Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo will be All-Star captains for the second year in a row.
For the second straight year, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo will be the captains for the NBA All-Star Game, as the representatives for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively.
LeBron, for the third straight season, was the leading vote-getter in the fan-vote. Antetokounmpo and James will be the captains when the NBA has the All-Star draft after the NBA trade deadline passes.
Joining LeBron in the West are his Lakers running mate Anthony Davis, L.A. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Houston’s James Harden. With Davis joining, it’s the first time since 2013 that the Lakers have two All-Star starters.
The players from the East joining Giannis as starters are Atlanta’s Trae Young, Boston’s Kemba Walker, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Philadelphia center Joel Embiid.
Since the new version of the All-Star game started with two captains picking teams, Team LeBron is 2-0. When he starts on Feb. 16, he will set the NBA record for All-Star starts with 16, passing Kobe Bryant (15).
The reserves from each conference will be named next Thursday. They will then go into a pool of their own to be selected from after LeBron and Giannis pick four players each from the other eight starters.
NBA All-Star weekend is set for Chicago between Feb. 14-16 and the game will played on Sunday night.
Curry broke his hand against the Suns and has been out of every game except four this season. However, even injured, the Warriors’ two-time Most Valuable Player’s jersey still ranks as one of the most popular in the NBA.
The NBA announced the top-15 selling jerseys according to NBA.com from October through December 2019, and Curry’s Golden State No. 30 placed third on the list.
đź‘€ the NBA's most popular jersey and team merchandise lists… based on @NBASTORE sales from October 2019 through December 2019! pic.twitter.com/BCTW2Ebs2z
Fans will have to be patient as Curry is still working his way back to the floor after suffering a broken hand. However, even on the bench, nothing is stopping his jersey from selling at a high level.
Alright, y’all. I love chaos, but I didn’t think things would get this far.
The NBA dropped the third round of voting for the All-Star game this year just ahead of the final January 20 deadline on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
If you thought things were chaotic in round two last week, wait until you get a load of what’s going on this week. The bench guys are still on the rise, Pascal Siakam is on the move and Luka Doncic is still right on James’ tail. Just take a look at the newest All-Star Game fan votes released today:
Remember, there’s still a few days left. These aren’t the final results for the fans— but they’re probably really close to them. Even after this, we still have to take in media vote (25%) and player vote (50%) to determine who the starters are.
With that out the way, let’s get in to some of the takeaways here.
NBA Fans love chaos
That’s the only reasonable explanation for Alex Caruso rising up to No. 4 in voting for Western Conference guards. Right now, he’s got more votes under his belt than Devin Booker (577,035), Donovan Mitchell (673,917), Bradley Beal (609,899) and Ben Simmons (629,199).
Some people just love to watch the world burn. Yes, I am one of them. This is absolutely delightful. We just need to get Tacko Fall (757,375 votes) to rise a bit more.
Luka and LeBron will come down to the wire
If you had asked anyone before the season who would challenge LeBron James as the NBA’s leading All-Star vote-getter this offseason, I’m not sure how many people would’ve said Luka Doncic.
Yet, here we are. Doncic is only about 150,000 votes away from James as the leading vote getter. It’s time to stuff the ballot box, y’all. Get it done.
Pascal Siakam is rising fast
The last time we saw these results, Pascal Siakam was third in the Eastern Conference’s front court with just over 1.7 million votes. Now? He’s above Joel Embiid in second place with 2,433,411 votes. That’s a cool 700,000 votes to jump ahead.
No idea what they’re doing in Toronto to make this happen. Do we have another Biebergate on our hands? Maybe Bieber asking his fans to stream his new single, Yummy, was just code for “vote for Pascal Siakam.” I don’t know. Whatever they’re doing it’s working though.
Still no Rudy Gobert
Look, man. Jazz fans have been going absolutely crazy on Twitter over the last month. They’re complaining that nobody is talking about their team while the Jazz are on a 10 game win streak. That’s alright — nobody needs to care about the Jazz for them to be a good team.
