Looking back at last week's NBA action, we will highlight some top performers, including a couple of instances of players breaking out to new heights, key players returning from injury and the best-of-the-best continuing to shine. There were also a few historic achievements to note and, unfortunately, a dose of injury trouble to consider.
Injury Updates
Dereck Lively has been sidelined since picking up an injury on January 14th versus the Nuggets. Initial X-rays came back clear, but he missed the following three games until Wednesday, when he was diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot. Lively is now expected to be sidelined for at least a couple of months, with a hopeful return date around early-April. Lively's absence opens up a major opportunity for Daniel Gafford, who has already taken advantage by delivering a few monstrous performances, including a 31-point, 15-rebound display in a loss to the Hornets on Monday. Gafford went on to average 19.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.5 blocks through four games on the week, and he is likely to keep up the production while handling the increased responsibility.
After missing a couple of games with a toe injury, it was announced on Wednesday that Donte DiVincenzo would be out indefinitely with a Grade 3 toe sprain. It was later determined that he would not require surgery, meaning he could be ready for action by late-February. The injury came just as he was getting accustomed to a new starting role, averaging 17.5 points,
Looking back at last week's NBA action, we will highlight some top performers, including a couple of instances of players breaking out to new heights, key players returning from injury and the best-of-the-best continuing to shine. There were also a few historic achievements to note and, unfortunately, a dose of injury trouble to consider.
Injury Updates
Dereck Lively has been sidelined since picking up an injury on January 14th versus the Nuggets. Initial X-rays came back clear, but he missed the following three games until Wednesday, when he was diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot. Lively is now expected to be sidelined for at least a couple of months, with a hopeful return date around early-April. Lively's absence opens up a major opportunity for Daniel Gafford, who has already taken advantage by delivering a few monstrous performances, including a 31-point, 15-rebound display in a loss to the Hornets on Monday. Gafford went on to average 19.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.5 blocks through four games on the week, and he is likely to keep up the production while handling the increased responsibility.
After missing a couple of games with a toe injury, it was announced on Wednesday that Donte DiVincenzo would be out indefinitely with a Grade 3 toe sprain. It was later determined that he would not require surgery, meaning he could be ready for action by late-February. The injury came just as he was getting accustomed to a new starting role, averaging 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals over six straight starts. In his absence, Mike Conley is back in the starting lineup, while Rob Dillingham is also taking advantage of more opportunity, averaging 9.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists over the last five games.
Historic Achievements
Nikola Jokic became the first player to record 30 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists in a game since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. The feat took place in a win over the Kings on Thursday and marked Jokic's fifth consecutive triple-double -- a streak which ended in the following outing on Saturday. Jokic averaged 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks through three games on the week and is showing no signs of slowing down in his 10th NBA season, as he remains on pace for a career campaign.
Victor Wembanyama put on a show for his home country, as he delivered 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, a steal and five blocks in a win over the Pacers in the NBA Global Game in Paris on Thursday. With that, he tied Tim Duncan for the fifth most games in NBA history with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, as this was the fourth time in his career that he reached the mark. Wembanyama continues to stun the league with new achievements and looks to be only scratching the surface of his potential.
James Harden logged 17 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, a steal and a block in a win over the Wizards on Thursday, which marked his 79th career triple-double and moved him past Wilt Chamberlain for eighth on the all-time triple-double leaderboard. Harden missed the following game but delivered his third 40-point game of the season in a win over the Bucks on Saturday. Harden is quietly working on a solid season but is struggling with his efficiency, shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from the field. However, he should only benefit as Kawhi Leonard works his way back up to full speed, helping relieve some of the pressure on the offensive end.
Notable Performers
While working on the best season of his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to take his game to new heights, as he delivered a career-high 54 points in a win over the Jazz on Wednesday. He followed up with two more 30-point games to close out the week, producing an average of 40.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals over three outings. He is likely to remain dominant through the rest of the campaign, as his ability to score at every level gives him alternatives when one part of his game may be slumping.
Kel'el Ware had a modest start to the season, which was also interrupted by injury trouble. However, he showed a couple of flashes of brilliance in early-January, before a breakout stretch, beginning with a 25-point effort in a win over the Spurs on January 19, followed by back-to-back 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles last week. The rookie's impressive play has earned him a spot in the Heat's starting lineup, and he is likely to find even more of a comfort level as he builds momentum with the rest of the starting unit. His lengthy build and energetic style of play will help ensure that he continues to fill the stat sheet with consistency.
P.J. Washington has been a bit up and down in terms of his scoring this season, but he is coming off one of his best week of the campaign, as he averaged 20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals over four games. He also achieved two season highs during the week, with 30 points in a loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday, and 19 rebounds in a win over the Thunder on Thursday. Washington is likely to maintain a slight increase in his scoring in the absence of Luka Doncic (potential return early-February), as he benefits from the opportunity to help supplement the offense. He is also likely to make a larger effort to stay engaged on the glass while the Mavs are without Dereck Lively (potential return early-April).
The Magic finally have their two star players back in the lineup, as Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero have both made their return from extended absences. Banchero has looked solid over the last couple of weeks, as he dropped 34 points in his return to action on January 10. However, last week he surpassed 30 minutes in playing time for the first time since his return, and he averaged 22.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 blocks over three games, including 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes of action in a win over the Pistons on Saturday. Meanwhile, Wagner made his return to action on Thursday and also did not take long to make his mark, with 20 points on 9-for-19 shooting in 24 minutes of action in his first game back. He then followed up with a 32-point effort in 30 minutes of action in Saturday's win. With both stars back in the lineup, the Magic have a chance to reclaim momentum and emerge as one of the better teams in the East. On the other hand, it is important to note that guys like Tristan da Silva, Jonathan Isaac, Anthony Black, and Wendell Carter could see a reduction in playing time.
Damian Lillard has topped the 20-point mark in 10 straight games and is coming off two big-time performances last week, including a 29-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on Saturday. He is shooting a healthy 38.3 percent from downtown this season and continues to distribute the ball well, averaging at least 7.0 assists for a sixth straight year. With Khris Middleton continuing to battle injury trouble and unable to establish much of a rhythm, Lillard must continue to express his full potential as a lead scoring option.
