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The NBA 2018-19 regular season is four weeks old and it has been a great show so far with teams competing really hard to dethrone the Golden State Warriors. The Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors both have the best win-loss record of 12-3 and are sitting firm at the top of their respective conferences.
LeBron-less Eastern Conference is up for grabs and this might be finally be the year where some teams who have been missing out on playoffs, finally make it to the post-season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the worst record in the NBA currently at 2-12. This only shows once again how LeBron James carried this team only his back for so many years.
The Philadelphia 76ers have looked fine so far and with the addition of Jimmy Butler, they are definitely one of the front-runners along with the Raptors to conquer the Eastern Conference. Let us take a look at top five points per game leaders through week four.
Also Read: Top 5 Highest Scoring Games of Giannis Antetokounmpo's career
#5 James Harden
Stats: 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.8 blocks and 2.3 steals on 42.0 % shooting
After losing to the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals, after a hard-fought seven-game last season, the Houston Rockets are off to a sluggish start and are currently placed at 12th in the West standings. This is definitely a start that the Rockets wouldn't have expected since they finished at the top of the conference last season.
James Harden started the season on a high note and scored 30+ points only in his second and third games of the season, on road. He missed three games due to left hamstring injury and the Rockets' offense definitely fell apart.
However, once James Harden returned, their offense again started to flourish and are currently on a two-game winning streak after defeating really good Denver and Indiana teams. Harden scored 22 and 40 points in the two games respectively to lead the Rockets home.
The defending MVP is definitely the center in Houston and for the Rockets to have any championship chance, it is imperative for Harden to come up alive with consistent performances.
#4 Kevin Durant
Stats: 27.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and a steal on 55.9 % shooting
The 2014 MVP is now a two-time finals MVP and has definitely played a huge role in helping the Warriors win two titles. Kevin Durant is doing a terrific job on the defensive end after joining the Golden State Warriors and averaged a career-high 1.8 blocks last season.
The 4-time scoring champion started the season red-hot scoring 27 points in the season-opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the win, before dropping 38 points in the Salt Lake City against the Jazz in a 1-point win. The 9-time All-Star is shooting an eye-catching 55.9 percent from the field and his mid-range jumper has been money in the first month.
Durant has scored 30+ points in six games this season and is currently burdening a heavy load of carrying the Warriors' offense in the absence of Stephen Curry. He showed up big in the three games they played without Curry so far and Durant averaged 30 points in those three games.
In the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center, Durant posted his first triple-double of the season and finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, the Warriors suffered a heart-breaking loss in overtime, thanks to Lou Williams' clutch performance.
#3 Joel Embiid
Stats: 27.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, 0.3 steals on 47.8 % shooting
After losing in the conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics last year, the Philadelphia 76ers are 9-7 to start this season and are currently at 5th spot in the Eastern Conference Standings. After acquiring Jimmy Butler, they are expected to get even better now and the 76ers now have their own big three in Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Embiid has been in an impeccable form in the first month, posting monster figures on a nightly basis. He already has two 40-point games this season and is dominating the opposition teams in the paint.
In his third season, he is averaging career-high in all the statistical categories except in blocks. Overall, in the 16 games so far, he has had nine 30-point games and is scoring efficiently. The trend has been that, whenever Embiid fails to perform at a very high-level, the team stutters which speaks about the kind of impact that he creates on the team.
#2 LeBron James
Stats: 27.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 0.9 blocks, 1.5 steals on 51.7 % shooting
When LeBron James decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers, everyone expected them to struggle early in the season, as there are a lot of inexperienced players on the team. To nobody's surprise, they stumbled to a 3-5 start but since then, they have turned the tables and are currently on a 4-game winning streak after defeating Portland Trail Blazers earlier today.
A lot of credit must go to the three-time NBA champion for playing some serious minutes even in his 16th-year and carrying the team home. In the 14 games so far, he has scored less than 20 points only in two games and is shooting a very effective 51.7 percent from the field.
One primary concern that was bothering the Lakers in October was his 3-point shooting form. He shot 27.3 percent from long range in October and did not look comfortable. However, he is shooting a terrific 44.7 percent from downtown this month and the Lakers are looking more comfortable as a team now than they were a few weeks ago.
#1 Stephen Curry
Stats: 29.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.0 steals on 51.5 % shooting
This should not be a surprise to anyone. It is Stephen Curry who is at the top of the ladder averaging 29.5 points per game. He has been in an impeccable form since day one and is making a strong case for MVP early in the season.
The two-time MVP is shooting 51.5 percent from the field and ridiculous 49.2 from distance, which should tell us the kind of season he is having. Curry featured in 12 games before missing the game against Brooklyn Nets due to the groin strain and registered 30+ points in six games. This includes the game against Washington Wizards where he exploded for 51 points on a red-hot 15-24 shooting.
He was dismantling the opposition defenses single-handedly before he got injured and the teams could barely prevent him from scoring. He has not shot below 35 percent from the field and has been very flawless in the first few weeks of the season. The Warriors will definitely miss his presence on the court and await eagerly for him to be back sooner than later.
