The regular season schedule is nearing its halfway point, and many big-name teams are not performing up to expectations. Two typical examples in the West are the Warriors and the Suns. Durant of the Suns is working hard, Booker is struggling, and Beal has become unpopular. The three giants' positions conflict with each other, and they end up with nothing after standing alone. Curry, with his league-leading salary of $55.76 million, has seen a significant decline in his team's dominance. In the games he played, the Warriors had a record of only 14 wins and 16 losses, and many of these losses were due to Curry's turnovers or blind shooting attempts. Curry relies heavily on the system, but Kerr has yet to find a perfect rotation, causing the Warriors to plummet. Including the 76ers, Embiid plays intermittently, and George has regressed into a blue-collar role, disappointing fans with their performance. Many teams have spent a lot of money without achieving the expected results. This mainly depends on whether the high-salaried stars can contribute energy. There is such an awkward team in the West that started the season with a record of 21 wins and 15 losses, barely ranking fourth, but the entire team is seething with undercurrents. They are the Nuggets. As the core of the team, Jokic averaged 31.5 points (first in the league) + 13 rebounds (third in the league) + 9.7 assists (second in the league) + 1.7 steals (sixth in the league) + a 47.3% three-point shooting percentage (first in the league) this season, doing everything…

Translation: Pay attention to the dejected group below. They are the defending champions, representatives of top-tier combat power in the East. However, they were just completely overwhelmed and defeated by a team that was almost falling apart. This might be the toughest match for the Celtics so far. The one who brought them such a nightmare is called Sabonis. Both teams are three-point shooting powerhouses, with over 50 attempts in the first half alone. When the Celtics' three-point shots weren't falling, they were helpless. Meanwhile, the Kings were dominated on the boards by Sabonis. In the entire game, he scored 23 points while grabbing 28 rebounds, breaking a 40-year team record. Among these 28 rebounds, there were 8 offensive rebounds, equaling the total of the entire Celtics team... The Kings perfectly utilized Sabonis' mismatch advantage. If Embiid could play like Sabonis, coupled with the Cavaliers' twin towers, the Celtics would definitely not feel comfortable in the East. When the Kings suddenly fired Brown, people were worried that the team would fall into internal strife and disintegrate. However, the actual situation far exceeded the expectations of the fans. The new coach has a record of 6 wins and 1 loss since taking over, a remarkable improvement. This can only mean that it might really be a problem with Brown's abilities. Rumors of a conflict between Brown and Fox being forced out are groundless. The two of them had dinner together just a few days ago. The Kings' comeback illustrates an issue: good team chemistry is more important than blindly stacking talent.…

On January 11, Beijing time, in an NBA regular season game, the Nuggets defeated the Nets to secure their second consecutive victory. Nikola Jokic remained the top vote-getter in the Western Conference for the second round of All-Star voting, but he lost his first place on the NBA's official MVP list to SGA, ending his streak of eight consecutive weeks at the top of the MVP rankings due to two games of rest. In this game, he returned with a stunning performance, scoring 35 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out 12 assists, and making 4 steals, while Russell Westbrook contributed 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jokic's abilities are truly unparalleled. After casually dribbling the ball at the waist position, he can score in various ways, including hook shots, layups, and fadeaways. In one quarter alone, he went 8 for 6, scoring 14 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and making 2 steals, completing a 2+1 under the basket against two defenders. The second quarter was Jokic's rotation time, during which he played only 7 minutes, going 2 for 5 from the field and 2 for 2 from the free-throw line, scoring 6 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and making 1 steal. By halftime, Jokic had already accumulated 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, seemingly on his way to another triple-double. American media outlets believe that Jokic has the potential to dominate Shaquille O'Neal. In the third quarter, Jokic played 10 minutes, going 2 for 3 from the field and 1…

