The NBA is at its best when the best teams play each other. Or so it should be.
Last season we saw that when the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors battled in the conference finals. Oddly enough, most of those games were blowouts, with Games 4 and 5 giving fans a real taste of competition at the highest level.
On Thursday night we saw that again when Kawhi Leonard and the streaking Toronto Raptors welcomed Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.
In a memorable duel, Kawhi Leonard’s 37 points helped the Toronto Raptors survive Kevin Durant’s 51-point masterpiece in a 131-128 win over Golden State in a thriller in at Scotiabank Arena.
Drama like what we saw from that game is what would make you want a NBA Finals matchup between the two teams, who in all likelihood will finish as the top two seeds from their respective conferences.
Here are my NBA Power Rankings for the Week of 11/26 – 12/2.
1. Toronto Raptors (20-4)
It’s eight straight wins for Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors, and in six of those games the team has scored at least 120 points.
2. Denver Nuggets (15-7)
Nikolai Jokic and the Denver Nuggets blew the doors off the Los Angeles Lakers last Tuesday. Their 32-point massacre of the Lakers is their largest over Los Angeles in franchise history.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (17-8)
The 76ers have won four straight games, and J.J. Redick continues to be more than a spark plug for them. Redick is averaging a career-high 18.4 PPG.
4. Milwaukee Bucks (15-7)
The Milwaukee Bucks have played good basketball to begin the season, but a 4-5 road mark is concerning. They lost two below .500 teams away from the Fiserv Forum last week.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-7)
14-3. That’s Oklahoma City’s record since a 0-4 start. They are the best defensive team in basketball this season. They are first in defensive rating at 101.4.
6. Golden State Warriors (15-9)
The Golden State Warriors may have back Stephen Curry, but Draymond Green is the key. The Warriors defense has slipped, falling to 18th in defensive rating at 109.7.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (15-7)
How have the Clippers raced out to a surprising start? Their offense. The Clippers are third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 117.2 PPG.
8. Boston Celtics (13-10)
It’s three consecutive victories for Brad Stevens’ Boston Celtics. A scary thought for the rest of the Eastern Conference is that Gordon Hayward may be back. He scored 30 points in Boston’s 118-109 win on Saturday over the Timberwolves.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (13-9)
Jaren Jackson is a future star. The Memphis Grizzlies lottery pick is making a difference early on, and just last Friday poured in a career-high 36 points.
10. Detroit Pistons (13-7)
The Detroit Pistons are 9-3 at home and have started a six-game home-stand that features a win over the Golden State Warriors 5-0. Up next? A stiff test Monday vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
11. Los Angeles Lakers (14-9)
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers responded to a humiliating defeat to Denver last Tuesday by winning their next three games. They’ll attempt to beat the Spurs for the first time on Wednesday.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (13-10)
The Portland Trail Blazers struggles have continued, with the team dropping consecutive games after dropping three straight.
13. Indiana Pacers (13-10)
Indiana’s four-game road trip didn’t go as well as Nate McMillian would’ve liked, but a 2-2 West coast road trip means the team avoided a losing trip.
14. Houston Rockets (11-11)
Houston’s still relying on the 3-point shot, but their obvious defensive collapse from the team they were a season ago is costing them. They’ll hope to build off their recent two-game streak, however.
15. New Orleans Pelicans (12-12)
The New Orleans Pelicans are third in the NBA in pace (104.6). That’s higher than their league-best 101.6 pace last season.
16. Dallas Mavericks (11-10)
Don’t miss a shot and expect DeAndre Jordan and Dallas not to corral it. The Dallas Mavericks’ 75.1 defensive rebound percentage is third in the NBA.
17. Orlando Magic (11-12)
Among things to improve on for Orlando, offense, the Orlando Magic are 19th in field goal percentage.
18. Sacramento Kings (11-11)
Sacramento is one of the NBA’s most exciting teams in the NBA, and it’s because of how fast they are playing. De’Aaron Fox and the Kings are second in the NBA in pace at 105.8.
19. San Antonio Spurs (11-12)
The San Antonio Spurs had two of their worst losses of the Greg Popovich era this past week, with a 39-point loss in Minnesota followed by a 31-point loss at home to Houston.
