The Los Angeles Lakers are in trouble. The reigning NBA champions look lost without injured superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and it they might be set to lose a lot more games for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets and Nets keep winning as their respective MVP candidates continue to make a strong case for the award. Although, the Sixers don’t seem to be having too many problems without their star big man Joel Embiid.
Take a look at SBOTOP’s top takeaways from another night of exciting NBA action.
Superstar-less Lakers in for a tough time
The Lakers have not begun life without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis all that well. After a blowout loss in their big matchup against the soaring Suns, they suffered another heavy 17-point defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans as their losing streak reaches three games.
Montrezl Harrell had 18 points to lead the team in scoring for the third straight game, but the Lakers remain well short on other offensive weapons. Dennis Schroder had a disappointing game with 15 points on just 2-of-10 shooting, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another poor shooting night, going 1-of-7.
Schroder will have better games, and Kyle Kuzma is also capable of providing more offence once he snaps out of his recent shooting slump.
But still, the Lakers will likely have a major problem scoring enough points as long as they are without their two superstars. That will make it tough for them to pick up enough wins to hold on to a top-four spot in the West, especially with a seven-game road trip coming up in April.
Nikola Jokic, new MVP frontrunner
With LeBron James and Joel Embiid out injured, Nikola Jokic has now taken over as the top MVP favourite according to the NBA 2021 odds, and the Nuggets superstar is justifying that with his great play of late.
Jokic had another fabulous triple-double of 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 110-99 win over the Orlando Magic. That was Denver’s eighth win in their last 10 games as they moved just 1.5 games back of the Clippers and Lakers for the No. 3 and 4 seed in the West.
Jokic has had a wonderful March, averaging 28.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. He was also just one assist shy of five consecutive triple-doubles over his last five games.
With the Lakers struggling without James and Davis, it seems like just a matter of time before Jokic and the Nuggets overtake LA in the standings. And as long as Jokic continues to play at such a high level, he figures to be the MVP frontrunner moving forward.
James Harden making it hard to ignore his MVP case
But while Jokic may be the frontrunner right now, James Harden’s case for MVP continues to gain steam. Despite a rough shooting night, Harden still had 25 points and 17 assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 116-112 win over Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Harden has been outstanding since arriving in Brooklyn (25.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 11.3 assists) and has been the biggest reason for the Nets’ success amid the absence of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. His durability, consistency, and sheer mastery of the offence cannot be overstated.
It remains to be seen whether Harden’s case will be quite as strong when Durant and Irving return. The latest NBA 2021 news on Durant is that he is in the “critical” stage of his rehab and could be getting closer to full strength. Meanwhile, Irving will be out two more games due to a family matter.
Harden’s antics while trying to leave Houston at the start of the season are also quite a big mark against him winning MVP. But right now, based purely on on-court performance, it’s getting harder and harder to ignore Harden’s case for the award.
Sixers still rolling along without Embiid
As Harden’s Nets keep racking up wins without Durant and Irving, the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers are doing the same without their superstar, Joel Embiid. The Sixers took care of the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors, 108-98, to maintain their one-game lead over Brooklyn.
Philadelphia improved to an impressive 5-1 in their last six games without Embiid. Tobias Harris, who had a team-high 25 points with 13 rebounds against the Warriors, continues to step up in a big way without Embiid, averaging 24 points and 8.7 rebounds over his last six games.
Obviously, the Sixers will need Embiid back healthy if they have any chance to get past the Nets in the playoffs. But it is promising that they are playing so well without their best player, and it keeps them in pole position to grab the top seed in the East.
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