The struggling Milwaukee Bucks ended the Golden State Warriors’ undefeated start to the 2015-16 NBA season, but this surprising result wasn’t the only significant headline during the second week of December.
This piece examines games played between Dec. 7 and Dec. 13, shares observations from the week and provides a glimpse at what’s coming up during the next slate of NBA action.
Houston is content to live and die by The Beard
Houston’s week started with an ugly road loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but the team bounced back the following night at the home of the Washington Wizards.
And by team, we mean James Harden.
While the shooting guard committed seven turnovers in both contests, he finished 2-of-9 from the field with only six free-throw attempts for 10 points against Brooklyn compared to 13-of-23 and 11-of-12 for 42 points vs. Washington.
The Rockets’ bench finally showed up during the final contest of the week, but the 3-21 Los Angeles Lakers have to be good for something, right? Until proven otherwise in a decent matchup, Houston goes as Harden does.
Charlotte is better than good
“Better than good” admittedly isn’t flattering, but jumping to conclusions is always dangerous in sportswriting. Next week, the Hornets might lose three straight games, and that’s not a mark of a great team.
Nevertheless, Charlotte (14-9) continued its sneaky early-season success, knocking off three playoff contenders in the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies by 18 points or more before the Boston Celtics ended the splendid stretch of wins.
Most impressively, the Hornets still only have a single “bad” loss this season. They’re merely falling to the league’s elite while defeating a handful of playoff-caliber teams and nearly every medicore squad.
Charlotte’s merit will again be tested against the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards this week, but don’t be surprised if Kemba Walker and Co. earn a high grade.
San Antonio’s defense is ridiculous
If there’s any doubt Gregg Popovich is the best NBA coach, the 2015-16 campaign should convert the late (late, late) adopters.
After signing LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, the Spurs sacrificed their up-tempo style for more of a half-court game. That transition would only work if the defense excelled. Spoiler alert: It has.
San Antonio rested Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, the Sixers are all sorts of awful, but an NBA team still only netted 68 points against a team resting three key players.
It’s understandable if that’s not impressive enough, but this one should do the trick. The Spurs held the Atlanta Hawks to 25 in the first half and a season-low 78 overall. Twelve of San Antonio’s last 13 opponents have failed to reach 100.
Golden State and the Spurs are on a collision course for a meeting in the Western Conference Finals. Hopefully there are no detours.
Miami has a serious three-point problem
Considering the roster makeup, preseason expectations for Miami didn’t include a nightly three-point barrage. But we didn’t expect the Heat to become the Memphis Grizzlies of the Eastern Conference.
Throughout a stretch of losses to the Wizards, Hornets and Indiana Pacers and a win over the Grizzlies, Erik Spoelstra’s team managed to connect on just 23 of 79 triples. Gerald Green hit seven of them, while no other player buried more than 36.4 percent.
Overall, Miami has the third-fewest three-point attempts (425) and percentage (31.1) in the league.
Unless Goran Dragic, Luol Deng or Justise Winslow start providing a long-range presence, this problematic trend will emerge as a glaring issue during the postseason. Memphis has never managed to overcome its lack of three-point shooting during the playoffs. The Heat won’t be any different.
Russell Westbrook is more creative than everyone else
With 0.7 seconds remaining before halftime, the Utah Jazz held a 51-36 edge over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook’s imagination provided the spark OKC needed for a victory.
“That was unreal,” Kevin Durant said of the sequence, per ESPN’s Royce Young. “Only Russ would make some play like that.”
Really, though, who else besides Westbrook would even dare to attempt something similar? We’ve seen in-bounders throw it off the back of someone standing directly in front of them, but never that.
Westbrook tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, helping Oklahoma City ultimately beat Utah in overtime and cap a 4-0 week in dramatic fashion. Imagine that.
Toronto records another marquee win
Unlike what we saw in 2014-15, the Raptors’ success now starts on the defensive end. No wonder they’ve beaten the Pacers, Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Wizards, Hawks and the Spurs.
Punctuated by a 97-94 win over San Antonio, Toronto went 4-0 this past week. DeMar DeRozan scored 28, and the Raptors limited the Spurs to 16 third-quarter points and a combined 17-of-44 shooting mark to San Antonio’s starters.
Toronto also held Philadelphia to 76 points, the Bucks to 83 and the Lakers to 93. Per NBA.com, the team’s 92.6 defensive rating was the third-best clip of the week behind only San Antonio and Charlotte.
Just wait until DeMarre Carroll — Toronto’s best defender — is healthy.
Thanks for the history, Golden State
Perhaps the seemingly non-stop coverage of the Warriors’ brilliant start to 2015 disrupted regular programming. If that was the case, your wish came true when the Bucks stopped Golden State one game short of completing an undefeated seven-game road trip.
But thanks for the memories, Dubs.
One day, the masses will properly appreciate the unbelievable feat of going 24-0 and scoring 100-plus points in every game. Golden State became the first team in history to start 16-0, and every win-loss record since then—even 24-1—was a new NBA record.
Unfortunately, the Warriors won’t go 82-0 or reach the Christmas Day showdown with the Cavaliers boasting an undefeated mark. Oh well. Time to start a new streak, Golden State.