20. Charlotte Hornets (11-12)
The Charlotte Hornets need more out of Nicholas Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Both players are averaging under 10 PPG this season.
21. Utah Jazz (11-13)
The Utah Jazz have lost their way on defense. After being the NBA’s best defensive team last season, they have fallen to 14th in defensive rating.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-12)
The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t getting what they expected out of Andrew Wiggins, who is on pace to shoot a career-low 37 percent from the field.
23. Miami Heat (9-13)
The Miami Heat are one of the NBA’s worst offensive teams, 25th in offensive rating (105.6) and 22nd in PPG (108.2)
24. Washington Wizards (9-14)
The Washington Wizards won’t lose many games when their backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal combine for 68 points like they did last Monday. Wall scored a season-high 36 points in the Wizards 135-131 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
25. Brooklyn Nets (8-16)
Brooklyn can’t get out of their own way when playing with a lead. The team blew two fourth quarter leads last week at home and have lost six straight.
26. New York Knicks (8-16)
The New York Knicks are experiencing growing pains, but effort like we saw out of them in a 136-134 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks last Saturday is an example of what they could be if they make that effort consistent.
27. Atlanta Hawks (5-18)
The Atlanta Hawks sure do like playing the Miami Heat. Atlanta is 2-0 vs Miami this season and 3-18 vs. all other teams.
28. Phoenix Suns (4-19)
It’s hard to find one thing the Phoenix Suns Do well. They are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for last in the NBA in point differential at -10.7.
29. Chicago Bulls (5-19)
The Chicago Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg after a 5-19 start. This team on paper has potential, but potential under the wrong leadership leads to nowhere but the lottery.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-18)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are scrapping, even with Kevin Love sidelined. Still, they’ve lost four straight, with the past three coming by a combined 61 points.
What are your thoughts on this week’s NBA Power Rankings? Leave your comments below!
Harlow is making history as the first model with vitiligo to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
The 24 year old Canadian model step out on the Victoria’s Secert Fashion show that aired Sunday night Dec. 2 on ABC. Harlow did her thing as she worked the runway!
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder that causes depigmentation of the skin, according to the Mayo Clinic. Harlow recalled how some classmates avoided her because of her skin.
“It blows my mind,” Harlow told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “I can’t even believe it…I’m a trailblazer”, she tells Roberts in a recent sit down interview.
“One day they were running away from me during recess and I caught up with them–I was like, ‘Why are you running from me?’ and they’re like, ‘Our parents say not to play with you because we’re going to get your skin,'” Harlow said. “That was the first time I actually heard it and I was like, ‘Who
She captioned her excitement on Instagram for being apart of such a huge show “wow… did this really happen? Is this for real? Thank you @victoriaSecert for allowing me to be apart of your family! This was surreal! A young Jamaican girl from Toronto taking the VS runway…
Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, And Oklahoma Round Out CFP
The committee has spoken, and after an eventful Championship Saturday in college football, the team with the most explosive offense in college football this past season received the nod.
Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma were selected for the College Football Playoff on Sunday afternoon.
The committee did not make a final decision until just before 1:30 am/CT, which speaks to just how compelling a case could be made for Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio State, but ultimately, it was Oklahoma that got the edge.
The Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) — who entered the game No. 5 — knocked off their bitter rival Texas Longhorns 39-27 in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday.
Heisman hopeful Kyler Murray continued to dazzle, finishing the game with 379 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The Georgia Bulldogs — who entered the game No. 4 and came in at No. 5 behind Oklahoma on Sunday — loss to Alabama 35-28 in the SEC Championship in Saturday. They held double digit leads in both the first and second halves of the game, but ultimately came up short of a victory thanks to Jalen Hurts rallying the Crimson Tide in place of an injured Tua Tagovailoa.
Conference championship won, strength of schedule, Head-to-Head, outcomes of common opponents and other relevant factors.
Georgia finished the season 3rd in FPI and 5th in strength of schedule, better than both Oklahoma and Ohio State, but their 11-2 mark — which included a 20-point loss to LSU — coupled with not winning their conference championship, hurt Kirby Smart’s team.
Georgia surprisingly came in at No. 5 ahead of Ohio State, which highlights that the popular belief that it was a two-team race between Oklahoma and Ohio State for the last playoff spot following yesterday’s games was actually a two-team race between Oklahoma and Georgia.
Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, who are 13-0 this season, will play Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl.
Dabo Sweeney’s Clemson Tigers, who are also 13-0 this season, will face Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame Irish in the Cotton Bowl.
Both games will take place on December 29th, with the National Championship Game set for January 7th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
What are your thoughts on the College Football Playoff committee’s decision? Did they get it right? Leave your comments below!
Championship Saturday in college football typically produces memorable matchups and moments and yesterday’s slate of games didn’t disappoint.
While Dabo Sweeney and No. 2 Clemson rolled as expected over a five-loss Pittsburgh team, elsewhere, we got a healthy dose of drama elsewhere from teams currently in the Top six of the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Let’s dive in to each of those games and what they mean.
Alabama Secures Spot, But Did Georgia’s Performance Prove They Belong Too?
Untested for much of this season, the college football world saw the Alabama Crimson Tide pushed to its limits in a fast-paced, hard-hitting affair with their SEC rivals Georgia Bulldogs in what turned into Deja Vu for Kirby Smart’s team.
Off the bench and in the game for Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts — who was replaced by Tagovailoa in the second half of last year’s National Championship Game vs Georgia — led the Crimson Tide to a dramatic 35-28 comeback victory over Georgia to win the SEC Championship.
Hurts threw for a touchdown and scored on a 15-yard run with a little over a minute left to play to give Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide a 35-28 lead.
The former starting quarterback replaced Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter after a lineman stepped on his injured ankle.
Georgia held a 21-7 and 28-14 lead in this game, as they stroked fast and early, with Jake Fromm leading the charge.
The offense fizzled, however, in the fourth quarter vs. arguably the best defense in the country, and for a second straight year the College Football committee has a tough choice to make.
Georgia outplayed the consensus favorite to win it all in Alabama for much of the SEC Championship Game, and because of that Kirby Smart believes his team — which entered No. 4 — should maintain its spot.
The question is, how can you justify that beyond Saturday’s game?
A two-loss team making the Playoff would seem to put the system into question, and that just doesn’t seem like something a system keeping UCF from the top six can afford to do.
Oklahoma and Ohio State Win, But Who’s In?
Oklahoma and Ohio State were both victorious in their conference title games on Saturday, as Heisman hopefuls Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins led their teams to comfortable double-digit victories over their opponents.
The Oklahoma Sooners avenged a early season loss to Texas with a 39-27 victory at AT&T Stadium while the Ohio State Buckeyes fended off Northwestern’s surprising second half rally to cruise to a 45-24 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Oklahoma entered the game No. 5 while Ohio State’s 62-39 drubbing of Michigan last Saturday in Columbus saw them jump from No. 10 to No. 6.
While Urban Meyer’s football team has its claim to a potential Playoff spot, their lone loss — a 49-20 beatdown vs. the Purdue Boilermakers — clouds their chances because of how badly it was to a team that finished 6-6 on the season.
Lincoln Riley’s team, with Georgia’s loss, should secure that fourth and final spot to join Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame for next month’s College Football Playoff.
What are your takeaways from Championship Sunday? Leave your comments below!
Amazins Hope Additions Turn Them Into Contender In 19′
The New York Mets front office vowed to improve immediately on a team that finished in fourth place in the NL East this past season. They did so on Saturday, even at the cost of their possible future and purging of their farm system.
The New York Mets agreed to a blockbuster trade for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz from the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
New York will send Jay Bruce and several prospects to Seattle, which include Justin Dunn and Jarred Kelenic.
As apart of the deal, Seattle will also send $20 million to New York.
Robinson Cano signed a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Seattle Mariners back in December 2013. He has five years, $120 million remaining in the deal.
The 36-year-old perennial All-Star second baseman missed 80 games last season due to a failed PED test.
He hit .303 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in just 80 games last season.
Meanwhile, Edwin Diaz has turned into one of the MLB’s best closers. The 24-year-old saw his potential transform into ready-made star as he finished the 2018 season with a 1.96 ERA and a MLB-best 57 saves.
He’ll come into a situation of need for the New York Mets, who over the past two seasons have been one of the worst teams with a one-run lead late in games.
What are your thoughts on the New York Mets’ additions of Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz? Leave your comments below!
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