Nba preseason, convincing victory of the Clippers
Danilo Gallinari still driving with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, in the easy victory of his Clippers against the Israelis of Maccabi Haifa (124-76). Paskal Siakam and OG Anunoby lead the second lines of the Raptors, who crash the Pelicans (134-119) despite a sumptuous 36-point Anthony Davis, 15 rebounds in 31 minutes. The owners of the Jazz walk on the ruins of the Kings (132-93) with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert in great dust, with 29 points and 19 rebounds combined in less than 34 minutes of overall use.
Still encouraging signs for the Toronto Raptors. Despite the absence, among others, of the two leaders, Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard, the band of coach Nurse continues to impress. The roster is very deep, as seen against the Pelicans, with Siakam and Anunoby able to take the scene, but what convinces is the genuineness of Nurse's ideas. Canadians play a nice, selfless basketball, with always perfect spacing (43% from three) and a solid defensive dedication. If they manage to win their "fear" of the playoffs, the Raptors are a serious candidate for the Eastern Conference victory.
Anthony Davis preaches in the desert, but his performance is a dream. The Pelicans star is a unique striker and scores in every way (13/18) with extraordinary effectiveness. Whether it's running in transition, flying over the iron, or punishing a favorable fit, the ease with which it always manages to perform is the first of the class. After the injury of Cousins last season, Davis dragged the Pelicans to the conference semifinals, and with the team not appearing to be reinforced during the summer, AD will have to put together a season with a potential MVP to keep his elite in the elite of the Western Conference.
Gallinari is increasingly the leader of these Clippers. Doc Rivers wants to sip it, also because the opponent is not the most difficult, but his centrality in the new technical course of the franchise is obvious. Score 12 points in 13 minutes, but it is the completeness of the performance to bode well: it moves well to rebound, treats the ball in attack, puts in rhythm the teammates. Physically he seems to be fine, the Rooster, and if for once the bad luck were to leave him alone, the Clippers would find a leader able to guide them towards a season that could give more satisfaction than you can imagine.
The show offered by the Kings in the first quarter is at the limit of decency. The partial says 39-10 (then extended up to 47-12 at the beginning of the second period) but the result is the last of the problems. The team seems disconnected, demotivated, unable to react to the Jazz at the minimum union. Coach Joerger is forced to call even four time-outs, in the embarrassment of the fans, who are preparing for the nth season of the theater of horrors. The Kings are not only clearly the worst team in the West, but do not even have the rights to their first choice in the Draft, making their next season a serious unknown about their future.
Comments