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Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. Yesterday, we had 5 amazing matches to follow around and we have another 10 games to review tomorrow. Let's analyze some of the meaningful performances from the last night, results of the matches and the top players to look out for in the matches tomorrow.
Tuesday's recap:
- Milwaukee Bucks 109-95 New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder 109-113 Houston Rockets
- Philadelphia 76ers 114-121 Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers 127-101 Golden State Warriors
- Portland Trail Blazers 117-96 Utah Jazz
Highlights:
1. Giannis Anteokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks): 30 points, 13-21 FG, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 TOs.
2. Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics): 40 points, 17-33 FG, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 TOs.
Lowlights:
1. Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors): 15 points, 5-17 FG, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 TO.
2. Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks): 6 points, 2-12 FG, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 TO.
Tuesday's takeaways:
- The Milwaukee Bucks took on the New York Knicks in the first game on Christmas day, winning 109-95. The Oklahoma City Thunder faced off the Houston Rockets in an entertaining game, only for the Rockets to emerge victorious, 113-109.
- The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Boston Celtics in a rematch of the first game this season, with the Celtics winning, 121-114. The blockbuster game of the day was the Golden State Warriors going up against the Los Angeles Lakers, with the Lakers winning 127-101.
- The final match was the Portland Trail Blazers facing off against the Utah Jazz, with the Jazz coming up with the goods, winning 117-96.
Wednesday's games:
- Washington Wizards @ Detroit Pistons
- Phoenix Suns @ Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers @ Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn Nets
- Toronto Raptors @ Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves @ Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets @ San Antonio Spurs
- Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers
PG 1 - Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
The Toronto Raptors are having a tough time of late, after having a blistering start to their 2018-19 NBA season. They are currently top of the Eastern Conference with a 25-10 record, but the next 3 teams are not far away from taking away their throne.
Injuries to key players had limited their threshold and hence they have only won 5 of their last 10 matches. They had to sit Kawhi Leonard for their last game against the 76ers but had a returning Kyle Lowry, who put up a great stat line.
Lowry has had a great start to his 2018-19 season, averaging almost 15 points per game and just under 10 assists and over 4 rebounds per game as well. He had started the season really well, averaging over 18 points and 11 assists, the whole of October.
But he came down due to a bad run of games and then an injury as well. In the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Lowry scored a nice 20 points, along with just 5 assists and 6 rebounds. He at least had a steal and a block in a game where his shot just didn't land well enough. He should be looking to break out of this mini-slump and be all guns blazing against the Miami Heat.
Alternate pick: Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)
PG 2 - Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
The Dallas Mavericks had a really good start to their season but have faltered of late. They are currently 12th in the Western Conference with a 15-17 record. They have won only 3 in their last 10 games and are on a 6 game losing streak, putting on display their lack of temperament for a playoff spot this season.
That being said, they are only 2 games behind the 8th spot and 7 games behind from the top spot. They have also suffered very close losses in this streak, something they could overcome soon. One man who has absolutely turned them around this season has to be Luka Doncic.
Doncic has been stunning in his rookie season, averaging 19 points, along with 5 assists and over 6 rebounds per game. He has been a clutch star for the Mavericks, making countless last-minute buckets to get them the win.
In the loss against the Trail Blazers, Luka scored 23 points, including a last second 3 pointer to send the game into overtime. He also managed to grab 11 rebounds and dished out 6 assists too. Luka has been playing some sensational basketball and will look to keep it going against the New Orleans Pelicans tomorrow.
Alternate pick: De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
SG 1 - Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
The Phoenix Suns are the worst team this season, with a record of 8-26 in the Western Conference. They were even worse before they got Booker and Warren back from their respective injuries with a 4-24 record.
They went on a 4 game winning run when they returned but were not able to sustain it. They are now on a 2 game losing streak but you cannot fault Devin Booker for this.
Booker has been playing lights out this season. He has added playmaking to his repertoire of skills and hasn't let it affect his scoring. He is averaging 25 points per game, along with 7 assists and 4 rebounds.
He also is averaging a steal per game, making him an even more valuable player for the Suns. In the loss to the Nets, Booker scored 25 points, along with dishing out a massive 9 assists and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He is the primary threat for the Suns and look for him to continue his form against the Orlando Magic tomorrow.
Alternate pick: Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
SG 2 - DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)
The San Antonio Spurs are a team that has had a bit of a mixed bag of results this season. They are 9th right now, in the Western Conference, with an 18-16 record. They won 7 of their last 10 games, signaling an upturn in their fortunes. One player who has been playing through the best and the worst with the same consistency is DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan has averaged a healthy 23 points per game, along with 6 assists and almost 6 rebounds as well per game. He had to step in as both a playmaker and a scorer at the start of the season, since the injury to Dejounte Murray and has taken on both roles really well.
