THIS WEEK IN THE NBA
TOP BUCKS PLAYER
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 41 points Friday night in the Bucks’ 122-114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. It could be a sign of things to come with Jabari Parker sidelined — the Bucks will need big games from their all-star on a nightly basis just to have a chance. Antetokounmpo made a career-high 18 free throws in 21 attempts and became the first Bucks player to score 40 points since Brandon Jennings had 55 against Golden State on Nov. 14, 2009. The Greek Freak had 22 points and eight rebounds against Miami on Wednesday night.
BUCKS LOOK AHEAD
The Bucks have two more games before the all-star break, hosting Detroit on Monday night and playing Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on Wednesday. Then it will be some time off for the team and a trip to New Orleans for Antetokounmpo, who will start for the Eastern Conference in the Feb. 19 NBA All-Star Game. Malcolm Brogdon will play in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday and Thon Maker will be part of the league’s Global Game initiative featuring instruction for young players from around the world.
BUCKS QUOTE
Brogdon, on Parker tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament for the second time: “This is one of those things that can either tear us apart or allow us to rebuild and be even stronger as a unit.”
TOP NBA PLAYER It’s easy to see why the Cleveland Cavaliers would not give up power forward Kevin Love in a trade. He’s having a great season. Love and LeBron James combined on one of the best plays of the season Monday. Love threw a long inbound pass nearly the length of the court to James, who hit an incredible three-point shot to force overtime. The Cavaliers went on to beat Washington, 140-135, in a thrilling game. Love had 39 points and 12 rebounds against the Wizards, then added 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 132-117 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. He also had 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 118-109 loss at Oklahoma City on Thursday.
TOP NBA TEAM How exactly is Erik Spoelstra doing it? He won’t say. The Miami coach did not want to discuss his team’s winning streak when he was in Milwaukee on Wednesday, before his team beat the Bucks to win its 12th in a row. Then the Heat made it 13 straight Friday at Brooklyn. Spoelstra talked about his team committing to defense, but something else is at work here. Winning close games builds belief. Hassan Whiteside has been on fire and so was Dion Waiters before he was injured. Role players have done their part, including Rodney McGruder and Okaro White. But going from 11-30 to 24-30 entering Saturday? Amazing.
NBA QUOTE
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, on all the controversy surrounding the team, including the incident involving owner James Dolan and former Knicks player Charles Oakley: “From the outside looking in, it looks bad. And it’s even worse when you’re going through it.”
NBA RANKINGS (through Friday’s games)
Top 10: 1. Golden State, 2. San Antonio, 3. Houston, 4. Cleveland, 5. Boston, 6. Washington, 7. Utah, 8. Memphis, 9. Atlanta, 10. Toronto.
Middle 10: 11. Oklahoma City, 12. Indiana, 13. Los Angeles Clippers, 14. Miami, 15. Denver, 16. Chicago, 17. Detroit, 18. Dallas, 19. Sacramento, 20. Portland. Bottom 10: 21. New Orleans, 22. Philadelphia, 23. Charlotte, 24. Minnesota, 25. Milwaukee, 26. Orlando, 27. Los Angeles Lakers, 28. New York Knicks, 29. Phoenix, 30. Brooklyn.
ONE MAN’S OPINION Jabari Parker’s injury is devastating to the Bucks on many levels. They are unlikely to make a playoff push this season without him. They do not know if he can regain his explosiveness and the form he has displayed this season while averaging more than 20 points a game. And in the long term, it complicates his future with the Bucks. If he had finished the season healthy, Parker was in line for a contract extension mirroring Antetokounmpo’s four-year, $100 million deal. Now even if he comes back next February as scheduled, that gives him and the Bucks little time to judge his progress and future effectiveness. Parker would be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018. The Bucks might have to offer an incentive-laden contract with guarantees for games played, and other teams would have to weigh the risks of signing him. It was tough to watch the Chicago native go down Wednesday night with a second anterior cruciate ligament tear. The next day everyone’s worst fears were confirmed when the MRI results were revealed. But Parker will not turn 22 until next month. Having to go through the arduous process of rehab again is a daunting task. Let’s hope he can do it.