Ambide boasts: "I could be Shaq, Nowitzki or Kobi. I'm the complete package"
The 50-point show elicited a pretentious statement from the Philly star ("I have no offensive shortcomings"), but Jukic's equally stunning performance ignited a debate over who the MVP and best chin in the NBA is.
And also: On the way home, Vogel hints at who the real culprit is in the Lakers' failure.
Historical night summary
Walla!
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20/01/2022
Thursday, 20 January 2022, 11:04
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Danny Abdia with Washington Wizards fans (from the Wizards' Twitter)
50 points in 27 minutes for Joel Ambide in the Philadelphia win, 49, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for Nikola Jukic in the Denver drama, 41 and 14 for Luka Doncic, a big Milwaukee win over the hot Memphis, another embarrassment for the Lakers approaching The dismissal of Frank Vogel - the 13 NBA games that took place tonight (Wednesday through Thursday) provided records, tremendous solo performances and dramas, and there are already some who define it as "one of the best regular season rounds ever in the league."
More on Walla!
50 points in 27 minutes for Ambide, 49 and triple double for Yukic, 41 for Doncic
To the full article
It started with Ambide, which in recent weeks has seemed simply unstoppable. The 50 points he scored in 27 minutes in Philadelphia's 110-112 victory over Orlando set a new record. No player has ever scored at least 50 points and 10 rebounds in one game in such a short period of time, and apparently no player has ever made fans turn their minds so radically: in the first half he did as much as he pleased, but the team went down to the break behind. Double-digit and received contempt calls; By the second half he had already finally taken control of the game, receiving applause and prolonged MVP calls in the final quarter.
Tyrese Maxi, Ambid's teammate, said he asked the formidable chin before the game, "" So who will be today? Shaq? Dirk? He replied, 'I'll just be Joel.' "
After the impressive show, Ambide allowed himself to brag and state that "I always want to be Joel Ambide, because sometimes I feel like I can be whoever I want - I can play like Shaq, with all my mass in the color area. Able to be even on the Nowitzki standard, "Or Kobe Bryant, or Jordan. I know how to score threes from a dribble, hold the ball, deliver, take down rebounds. I think I have no downside on offense. And yes, today I was just fine," he said.
"It's unbelievable how good he was, from start to finish," Philly Doc Rivers coach said.
"As an actor, I got to collaborate with Hall of Famer like Dominic Wilkins, but I'm not sure I got to see things the way Joel does. Dominic was probably able to score more, but it took him an entire game. Joel did it The night is fast, efficient and determined. "
Fast, efficient and determined.
Ambide (Photo: GettyImages, Michael Reaves)
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Ambide's performance against Jokic's re-ignited the debate over the best chin in the world. Both excel this season, both stand out as top contenders for the MVP title, and Yukic seems to be given a slight priority because he's more stable, but according to Fox Fox commentator Skip Bales, "When both are healthy, give me Ambide before Yukich every day. That he is good. "
But Jukic sets particularly high standards for Ambide, and tonight again seems like a phenomenon in itself. He had 49 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in Denver's 128-130 win over the Clippers after overtime. The Serbian genius also had a brilliant assist for Arun Gordon's triumphant run, with two seconds left, with an arcuate width from side to side that reached Gordon perfectly even though two players put pressure on Jukic.
"It was an amazing game piece from Nicola. Now tell me you guys - if he's not the MVP, then who does?" Nuggets coach Michael Malone wondered. "This guy is able to beat you with your passing ability, but can also break you down with his points or rebounds. His last assist for Gordon was just amazing, and he not only won the game for us, but was also his tenth assist in the game. That's an amazing number. "Chin, inconceivable. And he does it all the time."
Montey Morris, Yukic's teammate, also explains that "when he enters the zone, there is no player in the world who can stop him," and feels that the team does not receive enough respect. "When there is a player who puts up numbers like this that everyone loves, the world has to be up to it. Unfortunately, we do not have enough games that are broadcast nationwide for the entire United States. Nicola is not even American, and he still has millions of fans. He does not get enough credit. "MVP easily, this year too."
Natural phenomenon. Jukic Celebrates Tonight (Photo: GettyImages, Isaiah Vazquez / Clarkson Creative)
And while Ambed and Yukic put up tremendous and winning numbers, LeBron James continues to do similar things but lose. Tonight the Lakers were defeated 111: 104 by Indiana at home, in what was their fourth loss in the last five games, and now it seems that all the fire is on Frank Vogel. The coach who marched the Lakers to the championship a little over a year ago has been marked in recent days by the Lakers management as someone who might pay the price of disappointments this season, and tonight's loss only complicated him more.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo, the Lakers are giving him a temporary backup in the meantime, and do not intend to fire him immediately. Vogel will take off with the team for the game against Orlando on the night between Friday and Saturday, but it seems his time in the role is limited. "I don't feel like I'm in a mess, not at all," Vogel said after the game. "It's not particularly difficult to do my job. I try to concentrate on the upcoming tasks, and not think too far. I've always been like that."
Vogel understands that the credit he's getting is running out, saying it's not my job to ask if it's fair or not. That pressure comes with the job itself. That's what it takes to be the Lakers coach. We have high expectations, the fans are very involved, "Our current situation hurts people."
Stings Westbrook.
Vogel (Photo: GettyImages, Harry How)
The Lakers are visible on the face.
Also their broadcast team
According to him, the relationship between him and the management is "healthy". "I meet with the management every day. We analyze every game, all year. This is what we have been doing for three years, and it will not change now. We all work hard to change the situation. We are in a great relationship, we won the championship together, and I feel That we all understand the process we are in, "he says.
But while Vogel tries to broadcast business as usual and say all the right things, he also tries to do things differently. Tonight he brought down Russell Westbrook to the bench for the final four minutes of the game, with the result being close. When asked about it he said sarcastically: "This decision stemmed from my attempt to put together five players who can win our game." ESPN reported that Vogel even got a green light from management to bench Westbrook or not even sign him up for games at all "if he believes this is the right move". Tonight, it seems,He decided it was best for Ras not to ruin the game in the final minutes, but that didn't work either.
In general, there are those who treat Vogel as a victim in this situation.
Bill Simmons, the senior commentator, wrote that "the Lakers are determined to make Vogel a scapegoat after their silly trade on Westbrook and after building a problematic roster. Vogel knows that, so before he goes home, he takes care to make it clear."
By the way, when LeBron James was asked about Westbrook's bench in the final minutes, he replied with a particularly unelegant evasion and said, "Guys, I decided to go with my wife to the movie today, I have to move."
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NBA
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Joel Ambide
Nikola Jukic
Frank Vogel
Los Angeles Lakers
