In this regular Flashscore column, we look back at the key moments of the last seven days in the NBA. Charlotte is going through an exceptional period of form, Doncic continues to show all his talent, while Antetokounmpo seems destined to move away from Milwaukee.
Team of the Week: The Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are experiencing an extraordinary period and seem to be transforming into a truly competitive team. With six straight wins, they improved their record from 16-28 to 22-28, climbing to 11th place in the Eastern Conference — just outside the play-in zone.
Last week they racked up four wins out of four, beating the Philadelphia 76ers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. Despite their struggles prior to this month, the Hornets have been very solid offensively all season, with the sixth-best offensive rating in the league.
Being one of the youngest teams in the NBA, they finally have all the best players available and a starting five of LaMelo Ball, Kon Kneuppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate which is proving to be very solid. From now until the end of the season, they will be a team to fear.
Disappointment of the week: the Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks seemed to be on the mend recently, but a rough week brought back the bad mood. Four losses in a row against the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Hornets and Houston Rockets have made them slip even further from the play-in zone.
Coach Jason Kidd did not hide his discontent, venting to the press in a rather heated way: “Criticisms? It’s your opinion. You’re the ones writing this bullshit. It’s not like that — I do this job. I played basketball. I know exactly what I’m doing.”.
“I don’t give a damn what you write, because you’ve never played. I build players, so I know what I’m doing. If I receive criticism, it strengthens me, because if I wasn’t doing well, you wouldn’t try to find fault with what I do.”
Player of the Week: Luka Doncic
Exactly one year after the sensational trade that brought Luka Doncic from Dallas to Los Angeles, the player continues to demonstrate how disastrous that choice was for the Mavericks.
Last week, the Lakers star had 46 points and 11 assists against the Chicago Bulls, 29 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 37 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists against the Washington Wizards, and 30 points and 15 rebounds against the New York Knicks.
Doncic is the best scorer in the NBA this season (33.6 points per game), as well as being second in assists (8.8), confirming how extraordinary a player he is.
Play of the Week: Peyton Watson
Denver Nuggets player Peyton Watson made a spectacular dunk over Chet Holmgren on Sunday night in his team’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Story of the Week: Giannis Antetokounmpo
After 13 years spent with the Milwaukee Bucks and giving the franchise its first NBA title in 50 years, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo really seems ready for a change of scenery.
According to what ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported last week, the Greek star is ready to leave the team after a few difficult seasons, and the Bucks are listening to offers.
The Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Knicks, Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets are all interested in Giannis, and several teams are pushing hard to get a trade done before the Feb. 5 deadline.
Whether the deal materializes now or in the summer, it seems that Giannis’ adventure in Milwaukee has come to an end.
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