Klay Thompson drops 40 in the first half and 5-for-9 from behind the arch verses the Pacers!update: Career high of 60pts in 29mins, which means Thompson is the only player to score 60pts in under 30mins in the shot clock era. Best shooter in the league right now?
I was shaking my head as I wrote that title, just in case you couldn’t tell. What the hell is going on over there. It’s like they’re getting hit with bad news and injury game after game. The craziest part about this whole thing is that they actually have some talent over there, it’s just very circumstantial at the moment. Jrue Holiday who because of his wife, Lauren Holiday, fighting through brain cancer, missed the first 12 games of the season to be by her as she went through treatment. Holiday returned in the middle of November, but sat out tonight verses the Grizzlies because of a turf toe ,according to ESPN.com, along with a list of other players.
Anthony Davis was leading scorer tonight (as usual) with 28pts, 4 blocks and a season high 17 defensive rebounds. That wasn’t enough. This is AD’s 13th straight game with 20+pts and 10+rebounds this season. This makes you think about the pink elephant in the room. Does AD need to be with another franchise in order for us to understand his true potential? I’m sure that’s the case at this point. After the third quarter, NO gave a 18pt swing in favor of the Grizzlies in less than a quarter. An 18 point swing, and you’re playing on your home court just sucks. Speaking of being in favor of the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol didn’t go unnoticed. With 28-11-11 and with seven seconds left in regulation, a 3pt game tying shot, it’s safe to say he came to play tonight.
The Pelicans fell the the Grizzlies in double-OT 108-110
76ers power forward/ center Nerlens Noel has been sent to the D-league for practice on injury assignment and will return to the Sixers on Thursday, according to the team. Let’s be honest, as of right now and for the past year, trading Noel makes the most sense for the Sixers and their future progression to becoming an elite contender. He’s also made it clear that he doesn’t want to be in Philly. With Simmons coming back at SF (should be around mid-January, 12 weeks for recovery plus a few to get back in shape) there’s going to be a cut in playing time for existing players, and with an overload of centers it just makes more sense to trade for a player that we can actually utilize. Here’s what to ESPN’s Marc Stein had to say about the on-going situation,
“Nothing has changed here. Noel has yet to appear in a game this season after electing to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery last month, but word is he’d still prefer to be shipped to a new address with so many big men to battle for playing time in Philly. Count on the Sixers to accommodate him eventually.”
There are teams that I think would be better suited for Noel. The couple that comes right to mind are the Knicks and the Bulls. I’ll be sure to go more in depth with my trade break downs,opinions, and reasonings this week, until then let me know what you think.
Let me start off by saying that according to NBA.com Westbrook is tied with LeBron in the 6th spot for all time triple-doubles and has played in 395 less games than Bron. If anyone is excited as hell about this, it’s me. The petty side of me is excited because he wanted OKC to be his team and he got it, while making KD look even crazier about the way he played out his trade decision. It’s not about what you do, it’s about how you do it; and if Westbrook is doing this to prove a point, he won. Yeah, its cool to when you break records for strictly points and having a high field goal percentage, but averaging a triple double is a tremendous sign of being a true elite player. In the last 24 hours this man has had 53 points, 25 rebounds, and 33 assists. That’s not only two triple-doubles, but 2 wins as well. This are getting interesting very intresting in the NBA, and that’s saying the least.
Draymond Green Will Not be Playing Tonight Due to an Ankle Contusion, According to ESPN
It’s not news that Philadelphia got the first choice in the draft, and we were thankful to say the least. The last time we got first pick we got none other than the G.O.A.T himself (no, no, not MJ). 
Allen Iverson didn’t just revamp the Sixers franchise but bought “real” back to the league. There are some people that will always be remembered not just for how they played but what the bought to the game. The fab five integrated hip hop culture and basketball, people payed to see what color Dennis Rodman’s hair was going to be, and people who don’t even know the difference between offense and defense wear Jordan’s on the daily. Allen Iverson changed my entire idea of basketball, he made it more than a game, it was entertainment and I’ve been hooked ever since. Fast forward to 2016. The Sixers choose Ben Simmons and then he broke his right foot. So all hope was lost right? Here’s where the Embiid show started.
I talked about this a little bit the November “season standings so far” post. As of right now the 7-foot center only averages about 22 minutes per game, but has averaged 20 or more in 5 games so far, along with great defense and minimal turnovers (*cough* Okafor take notes*cough*)
I smell rookie of the year for Embiid. The Sixers are also taking their time and it looks as though they’re doing their best to not over-work the 22-year-old since he has suffered from injuries before. So when Ben comes back (I heard talk about him coming back in January but that can always change) what will the Sixers do? We have players like Hollis Thompson who is out scoring the starters and Jerryd Bayless just got back from injury. So it’s safe to say there’s going to be some moving around. Ben Simmons is automatically going to need a starting spot and the ball in his hands for us to really truly get a feel for him and what he can do for us offensively. In all seriousness, our team is very young and there’s going to take time for growth. I give it five years,for the Sixers and there is a real chance for them to become an elite team. We just have to sit back and “trust the process”.
If you had to pick a vet player to join the Sixers right now and solidify the roster, who would it be?
Last night the Bulls took the Heat 98-95, and even though Wade didn’t have the best game ( 13-7-4) it definitely wasn’t bad. He went on to say it was “the worst basketball game I ever played in my life” and “I couldn’t wait until it was over.” Even though he was saying it as a joke, we all know there was truth to it. It would be weird for anyone to play against a team that they’ve spent 13 seasons, grew as a player and saw the height of their career with. I mean honestly, it’s slightly bizarre to see Wade in anything but a Heat Jersey (nothing is as weird as KD in that GSW jersey, yes I bought it up again). One of the players that spent time with Wade before the game, and one of the daily saviors of my fantasy league, was Jimmy Butler (20-4-5 last night) who said “he’s so calm about it.” Even though Wade was one quote short of calling that game the twilight zone, heat fans we’rent phased. They gave him a standing ovation at the end of the game while they chanted “D-Wade” over and over. The media focuses so much on scorned fans burning jerseys, that it’s easy forget that there’s some fan-player relationships that will be there forever regardless of what team the player goes to( I was about to bring up Philly’s relationship with Allen Iverson, but that deserves an entire post that I’m conjuring up in my head as we speak). Before that night Wade had scored 20,364 point while in the NBA, and for the first time in history, he scored 20 against the only team he never scored against.
Mycourtside.com 