February 28,2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

South Florida at #12 Houston - Houston went on a 28-0 run late in the first half and never looked back. Houston has been doing this all season, bludgeoning teams in the first half and then coasting to the victory. In this case the final score was 98-52. Houston shot 60% from the field and held the Bulls to 36% shooting. That is a dominating performance.

NBA:

Los Angeles Clippers at Milwaukee - This game was billed as the game of the day and it did not disappoint. Milwaukee rallied late for the 105-100 win, earning their fifth consecutive victory. The Bucks scored the last nine points to steal this game from the Clippers. Many people are saying this could be a Finals preview. If that is the case, we are in for a treat.

Washington at Boston - Bradley Beal now has the dubious distinction of the longest losing streak in NBA history when a player scores over 40 points. The Wizards have lost eleven straight games when Beal eclipses the 40 point mark. That includes a 111-110 loss to the Celtics in this game, where Beal dropped 46 points.

New York at Detroit - Don’t look now but the Knicks are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They are just a 1.5 games above the 10th place Chicago Bulls, but you have to give them credit. No one saw this coming from New York, who improved to 18-17 with a 109-90 win over the Pistons. Julius Randle paced the Knicks with 25 points in the win.

Atlanta at Miami - Make that six straight wins for the Heat, as they continue to navigate their way through the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference. Miami got back to .500 on the season with the 109-99 win, improving their record to 17-17. Miami had a one point lead entering the fourth quarter, but made the plays down the stretch to earn the ten point win.

Memphis at Houston - The Rockets have now lost eleven games in a row, and this was probably the worst of all of them. In the 133-84 loss to the Grizzlies, the Rockets shot 45 three pointers. They made four of them. The 4-45 showing is the worst mark in the history of the NBA. That is not a record you want.

Phoenix at Minnesota - Devin Booker scored 43 points, including 21 in the third quarter, as Phoenix beat Minnesota 118-99 to hand the Timberwolves their eighth loss in a row. Even with a longer losing streak in Houston, we still like the Rockets more than the Timberwolves. At least Houston is dealing with injuries. Minnesota has no such excuse.

Charlotte at Sacramento -PJ Washington scored 42 points for the Hornets, but the biggest bucket of the game was a three point play by Malik Monk with 1.4 seconds left to give Charlotte the 127-126 win. The loss was the tenth in the last eleven games for Sacramento, who allowed 39 points to the Hornets in the fourth quarter. Their defense was a problem again.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#8 Villanova at Butler - When we were making our predictions we were talking about Butler’s inability to score. That wasn’t a problem in this game as Butler took Villanova down 73-61. The Bulldogs shot 50% from the field and made it look easy against the Wildcats. Villanova is now 2-2 in their last four games. They are limping into March, and they need to get it figured out soon.

#9 Iowa at #4 Ohio State - Even though Ohio State came into this game having lost two straight, this was still a surprising outcome to us. Iowa came to play on the defensive end, which was a surprise, and came away with the 73-57 win. That is now three straight losses for Ohio State, who no longer have the inside track on a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

NBA:

Golden State at Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers jumped out to a 29 point halftime lead on the Warriors and never looked back, winning the game 117-91. LeBron James scored 19 points on 12 shots, but his teammates stepped up in this game. James was one of six Lakers players in double figures, while two more added nine points. This was a well balanced scoring effort for Los Angeles, who desperately needed this win.