Deandre Ayton, Giannis Antetokounmpo named Players of the Week

After the Milwaukee Bucks secured a 124-115 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, Mavs star Luka Doncic had some high praise for former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, calling him the best player in the league. “It’s hard to go against a guy like that,” Doncic said. “He’s the best player in the NBA right now. He’s almost impossible to stop. It’s really fun to see him play, but it’s not that fun to go against him.” -via ESPN / November 28, 2022

Former back-to-back NBA MVP averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists under Itoudis. But Giannis team was stopped by Germany in the quarterfinals 96-107. “You need to make certain adjustments in strategy, spacing, and how your opponents play and build the wall in Europe without a three-second violation. It’s more an adjustment for Giannis because he plays a lot from his instincts,” Itoudis explained his first coaching experience building a team around Antetokounmpo. -via BasketNews / November 27, 2022

“There’s a lot of development there to happen. He needs to evolve his game in the European scene, working with certain adjustments that other teams are doing because of the characteristics, skills, advantages, and disadvantages he might have in his game. He is open to discussing and discovering new ways to help the team and his teammates, which makes him very important to the team and chemistry,” he continued in an interview with BasketNews. “But regarding cooperation, I would say it was very smooth. Giannis wants to be coached. It starts with his humbleness. He has both his feet on the ground. He has a lot to grow as a player, and he knows that. The fact is that he likes the sport, and he’s a living example. In that term, it was easy,” the coach emphasized. -via BasketNews / November 27, 2022

Duane Rankin: Devin Booker says he doesn’t have a comment on Patrick Beverley’s three-game suspension, but did say he doesn’t like to see anyone “lose money.” Beverley was suspended three games w/o pay for shove of Deandre Ayton in #Suns win over Lakers. -via Twitter @DuaneRankin / November 25, 2022

Shams Charania: Patrick Beverley’s suspension is for shoving Suns‘ Deandre Ayton from behind, knocking him to the court, and was based in part on Beverley’s history of unsportsmanlike acts, NBA says. -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / November 24, 2022

Lakers guard Patrick Beverley was ejected for pushing Suns center Deandre Ayton to the floor late in Los Angeles’ 115-105 loss. However, the veteran guard said his actions were prompted by how Phoenix players were treating his teammate Austin Reaves. “Got a person on the ground, two people looking over mean-mugging and puffing their chest out and referees don’t get into it to kind of separate it, control the game, so I’m going to stand up for my teammate,” Beverley said. -via EuroHoops.net / November 23, 2022