Are Zion Williamson, the Pelicans figuring it out? Plus, the Bucks' surprising road loss and more (2024)

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DK Metcalf and James Harden both scored 18 points in a loss last night.

About Last Night

The Bucks lost to who???

I’m a realist. Last night, maybe you paid attention to DK Metcalf and your fantasy football team instead of the NBA. Luckily, we here at The Bounce are bound by covenant to inform you about basketball you may have missed! Six of last night’s eight games were pretty interesting.

Ooooooh, that’s a bad loss.Bulls 120, Bucks 113, OT:No DeMar DeRozan. No Zach LaVine. No Bucks win. Both teams had 21 turnovers,but Milwaukee carried the shame.

Minnesota is historic.Wolves 101, Jazz 90:Anthony Edwards was absent,but the Timberwolves handled against Utah. Karl-Anthony Towns had 32. Minnesota is 5-2 when KAT scores 25 or more. Oh, and the Wolves are still atop the West. Crazy stat, courtesy ofJames Jackson:

• Days as outright West No. 1 in Timberwolves history
• First 34 seasons:10
• This season:10

Heat Culture reigns.Heat 142, Pacers 132:Miami (11-8) scored 45 points in the fourth quarter to survive a 44-point, 10-assist night from Tyrese Haliburton. Indy is a game above .500.

The Why Aren’t You Better Bowl.Warriors 120, Clippers 114:Klay Thompson had 22 points, making four 20-point games in five outings and 42.2 percent shooting on 3s in that span. Is Klay back?

Get cooked by Scary Terry.Hornets 129, Nets128: Terry Rozier had 10 of his 37 points in the game’s final 3:34 to help 6-11 Charlotte win without LaMelo Ball. Brooklyn is 5-5 in its last 10.

Trae Young lit up the Spurs.Hawks 137, Spurs 135:Victor Wembanyama had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Young scored 45 points and created 30 points via 14 assists. San Antonio is 3-15 and has lost 13 straight games, tied for the team’ssecond-longest losing streak.

Speaking of bad streaks.Knicks 118, Pistons 112:Jalen Brunson’s 42 points sent Detroit to its 16th straight loss. I feel bad rooting for history here, but the thing is … I actually don’t feel bad.

Maybe they didn’t figure things out.Thunder 133, Lakers 110:This week, the Lakers lost by 44 points, then won by 26 and lost by 23 last night. Guess which game was against the Pistons.

Health matters.Blazers 103, Cavs 95:Portland is getting healthier and has won three of four. We need a Cavs convo soon (they’re 10-9 and have lost three of five).

The Latest From Shams

Lakers plan on patience, 76ers await Oubre

It’s been an up-and-down week for the Lakers, with a double-digit win in Detroit sandwiched in between double-digit road losses in Philly and Oklahoma City.

LeBron James said“a lot” needed to changeafter that Sixers loss, butI’m told the Lakers plan to be patient as the calendar marches toward the Feb. 8 trade deadline.As we’ve reported before, the Lakers (11-9) are among the teams expected to have a level of interest in two-time All-Star Lavine, who will besidelined at least a weekwith foot soreness. But putting together contracts to match LaVine’s $40 million salary, should the Lakers choose that route, will be difficult.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on what happens in L.A., Chicago andelsewhere as we move into trade season.

In Philadelphia, after suffering a fractured rib on Nov. 11, Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is targeting a return to action next week, league sources tell me. There’s a chance Oubre plays as soon as Wednesday at Wizards. The Sixers also host Atlanta next Friday. Oubre has averaged 16.3 points per in eight games this season.

In Defense of Defense

Should we expect historically bad defense?

You can bet NBA scoring is out of hand when I’m advocating for a little more defense. This era of basketball has been incredible: versatile skill sets, shot-making and team offense is more efficient than ever.

Though it’s still early in the season, a month or two into last season,we were tracking whether the Kingscould maintain the league’s most efficient ever, which they did. As of right now, we’ve never seen worse league-wide team defense than this season.

Nine of the 16 worst defensive seasons in NBA history are happening this season. NINE!The Wizards (120.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and Hornets (120.3) are duking it out for the worst defense ever. The 2022-23 Spurs (120.0) hold that full-season honor.

This season’s Pacers can finish with both the best offense and worst defense in NBA history. This is what the NBA wants: Sex and scoring sells. It all makessome sense. The flip side is illustrated by the Timberwolves’ league-leading defense (105.9 defensive rating) currently ranking just 516th all-time.

Some of this is influenced by the incredible skill development and talent of today’s players. Getting a hand up doesn’t cut it anymore, but the NBA doesn’t have many rules to help defenders. In other words, make sure you watch the Pacers all season. Good and bad records could fall at once.

Zion Back?

Has he figured it out?

On Nov. 14,we reviewed commentsfrom Zion Williamson about buying into what’s being asked of him. But it was tough. In our examination, we saw many of his numbers and usage across the board mirrored last season. The big difference? He wasn’t finishing like we’re accustomed.

Was it about usage? Maybe. Perhaps lacking explosiveness was the issue? That was my theory. In Zion’s last seven games, he’s been the player we remember.

• First eight games:21.6 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.9 turnovers, 51.5/0.0/61.4 shooting splits, 30.6 usage rate
• Next seven games:26.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 62.4/66.7/68.4 shooting splits, 30.0 usage rate

In prior years, we’ve seen Zion finish better at the rim.Over his last seven games, he’s shooting 73.3 percent in the restricted areaand 43.2 percent on paint shots beyond the restricted area. In the first eight games, those marks were 66.7 and 30 percent, respectively.

His overall shot volume and free-throw attempts remains mostly the same, but he’s much deadlier in the paint than previous stretches. Zion looks a lot more like his second-year self, whose scoring average and efficiency remain unmatched by any other second-year player ever. He’s not far off from last season’s All-Star production before he got hurt.

New Orleans went 6-1 amid Zion’s hot seven-game stretch. When Zion is cooking like years past, it’s difficult to handle the Pelicans’ entire attack.

Bounce Passes

The No Dunks crewbreaks down this season’s best sophom*ores.

Seth Partnow figures out if teamsplayed better during the In-Season Tournament.

An aggressive Bam Adebayo on offense iskey to Miami’s playoff hopes.

James’ business partner reportedly used an illegal bookmaker to bet on games.

Screen Game (All times Eastern)

• Main Screen:Sixers-Celtics (7:30 p.m. ESPN). Joel Embiid against the Celtics is always a good time.
• Second Screen:Nuggets–Suns (10 p.m. ESPN). Preview of the Western Conference finals? Denver is healthy again.
• League Pass Game of the Night:Spurs-Pelicans (8 p.m.). Wemby versus Zion is like watching two players in a carnival funhouse mirror.Full schedule here.

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(Top photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)