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The Denver Nuggets started strong with a 10-0 run to begin their clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to get decimated in the fourth quarter as OKC rallied to finish the game with a bang – winning by 24 points to cap off a majestic finish in a thrilling afternoon at the Paycom Center behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40-point game. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t start strong exactly, and shot horribly from three at 2-10, but he did pour in when it mattered most – going perfect in the fourth with nine points on 4/4 shooting. He created opportunities whenever he drove to the basket, and found the open man at the right time. As the dust settled, SGA finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks – stuffing the stat sheet to take the win in the first leg of their back-to-back clashes in Oklahoma City. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists – flirting close to a triple-double but was not efficient from the field as he was well-defended by OKC’s twin towers of 7-foot centers in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. It was a tight clash and many thought it would be neck-and-neck all the way to the final buzzer – until the Thunder pulled away when it mattered most. A Dominant Fourth for OKC After a slow start, OKC came to life and trailed 29-28 in by the end of the first quarter, then a 61-60 lead at halftime before taking an 86-80 lead heading into the fourth. However, OKC would go on to blitz the rest of the fourth, outsourcing the 2023 champions 41-23, which was capped off by a flurry of threes from Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, who missed a dunk on a fast break before finally drilling a corner three with just four minutes left to play and extending a 112-99 lead. Jalen Williams was all over the court with 26 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while also making his presence felt on the defensive end with two steals and a block. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter alone including back-to-back threes, with the first one being a step back coming off a swing play by OKC. Another was an extra pass from Lu Dort, as he calmly drilled a three on the corner to make it a 125-103 lead for OKC with a minute left to play, which served as the dagger. Joker Struggling Despite finishing with another near-triple-double, Nikola Jokic didn’t really look like the same historic player who finished with the first 30-20-20 game in the NBA. In an MVP duel with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic failed to come up with his best shooting night, shooting 10-23 from the field and even shooting 2-6 from the line, which was fairly disappointing, 2-10 from three. Some blame the elbow that hit the floor hard in the first quarter, but then he played 41 minutes, which meant that it didn’t really bother him in a major way. What bothered the three-time MVP though was the presence of Holmgren and Hartenstein. Chet finished with +32 in the game and had 14 points on 6/10 shooting, eight rebounds and whopping four blocks despite being in foul trouble. Hartenstein was more of the body who took the fight to Jokic, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 5/6 from the field. OKC’s bench outscored its Denver counterpart, 31-14, and capitalized on points off turnovers with 15. The Thunder also surprisingly dominated the paint – 54-46 while leading by as many as 24 points. This was a defensive statement for OKC, who also comes off with its season-high 14 blocks.

Initially ruled to be a week or two out of action, Kyrie Irving is now deemed to be out for the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season after suffering a torn ACL – which now dooms the Dallas Mavericks’s hopes of making it to the playoffs following a very eventful set of weeks since the trade deadline. Irving, who was named an All-Star for the 2025 All-Star Game in San Francisco, now wraps up his season as he is now slated to recover from a torn ACL – which was one of the biggest injuries that can derail a point guard’s career. It seems that Dallas could not just catch a break as the team’s injury woes really took out their best players so far. Before he went out with an injury, Kyrie Irving averaged a whopping 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. He carried the load for the Mavericks for most of the season and had to come up with impressive performances as former Dallas star Luka Doncic missed a hefty number of games due to injury. Now the Mavs will turn to the rest of its roster for answers. Irving’s Season-Ending Injury Just nine minutes into the game, Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan on his way to the basket. The Dallas star’s right foot unfortunately landed on the foot of Kings center Jonas Valanciunas, which caused Irving to land awkwardly on his left leg and suddenly have his knee hyperextended before falling to the floor. At the age of 32, Irving demonstrated massive toughness and a glimpse of the “Mamba Mentality”, later getting back up but not being able to put on weight on his left knee. Irving would later go on to score both free throws with tears rolling down his cheeks before he finally left the game assisted by the medical staff of the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas would go on to lose the game against Sacramento, 122-98. The bench carried most of the load as the rest of the squad fell off their groove and did not have an answer to a Sabonis-less Kings. “The Dallas Mavericks announced yesterday that Kyrie Irving sustained a left knee sprain against the Kings on March 3,” The Mavericks later released in its social media platforms. “Upon further medical evaluation, an MRI revealed a torn left knee ACL for Irving. Irving will be listed as out with medical updates to follow as necessary.” A String of Tough Woes The injury to Irving continues the string of tough breaks for the Dallas Mavericks this season ever since trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers – whose team has now jumped out to the second seed in the Western Conference so far. The Mavericks, on the other hand, are slowly fading away after 10-time star Anthony Davis was injured in his debut and was out indefinitely. Irving’s injury is the biggest blow to their playoff hopes – considering that the Dallas Mavericks were just in the NBA Finals about a year ago. Still, the Dallas Mavericks are in the 10th seed, which means that they are still good for a Play-In spot had the playoffs begun today. Currently with odds of +6000, the odds are definitely taking a massive hit now more than ever, and it is certainly expected to plummet in the coming weeks as they are not improving their chances any time soon, especially with Irving now out for good.

