It’s been party in LA for the Lakers and Clippers
The 74th NBA season tipped off back on October 22 and the regular season is now in full swing. Even though its only been going for two weeks, there has been plenty of that classic NBA drama thus far.
Although most teams have only played six or seven of their 82 games, the standings are starting to show who’s on top, and who’s on bottom.
On top of the Eastern Conference is the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers both at 5-1. This comes after the Heat acquired Jimmy Butler in a huge offseason trade.
Some big news coming from the 76ers news is the suspension of Joel Embiid. He was suspend along with Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves after the two began a fight in one there recent games. For both the suspension is only to last two games.
Behind those two are the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, all playoff contenders from last year. The Raptors seem to be holding strong after their championship season despite the lost of finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
At the bottom are the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, no surprises here.
Over in the west, the Los Angeles Lakers lead with a 5-1 record. Despite losing in their opener, they have quickly recovered and have won five straight with the help of their newest player, Anthony Davis. However, rumors are already surfacing that Davis may want to sign with the Bulls next year after his contract with the Lakers expires.
Right behind them, both at 5-2 are the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns have exploded from nowhere. Last year the placed dead last in the Western Conference with only 19 wins during the entire season.
The Clippers are making most of their offseason acquisitions. The Clippers surprised everyone last when not only did they make it to the playoffs, but topped their crosstown rivals the Lakers in the standings. Since then they’ve added the aforementioned championship MVP, Kawhi Leonard, and NBA all-star Paul George. George is still out after having offseason shoulder surgery, but expect him back in the next couple weeks.
At the bottom of the Western conference are the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans at 1-5 and 1-6 respectively. The Grizzlies does not come as a surprised to most, but the Pelicans might.
New Orleans drafted Zion Williamson 1st overall at this year’s draft, and he was expected to be an instant game changer. However, in the summer league he was hit with a knee injury that has caused him to miss the beginning of the season. Pelican fans will have to start to wonder if his return will be enough to raise their team back up.
Othernews in the west is Luka Doncic’s big game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Doncic, who plays for the Dallas Mevericks had one the best triple-double games of all time. He’s only the 2nd player in NBA history to score at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists in back-to-back games. He joins Oscar Roberston for this title.
While there’s already been some interesting wins and moves, there is plenty of NBA season to go that will be sure to have a lot more big wins, big injuries and big drama.