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Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes, once again, here to usher you into the weekend. Let’s talk about Ben Simmons.
The Nets’ forward is in headlines and tweets again for not scoring a single point in the Nets’ primetime TNT showcase against the Celtics. It’s “Ben Simmons is scared to shoot” this and “he won’t even look at the basket,” that.
It’s not like the critiques are invalid. Ben Simmons won’t shoot. He’s arguably the Nets’ third best player and there are times when he just won’t look at the basket. That can lead to overpassing and turnovers, just like it did here.
But zoom out for a second. Disregard those isolated moments and just look at the big picture of Thursday night’s game. Simmons dished off 13 assists, grabbed 9 rebounds, had two steals and one block
My colleague, Bryan Kalbrosky, pointed out to me that Simmons is the only player in the NBA this season to have at least 13 assists, 9 rebounds, two steals and a block.
Let’s shrink it back down and take those figures out for a second. Let’s just talk about the game itself. Simmons was the only Nets player who registered a positive plus-minus in the box score at +10 in 26 minutes. The Nets lost by 11.
Single-game plus-minus isn’t something to necessarily hang one’s hat on. But in the case of Thursday night’s Celtics-Nets matchup, its showing us that Ben Simmons wasn’t the actual problem. Ultimately, it was their lack of size all-around that got them beat. The Celtics managed to grab 12 offensive rebounds and absolutely clobbered Brooklyn on the glass.
I say all this to say that, no. The Nets not being able to survive without Kevin Durant for one game was not because Ben Simmons couldn’t come up with an extra 11 points. Would it have helped? Maybe so. But that’s not why the Nets lost. And the difference it would’ve made is minuscule.
So, please, let’s all just act accordingly.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.\
Luka Doncic being shocked that the Lakers didn’t double-team him on his game-tying shot against them to force overtime is both hilarious and, honestly, perplexing.
I mean, yes. Seriously. Why didn’t they double Luka? Kalbrosky has more on it here.
“It was a surprising defensive decision from the Lakers, who had trapped him in the pick-and-roll and sent double coverage on Doncic several possessions earlier in the game.
After the game, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said he was “kicking himself in the butt” for not blitzing Doncic before the final shot in regulation.”
Guess they’ll know better for next time.
One to Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Spurs (+290) vs. Warriors (-8.5, -350), O/U 243.5, 7:30 PM ET
Look. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the Warriors will win this game. It’s Steph Curry’s second game back from injury and they’ve lost three straight. But -8.5? That’s too steep. The Spurs are bad, yes. But they’re playing in the Alamodome and are reportedly set to break the NBA’s single-game attendance record. They’ve got a lot to play for here. It’s risky, but give me the Spurs +8.5.
Shootaround
—The Hawks are dysfunctional and it might be because of the owner’s son. Yes. Seriously.
— Jayson Tatum is going to wear his signature shoe soon. Hopefully, it’s not still ugly.
— Here’s a betting trend that you should be paying attention to for road teams in the NBA.
— Ja Morant keeps dunking on Jakob Poeltl and I just want to know why.
Enjoy the weekend, folks!
