This week, we highlight the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers and the state of a wild Eastern Conference, Zion Williamson's peculiar pick-and-rolls, the unguardable Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo in Dallas and a blaring bright spot in Atlanta.
The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be the biggest focus in the league for the next two months. They have one of the top three players who is performing at his best right now. However, they haven't had a consistent stretch where they've played well on both offense and defense for even two weeks. Time is running out for them to figure things out.
The first half of that run came with Evan Mobley and Darius Garland injured. The media vultures were circling: Was the Cavs' season toast? What would that mean for Donovan Mitchell?
Allen confidently drove into the open area near the basket, making quick moves with the ball and scoring with either hand. By playing without Mobley, who isn't a good shooter, there was more time for Isaac Okoro. He proved himself as a strong defender and also made some three-point shots, showing he deserves his spot on the team.
Mitchell hits KJ Martin hard with the first move, making the Sixers change their defensive matchup, putting Tyrese Maxey on Mobley instead. Martin pauses to see what's happening. When he looks back, Mitchell has already moved fast, running around a screen set by Allen.
The New Orleans Pelicans are a good team in the NBA, but they are also quite confusing. They have won eight out of nine games and currently hold the No. 5 seed with a record of 34-22. They also have the fourth-best point difference in the Western Conference. Their upcoming games seem like they won't be too tough.
The experts predict that there's a high chance, somewhere between 60% and 80%, that they'll secure a top-six seed. This is important because teams want to avoid the play-in games, which are stressful. Despite having four players who are usually seen as not very good at defense, they've managed to be in the top 10 for points allowed per possession for the second year in a row.
When Doncic and Irving play together, the Mavs score about 121 points for every 100 times they have the ball, which is similar to how well Boston's offense performs. I think this number will increase as Irving and Doncic get to know each other better and work together more.