Watching the heartfelt smile of 36-year-old Russ, I sincerely wish him well. Westbrook didn't have such a smile during his time with LAL and LAC. He complements Jokic, and in the game against the Nets, Westbrook scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists, ending the game with a powerful dunk. Meanwhile, Jokic, playing alongside Westbrook, recorded 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds, achieving another triple-double together. After the game, in an interview at the Nuggets' home court, Westbrook hadn't even started speaking when the crowd erupted into cheers for him. The Thunderous One, earning a modest $3.3 million salary, found acceptance here. Westbrook said, "Nikola is the best player in the world; he makes the game simple, and I try to make the game simple too. Our whole team plays simpler." Post-game, Mike Malone spoke about Jokic and Westbrook achieving another triple-double together: "Folks, you're witnessing history. Every game can be a moment to witness history; our games are like the 'History Channel.'" This game saw the "Six Double Brothers" set multiple records: 1. Westbrook achieved his 202nd career triple-double, continuing to break the historical record; 2. Jokic recorded his 15th triple-double of the season, leading the league, with a total of 145 triple-doubles historically, ranking third and setting a new record for centers; 3. Westbrook and Jokic became the first pair to achieve a 25+ triple-double together; 4. They tied the record for the most triple-doubles in a season by a duo (previously held by Butler and Adebayo); 5. From 2009 to 2025, Westbrook…

The Houston Rockets secured a hard-fought victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on the road, solidifying their second-place ranking in the Western Conference. The dynamic duo of Jalen Green and Sengun combined for 59 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Tate emerged from the bench as a key player, helping the Rockets maintain their lead until the end of the game. The two teams are set to face each other again next Tuesday for their third matchup this season, with the Grizzlies eager to save face after two consecutive losses. However, with Tari Eason expected to recover from his injury and the Rockets playing at home, their chances of winning remain high. Additionally, aside from Smart's absence due to injury, the Grizzlies fielded their full-strength lineup but were still unable to secure a win against a depleted Rockets team, leaving General Manager Zach Kleiman looking to offload Smart, who has struggled to adapt since joining Memphis. Recently, American media outlet "NBA Analysis Network" suggested that the Grizzlies should focus on strengthening their roster with star player Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have been performing poorly, ranking last in the league, for which Kuzma bears significant responsibility. The media proposed a three-team trade involving the Rockets as the third party. If negotiations progress smoothly, defensive powerhouse Marcus Smart will be sent to Houston. The specific trade proposal is as follows: The Grizzlies send Marcus Smart + Vince Williams Jr. + a protected first-round pick in 2026 (protected 1-16) to acquire Kyle Kuzma. The Rockets send Cameron Whitmore +…

The NBA court remains filled with passion. In six games, Harden scored an impressive 41 points and 6 assists, raining down three-pointers with fervor, while Butler stunned the crowd with a super triple-double of 35 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming the first player in history to achieve such statistics. Today's games seem to once again confirm the NBA philosophy that "data is king." Whether it's Harden's 41 points and 6 assists or Butler's triple-double, the personal data of these top players demonstrate their immense influence. However, behind these achievements, they may not be able to mask the problems within their teams, and even reveal certain technical contradictions. First, let's talk about Harden's performance. Undoubtedly, Harden's state in this game was heroic, scoring 24 points in the first quarter, which is second only to Lou Williams' 27 points in Clippers history for single-quarter scoring. However, can a team plagued by its own issues be saved solely by the explosion of one player? Although Harden scored 41 points in this game, the team still won against the Jazz with a score of 144-107, which appears to be a crushing victory but still exposes the Clippers' reliance on other offensive ends. Harden's role in the team is crucial to whether he can lead the Clippers to deeper competition. In terms of chemistry between him and his teammates, although Harden's personal data is explosive, the team's overall offense still shows a certain imbalance. The Clippers' game process shows that Harden can independently solve offensive problems, but he cannot replace the Clippers' defensive…

