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The NBA 2018-19 regular season has reached a midway point and it has been an amazing ride so far.
The Eastern Conference has been very tightly contested at the top five spots, with the Toronto Raptors currently leading the pack with a 33-13 record, joined by the Milwaukee Bucks with a 32-12 record.
Indiana Pacers, who are exceeding expectations with a 29-14 record are third, the Philadelphia 76ers, enjoying a 29-16 record are fourth and finally rounding up the top 5 with an underwhelming season for the Boston Celtics, with a 26-18 record, 7 games behind the Raptors.
The last 3 playoff spots have as many as 6 teams, vying for the playoffs. Currently, they are occupied by the Miami Heat, with a 21-21 record, the Brooklyn Nets, with a 23-23 record, the Charlotte Hornets, with 20-23.
The Detroit Pistons are next, with a 19-24 record, followed by the Orlando Magic, at the 10th place with 19-25.
The list is rounded off by the Washington Wizards, struggling in the 11th spot with an 18-26 record.
The Western Conference, on the other hand, has one of the closest races we have seen in a long time, both for the top spot as well as for the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets recently and have taken the top spot with a 31-14 record.
The Nuggets are second with 29-14, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 3rd with 26-17. The Portland Trail Blazers are 4th with 27-19 and the Houston Rockets are 5th, 25-19 record. All these teams are just five games behind the Golden State Warriors.
The San Antonio Spurs are sixth in the West, with a 26-20 record, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers, 24-20.
The 8th and 9th spots are the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers, with a 25-21 and 24-21 record respectively.
The Sacramento Kings are 10th, with a 23-21 record, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans in 11th and 12th respectively with 21-23 and 21-24.
Dallas Mavericks have the 13th spot with a 20-24 record and there are just 4 games separating these eight teams.
Now with this out of the way, let us have a look at the top 10 NBA Points Per Game or PPG leaders of the 2018/19 season.
#10 Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers): 26.2 PPG
Damian Lillard is one of the best point guards that are out there in the NBA. Apart from being the primary scorer for the Portland Trail Blazers, he is also an elite playmaker.
This season, Lillard is averaging 26.2 points per game, while playing more than 35 minutes a game.
He is also averaging over 6 assists a game, which is amazing for a player scoring so much. He also manages to grab 4.5 rebounds a game too which is superb for a 6 foot 3 point guard.
The Blazers are currently fourth in the Western Conference and most of it is due to the stellar display of Damian Lillard.
In a season where CJ McCollum is having an uncharacteristically bad season, Lillard has dragged them to a 27-19 record.
In their most recent game, Lillard scored an efficient 33 points, along with 6 assists and 2 rebounds, leading them to a 129-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lillard will be looking to get another win in their next fixture against the New Orleans Pelicans.
#9 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks): 26.4 PPG
Giannis Antetokounmpo, also called the Greek Freak, has been absolutely phenomenal this season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He has been leading the team from the front and nobody thought he could take another leap this season but he has proved everyone wrong again.
Under their new coach's system, the Bucks have been winning and winning, having reached the joint top spot with a 32-12 record. But their driving force has still been the same.
Giannis has been playing like the MVP, averaging 26.4 points a game, along with a massive 12.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists a game.
These numbers are absolutely amazing for a big man, especially one who can do it all. He even has the defensive numbers to show for it, averaging 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game too.
He played just 22 minutes in the win over the Memphis Grizzlies, but scored 27 points, along with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, a steals and 2 blocks. The Bucks will be hoping for Giannis to keep his form going against the Orlando Magic next.
#8 Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder): 26.6 PPG
Nobody expected Paul George to be on this list. After his mixed season last year with Westbrook and then re-signing with the Thunder again, everyone expected him to have a similar season again.
But he has left everyone astonished at the season he has been having. With Westbrook tweaking his game and also getting injured for a bunch of games, George had the perfect opportunity to play his natural game and has led the Thunder to the third place with a 26-17 record.
George has been scoring lights out this season, averaging a career-high 26.6 points per game this season. He has also rebounding the most he has in his career, averaging 8.1 rebounds a game.
His 3.9 assists are not a great figure to look at but with Westbrook handling playmaking duties, it was expected. George has been a superb defender always and it shows, as he is averaging 2.3 steals a game, which ranks him only behind his teammate Russell Westbrook in steals.
In his most recent game, a loss against the Atlanta Hawks 142-126, George again scored a big 24 points but his inefficiency let him down in this one. He also had 8 rebounds, 3 assists and an amazing 5 steals.
The Thunder will be hoping that George will lead them to a win in their next game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
#7 Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers): 27 PPG
Joel Embiid has been an enigma ever since he has played in the NBA. His presence on the court is just as amazing as it is off it.
With ample support from Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler, Embiid has led the 76ers from the front to a 29-16 record and the fourth place in the Western Conference.
He has even managed to stay injury free for the majority of the season which has helped the 76ers cause.
Embiid has been putting up MVP level numbers, vaulting him as a dark horse candidate. He is averaging a superb 27 points per game, along with a huge 13.3 rebounds per game.
He is also getting 3.4 assists a game and is an elite rim protector, averaging 2 blocks a game. In the win over the Timberwolves, Joel Embiid had a superb game, scoring 31 points, along with 13 rebounds, 3 assists and a block as well.
The 76ers will be hoping that Embiid shows up in their next game as well, against the Indiana Pacers.
