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The NBA had a lot of disappointment attached to it starting with the plethora of COVID-protocol players and general player-injuries. One of the team’s it hit hard was the Toronto Raptors. Injuries flooded the team and it got to the point where they started benching their players down the stretch because they wanted out of the season. Very Sad! It led to a 27-45 record. Speaking of bad, the Magic and Pistons sat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference when the season ended. The Magic traded key players Nikola Vucevic , Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon away thus beginning their rebuild and the Pistons just didn’t have the talent. Jerami Grant was running away with the Most Improved Player award after the first half of the season, but like the Raptors, the Pistons began benching their players, including Grant, thus ending his chances of winning the award. The Pistons won 20 games.
Sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference were the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Rockets battled the trade market this year more than their opposition on the court this season. They made two big trades involving James Harden and Victor Oladipo . Injuries also hampered this team on a night-in, night-out basis. Christian Wood played in 41 games, Eric Gordon 27 and even John Wall only suited up for 40 games (even though he sat out a good amount of back-to-backs). The Thunder were expected to be towards the bottom of the conference as they are stacked with draft picks for the next year, but their top option Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was only active for 35 games. Injuries and overall poor defense hampered the Minnesota Timberwolves. For a team that has one of the most dominant offensive players in Karl-Anthony Towns , the ‘Wolves can’t get over the hump and they need more of a frontcourt presence. D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley missed a good amount of the season and Towns is one of, if not, the worst defensive centers in the league.
After seeing a much healthier Anthony Davis last year, things normalized as he played in just 36 games this season. We even saw LeBron James play in just 45 games as he is starting to have more and more health issues. Injuries to Davis and James led the Lakers to finishing seventh in the Western Conference, only to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs after surviving the play-in tournament. The Golden State Warriors did not advance in the play-in tournament to make the NBA Playoffs as they had to once again go through a season without the services of Klay Thompson . Second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft James Wiseman was limited to just 39 games this year due to injury. On the other side of the coast, the Brooklyn Nets lost Spencer Dinwiddie to injury for the season three games in and Kevin Durant in his long-awaited return to the court after missing the previous season played in only 35 games this season.
Finally, speaking of the Nets, an unfortunate moment that occurred this season was when LaMarcus Aldridge had to suddenly retire from the NBA due to tests coming back showing an irregular heartbeat. He played 15 seasons and made seven All-Star teams and we pray for his health, as we never want to see an Athlete not retire on their own terms.
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Aaron Gordon had a quiet night, finishing with 13 points (6-of-13 FGs, 0-of-1 FTs), five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one three-pointer in the Nuggets’ loss to the Thunder on Tuesday.
Gordon was mostly held in check on the offensive end, finishing with his fewest three-point makes of the series, the second-lowest scoring output, and no production from the free throw line. While Gordon has made several big plays down the stretch of games this postseason, he was notably quiet in Game 5, making his line feel even less spectacular. He’s performed well in Denver’s two home games this series and will need to empty the tank on Thursday in Game 6 to help the Nuggets keep their season alive.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points (10-of-27 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), four rebounds, three assists, one block and three three-pointers in 42 minutes for the Nuggets in their loss to the Thunder on Tuesday.
Murray registered his third 20-plus-point game of the series on Tuesday, but did so on rather inefficient shooting. A monster 13-point third quarter is where much of his production came from, which gave Denver a decent lead going into the final quarter. However, Murray cooled off down the stretch, scoring five of Denver’s 19 points in the fourth quarter. Both he and the rest of the Nuggets will want a better close to Thursday’s Game 6 if they hope to extend their season.
Nikola Jokic was dominant in the Nuggets’ loss to the Thunder on Tuesday, posting 44 points (17-of-25 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and 5 three-pointers.
Jokic bounced back in a big way on Tuesday after a few inefficient shooting performances in Games 2, 3 and 4. The three-time MVP had his fingerprints all over the game on the offensive side, regaining his shooting touch and being particularly dangerous from beyond the arc. He made some contributions as a passer, but still hasn’t found a way to dominate in this series as a facilitator, not yet tallying more than six assists in any game. Even with the Nuggets receiving the inevitable bounce-back game for Jokic, it wasn’t enough for them to take control of the series. Denver will need everything it can get from Jokic in Thursday’s Game 6 if it wants to extend the season.
Luguentz Dort came up big for the Thunder in their win over the Nuggets on Tuesday, finishing with 12 points (4-of-8 FGs), three rebounds, one assist and four three-pointers.
Well-known for his prowess on the defensive end, Dort’s offensive eruption in the fourth quarter helped the Thunder climb from out of a big hole to secure a come-from-behind win and move Oklahoma City one win closer to a trip to the conference finals. His three triples in the final frame were huge, but a late assist on a Jalen Williams three might have been the play that delivered the Thunder the victory. Dort’s double-digit outing marked his third of the series, and Oklahoma City would welcome another as it tries to close out the series on Thursday in Game 6.
Jalen Williams was impressive for the Thunder on Tuesday, posting 18 points (5-of-14 FGs, 6-8 FTs), nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers in the win over the Nuggets.
Williams landed in double figures in scoring for the fifth time in as many games this series. And while he continued to struggle with shooting efficiency, he remained impactful as a facilitator. The fourth-year wing also delivered one of the biggest shots of Game 5 as he sank a corner three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to give Oklahoma City a lead it wouldn’t surrender the rest of the way. Williams will continue to be relied upon when the Thunder head to Denver for a chance to close out the Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points (12-of-23 FGs, 6-of-6 FTs), six rebounds, seven assists, two steals, two blocks and one three-pointer in the Thunder’s win over the Nuggets on Tuesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander did it all for the Thunder on Tuesday, taking on the roles of scorer and facilitator while remaining active on the defensive end along the way. Most importantly, he was key in the final handful of blows that Oklahoma City dealt Denver down the stretch in what ended up being a dominant 34-19 fourth quarter for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander, an MVP finalist, delivered his third 30-point game of the series and will have a chance on Thursday to produce his fourth as the Thunder try to eliminate the Nuggets.