Every day in the NBA there is a lot to unpack, so every weekday morning throughout the season we will give you the three things you need to know from the last 24 hours in the NBA.
1) DeMarcus Cousins returns to Sacramento, drops 41,gets his revenge. DeMarcus Cousins may wonder why he was so loyal to Sacramento , but he was reminded exactly why Thursday night — Kings’ fans. When Cousins was introduced pregame he got an ovation so loud it drowned out the boos from some of the fans (those boos were louder as he started to score more through the game). He was loved in Sacramento. And most fans understand you can’t blame a guy who had six coaches in seven years — plus two owners and three GMs — for being frustrated about the direction of the team.
The problems with Cousins in Sacramento were a two-way street, he was a headache to management and coaches as well, but on Thursday night in his homecoming Cousins reminded them why they worked so hard to keep him — he is a force of nature. Cousins had 41 points on just 25 shots, plus pulled down 23 boards in the game, and 14 of those points were in the fourth quarter when the Pelicans came back to win 114-106. Cousins got his revenge.
The Kings were hot early, racing out to a 25-6 lead over the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans. This was a game where the Kings’ future was on display — De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and 5 assists off the bench (it’s time to start him in a three-guard lineup), Buddy Hield had 12 as did Willie Cauley-Stein, and Skal Labissiere added 11. The Kings spread the scoring around with seven guys in double figures, and the team put up 70 points in the first half.
However, young teams are inconsistent ones and that big Sacramento lead faded in the third quarter, as the Kings shot 32 percent for the quarter. Jrue Holiday’s play also picked up — the Pelican point guard had 11 of his 20 points in the quarter, plus he dished out 7 assists on the night. Jameer Nelson gave the Pelicans some solid minutes as well in reserve and had 19 points.
In the end, the team with the dominant player won (as often happens in basketball). Cousins has averaged 33 points and 14.2 rebounds a game this season, looking a little lighter and more mobile than in previous years. He reminded Kings fans what they were missing, while those same fans saw their young team show both promise and remind them there is a long way to go this season.
2) Best ending of the season: Blake Griffin drains three at buzzer to beat Portland. Sorry Trail Blazers fans because I know this one stings, but this was the most dramatic ending to a game we have seen this season.
Portland had taken a one-point lead on a sweet C.J. McCollum floater with 43 seconds left. The Clippers came down, then after a missed three and offensive board, they had a possession where DeAndre Jordan got the ball with room to drive the paint from the mid-post, but instead he kicked it out to an open Danilo Gallinari at the top of the arc who decided not to shoot and dished it to Austin Rivers on the left wing — and if you give Rivers a chance to shoot he takes it. Rivers drove, earned a blocking call in the paint, and got his shot blocked and a finger gruesomely dislocated in the process. But while the cameras focused on his pain, the referees reviewed the blocking call they had made against Damian Lillard on the play and reversed it — charging on Rivers.
Portland inbounded the ball and McCollum was quickly fouled, but he only made one of two free throws, making it a two-point game and opening the door for this to happen.
Game. Set. Match.
Griffin is shooting 43 percent from three this season, and he has been fantastic.
The Clippers are 4-0 on the young season with wins over Utah and Portland. It’s a long season and they have to stay healthy, but this is a pretty good team Doc Rivers is coaching in Los Angeles.
3) Giannis Antetokounmpo puts up numbers but Celtics walk away with win. This is how hot Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the first week of the season — Boston can say they (mostly Al Horford) did a good job holding him to 28 points and 10 rebounds. Antetokounmpo was 10-of-21 shooting, and he had 13 shots in the paint to nine outside of it (before this game 81 percent of his shots had come in the paint).
It was fun to see the Bucks return to the MECCA for one game, although this game probably reminded older Bucks fans of a lot of games in that arena — a loss. There was the championship year in that building back in 1971, but there were some rough years that followed as well.
While Kyrie Irving had 16 of his 24 points in the first half, then made some key plays down the stretch, the Celtics really won this game with a 10-0 run by their bench early in the fourth that gave them some cushion. Horford, in addition to a strong defensive night, led the Celtics with 27 points. The Celtics were the more aggressive team, they got to the free throw line eight more times than the Bucks, and that got them the 96-89 win. That’s three straight wins for Boston, if you’re tracking these things.