The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to capture 50 wins this season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder followed suit on the other day. It seems that these two teams are continuing to be the driving power of competitive basketball – leading atop their respective conferences and moving toward the playoff scene. Being able to clinch the first playoff spot of the season is no easy feat for the Cavaliers, who have managed to stave off the defending champion Boston Celtics after being down as much as 22 points, which continues to bring them to the top of the league now more than ever. The Thunder, on the other hand, continue to put distance between them and the rest of the competition, and it is easy to say that the team continues to find ways to win, with the first half of the season massively focused on their defense, while this post All-Star Break run being able to emphasize more on their offense. Both teams won’t meet each other for the rest of the season, but there are indeed high hopes that we will see a seven-game series between these two teams – which would be the NBA Finals – should they both enjoy a deep run in the postseason. Cavaliers Locking Up the Eastern Conference The Cavs don’t really have any other key opponent to look out for other than the Boston Celtics – who, given the state of things should the playoffs begin today, would be their potential opponent in the postseason not until the Eastern Conference Finals. New York is a contender as well, but they haven’t won any games against the Celtics or the Cavaliers themselves. The Atlanta Hawks, however, have been the only team to defeat the Cavaliers twice this season aside from Boston, which seriously says a lot about how they could be a threat to Cleveland’s hopes considering that they are a potential Play-In opponent. The Cavaliers are making history this season. They are the first non-LeBron James version of this team to be able to reach 40 wins before 20 losses and be on the pace for 60 games in a season. Everything is starting to be great for the Cavaliers so far, and this season could continue to get even better with the campaign closing down on the final weeks now more than ever. Winning another set of 10 games in a row, the Cavaliers have really put in the work at this point in time, and they are certainly getting better push with the way they are playing right now, which should be quite promising with the way it has taken place over the course of the season not once, but twice. OKC on the Run The Thunder have the biggest gap (yes, bigger than the Cavs’) over any other team in the NBA with 10 ½ games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the Western Conference. Sure, they have seen some tough stretches so far in some of their previous games, but the team is getting some impressive looks on the offensive end so far. Opening the season with the best defense in the league is a huge boon, but now their offense is showing off as the team now plays at full strength for the first time since November, which says a lot about how it has been really different for them late in the campaign. The Thunder now has nine 50-win seasons logged in the books, which is the most since the 2009-10 season. All signs point towards a deeper hope for a playoff run, and a championship at most.

