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The 16th Week of the NBA had some really great games for us to watch and provided us with a lot of entertainment.
Let us take 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.
NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings
1. Boston Celtics: Third in the Eastern Conference (34-19):
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 all 4 of their matches they had and have gone on a 4-game winning streak, including a massive 134-129 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Their best player, for a while, and this week as well has been, none other than, Kyrie Irving. Irving has been on fire of late, stepping it up after a poor start to the season. He is averaging 23.8 points per game this season, along with 7 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game as well.
Even though he missed 2 games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets, his performances against the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder was more than enough. Especially in the game against the Thunder, he scored 30 points, along with 11 assists, 4 rebounds and a block too. The Celtics have started playing with a rhythm again and have a shot at challenging for the Eastern Conference title.
2. Milwaukee Bucks: First in the Eastern Conference (38-13):
The Milwaukee Bucks have been unstoppable this season. They had 3 games this week and have won all three of them, including a superb 105-92 win over their nearest rivals, the Toronto Raptors. 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 massive 26.6 points per game, along with 12.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game as well -- qualities that are very rare with big men and Giannis is doing it really well. He was one of the leading contenders for the MVP title this year and still is, but faces stiff competition now.
If his strong play continues, like in the win over the Washington Wizards, where he had 37 points along with 10 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in just 33 minutes, Bucks will look like world beaters this season.
3. Charlotte Hornets: Seventh in the Eastern Conference (26-26):
The Charlotte Hornets have been better than most of their seasons and are performing really well. They had 4 games this week and managed to win 3 out of their 4 matches, losing out only to the Boston Celtics this week and winning a tough game over the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-92. They had Kemba Walker to thank for, who has been playing amazingly this season and is also a starter for the Eastern Conference.
Kemba has been superb, averaging 24.6 points per game this season, along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists a game. He has been playing out of his mind all season long and has been given a spot in the All Star Game just like he deserved. In the win over the Chicago Bulls, Kemba was tearing it up, scoring 37 points, along with 10 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal. If Kemba continues his solid run, the Hornets have an amazing chance at making the playoffs this season.
Also read: Celtics vs Cavaliers - Starting Lineup and Match Prediction
Also read: Bucks Trade Rumors Roundup, February 4th
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors Roundup, February 4th
Also read: NBA Games Today, Latest Results and Where to Watch, February 5th
NBA Western Conference Power Rankings
1. Denver Nuggets: First in the Western Conference (37-15):
The Denver Nuggets have been the best team in the Western Conference for a while and are continuously putting their best performances game in and game out. They had 4 games this week and managed to win all 4 of them, including a huge win over the Houston Rockets, 136-122. They have been led from the front by their star man, Nikola Jokic all season long and this week was no different.
Jokic has been amazing all season long, averaging 20.2 points per game, along with 10.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game as well. His vision is absolutely amazing for a big man and there is nobody like him in the league at this point of time. His play has seen him in the MVP discussions of late, as a dark horse. Especially in the game against the Houston Rockets, he showed his skill set to perfection, scoring a massive 31 points, along with 13 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal as well. If Jokic keeps on playing with such intensity, Nuggets are bound to finish in the top 2 teams this season.
2. San Antonio Spurs: Fifth in the Western Conference (32-22):
The San Antonio Spurs had a rough start to their 2018-19 season but just when things seemed to be destined to fail, Pop and his team managed to play some amazing basketball and have been playing really well since then. This week, they had 3 games and managed to win all 3 of them, including a big win over the in-form Brooklyn Nets, 117-114. They have had LaMarcus Aldridge selected for the All Star Game and he has backed that up with some really good performances this week.
Aldridge has played some superb basketball all season, averaging 21.1 points per game, along with 8.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He has been impressive inside the paint too and has been the go-to player for the Spurs when DeRozan is unable to find his shot or has been injured. This week, LaMarcus had a magical performance against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 29 points, along with 14 rebounds, 4 assists and a big block as well. If LaMarcus keeps playing at this level, the Spurs are bound to make it to the playoffs once again.
3. Golden State Warriors: Second in the Western Conference (37-15):
The Golden State Warriors are playing really well of late. They were on a huge run, winning 11 games in a row, before losing out to the Philadelphia 76ers this week. They won the other 2 games they played as well, including an impressive 115-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Their star player through this week has got to be Kevin Durant.
Durant has been playing stellar basketball throughout the whole season. He has been averaging 27.5 points per game, along with 7.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game as well. If he is not looking to score, he is able to contribute in other departments like playmaking for his teammates and that has been invaluable. In the win over the Lakers, Durant scored just 21 points, but off 61.5% shooting and managed 5 rebounds and a huge 11 assists.
Curry was unable to score well so Durant took it upon himself and got Golden State a huge win. With Boogie returning as well, the Warriors will be looking to get themselves that top spot and win the regular season title.
MVP Power Rankings for Week 16: James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Last week stats: 36.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.6 APG, 4 SPG, 2 BPG and 6 3PG.
James Harden has continued his resurgent play to become a back-to-back MVP winner. Clint Capela is still injured and even though Chris Paul is back, he has been a shell of himself, still giving Harden a lot of usage and continues being the most devastating offensive force in the league.
This season, Harden has been playing lights out, averaging 36.3 points per game, along with 8.1 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game as well. With Chris Paul returning, his usage has decreased so we should see a decreased number of 40+ point games moving forward, but you can never count the Beard out.
This week, Harden averaged 36.6 points per game, along with 9.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game. He is scoring 6 3 pointers a game as well and has been elite defensively as well, averaging 4 steals a game along with 2 blocks.
His game against the Utah Jazz was superb, where he scored 43 points, along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists, a huge 6 steals and an astonishing 4 blocks, giving an amazing statline. If he keeps his form going, he is going to be one of the favorites to win the MVP award.
Rookie of the Year Power Rankings Week 16: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
Trae Young was considered to be one of the biggest hit or miss of the season. His upside was always great. A 3-point savvy point guard with excellent vision and decent defense, he was drawing comparisons to Steph Curry. But then the Dallas Mavericks traded their first round pick with the Atlanta Hawks which has now become the infamous Trae Young-Luka Doncic trade.
Even though the Atlanta Hawks are not looking to push for the playoffs this season, they have been alright this week, winning 2 of their 4 games and Trae Young was one of their most consistent performers. They are 17-35 for the season and have won 4 of their last 10 games as well.
Young has been brilliant all season, averaging 16.9 points per game, along with 7.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as well. This week, Trae has been playing really exceptionally, averaging 26 points per game, along with 8.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds a game.
His shooting efficiency was really bad all season long, but has improved a lot and was really good this week, with Young making 50.4% of his field goals -- a remarkable improvement. He seems like a really good piece for the future of the Hawks and he will continue putting in amazing performances like these for seasons to come.
2nd place: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Guess the Lakers players!
