OKC is missing Dort and Chet in addition to J-Dub and came out with ferocious energy in Portland. Wiggins and Mitchell dominated the 1st quarter. Believe it or not, I don't think I've ever seen them play defense this good.
It's crazy refs still falling for Marcus Smart's foul baiting ... Even on offense , he drives with no intention of finishing an And 1.. lol
blazers chipped away the deficit and came back to take a late lead. OKC has good bench players but struggle to score in the 4th. they just out here foul baiting.
down goes OKC courtesy of Portland refs tried their best to help OKC at the end there but didn't work.
Lakers strategy to just keep attacking wemby and foul him out worked I guess. Makes sense, he tries to block everything so you can probably bait him into fouls.
Considering J-Dub, Chet, Dort and Caruzo were all out, I think OKC did very well for themselves. SGA wasn't himself and they still nearly pulled it out. Even with SGA, their closing lineup tonight wouldn't scare anybody. Looks like Tiago Splitter has given the Blazers a boost. I think they are better off without Chauncey Billups.
crazy how they just give the rein over to Deni Avdija and I guess it's somewhat working? dude might be a poor man's Luka
Washington must be the bottom of hell, I did not see anything in Avdija there.....but I guess he did the right thing leaving. There was a time when Portland was bad, I guess Avdija arrived at the right timing.
Grok says: Erik Spoelstra and his wife, Nikki Spoelstra, officially finalized their divorce on November 29, 2023, after seven years of marriage. … Spoelstra signed his eight-year contract extension with the Miami Heat on January 9, 2024. The deal, worth more than $120 million, is the largest by total value in NBA coaching history and runs through the 2031-32 season.
