You should probably know this, but in case you don’t, the Wolves put on a dominant show last night against the Clippers. With a 123-109 win at Target Center, the Wolves helped themselves jump from eighth place to seventh place (with a little help from the Hawks and Dennis Schröder’s 41 points vs. Utah), while, at the same time, bumping the Clippers down to 10th place in the Western Conference.
While the Wolves are off until Friday night in New York, there is plenty of basketball to be played in the meantime. With four important games on tap for tonight, let me help you solidify your Wednesday evening plans.
Pacers at Pelicans, 7:00 p.m., League Pass
It’s the tail end of a back-to-back for a Pelicans squad who pulled out a W in last night’s game against the Mavericks behind 37 points from Anthony Davis and a 19-point, 14-assist double-double from Rajon Rondo.
Currently with a 41-30 record, the Pelicans are in fifth place in the Western Conference, owning the season-series tiebreaker against the Spurs, who are in sixth place, with both teams just a half-game ahead of the Wolves.
Tonight, they are facing an Indiana Pacers team who have an identical record as the Pelicans, and have been coming on strong as of late, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. This has all the signs of a Lance Stephenson revenge game (yes, he did play for the Pelicans – in six total games last season). That may not warrant enough credibility for a revenge game, but hey, a man can hope.
Jrue Holiday sat out last night’s ballgame with flu-like symptoms, so keep an eye out for news on that leading up to tip-off!
Nuggets at Bulls, 7:00 p.m., League Pass
A ninth place Nuggets team fighting for a playoff spot vs. a Bulls team aiming towards next season? This may get interesting.
The Nuggets are coming off a two OT thriller in Miami. The most thrilling part? They lost 149-141. That game was on Monday, so they’ve had a full day of rest to recover, but they very well could still be tired, as all five starters saw 43 minutes or more.
Paul Millsap returned to the Nuggets lineup on February 27, giving hope to those in Denver that the Playoffs were a sure thing. However, it has not gone as planned, as they have seemed to struggle finding a rhythm with Millsap in the lineup.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been holding it down for the club, however, as it seems Jokic is always flirting with a triple-double, and Murray is consistently dropping 20-point games. Last time the Nuggets and Bulls met was in late November, with Will Barton putting up a career-high 37 points. The Nuggets are two and a half games back from the Wolves, with two games left to play between the two teams. Basketball is fun!
Clippers at Bucks, 7:00 p.m., League Pass
Missing the Clippers yet? You’re in luck! The Clippers, as previously mentioned, are sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference after a loss last night in Minnesota. They are two and a half games back from the eighth seed Utah Jazz, which at this point in the season, seems to not be in their favor.
They are in Milwaukee tonight to face a Bucks team who is struggling as of late, but is holding onto that eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. This is a must-win for the Clippers, and perhaps for the Bucks, as well, if they want to move up in the standings. However, from what I’ve been told, basketball is a game in which one team must lose. Here’s to hoping that team will be the Clippers.
Tonight will be the Battle of Big Hands, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (second biggest hands in NBA history) and Boban Marjanovic (biggest in NBA history) face off! For real though, it will be interesting to see if anyone can slow down the Greek Freak, as he has put up 38 points, 33 points, and 37 points in his last three games, respectively. Let’s hope that trend continues tonight!
Wizards at Spurs, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
This is a big one in San Antonio tonight, as the suddenly red-hot Spurs, winners of their last four games, come into tonight’s game against Washington with a half game lead on the Wolves.
The Spurs are coming off a game in which they beat an extremely injured Warriors team. Seriously, Curry, Durant, or Thompson were all out with injuries, and Draymond Green left the game halfway through the second quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge has been cooking for the Spurs, averaging 36 points per game over his last two games, and Dejounte Murray is looking like the real deal at point guard.
Speaking of the real deal, Bradley Beal has been lights out this season, making his first career All-Star Game in February, and averaging 23.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.7 APG. Last night, Marcus Morris came up big with a game-winning three-pointer for the Celtics against the fourth seed Thunder, so we’ll see what his brother, Markieff, has in store for the Wizards tonight to top Marcus.
It seems like just a couple weeks ago, the Morris brothers were hurting the Wolves, now they’re doing their best to help. First they’re sour, then they’re sweet. A true Sour Patch Kids commercial in the making.
Final note: The Wizards have not won a game in San Antonio since 1999. I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD! Time to end that streak, Wiz.
Get your popcorn ready, folks. The Wild Wild West is going to be a wild wild ride.