Is any team in the NBA actually good?
It was only a few days ago that the Boston Celtics, having had the Oklahoma City Thunder put 150 on them, then responded by snapping the Dallas Mavericks’ seven-game win streak.
Because that totally makes sense right?
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Well, in a season where it has seemed impossible to single out a clear frontrunner, the Milwaukee Bucks have just become the latest contender to flounder in stunning fashion.
Going up against a 10-29 Charlotte Hornets team that had conceded 131 points two days ago, this was expected to be one-way traffic — and it was. Just not in the way anyone expected.
The Hornets made history by outscoring the Bucks 51-28 in the opening quarter, matching an NBA record for the most points in that period. Milwaukee would go into halftime trailing 84-60.
Oh, and Charlotte did all of this damage away from home. This wasn’y one of those games where Milwaukee rested some of its bigger names either, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday all good to go.
The Greek Freak had just six points and three rebounds in the opening half while turning the ball over three times, with Lopez (nine points) leading the way for Milwaukee.
As for the Hornets, Terry Rozier exploded, draining five 3-pointers to have 25 at the half while LaMelo Ball (19 points, seven assists) and P.J. Washington (13 points) also caught fire.
Mason Plumlee was also wreaking havoc, with the Bucks unable to contain Charlotte’s big man who had eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the first half.
ELSEWHERE… LAVINE MAKES STATEMENT IN BULLS WIN
The Chicago Bulls have been one of this season’s greatest disappointments, to the extent that genuine questions have been asked as to whether they need to blow their roster up.
Now, one win won’t suddenly stop those questions still being asked ahead of February’s trade deadline. But this felt different. This felt like the Bulls — and Zach LaVine — of old.
LaVine erupted for 41 points, shooting 14-for-19 from the field including 11-for-13 from deep, as the Bulls stormed to a 126-112 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
James Harden had a rough shooting night, finishing 4-for-17 from the field, with Tobias Harris (22 points) and Tyrese Maxey (26 points) enjoying more efficient games.
Harden did have 11 assists and seven rebounds though while also shooting six of eight attempts from the charity stripe.
There was no Joel Embiid for the Sixers nor Alex Caruso for the Bulls in Saturday’s game, with Philadelphia going small early with Harden, Maxey and DeAnthony Melton all starting.
Nikola Vucevic took full advantage of the small line-up for Chicago, adding nine points and seven rebounds to his personally tally in the first quarter alone.
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Still, the Sixers would take a 30-25 lead after the first period, enjoying plenty of success from deep (6-for-11) while committing just the one turnover.
Maxey continues to look more comfortable since returning from a six-week injury layoff, impressing in just his third game back with sharp and accurate decision-making.
He had two 3-pointers in the first quarter, as did Melton and Georges Niang, helping make up for a slow start from Harden who shot 0-for-7 from the field in the first quarter.
Unfortunately for the Sixers Harden’s struggles continued into the second period, with Patrick Williams effectively shutting him down to limit Philadelphia’s main man to 1-for-10 and a pair of turnovers.
Harden was still dishing it out, with six assists to go with seven rebounds, but points were at a premium and only coming from trips to the line for the former MVP.
It also meant that Philadelphia’s offence quickly dried up when those 3-point attempts were not falling and Chicago took full advantage, holding a 59-55 lead after the first half.
Trailing by 13 points at one point, the Bulls rallied late to take the lead, with Vucevic (14 points, 12 rebounds) still leading the way while LaVine (13 points) and DeMar DeRozan (10 points) both also hit double figures.
Maxey (13 points, four assists) and Harris (11 points, three rebounds), meanwhile, were helping keep the Sixers afloat.
There was a visible moment of relief for Harden as he finally made a 3-point attempt with five minutes left in the third quarter, cutting Chicago’s lead to 77-74.
It prompted the Bulls to call a timeout, with LaVine draining a deep shot of his own soon after before Patrick Williams dunked it home to push Chicago’s lead out once more.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, having come close to regaining the lead, they would only fall further behind from that point as LaVine really started to heat up.
LaVine would end up scoring 19 points in the third quarter while Williams had 16 as the Bulls outscored the Sixers 40-29 in the period while shooting 62.5 per cent from the field.
The Sixers were able to pull it back to 110-102 with five on the clock, giving themselves a chance of stealing the win late but LaVine closed it out with some key buckets.
