2025 NBA Season

[Vaculin]

Anthony Davis just put in the best game of the year in helping the Lakers beat the Wizards 130 to 119. Anthony Davis had 55 points and 17 rebounds on only 30 shots. LeBron had a pretty good night as well with 29 points. It was all Davis tonight though as he showed how dominant he can be. I hope he can stay healthy and keep this streak rolling.

Yes, I saw the game and he was very efficient. Davis just unleashed his true self, dropping this kind of stats will give him a shot of winning the season's MVP. Lakers just keep winning guys, this is a good sign that their system was created and it's very effective.

That's the best game of Davis so far this season, Dropping 55 points is already impressive, but adding 17 rebounds? come on, this guy was possessed, he will be playing like this, Lakers will likely win the NBA Finals again.

No doubt with the skill he have? I won't be surprised if the Lakers will see themselves on the conference finals and Finals, but that is only possible if Davis will not get any serious injuries this season because the Lakers will surely crumble if that happens. We already know how prone he is when it comes to injuries, yes, his skills is very useful for the team but what is skill if the holder is injured. But I surely do hope that there won't be any serious injuries in any given team this season because it is much more entertaining and fun to see the teams on the league to be on their best version as there won't be any excuses too.

[danherbias07]

Anthony Davis just put in the best game of the year in helping the Lakers beat the Wizards 130 to 119. Anthony Davis had 55 points and 17 rebounds on only 30 shots. LeBron had a pretty good night as well with 29 points. It was all Davis tonight though as he showed how dominant he can be. I hope he can stay healthy and keep this streak rolling.

Yeah! Damn, he is not really stopping from being hot.
Porzingis and Gafford were there protecting the rim and yet AD was making everything in the painted area. There was even a moment when the dunking competition was heating up between both teams. 
All I could say is, it was a fun game. Very competitive. AD not trying to lose which is cool.
I bet the fans watching in DC were all satisfied with every penny they paid for the ticket.

Yes, it was very competitive game specially in the 4th quarter,  and all throughout, AD vs KP, good matchup but it was obviously AD dominating him KP and Gafford inside the paint.

There were even a moment in the game wherein AD brings the ball coast to coast and score a 3 point play.

I will be very much satisfied watching the game in DC, even if I'm a fan of the Wizards,  .

And that one time that he cannot sink the ball to the rim but got the offensive rebound and dunk it in front of Gafford and KP then jerked the damn rim and stared down on the two defenders. A great display of strength that probably boosted the confidence of the Lakers team.

We have changes in the NBA Kia MVP ladder.
https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-2-2022-edition
1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics - from number 2
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - from number 1
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets - from number 3
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - from number 4
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns - from number 7
If AD keeps up his monster games, we will see him in the top 10 soon. (I think he is the top player in the last 10 games)

[Maidak]

In the west, I would have liked to see the Lakers and the trailblazers to be in the top eight positions. But at the same time, it is also true that they have not played well. And the performance that they have shown, it is honestly not expected to see them in the top eight. I did want them to be up there, but I cannot say that they deserve to be up there.
I think the situation in the east is well summarised by you. Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat both were expected to be in the top eight in my opinion. I want to say that the Chicago Bulls lineup are not widely to play in the playoffs. But at the same time, they also did not play like they are worth it, to be honest.

Without Lonzo Ball, I do not think that the Chicago Bulls have any expectations to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. It is not that the other players are not good but the competition in the East just got bumped up. Prime Tatum and Brown in Celtics, Prime Giannis in Bucks. Then there's Harden and Embiid for 76ers and the trio in Brooklyn Net. The Bulls can still reach the playoffs but without Ball, they cannot move past the first round.

I also agree. Without Lonzo Ball, it is really challenging for them to go anywhere.
Honestly, I don’t know how to react to your post other than positively because I agree with each and every point that you made.
Most other teams have top-tier players who are currently in their prime on their rosters.

So, obviously, it is very tough for Chicago Bulls to face those teams and get a positive result. Chicago Bulls are not as strong as most other teams, which is a sad fact.

As long as they will qualify for the playoffs, there's a huge chance that they'll win the championship. The Lakers are doing pretty well, great teams are beaten by the Lakers and they are very happy with each other, a happy coach, and happy players, that's the recipe for success. Though it's still too early to conclude I'm already seeing a great future for this roster.

Too early to tell, but I have to agree. It seems like Westbrook embracing his new role is now finally clicking. He have to give up his scoring opportunity to help his team win, with extra efforts assisting, defending, and other hustle that can't be listed on the stat sheet.
While AD has suddenly came back to life, when everyone thought he'd gradually slowdown and eventually become washed earlier than expected, but based on the games he have showed currently, it seems like he's becoming more improved than his last performances.
Lakers fan suddenly came back to life.

Nothing to say with how you are pointing the way both Davis and Westbrook impress the Lakers fans, the expectations from both of them
are now being filled and they are really playing real game and not just for the stats.
I like how coach Ham gives them the credit, though it's not just them and LeBron, but as a whole, Lakers team is really improving now
they adjust with both defense and offense that giving them the win.
We might see more wins for them if they will continue playing without any injury. The season is still early and there are a lot of possibilities
to happen, looking forward to more healthy competition.

