Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and more have their efforts assessed
Monday 4 February 2019 15:40, UK
Every Monday, we look back over the previous week of NBA action and put five teams under the microscope as we grade their recent performances. Who will be hailed as high achievers and who needs to do better?
The Milwaukee Bucks are showing no signs of slowing down. A flawless week, punctuated by a statement victory, saw them strengthen their position as the NBA's best team.
Having finished week 15 with a potentially momentum-sapping loss as they began a four-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bucks struck back with wins in Detroit, Toronto and Washington.
While the Bucks' consistency under Mike Budenholzer has earned them much respect around the NBA, some doubts remain over whether there is enough talent around star-man Giannis Antetokounmpo for them to defeat elite opponents come playoff time.
Thursday's road victory over their closest Eastern Conference challengers, the Toronto Raptors, will give the Bucks belief that they can compete with anyone in the postseason.
The manner of the victory, with seven Bucks reaching double figures, was typical of the team-orientated style their success has been based on.
Although Antetokounmpo continues to lead Milwaukee in per game averages for points (26.6), rebounds (12.5), and assists (5.8), it was one of his team-mates who received some additional adulation this week.
Khris Middleton will be joining Antetokounmpo in Charlotte after being selected for his first NBA All-Star game, when he was named among the Eastern Conference reserves on Thursday.
Much like the Bucks, the Denver Nuggets continued to exceed expectations in what looked like being a potentially challenging week 16.
With key guard Jamal Murray out injured, the Nuggets grinded out a narrow victory in New Orleans, before pulling off a stunning fourth-quarter comeback in Memphis.
Murray's starting backcourt partner Gary Harris was then ruled out for the visit of the Houston Rockets, which opened up an opportunity for Malik Beasley. The 22-year-old grabbed it with both hands.
The third-year shooting guard produced a career-high 35 point display to lead his side to victory, outscoring the red-hot James Harden, who only just managed to keep his historic streak of 30-point games alive.
"We've beaten all comers. We're not scared of anybody," Denver coach Mike Malone said. "If we play them in the playoffs, now we know we've beaten this team. We know what it takes to beat them."
A one-point victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday ensured that Malone will join his center Nikola Jokic at the All-Star game, with the Nuggets sneaking ahead of the Warriors at the top of the Western Conference standings.
The Philadelphia 76ers have emerged from a brutal trip west with reason for optimism. After their four-game road trip began with a loss to the Denver Nuggets at the end of week 15, the 76ers responded to go 2-1 across meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
While LeBron James' injury-enforced absence made the win at the Staples Center expected rather than extraordinary, the same could certainly not be said of what followed against the reigning champions.
The Warriors, emboldened by DeMarcus Cousins' return to full health, were carrying an 11-game winning streak into Thursday's encounter, but were stunned at Oracle Arena as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid scored 26 points apiece for the 76ers.
While that number is below Embiid's average of 27.2 points per game, for Simmons it was a more significant display. The Australian has scored 19 points or more for five consecutive games for the first time in his career and this assertive showing was the standout performance.
When Simmons plays with such intent, the 76ers' offense is greatly enhanced, and for them to make waves in the postseason, his development must continue.
Although a narrow loss followed in Sacramento, the win at Golden State and the absence of any off-court turbulence should allow the 76ers to embrace a tough upcoming home stand.
After all of Gregg Popovich's success in San Antonio, you would have thought the NBA community would have known better than to count out the Spurs.
However, even the most vehement Spurs fans may have feared the worst when San Antonio ended November with a 10-12 win-loss record and playing with an uncharacteristic lack of defensive organisation.
Two months - 22 wins and 10 losses - later, the Spurs are occupying fifth place in the Western Conference standings, with a four-game cushion to ninth place.
In week 16 the Spurs did exactly what they would have been expected to, producing home wins over the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans to extend their winning streak to five games.
It's possible that the latter two victories had something to do with Popovich's reaction after a Rudy Gay game-winner bailed his team out against the struggling Suns.
"We were really fortunate to win the game," Popovich said. "I thought that they out-played us, out-coached us, out-physicaled us, out-executed us. We had no respect for them or the game. We didn't play with each other. It was a pathetic performance, and Phoenix got robbed."
Nobody in the NBA had as bad a start to week 16 as the Pelicans, whose franchise player Anthony Davis handed in a trade request last Monday.
The moment may have been inevitable, but the Pelicans' struggles on the court appear likely to have hastened it, with their chances of reaching the playoffs disintegrating during a dismal January.
The Pelicans' front office will be busy fielding calls from just about every other team in the NBA, but their chances of making a deal that provides a satisfactory return on a player of Davis's calibre appear unlikely.
The remains of the Pelicans' injury-ravaged roster pulled out a spirited victory in Houston in their first game after Davis' request, but losses followed against the Nuggets and Spurs to leave them with just one win in their last six.
Until Davis is traded, the Pelicans will be in a limbo of sorts, facing the prospect of a full rebuild or an attempt to retool. If they opt for the former, Davis might not be the only player to be traded away.
