Welcome to the NBA Betting Dime. If you missed the debut edition, it’s a weekly basketball column that combines some of the game’s best aspects. You can expect to find some analytical deep dives, social media clips, gambling information, and maybe some dumb pop culture references sprinkled in.
This week, we’re going to take a look at the Mavericks’ recent success, the emergence of Dejounte Murray, and some excellent in-stadium hijinx.
However, let’s start by diving into the recent drama surrounding the current title favorites.
1. Cut Down The Nets?
It has been a rough week for the current title favorites. It started with the injury to Kevin Durant, who has put together another monster season. He is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, combining volume and efficiency in a way that very few players can. He leads the league with an average of 29.3 points per game while shooting 52.0% from the field, 37.2% from 3-point range, and 89.4% from the free throw line. That was enough to propel him to second in MVP odds across the betting industry.
However, the Nets are going to have to survive the next four-to-six weeks with him on the sidelines. He was diagnosed with a sprained MCL, and while he’s expected to make a full recovery, that’s a significant blow.
Unsurprisingly, Durant has been vital to the Nets’ success this season. They’ve increased their Net Rating by +4.9 points per 100 possessions this season, and they’ve increased their effective field goal percentage by +5.4%. That puts him in the 98th percentile per Cleaning the Glass.
With Durant off the court, the Nets have been pretty mediocre. They’ve outscored their opponents by just +0.1 points per 100 possessions. Adding Kyrie Irving to the rotation will help, but he’s still going to be limited to just road games.
That’s going to likely impact that Nets’ seeding for the playoffs, but they will still be the favorites in the East if Durant is back come playoff time.
However, the Durant injury is arguably just the second-worst piece of news for the Nets this week. NBA insider Marc Stein dropped this bombshell on Monday:
“It must be noted that there is enough noise circulating leaguewide about Harden's reported openness to relocation this summer” 👀
– @TheSteinLine on James Harden
(Via https://t.co/TdawS5h82n) pic.twitter.com/E60G5VJZct
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 17, 2022
If Harden leaves during free agency, it could create a disaster situation in Brooklyn. He has a player option for more than $47.3M, and if he chooses to decline, there’s not much that the Nets can do to replace him. The Nets are already $63M over the cap space, so they can’t use any of that money in free agency. The best they could hope for is a sign-and-trade, but they’d be at the mercy of whatever team Harden chooses to sign with.
The team does have Durant on a long-term contract, but it remains to be seen if the team can win a title without a third superstar. Kyrie Irving also has a player option for next season, so there’s a chance that he could choose to follow Harden out the door.
The Rockets are one team that will be following this situation closely. They get the Nets’ first-round pick in 2024 and 2026, plus the right to swap picks in 2023, 2025, and 2027. If the Nets bottom out, there’s potential that those picks will become desirable. Either way, those picks look a whole lot more valuable than they did at this time just last week.
2. Respect Your Elders
This week’s dunk of the week belongs to a usual suspect. Miles Bridges has been one of the best in-game dunkers for years, and he and LaMelo Ball combined for a nice alley-oop in transition:
🤯 Oh, LaMelo 🤯
A CRAZY connection with Bridges on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/L8Rrlv9ZoR pic.twitter.com/lYY6RMEMZ1
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2022
Ok, I’ll be honest, this is far from Bridges’ best dunk. He’s had some absolute showstoppers throughout the years.
This is more about the pass, with Ball going through the legs before throwing it up to his teammate.
If this dunk feels familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before. LaMelo channeled the Lob City era Clippers and this beautiful hookup between Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin.
It’s awesome to see two up-and-coming stars pay homage to two previous greats. The fact that the Lob City Clippers never made it to the Finals is a tragedy, but their impact on the league is obvious.
3. Here Come The Mavericks
There’s been no hotter team recently than the Mavericks. Their six-game winning streak was snapped by the Knicks on Jan. 12, but they’ve bounced back with two wins in their last two contests. That includes a road victory over the Grizzlies, who entered that contest on an 11-game win streak of their own.
They haven’t just been winning those contests either; they’ve been crushing teams. Each of their past eight wins is by at least nine points, and seven of them have come by 14 or more. Overall, their average margin of victory over that time frame is nearly 15.9 points.
Their recent run coincides with the return of Luka Doncic, which is obviously a big deal. Doncic hasn’t been at his peak for most of the season, but he’s averaged just shy of a triple-double during his past seven games.
That said, the big difference for the Mavericks during this run has been their defense. The Mavs are up to fourth in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing an average of just 106.4 points per 100 possessions. During their run of eight wins in nine games, they’ve allowed just 98.9 points per 100 possessions.
The Mavericks have always been able to score the ball. They were eighth in offensive efficiency last year and first in the year prior, but their defense has kept them from joining the truly elite teams in the Western Conference. If they can keep up that level of success on the defensive end moving forward, they have some legit sleeper appeal.