He is the NBA superstar who loves basketball the least. He went to the United States just to end his long-distance relationship with his girlfriend. Playing in the NBA was just a side thing. Unexpectedly, he turned from an underdog second-round pick into a three-time regular season MVP winner, leading his team to win the championship and earning the Finals MVP. So far in his NBA career, he has earned $250 million, bought a mansion, married his girlfriend, and now has two children, living a sweet life as a family of four. This player who has achieved both love and career success is Nikola Jokic. Born on February 19, 1995, in Sombor, a small city in the northwest of Serbia, Jokic's parents were not professional athletes, nor were any of their ancestors. However, both his father and mother are tall, giving birth to three sons who are also tall. Jokic's older brother is 2 meters 10 centimeters tall, his second brother is 1 meter 98 centimeters tall, and Jokic himself stands at 2 meters 11 centimeters. Jokic's two older brothers are two years apart in age, but Jokic is more than ten years younger than them. When he was still a primary school student, his two older brothers had already been recruited into the youth team due to their outstanding height, and he was also influenced by his brothers to fall in love with the sport of basketball. However, he initially only regarded basketball as a hobby and never thought about playing professionally. His favorite sport is horse racing, which…

On January 11th, Beijing time, the Thunder defeated the Knicks 126-101. After ending their 15-game winning streak at the Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena, the Thunder flew to New York to face the third-ranked Knicks in the Eastern Conference at Madison Square Garden. In this strong matchup, OKC easily overwhelmed the five giants of New York, and the game entered garbage time after three quarters, with SGA scoring 39 points in three quarters and clocking out. Before this game, the NBA's official MVP rankings had been updated: SGA, Jokic, Giannis, Wembanyama, and Tatum were in the top five, and SGA finally ended Jokic's eight-week streak at the top of the MVP rankings. After suffering a loss in Cleveland, SGA started the game with fierce momentum, scoring 13 points and 3 rebounds on 8 shots with 5 made and 3 free throws made, without any assists. He wanted to crush the Knicks with his personal attack, and he succeeded. At halftime, Alexander had already scored 19 points, with a true shooting percentage as high as 69.1%. In the third quarter, Alexander played all 12 minutes, scoring 20 points, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block on 9 shots with 7 made, 1 three-pointer made, and 5 free throws made. With his individual performance in the third quarter, Alexander directly collapsed the Knicks. In three quarters, he played 29 minutes, made 15 of 21 shots, made 1 of 1 three-pointers, and made 8 of 8 free throws, scoring 39 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, with a shooting percentage…

The Nuggets defeated the Clippers 126-103 in a back-to-back game, securing their position as fourth in the Western Conference. This victory was achieved even without Jokic, and Westbrook has truly proven himself this year. In just 29 minutes on the court, he scored 19 points with 6 rebounds and 8 assists, boasting an impressive +18 plus-minus rating. Since Malone promoted Westbrook to the starting lineup, he has seized the opportunity. If Murray hadn't been injured, Westbrook would have been in a sixth man role, tasked with leading the Nuggets' weak bench. Murray's injury provided Westbrook with a chance to showcase his skills, and his performance as a starter has indeed been strong. After Murray's return, the Nuggets did not adjust their starting lineup, keeping both Murray and Westbrook in the backcourt. The fact remains that Murray is a natural scorer, and his playing style does not conflict with Westbrook's. Additionally, Westbrook's remarkable defensive capabilities this season have been evident, with Nuggets reporters noting that he has limited opposing players' three-point shooting percentage to a mere 29.4%, ranking him among the league's top defenders. Despite criticism of Westbrook's defense and claims that his statistics don't translate into wins, he has delivered a starting performance that defies his detractors, along with an impressive win rate. When Westbrook starts, the Nuggets have a record of 11 wins and 4 losses. On average, he contributes 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, demonstrating a well-rounded offensive and defensive game. His shooting accuracy stands at an impressive 53.5%, with a true…

On January 10, 2025, the NBA announced three major explosive news: Extreme Tug-of-War: Butler has made it clear to all NBA teams that he will only sign a new contract with one team, and that is the Suns. However, it's not that easy to operate. Beal returned to the bench and performed unsatisfactorily. In an interview, he also clearly stated that he did not want to leave the Suns. He has the right to veto the trade. If he does not give up, everything will be in vain. The toughest Butler in the league met with the stubborn Beal. Who will compromise first? It is estimated that this situation will continue until the trade deadline. All-Star: The NBA officially announced the second round of voting results for the 2025 All-Star Game. Antetokounmpo received 2,721,339 votes and continued to dominate the top spot. Jokic led the West with 2,277,723 votes. Durant received 1,983,680 votes, James received 1,981,529 votes, and Curry received 1,369,365 votes. Due to the impact of injuries, Embiid and George have gradually fallen behind in the voting. Doncic was also overtaken by host Curry. Hardworking Harden only received 453,898 votes and ranked sixth in the Western Conference backcourt. According to the current situation, it is difficult to enter the All-Star Game. Magic's star player Banchero will return in the game against the Bucks on Friday. He had been out for more than two months due to injury. The current Magic is full of injured players, and the team's record fluctuates greatly. They have achieved a record of 22 wins…

