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The 14th Week of the NBA had some really great games for us to watch and had provided us with a lot of entertainment.
Let us have a look at the Eastern Conference power rankings and the Western Conference Power rankings, the top three teams and players we had from each conference.
The MVP for the week from both the conferences and the Rookie of the Week as well. Finally, we will look at the best games to watch for week 15 and the players to look out for.
Week 15 Preview:
1. Games to follow:
a. Houston Rockets @ Philadelphia 76ers
b. Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
c. Portland Trail Blazers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
d. Toronto Raptors @ Houston Rockets
e. Golden State Warriors @ Boston Celtics
f. Philadelphia 76ers @ Denver Nuggets
g. Milwaukee Bucks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Players to watch out for:
a. James Harden (Houston Rockets)
b. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
c. Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
d. DeMarcus Cousins (Golden State Warriors)
e. Brandon Ingram (Los Angeles Lakers)
f. Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics)
g. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
h. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
i. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
j. Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)
3. Under the radar players to look out for:
a. Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
b. Kenneth Faried (No team, heavily reported to be joining the Houston Rockets)
c. Dennis Smith Jr. (Dallas Mavericks)
d. Kevin Huerter (Atlanta Hawks)
e. Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets)
f. Thomas Bryant (Washington Wizards)
g. Ivica Zubac (Los Angeles Lakers)
h. Emmanuel Mudiay (New York Knicks)
Eastern Conference Power Rankings
Milwaukee Bucks: First in the Eastern Conference (33-12)
The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference all season long but have been superb this week.
They have won all the three games they played this week, including a big 38 point drubbing of the Miami Heat. Their star player this week was the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, leading the team from the front and getting them the wins.
Giannis has been averaging a whopping 26.4 points per game, along 12.5 rebounds and 6 assists as well, leading the race for the MVP title this season.
If his strong play continues, like in the win over the Orlando Magic, where he had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists, the Bucks are surely in for a great season.
Boston Celtics: Fifth in the Eastern Conference (28-18)
The Boston Celtics have had an underwhelming start to their 2018-19 season but have gotten their sputtering team together of late and started playing well, matching everyone's lofty expectations this week.
This week, they won three of their four matches and managed to go on a three-game winning run too, including a massive 117-108 win over the Toronto Raptors. Their star player of the week was none other than Kyrie Irving, stepping up and leading the Celtics.
Kyrie this season has been superb, averaging 23.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game. He missed the game against the Nets with an injury but came back roaring, putting up some clutch performances and getting the Celtics points on his own.
He had a great night against the Raptors, scoring 27 points, along with a career-high 18 assists and 5 rebounds as well. If Kyrie keeps leading the team in this fashion, the Celtics have a great chance to win the Eastern Conference title.
Brooklyn Nets: Sixth in the Eastern Conference (24-23)
The most surprising team in the Eastern Conference this season, the Brooklyn Nets have been enjoying a stellar campaign so far in the 2018-19 season.
They have won all their games this week, including an amazing overtime performance against the Houston Rockets, 145-142. Their star player this week and arguably throughout the season has been D'Angelo Russell.
Russell has been superb for the Nets in the 2018-19 campaign. He has managed to stay off injuries that have plagued his young career and shown everyone how good he can become.
He is averaging 19 points per game, along with 6.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds as well. He had a key role in the win over the Orlando Magic, scoring a massive 40 points, along with 7 assists and 2 rebounds as well.
With ample support from the other players on this roster, the Nets might as well be a dark horse in the playoffs this season.
Western Conference Power Rankings
Golden State Warriors: 1st in the Western Conference, 32-14 record:
The Golden State Warriors are on a tear of late. They have gone on a seven-game winning streak of late and won all their games in the past week, including a high scoring game against the New Orleans Pelicans, 147-140.
DeMarcus Cousins has finally returned to playing competitive basketball, the limelight this week was really on their star guard, Steph Curry.
