1
|
Suns
|
Ho hum, another week, another four wins for the Suns, who have now rattled off eight in a row. The win over the surging Mavs was impressive, and Phoenix played all week without big man Deandre Ayton, as Bismack Biyombo, JaVale McGee and Jalen Smith filled in the center minutes. This team really does seem to be plug and play, and with Devin Booker and Chris Paul at the peak of their powers, they are incredibly difficult to beat.
|
—
|
41-9
|
2
|
Cavaliers
|
Holy moly, Cleveland just keeps on rolling. Lauri Markkanen went down with an ankle injury and Jarrett Allen missed a game this week — pfft, so what? Three more victories for the Cavs, including a statement win over the Bucks on Wednesday. Kevin Love stepped up with Markkanen and Allen out, putting up 22.5 points and 10 rebounds on 11-for-21 3-point shooting over the last two games. Darius Garland averaged 18.3 points and 10.3 assists in three games, while Evan Mobley added 15.3 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavs are a game and a half out of FIRST PLACE in the Eastern Conference. Let that sink in.
|
4
|
31-20
|
3
|
Heat
|
Jimmy Butler inexplicably missed an alley-oop layup in the final 20 seconds and then clanked a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the Heat’s loss to the Hawks to start the week, but they bounced back to beat the Lakers and Knicks. Miami played all week without Kyle Lowry, who’s out for personal reasons, which allowed Gabe Vincent to step in and average 11 points and 6.7 assists per game on 41 percent 3-point shooting. Speaking of 3-point shooting, Duncan Robinson caught fire this week, going 18 for 32 from long distance en route to 23 points per game.
|
1
|
32-20
|
4
|
Warriors
|
After beginning the |
