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The Best of the Day: February 14th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from February 14, 2021 including Dame Time in Dallas, KAT's historic shooting, AD's injury impact, & more!
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The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 2/14 here.
Sunday was full of NBA action as 20 teams took the floor. The day was highlighted by Damian Lillard delivering another clutch performance for the Trail Blazers, who were able to outlast the Mavericks despite Luka Doncic’s historic play. Also, Anthony Davis’s health remains a huge concern in LA, as his potential absence in the postseason makes the title race wide open. And, two elite big men in Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns continue to redefine the center position with their versatile play.
Here is the best of the day from February 14, 2021:
Dame’s clutch 3PM overcame Luka’s wide open missed game-tying 3PA
Damian Lillard came up huge for his club once again as the Trail Blazers held off the Mavericks to earn an impressive 121-118 win on the road. Owning a 13-point lead with just under seven minutes to play, Portland appeared to have the game in hand. However, a late Dallas comeback saw the Mavericks tie the game at 116-116 with 49.5 seconds left on Dorian Finney-Smith‘s corner-3 from a Luka Doncic assist. But, there’s a reason why they call these moments ‘Dame Time’.
Lillard took the ball up the court and with 32.8 seconds left, drilled a step-back 3-pointer in Finney-Smith’s face to give the Blazers a 119-116 lead. Dallas still had a chance, though. Trailing by three with with five seconds to go, Doncic had a golden opportunity to tie the game on a 3-point attempt he couldn’t have had a better look for. However, his shot rimmed out, and the Trail Blazers were able to hold on for the win.
Dame is built different ⌚ pic.twitter.com/ldRGX0Hrgk
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 15, 2021
Lillard, who was forced to carry the offensive load once again with CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic still out, finished the contest with 34 points and 11 assists, while hitting 5-of-11 of his 3-pointers. The Blazers, 16-10, were able to extend their winning streak to four games despite missing multiple key pieces in their lineup.
Damian Lillard tonight:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 15, 2021
✅ 34 PTS
✅ 11 AST
✅ 5 3PM
Lillard has 100 3PM in just 25 games played this season, becoming the first player in @trailblazers history to reach that mark in fewer than 30 games. pic.twitter.com/01Ej2foOtz
It was a disappointing end for Doncic, who continued his brilliant stretch of basketball. Doncic finished the game with 44 points, just two days after dropping a career-high 46 points in a win over the Pelicans. He also finished with nine assists and seven rebounds in the loss, which snapped the Mavericks (13-15) four-game winning streak.
Luka Doncic's last 3 games:
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 15, 2021
28 PTS
46 PTS
44 PTS
His 118 points are the most over 3 games in @dallasmavs history. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/rkeH9mCBn3
Luka Doncic tonight:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 15, 2021
✅ 44 PTS
✅ 7 REB
✅ 9 AST
Doncic has recorded at least 25p/5r/5a in each of his last 10 games, tying Michael Jordan (March-April 1989) and Russell Westbrook (Nov. 2016) for the longest such streak since the ABA-NBA merger. pic.twitter.com/qTFltgTl3v
Most points over a two-game span for the @dallasmavs:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 15, 2021
90 - Luka Doncic (Feb. 2021)
87 - Mark Aguirre (Jan. 1985)
83 - Dirk Nowitzki (Dec. 2004)
Most consecutive 40-point games for the @dallasmavs:
2 - Aguirre (Dec. 1983)
2 - Aguirre (March 1986)
2 - Doncic (Feb. 2021) pic.twitter.com/IcEBcAcIHG
Luka Doncic Last 2 games:
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 15, 2021
44 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds (vs Trail Blazers)
46 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds (vs Pelicans)
Per @EliasSports he is the 4th-youngest player in NBA history with back-to-back 40-pt games behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson. pic.twitter.com/ZWgMNL5mFR
Related: Stories of the Day
ANTHONY DAVIS’ HEALTH IS THE BIGGEST X-FACTOR IN THE NBA THIS SEASON
Before the season began, the Los Angeles Lakers were overwhelming favorites to repeat as NBA champions thanks to their dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, along with an improved supporting cast that included the additions of C Montrezl Harrell, G Dennis Schroder, and G/F Wes Matthews.
Through over a third of the season, there’s been no reason for that to change as the Lakers have the second-best record in the league and just went on a 7-game winning streak. However, one major cause for concern is the health of Davis, who missed the last two games with Achilles tendinosis and then departed early against the Nuggets after re-aggravating the injury.
The Lakers may be able to stay afloat through the regular season with James carrying the squad, but the postseason is a whole different story. AD’s health is huge for determining the upcoming champion in the NBA.
With the Brow playing at full strength, the Lakers are THE team to beat and will be the Vegas favorites all throughout the postseason. However, if the 27-year-old is unavailable or even 90% as effective as he was in last year’s playoffs, the race becomes WIDE OPEN with an abundance of teams licking their chops at the proposition of an AD-less Lakers squad.
"I think the Lakers would be smart to rest AD." @bwood_33, @realgranthill33 and @RoParrish react to AD re-aggravating his Achilles on #GameTime pic.twitter.com/zybFBt2vxs
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 15, 2021
King James taking it coast to coast 👑 pic.twitter.com/uQy9KsTw0C
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 15, 2021
Kuz on MPJ's head 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/b13WtKP5oB
— ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2021
👀 the best plays from the @Lakers 7-game winning streak!
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2021
LAL/DEN at 10 PM ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/Ub2cHSn4rn
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
They know what time it is
Dame is built different ⌚ pic.twitter.com/ldRGX0Hrgk
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 15, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights | Portland Trail Blazers Highlights
C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W v.LAL): 23 PTS (8-17 FG | 1-5 3P), 10 AST, 16 REB, 1 BLK, 0 STL, 3 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (2/14/21) - C Nikola Jokic, DEN
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 15, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- 3rd most career triple-dubs (47) through 407 GP
- 4 straight 10+pt wins vs. teams on 7-gm win streaks
- Top-5 in RPG (11.5) & APG (11.5); Top-10 in PPG (26.5)
KEY STATS:
23 PTS, 16 REB, 10 AST, 8-17 FG (47%) https://t.co/XjZljUlGtm
Related: Players of the Day
Portland Trail Blazers (121) vs. Dallas Mavericks (118)
[Highlights] BLAZERS (+183; $11.09) d. @MAVERICKS (-183; $8.62) 121-118 [POR +5.5 | o235.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
FULL NBA Review From February 14, 2021 by Rob Mason
While many men and women were out on Valentine’s Day enjoying the company of others, the NBA had a stacked slate of games on Sunday.
Dame time took over in Dallas, AD's injury impacts THESE contenders most, and KAT set the Wolves all-time 3PM record ⬇️ https://t.co/CnAnaWF66H
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 15, 2021
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