Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursday

5,280

The City of Denver lies 5,280 feet above sea level the highest altitude city in the NBA. It’s always been an advantage for the Nuggets although that’s certainly not the only reason for their winning record over the years. There have been a wealth of outstanding players that have graced the Nuggets roster. The city would be the first true test in my mind for the fresh look Lakers with Luka Doncic. After all it was pointed out that the last 14 games the Lakers played in Denver have resulted in one win. Denver or more precisely the Nuggets have become the Lakers Kryptonite but that would not occur Saturday evening. Truth is they were on a 9-game winning streak when they faced the Lakers so they were certainly hot.

The final score read Lakers 123 Nuggets 100 but in between was a thing of beauty if you are a Laker fan. The Luka Magic was in full effect as he led the way with 32 points, 10 rebounds along with 7 assists and 4 steals. He was the high point man however all the other starters with the exception of Jaxson Hayes was in double-figures. LeBron 25 points and outstanding defense…he was assisted by Rui with 21 points despite guarding The Joker much of the night. Austin Reaves played his usual steady game with 23 points and 7 assists. Is this Laker team ready to compete in the playoffs, I still have no answer for you. In closing I can say this, the win over the Nuggets was quite impressive considering past efforts against them.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Much like the iconic 1966 Clint Eastwood Western classic, this evaluation pertains to Kansas basketball. We are examining the schedule through games of February 22 to determine which games which parallel the film's themes.

The Good—The victories by Kansas men over North Carolina ranked 9 at the time, Michigan State, and Duke number 11 early in the season are certainly noteworthy wins, the appeared to justify the number one pre-season ranking given Kansas by the AP and coaches polls.

The Bad—The loss to Missouri was certainly not what Jayhawk supporters anticipated or desired. Additionally, the defeat by Kansas State, a cross-state rival that has experienced an inconsistent season, is notable. Currently, Kansas State is trending downward once again. Another significant setback was the double overtime loss to Houston, 92-86. Kansas had secured a win in regulation with seconds remaining but failed to maintain their lead. The narrow 62-61 loss to West Virginia in Morgantown was also a missed opportunity for Kansas. Was the tip of the iceberg the Creighton game? After all they had won 7 consecutive games against several powerhouse teams before the loss to Creighton.

The Ugly—The substantial defeat by BYU, 91-57, on Tuesday stands out, although there may be other matches considered equally disappointing. The double-OT loss to Houston could be placed here but I’m going to leave it where it was positioned originally. Despite recent challenges, it is likely that Kansas will reach 20 wins once again. Kansas is recognized as a Blue Blood program; however, both last season and the current one they are a victim of their own success, the standards they established. While optimists anticipate a return to form in the 2025-26 season, I prefer to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

Not good news

More unwelcome news for the Spurs, first it was Wemby and his deep vein thrombosis which has shut him down for the balance of the season. A few days came further news of a negative nature to Spurs and NBA fans, the Spurs front office announced Coach Popovich would be sidelined the balance of this season. We know Pop suffered a stroke but how extensive is an unknown. I could speculate until the cows come home however that’s exactly what would occur. We shall keep track of Pop’s progress as news is made known.

Trap game

I’m unsure when the term “trap game” came into sports usage, I’ve always understood the definition in this manner. A team (NFL or NBA) wins a highly contested game, the follow up game they face competition that might not be on par with theirs. Missouri-Arkansas fit the description, earlier in the week number 15 Missouri had bested number 4 Alabama. Next up on the schedule would be Missouri’s road game against Arkansas. If you believe in trap games you could say that’s what occurred Saturday evening. Arkansas managed to beat Missouri 92-85, the Razorbacks outplayed Missouri during portions of the game especially the second half.

At the same time after holding a 48-41 halftime lead Missouri allowed the Razorbacks to eclipse them scoring 51 points in the second half while only scoring 37. Caleb Grill had 13 points in the first half and was well defended to the point he didn’t score in the second half. Missouri allowed Arkansas to shoot 54.7% from the floor most of that in the second half of the game. I’m sure Mizzou Nation is disappointed with the loss and I don’t wish to blow smoke in their face I wanted this victory badly. Despite that fact this game is not the end of the world, Missouri has won 20 games this season and has 9 wins in the SEC. I guess you might say “I’m a glass half full guy rather than half empty.” I’m disappointed in the loss but not demoralized, we shall see how the balance of this season concludes for Missouri basketball.