'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to another day in the NBA. Yesterday, we had 6 big games to watch and there are another 7 games to look forward to tomorrow night. 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.
Monday's recap:
1. Toronto Raptors 101-126 Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Sacramento Kings 115-121 Washington Wizards
3. Detroit Pistons 75-103 Brooklyn Nets
4. Charlotte Hornets 106-118 Houston Rockets
5. Oklahoma City Thunder 98-89 Utah Jazz
6. Boston Celtics 115-140 Los Angeles Clippers
Top performances:
1. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets): 40 points, 14-20 FG, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 4 TOs.
2. Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards): 27 points, 9-20 FG, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 3 TOs.
Worst performances:
1. Luke Kennard (Detroit Pistons): 2 points, 1-7 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
2. Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz): 5 points, 2-9 FG, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 TOs.
Monday's takeaways:
1. Serge Ibaka and Marqueese Chriss were ejected in a shock loss for the Toronto Raptors where they fell 101-126 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Washington Wizards took a big step towards the playoffs, beating fellow playoff hopefuls Sacramento Kings, 121-115. The Brooklyn Nets won a blowout game to finally hand the Detroit Pistons their first defeat in 6 games, 103-75.
2. The Houston Rockets won their 9th game in a row, beating the Charlotte Hornets 118-106. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Utah Jazz in a closely-fought contest and won a low-scoring game, 98-89. The final game of the night was the Boston Celtics facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers, with the Clippers coming up with a huge win, 140-115.
Tuesday's games:
1. New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers
3. Los Angeles Lakers @ Chicago Bulls
4. Milwaukee Bucks @ New Orleans Pelicans
5. San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
6. Minnesota Timberwolves @ Denver Nuggets
7. Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Clippers
PG: Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Damian Lillard has been one of the best guards in the league at this point of time. He has led the Blazers from the front and they are reaping the rewards, currently 5th in a tough Western Conference and have a 40-26 record.
They are currently 5th and have won 7 of their last 10 games, a lot of it due to some great basketball by Lillard. He is currently averaging 26.1 points, 6.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. In a win over the Phoenix Suns in their last game, Lillard scored 18 points and dished out 9 assists as well and had 2 rebounds as well. He had a bad shooting night, shooting 36.4% from the field and will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Alternate pick: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG: Derrick Rose (Minnesota Timberwolves)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been struggling to get a footing in a very tough Western Conference this season. They are currently sitting at the 10th spot, with a 32-35 record. They seem to be gunning for the final playoff spots and have won 5 of their last 10 games. They are on a 2-game winning streak and Rose has been a big reason for their rise after the trade of Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rose has been averaging 18.2 points per game, along with 2.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game. He has turned into more of a shooting guard than his usual role as a point guard, though he has stepped in whenever the need arises. In the last game against the Knicks, Rose was rested and played just 8 minutes, scoring 4 points. In the game before that, against the Washington Wizards, Rose was superb, scoring 29 points, including a clutch go-ahead bucket. He had 3 rebounds and assists too in just 30 minutes and shot just under 57% from the field. Look for him to light up the game against the Nuggets too.
Alternate pick: CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
SF: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Luka Doncic has been a revelation this season, with the rookie exceeding all expectations that were set for him. He has led the Dallas Mavericks from the front but they have not been very competitive since they traded for an injured Kristal's Porzingis and let Harrison Barnes leave.
They are currently 2nd from the bottom in the Western Conference with a 27-39 record. They have won just 1 in their last 10 matches and are on a 5-game losing streak, even with Luka playing like he is. He is averaging 21.1 points per game, along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists a game as well. In the loss against the Rockets, Luka almost had himself a triple double, scoring 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 9 assists, putting on an amazing show. He is questionable with a knee injury and if he is good to go, you should have him on your roster.
Alternate pick: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
PF: Gianni's Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing like a MVP this season. He has single-handedly won the Milwaukee Bucks games this season and is one of the main reasons why they are at the top of the Eastern Conference, with a 50-17 record. They lost their most recent game but have won 7 of their last 10 matches.
Giannis has been superb, averaging a solid 27 points per game, along with 12.6 rebounds and 6 assists a game, something that is very difficult to do for a big man. His freakishly long limbs allow him to cover the court really quickly and dunk over players he should not be dunking over.
In the loss against the San Antonio Spurs, Giannis scored 27 points, along with 13 rebounds and 6 assists as well. He even had one block but couldn't get the Bucks a win. He will be looking to get redemption this week against a struggling New Orleans Pelicans and hoping to get the Bucks back on the winning track.
Alternate pick: Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
C - Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Nikola Jokic has been one of the biggest reasons why the Denver Nuggets have exceeded all expectations this season and are currently in the 2nd place in a really tough Western Conference. They have a 43-22 record and even though they lost their most recent game, they have won 6 of their last 10 matches and a big part of their wins has been the form of Jokic.
Jokic has been superb, averaging 20.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists a game as well. His assist numbers have proven him to be invaluable to the Nuggets roster as he has become the primary ball handler for them. In the loss against the Golden State Warriors, he was one of the few starters to reach double digits with 16 points. He also had 4 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and a block as he was forced to defend more due to foul trouble for Paul Millsap. The Nuggets and Jokic will be looking to bounce back with a vengeance against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow.
Alternate pick: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Guess the Lakers players!
