total points in the clutch (a 5-point game with under 5 min left). The 23-year-old put his clutch gene on display all weekend against a likely playoff team in the Suns, and will only continue to get better in his fifth season in the league.
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