Lakers get double happiness, Rockets welcome good news, Nuggets close to No. 1

The NBA regular season ushered in an exciting matchup day. A total of 5 matches were arranged throughout the day, including all 6 teams from the Western Conference. The Thunder, Nuggets, and Lakers, the three strongest Western teams, won one after another, making the Western Conference ranking pattern increasingly tense. The Thunder have won five consecutive games and are firmly ranked first in the league. The Nuggets have won seven games in a row and are chasing the top spot. The Lakers have won two consecutive games and are close to the top four in the Western Conference. The Rockets, who have not played, have also received major benefits, laying the foundation for a four-game winning streak. In addition, the Grizzlies lost their fourth straight away game to the Cavaliers and became the only loser of the Western Conference team that day.

1, the Thunder defeated the Hornets 109:96, leading the league with 13 wins and 1 loss, and Alexander set a team record.

As the defending champion, the Thunder have been dominant this season. In the away game against the Hornets on the 16th, they continued their strong form and easily won 109:96. While winning five games in a row, the Thunder improved their season record to 13 wins and 1 loss, continuing to sit first in the Western Conference and the entire league.

The progress of this game can be described as "steady and steady". The two sides entered a tug-of-war in the first quarter, with a tight offensive and defensive rhythm. The score was always stalemate during the back and forth, and finally ended in a 30:30 draw. In the second quarter, the Thunder gradually found their offensive rhythm and gained a slight advantage with their more stable shooting efficiency. They won by 3 points in a single quarter and entered the halftime break with a weak lead of 55:52. The third quarter became the turning point of the game. The Thunder suddenly launched a strong offensive. The offensive end flourished and scored 32 points in a single quarter. The defensive end firmly restricted the performance of the Hornets, allowing the opponent to score only 18 points. In one fell swoop, the point difference was widened to 17 points, sealing the victory in advance. Although the Hornets tried to chase points in the final quarter, the Thunder always controlled the situation on the court and did not give their opponents any chance to come back and securely won the victory.

Thunder core Alexander's performance is still impeccable. As the league's top scorer, he only played 29 minutes before clocking out in three quarters. His efficiency is astonishingly high. He made 13 of 19 shots in the game, including 3 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws. He easily scored 33 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, with a plus-minus value of +21. He has ended work early 8 times so far this season, showing his strong dominance. According to statistics, this is Alexander's 190th 30+ performance in a single game in the history of the Thunder. He has successfully surpassed Westbrook and ranks second in team history, second only to the legendary star Durant's 246 games. It has become another milestone moment in the history of the Thunder.

In addition to Alexander, other Thunder players also performed brilliantly. Holmgren showed strong dominance in the interior, contributing 25 points and 8 rebounds, becoming Alexander's most effective helper; Hartenstein played a near triple-double, scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, playing a key role on both offense and defense; Mitchell on the bench also scored 14 points, providing the team with sufficient firepower support. It is worth mentioning that the Thunder's defensive efficiency this season is as high as 102.8 (points lost per 100 possessions), ranking first in the league. Their strong defense is an important guarantee for them to remain at the top of the list.

On the second day, the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 123:112, winning seven consecutive games to close first. Four players with 20 points and Jokic's triple-double became a god.

The Nuggets, second in the Western Conference, are also in hot form. In today's away game against the Timberwolves, they defeated their opponents 123:112. While winning their seventh consecutive victory, they ended the Timberwolves' four-game winning streak. Their season record came to 10 wins and 2 losses. The gap with the Thunder further narrowed, and they are closing in on the first place in the Western Conference. What's even more impressive is that the Nuggets were missing key players such as Johnson and Braun in this game, and core Jokic was injured. However, the team still relied on its multi-point offense and strong performance in the final quarter to complete the season double kill against the Timberwolves.

The Nuggets blossomed in this game, with four players scoring 20+ points, showing strong overall firepower. Jokic, who played despite injuries, was still brave. He contributed a triple-double of 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He made 8 of 15 shots and 8 of 8 free throws. He had a very high shooting percentage. He showed his core value on both offense and defense. He used practical actions to explain what it means to be the "league's first center". Murray's cooperation with Jokic has become increasingly tacit. He efficiently outputs 23 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists. Not only can he score by himself, but he can also connect the team's offense very well. Gordon showed the characteristics of integrating offense and defense, scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. He made 4 of 6 three-pointers and became an important barrier for the team's forward line. Hardaway Jr., who came off the bench, was a surprise player. He made 6 of 8 shots from the field, including 5 of 6 three-pointers. He efficiently scored 23 points and became the team's killer weapon from the outside, making a major contribution to the victory.

The Timberwolves were slightly regretful. Edwards scored 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. He tried his best on both ends of the offense and defense. Randall also contributed 26 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Reed had 19 points and 6 rebounds. However, the team failed to withstand the Nuggets' offensive at the critical moment in the final quarter and was ultimately unable to recover. The four-game winning streak came to an abrupt end. It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets' defensive efficiency this season reached 109.4 (points lost per 100 possessions), ranking second in the league, second only to the Thunder. It is a qualitative leap compared to last season's defensive efficiency of 115.1 (21st in the league). The improvement of the defensive end has become the key to their seven consecutive victories.

