(BDCi) — Another week in the NBA season and already there is so much fun to be had. The New York Knicks are in trouble as they loss their defensive leader in the middle as Tyson Chandler fractured his leg and is out four to six weeks. That is a big blow to a Knicks team that does not play a lot of defense and now lost their shot blocker for an extended period of time. With Chandler out, 35-year-old Kenyon Martin will play more minutes than coach Mike Woodson wanted him to and Amare Stoudamire will play more even though he has been awful. The Los Angeles Lakers got the best of Dwight Howard and his new team winning by one point at the Toyota Center. That is a big win for a Laker team struggling to find themselves and hold down the fort until Kobe Bryant returns. Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens got his first win as an NBA coach as did the Denver Nuggets getting their first win of the season holding off the pesky Atlanta Hawks. What a week.
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Indiana Pacers (5-0) — Pacers keep rolling and Paul George could be early MVP candidate
2. Miami Heat (4-2) — Dwayne Wade great game against Clippers
3. Philadelphia 76ers (3-2) — losers of two in a row after winning first three
4. Charlotte Bobcats (3-2) — surprise, surprise Bobcats winners of two in a row and leading division
5. Orlando Magic (3-2) — winners of three in a row and rookie Victor Oladipo is playing great
6. Detroit Pistons (2-2) — lost tough one to Indiana in last game
7. Miwaukee Bucks (2-2) — defeated Cleveland in their last game
8. Brooklyn Nets (2-2) — destroyed the Utah Jazz in their last game
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. San Antonio Spurs (4-1) — they may be getting older but they can still play
2. Golden State Warriors (4-1) — winners of three in a row but Curry day to day with ankle bruise
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) — winners of two in a row and happy to have Westbrook back
4. Houston Rockets (4-2) — lost close one to Lakers in last game
5. Phoenix Suns (3-2) — lost by three to San Antonio in last game
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-2) — bench overmatched in loss to Warriors in last game
7. Dallas Mavericks (3-2) — horribly overmatched in loss to Oklahoma City in last game
8. Los Angeles Lakers (3-3) — defeated Houston in a wild one but inconsistent to start season
NBA Stats
Points — top five scorers are: Kevin Durant-OKC (27.8), James Harden-HOU (26.8), Kevin Love-MIN (26.2), Paul George-IND (25.8) and LaMarcus Aldridge-POR (24.5).
Rebounds — the top five board crashers are: Kevin Love-MIN (14.6), Dwight Howard-HOU (14.5), Nikola Vucevic-ORL (13.2), DeAndre Jordan-LAC (13.0) and Anthony Davis-NOR (11.4).
Assists — the top five passers are: Chris Paul-LAC (12.5), Stephen Curry-GST (9.2), Jeff Teague-ATL (9.2), John Wall-WAS (8.8) and Ricky Rubio-MIN (8.6).
Brazilian Player Watch
Anderson Varejao- Center, Cleveland Cavaliers. 10.2 points and 7 rebounds per game. Varejao seems to be back to his old self. In his last game against Minnesota, Varejao filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 8 boards, 3 assist and 3 steals while playing 33 minutes. He only had three fouls so it shows how he is moving his feet and thus able to stay on the floor longer. However, despite his efforts the Cavs lost so Varejao just needs to keep doing what he is doing and good things will come to the Cavs as the season is still early.
Tiago Splitter- Center, San Antonio Spurs. 8.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Splitter has been quietly effective for a very good San Antonio team. In his last game against the Phoenix Suns, he scored 9 points and grabbed 7 boards in just 11 minutes of play. Normally, Splitter plays anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes but he did not start in that game. It was strictly for matchup purposes as coach Greg Popovich went with the rangy Boris Diaw as he would have to cover Channing Frye on the perimeter. It worked well as Frye was just 1 for 4 from the field. Splitter will be fine and he should be back in the starting lineup in the next game.
Nene- Forward-Center, Washington Wizards. 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. Nene has been lucky in that the Wizards have had a light schedule to start the season. In his last game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nene shot horribly 4 for 10 but managed
By:wivb.com
10 points and five boards. This was the issue heading into the season is can Nene be consistent? Nene no longer has to play with Emeka Okafor as he got traded to the Phoenix Suns for Marcin Gortat. This could help Nene as it can take some offensive pressure off him and Gortat is great in pick and roll. This a great move as the Wizards want to make the playoffs and Nene can focus on dominating the boards and scoring once in a while but not having to put up huge numbers.
Vitor Faverani-Center, Boston Celtics. 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per
game. Faverani is a rookie still trying to find his footing. He is a lot like his rookie head coach Brad Stevens who also is figuring things out in the NBA. Faverani played just six minutes in his last game, having 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Faverani had been playing between 20 to 30 minutes and has started at center. Stevens probably went with what was working and Boston won by 10. Faverani is just developing and it is going to take some time for him to figure it out.
Stats:NBA.com