NEWSLETTER
Between the holidays and having a bout with COVID last week, It’s been a little while since I dug into the rest of the happenings around the NBA. Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving make their returns this week, Ja Morant is on a wicked tear right now. Oh, and dunks, we’re going to be watching the best dunks of December!
The Death Star is at Full Strength
As a Bulls fan, I don’t fear many teams in a seven-game series, except for the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry averages 27 points per game, and the Warriors (29-7) are fourth in the NBA in offensive rating (112.0) and tops in the NBA in defensive rating (102.2). Oh, and they’re getting Klay Thompson back this week, putting the NBA’s equivalent of the Death Star back at near full strength.
Warriors are optimistic Klay Thompson will make his season debut on Sunday vs. Cavs, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/sHZTWbjhBi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 3, 2022
The Bulls have a shot at winning the East this season, and I’m not even kidding. Sure, they’re not perfect, but they’re not 100 percent right now. Will they be heading into the playoffs? Who knows. I know that I don’t fear any team in the East in seven. I sure as heck fear this Dubs squad in seven. Steph Curry is out here playing like it’s 2016, and the Warriors look as dominant as they ever have.
💥 Became NBA's all-time 3-point leader
💥 Became the first player to ever hit 3k threes
💥 Broke own record for consecutive games with a three#StephenCurry had himself a historic December #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/QEjH9uUfO3
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 3, 2022
It’s Golden State’s world, and the rest of the NBA is just living in it right now. I don’t think there’s a team in the league that could beat the Warriors in seven this year.
Ja Morant
It’s tough to argue that anyone has had a better week than DeMar DeRozan, but Ja Morant made quite the case. On Monday night, Morant dropped 36 points, eight assists, and six rebounds on an efficient 14-of-22 shooting as Memphis topped the Nets 118-104 in Brooklyn.
FLIGHT 12 HAS LANDED IN BROOKLYN 🤯
18 in Q3, 33 overall for Ja on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/LYUk51Hcrj
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
The Grizzlies have now won five straight, and Ja Morant has been unreal during the winning streak, averaging 35 points per game on a wildly efficient 57.6 percent shooting from the floor and 73.7 percent from range on three-and-a-half triples per game. On Monday, Morant was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for his sizzling recent performance.
The BEST of @JaMorant's last 4 games!
35.0 PPG
57.6 FG%
73.7 3P% (3.5 3PG)All @memgrizz wins 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IIWvraM7ps
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
The third-year guard is up to 25.1 points per game (12th in the NBA), and he’s having the best season of his career in almost every measurable. Could a player who averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 44.9 percent shooting last season win the Most Improved Player Award?
I think Ja Morant has to be in the conversation with his current pace. Morant is averaging 25.1 points (+6.0), 6.7 assists (-0.7), 5.7 rebounds (+1.7), 1.4 steals (+0.5), and is shooting 49.2 percent from the floor (+4.3%), and 40.4 (+10.1%) percent from three-point range. Those are pretty significant increases for Morant, who admittedly has only played 26 games this season due to injury, but he’s in the conversation at this point.
Kyrie’s Return(ish)
Kyrie is back. Ish. The Brooklyn Nets, whom Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies blasted on Monday night, and trail the Bulls by two games now in the Eastern Conference, will get the best part-time player in the league back.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is expected to make his season debut Wednesday on the road against the Indiana Pacers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. After missing the Nets’ first 35 games of the season, Irving has targeted Wednesday for his return.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 3, 2022
As Shams points out, Irving is on track to make his return on Wednesday night in Indiana after missing the first 35 games of the season due to his vaccination status. Irving can not play for the Nets in home games because he is not vaccinated. New York has a vaccination mandate for anyone over the age of 12 to enter “certain covered premises” within New York, with the Barclays Center being one of the covered premises. The Nets have 25 road games remaining this season, so Irving, in all likelihood, would play 25 regular-season games for the Nets this season.
Red-Hot Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid scored 31 points in a 76ers victory on Monday night and logged 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double, and the Philly big man has been red-hot as of late, scoring 30-plus points in four consecutive games.
🔥 @JoelEmbiid dropped 31 points on his way to his 4th straight 30 point game and his 3rd career triple-double!
31 PTS – 15 REB – 10 AST pic.twitter.com/x0gZwRPDRw
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
Embiid and the 76ers have won each of those four games in which Embiid has scored 30-plus points and are now 20-16 on the season. Philadelphia is currently in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, but with the Cavaliers banged up and Miami now without Jimmy Butler again, Philly could be moving into the top-five sooner than later.
And Ones…
• I’m sure glad that we didn’t see this version of Trae Young when the Bulls played the Atlanta Hawks twice last week.
🤯 @TheTraeYoung becomes the first player in @NBAHistory with 56 points and 14 assists in a game. https://t.co/Sy4sbWeFJg
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
• I’m going to be honest here, I never saw the resemblance until it was pointed out here, but Alize Johnson sure does look like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Like, A LOT like Lamar Jackson. At least he was a good sport about the comparison.
Can I live my life 😭😭 I might have to go bald 😩 https://t.co/dWphHZugaV
— Alize Johnson (@AlizeJohnson) January 3, 2022
• Anfernee Simons dropped 43 points and honored his late grandfather, who passed away on Sunday, by dedicating his performance to him. Simons drilled nine three-pointers in the Blazers 136-131 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
"I dedicate this whole game to him."
Anfernee Simons' heartfelt words on his career-best 43-point game after his grandfather passed away yesterday. pic.twitter.com/WxONxCAUqn
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
• The Cavs are pretty banged up right now, and now they’ll be without Isaac Okoro for much of January.
The Cavs say Isaac Okoro is out for the next 2-3 weeks with a left elbow sprain. Cleveland is already limited on the wings to begin with, and also recently lost Ricky Rubio for the season with a knee injury.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 3, 2022
• Who doesn’t like dunks? We all love dunks, so let’s watch at the best of December!
💥 DECEMBER'S TOP DUNKS 💥
Which throwdown was the best? pic.twitter.com/tXj5DB15oW
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2022