Three, the Lakers defeated the Bucks 119:95, approaching the top four with two consecutive victories, and Doncic set a historical record.

The Lakers, fifth in the Western Conference, ushered in a strong dialogue on the 16th. In the back-to-back away games against the Bucks, despite missing key players such as James and Smart, they relied on their strong overall strength to defeat their opponents 119:95 and won two consecutive victories. Their season record reached 10 wins and 4 losses. While firmly ranking fifth in the Western Conference, they further narrowed the gap with the fourth-place Rockets in the Western Conference and closed the top four positions. It can be called a "double happiness."

In this game, the Lakers showed a trend of "rising first and then stabilizing", completely controlling the rhythm of the game. In the first quarter of the game, Doncic entered the state, scoring 12 points in a single quarter, leading the Lakers to play an efficient offense. On the defensive end, he effectively limited the Bucks' scoring, establishing a 12-point lead at 30:18.. The Lakers were more aggressive in the second quarter, launching a crazy offensive frenzy. The offensive end was full of firepower, but the defensive end caused the Bucks to fall into a scoring drought. There was no sports goal for 8 minutes. They won by 17 points in a single quarter. At the end of the half, they held a huge 31-point lead at 65:34, basically establishing the victory.

In the second half, the Bucks woke up like a dream. Core Antetokounmpo led the team to launch a fierce counterattack. In the third quarter, the team scored 38 points, narrowing the point difference to less than 20 points, making the game suspense again. But at the critical moment, the Lakers' Doncic and Reeves worked hard one after another, and Reeves even scored three consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, completely extinguishing the Bucks' counterattack, and finally helped the Lakers win steadily.

In terms of player performance, the Lakers' new Big Three dominated the game, scoring a total of 86 points and becoming the biggest contributors to the victory. Doncic was in hot form, contributing 41 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. He showed strong dominance on both offense and defense and became the number one contributor to the team's victory. According to statistics, this is the 50th time in Doncic's career that he has scored 40+ points in a single game. He is currently only 26 years old and has become the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 40+ times before the age of 27. The other three are Chamberlain, Jordan and McAdoo. Being able to stand side by side with these legendary stars is enough to prove Doncic's super strength.

Reeves' performance was equally impressive. He efficiently output 25 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal. He made 5 of 9 three-pointers, especially the key three-pointers in the final quarter. He became the key to the team's stabilization of the situation and showed his big heart. Ayton played strongly in the paint and was not afraid of the Bucks' tall inside line. He scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Giannis Antetokounmpo's tough performance was very impressive. It is worth mentioning that Browne made his first start of the season. Although he did not score, he contributed 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal, completing actual combat training and accumulating valuable game experience.

The Bucks seemed to be alone. The core Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. They tried their best but could not save the defeat. AJ Green and Trent Jr. contributed 15 points and 13 points respectively. Other players failed to provide effective fire support. In addition, the hole was dug too much in the first half, and they were ultimately unable to recover.

On the 4th, the Grizzlies lost to the Cavaliers 100:108. Their four-game losing streak was mired in a quagmire. Morant's injury became a turning point.

The only team in the Western Conference that suffered a defeat today was the Grizzlies. In their away game against the Cavaliers on the 16th, they had an advantage at the beginning but collapsed in the final quarter. In the end, they lost 100:108 to their opponents, swallowing their fourth consecutive defeat and falling into a quagmire of record.

The Cavaliers' Mitchell was in hot form, scoring 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, including 14 points in the fourth quarter, becoming the biggest contributor to the reversal; Mobley contributed 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks, with full offensive and defensive performance inside, showing his All-Star level strength; Jarrett Allen also had a stable output of 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, ensuring the team's internal strength.

For the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. shouldered the offensive burden, scoring 26 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block, becoming the team's scoring core; Zach Eady performed brilliantly in his first appearance of the season, scoring 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Steals and 2 blocks helped the team to a certain extent; Morant, who retired from injury, was extremely efficient. He made all 2 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 7 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 6 minutes. Unfortunately, he could not stay on the court for a long time. In the end, the Grizzlies unfortunately lost.

On Friday, the Rockets received major benefits. Banqueiro's absence is expected to lead to a fourth consecutive victory.

Although there is no game today, the Rockets, fourth in the Western Conference, also received major benefits. According to the Magic's updated injury report, the Rockets' next opponent, the Magic's core core Benqueiro, will continue to miss the game due to a knee injury, while another core player, Wagner Jr., can play. Banqueiro averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season. He is the core of the Magic's scoring and rebounding. His absence will greatly affect the Magic's strength.

The Rockets are currently in a good momentum of winning three consecutive games, and the team is in a hot state. Facing the Magic team, which lacks a core, this time is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to win four consecutive games. If they can successfully win, the Rockets can not only consolidate their fourth position in the Western Conference, but also further widen the gap with the Lakers and occupy a more favorable position in the battle for the top four in the Western Conference.