NBA Game Notes: Road Teams Rule Again!

Another night of close games, including a wild finish after half the country had gone to bed. Really fun night of hoops.

Here’s what I saw on Wednesday!

Chicago Bulls - 122 at Portland Trail Blazers - 121

• Starting with a total aside…Did any of you ever play the old SEGA Genesis game Bulls vs Blazers? When NBA games were just getting going, that one was the gold standard for a while. We played that game for hours at my house or my buddy Nick’s house, including keeping our own stats and everything. So much fun!

• As for this game…the Bulls almost blew it. They had a huge lead and looked like they were going to lose before rallying to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat. Coby White game up big in the endgame moments. First, White hit this transition triple to pull Chicago within one:

  Then, White set up Nikola Vucevic for the game-winning buzzer beater. Good drive by White, and look how Vucevic lifts to the elbow to give White the passing lane and himself a cleaner look:

• The game-winner capped another strong night for Vucevic. Not sure where things go from here, but Vucevic’s next contract is going to be pretty interesting. He’s aging, he’s not a great defender, but he’s still productive on offense and a very good rebounder.

• I liked this play from Isaac Okoro and Josh Giddey. Okoro did a good job of driving, kicking then relocating back to the corner. Often, guys will continue through the lane on a play like this. Okoro dropping back to the corner kept the floor balanced:

• Portland really missed Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe in this one, not to mention Scoot Henderson. Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant are good playmaking wings, but all the creation falling to them is a big ask.

• Monster game for Donovan Clingan. He was all over the boards, hit some shots and did a solid job of protecting the rim. This was good help, then recovery to block Nikola Vucevic’s little flip shot on the baseline:

• Nice post-up bucket here from Yang Hansen. Jalen Smith is a solid veteran defender, and Yang did a good job with the spin-back for the lefty finish:

Charlotte Hornets - 118 at Indiana Pacers - 127

• The Pacers aren’t very likely to go on a 10-game win streak like Bennedict Mathurin said was possible. However, if Indiana can keep some guys in the lineup, more days like this are coming. This was one of the better games for the Pacers this season.

• Speaking of Bennedict Mathurin…he’s such a talented scorer. Mathurin can hit catch-and-shoots, both of movement and spot-ups. He can knock down off-the-dribble jumpers. He can drive and finish. And Mathurin is exceptional at drawing fouls. This is a simple play, but watch him slow down to draw the contact from Moussa Diabate to turn this into an and-1:

• Jay Huff was huge for the Pacers in this one. He’s probably earned a bigger role, and potentially even a starting spot down the line. Collin Sexton is pretty good with this floater, but Huff timed it perfectly for the block:

• Pascal Siakam and Jay Huff are developing some of the chemistry that Siakam had with Myles Turner. He’s looking for Huff on the pop or the trail a lot now. This is good basketball:

• The Hornets couldn’t make a shot, but they hung around in the game because they were relentless on the offensive glass. A lot of that was led by Moussa Diabate, who continues to be really productive.

• An exception to not making shots was Kon Knueppel. He’s starting to really play well now. Knueppel is also seeing the floor better too. This was a slick drive-and-kick to Pat Connaughton for the corner triple here: