Injuries have yet to present themselves as an excuse for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Both of their superstars – LeBron James and Anthony Davis – have only missed a handful of games due to rest. But things have been going sideways for the Lakers over the past month.
Since winning the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have struggled in the regular season. Los Angeles has lost 10 of its past 13 games. That horrific stretch of play has the Lakers sporting a 17-19 record, and the finger-pointing has started.
Stories leaked about players being unhappy with coach Darvin Ham and his rotations. James, 39, is still playing 36 minutes per game. The veteran player would like to see his time go down during the early part of the season. However, with how James’ support cast has struggled this year, James has still been leaned on to help carry the load.
Los Angeles has been fortunate Davis hasn’t missed much time due to injury this season and is averaging a double-double. Black sports news shows the Lakers may need to make some trades at the deadline or to make a coaching change to revitalize this year’s team.
Kuminga Voices Concerns About Golden State
The Warriors have been one of the NBA’s top teams for over a decade now. But Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are getting older. How the younger players are being utilized has been a point of contention.
Things will only get tougher with veteran point guard Chris Paul set to be out for four to six weeks with an injury to his hand. The Warriors, who are 17-18 this season, have heard rumblings about forward Jonathan Kuminga being unhappy with his role. Kuminga has only started 13 of his 34 appearances so far this season.
Kuminga was upset after the Warriors lost to Denver recently. Golden State blew an 18-point lead in the last seven minutes and lost on a half-court shot by Nikola Jokić. Kuminga didn’t play in the stretch run despite scoring in double figures earlier in the game. While Golden State is set to get Draymond Green back in the lineup, the Warriors are in trouble.
Celtics, Bucks Delivering on Their Promise
The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are living up to expectations. Both teams went out in the offseason and made splashy moves to improve their roster. Nearing the midway point of the season, both Boston and Milwaukee have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics have been unbeaten at home. Boston is 17-0 when playing at TD Garden and has piled up a 22-4 record against Eastern Conference competition. The Celtics will have some injury concerns about Kristaps Porziņģis, who has only appeared in 26 games. However, Jrue Holiday has been a solid contributor at guard.
Damian Lillard has given Milwaukee’s offense some firepower and has the Bucks behind the Celtics in the standings. If both teams can stay healthy, they appear to be on a collision course for the Eastern Conference Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander Has Chance to Join Rare Group
The Oklahoma City Thunder have rebuilt their franchise around an exciting young core of players. Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 25, has emerged to help make the Thunder have one of the most potent offenses in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.5 points per game and is making his case to be the NBA’s MVP.
If Gilgeous-Alexander won the award, he would be the third Thunder player to win MVP in the last 15 years. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook also won the award during their time with Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has plenty of help in the lineup.
Big man Chet Holmgren has shown he is a capable scorer, while forward Jalen Williams, 22, has also averaged 18.1 points per game. The latest NBA news shows Oklahoma City will be a contender for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Chase is on for Grizzlies
Missing your best player for 25 games to start the season is tough. Knowing that Ja Morant was out for that stretch of time due to poor decision-making off the court made it all the more difficult. But Morant served his time, and Memphis has been rallying around him since his return.
The Grizzlies are 6-4 over their past 10 games to improve their record to 12-23. While Memphis still has five games to make up in order to climb into the play-in tournament, the Grizzlies have shown they are a different team with Morant.
Morant has already climbed up to the team lead in scoring average at 25.1 points per game. He also contributes 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. With Desmond Bane (24.5 points per game) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (21.1) averaging over 20 points per game as well, Memphis will be a contender to sneak into the playoffs.
Knicks Flexing Their Muscles
Staying in the top four of the Eastern Conference won’t be easy. With Boston and Milwaukee likely to finish in the top two spots, everyone else is fighting for the other two positions. The New York Knicks have made a strong case recently.
The Knicks have won four straight games to move into fourth place. During that winning streak, the Knicks picked up a big home win against Minnesota and a dominant win over Philadelphia on the road. The Knicks’ recent surge could be attributed in part to bringing in some fresh blood, according to recent sports updates.
New York traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby. Anunoby has quickly endeared himself to the Knicks’ fanbase. Anunoby is averaging 12 points per game for the Knicks and is contributing 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
New York may still be looking to make another move to support stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, but they will want to take a hard look at what they need before making another change.
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