Kevin Durant makes his Suns Debut
This week, Kevin Durant made his much anticipated Suns debut in the aftermath of the biggest trade of the season. Despite being on a minutes restriction, KD quickly showed that he was back right where he left knocking down his first couple shots in the game. The Suns were up against a subpar opponent in the Hornets who just lost their best player in Lamelo Ball for the rest of the season to ankle fracture. Still, Charlotte competed well, cutting the lead to 6 entering the 4th but the star power of Durant and Devin Booker was too much as they were able to help the Suns pull away down the stretch. Durant scored 9 of his 23 points in the 4th quarter while playing just 27 minutes showing how seamlessly he fits with his new team.
After the game Durant spoke about his comfort with his new situation stating, “Everybody out there was trying to make me as comfortable as possible. I just have to keep riding it, man.” Not only was Durant impressive but the duo of Durant-Booker was as potent as expected combining for 60 points in their first game together. Adding Durant with a superstar in Booker is a big part of why some consider the Suns to be favorites to win the east and they were able to show why in their first game together as teammates.
Next week, the Suns will look to stay undefeated streak with KD in the lineup alive as they take on the Thunder followed by a must see matchup with the Sacramento Kings.
The Nuggets running away with the 1st seed in the West, Should they be title favorites?
A lot of conversation regarding the Nuggets has been about their superstar in Nikola Jokic as a possible 3 time MVP winner. However, the Nuggets as a team are just as big a story this season as they appear to be running with the 1st seed in the west after a convincing win against the Memphis Grizzlies. With the win, the Nuggets are now 6 games ahead of the 2nd seed in the Memphis Grizzlies yet still have a couple teams favored over them in the west. Regardless, the Nuggets continue to win games playing great basketball winning 8 of their last 10 and could soon lock up home court advantage in the west.
Outside of the great all around play in Jokic the Nuggets have a lot of firepower in Murray who is back to his all-star caliber play. Aaron Gordon has been playing inspired basketball this season playing arguably the best basketball of his career and having a big impact on the Nuggets success. Still, the Nuggets will still only go as far as Jokic takes them as the pressure on the 2 time MVP will only increase if he manages to win his 3rd MVP in a row. With that said, I do still believe the Nuggets are poised for a run at least to the Western conference Finals but I'd give the edge to the Suns due to the acquisition of Kevin Durant
Next week, the Nuggets look to add to their 3 game win streak as they have matchups with the Raptors, Bulls, Spurs, and Nets
Are the Knicks a playoff contender?
The New York Knicks have been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA recently having won 9 games in a row going undefeated since trading for Josh Hart. Their biggest acquisition in Brunson who the Knicks picked up in free agency has been incredible in this recent stretch for the Knicks showing why he was a major all star snub. Brunson has scored 25 or more in 5 of his last 8 games scoring 40 against the new look Nets. However, most Impressive during this win streak has been the Knicks All-Star in Julius Randle who is playing the best basketball of his career at the right time. Randle has been lethal during this winning streak, tying a career high 46 points in a win against the Wizards and later dropping 43 against the Heat. He hit an unbelievable game winning shot on the road in Miami with 0.7 secs remaining to give the Knicks the win to keep their streak alive.
With the Knicks success they appear to be a team that could be dangerous come playoff time. they are likely to face what could be a big time first round matchup with the Cavaliers as the 4th seed and the Knicks just a game behind them as a 5th seed. If the Knicks are able to maintain this level of play they could manage to take down a tough Cavalier team especially if they manage to steal the 4th seed to have home court advantage. Still, even if they are able to get out the first round a matchup with a championship contender in the Bucks would likely be too much for them.
Next week, the Knicks will look to get their win streak to double digits as they take on the Hornets, Kings, Clippers, and Lakers.
Game of the week- Immanuel Quickley takes over for an injured Jalen Brunson scoring a career high 38 points to lead the Knicks to their 9th straight win in double OT, Tatum scores a game high 40 points in the loss
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