But Rudy Gobert should absolutely be in the top 10 for front court voting and he’s not right now. He’s having the best season of his career on both ends and the Jazz are finally winning again.
Of course, Jazz fans are going crazy about it. So crazy, in fact, that they’re even lobbying for screen assists to count as a box score stat to boost his numbers. It’s been crazy. Let’s get Gobert in that top 10. Not just because he deserves it, but because Jazz fans will riot if we don’t.
Previewing Wednesday’s Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.
The Dallas Mavericks (25-15) visit the Bay Wednesday night for a 10 p.m. ET tip-off against the Sacramento Kings (15-25) in the Golden 1 Center. We analyze Mavericks-Kings odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Mavericks at Kings: Key injuries
MAVERICKS
PF Kristaps Porzingis (knee) probable
SG Ryan Broekhoff (knee) out
KINGS
PF Nemanja Bjelica (ankle) probable
SG Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) doubtful
PF Richaun Holmes (shoulder) out
Mavericks at Kings: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Wednesday at 2:10 p.m. ET.
The injury report is crucial with both Kristaps Porzingis and Marvin Bagley set to return for the Mavericks and Kings, respectively. Could Porzingis’ return mess up the chemistry? Dwight Powell has filled in nicely for Porzingis, scoring 13 points per game on .719 field-goal percentage in the last eight games Porzingis has missed.
But as of now, back the KINGS +145 to end their two-game losing streak and beat the Mavericks, who’ve won back-to-back games. Sacramento has had recent success versus the Mavericks, winning the last four games straight up and against the spread. De’Aaron Fox hears the Luka Doncic hype and shows up to play against him:
Not only have the Kings owned the Mavericks outright recently, but they have a decided edge ATS, as well. The Mavericks are 5-17 ATS in the last 22 meetings and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games in Sacramento. The Kings are 3-0 when spotted 3-4.5 points. Also, Sacramento brings full effort in games and makes it tough for their opponents to get hustle points; they rank third in opponent’s second-chance points, second in opponent’s fast-break points and 11th in opponent’s points in the paint.
BET KINGS +3.5 (-106) for some insurance on our moneyline bet. New to sports betting? A $106 wager on the Kings to win by at least 4 points returns a profit of $100.
The Mavericks have been getting buckets all season long:Â Dallas is ranked first in offensive rating, has the third-highest Over % with a 24-16 over/under record, and scores the third-most PPG in the NBA. On the other side, the Kings offense has shown up as of late in scoring at least 110 points in five of its last six games. Also, Mavericks-Kings games have trended Over recently; the Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
BET OVER 226.5 (-129).Â
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Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Which stars have stood out thus far?
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives the Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Over their last 15 games, the Utah Jazz have been the league’s best team in net rating, with a robust +10.5 mark and a 14-1 record to their name in that stretch. Prior to missing Utah’s last game and most of the contest prior to that due to illness, Donovan Mitchell was leading the way for the Jazz in their impressive turnaround, averaging 24.8 points and 6.0 assists over his last 13 full outings while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor. Mitchell’s assists are up over the past month because he’s taken over primary playmaking duties for Utah after offseason acquisition Mike Conley, who has been a disappointment so far in his first campaign with the Jazz, went out with injury. The new role has suited Mitchell well.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard started the season off on a cold streak shooting from the outside, followed that up with a long stretch of accurate marksmanship and has now seen his accuracy from beyond the arc plummet again. Leonard has hit just nine of his last 38 attempts from three, good for a paltry 23.7-percent clip. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Clippers have struggled in those six outings Leonard has suited up in, going 3-3 in that stretch including a humiliating 26-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. On the season, L.A. has struggled to really get things going at an elite level because Leonard and his superstar running partner on the wing, Paul George, have only played together 18 times with both missing time due to injury and injury maintenance. In those 18 games, however, the Clippers boast a 14-4 record, indicating how nasty they are when they have their two All-NBA-caliber forwards available.
