In our new weekly feature, we take a brief look at the big talking points of the last seven days in the NBA. It has been a good time for the Clippers, Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Russell Westbrook is making history again.
The Los Angeles Clippers were predicted to have a tough season. With Paul George gone and Kawhi Leonard still sidelined, it was hard to see LA’s other team as a top contender in the tough Western Conference. But they seem to be finding their rhythm.
The Clippers are on a five-game winning streak, most recently last night against… Paul George ‘s 76ers. It is confirmation that George’s departure and the absence of their leader has woken everyone up, to the point of forcing the formation of a Big Three: James Harden – Norman Powell – Ivica Zubac.
The first of these three has been a playmaking star (8.7 assists, 5th best passer), the second, with an average of 23.3 points, is having the best season of his career, and the third, a perfect anchor in the paint, is quite simply the third best rebounder in the league with 12.5 shots per game.
A team effort and an 11-7 record for fifth place in the West, but the serious business is about to begin with duels against the Celtics, Wolves and Nuggets very soon. A great opportunity to find out what this team is made of.
The Detroit Pistons‘ season was supposed to mark real progress. The playoffs, with or without the play-in, are the logical objective, and until now, the Michigan franchise had been racking up around 50% wins, buoyed by Cade Cunningham‘s form. But things got seriously out of hand this week.
They suffered three defeats, including two frankly embarrassing ones against the Hornets and then the Bulls, two teams that Detroit are supposed to dominate in order to achieve their objective. The Pistons are fortunate to be playing in the East, and despite a record of 7 wins and 11 losses, they still occupy the last play-in qualifying spot.
The problem is that Cunningham, who averages 23.5 points / 8.9 assists / 7.2 rebounds, is a little lonely. Jalen Duren is not present enough in attack, veterans Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr and Tobias Harris are too inconsistent, and the team lacks cohesion and a real leader on the floor. Nothing is lost, and the next four games are “winnable”, but we expect more from a team that has been languishing at the bottom of the table for too long.
32.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists: four games this week for Giannis Antetokounmpo, four wins, and finally the Milwaukee Bucks seem to have followed in their leader’s footsteps. Since the start of the season, while the Wisconsin franchise has been disappointing, the Greek Freak has been striving to prove that he remains one of the three best players on the planet.
It’s hard to think otherwise. Top scorer in the league (32.4 points per game), top 10 in rebounding, top 10 in shooting percentage, No.1 in points scored in transition, No.1 in points scored in the paint – statistically, the Greek is completely untouchable. But it’s the impression left on the court that matters most.
Giannis is once again terrorising defences, who jump out of the way when they see him coming. The defensive deterrent he provides is impressive and finally allows the Bucks to tighten up collectively. Best player of the week, and main challenger to Nikola Jokic for the MVP award, this season promises to be another royal one for the Greek.
No big poster this week, even if Jericho Sims could have won it. No, just a bit of positional play, a little feint by Lauri Markkanen to get rid of his defender and take Collin Sexton‘s offer from well behind the three-point line. An old-fashioned slam dunk for a quality highlight.
More than 15 years after his first triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 2 March 2009), Russell Westbrook has now achieved the feat 200 times. Not the most impressive, as he put up 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists against the Grizzlies, a far cry from some staggering performances, notably during his MVP season in 2017. But still.
200 triple-doubles is an incredible number, representing the all-round player that Westbrook is. In his 17th season, Russ plays as a 6th man in Denver, hoping to finally win a ring and retire in peace.
But although he was criticised at the start of the season, he responded as always on the court, raising his game to contribute to a fine run of five wins in a row. The Nuggets are not yet at 100%, but they will be soon, and if he doesn’t make it to 300, there is no doubt that Russell Westbrook has not finished enchanting us.