After a few struggles in the past month, Jaylen Wells has made his presence felt in the Rookie of the Year race considering how well he has been a pivotal piece for the Memphis Grizzlies as they continue a massive climb in the wild Western Conference this season. Now he’s getting a huge boost to win the ROTY now more than ever heading into the final stretch. Everyone who has been tracking rookies this season knows that Jaylen Wells has been one of the highly dynamic talents in the game so far, and it cannot be denied that the Grizzlies have really benefitted well from his impressive game so far, which says a lot about how he has really made a strong case so far. Memphis is moving in on the upper echelon of the Western Conference and is steering well to be in a promising position to be at least the second or third seed by the end of the season. Wells, who is just a rookie – is playing a massive role in their rise to dominance now more than ever with the hopes of making it to the NBA Playoffs as well. Wells on the Rise In the past few weeks, Wells has posted a massive stat line of 15.5 points per game on 54.2% shooting from the field – including a whopping 44.8% from deep. That has put him on a steady chase for the top spot of the Rookie of the Year race so far, which has been held by San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle. Selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Wells was not expected to be an elite performer for Memphis at the very least, and it cannot be understated that he’s been a valuable player for the squad, even coming up with the consistent numbers and discipline that has set him apart from many rookies. “His discipline is the thing that has really stood out the most. He is having successful moments and growth moments, as well,” said Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins about Wells’ massive growth in just a short span of time. “When he makes a mistake, he really corrects it pretty quickly.” So far, this has been a landmark rise for Wells, one of the first round's low picks. His ascension to the ROTY race clearly delivers bigger heights for his potential now more than ever. Odds in the Talks Kel’El Ware surprisingly remains the hot pick among many sportsbooks to win the Rookie of the Year award, despite the Miami big having some marginal surge in his games so far with odds of +145. Stephon Castle ranks second in the odds with +325, while Jaylen Wells brings himself to the third spot with +450. Jaylen Wells has shown some promise, but his chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award this season will depend on many variables, such as his performances and how he adapts to putting up strong numbers when it matters most. So far, Wells is bringing himself close to the 50/40/90 shooting splits this season with 45.1% shooting, 38.2% from three, and 82.4% from the charity stripe. All of this will factor into his overall impact considering that he is playing heavy minutes in for Memphis at this point, which should help him combat Castle’s case, with the latter also slated for bigger exposure after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

After that trade for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason, there were indeed high hopes that the New York Knicks would be finally bringing in a new dynamic group that could actually bring the fire against the best teams in the league. And despite being one of the hyped favorites to win, it just doesn’t seem to be the case so far. New York finished second in the Eastern Conference season with a 50-32 record for the first time in many years, only to drop to the Indiana Pacers in the East Semis. This season, they are 37-20 as of the time of writing, and it cannot be denied that the expectations are starting to mount up for the team with the season heading into its final stretch now more than ever. At this point, it does seem that the Knicks will have to grind through the next set of games with the hopes of elevating their game and bringing the fire for the team’s hopes of a huge playoff run now more than ever. Who knows, maybe they can do beat the odds after all. Are the Knicks a Fluke? New York has been one of the top teams in the league, and it cannot be denied that they have really found a way to win big when it mattered most. However, it is also worth noting that there are plenty of talks as to how the Knicks may well be just another team that will be challenging the best contenders in the league. That is, until you look at their stats against the best. They are 0-3 against the defending champions Boston Celtics, and all three losses are by double digits – and the Knicks have not scored more than 110 points. When it comes to the NBA’s leading team in the Cleveland Cavaliers, they are 0-2, with a recent beating on the road when they lost 142-105. Against the best of the West in the Oklahoma City Thunder? A whopping 0-2 record, and both losses came when OKC didn’t even play at full strength. This season, the Knicks are 3rd overall in offensive rating this season, and are 6th overall in net rating to go along with 5th in 3pt percentage. However, they rank a whopping 21st overall in the defensive rating at 115.3, which says a lot about how the Knicks are really in dire need of a huge improvement if they are going to win. It has been a promising campaign for the Knicks, but it seems that they will have to prove their worth on the big stage if they want to contend for a league title now more than ever. After all, the Eastern Conference is starting to be tight, and New York has to work it out well. The Odds for New York The Knicks stand fourth in the odds overall with +1400. The three teams ahead of them? The Cavaliers, Thunder, and the Celtics. This says a lot about how the expectations are real for the Knicks – they are 0-7 against the contending teams, which really proves that they aren’t really much ready to play against the big boys now more than ever. For what it is worth, the Knicks have been able to contend at a high level in the Eastern Conference, and they will have to find a way to bring the fight against the best when the playoffs begin in just a few months.