4. In-Stadium Hijinx: Part One
The Kings decided to have a bit of fun at Russell Westbrook’s expense last week. The Lakers were squaring off with the Kings in Sacramento, and Westbrook entered the game on a massive cold streak. He had made just six of 26 shots over his previous two contests – good for a 23.1% field goal percentage – and whoever controls the music in the stadium wanted to remind him of that fact. They blasted Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” whenever Westbrook missed a shot:
the Sacramento Kings played “Cold As Ice” every time Russell Westbrook missed a shot last night.
when asked after the game about it, he said “that’s funny, i hope they played that the last 14 years too.”
the reel + his comments: pic.twitter.com/mxf3ml0deT
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 13, 2022
Westbrook was just 2-14 vs. the Kings, so the song got plenty of play at Golden 1 Center.
Did the Kings go too far? It’s possible, but it’s hard to feel too bad for the guy making $44.2M to play basketball this season. Westbrook also seemed to take it in stride, saying that he “hoped they played that the last 14 years, too.”
Westbrook has a point there. He’s played 46 career games against the Kings, and he’s averaged 22.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. The Kings also haven’t exactly been the model of success, with their last trip to the postseason coming back in 2006. The last time they advanced past the first round was 2004, and they haven’t won the Finals since 1951.
Ultimately, this seemed like just a good-natured bit of fun. After all, who doesn’t want to see a little bad blood between two in-state rivals?
The NBA, that’s who. They have apparently told the Kings to cut it out, which is no fun for anyone. Personally, this seems like the kind of thing the league should embrace if they want to compete with the NFL for superiority. Unfortunately, the Lakers and Kings have officially wrapped up their season series, with each team winning two games apiece, but I’ll be excited to see if there’s some retribution next year.
5. Dejounte Murray Is The Next Great Spur
The Spurs were once considered the best organization in the league. They got lucky by landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 Draft, which allowed them to select Tim Duncan. He’s one of the 10 greatest players in NBA history – if you don’t agree, fight me – and became the rock upon which Gregg Popovich built his church.
After that, the Spurs became famous for finding hidden gems in the draft. Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in 1999. Tony Parker with the 28th pick in 2001. Kawhi Leonard with the 15th pick in 2011. Finding even a starting-caliber player with one of those picks is tough, but the Spurs managed to nail three Hall of Famers within a 13-year period.
The Spurs have not been the same since Leonard left San Antonio, but it appears as though they’ve found their next superstar. Murray was the No. 29 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. It’s taken him a bit of time to break through at the professional level, but he has burst onto the scene this season. He’s averaging career-highs in virtually every category across the board, including points (19.1), assists (8.8), and rebounds (7.1) per game. Murray is also a menace defensively, leading the league with an average of 2.0 steals per game.
Murray’s impact is also reflected in his on/off differentials. The Spurs’ Net Rating increases by +9.4 points per 100 possessions with Murray on the court, which is easily the top mark on the team. They average 6.0 additional points per 100 possessions on offense while allowing -3.4 fewer points per 100 possessions on defense.
The Spurs still have a long way to go in their rebuild, but they have found their next franchise player.
6. Kyle Kuzma: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Kuzma was part of the package that sent Westbrook to the Lakers, and he’s been a treat all season.
It starts the moment that Kuzma walks into the stadium:
Y'all thought Kyle Kuzma can't outdo his pink sweater pic.twitter.com/J0otflIdyd
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 12, 2022
You never know what this man is going to pull up in. He might be rocking a pink sweater that would fit on someone who is 25-feet tall, or he might look like he just stepped out of the Matrix. Every night is an adventure.
On the court, Kuzma has also provided plenty of talking points recently. He’s averaged 22.9 points and 11.5 rebounds in 12 games since Christmas, and he’s part of the reason why the Wizards are very much in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, no one has to tell this to Kuzma. His confidence in his abilities is apparent:
🤣🤣 @kylekuzma has jokes. The Wizards star is averaging 26-12-4 on 56% FG over his last 8 games. pic.twitter.com/VsQLNrITRg
— Ballsack Sports ® (@BallsackSports) January 14, 2022
He’s clearly joking, but that’s part of what makes Kuzma so damn enjoyable. So many athletes are robots when talking to the media, but Kuzma has a legit personality.
And just when I thought there was nothing more this man could do, he went and threw down an absolute hammer on Joel Embiid:
⚠️ POSTER ALERT ⚠️@kylekuzma goes all the way up 😤#NBAAllStar | @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/TRdpTaT8hG
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 17, 2022
You simply do not see Embiid get dunked on like that.
It remains to be seen if the Wizards can hold on to a spot in the play-in tournament, but I am confident that Kuzma will continue to give us more moments of joy.
7. Gettin’ Iggy Wit It
Andre Iguodala has had an awesome career. He’s not going to be a Hall of Famer – Basketball Reference gives him just a 6.1% chance – but he’s made an All-Star team, won three rings, and taken home a Finals MVP trophy.
