Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are primed for Friday’s game against the Suns.
Calmly, perhaps subconsciously, Ja Morant uttered five words to set the stage for Friday night’s clash between Memphis and the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center (10ET, ESPN).
inside Interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews On Wednesday, Morant was asked which team the Grizzlies may have to “run through” on the arduous journey to win the franchise’s first NBA championship.
“Celtics,” he said.
Andrews then tactfully remarked Morant’s reference to “no one in the West.”
“No,” said the point guard, grinning and shaking his head.
“I’m fine in the West.”
Especially given that they finished last season with the best NBA record (64-18), leading the West by just one game behind the Memphis and Denver Nuggets, the Suns made such a point in Friday’s information. I would disagree with the sentiment. meeting. Featuring his Kia Race to the MVP Ladder mainstay pairing of Morant and Devin Booker, this matchup loses a bit of its shine now that the latter is official. listed as out Due to groin injury.
Booker, who was ranked 10th in this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, will miss his third straight game after scoring a season-high 58 points on 21-of-35 shooting on Saturday. Spectacular Phoenix comeback win against the New Orleans Pelicans. The performance marked his fifth record 50-point tally for the 26-year-old, and it marks Kobe’s fifth game in his career since his 2003, which Bryant achieved at his 24-year-old. He became the youngest player to do so.
Devin Booker scored 58 points to help Phoenix regain top spot in New Orleans.
As for Memphis, the Grizzlies enter this contest with a two-game skid after missing out on a seven-game winning streak.That run included a 41-point thrashing December 15th Leading the East, the Milwaukee Bucks have former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo setting the pace. After Morant scored his 25 points in that game, on Tuesday he scored 35 in a loss to his two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets.Grizzlies in between fell 115-109 In Saturday’s game in Oklahoma City, Morant was ejected for his second technical foul just 43 seconds before halftime.
Morant ended that short run with six points on 3-of-10 shots, but remained in the top five on the MVP ladder from the Kia race this week, dropping one spot to fifth. I was. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant moved up to his fourth spot, while Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum moved up to his third spot.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo and Jokic occupy the top two spots in this top-five regrouping.
Durant and Antetokounmpo will face off at the Barclays Center on Friday. national broadcast on NBATV.
And now the top 5 on the MVP ladder for the 2022-23 Kia Race:
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
Season stats: 31.6ppg, 11.2rpg, 5.1apg
The latest NBA injury report lists Durant’s likely Antetokounmpo (left knee pain) in Friday’s game against the Nets.7:30 ET NBA TV).Antetokounmpo missed Saturday’s game against Utah with a sore left knee, but has been patient since Consecutive games with 40 points or more In addition to pulling down 10+ rebounds, he shoots 65.9% from the field. Including his regular season and playoffs, Antetokounmpo’s recent scoring his tier shows that he has scored his 40-plus in his fifth consecutive game in his career. Incidentally, his current scoring average (31.6 ppg) is also a career high.
‘Virtually unstoppable’ Giannis Antetokounmpo climbs the Kia MVP ladder.
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
Season stats: 24.7ppg, 11.0rpg, 9.2apg
We seem to be hearing vague stats every night about Jokic’s name matching Wilt Chamberlain’s, but at this point it seems unlikely that he will join Chamberlain as one of the players to win MVP for the third straight season. I’m wondering please. (Fortunately, his colleague Brian Martin had already explored our possibilities. 2022-23 Kia Season Preview.) Jokic dropped his 13-13-13 stat line. 2 consecutive triple-doubles on tuesday beat memphisTwo days earlier, he became the first player since Chamberlain in 1968 to finish a game with 40-plus points, 25-plus rebounds and 10 assists. In case you’re wondering, Larry Bird is the last player to win MVP three times in a row.
It’s nothing short of a tribute to Nikola Jokic checking into Inside the NBA after his sixth triple-double of the season.
3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Last week’s ranking: First place
Season stats: 30.6ppg, 8.1rpg, 4.1apg
Here’s to telling Celtics fans not to worry. Because Tatum can get back to No. 1 as quickly as he dropped to No. 3. Tatum missed Sunday’s game against Orlando for “personal reasons” and later reportedly skipped the game to celebrate his son Deuce’s birthday. Kudos to Tatum, who is 24 years old, for understanding what was most important to him. In his first game return, Tatum dropped 52% from the field and he dropped 41 points. loss on wednesday to the Indiana Pacers.So Tatum it certainly wasn’t rustyHowever, as Boston went from 8-of-9 wins (Nov. 23-Dec. 7) to its current state of 5-of-6 recent games (Dec. must help find its way.
Jayson Tatum finished the week with 41 points in a loss to the Pacers.
4. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
Season stats: 30.1ppg, 6.6rpg, 5.3apg
A matchup between Durant and Antetokounmpo would likely break a head-to-head tie between the two, if you count the playoffs. The two have faced each other a total of 24 times in the series, with him tied 12-12, with Antetokounmpo scoring his 43 points and his 14 rebounds. Oct. 26 Bucks winThe Brooklyn team was far from what we expected at the Barclays Center on Friday. Nets revivalUnsurprisingly, the league leader in total points (934), he receives a lot of accolades for his offensive acumen. But he’s also the leader in his ends defensively, clutching this season he’s 12-3 in games with the Nets on his team, and in the last five games he’s recorded eight steals.
Kevin Durant’s leadership stabilized the Nets ship. Could the Kia MVP Chase be next at the top?
5. Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Season stats: 27.0ppg, 6.4rpg, 7.8apg
Fingers crossed that arguably the most formidable backcourt duo in the league could be seen together again in Phoenix on Friday. The Grizzlies listed shooting his guard Desmond his Bain as a suspect (sprained right big toe) against the Suns. Bain has missed his 17 games with a toe injury, but Morant posted his backcourtmate’s jersey numbers on Thursday. mysterious tweet That might hint at the looming return of the former. Morant and Bane lots of noise Earlier in the season, the duo have yet to face Jaren Jackson, Jr., who appeared in the first 14 games.
Ja Morant had 35 points and 10 assists in the loss to the Nuggets.
The following five:
6. Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans (Last week’s ranking: 7th)
T-7. Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks (Last week’s ranking: 6th)
T-7. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers (Last week’s ranking: 8th)
9. Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)
Ten. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (Last week’s ranking: Unranked)
Five more (in alphabetical order): Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. Julius Randle, New York Knicks. Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.
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