With Anthony Davis playing at an MVP level what is the Lakers ceiling?
After a dreadful 2-10 start to the season the Lakers have now won 8 of their last 10 games and are looking like many expected them to look with their big 3 in Davis, Lebron James, and Russell Westbrook. It has been Anthony Davis leading the way scoring 25 or more in the 9 games he's played over this 10 game stretch. In his last two games, he has scored at a level not seen since Kobe Bryant with him dropping 44 against the Bucks on Friday followed up an incredible 55 point performance against the Wizards, both on the road. Davis is averaging 35 points, 16 rebounds and 3 Blocks per game in his last 8 games and is giving the Lakers a chance to surge up a very competitive Western Conference. Despite their slow start their current stretch has the Lakers just 5.5 games out of the #1 seed in the West and if Davis continues to play at this level the Lakers could be become a top 4 team in the west.
Next Week, Davis and the Lakers will look to continue their impressive play as they matchup with the Cavaliers, Raptors, 76ers, and Pistons.
Is this the Suns best chance to win an NBA title?
Since the Phoenix Suns acquired Chris Paul, they have been one of the best teams in the league yet have fallen short of winning a title each of the last two seasons. However, the Suns are #1 seed in the west despite having no Chris Paul or Cam Johnson for majority of the season. Still, the Suns have gotten great production out of their two best players in Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Booker has been especially brilliant as he has been playing at an MVP level and leading his team in the absence of Paul. Other players have stepped up as well, such as Cameron Payne, who has become the starting point guard with Paul out. Payne has played solid over this recent stretch including a 29 point performance in a win against the Suns. As a team, the Suns have been consistent on both sides as they have a top 10 offensive and defensive ranking 7th on offense and 6th on defense. With the Suns playing this well despite missing some key pieces, they should be considered one of the biggest threats to dethroning the Warriors and making their second finals appearance in three seasons.
Next week, the Suns will play the Mavericks, Celtics, and close out the week with back to back games against the Pelicans with them looking to continue their current success as they have won 8 of their last 10 games.
With a healthy Jamal Murray how far can the Denver Nuggets go?
The Denver Nuggets have been one of the best teams in the west the past few seasons and have the 2-time reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic but, have not gone past the second round the last two seasons. Coincidentally, in their last two playoff runs and the entirety of the 2021-2022 season, they were missing their star point guard Jamal Murry who suffered a torn ACL near the end of the 2020-2021 season. The last time they had a healthy Jamal Murry in the playoffs, the Nuggets were just 3 games away from the NBA Finals as they fell to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 2020. With Murray healthy again, the Nuggets have renewed expectations and so far they have played solid as they are currently the 3rd seed in the West with a record of 14-9. Murray currently averages 17.9 points per game which is slightly down from the 21.2 he averaged a couple years ago. Jokic scoring has gone down as well as he got acclimated to having Murray back in the lineup, he currently averages just 22.7 points per game compared to the 27.1 he averaged last season. I expect both players to improve as the season goes on as Murray works his way back to the all star caliber player, the Nuggets will need him to be to reach their full potential. With a healthy duo in Jokic and Murray, the Nuggets are fully capable of making a run to the western conference finals.
Next Week, the Nuggets are up against the Mavericks, Trail Blazers and Jazz as they look to end their current two game win streak and make a run for the #1 seed as they sit just two games out.
Game of the Week- Anthony Davis drops 44 points and grabs 10 boards, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in Milwaukee
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