Vic's Night Caps - NBA Week 12/9

Published: Monday, December 16, 2024

by Victor Lisboa

I’m Victor Lisboa, here to provide recaps of our friend Darren’s weekly NBA takes. This week he highlighted three matches from Monday Dec. 9 and Tuesday Dec. 10, and made predictions based on what we’ve seen from them so far. Let’s take a look at the action this past week and how he did.

First we have Monday’s Key Game

New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors (USA vs. Canada)

The division rivals meet again, as New York traveled up to face The North. Of course, there were a few familiar reunions, and perhaps revenge games; OG Anunoby paid a visit to his old home, and RJ Barrett got to see some old friends. The big trade these two teams made will reach its one-year anniversary in two weeks. Since then, we have seen both teams on two different paths and trajectories. Let’s analyze how this game went. 

The Knicks came into this game at 15-9, after a somewhat shaky start to the season. After some major acquisitions, the Knicks have seemed to find a rhythm, but the Raptors kept this one close. Karl-Anthony Towns was coming back from a one-game absence, in his double-double bag with 24 points and 15 rebounds, as well as leading the league with 13.6 RPG.

Jalen Brunson added a double-double of his own with 20 points and 11 assists, but once again it was the “Bodega KAT” coming up clutch again. He nailed a layup with 36 seconds left to tie it, and subsequently sealed the win with a three-pointer on NY’s next possession.  

Scottie Barnes returned from an orbital fracture on Nov. 21, and was averaging 20.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 7.4 APG. He was able to score 15 points in 23 minutes, but was forced to exit midway through the third quarter due to a sprained his ankle.

Toronto went 2-9 during the stretch Barnes was out, but former Knick RJ Barrett was able to remind his former teammates of the star he can be. He had 30 points and eight rebounds on over 50% shooting. The 2024 19th overall pick out of Baylor, Ja’Kobe Walter, added 19 off the bench to be Raptors’ second leading scorer.  

Darren predicted a final score of 115-106, predicting a nine-point win. Darren came extremely close but still predicted a Knicks victory, as the final was 113-108, off by -2, and +2. So close for our friend Darren!  
 
Tuesday’s Key Games

Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks (The Superstars vs. The Veterans)

This was the first contest of the quarterfinals for the Emirates NBA Cup, with the victor set to play the winner of the Hawks vs Knicks game Wednesday (Hawks wound up winning that one).

The Orlando Magic have been a surprising team this year. Not too surprising, based on the fact that they were the fifth seed last year, but it’s been impressive to watch this young team improve. Even with Paolo Banchero being out most of the start of this season with a torn oblique, and Franz Wagner recently going down with a similar injury, Orlando has still managed to stay afloat. They are currently sitting at third in the East with a 17-10 record.  

The Milwaukee Bucks have finally managed to reciprocate their trajectory in the last few weeks, as they had a very inauspicious start to the season. However, it seems the pieces have been coming together for the Bucks, as bench players like Gary Trent are starting to find rhythm after a rough slump. Giannis has continued to look like an MVP, and Damian Lillard still looks like the star we all know in his age 34 season.

For being without their two stars, the Magic were never out of this game, and kept it close all throughout. Jalen Suggs carried the burden of absences with 32 points on 26 attempts and added nine rebounds. It was the Orlando bench that stepped up big in the one; Mo Wagner had 13 points off a perfect 6-6 shooting performance. Combining that with another 10 from Jett Howard and 17 points from 6’7” guard Anthony Black, the Magic Bench contributed 40+ points overall.

However, the Bucks were fortunate to lean on their stars, as Giannis, (who leads the league in PPG) dropped 37 points, with Lillard adding 28 points, for a total of 65 points. Bobby Portis continues to be one of the best bench contributors in the league, dropping a double-double of 22 points off of a splendid 9-11 shooting performance and 10 boards.  

Late in the game, “Dame Time” was able to seal the deal with a late-game takeover, something many NBA fans have gotten familiar with. Darren’s prediction once again came close, as he predicted a 120-110 victory for The Bucks. Milwaukee won with a final score of 114-109. 
 
Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1 vs. No. 2)

The Mavericks were sitting at the second seed entering this contest. Led by their superstar Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are looking to get back to the NBA Finals after an impressive season last year. This year, they made one of the bigger acquisitions of the season, when they made a sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors for their coveted star Klay Thompson.  

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game as the first seed in the west, and remain at No. 1. The Thunder were looking for vengeance Tuesday night, as they battled the team that eliminated them in six games of the Western semis last postseason.

The Thunder are one of the youngest teams in the league, but their young stars have been brewing with potential. With their performance in this matchup, OKC have seemed to solidify their spot as one the West’s best.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having yet another spectacular season, leading this Thunder squad averaging 30.3 PPG and 6.3 APG across the board. He manifested a similar stat line in this game, with 39 points on 15-23 shooting, along with eight rebounds and five assists. Oklahoma City opened the half on a 13-2 run to spark the momentum for the rest of the game, and SGA had nine of those points to help his team take a 70-56 lead in the third.  

The Mavericks starters seemed to struggle a bit more, as nobody was able to crack 20 points for them. Luka Doncic had a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists, but shot 33% with six turnovers. Thompson and Kyrie Irving added 19 and 17 points, respectively, and Naji Marshall added 19 off the bench.

Ultimately, the Mavericks made too many mistakes in the game, and conceded 36 points off of turnovers, in comparison to 17 points off turnovers for the Thunder.

Darren predicted a close matchup and five-point victory for Dallas. However, the defensive pressure and physicality from OKC was too much for Dallas, as the Thunder won the matchup 118-104.  

Victor Lisboa can be reached at victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu. 

 

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