With less than a month less to go in the regular season things continue to remain close in the West. The Los Angeles Lakers are still on top with a record of 50-18 and have an eight game lead over Phoenix (42-26) in the Pacific division, but their lead in the conference is just 3 ½ games over Denver. The Mavericks 13 game winning streak came to an end, but they still lead San Antonio in the Southwest by five games. In the Northwest division, the Nuggets lead over Utah (44-24) is down to two games with Oklahoma City (41-25) just four games back. There are 10 teams in the West with a winning record and Portland is currently in the 8th spot at 41-28. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the West.
Los Angeles Lakers (50-18) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 7/5
Last Friday the Lakers held the Suns to just 15 points in the second quarter on their way to a 102-96 win. Against the Warriors, Kobe Bryant scored a team high 29 points and Andrew Bynum added 19 points and 14 rebounds in a tight 124-121 win. They won their fourth straight with a 106-99 win over the Kings. Through 68 games Bryant leads in points per game with 27.7 and assists with 4.9. Pau Gasol is the leading rebounder with 11. Next up for the Lakers are the Timberwolves tonight and the Wizards on Sunday in LA and the Spurs on the road on Wednesday, March 24th.
Dallas Mavericks (46-22) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/1
The Mavs 13 game winning streak came to an unexpected end when they were crushed by the Knicks 94-128 last Saturday night. The game was fairly close until they were outscored by New York 33-18 in the third. They bounced back with a 113-106 win over the Bulls. Through 68 games Dirk Nowitzki is the leading scorer, averaging 25 points per game. Since coming to the Mavs, Brendon Haywood has averaged 8.5 rebounds per game and Jason Kidd leads in assists with 9.3. Next up for the Mavericks are the Celtics on Saturday at home, the Hornets on Monday on the road, back home against the Clippers on Tuesday, and then back on the road to face the Trail Blazers on Thursday, March 25th.
Denver Nuggets (46-22) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/1
Last Friday, Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and had 12 rebounds in a 102-95 win over the Hornets. The next night they followed this up with a 125-108 win over Grizzlies. In a heartbreaker, they dropped a 123-125 decision to the Rockets despite Anthony’s 45 points. In a 10 point 97-87 win over the Wizards, the Nuggets outscored Washington by 16 points in the second half. In their fifth game in seven days, they beat the Hornets again 93-80. Through 69 games Anthony is the leading scorer, averaging 28.8 points per game. Kenyon Martin is averaging 9.6 rebounds and Chauncey Billups is averaging 5.7 assists. Next up for the Nuggets are the Bucks on Saturday at home, and then on the road against the Knicks on Tuesday and the Celtics on Wednesday, March 24th.
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