James has scored 787 points this season, what about Durant, Curry, and Harden? The NBA has now entered an era of generational change, with young players like Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Doncic gradually replacing James, Durant, and Curry to become the new rulers of the league. So, let's take a look at how the veteran stars have performed so far this season. James The 40-year-old James has played 33 games this season, averaging 34.9 minutes per game, scoring 23.8 points, grabbing 7.7 rebounds, and dishing out 8.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of 50.7%, a three-point percentage of 38.6%, and a free throw percentage of 76.9%. He has accumulated 787 points so far this season and has recorded 8 triple-doubles, ranking second in the league behind Jokic. Judging from the statistics, James is still in excellent competitive form, which cannot help but admire his self-discipline and body maintenance. Durant Despite suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury, Durant is still one of the best scorers in the league. He has played 26 games so far this season, averaging 36 minutes per game, scoring 27.2 points, grabbing 6.3 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists, with a shooting percentage of 52%, a three-point percentage of 40.3%, and a free throw percentage of 84%, accumulating a total of 707 points. Curry The 36-year-old Curry has played 30 games this season, averaging 31.4 minutes per game, scoring 22.6 points, grabbing 5.1 rebounds, and dishing out 6.1 assists, with a shooting percentage of 44.6%, a three-point percentage of 41.1%, and a free throw percentage of 93.2%, accumulating…

Zhou Qi Out with High Fever, Beijing's 24 Million Contract at Risk?‌ On January 12th, Beijing time, Zhou Qi was forced to rest due to a high fever of 37.6°C, putting his 24 million yuan, four-year contract with Beijing in jeopardy. Netizens are expressing their frustration, calling him a disappointment. Beijing's men's basketball team is currently struggling. In a recent match, they suffered a crushing defeat against Zhejiang. Why did they lose? Zhou Qi unexpectedly announced his absence due to a fever before the game, as he has been frequently unwell this year, either with a cold or a fever. He has already missed three games due to illness, not including those he missed due to injury this season. How can the team compete without him? Prior to this, Zhou Qi had not fully recovered from a cold but insisted on returning for the Liaoning game. After playing against Liaoning, he developed a fever again. For a professional athlete, the frequency of illness seems unusually high. Beijing relies heavily on Zhou Qi, but he is often sidelined due to injuries or illnesses, doing little work while earning a substantial salary. With Beijing investing 24 million yuan in a large contract, it seems like money down the drain if he cannot perform. After the game, Beijing's coach, Xu Limin, expressed his helplessness, stating that Zhou Qi's temperature was measured at 37.6°C in the locker room, so they decided to protect him by letting him rest instead of allowing him to cheer from the sidelines. Zhou Qi wanted to support his teammates…

Refusal to Pay Additional Child Support Fee Butler's Lawyer Responds: She Doesn't Deserve It Butler has been suspended for a short period of time, and now his next destination is gradually becoming clear. According to the latest revelations, there is a high probability that he will join forces with Durant at the Suns, as it was Butler who designated his next team. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the Suns can maximize their trade benefits and decide how to take their team to the next level after acquiring Butler. It is worth noting that the last star player to designate his next team in a trade application was Lillard in 2023. At that time, he designated the Heat as his trade destination, but ultimately ended up at the Bucks. However, Lillard's request at the time was to join a championship-contending team, so he was not bothered by this outcome. As time goes on, Butler is also nearing the end of his suspension. If the Heat cannot meet Butler's demands soon, he is prepared to make things more difficult for them. For this reason, Heat owner Pat Riley recently publicly criticized Butler's behavior on a show. Riley said, "I would handle it differently, without a doubt." Some players want to showcase themselves in some way, which completely contradicts my philosophy of how to represent a team—whether it's to build a bigger personal brand, make more money, or stand out and be different. There's nothing you can do about it. Riley then turned his criticism towards the league, saying, "The league…

On January 12, 2025, Beijing time, the 17-win and 19-loss Suns faced off against the 9-win and 27-loss Jazz at home. This was a must-win game for the Suns, who were ranked 12th in the West. Could they pull it off? The Suns continued to bench Bill and Nuki, starting with Jones, Booker, Dunn, Durant, and Plumlee. On the Jazz side, Collins, George, Clarkson, and Sensabo were absent, with Sexton, Collier, Porter, Markkanen, and Kessler starting. In the first quarter, Plumlee made a putback, followed by Markkanen's layup. Plumlee made 1 of 2 free throws and a dunk, while Booker scored 7 consecutive points, giving the Suns a 12-2 lead. Kessler scored 4 points in a row, but Durant and Dunn responded, maintaining a 10-point lead. Markkanen and Phil scored, but Durant and Booker responded, keeping the lead at 8 points. Williams, Phil, and Mihai reduced the gap to 1 point. Iguodala, Allen, and Durant scored, but Mihai, Williams, and Mills caught up, leaving the gap at 1 point. Durant and Morris extended the lead to 4 points, ending the first quarter with the Suns leading 31-27. In the second quarter, Mihai scored 4 points to tie the game, but Booker and Bill extended the lead to 5 points. Porter hit a three-pointer, and Okogie and Bill added 5 points, extending the lead to 7 points. Porter and Kessler scored, but Booker kept scoring, with Allen and Durant also contributing, increasing the lead to 16 points. Sexton, Kessler, and Markkanen narrowed the gap to 10 points. Dunn, Durant, Bill, and…

