In the first game of TNT's NBA Cup Tuesday night doubleheader, the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the San Antonio Spurs, 123-87. The Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 28 points, grabbed six rebounds, passed for five assists, and swiped a game-high seven steals; he made the All-NBA First Team last season, and he continues to demonstrate that he is an elite level player. Josh Giddey showcased his all-around game by contributing 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two blocked shots while shooting 7-11 from the field. Jalen Williams was the only other Thunder player who scored in double figures (11 points), but Oklahoma City's balanced attack featured five other players who scored eight or nine points each as the team shot 46-89 (.517) from the field. Although the Thunder played well against a flawed Spurs team and have started the season with a 7-4 record, it should be recalled that the Thunder built this roster by tanking, and teams that tank do not win championships.
Zach Collins and Julian Champagnie led the Spurs with 13 points each, while 19 year old rookie Victor Wembanyama scored eight points on 4-15 field goal shooting as he posted a "Harden" with more turnovers (five) than field goals made, though he did control a game-high 14 rebounds. It should not be surprising that a Spurs squad that tanked to get Wembanyama has started the season with a 3-8 record: Wembanyama is a talented but raw and inconsistent player, and it is not reasonable to expect him to lead this team to the playoffs. It is a disservice to Wembanyama--and disrespectful to the NBA's established great players--for media members to keep hyping up Wembanyama as opposed to giving him some time for his body and his game to develop.
In the second game, the Denver Nuggets defeated the L.A. Clippers, 111-108. The Nuggets, even without injured All-Star caliber guard Jamal Murray, are a complete team. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world, a scoring/rebounding/passing dynamo who--contrary to popular belief--is one of the best athletes in the NBA. Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring (32 points) while posting game-high totals in rebounds (16) and assists (nine). He shot just 8-23 from the field--missing several shots that he normally makes--but he drained all 14 of his free throw attempts. Jokic's deft passing plus the extra defensive attention that he attracted helped the Nuggets to shoot 39-73 (.534) from the field. Aaron Gordon (20 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Reggie Jackson (18 points, four assists) provided excellent support to Jokic's dominance.
In contrast to the Nuggets' well-oiled championship machine that was built organically and functions as a cohesive unit, the Clippers feature four star players--Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden--and try to overwhelm their opponents with pure talent instead of relying on cohesive execution. George scored a game-high 35 points on 13-26 field goal shooting, but the Clippers shot just 37-86 (.430) from the field. Leonard won two NBA Finals MVPs (2014, 2019) as the efficient focal point of his team's offense, but versus the Nuggets he ranked third on the team in field goal attempts (14) behind George and Harden (15).
The Clippers actually had a very solid squad after Westbrook joined the team late last season, but Harden has proven his all-around impact by simultaneously destroying the Clippers' offense and defense, both of which cratered right after the Clippers foolishly acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers. The crunch time offense with Harden on the court is quite a sight to behold, with Harden bricking layups and the Nuggets triple-teaming Leonard while daring anyone else to beat them; meanwhile, the Nuggets worked over the undersized Clippers in the paint, closing the game on a 19-9 run, doing most of that damage after Harden replaced Westbrook down the stretch. Harden treated that fourth quarter like it was game seven in the playoffs, scoring zero points on 0-1 field goal shooting while posting a -6 plus/minus number; he will be a real treat for Clippers fans to enjoy during the playoffs, assuming that the Clippers can right their listing ship and make the playoffs. The Clippers are 0-6 since trading for Harden, including 0-5 when Harden has played.
Jokic and company make no excuses with Murray being out, in marked contrast to many other players and teams that continually whine and complain about not having enough talent. Harden, perhaps the NBA's "Whiner in Chief," calls himself "The System" but the reality is that his slow-paced, overdribbling game is systematically destroying the Clippers. Harden emphasizes that he did not have a training camp this season while neglecting to mention that the reason he did not have a training camp is that he pouted his way out of Philadelphia, much to the delight of 76ers' fans who have watched their team thrive in the wake of Harden's departure.
TNT's Charles Barkley correctly noted that (1) the Clippers made their best run versus the Nuggets when Harden was not in the game, and (2) the Clippers' lack of size is a major problem.
Westbrook was the only Clippers' starter with a positive plus/minus number (+1) even though his boxscore numbers were not impressive (eight points on 4-12 field goal shooting, six rebounds, three assists). Westbrook thrives in the open court, but now that the Clippers have sold their soul to Harden they are consigned to playing at a slower pace while Harden dribbles the air out of the ball. I feel great sympathy for Westbrook. First, LeBron James and his media lapdogs tried to destroy Westbrook's reputation. Then, Westbrook finally escaped to the Clippers, who understood how to utilize his skills and who played well with him running the point--until Harden showed up and wrecked everything.
It is obvious that the Clippers with Harden will win a game at some point, and that they will win a fair amount of regular season games just based on talent alone--but the only conceivable way for this team to make any noise in the playoffs is to hand the first team offense back over to Westbrook while assigning Harden with the task of running the second unit.