The lights in the Nuggets' general manager's office were still on late into the night. Calvin Booth sat in his leather chair, with the monitor in front of him flashing recent team analytics reports. He reviewed Murray's season stats for the third time: an average of 17.8 points per game, a shooting percentage of only 41.2%, and a three-point shooting percentage that had dropped to 34.5%. This data sheet made the experienced general manager frown. "We need change," Booth murmured to himself. On the big screen at Ball Arena, a highlight reel of Murray's season was playing on loop, but those images seemed to come from another time and space. Since the start of the new season, the guard wearing the No. 27 jersey has frequently been in a slump, with once astonishing crossovers and fadeaway jump shots now often missing the basket. Sources revealed that the Nuggets management has launched a groundbreaking plan - they are in deep contact with the Suns, attempting to trade Murray, Porter Jr., and a first-round draft pick for Kevin Durant and Allen. Once this news broke, it immediately caused a sensation within the league. Imagine the "Grim Reaper" Durant, standing at 2.08 meters tall, donning the Nuggets' dark blue jersey and launching an offensive with Jokic in the same frontcourt area. Jokic's signature "Yao-style pass" combined with Durant's one-on-one moves would be enough to break any defensive system. The data shows that Durant averaged 31.2 points per game this season, with a shooting percentage as high as 52.3%, which is rare even among…

NBA regular season is in full swing, and the league has officially announced the second phase of fan voting results for the 2025 San Francisco All-Star Weekend. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads with a whopping 2,721,339 votes, securing his position as the top vote-getter for the second consecutive period! In addition to him, 13 other players have received over a million votes: Jokic, Durant, James, Wenyang, Davis, Alexander, Curry, Doncic, Tatum, Towns, Ball, Mitchell, and Lillard. According to the initial voting results, the starting lineups for the East and West are as follows: The West features Jokic + Durant + Lao Jian + Alexander + Curry; while the East has Giannis + Tatum + Towns + Ball + Mitchell. In the first stage of voting, Giannis from the East surpassed Jokic from the West to become the top vote-getter. Now, Jokic remains the frontrunner for MVP, averaging 31.5 points (1st in the league), 13 rebounds (3rd in the league), and 9.7 assists (2nd in the league). However, Giannis (2,721,339) has further widened the gap with Jokic (2,277,723), gaining nearly half a million more votes. It must be said that the Greek Freak's popularity in the local area is still unparalleled in the league, and even a powerhouse like Jokic may not be able to stop Giannis from winning the All-Star vote again! Giannis remains firmly at the top of the votes, with no significant changes in the Eastern Conference starting lineup. However, Curry and Wenyang's remarkable rise has quietly changed the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup! Let's start with Curry in the…

The NBA has just released the first round of All-Star voting results. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league with 1.71 million votes, while Jokic is second as the top vote-getter in the West. Based on current voting trends, the projected starting lineup for the West is Jokic, Durant, James, Alexander, and Doncic; while the East's starting lineup is expected to be Giannis, Tatum, Towns, Ball, and Mitchell. Notably, Ball has had an impressive season with the Hornets (second-to-last in the East), earning high popularity with his healthy physique and flashy style, leading to a surge in votes. In the Eastern Conference guard competition, the top three are Mitchell, Brunson, and Lillard, but only Mitchell has made it into the starting lineup so far. Brunson currently has only 470,000 votes, less than half of Ball's, which is surprising considering New York's status as a major basketball market where popularity should not be this low. Looking at Towns, last year he received only 140,000 votes in the first round with the Timberwolves, but this year it has skyrocketed to 1 million, showing significant progress. Considering factors such as votes, on-court performance, and team records, the starting positions for the Eastern frontcourt are almost certain to be Giannis, Tatum, and Towns; while the Western frontcourt's Jokic, Durant, and James are also very stable. In the guard category, Alexander has a high chance of being selected as a starter, with the remaining spots mainly contested between Curry and Doncic. However, the determination of the All-Star starting lineup is not solely based on fan voting, with…