The first week of 2021 in the NBA brought it all. From the confirmation that, despite the brand they have, several of the teams considered candidates continue to develop their chemistry in search of a definite game identity, to the surprises of certain teams that were expected little and nothing to this height of competition.
They also began to see spectacular performances, especially in scoring, with several figures overcoming the barrier of 40 points and even several triple doubles in other cases.
The injuries, unfortunately, have also been part of the equation with the one suffered by the base / escort of Orlando Magic, Markelle Fultz, the most important of all.
Then we went into detail about what brought us the week, and what’s yet to come in the immediate future of the NBA.
The awakening of the figures
At the beginning of the season we talked about the outstanding duos in the competition, but so far in 2021 we must focus and highlight the individual performances that took place.
Undoubtedly the most transcendent was that of Stephen Curry reminding the entire League of the kind of player he is. His 62 points scored in the win over Portland last Sunday, are the Warriors’ highest number since Rick Barry scored 64 in 1974.
But not only that: he also became the first to score 30 points in each half of a game since Kobe Bryant did it on December 20, 2005. In addition, he equaled Kobe in reaching that figure. in 36 minutes or less on track.
Another 60-point club member was Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who added that amount to his team’s loss to Philadelphia by scoring 7 triples in 10 attempts, and tying Gilbert Arenas’ mark for the highest points in a game in franchise history.
But they were not the only highlights in scoring: Jason Tatum contributed 40 points in Boston’s victory over Toronto, Gordon Hayward added 44 points and 7 rebounds for Charlotte to defeat Atlanta, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 43 and 9 rebounds in the victory against Detroit, while Paul George was on the verge of 4 tens when in the victory over Phoenix Suns he added 39 points with 70% of effectiveness in triples (7/10) in a personal confrontation against Devin Booker ( Suns) who came to treat- soft player while the match was unfolding.
Finally we must highlight the triple double achieved by Dallas baseman Luka Doncic (33-16-11) against the Houston Rockets, and the one achieved by Nikola Jokic against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, January 3 when he collected 19 points, 12 rebounds and identical amount of assists in 32 minutes of play.
Knicks: from ignored to surprise of the week
Who would have dared to bet that after the first 8 games of the season the Big Apple team would have a winning mark? Few, for sure.
However the team led by Tom Thibodeau is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, thanks to a 5-3 record (just like the Milwaukee Bucks) after winning the last three games.
What this team has achieved in the midst of rebuilding, becomes more relevant if one sees that the victories came against good teams like Milwaukee (which they beat by 20 points), Cleveland (+9), Indiana ( +4), in Atlanta (+5) and against Utah (+12).
Julius Randle has become the key piece of the team, averaging 22.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game and being the leader in these three statistical categories. In 6 parties he was the maximum anotador of the Knicks, in 7 his better rebounder and the 5 his better assistant. If we add to this a 50.9% effectiveness in court shots and a staggering 40.7% in triples, we can conclude that the pivot-wing is adding averages as good as any NBA superstar.
Austin Rivers is another of the Knicks ’amazing finds this season. While the escort came from the bench, his aim was well taken advantage of by coach Thibodeau in the closing moments of the match. In just 26 minutes on average per game, Rivers totals 13.3 points, with 60% effectiveness on court shots and a ridiculous 55.0% on triples at a rate of 5 attempts in the 4 games he played.
Will he be able to maintain this winning step in the coming weeks? It is the question of the million. While the next 5 rivals don’t have a winning mark like them, there are some clashes in which they are clearly not favorites to beat them like against Denver (3-4) and Brooklyn (4-4). But the story may be different when they face Oklahoma City (3-4), Charlotte (3-5) and Cleveland (4-4). Time will tell.
Fultz, out for the season
Just 4 minutes into the game against Cleveland when Markelle Fultz suffered a previous cruciate ligament rupture in her left knee, an injury that will require surgery and a prolonged rehabilitation period that will lead her to miss the rest of the season.
The injury occurred when Fultz recorded the best averages of his career in points with 12.0 and 5.4 assists after 8 games and added 14 triples scored which was a personal best. Also, the base / escort had recently signed a contract extension for 3 years and 50 million that will keep him in the euipo of Orlando in the immediate future.
“It’s a big blow for us,” teammate Nikola Vucevic said. “Unfortunately for (Fultz) this is really sad because for two years he had a shoulder injury, then last year he was finally able to play and this year was supposed to be a big year for him. point and start the season in an amazing way. That really stinks for a guy like him who has worked hard to get back. It’s hard to see and feel for him. “
It should be remembered that Orlando is also lamenting the absence of another promising youngster like Jonathan Isaac, who suffered an injury similar to that of Fultz last season and is ruled out for this season completing the rehabilitation process.
The weekend program
Between Friday and Sunday you can follow matches that arouse great interest. Below we highlight the most important ones.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors will play the second game of this miniseries in San Francisco on Friday. The first match ended with the victory of the Angelino team by 108-101 with the main protagonists being Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who combined to add 42 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists, as well as limiting Stephen Curry to 13 points and curb the effectiveness in tripkles of the Warriors who hit just 26.7% of tsus triples.
On Saturday we must prepare for the duel between Denver and Philadelphia. The Nuggets begin a 3-game mini-tour in 4 nights in the East, while the Sixers will try to stay on top of the positions in this conference. A close to all orchestra is scheduled for Sunday, as Miami and Boston see each other again, after the Celtics won 107-105 the first of the clashes between the two with a superb performance Jason Tatum with 27 points and Jaylen Brown who added 21 and 12 rebounds.
The icing on the cake is the game of current champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, receiving at home to the Houston Rockets. Anthony Davis leads the defending champions in rebounds and steals with 9.0 and 1.6 respectively, while LeBron James arrives as the team’s leading scorer (23.9 pts) and assists (7.4). Despite his desire to be switched to another team, James Harden leads the Rockets in points (29.4), assists (11.0) and steals (1.2)