Curry has been lighting it up all season and this week was no different. He is averaging 29.8 points per game, along with 5.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
This week, he has been on fire, especially in the win over the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 41 points in 35 minutes, along with 3 assists and 5 rebounds as well.
Curry has always been detrimental to the success of the Warriors and if he stays healthy and keeps this going, there is no stopping them.
Utah Jazz: 7th in the Western Conference, 26-21 record:
The Utah Jazz has finally matched their expectations this season with a solid showing in the past few weeks and have kept it going this week too.
They have won six games on the trot and this week was no different. An impressive win over the Los Angeles Clippers, 129-109, set the tone for what they are out to achieve, led by their star player, Donovan Mitchell.
Donovan Mitchell was having an up-down season so far, but ever since Ricky Rubio went down with an injury, Mitchell has become an absolute monster.
This season, he is averaging 21.7 points a game, along with 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game as well. In the win over the Clippers, Mitchell had a vintage performance, scoring 28 points, along with 6 assists and 2 rebounds as well.
His step up in performance this past week has really helped the Jazz breeze past teams and they'll be hoping to keep this run going on the back of this hot streak by Donovan Mitchell.
Denver Nuggets: 2nd in the Western Conference, 31-14 record:
The Denver Nuggets had been the best team in the Western Conference for a while. They had been playing really well and won two of their three games this week.
They had an impressive 30 point win over the Chicago Bulls, immediately bouncing back after a huge loss against the Golden State Warriors. Their player leading them to wins through this season has been Nikola Jokic, and this week was no different.
Jokic has been superb all season, averaging 19.6 points per game, along with 10 rebounds and 7.7 assists a game, which are some absurd numbers for a big man.
His play has vaulted him into the MVP conversation as well, which is no easy feat. In the win over the Cleveland Cavaliers this week, Jokic was unstoppable, scoring 19 points, along with 11 rebounds and 12 assists, grabbing himself a well-deserved triple-double.
If Jokic keeps his form going, the Nuggets might even take back the top spot from the Warriors.
MVP Power Rankings for Week 14: James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Stats: 54.3 PPG, 9 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1 BPG and 6.3 3PG
James Harden has been outstanding this whole season and especially this week for the Houston Rockets since Clint Capela too went down with an injury.
His game has reached another level and he is the most devastating offensive force in the league. The 2018 NBA MVP has scored 163 points in his last three games, all of which have been unassisted.
Only Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have done better than him. To say that Harden is on a tear this season is just an understatement, and it’s hard to believe that he has taken another leap after winning MVP last season.
Since Chris Paul's injury, the Beard has been averaging 43.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. He’s attempting 29 shots per game, making nearly 12, while also making six threes per game on a nearly 17 attempts.
Since Clint Capela has gone down, Harden has taken it to another level, averaging 54.3 points a game, along with 9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.3 steals, 1 block and at least 6 made 3-pointers on nearly 18 attempts.
There is no better player than him at this moment in the league and he deserves the MVP of the week award.
Rookie of The Year Power Rankings Week 14: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Luka Doncic is probably going to be the Rookie of the Year this season, but he is definitely the rookie of the week.
He has been enjoying one of the best rookie campaigns seen in a long time. The Dallas Mavericks had a brilliant start to their season but have not been able to get out of a losing streak lately.
They've won just three of their last 10 games. But Luka has been a consistent performer for them through all their games this season.
Luka has been playing stunning basketball all season, averaging 20 points per game, along with 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, putting him in some elite company.
There is a really small list of rookies that have put up such gaudy stats and Doncic is on his way to joining them.
He has also been one of the highest vote-getters on the All-Star voting list and might become the first rookie to make it since Blake Griffin in 2011.
This week, Luka was his usual self, playing some superb basketball. He had a superb game against the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 26 points, along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists as well, but the Mavericks still ended up on the losing side.
The Mavericks will be looking to get better and take aim at the playoffs and Luka will be a huge part of this, only getting better as the season progresses.
2nd place: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
Guess the Lakers players!
