Action is starting to heat up in the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament) and we have seen some players step up — but not everyone. If you look closely at the numbers from Week 2, you will realize that some players and teams could not stay warm on the court and ended up having off nights.
Here are some of the worst performances.
Darius Garland
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost for the first time this season as Garland only made three field goals after taking 21 shots. He also went 0-for-6 on three-pointers. Remember, the team was able to rally from 21 points down before losing by three to the Boston Celtics. Maybe a few more made shots from Garland would have put them on top.
Cavs players when guarded by Al Horford:
Darius Garland – 1/8 FG, 1 TOV
Donovan Mitchell – 1/5 FG, 1 TOV
Evan Mobley – 2/5 FG, 2 TOV38 years of age.
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) November 20, 2024
Desmond Bane
Another player who went cold was Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies as he shot 1-for-10 from the field against the Denver Nuggets. Ultimately, the blame should probably go to the entire team for committing 22 turnovers. That is a bad number considering that the Grizzlies are one of the worst teams when it comes to protecting the ball.
Klay Thompson
Is it time to accept the fact that Thompson is no longer the player he was before? Let us hope that the sharpshooter is not in a downward trend. When his Dallas Mavericks faced the Nuggets, he had zero points in 23 minutes as he went 0-for-8 from the field.
Klay Thompson tonight:
0 Points
0-8 FG
0-4 3PTHE’S BACCCCKK 🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/BAm9gjSGPw
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) November 23, 2024
Jayson Tatum
It was ugly, but at least it ended with a win. Going 0-of-10 from three-point land is not what you expect from Tatum, but that is exactly what happened against the lowly Washington Wizards. If it was any other opponent that night, maybe the Celtics would have lost.
Kings Got Clipped
The Sacramento Kings, who had 29 points by halftime, became the first team to score less than 30 in a half this season. Scoring 12 in the first quarter and 17 in the second, the Kings had to play “catch-up” basketball. It almost worked out for them, but in the end, the Los Angeles Clippers won when they took advantage of Sacramento’s slow start.
The Kings average 29.2 points per quarter this season. 29 points in a quarter wouldn’t even be considered a good quarter let alone a half.
— The Royal Report (@_TheRoyalReport) November 23, 2024
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