Monday 30 December 2019 05:39, UK
Which teams have impressed and who has really struggled over the last seven days in the NBA? Sky Sports NBA picks out four teams whose performances have been notable for either very good, or very bad reasons across Week 9.
The week kicked off with a bit of a grudge match for the Houston Rockets as they sought to exact revenge against the San Antonio Spurs for the controversial loss at the beginning of December in a overtime match where they believe officials cheated them out of a win.
After James Harden's fourth-quarter dunk was ruled no basket despite it going through, Houston sought to protest the result.
In this return clash in Houston, the Rockets didn't make it easy on themselves, trailing by as many as 22 points at one stage, and by 19 at the half.
But the Rockets began to click after the interval as Russell Westbrook finished with 31 points and James Harden 28, as they closed out a 109-107 victory sealed late on.
The improved form of Westbrook has been at the root of just dangerous the Rockets have looked this month. They were back on the road after the win over the Spurs and beat an LA Clippers team containing both big guns in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, with Russ going off for 40 points in 40 minutes.
Then in Phoenix, to round off the week, Westbrook hit 30 as the league's top scorer Harden posted 47 in a comfortable 139-125 victory over the Suns.
The Rockets are looking offensively devastating right now and the schedule favours them this coming week once again, with the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans all more than beatable for Mike D'Antoni's team.
Fans in Atlanta accept that the roster is young and that this a building year for the team and that a lot of losses will probably mount up over the course of the year, leading towards a pick near the top of the 2020 NBA Draft.
But there are a few other beatable bottom-feeders in the league, and when you come up against them it's important to compete and give yourself a chance of winning.
The game at Madison Square Garden against a New York Knicks team recently rocked by the departure of head coach David Fizdale was exactly that: an opportunity for a rare 'W'.
Sadly, the Hawks capitulated and rookie RJ Barrett and center Mitchell Robinson both went off for career highs of 27 and 22 points respectively as the Knicks romped to a 143-120 win.
Allowing New York, the lowest scorers in the league averaging just 103.1 points per game, to drop 143 on your defense is embarrassing for Lloyd Pierce.
Atlanta then fell to the Jazz at home and the Nets in Brooklyn, albeit in a more respectable fashion, to tally three losses through Week 9.
Trae Young continues to hit big numbers but the rest of the cast have to do more if the team is to show any signs of fight this season.
Only the rampant Milwaukee Bucks sit ahead of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings right now and it's as the dynamic young duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to drive the team forward, supplemented by the more experienced Kemba Walker also going off for big scoring nights.
It's not about the individuals in Boston though, as much as it is the sum of the parts.
The week started with a win in Dallas against the Mavericks and Walker dropped 32, with but in the very next game against the Detroit Pistons at home he scored just two points while racking up 11 assists as more of a facilitator.
That fluctuation in numbers shows just how happy Boston are to share the rock, and the team is back playing the brand of basketball synonymous with coach Brad Stevens - work hard on defense and spread the floor when you have possession.
Tatum capped off the week with a new career-high of 39 points against the Hornets and the week also saw the introduction of 7ft 5in center Tacko Fall late in the games against Detroit and Charlotte, sending the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy as he showed his skills on both ends.
Everyone in Boston and many around the league are rooting for Fall to be successful and there is a definite feel-good factor with the Celtics right now. A stellar week for them.
The return of DeAndre Ayton cannot come quick enough for the Phoenix Suns who have cratered to another four losses this week, making it six on the bounce they've now lost.
The team can at least claim to have competed in the first game of the week against the Portland Trail Blazers, with a crucial three-point play with 26 seconds left from Damian Lillard proving key as they lost out by a point.
But the other three losses over the course of Week 9 were abject, devoid of any real reason for optimism. Such a disappointment for Monty Williams' team after their positive beginning to the campaign.
The lost to the LA Clippers by 21 and then the OKC Thunder by 18, and following the match in Oklahoma City, Ricky Rubio tore into the team, claiming that they didn't play with enough heart.
"We're in a tough stretch where we got to regroup and be the team we want to be," Rubio said. "I said at the beginning of the season it's not about winning or losing. It's about building a culture and we kind of slipped out the last couple of games. We can blame it on a lot of things, [but] we didn't play with heart tonight."
If those comments don't sound alarm bells then nothing will. The Spaniard also hinted at some locker room division and perhaps a lack of focus, with some players' minds more occupied by trade talk.
The week finished by returning home to Arizona to be dispatched by the Houston Rockets, by a 14-point margin this time.
It's not just the hugely disappointing displays on court, but also the hints of problems within the overall culture that mean the Suns score an 'F' for the week.