He’ll turn 38-years-old on January 28, so the best part of his career is clearly older. Still, he’s an important role player for one of the prohibitive favorites this season, and the old man can still hoop. The Warriors have been better with Iggy on the court than off the court this season, and he’s still excellent on the defensive end. The Warriors allow -5.4 fewer points per 100 possessions with Iguodala on the floor, so he’s part of the reason why the Warriors’ defense is the best in the league.
Iguodala is a bit more limited offensively than he used to be, but he remains an outstanding passer. He made one of the best passes I’ve ever seen last week vs. the Bulls:
ANDRE IGUODALA WHAT A PASS. 🤯🤯
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 15, 2022
Look at that beauty. That’s essentially a full-court behind-the-back pass between three defenders that hits Damion Lee in stride. That’s one of those plays that only a handful of NBA players would even try, let alone complete.
8. (Trading) Block Party
In last week’s article, I mentioned that the Pacers were going to explore trading one of their promising young big men. Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner both fit that description, and Turner appears to be the player that is currently on the block.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reports that the Pacers want the equivalent of two first-round picks in exchange for Turner. That seems like a reasonable price tag. Turner is a legitimate “unicorn” at center, one of the rare players who can space the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense.
Turner isn’t a deadeye 3-point shooter, but he’s shot 33.3% on an average of 4.4 attempts per game. He’s also been more efficient on a lower volume of attempts in previous seasons. Ultimately, Turner ranks 13th in 3-point percentage among players who are 6’10” or taller and attempt at least three 3-pointers per game.
Where Turner really makes an impact, though, is on defense. He’s led the league in blocks per game in two of the past three seasons, and he’s on pace to do it again this year. Turner could be a legit game-changer for a playoff squad that is currently in need of a center.
The Mavericks are a team that could certainly use a certain, and rival GMs view the Mavericks as the favorites to acquire Turner. That would be an awesome fit. Pairing him next to Kristaps Porzingis would give the team two outstanding rim protectors who can space the floor. The Mavs are reportedly willing to part with Dorian Finney-Smith or Jalen Brunson to make that happen, and that feels like a bargain.
The only possible concern is that Turner is reportedly dealing with a stress fracture in his left foot. He’s going to be re-evaluated in two weeks, and if that doesn’t go well, Turner could be shut down. He obviously wouldn’t be helping anyone in that situation.
9. In-Stadium Hijinx: Part Two
David vs. Goliath. Hatfield vs. McCoy. Capulet vs. Montague. These are some of the most famous rivalries in history.
After last week, we can add another to the list: Devin Booker vs. the Raptor.
The Suns were playing in Toronto, and the Raptors are currently playing without fans due to COVID-19. However, their mascot – creatively nicknamed “The Raptor” – is still allowed in the building.
Booker was at the free throw line during that contest, and the Raptor did what all mascots did during opposing free throw attempts: He tried to distract him. Unfortunately, the fact that there were no other fans in the stadium made the Raptor’s actions a bit more noticeable than usual.
Booker wasn’t happy with the Raptor, and the ref sent him to timeout:
Devin Booker had a problem with the Raptors mascot 😅😅😅 pic.twitter.com/1LTZgTqNSS
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 12, 2022
After the game, Booker stated that he and the Raptor were cool now and that they officially “hashed it out.” Booker even changed his profile picture to the Raptor in a sign of solidarity.
Unfortunately for Booker, team mascots are a tight-knit group. Just because he and the Raptor might be cool doesn’t mean the Raptors’ brethren aren’t going to have some fun at his expense. The Spurs’ mascot brought out a “cone of silence” for Booker when the Spurs played the Suns on Monday:
Spurs mascot trolling Devin Booker after he made the Raptors mascot move out of the way last week 🤣 pic.twitter.com/P5fvSnM8Tt
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) January 18, 2022
I absolutely love this bit. I can’t wait to see which mascot takes a shot at Booker next. Rocky the Mountain Lion? Benny the Bull? Bango? Every team that has the Suns left on their schedule needs to have their mascot working hard in preparation.
10. Jarrett Allen Loves Zelda
I’m stealing this one from Zach Lowe’s “10 Things” column. I love when NBA players have random hobbies. Remember when it came out that Rajon Rondo was ridiculously competitive at Connect Four? I’ll gobble up that kind of content like it’s Thanksgiving dinner.
It turns out that Allen – who will likely make the first All-Star game of his career for the Cavaliers – is a massive fan of Zelda. Every time he scores a bucket, the in-stadium crew plays a jingle that appears in the Zelda games. He has multiple pieces of memorabilia, including a 3D printout of a particular shield.
I love the fact that Allen is a Zelda nerd. Zelda was never really my thing, but I am a 100% certified nerd. I’ve read (and watched) the Harry Potter series multiple times. I still play Pokémon from time to time. I was even in the marching band.
The fact that nerd culture and sports culture are viewed as two separate entities is a shame. We need more players like Allen who are willing to admit their nerdiness to the public. Here’s to hoping that LeBron shows up at Comicon next year.
