Setting the bar this week, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James and their six Kia NBA Most Valuable Player awards combined will guide them to Friday’s matchup between the Bucks and Lakers in Los Angeles (10 ET, ESPN).
The adjustment features two desperate for victories for other reasons.
In the case of Los Angeles, it’s all about survival. A 130-120 loss to Sacramento on Wednesday propelled the Lakers to 10th place in the Western Conference and gave the Kings the series win and a playoff lead.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee sits in second place in the East, one game ahead of Cleveland and seven-and-a-half games ahead of the Boston Celtics. The Bucks want to identify more chemistry on the court in big games like this with the new regime introducing new projects. coach Doc Rivers, who is 9-8 since being hired in January.
But the absence of three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who hasn’t played since spraining his left ankle on Feb. 6 in a loss at Phoenix, complicates that effort.
He will have to intensify his preparation to return to the pitch.
One stat you want to know: 27. 7 — that’s Antetokounmpo’s career scoring average against the Lakers, against any opponent. He also shot 61. 3% against the Lakers, which is his shooting percentage against any opponent in his career.
What they say: “Calvary will not come. We’ve got 18 [games] left. We just need to get down to business and try to do a better job. We see it in the movies: the way we play. It was given to us to be able to endure that. — Lakers coach Darvin Ham after Wednesday’s 130-120 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Follow the evolution of our MVP ratings for the season.
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 1
Season Stats: 26 numbers per game, 12. 3 RPG, 9. 2 apg
His case: He dropped a 32-point triple-double against the Celtics on Thursday to pull within one game of the Western Conference’s best, and scored the performance for a dime.
Jokic recorded his 51st double-double on Tuesday in a loss to Phoenix. Still, the Nuggets are 7-1 since the All-Star break.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last Week’s Ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 31. 1 points per game, 5. 6 RPG, 6. 5 APG
Case in point: The Thunder star won his 46th career game with 30 or more problems this season in Wednesday’s win at Portland to cap a four-game road trip. He’s one game away from reaching OKC’s franchise record in 30-point games. , scored twice through Kevin Durant (2009-10 and 13-14).
The Thunder host Miami on Friday (8 ET, NBA League Pass) and the Heat are set to play the night of a straight set.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 30. 7 points per game, 11. 2 RPG, 6. 3 APG
His case: Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing Monday with tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon. But even the two-time MVP couldn’t defeat the Bucks in a 125-90 loss to Golden State.
The 29-year-old scored 23 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Still, the Warriors mistreated the bigger Bucks in the paint, outscoring them 50-36 and outscoring them 54-36 in that area. In addition, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis has caused Antetokounpo to collapse.
4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celts
Last week’s standings: nº4
Season stats: 26. 8 points per game, 8. 4 RPG, 4. 8 APG
His case: The NBA’s longest winning streak ended Tuesday in Cleveland in a game in which Tatum scored two points in the fourth quarter. The trio of Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis combined for 64 points in the first three quarters before adding seven in the fourth quarter when they took a 16-time lead.
The Celtics followed that up with a loss Thursday at Denver in an imaginable preview of the NBA Finals. They lost back-to-back games for the first time since early November.
5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Last week’s rankings: No. 5
Season stats: 34. 6 problems per game, nine RPGs, 9. 8 problems per game
His case: He’s spent the week winning the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Month award for the fourth time in his career. Doncic is just two Player of the Month awards shy of Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki’s overall career (six).
Still, individual brilliance didn’t translate into good luck for the eighth-place Mavs. The 25-year-old joined Russell Westbrook as the only player in NBA history to record five consecutive hits from more than 30 triple-doubles when he reached that mark. in Thursday’s win over Miami.
The five:
And others (listed in alphabetical order): Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
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Michael C. Wright is a senior at NBA. com. You can email him here, locate his files here, and follow him on X.
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