Thunder Rising
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a young team with a bright future but have recently started to put themselves in a position to compete for a play-in spot. With teams like the Suns and Warriors struggling so far this season the Thunder have the potential to surprise a lot of people if they continue playing so well. They have won 7 of their last 10 games picking up wins against quality opponents like the Celtics and Sixers. Their young superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who easily should make his first all-star is a major reason the Thunder are a team that nobody would want to face in a potential play-in matchup. He is currently averaging a career high 30.6 points per game and has been a major reason for their success as of late and why they could have a shot at a playoff spot. His backcourt mate in Josh Giddey has stepped up as well averaging 19.3 points, 7.2 over his last 10 games which are slight improvements to his season averages. His best performance came in an impressive road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on the road where he dropped a game-high 28 points, 9 rebound, and 9 assists. With a talented young back court in Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey the Thunder's expectations will rise not only in the future but this season as well.
Next week, the Thunder look to continue to play themselves into a play-in position as they start a three game homestand against the Hawks, Cavaliers, and Warriors.
The underappreciated dominance of Joel Embiid and the Sixers
With the way the season has gone so far, Embiid and the 76ers are having are not getting talked about nearly as much as they should especially compared to other MVP candidates or contenders. Starting with Embiid, he is having arguably the best year of his career and despite coming in 2nd for MVP voting last year and playing even better this year he has not gotten quite the same attention this year. Still, his 33.6 points per game ranks him second in the NBA in scoring behind only Luka Doncic who is a highly favored MVP candidate. Just as impressive recently has been the Sixers play as they have won 5 straight games and currently the 2 seed in the eastern conference. With all their success they look like a team that can make a run deep in the playoffs though teams like the Bucks and Nets are still favored over them. As Embiid continues to lead the Sixers to success while having the incredible season he is having he should be considered a top 3 MVP candidate. For the Sixers as a whole they have a team built to make a run at the Finals and are currently the biggest threat to the Celtics.
Next week, the Sixers look to continue their win streak as they return home after going 5-0 on their recent road trip. They have a light week this as they play just two games where they have two primetime matchups in the Nets and Nuggets
How much longer can the Pelicans survive without Zion
Just a couple weeks ago, the Pelicans were flying high with the best record in the west and led by a dominant Zion Williamson. Unfortunately, without Zion they having off quite a bit as they have lost 4 straight games and 7 of the last 10 since the injury occurred. Due to the recent struggles they have slipped to the fourth seed in the west and are just a game and a half ahead of the Mavericks. Zion is not the only key player they are missing either as Brandon Ingram has been out since Nov. 25th due to a bruised left toe injury. Without their two young stars they will likely continue to struggle as they lack consistent offense outside of their veterans in CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas. On a positive note, the injury is reportedly not serious as he could could possibly return soon since he is going to be reevaluated in the coming weeks. In the meantime, The Pelicans will need to focus on trying scrap their way into a couple more wins to avoid dropping further in the west standings.
Next week, The Pelicans will look to snap their 4 game skid as they take on the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Wizards, and start the first of a three game road trip against the Bucks.
Game of the week- Russell Westbrook drops game high 29 points off the bench and Dennis Schroeder hits the go ahead floater to give the Lakers the lead with 7.6 seconds left. Lakers win a thriller as they snap the Grizzlies 11 game win streak.
Source: NBA YouTube Channel
Commentaires