10. LeBron James is still good at this basketball thing.
LeBron James has played in 7 games in 2015. In those 7 games he’s averaging 30 points on 51.4% shooting, 6.9 rebounds and 6 assists and 2 steals per game. WHAT. No seriously, he is.
These are crazy numbers over a 7 game span, but after returning from his little sabbatical, LeBron James has never looked better at the age of 30.
Cleveland Cavaliers are also feeling his impact on the team with their 6-1 record in the last 7 games, all games LeBron has played in, including a 6 game win streak. They end the month with a pretty light schedule, visiting the Detroit Pistons, hosting the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings and then ending the month of January visiting the Minnesota Timberwolves.
9. Kevin Durant is too.
In his 11 games throughout January, Durant is averaging 36 minutes per game, 26.5 points on 50.7% shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Not as good as good old LeBron up there but still, he’s doing his part. The thing is that Oklahoma City finds themselves in a rather interesting situation..
Durant and Russell Westbrook are the backbone for the Thunder and the fact that they missed over half of their teams games due to injures set them back a lot in the Western Conference playoff standings. Right now they sit, 10th in the Western Conference standings, about 3 games back of the 8 seed Phoenix Suns. In the tough Western Conference it will be a challenge to climb up the standings and sneak in, but if any player can lead the charge, it would be Durant.
8. Steph Curry can dunk and do pull-ups.
7. Atlanta Hawks remain king out east.
They’ve won a franchise record 16th straight game. They’ve won 30 of their last 32 games. The improved to 20-3 at Philips Arena. They’re number 1 in the Eastern Conference standings by 7 games on the Washington Wizards. Their coach will also be the Head Coach for the Eastern Conference All-Stars and they continue to scorch the earth in the Eastern conference with some insane team stats.
6. Golden State Warriors reign supreme in the NBA.
The best team in the NBA is the Golden State Warriors, only by percentage points in the standings. They have this tandem in the backcourt, the splash brothers, that average a combined 45 points per game and maybe even better team stats than the Atlanta Hawks. The Warriors have won 19 consecutive home games, with their victory over the Boston Celtics last night, for the longest active home streak in the NBA. They’re also 14-0 against the Eastern Conference, the first team to go 14-0 against the East since the 1971-72 Lakers who won their first 19.
5. No Brandon Jennings = No Problem.
Brandon Jennings gets sidelined with a season-ending injury so where do you go from here if you’re Detroit? Plug in D.J. Augustin and led him drop 35! No problem.
4. Actually, no Brandon Jennings = BIG problems.
Actually, yes there might be a big problem. See Augustin is the spark off the bench and plugging him in for Jennings is thinning the bench of a team that relies on a steady rotation. Jennings was fifth amongst eastern conference point guards, 11th overall amongst all point guards. That’s a hard guy to replace. His 15 points per game and 6 assists per game might be hard to replace as well. Pistons are on the market as well right now to acquire a new point guard.
3. Losing in Lakers land should continue to happen.
Kobe Bryant is done for the season. The season, to this point, seems like a lost cause and there shouldn’t be much reason to continue to fight on for anything, unless the fight is for a high draft pick, which the Lakers are poised to receive if they continue to play the way they are. Jeremy Lin reportedly left before talking to the media after a recent loss and now, Nick Young even got benched in a loss last night.
Shut it down, trade away players like Jordan Hill, Jeremy Lin and Ed Davis and get those picks, save the money and bring in the talent for the final Kobe season.
2. Hassan Whiteside isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.
This kid for the Miami Heat, is spectacular. His post-game interview was great and his stats over the last 10 games have been even better. He’s mad ea name for himself and is trying to continue his role on the team as his stats, which show that he has the third highest PER in the NBA right now, prove that he is a valuable player on this team.
1. Phoenix Suns are in trouble.
Sitting at the 8 seed in the West is good, they’re in the playoff picture and have made a move to sure up their bench. The only problem is that Anthony Davis and the Pelicans along with Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are climbing and coming up fast to try and take that 8 spot and further. By the way, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs are the 7 seed, if the playoffs ended today, the Suns would have to face off against the Golden State Warriors as well. No matter what you do in Phoenix, it’ll be bad.
Stat line of the day.
Hassan Whiteside – 25 minutes, 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks and an awesome postgame interview.
- Scores
Miami Heat defeat Chicago Bulls, 96-84.
Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-98.
Los Angeles Clippers defeat Phoenix Suns, 120-100.
New Orleans Pelicans defeat Dallas Mavericks, 109-106.
Atlanta Hawks defeat Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-100.
Indiana Pacers defeat Orlando Magic, 106-99.
San Antonio Spurs defeat Milwaukee Bucks, 101-95.
Toronto Raptors defeat Detroit Pistons, 114-110.
Golden State Warriors defeat Boston Celtics, 114-111.
Washington Wizards defeat Denver Nuggets in overtime, 117-115.
Houston Rockets defeat Los Angeles Lakers, 99-87.
