Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Yet another NBA player dropped 50
Good morning. We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
THE SIXERS ARE LOVE: Nerlens Noel made Joel Embiid feel involved as often as possible when he was rehabbing his injuries. So Embiid is doing the same for Ben Simmons, which involved a New Years Eve outing. See, Jahlil Okafor’s problem is that he didn’t enter the league with a horrible injury!
HOW DUMB ARE THE BULLS? I wrote about the rumor that Fred Hoiberg is on the hot seat in Chicago and the Bulls’ roster malpractice.
MEANWHILE ... Jimmy Butler scored 52 in a Bulls win. He’s the eighth different player to score 50 this season, which apparently ties a record. I wondered last year if Steph Curry was sparking a new 50-pointer boom. It looks like he is ... even though he hasn’t scored 50 this season.
SCORES GALORE ...
Thunder 94, Bucks 98
Pelicans 82, Cavaliers 90
Jazz 101, Nets 89
Magic 115, Knicks 103
Hornets 111, Bulls 118
Wizards 91, Rockets 101
Suns 98, Clippers 109
Nuggets 119, Warriors 127
NOT NICE: Russell Westbrook co-opts a Wisconsin original celebration when visiting the Bucks. Milwaukee won.
SPEAKING OF WHICH ... Giannis blocked Westbrook’s shot. So this kid put an Antetokounmpo jersey over his Westbrook jersey, earning the plaudits of the Milwaukee crowd.
SHARE SUGAR: Affecting story by Michael Powell about a coach who returned to coach a Navajo high school team in southern Arizona.
DID YOU KNOW: The Jazz are on pace for more than 50 wins. So are the Grizzlies, Clippers, Rockets, Spurs, and Warriors. Thunder is one game off that pace. Only the Raptors and Cavaliers are on pace to hit 50 in the East.
SPEAKING OF AWESOME TEAMS ... Here’s why the Rockets went 15-2 in December.
SHOOTERS SHOOT: Shea Serrano on how NBA players shoot their shot.
NEXT UP: NBA TV’s Tuesday early game is Jazz-Celtics, and that has the potential to be extraordinary (7:30 p.m. ET). The late is Grizzlies-Lakers (10:30). League Pass options include Pacers-Pistons (7:30), a big Raptors-Spurs party (8:30), and Boogie vs. Jokic (9).
Be excellent to each other.
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