THIS WEEK IN THE NBA
TOP BUCKS PLAYER
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks at both ends this week, averaging 27.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals over the past three games — all Bucks victories. On Nov. 10, he put up 33 points and 15 rebounds to help Milwaukee put away the Los Angeles Lakers. On Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies he had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists before helping lead the Bucks’ block party with four rejections in Wednesday’s win over the Detroit Pistons.
BUCKS LOOK AHEAD
The Bucks return home from Dallas for a matchup with the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. Monday. After hosting the Wizards, the Bucks will embark on a four-game road trip to end November, visiting the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and Utah Jazz on Saturday.
BUCKS QUOTE
Bucks coach Jason Kidd on the team’s recent success, especially on the defensive end: “Our growth started down in Texas once we got (Eric) Bledsoe. Guys started to focus more on the defensive end and that’s kind of our M.O.”
TOP NBA PLAYER
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid started the week slowly with a seventurnover game against the Golden State Warriors, but he turned that around by taking over the Staples Center in successive games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. Embiid had 32 points and 16 rebounds in a four-point win over the Clippers on Monday and then went off for 46 points on 14 of 20 shooting, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks against the Lakers on Wednesday.
TOP NBA TEAM
Can anyone beat the Boston Celtics? The Celtics have won 14 games in a row since their Oct. 18 loss to the Bucks despite going through plenty of adversity. They lost Gordon Hayward in the first game of the season and stars Al Horford (concussion) and Kyrie Irving (facial fracture) have each missed time and the Celtics haven’t missed a beat. On Thursday, the Celtics silenced any doubters by knocking off the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, 92-88, in Boston.
NBA QUOTE
New York Knicks forward Enes Kanter on LeBron James ahead of Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I don’t care who you are. King – what do you call yourself? – King, queen, princess, whatever you are, you know what? We’re going to fight. And nobody out there going to punk us.” James’ response after leading the Cavaliers to a 104-101 win: “That’s corny. I’m the King. My wife is the queen, and my daughter is the princess. So, we got all three covered.” NBA RANKINGS Top 10: 1. Boston Celtics, 2. Golden State Warriors, 3. Houston Rockets, 4. Toronto Raptors, 5. Minnesota Timberwolves, 6. San Antonio Spurs, 7. Detroit Pistons, 8. Denver Nuggets, 9. Washington Wizards, 10. Cleveland Cavaliers. Middle 10: 11. Milwaukee Bucks, 12. Philadelphia 76ers, 13. Oklahoma City Thunder, 14. Portland Trail Blazers, 15. Indiana Pacers, 16. New Orleans Pelicans, 17. Orlando Magic, 18. Memphis Grizzlies, 19. New York Knicks, 20. Miami Heat. Bottom 10: 21. Brooklyn Nets, 22. Phoenix Suns, 23. Los Angeles Clippers, 24. Utah Jazz, 25. Los Angeles Lakers, 26. Charlotte Hornets, 27. Sacramento Kings, 28. Chicago Bulls, 29. Atlanta Hawks, 30. Dallas Mavericks. ONE MAN’S OPINION Everyone knew the Bucks’ early schedule would be tough. The first 11 games included two each against the Celtics and Cavaliers as well as a home test against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a visit to San Antonio. Milwaukee survived that stretch with a 5-6 record. Now, the Bucks are in a sweet spot of their schedule and need to take advantage.
Already riding a four-game win streak into Saturday night’s game against the 2-14 Mavericks, the Bucks are in a position where they could realistically run the table to end November.
After arriving home from Dallas, the Bucks will have a day to prepare for Monday’s game against the Wizards, which play Sunday in Toronto. Then comes the road swing, but Milwaukee’s opponents are all beatable. Phoenix is a young, inconsistent, rebuilding team. Utah doesn’t have the offense to keep up with Milwaukee. The Sacramento Kings, like the Suns, are in a full-scale rebuild mode. Then the trip ends with a tough game in Portland against the Trail Blazers. The Bucks need to take advantage of the scheduleand make a move up the Eastern Conference standings.