NBA Power Rankings: Milwaukee Bucks riding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s balky back
By Phil Watson
73. . 26-12. Previous: . Denver Nuggets. 11. team
Last week: Won at Atlanta 123-115, won at Dallas 107-106, lost to Cleveland 111-103
This week: Sunday vs. Clippers, Wednesday vs. Charlotte, Thursday at Golden State
The Denver Nuggets will have a tough week ahead, with two back-to-backs and just three games on the schedule. They face the Clippers Sunday after losing at home to the Cavaliers (!!!) on Saturday and have another back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday. The loss to Cleveland comes after a 3-2 trip that included wins at Indiana and Dallas (and, you know, a loss at Washington).
Nikola Jokic started the week off right in Denver’s win at Atlanta, scoring a career-high 47 points on 16-of-25 shooting. On the week, Jokic put up 33.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.9 minutes per game, shooting 63.2 percent overall and a torrid 10-for-19 from 3-point range.
118. . 26-12. Previous: . Utah Jazz. 10. team
Last week: Won at New Orleans 128-126, beat New York 128-104, beat Charlotte 109-92
This week: Sunday at Washington, Tuesday at Brooklyn, Thursday at New Orleans, Saturday vs. Sacramento
The Utah Jazz could have a chemistry problem on the horizon, but for right now they are cooking with gas, with eight straight victories and wins in 13 of their last 14 games. The Jazz closed out a 3-0 road trip with a narrow win at New Orleans Monday night before coming home to power past the Knicks and Hornets without much resistance.
Is it weird to notice that Utah is 10-1 since Mike Conley re-aggravated his hamstring injury? Rudy Gobert put together a solid week for the Jazz, averaging 13.3 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game, shooting 60.0 percent on his 8.3 attempts per game. That included a 5-for-5 night against the Knicks.