Big move up NBA Power Rankings in Week 4 for Houston Rockets
By Phil Watson
Last week: Beat Detroit 117-108, won at Cleveland 108-97, beat New Orleans 109-94
This week: Wednesday vs. Cleveland, Friday at Chicago, Saturday at Philadelphia
Bam Adebayo continues to show the Miami Heat that their faith in him was not misplaced. As the Heat were winning all three games last week, Adebayo went on a tear, averaging 17.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 33.9 minutes per game while shooting 67.6 percent overall.
It is Adebayo’s playmaking ability that is the surprise. He’s averaging 5.1 assists per 36 minutes this season after averaging just 3.1 per 36 minutes over his first two NBA seasons. Adebayo is also getting 1.5 blocks per game thus far, helping to offset the loss of Hassan Whiteside.
Adebayo is also averaging a double-double on the year — 13.9 points and 10.4 rebounds — and has been a big reason why the Heat are off to a scorching start.
Miami is doing a lot of this without Justise Winslow, who has missed seven straight games with a concussion, and their new sixth man deluxe — Goran Dragic — sat out the win in New Orleans with an illness.
Last week: Beat Chicago 124-115, won at Indiana 102-93
This week: Wednesday at Atlanta, Thursday vs. Portland, Saturday vs. Detroit
At some point, we will run out of superlatives to describe reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, won’t we? We have to, right? Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks to a 2-0 record last week, making it seven wins in eight games for Milwaukee after a 2-2 start.
As for Antetokounmpo, he did the usual. You know, 32.0 points, 14.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 blocks in 32.1 minutes a game, while shooting 56.1 percent overall and hitting 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from 3-point range. Giannis is averaging 30.1 points and 14.3 rebounds per game this season, while also throwing in 6.5 assists.
His 3-point percentage is up to 32.0 percent and he’s hit 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) over his last five games. About the only complaint right now is his ever-shrinking free throw percentage, which has gone from a career-high 77.0 percent in 2016-17 down to 63.0 percent so far this season.
Antetokounmpo’s play helped the Bucks weather the first two games of what will be an absence of three to four weeks for Khris Middleton, who sustained a left thigh contusion.