NBA Results Roundup (August 6th) - LA Lakers shoot woefully again, Portland Trail Blazers edge closer to playoff spot
Thursday night of NBA action saw a total of six games being played involving nine franchises from the Western Conference and three from the East.
Milwaukee Bucks finally managed to beat a potential playoff matchup while T.J. Warren's juggernaut was finally halted. The battle for the eighth seed in the West had huge developments with the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings all being involved.
Both the LA franchises also took to the court and had contrasting results to show. On that note, let us have a look at the NBA results from August 6th, 2020.
#1 New Orleans Pelicans lose against the Sacramento Kings to dent playoff hopes
The New Orleans Pelicans looked like one of the favorites to make the NBA Playoffs on the back of strong performances in the scrimmages and the fact that they had the easiest schedule to go with. Yet, on Thursday, Alvin Gentry's men suffered their third loss in only their fourth NBA seeding game.
Zion Williamson only played 22 minutes but had 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. However, it was the De'Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic show with both Sacramento Kings guards having 30-point games and going for a combined 25-of-41 from the field. Luke Walton's men have now won their first game in the NBA bubble.
Final Score: Pelicans 125-140 Kings (Ingram 24 points; Fox 30 points, 10 assists)
#2 Milwaukee Bucks clinch the first seed in the East with win over Miami Heat
The Milwaukee Bucks rallied back from a 23-point first-half deficit to outmuscle the Miami Heat in the second thanks to 33 points apiece from Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat sorely missed the defense of Jimmy Butler and the offense of Goran Dragic in this tie.
This was the first time that Mike Budenholzer managed to get the better of Erik Spoelstra as the Bucks ended their two-game losing streak in the NBA bubble. Duncan Robinson had 21 points while going 5-of-9 from the field and Tyler Herro had a 20-point outing too but that wasn't enough for them.
Final Score: Heat 116-130 Bucks (Herro 20 points, 5 assists; Antetokounmpo 33 points, 12 rebounds)
#3 Phoenix Suns halt the T.J. Warren show to continue winning streak
After going for 119 points in this first three games in the NBA bubble, T.J. Warren was expected to go off against the Phoenix Suns, his previous team that infamously traded him for cash considerations. However, Monty Williams' side played fantastic defense again to restrict Warren to 16 points on 7-of-20 shooting. In fact, he only managed to get his first bucket 10 minutes into the ball game.
This was the fourth consecutive win for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA bubble who are hot on the heels of the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a team effort with all of the starters getting into double figures and Devin Booker had 20 points to go with his 10 assists.
Final Score: Pacers 99-114 Suns (Brogdon 25 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds; Ayton 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks)
#4 LA Clippers dispatch Dallas Mavericks with ease
The LA Clippers led throughout the second half in a rather one-sided affair to overcome the Dallas Mavericks again, sweeping them 3-0 for the NBA season. This bodes well for Doc Rivers' side, considering the Mavs are likely to be their matchup in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were up to the usual scoring 29 points and 30 points respectively but did not receive much help from the rest of the team. Meanwhile, three Clippers players scored over 20 points including Kawhi Leonard who had 29 of his own as Ivica Zubac went 100% from the field.
Final Score: Clippers 126-111 Mavericks (Zubac 21 points, 15 rebounds; Porzingis 30 points, 9 rebounds)
Also read: LA Clippers vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction & Match Preview - August 8th, 2020
#5 Portland Trail Blazers close the gap on NBA Playoff spot with win over Denver Nuggets
The Portland Trail Blazers are now just half a game behind the eighth seed Memphis Grizzlies after beating a watered-down Denver Nuggets. After trailing early on in the game, Portland led for the rest of the match, eventually winning it thanks to lights out shooting from downtown.
Damian Lillard dropped 11 three-pointers and Gary Trent Jr. dropped seven as the latter recorded 27 points on the night. Michael Porter Jr. continued his newly found scoring touch with a 27-point outing, but it wasn't enough for Mike Malone's men who again missed three starters on the night.
Final Score: Trail Blazers 125-115 Nuggets (Lillard 45 points, 12 assists; Porter Jr. 27 points, 12 rebounds)
#6 Houston Rockets overcome a lackluster LA Lakers
The LA Lakers' scoring troubles continued as they slumped to their third loss in the NBA bubble against the Houston Rockets. Both franchises missed key players with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both sitting out but Mike D'Antoni's men had no issues in fending off the struggling Lakers.
The three-point shot is simply not falling for the LA Lakers who were outscored by their counterparts by a whopping 57 points from downtown. Kyle Kuzma had a solid 21 points and Anthony Davis had a double-double as well but James Harden ran the show to lead his side to a favorable NBA result on the night.
Final Score: Lakers 97-113 Rockets (Davis 17 points, 12 rebounds; Harden 39 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds)
Also read: OKC Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies Prediction & Match Preview - August 7th, 2020