Lakers are currently doing well. That is no surprise to anyone. And obviously, the big names are performing well for the team.
Lakers are going through a good time. LeBron, James, and Anthony Davis are probably the most consistent players in Lakers.

Now, the main concern will be to keep the players healthy and monitor them carefully to prevent any sudden injuries that could threaten Lakers' performance.
Injuries are the main reason why teams are not able to perform as they should.

[jakelyson]

We have changes in the NBA Kia MVP ladder.
https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-2-2022-edition
1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics - from number 2
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - from number 1
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets - from number 3
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - from number 4
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns - from number 7
If AD keeps up his monster games, we will see him in the top 10 soon. (I think he is the top player in the last 10 games)

Good to see that Jayson Tatum is getting the recognition that he deserves. I think that this is the first time I have seen Tatum in the MVP race. Lately, it is either Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid in the top spot. Speaking of Embiid, where is he on the list?

I think if the Lakers reach top 8 in the West, AD will be in the MVP race as well. We all know he is carrying the heavy load in the Lakers, so he deserves to be in the top 5 if he carries the Lakers to the top 8.

Yes, Anthony Davis is indeed an important player and the key to the team's success. We already saw their situation when he wasn't around for the team and as long as Anthony Davis will remain healthy, the Lakers really got a decent shot to grab their own seat on the playoffs this season. In his last 10 games alone, he looks like he was carrying the team on his back gathering humungous points per game, and earlier he again scored 55 points and 17 rebs as they finished the Wizards on the road.

This performance of Davis put made my prediction wrong. I predicted they will be on a losing streak going out in the road because they will be facing above 500 teams, but they beat Bucks and now the Wizards. Davis is putting extra work to carry the Lakers, hopefully, his body can carry on. It is still very early in the season and going 55 points a game will put a lot of tolls in his body. He may not have enough to go in post-season. Darvin Ham should put some control on Davis to get his body rested like other stars are doing.

[ajanwalker]

In the match where Anthony Davis was a star, the Los Angeles Lakers easily passed the Washington Wizards obstacle on the road. Anthony Davis scored 55 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double game. The Los Angeles Lakers began to find their rhythm once their stars returned to the team. The Boston Celtics beat Brooklyn 103-92 away.

[sana54210]

From 2-8 to now 8-2. I'm sure Coach Ham is very happy with the improvement of his team.

Aside from that, he's happy that he's successful in transitioning Davis from a Power Forward to an efficient Center and now is dominating the league in these past games. Davis performance tonight is the first Laker to do a 50-point 15-rebound and 70% FG since Wilt in the 60's. I thought that he will stop and will be less efficient after those 3 30-point games, but it seems that I'm wrong and he is still doing it. I watched the highlights and his poster against Porzingis and Gafford is just out of this world.

Now with regards to them winning the NBA Finals, they must climb the ladder first. Yes, they are 8-2 on their last 10 games but still they are now at the 12th spot, and nothing has changed. The good thing though is that the Lakers are only 2 games behind the 6th seeded Warriors, so every win is very important for the teams in the West because their standings are really close. Just look at the Jazz where they got the top spot but after losing consecutive games, they are now on the 9th seed.

The centre position itself has changed a lot in the league, that is one part of the solution. I mean sure AD is playing better and more comfortable there now, but when he got to the league Centre was a different position and he is famously a kid who played PG all his life and then grew tall so he had to learn how to play inside, which caused a bit of a trouble for him to play the centre.

Nowadays centres do not bang up each other, they play with skill too, and that is why AD is doing a lot better, he doesn't face Embiid or Gobert type centres in all games, he faces Jokic style players and that doesn't mean they are less talented, it just means it works better for him.

[carlisle1]

In the match where Anthony Davis was a star, the Los Angeles Lakers easily passed the Washington Wizards obstacle on the road. Anthony Davis scored 55 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double game. The Los Angeles Lakers began to find their rhythm once their stars returned to the team. The Boston Celtics beat Brooklyn 103-92 away.

Anthony Davis was the big difference, seeing him playing healthy like this only means that lakers chances of winning are good,
just don't get any major injuries and stay healthy.

They are really gaining the rhythm they are playing as one with the way players are willing to sacrifice their offense and
play as role players and let Davis and LeBron to attack.

Something that they are now establishing, a good sign might be for the Lakers fans, if they can continue making more
wins, then seeing them in the next round is expected.

[wheelz1200]

In the match where Anthony Davis was a star, the Los Angeles Lakers easily passed the Washington Wizards obstacle on the road. Anthony Davis scored 55 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double game. The Los Angeles Lakers began to find their rhythm once their stars returned to the team. The Boston Celtics beat Brooklyn 103-92 away.

Anthony Davis was the big difference, seeing him playing healthy like this only means that lakers chances of winning are good,
just don't get any major injuries and stay healthy.

They are really gaining the rhythm they are playing as one with the way players are willing to sacrifice their offense and
play as role players and let Davis and LeBron to attack.

Something that they are now establishing, a good sign might be for the Lakers fans, if they can continue making more
wins, then seeing them in the next round is expected.

