NBA 2019-20: Top 5 individual performances from last night (31st January 2020)

We definitely had a great slot of games this Friday in the NBA, as the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks were all n in action. We saw a round full of historical and impressive performances, as well as an emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant at the Staples Center. At the end of the night, five stars stood out among their peers last night, and this article looks to analyse them.

---

#5 Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson

In one of the most exciting clashes of this round, we saw Zion Williamson having his best match in the NBA so far, when he helped the New Orleans Pelicans defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, and subsequently defeat his "Rookie of the Year" rival Ja Morant.

Zion finished the match with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists and he was an important piece of the puzzle for the Pelicans both on offense and on defense.

One thing that stood out in Zion's game on the night is how unique he is compared to other NBA players. He can dominate in the paint because of his size, but at the same time he is incredibly fast and agile for a player of his size.

Credit is due for the Pelicans's coach as well for his performance here, as he made sure that whenever Zion was on the court, the Pelicans's line-up was helping him dominate in the paint, creating for him a lot of space to get around. Brandon Ingram, for example, did not focus that much on his own scoring last night, instead he used his time to make space for Zion.

This is most likely Zion's first out of many performances when he is the best player on the court, and we can only be excited for the things that the former Duke star will offer to basketball fans in the NBA.

#4 Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside had his best match of the season when the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, in the Staples Center. The Blazers's center checked out at the end with 30 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists, as he had an amazing all-around performance for his team.

While Damian Lillard is the main reason why Portland won last night, Whiteside surely deserves some credit as well for his performance. Whiteside managed to neutralise Anthony Davis quite a lot last night, and that is not something that many players can brag about this season.

He had a monstrous performance on the glass, and his shooting was indeed amazing for his standards, as he finished the match with 13/14 shooting attempts. The former Miami Heat player continues to prove that he was an important addition to the Portland's roster this season, and it is interesting to see how many more performances like this he can produce this season.

#3 James Harden

James Harden

At this point, James Harden seems to be the victim of his incredibly high standards, that he created for himself with his performances from this season. Even so, the former MVP looked more like his old self in this match, as he finished the night with 35 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. He was vital for the Rockets's win against the Dallas Mavericks, and he deserves a spot in this list.

As Clint Capela was unavailable for this match, Harden posted a season-high number of rebounds, as he was more important on the defensive end for the Rockets last night, compared to other matches this season, when he only had to worry about the offensive part. Because of his high standards, this might be considered even a disappointing performance for Harden, but few players in the league can play at this level, and he deserves his place in the rankings for tonight.

Houston won an important match here for their ranking in the league table, against a conference rival, like the Dallas Mavericks.

#2 Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard more or less threw his name in the MVP conversation this month, as he was arguably the best player in the league in January. In an emotional match at the Staples Center, the Blazers superstar finished the game with 48 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. He led his team to an important upset against the Los Angeles Lakers, that helped Portland get closer to a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Lillard is indeed on an impressive streak of great performances at the moment, as this was his fifth match in a row in which he scored more than 40 points. His three-point shooting is simply unplayable at the moment, and we can only imagine how a healthy Portland team would look, with Lillard in such good form.

If there was one player on the court last night that showcased the "Mamba Mentality" of Kobe Bryant, it was Damian Lillard. It will be interesting to follow him in the next months, when he will surely be at his best, as the Trail Blazers will push for a playoff spot.

#1 Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving put his name in the history books last night, when the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls in the Barclays Center, behind Irving's 54 point performance. The former All-Star player became the first player in Brooklyn's history to have two 50 points games in a single season, and he also had the second most efficient 50+ points game in the history of the NBA. Kyrie had arguably one of the most impressive and dominating offensive performances of all-time, against the Chicago Bulls.

Irving checked out at the end with 54 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He went 19/23 from the field with his shooting, and 7/9 from the 3-point range. What is even more impressive is that he did all of this in only 31 minutes of play, as he was not at all overplayed in this game. Going further, most of his shots were ridiculous, as they came from extremely difficult angles. It is hard to see anyone having a better offensive performance in the NBA this season, and Kyrie deserves all the praise for this match.

With this win, the Brooklyn Nets consolidate their playoff spot from the Eastern Conference, as they get away from the danger that the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls were poising on their spot.