Dubs 3-0 Week And Raps Stumbles Lead To Return To The Top
Through the first few months of the season there’s been a number of noteworthy headlines, but few have been quite as fascinating as Dallas Mavericks’ forward Luka Doncic, who on a game-by-game basis is elevating his stock and making us question if he actually has a ceiling.
On Saturday night the world got a chance to watch him carry his surprising Mavericks to a come-from-behind 107-104 victory at home over the Houston Rockets.
The Slovenian rookie sensation fueled Dallas with 11 straight points late in regulation in a 11-0 run to lead Dallas back from a eight-point deficit.
He sparkled from distance, hitting a pair of step-back 3-pointers over Clint Capela, with his last putting Dallas up 105-102 with 57.8 seconds remaining.
There’s something about Luka Doncic’s amazing start to the 2018-19 season that leads me to believe this is the start of something special. Something special that not by accident is happening as Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is on his way out of the league.
What that turns out to be exactly, we’ll just have to sit back enjoy the ride.
Here are my NBA Power Rankings for the week of 12/3 – 12/9.
1. Golden State Warriors (18-9)
The Golden State Warriors went 3-0 this past week, with their latest win being a revenge victory in Milwaukee to finish their five-game road trip 3-2. It’s clear what Stephen Curry’s presence means to the team, who dropped 42 points on Wednesday night in Golden State’s 129-105 victory vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2. Toronto Raptors (21-7)
The Toronto Raptors cooled off this past week, losing three of four games. Still, they remain with the NBA’s best mark.
3. Denver Nuggets (17-9)
How Mike Malone and the Denver Nuggets overcome the lost of Paul Millsap to a broken toe is the latest challenge for Denver.
4. Philadelphia 76ers (18-9)
The Philadelphia 76ers saw their win streak come to an end in Toronto, but the team is rolling. They are 9-2 over their past 11 games.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (17-8)
The Milwaukee Bucks road woes didn’t cost them in a trip to Canada, as they picked up a 104-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
6. Boston Celtics (15-10)
Brad Stevens’ Celtics have now won five straight, and their 133-77 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday is the largest in franchise history.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8)
The Oklahoma City Thunder needed all of Paul George’s 47 points in a thrilling comeback win in Brooklyn on Wednesday. George’s 47 points were just a point shy of his career-high of 48.
8. Los Angeles Clippers (16-9)
The Clippers have been held under 100 points in each of their past two games. They had cracked the 100-point plateau in their previous 22 games.
9. Los Angeles Lakers (16-10)
No matter how brilliantly LeBron James plays, his team can’t shake the San Antonio Spurs this season. The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-3 vs. the San Antonio Spurs this season.
10. Portland Trail Blazers (15-11)
The Portland Trail Blazers will live and die by the play of Damian Lillard, who is averaging 27.2 PPG to go along with 6.4 APG and 5.2 RPG.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (15-10)
When the Memphis Grizzlies can’t funnel a team with their slow and grind it out pace, games like Saturday will happen often. They lost 111-88 at home to Los Angeles Lakers, their second worst margin of defeat this season.
12. Indiana Pacers (16-10)
Indiana has one of the NBA’s best defenses this season, allowing a league-low 101.5 PPG. Over their 3-0 week they went on to allow 92.3 PPG.
13. Dallas Mavericks (13-11)
There’s no place like home. The Dallas Mavericks are 11-2 at home, only the Philadelphia 76ers (13-1) have a better home mark.
14. Detroit Pistons (13-11)
The Detroit Pistons dropped all four of their games this week, unable to defend their opponents as they allowed 114.5 PPG.
15. Sacramento Kings (13-12)
The Sacramento Kings have a budding young star in De’Aaron Fox coming into his own in his second season. Fox is leading the Kings with 17.8 PPG, 7.6 APG and 3.6 RPG.
16. New Orleans Pelicans (14-14)
The New Orleans Pelicans went 1-2 at home this week after going 9-2 at home over their first 11 games. Both of those losses came by a combined seven points.
17. Houston Rockets (11-14)
The Houston Rockets aren’t good on defense, but they also aren’t much better on offense. The Houston Rockets were held under 100 points twice last week. That happened only eight times all of last season.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-13)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have become one of the better defensive teams in the NBA since trading Jimmy Butler, and Robert Covington has been one of the biggest reasons why.
19. Orlando Magic (12-14)
If Orlando wants to make it to the postseason for the first time since the 2011-12 season, they’ll need to win home games. Since the beginning of last season they are 23-31 at the Amway Center.
20. San Antonio Spurs (13-14)
The San Antonio Spurs probably wish most of their games were against the Los Angeles Lakers, but they’ll have to find a way to start getting more wins against the West. The Spurs are just 11-10 in conference play this season.
21. Charlotte Hornets (13-13)
The Charlotte Hornets have a high-scoring offense, but there’s no clear No. 2 scoring option behind Kemba Walker. Jeremy Lamb finished with 19 points on Sunday in their 119-107 win vs. the New York Knicks, they could use more of that.
22. Utah Jazz (13-14)
The Utah Jazz finished 28-13 at home last season. Considering they’ve historically had trouble winning on the road, it’s no surprise they’re below .500 with a 4-6 record at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
23. Miami Heat (11-14)
The Miami Heat could get things rolling in the coming weeks with Goran Dragic’s return after missing eight games with a sore right knee. Miami have won their past two games with him back in the lineup.
24. Washington Wizards (11-15)
The Washington Wizards defensive effort is lacking, and that’s a huge issue considering the head coach is a defensive minded one. Their 116.7 PPG allowed is only second behind the Atlanta Hawks for worst in the NBA.
25. Brooklyn Nets (10-18)
After eight straight losses, Brooklyn has put the clock in reverse, winning their last two games which have been keyed by strong defense and rebounding.
26. New York Knicks (8-20)
The New York Knicks went 0-4 last week, looking particularly feeble in each game on the defensive end. They’re allowing 115 PPG, fifth most in the NBA.
27. Atlanta Hawks (6-20)
While all the talk has been about Trae Young to begin the season, maybe we should start shifting our attention to the Hawks top draft pick from a season ago in John Collins. The athletic and defensively talented forward is averaging 18.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG, and just came off a career-high 30 point game vs. Denver in a 106-98 win on Saturday.
28. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-20)
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without Kevin Love until February, but Tristan Thompson has upped his level of play. He’s averaging career highs in points and rebounds, with his 11.8 RPG tied for ninth in the NBA.
29. Chicago Bulls (6-21)
Part of the Chicago Bulls rebuilding plan was seeing improvement in their young players. So far, the Bulls have only gotten worse, following a victory over a good Oklahoma City Thunder team by embarrassing themselves with a 56-point blowout the next night at home to the Boston Celtics. You might see the interim coach fired as well at this rate.
30. Phoenix Suns (4-22)
With eight straight losses, there’s only one way to go and that’s up for the free-falling Phoenix Suns. The question is, will that happen this season or next June during the NBA Draft?
What are your thoughts on this week’s NBA power rankings? Leave your comments below!