Bucks, Hornets, Rockets and more have their Week 13 efforts assessed
Monday 20 January 2020 12:20, UK
Which teams have starred and which have flattered to deceive over the last seven days in the NBA? Sky Sports NBA assesses the contrasting Week 13 fortunes of four teams.
On track for a 70-win season and in the midst of six-game winning streak, the Milwaukee Bucks could not be in a better place as they enter the second half of the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to relentlessly press his claim for a second successive MVP award and his consistency is filtering through to his team-mates.
The Bucks took apart the Atlantic Division in their three Week 13 match-ups, dismissing the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets in blowouts either side of a statement win over Conference rivals the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo was short of his best against Boston - he went 0-for-5 from three-point range - but still dominated the game with 32 points and 17 rebounds. Even then, the fact that the Bucks' had led by 20 points twice in the game and almost been reeled in irked him.
"We were up 20 twice and they came back," Antetokounmpo said. "We didn't play the best basketball and how we usually play. I was kind of upset after the game. We talked in the locker room. We talked to one another. We were up 20 and we won but we have got to play for 48 minutes."
Expect no let up from the Eastern Conference leaders when they reach Paris.
A nightmare run against East and West heavyweights has mired the Hornets in a six-game losing streak ahead of their trip to Paris to face Milwaukee and put a serious dent in their chase for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets were beaten on the road by Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets in Week 13 and were held well below 100 points in two of those defeats. Charlotte have sunk to 11th in the East, but they are still just four-and-a-half games back from that final playoff spot.
In Devonte' Graham, PJ Washington and Miles Bridges, they have a young core that continue to bring excitement to a franchise that sorely needed it after the departure of Kemba Walker last summer.
Their veteran French guard, Nicolas Batum, will play his first NBA game on home soil in what, on current form, could be a brutal homecoming. When they return to the States, they will face a tough battle to keep their playoff hopes alive.
After dwelling near the foot of the Western Conference for much of the opening two months of the season, things are trending in the right direction for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Buoyed by the outstanding play of Brandon Ingram, the steadying veteran presence of Derrick Favors and Jrue Holiday and the return from injury of Lonzo Ball, the Pelicans have won six of their last 10 games.
Ingram out-duelled Donovan Mitchell and poured in a career-high 49 points in the Pelicans 138-132 overtime win over the Utah Jazz in Week 13. It was sweet revenge after a dubious non-call on Rudy Gobert condemned New Orleans to a heart-breaking 128-126 loss to Utah on January 7. Only a fourth-quarter meltdown stopped them from knocking off the LA Clippers on Saturday night as they were undone by Kawhi Leonard in crunch time.
The Pelicans' No 1 overall pick Zion Williamson has fully recovered from October knee surgery and is set to make his NBA debut on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, live on Sky Sports. His presence on the court gives New Orleans a talent infusion that could power them towards the playoffs places.
Kyrie Irving's return from a shoulder injury has not had the desired effect as Brooklyn slumped to three successive defeats in Week 13.
Worse, Irving appeared to throw several of his team-mates - including Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris - under the bus with comments concerning how 'glaring' the Nets' needs are ahead of the trade deadline.
The Nets had done well to stay in the East playoff places during Irving's 26-game absence but his return, aside from a superb shooting performance against lowly Atlanta in Week 12, has not yielded the results they would have hoped for. Admittedly, a murderer's row of Week 13 opponents - Utah, Philadelphia, Milwaukee - didn't help their cause. Neither, though, did the 6-of-21 shooting and -29 plus/minus figure Irving posted in the loss to the 76ers.
The real identity and potency of this Nets team will not be seen until next season when Kevin Durant returns from his Achilles injury. In the meantime, in an Eastern Conference with little depth, the Nets should be a low-seed playoff team this year. As things stand, they find themselves in rotten form (two wins in their last 10 games), clinging to the eighth seed with their cushion over the inconsistent Pistons, Bulls and Hornets diminishing.
