Gardner: This week in the NBA
TOP BUCKS PLAYER
Matthew Dellavedova played a huge role in the Bucks’ 2-1 week on the road. He sank two critical three-pointers late in the game as the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 97-96, on Wednesday night, and he switched defensively to hold his ground on Blake Griffin’s last-second attempt for a game-winner. Dellavedova has improved his three-point shooting in recent games and was 3 for 3 against the Clippers and 3 for 4 against Memphis on Monday. He cooled off by going 0 for 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday but had five assists while playing 25 minutes off the bench in Milwaukee’s 107-103 victory.
BUCKS LOOK AHEAD
Milwaukee will conclude its six-game trip with a back-to-back set against Portland and Sacramento on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be the Bucks’ first visit to the Kings’ new downtown arena. Then it’s back home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
BUCKS QUOTE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, after Griffin’s missed shot in the final second allowed the Bucks to survive: “Thank God he missed that shot.”
TOP NBA PLAYER
Russell Westbrook keeps piling up the triple-doubles. When he did it last week, Oklahoma City beat some good teams with victories over Utah and Toronto, in addition to a win against Brooklyn. He now has 34 triple-doubles after falling just two rebounds shy of a 35th on Saturday against Sacramento, Westbrook is just seven behind Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 41 triple-doubles with 13 games remaining for the Thunder.
TOP NBA TEAM
Memphis had lost five in a row and was searching for answers. But the Grizzlies responded with a 113-93 victory over the Bucks on Monday as Vince Carter made all eight shots he took, including 6 for 6 from three-point range. Center Marc Gasol had a triple-double (18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds) in a 103-91 road victory over Atlanta on Thursday. The defense is back for the Grizzlies, who allowed 91.7 points and 41% shooting in their three victories last week, entering a Saturday night home game against San Antonio.
NBA QUOTE
Washington Wizards guard John Wall: "I'm not the type of guy who wants to sit down and rest. I think you owe it to the fans. They paid money to come see us play. That's how a professional goes out there and competes. If nothing is hurt, you can play, go play.”
NBA RANKINGS (through Friday’s games)
Top 10: 1. San Antonio, 2. Golden State, 3. Cleveland, 4. Houston, 5. Utah, 6. Boston, 7. Washington, 8. Toronto, 9. Atlanta, 10. Memphis.
Middle 10: 11. Oklahoma City, 12. Los Angeles Clippers, 13. Milwaukee, 14. Miami, 15. Denver, 16. Indiana, 17. Detroit, 18. Portland, 19. Dallas, 20. Minnesota.
Bottom 10: 21. Chicago, 22. Charlotte, 23. New Orleans, 24. Philadelphia, 25. New York, New Orleans, 26. Orlando, 27. Sacramento, 28. Phoenix, 29. Los Angeles Lakers, 30. Brooklyn.
ONE MAN'S OPINION
The Lakers’ hold on Los Angeles is amazing.
Even with the team struggling to a 20-49 record and free agents avoiding the team, the loyal fan base remains strong.
Jeanie Buss has made her move by firing her brother, Jim, and general manager Mitch Kupchak and replacing them with Lakers legend Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka.
How it all works out is anybody’s guess, but Johnson has the respect of players and executives alike.
The Lakers crowd Friday supported its team to the finish even though the result was another defeat. The Clippers have a hard-core group of supporters but they don’t have the city’s heart.
Lakers coach Luke Walton saluted the fans by saying, “They keep supporting and that’s part of the reason we need to play like that all the time. It’s the right thing to do.”