The Orlando Magic routed the Atlanta Hawks 149-113 Friday night, turning in on just at the right time for the playoffs, but the Hawks’ high scoring effort is anything but an asterisk this season. Let’s take a look at all of the scores from the NBA last night.

The NBA had 13 games on Friday, and yet every single winner managed to score over 100. In fact, the loser in each match up practically put up 100 points.

Even the low-tier teams in the league like the Kings, Knicks, and Lakers contributed to the high scoring barrage. All season long the NBA has had tremendous offensive stats, also meaning the defense has been atrocious, maybe the worst in the past decade.

The basketball world will somehow defend the NBA and the lack of defense, saying that this is a new league and how it is evolving into more of an offensive game. I could agree with this in some instances, but if you just watch some of these games, players don’t rush to get back on defense.

When I watch football, I am obviously not hoping for a 9-6 game…but who wants to see a “Pro Bowl-like” defensive effort…which is basically squat.

I’m a huge fan of James Harden and his game, but we rarely see highlights of him on defense. This is fine for some individual players, point guards on offensive, but as a whole the NBA is lacking effort.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the no.1 MVP candidate right now, and rightfully so, because he is one of the best two way players in the game. He is someone who does it on both ends of the floor, he slams it home, then sprints back on defense to make an incredible block.

Will players like Antetokounmpo and the likely no. 1 draft pick, Zion Williamson, help balance the NBA?

Photo by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons