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The Best of the Day: February 22nd, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from February 22, 2021 including WAS getting their 5th straight Win, Jazz breaking 3PM records, and more!
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
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 2/22 here.
The red-hot Wizards outlasted the Lakers in an overtime classic Monday night. Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal came up huge for their team in the extra period while LeBron James was forced to carry the load once again with his two top running mates still out. Also, the Jazz used a huge run in the fourth quarter fueled by a 3-point explosion to keep rolling, Jae’Sean Tate hit a swift no-look layup, and PSO looked at the most interesting facts from this MLB offseason.
Here is the best of the day from February 22, 2021:
Wizards win OT thriller in LA for 5th straight victory
The Washington Wizards extended their longest winning streak in three years with a 127-124 overtime win over the slumping Los Angeles Lakers. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook combined to score all 12 of Washington’s points in extra time to secure their fifth straight win.
Beal and Westbrook score all 12 PTS in OT to push the @WashWizards past LAL! #DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/Uc6gyqR0Yr
— NBA (@NBA) February 23, 2021
Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, led the way with 33 points in a game-high 44 minutes. Westbrook, who matched his backcourt mate in total minutes, nearly captured his fourth straight triple-double with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. At 11-17, the Wizards suddenly find themselves just 1.5 games back of the final spot for the East’s play-in tournament after an abysmal start to the season. Now with the trade deadline coming up (March 25), the team will need to decide what direction it wants to go in.
Washington Wizards are the 2nd team with a win% under 30% to beat 5 straight teams that made the playoffs the previous season (BOS, HOU, DEN, POR, LAL), joining the 1984 Kings https://t.co/mZ6QtLYAv9
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 23, 2021
Bradley Beal (33p/7r/6a) and Russell Westbrook (32p/14r/9a) are the third starting backcourt in the last 25 seasons to record at least 30p/5r/5a in the same game.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 23, 2021
The other backcourt duos to do so in that span are Gilbert Arenas & Larry Hughes and James Harden & Westbrook (5x). pic.twitter.com/cRbIv2YWC7
Russell Westbrook is 0-9 on 3PA during DC's 5-game win streak.
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 23, 2021
In Westbrook's career, his teams win 74.8% of the time he takes under 4 3PA while only winning 48.8% when taking 4+ 3PA https://t.co/dXO5B69L6z
LeBron James once again struggled from deep (2-for-10), but still managed to score 31 points, along with 13 assists, and nine rebounds. The Lakers were without two key starters in Anthony Davis (strained calf) and Dennis Schroder (COVID protocols) for a third straight contest. At 22-10 and having lost three in a row and four out of their last five, Los Angeles will need to get healthy if it wants to keep pace with the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
LeBron ties it up, and we're headed to OT! #CenterCourt pic.twitter.com/CBcurta1qT
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 23, 2021
The Lakers have lost four out of their last five games.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2021
vs. Wizards 127-124 L
vs. Heat 96-94 L
vs. Nets 109-98 L
vs. Timberwolves 112-104 W
vs. Nuggets 122-105 L pic.twitter.com/xTyou0RqSZ
Related: Stories of the Day
UTAH JAZZ ARE LOOKING LIKE THE GREATEST 3-PT SHOOTING TEAM OF ALL-TIME
The most surprising team this year has unequivocally been the Utah Jazz. UTA currently holds the best record in the league at 25-6 after exiting the first round in last year’s playoffs. The instant increase in success isn’t because of a big offseason acquisition or coaching change as the Jazz entered with about as much continuity as any team in the league.
The main catalyst for their success has been unprecedented performances from the 3-point line. The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets really showed the league how effective shooting from beyond the arc can revolutionize the game, and the Jazz are taking it to a whole other level. Their barrage from deep peaked on Monday night with a franchise-record 28 (!) 3PM during their victory over Charlotte.
After dismantling some of the best teams in the league over the last month and a half, it was surprising to see the young Hornets hang in there against the league’s best team through three quarters, but that changed extremely quickly. Similar to the notorious 73-win Warriors in the third quarter, this Jazz team just exploded in the fourth quarter, turning a one-point game into a 20-point lead basically within a few minutes. It’s what makes this Jazz team so dangerous.
Their proficiency from deep is something that could decrease over a larger sample size, but when watching their games, they’re getting open looks, making the right passes, and hitting the shots they should make which is why they’ve consistently made 3’s at a record rate all season.
With Donovan Mitchell leading the show, and solid shooters in Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O’Neal, and Mike Conley all around him, it provides a nice set up for Mitchell to run pick-and-roll with Rudy Gobert, leading to an open shot for himself, an easy jam for the Stifle Tower, or requiring additional help from the defense that leaves a shooter wide open.
Utah not only looks like the best team in the league RIGHT NOW but also the greatest 3-point shooting team of ALL-TIME with the facts to prove it.
Utah Jazz are the fastest team (31 GP) to reach 500 3PM during a season in NBA history https://t.co/9iDsavx7XR
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 23, 2021
The @utahjazz bench combined for 19 three-pointers tonight, the most by any team's subs in a game in NBA history.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 23, 2021
The @utahjazz set a team record with 28 3PM last night.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 23, 2021
Bench players accounted for 19 of those 3PM, the highest such total in NBA history.
Three reserves* made at least five 3P, the first time in NBA history that's occurred.
* Joe Ingles, Georges Niang, and Jordan Clarkson. pic.twitter.com/bvI8LCWv5c
The @utahjazz beat the Hornets 132-110 last night, their 21st double-digit win of the season.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) February 23, 2021
They tied the NBA mark for most such wins through 31 games:
21 - Jazz, 2020-21
21 - Celtics, 2007-08
20 - Lakers, 1971-72
20 - Sixers, 1982-83
20 - Bulls, 1990-91
20 - Spurs, 2015-16 pic.twitter.com/euF1BeGpxt
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Jae'Sean Tate with the no-look finish 😳 pic.twitter.com/bBTxcsJ83e
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 23, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights | Houston Rockets Highlights
PG Russell Westbrook, WAS (W @LAL): 32 PTS (13-25 FG | 0-1 3P), 9 AST, 14 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 2 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (2/22/21) - PG Russell Westbrook, WAS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 23, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- 0-9 on 3PA during DC's 5-game win streak
- Wins 74.8% when under 4 3PA; 48.8% taking 4+ 3PA
- Beal/Russ are 3rd backcourt w/ 30p/5r/5a since 1995
KEY STATS:
32 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST, 2 TOV, 13-25 FG (52%), 0-1 3P https://t.co/bueh2DhzZL
Related: Players of the Day
Washington Wizards (127) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (124) [OT]
[Highlights] WIZARDS (+233; $8.95) d. @LAKERS (-233; $10.90) 127-124 (OT) [WAS +7 | o228.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
5 Most Interesting Facts From the 2021 MLB Offseason by Arslan Ubul
The MLB’s offseason has had plenty of excitement with record deals signed, shocking trades, and broken barriers
An offseason that started off historically slow ended up being one for the books with plenty of groundbreaking occurrences to be aware of https://t.co/fpTFdURUwM
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 22, 2021
Related: Latest PSO Posts
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