A Rising Star Emerges in the Nuggets! Averaging 8.8 Points and 1.1 Blocks, Filling Team's Weaknesses, Could He Be the Next Butler? Unlike the Lakers and Celtics, who are considered major league teams, small-market teams like the Nuggets primarily enhance their competitiveness by cultivating new players. The team's core players, Jokic and Murray, both joined the team as rookies and gradually grew into stars. Among the current batch of young players in the Nuggets, the one most likely to become a star is not Braun, who started this year, but Watson, who has performed well off the bench. Although Watson has not played much in recent years, he has shown his physical talent and defensive abilities in limited playing time. He also possesses the same fighting spirit as Westbrook. Watson was selected by the Nuggets with the 30th pick in the first round of the 2022 draft. When he first entered the league, some saw him as the next Butler. Because Butler was selected by the Bulls with the 30th pick in the first round of the 2011 draft. Although Watson is far inferior to the young Butler in terms of strength and game performance, the two players were positioned identically when they first entered the league, both as defensive specialists. Watson had little playing time in his rookie season, and the Nuggets, who were strong in 2023, eventually won the championship. Watson could only learn slowly on the sidelines as a newcomer. Last season, Watson began to receive playing time, but due to his youth, his game performance was…

Many fans should reflect on a question: why has the Warriors' competitiveness seriously declined in the past two years? After all, they were still a championship team in 2022. In the past two years, they have even had difficulty making it into the playoffs. So we need to analyze the lineup at that time. Which core players left the team in 2022, leading to the decline of the Warriors' strength? After careful analysis, the most impressive players may be Thompson and Poole. We must now re-evaluate Poole's role in the Warriors. In 2022, Poole was a very important player during the Warriors' championship run, and could be considered a champion contributor that year. In that year's playoffs, Poole averaged 17 points with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 39% and a field goal percentage as high as 51%. When Curry was off the court, it was Poole who used his individual ability to tear through the defense and score. After he left, the Warriors lost a major attacking point. More importantly, Poole's three-point shooting was very accurate that year in the playoffs, and his playing style on the court was like Curry incarnate. Poole's performance with the Wizards is becoming increasingly outstanding. This season, his performance has been very stable. In today's game against the Bulls, he personally made 6 three-pointers and scored 22 points. So far this season, he averages 21.8 points with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 41.5%. He is no longer the Poole we remember as an inconsistent three-point shooter. Currently, he has become…

"Can the team still play well?" When Edwards tried to resolve the argument between Gobert and Randle on the training ground, who would have thought that this young genius would be pushed to the ground. At that moment, the training ground became a stage for drama, and the problems of the Timberwolves were exposed in full view: this team, which should have had a promising future, was already in chaos due to internal strife. Why did it come to this? Where is the future of the team? All of this stems from those seemingly insignificant little contradictions. The "first protagonist" of the contradiction is none other than Gobert. This French center, who was brought in at a high price, has been frequently in a slump since the start of the season. His offensive performance is unsightly, with continuous mistakes, causing his teammates to have some complaints. Especially the players on the guard line, their cooperation with Gobert is always out of sync, leading to small-scale disputes that gradually accumulate. It's like a powder keg, with hidden dangers long buried. Another powder keg is Randle. Many people may still remember his "lone ranger" image during his time with the Knicks. At that time, Randle was known for his outstanding individual performances, but he was criticized for his laziness on defense and decision-making errors in critical moments. After joining the Timberwolves, not only did these shortcomings fail to improve, they were further magnified. Especially with the heavy "brushing" of data, this made Gobert very unhappy. Thus, the two gradually escalated their conflict,…