After what can be said to be a phenomenal run in just his second season with the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is now out for the rest of the season due to a deep vein thrombosis and will no longer be eligible for any individual awards, including the Defensive Player of the Year – in which he was already the clear runaway winner at this point. Wembanyama looked fine in his debut in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, and yet the Spurs had to pull him out in their post-ASG run when they were about to play the Phoenix Suns. Wemby’s absence is a huge loss – as San Antonio was already gunning for a shot at a playoff spot, and it marks the second hit for the team after head coach Gregg Popovich has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he had a stroke last year. This condition was discovered when Wemby made his return to San Antonio after the All-Star Game. The Spurs were quick to announce his status, and it definitely shocked a lot of fans as it also puts the DPOY race now wide open than most people expected at this point. Wemby Out Wembanyama has been terrific this season so far, as the Frenchman averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game – and he’s been at the top of the DPOY race thanks to his antics, and it cannot be denied that his presence in the MVP race even makes this really a great season for him so far. With Wembanyama leading the way, the Spurs were just three wins away from being in the Play-In Tournament slots in the Western Conference. This injury does not help them well at all, and being diagnosed with DVT is not an ideal look so far. Athletes who are involved with contact sports are typically advised to avoid using such medication because of the heightened chance of bleeding. This isn’t new among athletes over the years, and it this is why the Spurs remain confident about his status for recovery considering that he’s still young and really has a lot of potential in the game at this point in time. The DPOY Odds on Disarray With Wembanyama now out of the picture for good, one can say that the race for the DPOY has just been disrupted at a high level and has been on a massive disarray now more than ever. Jaren Jackson Jr., who was also a star this season, is now leading the odds at -125, and followed by Evan Mobley at +105. However, there are talks as to how Luguentz Dort would be now on the rise considering that he is the best defensive player in the best defensive team in the league. Oklahoma City has always had him on every best player, night in and night out. Dort currently stands at +1200 in the odds for the DPOY. What’s interesting is that Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s two stars for this season, have also been around the DPOY odds next to Dort, and it seems that this is quite a promising note for OKC considering how these two stars have been phenomenal two-way players in their own right. So far, Wembanyama’s injury is affecting a lot of things in the league – and it goes to show how his presence in the NBA is quite special, and fans would be keen to see him get back into action soon.

Selected as an All-Star for the first time in 2025, winning the three-point shootout, it seems that the stars are aligning for Tyler Herro at this point. And believe it or not, it is all lining up for him to improve his odds in the Most Improved Player Award for this season with the Miami Heat. At the age of 25, this is the perfect time for Herro to step up his game to another level, and one can say that he is surely making the most of his chances so far with the way he is playing right now, and that says a lot about how he is expected to continue making big strides now more than ever as he has jumped out into a promising star status at this point. Herro has been the focal point of the Miami Heat this season. With the Jimmy Butler trade now past them, the star guard now takes on a bigger role with the team and is showing out to be an elite performer to watch for years to come as he approaches his new status as the face of the Heat Culture moving forward. A Strong Season So Far Since joining the Heat, Herro has been a pivotal performer for Miami and has been on a huge tear. The guard is averaging career-highs this season with 23.9 points on 46.5% shooting from the field to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists so far, and it cannot be denied that he has ramped up his production ever since.  For the first time in his career, Herro is now logging more than 35 minutes per contest, which is the most in the team this season so far aside from Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler before the latter’s trade to the Golden State Warriors. The Heat brought in Andrew Wiggins in exchange, and now the reins of the team seemed to have fallen to the hands of Herro now more than ever. The Heat sit ninth in the Eastern Conference in what has been quite a turbulent season for one of the top contenders in the league. They currently have a 25-28 record – just a few wins below the .500 mark. It does seem that Herro’s case for the MIP will need to come up with a few improvements – to make a deep point that he can actually be a leader in his team at this point. The Heat ended the pre-ASG schedule on a four-game skid, and one can say that Herro is still adjusting to the notion that he is now expected to be the future of the team, and that’s when the second half of the season comes into play as he is now seeking his chance to prove his worth in the long run. An MIP Favorite? Well, no. Tyler Herro isn’t the favorite to win it all in the race for the Most Improved Player award this season. Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham has been the heavy pick to win at -105 so far considering how well he has led his team to an unexpected and winning campaign so far after years of depressive losses. Norman Powell comes in second in the race at +105 after his significant contributions to the resurgence of the Los Angeles Clippers in a season where they were expected to be tanking already. Herro stands at third after a drastic climb in 2025, now his odds standing at +1500. That is not much enough to win it all, but fans expect him to ride all the way to the top as he now brings his game with the Heat on another level.

