NBA Awards Watch: James Harden vs. Stephen Curry For MVP

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Mar 30, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) goes for up for a layup against Phoenix Suns at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

7. LaMarcus Aldridge

65 games, 35.6 MPG, 23.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 BPG, .468/.363/.847 shooting, 22.8 PER

Last week: 6 (⇓‡“1)

Last week, the Portland Trail Blazers were mired in a five-game losing streak and Aldridge had missed the team’s last game because of that nagging thumb injury. It’s amazing what a week competing against non-playoff teams in the West can do, as the Blazers are now in the middle of a four-game win streak behind strong performances from LMA.

Aldridge didn’t blow us away in a narrow win against the Utah Jazz, but two nights later against the Phoenix Suns, he put on an MVP-caliber performance on the road. With a playoff-desperate team climbing back into the game late in the fourth, Aldridge buried five straight turnaround jumpers to put the game out of reach, finishing his night with 27 points and nine boards.

He slapped up 32 points and 11 rebounds in a six-point win against the Denver Nuggets the following night, providing another example of how important his consistency is with Damian Lillard all over the map (eight points, 4-of-11 shooting). Unfortunately, Rip City’s record just isn’t quite good enough to stave off the advance of our new No. 6.

Next: No. 6 - CP3