As the Portland Trail Blazers’ season continues to go down the drain, Damian Lillard is doing his best to prevent things from truly bottoming out, ranking eighth league-wide in scoring, eighth in assists and fourth in total three-pointers. Portland, who sits at 16-24 on the year, is a bit lucky it’s a down year for the bottom of the West, though, so they’re only two games out of the eighth seed as we approach the All-Star break. Without Lillard’s superhuman efforts this season, the Blazers would be closer to fighting for the top pick in the 2020 draft than for a shot at the postseason.
The numbers (those that indicated that the team’s record was vastly outpacing their production on both ends) finally caught up to the Miami Heat last week, as Miami followed up an impressive road win against the Indiana Pacers with back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets and, even more disappointingly, the New York Knicks. It’s hard to fault Jimmy Butler for the two losses, however, as the four-time All-Star averaged 29.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in those two games. It must be noted, though, that Butler’s shooting continues to be an issue on the year, as this stat would indicate:
Jimmy Butler has an eFG% of .473, which would be his lowest since 2013-14 https://t.co/fZKwRNAYiA
With that said, it’s kind of insane that Butler still ranks among the Top-10 players in the league in multiple advanced metrics, including Value Over Replacement Player, Box Plus/Minus and Win Shares per 48 Minutes, despite his poor shooting.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
6. NIKOLA JOKIC, DENVER
STATS: 19.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 6.4 APG, 51.0 FG%
It was quite the productive week for Nikola Jokic, who has averaged 29.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists on ridiculous 59.2/56.5/71.0 shooting splits over his last four games. Jokic’s massive jump in play over the past month and change has helped propel the Denver Nuggets to a 27-12 record, the league’s No. 9 net rating and the No. 2 seed in the West. As such, Jokic has seen his placement in our weekly MVP rankings increase every week for the past month.
It was a rough week for Luka Doncic, shooting-wise, as the Slovenian star has made just three of his last 15 three-point attempts and shot under 40 percent from the floor in that stretch. With Doncic’s struggles, the Dallas Mavericks have likewise hit a rough patch over the past week, dropping two out of three games, though their last contest was a solid bounce-back win for Dallas against the Philadelphia 76ers. Like Doncic recently said after a humbling defeat against the Los Angeles Lakers, even despite his insane production early on in his career, he still has a lot of areas he can improve. That’s a scary thought considering as is, he’s already posting a near 29/10/9 stat line, but it’s true. That’s how insane his upside is.
Anthony Davis’ last few games don’t give us much to discuss, considering he’s missed time with a bruised tailbone, but for the season as a whole, the Lakers power forward has looked like one of the very best players in the league. Sure, he’s done that before, but this season, Davis has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can do it on a contender, unlike his time with the New Orleans Pelicans. On the season, Davis’ is the league’s highest-scoring pure big man (the player coming up at the top of our list is still more of a wing than a big) while ranking second in blocks and fourth in paint points. Few players can match Davis’ two-way dominance this campaign.
The league leader in assists per game, LeBron James is winning the ongoing battle against Father Time, proving that age is nothing but a number by dominating even as he hit 35 years old. We’ll let Butler, who came up at No. 7 in this ranking as in an elite player in his own right, explain in his own words what makes James so good:
“So … the five toughest players I’ve ever guarded. Let’s get to it. LeBron James, Positionless, Los Angeles Lakers. I didn’t want to talk about LeBron here. I really didn’t. I wanted to give some other guys some shine. But you can’t have a 5 Toughest list and not have LeBron on it. He’s still the best all-around player in the league. He literally does everything well. He can shoot. Pass. Attack the rim. Defend. You need a bucket? LeBron’s got you. You need a rebound, a steal or a block? He’s got you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. Bron’s got you. When you talk about a combination of speed and athleticism, plus a combo of strength and explosiveness, you gotta start with LeBron.”
