Welcome to another day of the NBA 2018-19 season. With no games scheduled for the 24th of December, we have a lot of basketball to look forward to on Christmas, and boy are we excited for those games.
We had 11 games on December 23rd to follow around and we have another 5 mouth watering clashes to review tomorrow. Let's analyse 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.
Sunday's recap:
- Atlanta Hawks 98-95 Detroit Pistons
- Washington Wizards 89-105 Indiana Pacers
- Phoenix Suns 103-111 Brooklyn Nets
- Miami Heat 115-91 Orlando Magic
- New Orleans Pelicans 117-122 Sacramento Kings
- Charlotte Hornets 103-119 Boston Celtics
- Chicago Bulls 112-92 Cleveland Cavaliers
- Minnesota Timberwolves 114-112 Oklahoma City Thunder
- Los Angeles Clippers 127-129 Golden State Warriors
- Dallas Mavericks 118-121 Portland Trail Blazers
- Memphis Grizzlies 107-99 Los Angeles Lakers
Highlights:
1. Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns): 26 points, 13-16 FG, 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 2 TOs.
2. Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder): 31 points, 11-24 FG,11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 TOs.
3. Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors): 35 points, 10-19 FG, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steals, 3 blocks and 1 TO.
4. Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans): 26 points, 7-20 FG, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and 1 TO.
Lowlights:
1. Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons): 15 points, 4-14 FG, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 5 TOs.
2. Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards): 7 points, 2-11 FG, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal.
3. Collin Sexton (Cleveland Cavaliers): 6 points, 3-16 FG, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 TO.
4. Marvin Williams (Charlotte Hornets): 4 points, 1-9 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal.
Sunday's takeaways:
- The Detroit Pistons went up against the Atlanta Hawks, losing 98-95. Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers played each other in a hard-fought game with the Indiana Pacers winning 105-89. The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets played each other in a fun game of basketball, with the Nets coming out on top, 111-103.
- The Miami Heat won against the Orlando Magic in an easy contest, 115-91. New Orleans Pelicans continued their losing streak, losing to the Sacramento Kings 122-117. The Boston Celtics returned to their winning ways, beating the Charlotte Hornets, 119-103.
- The battle at the bottom, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers lost against the Chicago Bulls, 112-92. The Oklahoma City Thunder finally lost against a spirited Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-112. The Golden State Warriors swat aside the Los Angeles Clippers, 129-127.
- The Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers went up against each other, with the Blazers coming out on top, 121-118. In the last game of the night, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies went head to head, with the Grizzlies winning 107-99.
Tuesday's games:
- Milwaukee Bucks @ New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets
- Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors
- Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz
PG 1 - Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder):
The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying a very fast start to their 2018-19 season. They are currently 3rd in the Western Conference, with a 21-11 record. They are in great form, having won 4 of their last 5 matches. A huge part of their success has been the stellar play by Paul George but they cannot go without their star guard, Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook has been playing really well this season, averaging a triple double this season. In 24 matches, Westbrook is averaging above 20 points per game, along with just under 11 rebounds and over 10 assists per game as well. He is an amazing defender when on the floor and is averaging a huge 2.6 steals per game.
In the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Westbrook had an efficient game before getting fouled out, scoring 23 points, along with 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 steal. His next opportunity to win is against the Houston Rockets and he will look to do his absolute best.
Alternate pick: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
PG 2 - Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors):
The Golden State Warriors have been performing really well of late. They seem to have finally caught fire and are in the middle of an 8-2 run in their last 10 matches. They are 2nd in the Western Conference with a 23-11 record.
They have had Kevin Durant to prop them up whenever they need, but the most integral player of this lineup has to be Steph Curry. Without him, the team just can't seem to put it together, having lost 6 of their 12 games without him this season.
Curry has been playing lights out this season, averaging 29 points per game, along with atleast 5 assists and 5 rebounds in each match. He is also averaging more than 1 steal per game as well.
In the close win over the Los Angeles Clippers, 129-127, Curry scored a game-high 42 points, shooting 55% from the field and 92% from the line. He also had 6 rebounds and 2 assists, along with 1 steal in the match. He is in sublime form and should look to keep it going against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Alternate pick: Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
SG 1 - James Harden (Houston Rockets):
James Harden should be one of the first names on your DFS team if he is playing that night. With Chris Paul out indefinitely, Harden is now the primary scorer and the primary playmaker for this Houston Rockets side.
The Rockets have gone on a bit of a run, winning the last 6 of their 7 matches, finally coming to a positive record and in the 8th place, 17-15. They won their previous game against the San Antonio Spurs, 108-101, most of it due to this man, James Harden.
Harden has been playing out of his mind recently. He is leading the scoring charts this season, averaging a massive 32 points per game. He is also getting a huge 8 assists and just under 6 rebounds per game as well. He has scored at least 35 points in the last 5 of his 6 games.
In the win over the Spurs, Harden scored a huge 39 points, along with 10 assists and 4 rebounds too. He even managed to grab 2 steals towards a huge statline. Expect him to come up once again, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, if the Rockets want to keep this run going.
Alternate pick: N/A
SG 2 - Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz):
The Utah Jazz have had a bad start to their 2018-19 NBA season, stuck in the 11th spot, with a 16-18 record in 34 matches. They have had a topsy turvy past 10 games, winning 5 and losing 5 of them.
