Get up to speed on the latest NBA news, plus a quick look at some storylines and tidbits worth noting today:
1. A ‘perfect’ fit? We’ll see …: Last night’s 132-108 loss to the red-hot Houston Rockets dropped the Portland Trail Blazers to 5-9, their worst start since 2015-16. Some help is on the way as Carmelo Anthony is expected to join Portland in New Orleans (8 ET, NBA TV) for that game. In a video posted Monday, Anthony called this a “perfect opportunity” and it very well may be: the Blazers are a middling post-up and catch-and-shoot team (two of Anthony’s fortes).
2. Opposite directions in the West: Golden State has fallen on tough times, off to its first 2-12 start since 1999-2000 (when the Warriors finished 19-63). On the flip side are the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 5-8 and have scored recent wins against the contending Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. In either case, the Grizzlies and Warriors are refuting what many thought about them in the preseason — for good or bad — as they meet tonight (8 ET, League Pass).
3. Can Lakers keep up with Rockets?: For the moment, the Lakers have the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference standings. However, the Houston Rockets have won eight in a row and are just a 1/2 game back for that spot. The Lakers face the Oklahoma City Thunder next (10:30 ET, NBA TV), who gave the title-contending LA Clippers all they could handle on Monday. Standings chase aside, this one should be interesting if for no other reason than to reflect on past Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo battles.
4. Today in scoring history: Way back on Nov. 19, 1983, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored his 30,000th career point in a win vs. Portland. He reached 30,000 points on a pair of free throws in the third quarter, becoming the second player ever (Wilt Chamberlain was the other) to reach 30,000 points.
