The L.A. Lakers strong play is already starting to separate themselves from the rest of the conference and it is only the first week of December. With a 14-3 record, they are currently on a seven game winning streak and have a two game lead in the Pacific division over the 14-5 Phoenix Suns who have lost their last two. The 14-5 Dallas Mavericks have a three game lead over 11-8 Houston and a 3 ½ game lead over 9-7 San Antonio in the Southwest division. Denver leads the way in the Northwest at 14-5 and has a 2 ½ game lead over 12-8 Portland. 10-7 Utah and 10-8 Oklahoma City are only a few back making this a very competitive division. Overall, the Western Conference has 10 teams with a winning record and with the exception of 2-16 Minnesota everyone else remains in the chase. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Lakers (14-3) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference -130
Last Saturday night the Warriors put up little resistance as the Lakers rolled to a 130-97 victory. Seven players scored in double figures and Paul Gasol added 12 rebounds in the 33 point romp. Against the winless Nets, they cruised to a 106-87 victory after outscoring them 27-12 in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant’s 30 points led the way. They made it seven straight with a 110-99 win over the Hornets on Wednesday night in L.A. In this game Andrew Bynum was the star with 21 points and nine rebounds. Through 17 games Bryant is the leading scorer averaging 28.8 points per game, Bynum and Gasol are both averaging 10 rebounds per game, and Lamar Odom leads in assists with 4.6 per game. Next up for the Lakers are the Heat tonight, the Suns on Sunday, and the Jazz on Wednesday, December 9th.
Dallas Mavericks (14-5) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference + 875
Last Friday the Mavericks beat the Pacers 113-92. Dirk Nowitzski was the leading scorer with 31 points as this one was never in doubt when they outscored Indiana 29-15 in the third quarter. In a 111-95 loss to the Cavaliers the next night, Nowitzski’s 27 points along with Jason Terry’s 25 points off the bench were not enough to keep this one close. On Tuesday the undermanned 76ers gave them all they could handle, but they still came away with a 104-102 win. Nowitzski once again led the way with 28 points along with Jason Kidd’s 22 points and 11 assists. The next night they contributed to history by handing the Nets their 18 straight loss, setting an NBA record for the worst start in history. In the 117-101 win, six players scored in double figures and Erick Dampier added 11 rebounds and Kidd had 10 assists. Through 19 games Nowitzski is the leading scorer averaging 27 points per game, Dampier leads in rebounds with 9 per game, and Kidd leads in assists 9.1. Next up for the Mavericks are the Grizzlies tonight in Memphis, and then back home against the Hawks on Saturday and the Suns on Tuesday, December 8th.
Denver Nuggets (14-5) Current Odds to Win the Western Conference + 575
Last Friday the Nuggets pulled out a three point win over the Knicks 128-125. Carmelo Anthony hit the half century mark in this one dropping 50 points on New York while Chauncey Billups added 32 points of his own. In a major letdown, they then dropped a 106-100 decision to the Timberwolves by blowing a 14 point lead to the second worst team in the league. Anthony had 32 points in the loss. On Tuesday they got back to their winning ways with a 135-107 rout of the Warriors. This time they built a 14 point lead at the half and never looked back with seven players scoring in double figures in the win. In an impressive 114-96 win over the Heat on Thursday night, once again it was a total team effort with six players scoring in double digits led by Anthony’s 22 points. Through 19 games Anthony leads in scoring, averaging 30.2. He has yet to score less than 20 points in any one game. Nene leads in rebounds with 9.3 per game and Billups leads in assists with 6.1. Next up for the Nuggets in a four game road trip, are the Spurs on Saturday, the 76ers on Monday, the Bobcats on Tuesday, and the Pistons on Thursday, December 9th.
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