In the loss to the Houston Rockets in the last game, he scored a great 28 points, with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. He also had a steal and 2 big blocks as well. He will look to keep this form going against the Denver Nuggets.
Alternate pick: Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans)
SF 1 - Danilo Gallinari (Los Angeles Clippers)
Gallinari, who has been ravaged with injuries since being traded to the Clippers, is probably enjoying his healthiest time of late on the court. He is averaging a great 20 points per game, along with 6 rebounds and atleast 2 assists.
In the loss to the Golden State Warriors, 129-127, Gallinari had a great game, scoring 25 points, along with grabbing 11 boards and dishing out 2 assists too. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games and seems to be playing really well. He should hope to continue this form against the Sacramento Kings as well.
Alternate pick: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings)
SF 2 - Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
The Toronto Raptors, as we read in one of the previous slides, have been poor of late. They are still top of the Western Conference with a 25-10 record, but only 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and 2.5 games ahead of the 3rd and 4th placed Pacers and Sixers respectively. The Raptors missed Kawhi in their last match, a 126-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers but should have him back against the Miami Heat.
Leonard has been his usual MVP self again this season. He is averaging a huge 27 points per game, along with over 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game. In the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kawhi had a massive 37 points in just 32 minutes, along with 6 rebounds and 1 assist. He is also an elite defender and is averaging almost 2 steals per game this season. He should be back against the Miami Heat and be good to go.
Alternate pick: N/A
PF 1 - Julius Randle (New Orleans Pelicans)
The New Orleans Pelicans are struggling to put together wins this season. They are currently 14th in the Western Conference with a torrid 15-19 record. They are 8 games behind the conference leaders in Denver Nuggets and have won only 3 of their last 10 games, despite having 2 of the top 20 players in the league right now. They are also on a 4 game losing streak, which exposes how bad their bench actually is. One player who is benefiting from the lack of bench is Julius Randle.
Randle is having a career year, averaging a career-high 19 points per game this season, along with more than 9 rebounds per game as well. He is a decent defender and is averaging a combined 1 steal and block per game.
He is playing really for the Pelicans of late but it does not seem to be enough for them. In the loss to the Sacramento Kings, Randle had 18 points, along with 9 rebounds and 2 assists, but it wasn't enough. Randle will look to keep it going against the Dallas Mavericks and try to get a win for the Pelicans.
Alternate pick: Lauri Markkanen (Chicago Bulls)
PF 2 - Larry Nance Jr. (Cleveland Cavaliers)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are probably one of the worst teams this season. With Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love out injured, they seem to have nobody who is looking forward to getting wins this season. They even traded a few of their veteran stars, including Kyle Korver. One man who has benefited from all this is their young power forward, Larry Nance Jr.
Nance has been playing really well recently, in the past 4 games, he has averaged almost 16 points per game, along with 12 rebounds per game as well. He is even assisting out of the post well, averaging 4 assists as well. In the loss to the Chicago Bulls, Nance had 20 points, along with 6 rebounds and 1 assist as well. He even had 3 steals to have a great line. He will look to continue with his form against the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow.
Alternate pick: John Collins (Atlanta Hawks)
C 1 - Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
New Orleans Pelicans, as we read in one of the earlier slides, are on a slippery slope of losses right now. They have lost their last 4 games in a row and are in the 14th spot in the Western Conference.
They have a 15-19 record and have won only 3 of their last 10 matches. Injuries have exposed their bench and they are just not able to cope up with the league. One player who is trying his best to push them to the playoffs is Anthony Davis.
Davis has been playing at MVP levels this season, averaging a massive 28 points per game with just under 13 rebounds per game as well. He is even averaging just below 5 assists, which are amazing numbers for a big man like him.
He is one of, if not, the best defenders in the NBA right now, averaging almost 2 steals and 3 blocks every night. In the loss to the Sacramento Kings, Davis scored a huge 26 points, along with 17 rebounds and 4 assists as well. He even had 2 steals and 4 huge blocks too. He should be expected to perform at the same level against the Dallas Mavericks as well.
Alternate pick: N/A
C 2 - Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
The Phoenix Suns are probably the only team in the Western Conference, not looking to grab a playoff spot this season. They are dead last in the league, with an 8-26 record this season. They are on a 2 game losing streak as of now, having lost their last game against the Brooklyn Nets, 111-103.
Ayton has been one of the shining lights of a bad Phoenix Suns season, averaging just under 17 points a game, with almost 11 rebounds per match as well. In the game against the Nets, Ayton had a monster game, scoring 26 points, with 18 rebounds and an assist. He even had 2 steals and 3 big blocks as well, having a superb game on the defensive end as well. He will look to continue rolling against a struggling Orlando Magic team.
Alternate pick: Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