OKC missed out on a chance to become the third team to enter the All-Star Break with only a single-digit loss after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the break. Now with 66% of the season already through, the home stretch finally begins and the Thunder hope to make the most of its chances to secure a top finish in the NBA. With a 44-10 record, the Thunder enters as a hot pick to win it all with their impressive pace so far. OKC has topped the Western Conference for quite a long time now, and they are eight games ahead of the second-place Memphis Grizzlies, which just shows how far they are from the rest of the competition – and how well they are doing as a whole. OKC has become a contender to watch in just a short span of time, and it cannot be denied that the Thunder are making a strong pace to finish as a league-leading team to wager on heading into the playoffs. Now more than ever, there are high expectations of Oklahoma City’s rise to prominence. A Thunderous Surge OKC’s rise to the game hasn’t been much precedented over the years. Three years ago, the Thunder were on its second-worst season ever in a row with a 24-58 record, still in the middle of a rebuild. In just a short span of time, OKC has turned it all around and is on the pace to become the back-to-back 1st seed in the Western Conference after finishing 57-25 last season. This is the first time in history that the Thunder is on the pace for a 68-14 record at the very least. The best finish for the Thunder has been at 60-22, which was in 2012-13, and that hasn’t been matched since then, with OKC coming up close to that mark last season, but fell short by three wins. OKC has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game, which is the best differential in the history of the game – and it also tops the mark of the 1971-72 Lakers who had a winning differential of +12.3 per game back then. Despite the 15-point loss to the Timberwolves last week, The Thunder remain the only team not to lose by at least 20 points. It is also worth noting that OKC’s comeback culture is also starting to make its return. Comebacks have been a trademark of the Thunder over the years since the Kevin Durant era – the ability to withstand massive deficits and win the game is never an easy feat. But OKC stands at 12-7 in the games where they have trailed by double-digits, which is the best record in games down by 10 points in the last 29 seasons. What’s Next for OKC? The Thunder are set to enter Week 18 in a clash on the road against the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. They will be playing five of their first six post-break games on the road, which says a lot about how tough the challenge will be for OKC moving forward. Still, the Thunder are the best team in the league, and the return of Chet Holmgren has been a brief adjustment period for the team – but it is highlighting a bright future for the team now more than ever. It is a sign of scary things to come considering that the Thunder has been stable even with a lot of injuries bothering the squad as a whole.

After Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain went down with a season-ending injury, many rookie names emerged as the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award. However, with the season now winding down to its final two months of action, San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Stephon Castle is now expected to be the big winner by the end of the campaign. Before the acquisition of De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs have been starting Castle so far and has seen a strong production over the course of the season. With the likes of Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, and Yves Missi all coming up with unsteady production, Castle emerges as an easy pick to be the Rookie of the Year so far. Rookie seasons could be tough for players. But Castle has been slowly adjusting to the Spurs playbook and has fit in well so far, and it cannot be denied that he has been really a huge boost for the team with the way he has evolved in the game, which proves that he may well be a strong candidate for the ROTY now more than ever. Building Castle Castle was deemed to be suited to be coming off the bench for the Spurs at this point in time. He came off the bench in that thriller in Charlotte – and went on to drop a season-best 33 points while hitting 10 of his 15 shots, including 10-for-11 form the charity stripe. Despite being a reserve, it does seem that Castle has a lot of game in him, and the Spurs definitely got the best out of that pick so far. Playing alongside the phenomenal All-Star in Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle has eased in well to make himself a perfect fit for the Spurs so far. This season, Castle is averaging 12.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game – making him a huge punch for the Spurs now more than ever. San Antonio is 12th in the Western Conference right now and is fighting its way for a Play-In spot, just four wins behind the 10th seed as of the time of writing. Should the Spurs make a deeper push, Castle’s case for the ROTY just builds up even better. At this point, Castle is definitely the best for the Spurs in the Draft, and they are not making them regret in their choice to trade Rob Dillingham instead of him. Castle on the Lead As of the time of writing, Castle is second in the best odds to win the Rookie of the Year award among multiple sportsbooks with odds of +320. Miami Heat’s Kel’el Ware tops off the list with +130, while Wells is behind Castle at +450, followed by Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher at +600. However, Castle is the top pick among NBA writers so far, who also have a vote for the Rookie of the Year award by the end of the season – and it cannot be denied that this makes him an easy pick to win the award now more than ever. The expectations are high for Castle, who has been really good for most of the season. Now that he’s playing fewer minutes with De’Aaron Fox taking over his starting role, it is easy to expect that he will have to come up with efficient nights to keep his pace for the ROTY by the end of the season.