Couldn’t have said it any better ourselves, Jimmy.
For the first time in a long time, James Harden laid an egg last week, dropping 17 points on 17 field-goal attempts in a 21-point loss for the Houston Rockets against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It came at an inopportune time for The Beard, at least as far as these rankings go, because Harden came close to surpassing the top player on our list last week before falling further behind in this week’s edition. It should be noted: Harden bounced back quickly from that stinker, dropping 32 points on 17 field-goal tries two nights later in what was a 30-point win for Houston.
The Milwaukee Bucks don’t usually dominate headlines, unless it’s the media discussing whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo could leave one day as a free agent, which is unfortunate, because, as it turns out, they’ve been by far the best team in the league this season while being led by the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo isn’t just the league’s No. 2 player in scoring average or No. 6 player in rebounding average or an improved shooter making over 32 percent of his three-point looks, he’s also a leading candidate for Defensive Player in the Year, as the Bucks boast the league’s stingiest defense thanks to Antetokounmpo’s prowess on that end. Simply put: Antetokoumpo dominates in just about every facet of basketball on a nightly basis, and that should get talked about more often than his free agency, which is still a decent amount of time away.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
Previewing Saturday’s Philadelphia 76ers at Dallas Mavericks matchup, with NBA betting odds, picks and best bets.
The Philadelphia 76ers (25-14) visit the Dallas Mavericks (23-15) Saturday at American Airlines Center for an 8:30 p.m. ET tip-off.  We analyze the 76ers-Mavericks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Both teams have been inconsistent recently but the Mavericks (-128) have really been struggling. The 76ERS (+105) are coming off an impressive 109-98 win over the Boston Celtics and the Mavericks have lost three of their last four games, including a 129-114 whooping administered by the Los Angeles Lakers Friday.
The edge in this matchup goes to the 76ers who are 8-3 straight up when having a rest advantage over their opponent. The absence of all-star big man Embiid doesn’t have to be a bad thing for the short term. Look for more spacing in the 76ers offense and freedom for Ben Simmons to create offense for his teammates. Also, the 76ers’ 16th-ranked offense in points per game should have an easier time against a Mavericks defense ranked 15th in PPG allowed but missing their defensive anchor in Porzingis.
The ATS advantage goes to the 76ERS (+2.5, -125) in this game because they are 4-2-1 ATS in games they are getting 1-2.5 points, whereas the Mavericks are 1-3 ATS when favored by the same amount. Since 2016, the 76ers have the second-best against the spread record versus non-conference opponents at 59-41-4. Also, the Mavericks underperform ATS at home (7-13-1), and they are just 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
I am not in love with the value but LEAN 76ERS +2.5 (-125) for a little bit of insurance.
Take the OVER 222.5 (+105). The Mavericks have the second most Overs in the NBA (24-14 Over/Under record) and a 13-8 Over/Under record in Dallas. They also have a very potent offense—Dallas ranks third in points per game and first in offensive rating—but as discussed earlier is missing the heart of its interior defense and gives up the most fast-break points in the NBA. Furthermore, four of the last five Mavericks games went Over the total and the Over has cashed in the last four 76ers-Mavericks game.
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Mavericks star Luka Doncic ripped his jersey in frustration against the Lakers.
The Dallas Mavericks played an awful first half at home against the Lakers on Friday night, allowing a squad missing Anthony Davis to drop 79 points over two quarters, and Mavericks star Luka Doncic was extremely frustrated with his own play. After starting the game 1-for-5 from the free-throw line, Doncic tore his own jersey down the middle, Hulk Hogan-style.
Doncic said after the game, which the Mavericks lost, that there’s a “lot of things [he] can do better.”
Luka Doncic on how he handles frustration: “I know I can get better. There’s a lot of things. I’m 20 years old. I’ve got a lot of things that I can do better.” pic.twitter.com/jmTgPjTYS1
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had one of his best games of the season in a big road win against the Mavericks.
