James Harden
has always been a good player, but this season has seen his stock rise exponentially. Is he ready to be a
top-tier NBA star? Is he good enough to supplant Kobe Bryant as the best
shooting guard in the league? Who else has upped his game to become one of the
high-producing guards of late? (Stats as of January 9, 2013 – Manila time;
these stats are from each team’s last 5 games only)
5. Arron Afflalo (ORL) - 22.8ppg, 2.6rpg,
3.8apg, .506 FG%, 18.4 EFF
Afflalo has
been able to complement the great play of Jameer Nelson, and the results have
been exciting for the Magic. Though they’re on a 9-game dry spell, it’s clear
that Afflalo and Nelson combo might prove to be a dangerous one as we near the
All-Star break. Don’t count the Magic out for a late-season Playoff push.
4. Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 22.8ppg, 6.2rpg,
3.2apg, 1.4spg, 1.0bpg, .500 FG%, .462 3pt%, 21.6 EFF
Losses to
the Bulls and the Pacers have dampened the New Year somewhat for Miami fans,
but this is still the best team out East. Wade has rediscovered his deadly
form, and that should augur well as I expect the Heat to pile on the Ws with
just Portland and Sacramento up next.
3. JR Smith (NYK) - 23.6ppg, 6.4rpg, 3.8apg,
1.6spg, 22.2 EFF
Though the
Knicks are 2-2 to start 2013, they’re still a plenty dangerous squad. That’s
mainly because of Melo, but one cannot discard the contributions of JR Smith. Smith
has been a spark for coach Mike Woodson, and he, along with the stellar play of
Tyson Chandler, has been a huge reason for New York’s dramatic improvement this
season.
2. Kobe Bryant (LAL) - 30.0ppg, 4.2rpg,
4.2apg, 2.2spg, .475FG%, 24.2 EFF
At least for
now, Kobe is NOT the most productive off-guard in the world. He stills scores and
defends like crazy, but it’s puzzling to see how his Lakers have not really
translated these into wins. The Lakeshow team lost its last 4 games and with
San Antonio and OKC up next, and Gasol and Howard out, prospects don’t look
bright at all.
1. James Harden (HOU) - 29.6ppg, 2.8rpg,
6.2apg, 2.6spg, .489 FG%, .885 FT%, 28.0 EFF
All-Star
material for sure. Harden has followed up his breakout 2011-2012 campaign, and
great Olympic stint, with a career year as the best Rocket acquisition since…
Clyde Drexler? The Rockets have won their last 5 assignments thanks to Harden
playing like a man possessed. He’ll be tested against Paul Pierce’s Celtics and
Philly’s Evan Turner in Houston’s next two games.
 |
| James Harden has been the best SG of 2013... so far. (image by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) |
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Indiana 87, Miami 77
Paul George
recorded a double-double with 29 points and 11 rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers
took down the Miami Heat, 87-77, in a rematch of last season's Eastern
Conference semifinals. Tuesday's meeting between the two teams was the first
since Miami beat Indiana in six games in last season's playoffs. David West
added 14 points and 11 boards for the Pacers, who have won two in a row. Lance
Stephenson tallied 13 points. Dwyane Wade ended with 30 points for the Heat,
who started a six-game road trip on Tuesday. LeBron James donated 22 points and
10 rebounds.
 |
| Dwyane Wade has rediscovered his deadly form for the East-leading Miami Heat. (image by Alan Diaz/AP) |
Brooklyn 109, Philadelphia 89
Deron
Williams scored a game-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and handed out five
assists as the Brooklyn Nets blasted the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-89, on Tuesday
at Wells Fargo Center. Andray Blatche netted 20 points and pulled down seven
rebounds and Joe Johnson finished with 15 and five assists for the Nets, who
have won four in a row. Brook Lopez added 13 points and Reggie Evans
contributed a career-high 23 rebounds in the victory. Jrue Holiday netted a
team-high 19 points and dished out eight assists while Spencer Hawes added 14
points for the Sixers, who have dropped four straight and six of seven. Nick
Young donated 11 points in a losing effort.
Houston 125, LA Lakers 112
James Harden
poured in a game-high 31 points and handed out nine assists on Tuesday, as the
Houston Rockets defeated the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, 125-112, at
Toyota Center. Chandler Parsons added 20 points, while Jeremy Lin and Carlos
Delfino donated 19 points apiece for the Rockets, who have won five straight
and 10 of their last 12 games. Los Angeles was playing without two-thirds of
its starting frontcourt, as center Dwight Howard and forward Pau Gasol are both
out indefinitely. Howard sustained a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will
be re-examined in a week, while Gasol did not make the trip to Houston due to a
concussion. Metta World Peace paced the Lakers with 24 points and Kobe Bryant
followed with 20 points, seven assists and five boards in the setback, Los
Angeles' fourth in a row. Steve Nash notched his 10,000th assist in the loss,
making him the fourth fastest to reach the mark in NBA history (1,162 games).
He finished with 16 points and 10 assists.
Milwaukee 108, Phoenix 99
The
Milwaukee Bucks began the Jim Boylan coaching era on a positive note. A day
after the team and former coach Scott Skiles mutually agreed to part ways, the
Bucks ended a four-game skid by downing the Phoenix Suns, 108-99, behind 29
points and nine assists from Brandon Jennings. Jennings shot 9-for-15 --
including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc -- in leading seven Bucks players in
double-figures. Larry Sanders tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and six blocks,
while Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson each scored 12. Henson also pulled down 11
boards in the victory. Boylan was named the interim head coach for the
remainder of the season. The Suns continued their road struggles with their
10th straight loss away from home. Goran Dragic led the team with 21 points and
Marcin Gortat and Luis Scola each posted double-doubles. Gortat tallied 16
points and 14 boards and Scola finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the
defeat.
Minnesota 108, Atlanta 103
Nikola
Pekovic dropped a game-high 25 points and pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds
as the Minnesota Timberwolves posted a wire-to-wire 108-103 victory over the
Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at Target Center. Andrei Kirilenko netted 21 points on
7-of-11 shooting to go with six rebounds and five assists, while Derrick
Williams added 17 points for the T-Wolves, who beat the Hawks for the first
time since April 9, 2006, snapping an 11-game slide. Alexey Shved scored 15
points and dished out seven assists and Luke Ridnour added 10 points in the
victory. Josh Smith netted 21 points and grabbed 13 boards and Louis Williams
scored 21 to go with eight assists for the Hawks, who have lost four of their last
five. Al Horford donated 19 points and 11 rebounds and Kyle Korver contributed
15 points in the setback.
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