Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors had a merry Christmas this year as they beat the Phoenix Suns to reclaim the best record in the NBA.
Meanwhile, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost yet again as their current losing streak grows longer.
Elsewhere, Kemba Walker kept up his recent resurgence with the New York Knicks, while his old team, the Boston Celtics also continued their frustrating inconsistency.
Here are SBOTOP’s four key takeaways from the five games on the NBA’s Christmas slate.
Warriors’ supporting cast outshines Suns
The Warriors won their big Western Conference showdown with the Phoenix Suns, 116-107, to reclaim the best record in the NBA.
Stephen Curry had a team-high 33 points, but he struggled with his shot, going just 10-of-27 from the field and 5-of-16 from beyond the arc.
With Curry struggling once again on Christmas and starters Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole out, it was the unheralded duo of Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II that stepped up in a big way as they combined for 33 points and five 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Nemanja Bjelica and rookie Jonathan Kuminga added 22 points off the bench.
That impressive strength in depth is a major reason why the Warriors have the best record in the NBA and are looking like serious title contenders. While Curry and Draymond Green lead the way on offence and defence respectively, Porter Jr., Payton II, and other members of the team keep providing timely contributions.
And with Klay Thompson closing in on his long-awaited return, the Warriors are set to add another dangerous weapon to their arsenal as they look to reclaim their NBA crown.
Knicks’ Kemba Walker making the most of second chance
Kemba Walker’s remarkable revival with the Knicks continues. The veteran point guard had a triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists to help the Knicks past the Atlanta Hawks, 101-87.
Since being recalled to the Knicks’ rotation after his unceremonious benching, Walker has been averaging 23.5 points, 8.25 rebounds and seven assists while playing 40 minutes in four games. That includes his spectacular 44-point outburst in a losing effort against the Wizards.
It seems highly unlikely that Walker, who has been plagued with knee problems over the last few years, can continue to play 40 minutes per game for much longer. But he is at least showing in this second chance with the Knicks that he still has a lot left to offer the team.
Shorthanded Celtics collapse against Giannis-led Bucks
Despite missing a whopping 12 players due to COVID, the Celtics were still well on course toward upsetting the NBA 2021 betting odds with their third straight win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. But the shorthanded Celtics collapsed down the stretch as Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the 117-113 win.
Antetokounmpo showed no signs of rust on his return from his own COVID layoff as he had 36 points and 12 rebounds in just 30 minutes. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday both had 17 points while Bobby Portis added 16 off the bench.
As for the Celtics, All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both finished with 25 points, but they combined to shoot just 15-of-38 (39 per cent) from the field.
It was yet another disappointing setback for the inconsistent Celtics, who have not won back-to-back games in close to a month.
They clearly have more than enough talent to compete with the likes of the Bucks and the Warriors. But they need to start putting more consistent performances together or they risk missing out on the playoffs, which would be a disaster.
LeBron’s freefalling Lakers look lost
The Lakers saw their season-long losing streak extended to five games after falling to the Brooklyn Nets, 122-115.
The Lakers made a late run led by LeBron James, who finished with 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in 40 minutes. But it still wasn’t enough to overcome the Nets and James Harden, who had a triple-double of 36 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, while Patty Mills had 34 points on eight 3-pointers in the absence of both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The Lakers have looked completely lost ever since Anthony Davis went down with a knee injury. Russell Westbrook has failed to step up and was absolutely awful against the Nets (13 points on 4-of-20 shooting).James made NBA 2021 news recently by admitting the Lakers’ lack of chemistry, and there seem to be little signs of improvement. With the Lakers now 16-18 – eighth in the West – and Davis still weeks away from returning, the Lakers’ struggles could last much longer.
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