Competition is mainly about winning and losing. Any way we look at it, a win is a win, a loss is a loss. But not a 51-point loss in a regular NBA game suffered by a team hyped as a title contender.
A loss can simply be waved off but butt-kicked by 51 points can’t be easily dismissed. Kawhi Leonard did not play for the LA Clippers in that Dec. 27 game, but the Dallas Mavericks were missing All-Star Kristaps Porzingis. Luka Doncic played but the rest of the cast around him don’t qualify as a crack team.
So, what happened to the Clippers in that game? The same things that frustrated their title hopes last season – lack of leadership and chemistry.
Sports reference site StatHead listed eight NBA teams that had the inglorious distinction of being buried by 50 points or more.
* Mar. 22, 2018
Charlotte Hornets, 140 – Memphis Grizzlies, 79 (61 points)
* Dec. 5, 2018
Boston Celtics, 133 – Chicago Bulls, 77 (56 points)
* Jan. 11, 2011
LA Lakers, 112 – Cleveland Cavaliers, 57 (55 points)
* Nov. 13, 2014
Dallas Mavericks, 123 – Philadelphia 76ers, 70 (53 points)
* Dec. 27, 2020
Dallas Mavericks, 124 – LA Clippers, 73 (51 points)
* Dec. 7, 2015
San Antonio Spurs, 119 – Philadelphia 76ers, 68 (51 points)
* Nov. 11, 2014
Dallas Mavericks, 118 – Utah Jazz, 68 (50 points)
* Nov. 2, 2015
Golden State Warriors, 119 – Memphis Grizzlies, 69 (50 points)
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After a slow start, the Golden State Warriors had gone .500 in eight games. Stephen Curry, who had struggled at the start, leads his team in scoring and assists with eight-game averages of 29.6 points and 6.2 assists.
Curry recently torched the hoop for a career-high 62 points and made a career-high 18 free throws. He is the second oldest player at 32 in league history to score 60 points behind Kobe Bryant who did 60 in his final game at 37-years old. He is the second player to score 30-plus points in each half since Pete Maravich in 1977.
Curry’s 62 is the most by a Warrior since Rick Barry scored 64 in 1974. He is the first player since 2005 to score 60 points or more in 36 minutes or less. Kobe also scored 62 points on Dec. 20, 2005 against the Mavericks in 33 minutes.
For the past 30 years, he and teammate Klay Thompson are the only Warriors to score 55 points or more in a game. It was Curry’s seventh 50-point game, snapping a tie with Kevin Durant and going up to fourth most on the list of active players.
Draymond Green has returned to active duty but in limited minutes. With Klay out, Curry carries much of the load for the team. Kelly Oubre Jr. is not Draymond, Andrew Wiggins being not exactly Andre Iguodala. Definitely, Juan Toscano-Anderson is no Klay. Curry looks misplaced in the present structure. Imagine a late model Mercedes Benz parked beside a shanty./PN
