NBA Game Notes: NBA Cup in full swing!

Notes from: BOS-WAS, GSW-NOP, DAL-DEN, LAC-SAC, bonus notes from Duke-Arizona!

The NBA Cup is in full swing. There were some surprising results on Friday, as the groups are really starting to take form now.

Here’s what I saw on Friday!

Boston Celtics - 108 at Washington Wizards - 96

• Yes, it was the Wizards, but this was some really good defense from the Celtics in the second half. Boston choked off most of what Washington wanted to run with good ball pressure and active hands. This was more like the Celtics we are used to.

• On the flip side, Boston’s offense was a mess. Maybe it was the Wizards bright red and pink court, maybe it was a hangover from celebrating at the White House the day before, maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, several Celtics airballed shots in this game and generally were really messy on offense.

• Luke Kornet vastly outplayed Neemias Queta in this one. Opponents are trying to isolate Queta and then attack him off the dribble. Kornet does a better job of ceding space to ballhandlers and then contesting shots than Queta does.

  Queta was also really flat in this game. His best skills are his energy and athleticism. If he’s not bringing that to the table, it’s best to go elsewhere. And that’s what Joe Mazzulla did by going to Kornet more in the second half, and unearthing Xavier Tillman Sr. for some good minutes too.

• Jaylen Brown was slightly more on target than his teammates. It was nice to see Boston call this late-game play to go to Brown. Everything sort of bogged down, but these rainbow turnarounds have been falling for Brown all season long:

• Last Celtics note: Point differential is huge in the NBA Cup. With the game in hand, but point differential in mind, Joe Mazzulla called a timeout with 5.9 seconds to play. It ended up working out, as Boston added a couple more points to their overall positive differential.

• There’s no problem with the Wizards playing vets like Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas. It’s good for the young core of Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George to play with experienced players.

  However, the veterans combined for 59 of Washington’s 90 shots, while the kids got just 27. (Corey Kispert, who straddles both groups, took the other four shots.) Ideally, some of those shots, and usages, would slide to the younger players. They’re the future in Washington, and need the touches to develop.

• All of that said, it’s fun to see how much Bilal Coulibaly has improved. He’s reading the game really well now.

• Alex Sarr is starting to make stuff happen more and more. So far, his impact has been bigger on defense than offense. Eventually, as he improves and others improve around him, Sarr may be a destructive defensive player. All the tools are there.

• Keep an eye on Jordan Poole. He’s had a really nice season in his second year in Washington. After this year, his contract has only two years left. If a team really needs some backcourt scoring, Poole’s deal no longer looks quite as onerous as it did a year ago.

Golden State Warriors - 112 at New Orleans Pelicans - 108

• Congrats to the Warriors for becoming the first team to advance in the Cup. They’re already through to the quarterfinals and can now focus on making sure they get a home game in that round.

• Andrew Wiggins has had a terrific start to the season. He’s hitting at 49/41/77 shooting splits so far. The scoring, playmaking and defense are all there too. This is starting to look like one of Wiggins’ best all-around seasons. There were stretches in this game where he carried the Warriors, including this big three-point play when the Pelicans were pushing for the lead:

• Steve Kerr has done a great job getting buy-in from his roster with this 12-man rotation he’s been running. The really nice part? Only Stephen Curry topped 30 minutes in a game that was pretty close throughout. That should help keep some older legs fresher throughout the season.

• Speaking of Stephen Curry…It’s been fun watching him step back in some of these games. Curry had it going early in this one, but he was content to be a playmaker and ball-mover to keep everyone engaged. He’s been as big a part of this expanded rotation working as Steve Kerr, because Curry is helping everyone to be involved.

• Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III were outstanding in this game. They helped keep the Pelicans within striking distance, and even had looks late that could have put New Orleans on top.

• Willie Green is getting a lot of mileage out of two-way player Brandon Boston Jr. This was another strong game. If/when the Pelicans figure out their tax and roster situation, look for Boston to be a potential conversion candidate.

• Jeremiah Robinson-Earl continues to produce in his minutes. He’s limited defensively, but Robinson-Earl can rebound and he’s got some nice offensive skills.