After the craziest trade deadline in many many years, we finally get back to basketball with two exciting games. The standout team of the night were the Thunder, who dominated the Mavs while playing with a trade-thinned roster. Elsewhere, the Spurs tried to play “hack-a-DJ”, but were unable to overcome the Clippers in the end.
Let’s get to the games:
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Dallas Mavericks | 89 | (36-20) |
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Oklahoma City Thunder | 104 | (29-25) |
| Final | |||
Attention NBA, the Thunder are coming for you. Before the game even started, the team went crazy at the trade deadline, effectively rebuilding their second team from scratch. None of that mattered come game time, though, as Russell Westbrook picked up where he left off from the All-Star game and was aggressive from the tip. Westbrook finished with 34 points and 10 assists, while Serge Ibaka stepped up for the trade-thinned team with 21 points and 22 rebounds. Dallas had a tough night shooting and fell behind early, only making a run in the early fourth to keep it respectable. Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points and Tyson Chandler added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot a season-low 36.3 percent from the field.
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San Antonio Spurs | 115 | (34-20) |
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Los Angeles Clippers | 119 | (36-19) |
| Final | |||
DeAndre Jordan is viewed as a third-wheel on a team with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. With Griffin out, this is the chance for him to prove his ability to help carry the team – and the Spurs gave him a great opportunity by playing “Hack-a-DJ”. Jordan went 10-26 from the line, but the strategy backfired overall for the Spurs as they were unable to convert on the other end. Jordan finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds while Jamal Crawford added 26. Chris Paul had a great night with 22 points and 16 assists allowing the team to be balanced on both ends of the court. For the Spurs, Tim Duncan had 30 points and 11 rebounds while Tony Parker finished with 21 and 13 assists.