By Josh Whittemore, PSO Sports Operations Executive
Feb 01, 2021

 

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.

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.

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 DurantKyrie 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.

COLORS KEY | FULL NETS FUTURE OUTLOOK
 

Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day

An unreal Wizards comeback in Washington

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

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

The NBA has entered an era where offenses are scoring more than ever

  • 2019-20 Dallas Mavericks set the NBA record for the highest single-season offensive rating (116.7) in NBA history
  • 2020-21 Bucks (117.8), Clippers (117.7), Nets (117.6), and Nuggets (117.0) are ALL on pace to surpass the record
  • Since acquiring Harden, the Nets have the best Off. rating (122.6) AND the worst Def. rating (119.9) of all-time
 

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

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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