Raptors and Grizzlies Streaks End

QUARANTITLE - 8/7

Easy Day for San Antonio - Utah was missing 4/5 starters and still came within 8 points of winning this game. While the majority can be attributed to a Jordan Clarkson onslaught, it's concerning for San Antonio's slim playoff chances that they couldn't close this game more effectively. It's a win no doubt, but a disappointing one.

Memphis Finally Wins - The Grizzlies picked up a much needed win after starting 0-4 in the bubble. Weirdly, their first win came against a competent team without JJJ or Tyus Jones. This victory increases their marginal lead over Portland for the 8th seed by .5 games. Memphis now stands 1 game ahead of Portland and 2 games ahead of San Antonio.
Dillon Brooks is Good Now? - Dillon Brooks defines inconsistency. Due to his playstyle and shot volume, the future of Memphis unfortunately rests on his unusually broad shoulders. I don't say that to discredit Ja or Jaren's impact, but when you have a guy taking 15 iso shots per game, the outcome will almost always coincide with his output. Dillon had a good game yesterday and I won't hate on him for it. However, that quality of play came through the utilization of what he excels at, using his size advantage to bully smaller guards into the paint. Dillon is fantastic at lowering his shoulder into a shorter and skinnier guard on a drive to the basket and finishing at the rim. If he would stick that along with catch and shoot 3's, the team would have little to no worries about him on the court. Hopefully either he or Taylor Jenkins recognizes his strengths and weaknesses as much as I do.

I Didn't Watch This Pt. 2 - The Brooklyn Nets beat the Sacramento Kings in a game that zero non-gamblers watched. That is all.

Philly Without Ben Simmons - I don't know what to make of the 76ers anymore, not that I ever did to begin with. The contant lineup tweaking and locker room drama has led them down a season-long rollercoaster that will apparently continue in Ben Simmons' absence. This will either make Philly significantly better or worse, there's no way to know with this deck of wildcards.

Wizards Drop Below 9th Place - I wouldn't care if Jrue Holiday scored 60 points with 30 assists, this is the biggest story of the night. The Washington Wizards are now below the Charlotte Hornets in the standings despite Charlotte not playing a game since March 11th. I legitimately don't know how this could get any worse for Washington outside of literal tragedy. For the love of humanity, please send the Wizards home.

Raptors Finally Lose - Toronto's undefeated streak in Orlando has come to an end in the ugliest fashion. They shot 26% from three and couldn't execute on anything they're usually proficient at. The final score of this game is deceivingly close, even for a 22 point victory. Boston owned this game from the opening tip and should've won by close to 30 if it wasn't for a sudden hot streak from Toronto in the 4th quarter.
Nobody Wants to Play Boston - I've talked a lot about the Miami-Indiana-Philly race going on for the 4-5-6 seeds and I've come to the conclusion that they're all trying to avoid Boston. I don't blame them, the Celtics present a tough matchup for any opponent with 4 starters who can score on their own in any given situation (Walker, Brown, Hayward, Tatum). I'm also a huge fan of Daniel Theis and what he's been able to accomplish defensively for them. Boston is an equally bad matchup for all three of these teams and it seems that they'd all rather play each other than the Beantown juggernaut. We'll see who ends up getting the short straw come playoff time.

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