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The Best of the Day: January 31st, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from January 31, 2021 including the wild BKN-WAS finish, Jokic's huge game, UTA's 3PT records, and more!
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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 1/31 here.
Sunday night saw 12 NBA teams take the floor with some incredible individual performances and unbelievable finishes. The game of the day featured a wild finish in D.C. as the Wizards shocked the Nets in the final seconds. The high-scoring affair showcased both the Nets biggest strength (offense) and biggest weakness (defense) that have each reached all-time levels. Also, Denver’s Nikola Jokic had a performance for the ages, and the Utah Jazz continued their historic 3-point shooting despite their first loss in 12 games.
Here is the best of the day from January 31, 2021:
Wizards won a thriller vs. Brooklyn after wild comeback in the final 10 seconds
The Nets appeared to be on their way to a fifth consecutive win when Kyrie Irving converted both free throws to put his team up 146-141 with 12.3 seconds remaining. However, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook had other plans. Washington’s backcourt duo hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a wild 3.8-second span in the final seconds to take a 147-146 lead. Beal’s free throws with under a second left sealed the stunning 149-146 win over the Nets.
Westbrook (41 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST) played his best game as a Wizard by far, while Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, dropped 37 points to improve to 34.9 PPG on the season. The two combined for over half of Washington’s points as the 4-12 Wizards will need this level of play from their two stars on a nightly basis to climb out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. DC got their first win in three weeks with half of their wins this season coming against the Eastern Conference favorite Brooklyn Nets in two epic shootouts.
BEAL AND WESTBROOK.
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 1, 2021
UNREAL. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aMJfXTxWy7
What a finish by Beal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YbYikBAnk4
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 1, 2021
Russell Westbrook (41 PTS) and Bradley Beal (37 PTS) are the first pair of @WashWizards teammates to score 37+ points in a single game since the team moved to Washington in 1974. pic.twitter.com/MGhnWgr7OJ
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) February 1, 2021
NBA teams to win in regulation despite trailing by 5+ points with under 10 seconds left:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
- 2 times in the last 2 days (Wizards & Blazers)
- 2 times in the previous 2,871 days https://t.co/vXMk2gqemm
A career game from Joe Harris (30 PTS, 8-13 3PT), who’s costly turnover led directly to Westbrook’s game-winning 3-pointer, wasn’t enough for Brooklyn (13-9), playing without James Harden due to a thigh contusion. Kevin Durant, the clear Comeback Player of the Year, had another brilliant performance with 37 points while Irving finished with 26. The loss further highlights the Nets deficiencies on defense, as Brooklyn must improve in that department either through effort or more acquisitions if it wants to make a serious run at a title.
KD POSTER 😳 pic.twitter.com/r5PtOgRpgf
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 1, 2021
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook average the most combined PPG (61.8: 32.1 Durant, 29.7 Westbrook) when facing each other among players that faced each other 10+ times since the 1976-77 NBA Merger https://t.co/v4W6xySmXl
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
Related: Stories of the Day
Taking the Over in Nets games has been the lock of the year because of their all-time offense & awful defense
A previous PSO takeaway shined a light on expecting high-scoring affairs in plenty of Brooklyn games this season. Now, it’s become an every night event. The Nets consistently have the highest Over/Under set by Vegas, yet they and their opponents are still surpassing those expectations by leaps and bounds as the O/U has hit in 15 of the last 16 Nets games.
Since Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden have teamed up, they are on pace to break the all-time single-season NBA record with a 122.6 offensive rating while simultaneously in line to break the single-season defensive rating record as well (119.9). Their offense is other-worldy but their defense is abysmal. They can combine for 120+ points without even practicing, but can’t prevent a team from reaching the same threshold even when they try.
When watching their games, it doesn’t look like they are trying at times, specifically on the defensive end. This isn’t unusual as plenty of title contenders typically don’t pick things up until after the All-Star break. Even then, this team isn’t built to defend at a high level since they traded their rim protector, and their other two best defenders in the blockbuster trade to acquire Harden.
The Wizards have only won four games this season, with 50% of them coming against the KD/Kyrie-led Nets as Harden wasn’t available for either game. Brooklyn’s chances of competing for a championship would increase significantly if they’re able to add a prominent player who can anchor the team on that side of the ball to play alongside three all-time scorers who all lack a defensive edge at this stage in their careers. Until then, keep taking the OVER and enjoy witnessing history.
Brooklyn Nets have the best offense ever AND the worst defense ever since acquiring James Harden https://t.co/9Osgb9F9jf
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
Brooklyn Nets have already tied a franchise record by allowing 140+ PTS in 3 different games in a single-season https://t.co/6HqE1rmXYk
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
The 2019-20 Dallas Mavericks set the NBA record for the highest single-season offensive rating (116.7) in NBA history. The 2020-21 Bucks (117.8), Clippers (117.7), Nets (117.6), and Nuggets (117.0) are ALL on pace to surpass the record this season https://t.co/qB4rHUisUq
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
An unreal Wizards comeback in Washington
▪️ Back-and-forth down the stretch
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2021
▪️ Beal clutch 3 cuts it to 2
▪️ Garrison Mathews steal
▪️ Russ buries the game-winning 3
WILD FINISH to WAS/BKN, capped by the @WashWizards going on an 8-0 run in the final 8.1 seconds to win, 149-146! pic.twitter.com/e5foVNILdJ
Related: NBA Highlights | Washington Wizards Highlights
C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W v.UTA): 47 PTS (17-26 FG | 4-4 3P), 5 AST, 12 REB, 1 BLK, 2 STL, 3 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (1/31/21) - C Nikola Jokic
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Most double-doubles (20) to begin a season since 1978
- Only C to put up 25p/10r/5a/55 FG% in a month since '83
- 1st DEN player w/ 45p/10r/5a/65% FG in a GP since '80
KEY STATS:
47 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 17-26 FG, 4-4 3P https://t.co/98aFEI7PMd
Related: Players of the Day
Brooklyn Nets (146) vs. Washington Wizards (149) [GW-3PM]
[Highlights] @WIZARDS (+229; $7.08) d. NETS (-229; $9.88) 149-146 (GW-3PM) [WAS +6 | o246]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
5 Most Interesting NBA Facts From 2021 So Far by Arslan
With a quarter of the season in the books, there has been an offensive explosion around the league like never seen before as new and established stars are lighting up scoreboards nightly for their teams
- Nets Big 3 already shattering records
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) February 1, 2021
- Jazz lighting it up from 3-point land
- Zion making history with his efficiency
FULL LIST ⬇️ https://t.co/0I7G7DbzsO
Related: Latest PSO Posts
YEAR: 1999
SIGNIFICANCE: Broncos def. Falcons in Super Bowl 33 which was HOF QB John Elway’s final career game
Related: Significant Sports History
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