Their last game was a close loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-107. But one of the reasons they were still in the match was some great basketball by their star sophomore guard, Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell has had a decent start to his season, averaging 20 points, with over 3 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Everyone expected Mitchell to take another step towards becoming a player like James Harden, a playmaking scorer. But he has not yet taken that leap, due to some nagging injury troubles in the start of the season and his poor shooting accuracy.
He is shooting just 36% in the month of December, something which is uncharacteristic, and he can break out of it at any point of time. In the loss against the Thunder, Mitchell had a great game, scoring 20 points, along with 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. If the Jazz have any chance at winning their next game against the Portland Trail Blazers, they need Mitchell at his best.
Alternate pick: CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
SF 1 - Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors):
The Golden State Warriors, as we read in one of the previous slides, have been doing really well of late. They are currently 2nd in the Western Conference with a 23-11 record. They have won the last 8 of their 10 games and do not seem like they will stop anytime soon.
They play the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas and they will need everything from their star foward, Kevin Durant, if they want to be victorious.
Durant has started his year off in amazing fashion, averaging a huge 29 points per game, along with almost 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He has become a better defender year after year, and this season is averaging a block and a steal per game. He is an absolute monster on the offensive end and is virtually unguardable from the mid range.
In the win over the Los Angeles Clippers last night, Durant had a huge 35 points, along with 12 rebounds and 5 assists on 53% shooting from the field. He even had 1 steal and 3 huge blocks. If the Warriors are to beat the LeBron-led Lakers, they need Durant at his best.
Alternate pick: N/A
SF 2 - Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder):
The Oklahoma City Thunder, as we read in one of the previous slides, has been performing really well this season. They are 3rd in the Western Conference, with a 21-11 record and have the 4 of their last 5 matches. Their next game is against the Houston Rockets and they will all they can get to counter the scoring threat from James Harden by unleashing Paul George.
George has been on a tear of late, averaging a massive 35 points in their last 5 games, along with more than 10 rebounds per game and 5 assists too. This stretch has pushed his name into the MVP conversation of late and if this continues, it will make him a dark horse this season.
He has also been a great defender, averaging more than 2 steals and almost a block per game.
In the loss against the Timberwolves, he has scored 31 points, along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists. He also had 2 steals in this game and if the Thunder want to beat the Rockets tomorrow, they will need George to come up big again.
Alternate pick: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
PF 1 - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks):
The Milwaukee Bucks have been doing really well this season under their new coach, Mike Budenholzer. The Bucks are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference, with a 22-10 record.
They have won 7 of their last 10 games and will look to keep this form going. They seem to have finally realised their potential and have built a team around their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis has been the leading choice for many experts to take the MVP title this season, averaging a huge 26 points per game, along with 13 rebounds and 6 assists per game too. He is an elite defender too, averaging at least a steal and a block per game. These numbers deserve the MVP recognition according to many experts this season.
In the loss against the Heat last time out, Giannis had a really poor game, scoring just 9 points with 25% shooting. He managed to grab 13 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 2 blocks. He will look to bounce back from this blip on his radar and get back to form against the New York Knicks.
Alternate pick: N/A
PF 2 - Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers):
The Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed a great start to their 2018-19 season, currently sitting pretty at the 4th spot in the Western Conference with a 19-14 record. Of late, they have had a topsy turvy ride, winning 5 and losing 5 matches of their last 10 games.
In their last game, they suffered a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, 107-99. They really needed their 2nd best player to show up for this game, Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma was having a really good bunch of games, scoring at least 20 points in his previous 3 matches, along with at least 6 rebounds and 2 assists, before the Grizzlies game. He has even become a better defender this season and is averaging 18 points per game, along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
He is also getting a combined 1 steal and block per game too.
If the Lakers want any chance of beating the Golden State Warriors in their next game, they really need Kuzma performing.
Alternate pick: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
C 1 - Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers):
Joel Embiid has probably been the biggest star of the 76ers team this season, carrying them along with his teammates, Ben Simmons and their newest addition, Jimmy Butler, to the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference.
They have a 22-12 record and are just 2.5 games behind the top seeded Toronto Raptors. They have won their last 2 games and are 6-4 in their last 10 and Embiid has to be thanked for their form this season.
Embiid has been playing like the All-Star he is, forcing himself into MVP discussion as well. He has averaged a massive 26 points per game, along with 13 rebounds and 3 assists as well. He is an elite rim protector and has averaged almost 2 blocks per game.
In the last game, a big win over the Toronto Raptors, Embiid scored a massive 27 points, along with 11 rebounds and dishing out an assist as well. He even had a steal and a block too.
If the 76ers want revenge for their loss against the Celtics in the first game of the season, they need Embiid firing on all cylinders.
Alternate pick: Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
C 2 - Clint Capela (Houston Rockets):
The Houston Rockets, as we read in one of the earlier slides, were not enjoying a great start to their season but their recent upturn in form has pushed them into the 8th spot in the Western Conference with a 17-15 record, winning 6 of their 7 games.
With Harden being their primary scoring threat and Paul suffering an injury after injury, someone had to step up as their secondary star and Capela has made that leap.
Capela has been playing really well this season, averaging 17 points per game, along with 12 rebounds. He is an amazing rim protector with those long arms of his, averaging at least 2 blocks a game this season.
In the win over the San Antonio Spurs, Capela had an amazing game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 23 rebounds as well. He even had 2 assists and a block to go with it and if the Rockets want to beat the Thunder, they need Capela to step up again.
Alternate pick: Steven Adams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Guess the Lakers players!
