🌵 Duel in the Desert: Wemby vs. Durant, Kings' Injury Dilemma, and Curry's Front Row Fan 🏀

Welcome to “Hoop’d There It Is” - Your daily 5-6 min dive into all things NBA.

Who I’m Watching for Tonight (10/30/23)

Huuuuuge 13-game slate tonight, with only 4 teams not playing.

• If Harden suits up, this game is a must-see. James Harden as a Clipper facing the Lakers on ESPN? Count me in. Even if he doesn't play, this game promises to be exciting. 📺️ 

• I'm especially curious to see Domantas Sabonis tonight. The Kings were one of the healthiest teams in the NBA last year, which played a significant role in their success. I chose Sabonis for my weekly fantasy team over Jokic. It's not that I believe he'll outperform Jokic, but with the additional $2300 saved, I think Sabonis will have a more prominent role in the Kings' offense, especially with D'Aaron likely missing a few games. I'm hoping this potential elevated production, combined with the extra $2300 to allocate elsewhere on my team, will work in my favor. Time will tell. 🤑 

• On a personal note, I'd like to see more of OKC. I feel I haven't watched many complete OKC games. Tomorrow's game is on ESPN, and I've chosen Jalen Williams for my weekly fantasy lineup.

• And, of course, there's Luka. Always excited to watch Luka.

What Stood Out to Me Last Night (10/29/23)

Two major highlights stood out in an otherwise uneventful first half of the Spurs/Suns game.

1. Durant receives the ball at the top, and Wemby steps up to defend him. Durant waves off the switch. It's 1v1. The crowd gets louder. Durant drives, uses a nifty move to create some space, and fades away from the baseline just as the shot clock buzzer sounds. Pure basketball beauty right there. 🏀 

2. WEMBY, OH MY GOD. His only basket of the first half was explosive. I audibly gasped when he dunked over Eubanks, primarily because of how far out he launched himself - his arms are soooooooo long.

I wrote the above note while the first half was still underway. The game served as mere background noise until midway through the 4th quarter when the Spurs, led by Keldon and Vessell, began their rally.

What an ending, though. Wemby delivers a putback dunk to narrow the deficit to one point. Upon the Suns' inbound to Durant, he's quickly double-teamed and gets hit in the face by Tre Jones. Keldon then steals the ball on his own baseline, drives it to the hoop, and gives the Spurs their first lead of the game. Such a wild turn of events.

Note from the earlier Knicks/Cavs game: Quickley has discreetly evolved into one of the most reliable bench scorers in recent league memory. Now in his 4th year, he's maintained an average of double-digit points off the bench for the fourth consecutive season. He played a significant role in the Knicks widening their lead in the 4th quarter to put the Cavs away.

Random NBA Thought

Many claim that today's playground kids emulate Steph Curry's style of play. Since I’m not playing with kids on the playground, I'll take their word for it.

However, most who make this observation imply a criticism: instead of mastering the fundamentals, youngsters are now crossing the half-court line and immediately hoisting long-range shots. While I understand the allure — after all, Steph is arguably the most electrifying offensive player we've witnessed — these kids aren't Steph Curry.

Trying to mimic him without his level of skill can lead to less than flattering results. This thought crossed my mind two nights ago as I watched Jordan Poole play. It seemed to me that Poole is like any other young admirer of Curry, but with a unique advantage: he's had the chance to observe Curry more closely than most.

While at times he does manage to echo Curry's style (and I mean no disrespect), more often than not, the resemblance falls short.

Old School Memory Fantasy Style

With Harden’s debut looming for the Clips, let’s throwback to a more likable version of Harden - when he dropped the first ever 60 point triple double back in 2018.

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