Brandon Jennings (Detroit PG)- Scored 35 points on 14 of 21 shooting from the floor in a 114-95 win over the Sacramento Kings. Jennings has flourished since Josh Smith was released from the team, as he has shot 50% or higher in four of his last five contests. It was also the second time that the young point guard has hit five 3-pointers in a game in the last week and a half.
Kevin Love (Cleveland PF/C)- Tallied 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 109-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Love took over as the number one option when Kyrie Irving went down midway through the game, and looked like his old self. He will continue to score more with LeBron and Irving banged up for the foreseeable future.
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles SG)- Recorded 20 points, six assists and six rebounds in an 88-87 win over the Indiana Pacers. Bryant had an efficient night, hitting 7 of his 14 shots, including all four foul shots he took. He also hit the game-winning hook shot over Solomon hill with less than 13 seconds to play in the game. It was Bryant's fifth game out of his last six in which he has had six or more assists, and his minutes restriction seems to be paying off for now.
Phoenix Suns' guard Archie Goodwin soared for a poster dunk over Toronto Raptors' center Jonas Valanciunas on Sunday night. Goodwin received the pass on the fast break and proceeded to fly over the young center for the slam. The Suns would go on to win the game 125-109, with Goodwin finishing the game scoring 12 points.
Ty Lawson (Denver PG)- Tallied 25 points and 11 assists in a 114-85 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Lawson had a strong shooting night, hitting 10 of 14 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers in the win. He continues to dish out assists at a top-notch rate, and has scored 20 or more points in four of his last six games.
Trey Burke (Utah PG)- Recorded 28 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 101-89 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a season-high in points for Burke, who also recorded five or more assists for the fourth straight game. He appears to be playing more consistent, and should be scoring more as Alec Burks is out for the season.
Pau Gasol (Chicago PF/C)- Scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 109-104 overtime over the Boston Celtics. With Jimmy Butler out, Gasol stepped up in the scoring department, hitting 9 of 16 shots, including 10 of 11 free throw attempts. He added five blocks, giving him 14 total in his last two games.
Chris Paul (Los Angeles PG)- Posted a line of 24 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds in a 127-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Paul was efficient in his 30 minutes of playing time Saturday night, hitting 7 of 11 shots, including all seven free throws and three 3-pointers. It was a nice bounce-back night for the Clippers' point guard, who had scored only five points on 2 of 11 shooting against the Knicks in his last game.
Play of the Night
Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris posterized Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night. Harris slipped towards the basket on an in-bounds play midway through the first quarter. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the 98-90 loss.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling, plain and simple. They currently sit at 19-14, good for the fifth seed in a once-again weak Eastern Conference. The Cavs, losers of four out of their last six, have begun to hear rumors of head coach David Blatt being on the hot seat, as well as various trade scenarios. In fairness, Cleveland has encountered some poor luck, with center Anderson Varejao out for the season after a ruptured achilles, combined with guys like Kevin Love and Mike Miller, who are battling nagging injuries.
When Cleveland acquired Kevin Love to play alongside James and Irving, the city had renewed hopes of a first NBA title. Now they will have make a hard push just to get into the playoffs. Source
No matter how bad it's gotten however, there's always been hope, for they had the city's savior in LeBron James. The two-time NBA champion was having another James-esque season, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game on 49% shooting from the field. But with the news that he will be out for about two weeks while he recovers from strains in his left knee and lower back, Cleveland is now on its' heels and scrambling to find answers.
The playoffs are still a realistic option, but the likeliest scenarios will be as a six, seven or eight seed, meaning a date with teams like the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards in the first round. In order to avoid that scenario, and in order to get through a brutal west coast trip that begins Jan. 9 in Golden State and ends four games later in Los Angeles (Against the Clippers), the following are the players on the Cavaliers' roster that need to step up. Dion Waiters
The third-year shooting guard from Syracuse has been the subject of many trade rumors since the beginning of the season, but the Cavs need him now more than ever with their best scorer sidelined. His 41% shooting from the field is going to have to increase if he wants to make the most of his extra playing time, but his slashing and finishing abilities give him a positive upside for Cleveland. Waiters is currently averaging a little over 10 points a game, but has show that he can be the top threat next to Kyrie Irving at times this season.
The second-year shooting guard has shown flashes of talent this season, and is averaging over 36 minutes a game over his last five contests for the Cavs. His season averages are around 4.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, but has hit almost 43% of his 3-point attempts over his last five games. His playmaking and consistency will need to improve, but Dellavedova has some of the tools required to make a sizable impact on the court.
Thompson has already stepped his game up, as he has recorded four consecutive double-doubles for Cleveland. Coming off of back-to-back seasons where he averaged over 11 points and nine rebounds a game, Thompson is no stranger to playing starters' minutes, which is what he will do for the forceable future, as he is taking Varejao's spot in the starting lineup. His length and athleticism will greatly help the Cavs' backcourt over the next two weeks. Thompson is currently averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game this year.
Time will tell if the various role players on Cleveland's roster, along with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love can mesh together and thrive in James' absence. It also remains to be seen if the Cleveland front office will make any type of deals in the near future, but for now, all they can do is wait for their star to return, and hope for the best.