#6 LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers): 27.3 PPG
LeBron James is one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. This offseason, LeBron James decided to make the move to Los Angeles Lakers and has instantly made them a great team.
James is currently injured and that has dropped the Lakers down to the ninth spot, with a 24-21 record. They were fourth before the injury occurred and with his return imminent, we will probably have them play at this level again.
Lebron James has been superb all season for the Lakers, averaging 27.3 points per game, along with 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists each game. His teammates have finally adapted to how LeBron plays and have worked their game around him.
In his most recent game before the injury, LeBron was heading towards a big night, but could only manage 21 minutes, scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds, along with 5 assists.
His return is tentatively planned somewhere at the end of this week or the start of the next one and the Lakers will be hoping that he can bring an end to their free fall in the conference standings.
#5 Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors): 27.6 PPG
Kawhi Leonard has been one of the best players in the NBA this season. After his blockbuster trade from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors, he has been performing exceptionally.
He has been the driving force of a superb roster, taking them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, with a 33-13 record.
After his injury-riddled season last year, Kawhi has bounced back in the best way possible. He is averaging a massive 27.6 points per game for the Raptors.
He has been cleaning up the glass as well, getting 8 rebounds a game too. He has never been a big playmaker and with Lowry being the primary ball handler, he doesn't need to be, averaging 3 assists a game.
In the most recent game, a loss to the Boston Celtics, Kawhi scored 33 points in just 36 minutes, along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Kawhi has also been one of the best defenders in the league and has continued doing that this season too, as he had 4 steals in the game.
The Raptors will be hoping to bounce back in their next game against the Phoenix Suns and Kawhi will be hoping to play them towards a win.
#4 Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors): 28.2 PPG
Kevin Durant has probably been the most consistent player this season, not just for the Golden State Warriors, but arguably, in the NBA.
Even when Steph Curry and Draymond Green had been out injured and Klay not able to find his shot, Durant was the only one left standing and has led them to a great 31-14 record and the top of the Western Conference.
Durant has been putting up amazing numbers this season and has been averaging 28.2 points per game and shows no signs of slowing down, now that the Warriors have gotten a run going.
He is even getting 7.4 rebounds a game and 6 assists too. He is putting himself a low key MVP campaign too. In the win over the New Orleans Pelicans, 147-140, Durant had himself a great game, scoring 30 points in 38 minutes, along with a superb 15 rebounds and 4 assists as well.
He has been defending well all season and got 2 steals and a block in the win. With Cousin's returning next game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the load on Durant's shoulder will be lesser but they still need him to play really well.
#3 Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans): 29.4 PPG
Anthony Davis is becoming an unstoppable force. He has been single-handedly been driving the Pelicans towards victories, almost all by himself. He is one of the front-runners for the MVP title this season and has been putting it all on display.
Davis is averaging a gaudy 29.4 points per game, along with 13.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game. He is also probably one of the front-runners for DPOY, averaging 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks a game, which are some jaw-dropping numbers.
If the Pelicans were winning more games, he would certainly be among the top 3 MVP candidates.
The Pelicans have a 21-24 record, leaving them in 12th place, but that can easily be corrected with a few wins together. Davis has been trying his best each game but a spate of injuries left them dry to the bone which led to a free fall in the standings.
But they are now slowly but steadily making a place for themselves and are looking menacing. In the loss against the Golden State Warriors, 147-140, Davis had a huge 30 points, along with 18 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 3 massive blocks.
He has been filling up the stat sheet for a while now and the Pelicans will be hoping they can get a win next time, against the Portland Trail Blazers.
#2 Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): 29.8 PPG
Steph Curry has been having one of his best seasons this year. He has been the essence of this Warriors roster, leading them to wins when he is on the court.
They struggle whenever he goes down with an injury, which has already happened twice this season, diminishing his value a little. But he led the Warriors to the top of the Western Conference, with a 31-14 record.
His 29.8 points per game is the closest he has come to his career high 30.1 in the 2015-16 season. He is also averaging 5.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game as well.
He is averaging the least assists he ever has in a season since 2011-12, but it doesn't matter as long as the Warriors are winning.
Curry has been explosive this season and showed it in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring a massive 41 points, along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal as well.
He broke the record for scoring atleast 8 three-pointers in three games in a row. He looks unstoppable and the Warriors would like nothing more than Curry showing up against the Clippers in their next game.
#1 James Harden (Houston Rockets): 35.4 PPG
James Harden has probably already won the scoring title this season. He is having a crazy year and looks absolutely unstoppable.
With Chris Paul out indefinitely and Clint Capela having recently injured his thumb and Eric Gordon just returning from an injury, there is nobody on the Rockets team that can score and all of that responsibility has dropped on the Beard's shoulders.
Harden has dragged the Rockets to the fifth seed in the Western Conference, with a 25-19 record.
Harden himself has been absolutely crushing everything in his path. He is averaging an insane 35.4 points a game, along with 8.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds a game. He is a master of going to the free throw line as well and manages to get to it atleast 11 times a game.
For the last two games, he has scored 57 points and followed it up with an absurd 58 points, although in a loss against the Brooklyn Nets in their last game.
In the month of January, Harden is averaging 44 points a game, along with 9.3 assists and 8.6 rebounds.
He just seems unstoppable right now and nothing can get in his way. The Rockets will be hoping he is fired up and ready for their next game against Los Angeles Lakers.
