Gardner: This week in the NBA
TOP BUCKS PLAYER
It Be-Easy. That’s the way veteran forward Michael Beasley makes it look at times as he glides inside the defense and finishes adeptly with either hand. Beasley gave the Bucks a huge lift Tuesday when he scored a season-high 28 points and dished the game-winning assist in Milwaukee’s 109-107 victory at San Antonio. He stepped in for Giannis Antetoukounmpo, who was limited to 9 minutes by a virus. Beasley added 11 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting in the Bucks’ 116-108 victory over Miami on Friday night.
BUCKS LOOK AHEAD
The schedule heats up with five games in the next seven days, including four on the road. The Bucks open the week with back-to-back matinee games, at Atlanta on Sunday and home for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day game vs. Philadelphia on Monday (2:30 p.m. start). Then it’s off to Houston for a nationally televised showdown (ESPN) between James Harden and the Greek Freak on Wednesday night, followed by a back-to-back set in Orlando and Miami on Friday and Saturday.
BUCKS QUOTE
Greg Monroe, on Antetokounmpo's stunning double-pump dunk against Miami on Friday: "I never saw anything like it in my life. He's a freak. They call him the Greek Freak for a reason."
TOP NBA PLAYER
Toronto shooting guard DeMar DeRozan does it quietly, but don't be fooled. The Raptors guard showed he deserves a starting spot on the Eastern Conference all-star team with a stellar week of play. He had 36 points in a loss to Houston and followed that with a 41-point, 13-rebound splash in a home-court victory over Boston. DeRozan scored 28 points in just 30 minutes in Toronto’s 132-113 rout of Brooklyn on Friday night at the Air Canada Centre.
TOP NBA TEAM
Is it possible? Yes, entering Saturday the Philadelphia 76ers had won three straight games, their longest winning streak in three years. And it’s all about center Joel Embiid, finally healthy after missing two seasons with injuries. Embiid exchanged tweets with WWE star Triple H (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) this week and put a hurt on Charlotte with 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the 76ers’ 102-93 home-court victory Friday. Embiid was scheduled to sit out the second game of a back-to-back set against Washington on Saturday. But the league’s leading rookie of the year candidate should be primed for Monday’s game against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
NBA QUOTE
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade, who is among the leading vote-getters for the East team in the fan balloting for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game but may not be selected because of the media and players component of the voting; “We’ll see when the votes come out where I’m at. If I’m not going to New Orleans, I’m still going to New Orleans.”
NBA RANKINGS (through Friday’s games)
Top 10: 1. Golden State, 2. Cleveland, 3. San Antonio, 4. Toronto, 5. Houston, 6. Boston, 7. Memphis, 8. Los Angeles Clippers, 9. Utah, 10. Atlanta.
Middle 10:11. Milwaukee, 12. Oklahoma City, 13. Washington, 14. Indiana, 15. Charlotte, 16. New York, 17. Chicago, 18. Orlando, 19. Portland, 20. Detroit.
Bottom 10: 21. Denver, 22. Minnesota, 23. New Orleans, 24. Sacramento, 25. Philadelphia, 26. Los Angeles Lakers, 27. Dallas, 28. Phoenix, 29. Miami, 30. Brooklyn.
ONE MAN'S OPINION
My all-star ballot is in, as one of 75 media members selected to help with the voting in the league’s revised format that includes fans, players and media.
There were some tough choices to make. But it’s clear that Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo deserves to be a starter Feb. 19 in New Orleans. Judging from the buzz around the Greek Freak, he will be one when all the votes are counted and the starters are revealed Thursday night.
My Eastern Conference starters: Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler in the frontcourt; DeMar DeRozan and John Wall in the backcourt.
Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas also are deserving, but I went with Wall, who is averaging double figures in points and assists. And he helped the Wizards beat the Bucks in three of four meetings.
In the West, I went with league MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden at guards; and Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt.
Leonard and Durant are easy picks.
DeMarcus Cousins likely deserves to start, but I chose Gasol for his contributions to a winning Memphis team (4-0 against Houston and Golden State) and the addition of the three-pointer to his game. The Spaniard is shooting 39.1% from three-point range on 133 attempts, after attempting just 66 threes in his previous eight NBA seasons.