On the road against one of the better teams in the Western Conference without his leading-scorer Anthony Davis, LeBron James delivered one of his best end-to-end performances of the season, scoring 35 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists in a 129-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night to push L.A.’s current win-streak to seven games.
As unbelievable as it may seem in his 17th season, Friday was the first time in LeBron’s career that he scored over 35 points and grabbed over 15 rebounds in a game. James also passed Michael Jordan for fourth on the NBA’s All-Time career field goal list. LeBron closed the game playing center as the Lakers big men were either all hurt or in foul trouble. The Lakers led by as many as 21 in the game as James led the way but he also got a massive hand from Kyle Kuzma, especially early.
In a big spot without Davis, Kuzma came out on fire to begin the game with 11 points in the first quarter and 21 in the first half overall. He cooled off considerably in the second half but the spark he provided early helped the Lakers build a major lead that was difficult, if not impossible, for Dallas to come back from. Kuzma finished with 24 and struggled to hit in the second half but little of that mattered with the way LeBron was playing. Kuzma also had six rebounds, including four offensive rebounds.
And on a night where both Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee had five fouls in the third quarter, the Lakers survived much of this game without any of their traditional big men. LeBron himself played great and after a season where he’s been the leading man with the assists, James played center to help the Lakers get a win.
The Lakers are back on the court tomorrow night in Oklahoma City against Chris Paul and the Thunder, who have won eight of their last 10 games.
D’Angelo Russell isn’t ready to play against the Los Angeles Clippers, but his return from a shoulder injury is inching closer with a potential return date set.
Two crucial things have been missing at the start of 2020 for the Golden State Warriors — victories and D’Angelo Russell. A loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks registered Golden State’s sixth straight loss after previously setting their season-high win streak of four consecutive wins.
Russell’s injury against the Dallas Mavericks marked the start of the Warriors’ losing streak, and Golden State has struggled since. Russell collided with the Mavericks’ Slovenian star, Luka Doncic, in the third quarter of the game. However, Russell quickly returned to the bench after spending time down on the Chase Center floor. Russell re-entered the game to finish off a 35-point effort.
Since the collision, Russell’s dealt with a lingering shoulder injury that has taken him out of every game since the start of the new year. Russell’s been able to return to practice with the Warriors. Still, the team is being cautious with their 23-year-old All-Star, holding him out against the Los Angeles Clippers.
D’Angelo Russell is out tonight, but he’ll play in Memphis.
Russell missed nine-straight games early in the season with a hand injury, now six with a shoulder ailment, but he could be on his way back to Golden State’s starting lineup soon. The Louisville, Kentucky native could be set to return when the Warriors travel into the south over the weekend.
Prior to missing the past six games, Russell was playing at an All-Star level during the Warriors win-streak. Russell scored 30 or more points in three of his last four games. Without their 23-year-old All-Star guard, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III have stepped up for Golden State, leading the team in scoring in each night without Russell.
Steve Kerr and the Warriors will need to lean on Robinson and Burks again when they arrive at the Staples Center. Against Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and the rest of the 26-12 Clippers, Golden State will need all the help they can get to end their losing streak.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without their leading-scorer on Friday night when they face Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
When the Los Angeles Lakers take the court on Friday night in a nationally televised game against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, they will be without their leading-scorer Anthony Davis. However, it does set the stage for the player on their team mentioned most in trade rumors to prove that the Lakers dare not trade him.
Anthony Davis will sit out Friday’s game against the Mavericks, the result of a nasty fall he suffered late in the third quarter of Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium. Kyle Kuzma, who has been the subject of trade rumors for the past few weeks, will start in Davis’ place.
The Lakers are 1-1 in the two games that Davis has missed this season, with the last one being in December against the Indiana Pacers, a loss. However, during that game, Kuzma was nursing an ankle injury that held him out for over a week. With Kuzma healthy, he’ll have an opportunity to score more because losing Davis’ production is a major void.
