As we end into the home stretch of the regular season things are starting to heat up in the West. The Los Angeles Lakers are still on top with a record of 47-18 and have a seven game lead over Phoenix (40-25) in the Pacific division, but their lead in the conference is down to just 2 ½ games over Dallas. The red hot Mavericks have won 13 games in a row and lead San Antonio in the Southwest by six games. In the Northwest division Denver’s lead over Utah (42-22) is down to just one game with Oklahoma City 3 ½ games back. There are 10 teams in the West with a winning record with Portland currently in the 8th spot at 39-28. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the West.
Los Angeles Lakers (47-18) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 7/5
Last Friday the Lakers suffered one of their defeats of the season, getting routed by the Bobcats 83-98. Their losing streak reached three games with a tough two point 94-96 loss to Orlando as Kobe Bryant missed a game tying shot at the Buzzer. Bryant snapped the losing streak with a game winning jumper in a 109-107 win over the Raptors. Through 65 games Bryant leads in points per game with 27.8 and assists with 4.8. Pau Gasol is the leading rebounder with 11.1. Next up for the Lakers are three straight road games starting with the Suns tonight, the Warriors on Monday, and the Kings on Tuesday, March 16th.
Dallas Mavericks (45-21) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/1
The Mavericks are making a serious run at the top spot in the West and have the Lakers dead in their sights. Last Friday they beat the Kings 108-100. They followed that up with a 122-116 win over the Bulls. In a 125-112 victory over the Timberwolves, three players scored 20+ points led by Shawn Marion’s 29. Their winning streak reached 13 with a 96-87 win over the Nets. Through 66 games Dirk Nowitzki is the leading scorer, averaging 25.2 points per game. In his 12 games with the Mavs, Brendon Haywood has averaged 8.9 rebounds per game and Jason Kidd leads in assists with 9.4. Next up for the Mavericks are the Knicks on Saturday and the Bulls on Wednesday, March 17th at home.
Denver Nuggets (43-21) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/1
Last Friday, Carmelo Anthony scored a game high 34 points in a 122-114 win over the Pacers. In a 118-106 win over the Trail Blazers Anthony led the way again with 30 points. They made it four straight with a 110-102 win over the Timberwolves. Six players scored in double figures led by Chauncey Billup’s 25 points. Through 64 games Anthony is the leading scorer, averaging 28.5 points per game. Kenyon Martin is averaging 9.6 rebounds and Billups is averaging 5.9assists. Next up for the Nuggets are the Hornets tonight, the Grizzlies on Saturday, and the Rockets on Monday on the Road. They head back home to face the Wizards on Tuesday and the Hornets again on Thursday, March 18th.
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