Luka Doncic was called last in the Lakers’ starting lineup when Los Angeles came up with a 132-113 win against the Utah Jazz on Monday. What’s different is that LeBron James used to be called the last in that regard – all hinting at the Lakers could be in store for the future, especially when it comes to the time that James will eventually move on with his career. Just in the second quarter, James dribbled against Walker Kessler on him, and went to the left baseline to calmly sink a fadeaway jumper to give the Lakers a 43-28 lead with 10:21 to go. Four minutes later, Doncic plays the same dribble, this time against Johnny Luzang, and nails the same one-legged jumper in the same spot as LeBron did. All of the stars have aligned in this magical pairing by the Lakers. Doncic being able to put up a promising game on his own said a lot about how he fits easily into the Lakers roster, and his debut being a blowout win proves that maybe the Lakers, after all, did really win the trade considering that Anthony Davis, now with the Dallas Mavericks, is out with an injury for an indefinite period of time. The Magical Debut Fans at the Crypto.com Arena were treated with free yellow shirts bearing Luka Doncic’s number 77. Each seat had one of those, bringing bigger anticipation for the star guard’s debut with the Lakers. After James was called in the starting lineup, the crowd roared louder with Doncic being called last. Doncic’s first play of the game? A two-on-one play where he threw the ball for a lob to Jaxson Hayes for a massive slam. Luka would go on to drill his first bucket of the game as a Laker – a stepback three from the top of the key in front of a big defender in Kessler. Los Angeles grabbed a 37-25 lead in the first and capitalized a 72-47 lead by halftime. The Lakers continued to pour down impressive baskets down the stretch, keeping the struggling Jazz at bay for the whole second half. Los Angeles finished the third quarter with 100 points and guess what? Add James and Doncic’s numbers together – 23 and 77 – equals 100. James and Doncic did not play the fourth quarter after that. LeBron finished with 24 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds to lead the scoring for the Lakers, while Doncic came up with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his debut. The Lakers had seven players in double figures in the win, including 22 from Austin Reaves and 21 from Rui Hachimura. A Promising Future to Come Doncic was then interviewed by the Lakers’ postgame team after the win, and was asked how good the team can be with him added into the lineup. Many fans expected him to answer about the adjustments he needs to do, but the former Dallas star just came up with a cold, yet confident answer. “Very dangerous,” Doncic said about being added into the team that already has LeBron James. The Lakers have now won its sixth game in a row, including nine out of the last 10 games. Los Angeles now just three games back from the third seed and rivals Denver Nuggets, who stand at 35-19, and just a few more from the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, who have a 35-17 record so far. Considering that Luka is on the squad now and may even well be on the rise once more, there is a strong chance that the Lakers may be on its way to come up with a finish in the second seed if they keep on thriving.

The trade for Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis has garnered mixed reception – with fans saying it wasn’t even a win for both sides as it did not solve any existing issues for both teams. The Lakers needed a big man, and the Mavericks needed offensive firepower. But with Anthony Davis out, it seems that the Mavericks just got hit with an unlucky streak. Davis made a massive debut for Dallas, and he scored 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in 31 minutes – which proved to be a strong show of what he has to offer for the Mavericks heading into the second half of the season. However, that seemed to be a good sight, until Davis went down without contact from offensive player Alperen Sengun. The new big man for Dallas would go on to exit the game against the Rockets, and he did not return. At first, it did seem to be a minor injury, until the Mavericks announced that he suffered a left adductor strain, and now he is expected to miss multiple weeks – in a crucial stretch where the Dallas Mavericks would be needing his services to hunt for a playoff spot. Shifting Odds The Dallas Mavericks started out as one of the heavy favorites to win this season for the NBA Finals, with promising odds of +900 – which was third overall to begin the season behind the Boston Celtics (+300) and the Denver Nuggets (+750). As of the time of writing, the odds for the Mavericks have plummeted not just because of their move to trade Luka Doncic, but also with Davis out with an injury. Well, it does seem that nothing has been easy for the team. The Mavericks are now 28-25, winners of two in a row and 5-5 in their last 10 games, with odds of +3300. They are definitely not in a good spot right now, and one can expect the Mavs are going to miss out on the big chances that they have should they continue to falter. With Davis injured, the Mavericks might well be relying on the same unit that they have for most of this season when Doncic was injured, and it is safe to say that there are a lot of big expectations for a team that is said to be the only squad capable of defeating the top-seed and NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder. Traded at the Right Time The Lakers definitely had some doubts about trading Davis, but it seems that the Lakers would need massive assurance about his health, which has been a major concern in the past. When he's healthy, AD is one of the league's most dominant players, both offensively and defensively. The challenge with him has always been staying on the court consistently. Trading him at the right time would mean cashing in on his value when he's performing at his peak or before injuries hit, but not too early when he's still improving and building chemistry with the team. With the Lakers, Davis averaged 25.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 52.8% shooting from the field. He played a total of 42 games for the Lakers before being traded this season, and getting injured again means that the Lakers did bring their plans out at the right time, especially with Doncic now coming back to play.