There are some 400 registered players in NBA each season and many of them were marginal rosters. So are some of the teams for reasons such as injuries or loss of star players. However, it may cost you if you underestimate them in any given game.
Miami Heat 105-123 Washington Wizards
A joyful moment of Jordan McRae #52 of the Washington Wizards in the game against the Miami Heat at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, December 30, 2019.
Before Monday's game, the Wizards were only 10-23 and No. 13 in the Eastern Conference. What made things worse was that their best players, Bradley Beal, Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner all missed the game. By contrast, their opponents at the Capital One Arena were the Heat, which just claimed five straight wins and rank No. 2 in the East.
Many had expected it to be a blowout of a heavyweight over a G League team but they were wrong.
Ian Mahinmi, Jordan McRae and Garrison Matthews together put down 82 points for Washington. Their efforts plus the 19 points by Ishmael Smith beat Miami led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Especially Matthews, who claimed 20 points in the second quarter. Washington's head coach Scott Brooks said he wouldn't be surprised if Beal plays next game, "But there's no rush. We've got Garrison now."
Atlanta Hawks 101-93 Orlando Magic
Brandon Goodwin #0 of the Atlanta Hawks faces off the Orlando Magic defense at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, December 30, 2019.
Though Aaron Gordon had to sit during Monday's game, nobody assumed the Magic would lose – they were playing at home and have probably the league's most underestimated defense. Compared to them, the visiting Hawks came to the Amway Center with a 10-loss streak, not to mention that their point guard Trae Young, who can get 28.5 points, 8.3 assists per game this season, had to miss the competition because of an injury.
Nonetheless, no one would have thought that the result of the game would be decided by Brandon Goodwin, who only made 70,000 U.S. dollars via a two-way contract. Having played 22 minutes off the bench, he was 7-11 in field goals and made three 3-pointers to get a team-high of 21 points for Washington. Of, course, the victory was teamwork-based as both John Collins and Alex Len both scored double doubles.
Having buried more 3-pointers (9-5) and grabbed more rebounds (52-40), the Hawks put an end to their losing streak with a road win.
Milwaukee Bucks 123-102 Chicago Bulls
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks in the game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, December 30, 2019.
The league's leading team came to the United Center as Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from injury. Having rested for a few days, the 'Greek Freak' was not on full power but still able to drop 23 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in 27 minutes, helping the Bucks become the first 30-win team of the season.
The whole game looked more like a lecture of "why Milwaukee are so hard to defeat?" Chicago did their homework, which could be reflected in their game. On defense, they tried their best to defend Antetokounmpo one-on-one so his teammates would not get too many open shots. On offense, the home team knew Milwaukee would allow them many 3-pointers and thus never hesitated to shoot from downtown – at least in the first half.
Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, December 30, 2019.
Nonetheless, the Bulls only put up decent resistance in the first half, or more specifically, in the second quarter. Coby White and Lauri Markkanen were on fire during that period as the whole team buried eight 3-pointers.
However, when they lost such great touch, the Bulls fell into trouble offensively and their only choice was to challenge the league's best rim protection. As a result, the Bucks delivered nine blocks in the game and took 16 more rebounds (59-43) than their opponents.
Moreover, Antetokounmpo began to put more pressure on Chicago's defense in the second half, forcing them to close in before passing the ball to open teammates from the 3-point line. After several scoring runs, the game became a foregone conclusion and led to Milwaukee's third consecutive win.
The other good news for Milwaukee in Monday's game was that 38-year-old Kyle Korver surpassed 2,400 triples with the 3-pointer he made as he went 3-4 from downtown at the United Center. Korver is the fourth one to do that in NBA history after Stephen Curry, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen.
Other games on Monday (home teams in bold):
Brooklyn Nets 115-122 Minnesota Timberwolves
Detroit Pistons 81-104 Utah Jazz
Phoenix Suns 122-116 Portland Trail Blazers