They still need some more pieces.  I don't think theor depth will speak well in the long season and the playoffs.  With the ship turned around they shoukd be shopping theor picks for an asset now and make a run.  The west is very even right now.  They only have theor 2027 and 2029 firsts that they can part with I think but that shoukd be good enough for a decent piece with someone who is rebuilding.

[Yaunfitda]

Anthony Davis just put in the best game of the year in helping the Lakers beat the Wizards 130 to 119. Anthony Davis had 55 points and 17 rebounds on only 30 shots. LeBron had a pretty good night as well with 29 points. It was all Davis tonight though as he showed how dominant he can be. I hope he can stay healthy and keep this streak rolling.

Yeah! Damn, he is not really stopping from being hot.
Porzingis and Gafford were there protecting the rim and yet AD was making everything in the painted area. There was even a moment when the dunking competition was heating up between both teams. 
All I could say is, it was a fun game. Very competitive. AD not trying to lose which is cool.
I bet the fans watching in DC were all satisfied with every penny they paid for the ticket.

Yes, it was very competitive game specially in the 4th quarter,  and all throughout, AD vs KP, good matchup but it was obviously AD dominating him KP and Gafford inside the paint.

There were even a moment in the game wherein AD brings the ball coast to coast and score a 3 point play.

I will be very much satisfied watching the game in DC, even if I'm a fan of the Wizards,  .

And that one time that he cannot sink the ball to the rim but got the offensive rebound and dunk it in front of Gafford and KP then jerked the damn rim and stared down on the two defenders. A great display of strength that probably boosted the confidence of the Lakers team.

We have changes in the NBA Kia MVP ladder.
https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-2-2022-edition
1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics - from number 2
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - from number 1
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets - from number 3
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - from number 4
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns - from number 7
If AD keeps up his monster games, we will see him in the top 10 soon. (I think he is the top player in the last 10 games)

Yes, I think Tatum has a good chance to win if the Celtics will continue it's run. There are a lot of sports analyst mentioning his name so I'm not surprised that he moves in the top spot, still young like Luka but deserves to where he is. And he is the the reason why the Celtics is where they are right now. So good luck to them.

As for AD, he suddenly wakes up from a long slumber, lol, numbers is good, confidence is high and Lebron is holding the team together with his play making and crucial decision making in the finals stretch. WB too is contributing, might not be as good as his previous numbers, but still those points and assists help them a lot in their run.

[gagux123]

Yes, Anthony Davis is indeed an important player and the key to the team's success. We already saw their situation when he wasn't around for the team and as long as Anthony Davis will remain healthy, the Lakers really got a decent shot to grab their own seat on the playoffs this season. In his last 10 games alone, he looks like he was carrying the team on his back gathering humungous points per game, and earlier he again scored 55 points and 17 rebs as they finished the Wizards on the road.

Yep, sometimes I realize, AD had a relevant improvement, but he is far from his prime when he played for Kentucky and Pelicans for example.
I still speculate if the Lakers keep up with this good performance I have no doubt they managed, they will reach the playoffs easily, but only the time will be able to answer that.

[ultrloa]

Yes, Anthony Davis is indeed an important player and the key to the team's success. We already saw their situation when he wasn't around for the team and as long as Anthony Davis will remain healthy, the Lakers really got a decent shot to grab their own seat on the playoffs this season. In his last 10 games alone, he looks like he was carrying the team on his back gathering humungous points per game, and earlier he again scored 55 points and 17 rebs as they finished the Wizards on the road.

Yep, sometimes I realize, AD had a relevant improvement, but he is far from his prime when he played for Kentucky and Pelicans for example.
I still speculate if the Lakers keep up with this good performance I have no doubt they managed, they will reach the playoffs easily, but only the time will be able to answer that.

There's no easy way for them to get into the playoffs even if they perform better even though they are in good shape right now and AD is a beast recently still no guarantee for them to place on playoffs automatically. Remember many teams are so strong and also AD is injury prone so they need to be consistent and healthy so that they can reach their target and will not get another big upset on their careers.

[gagux123]

There's no easy way for them to get into the playoffs even if they perform better even though they are in good shape right now and AD is a beast recently still no guarantee for them to place on playoffs automatically. Remember many teams are so strong and also AD is injury prone so they need to be consistent and healthy so that they can reach their target and will not get another big upset on their careers.

Hmm, what you said is something interesting and valid.
I imagine that this season the Lakers are performing better than the previous season and therefore I imagine that they may have a great chance of reaching the playoffs in  this season.
As I said in a previous post, it will be necessary to wait and see what will actually happen.
With the Lakers roster, I believe, LeBron James, AD, Beverley and Westbrook will be an important key for the Lakers, because I have no doubt that they are good players, but they have a lot of experience, mainly LJ, and experience could be a crucial factor for the Lakers during the playoffs (of course, if they reach that step)

[YuginKadoya]

Yes, Anthony Davis is indeed an important player and the key to the team's success. We already saw their situation when he wasn't around for the team and as long as Anthony Davis will remain healthy, the Lakers really got a decent shot to grab their own seat on the playoffs this season. In his last 10 games alone, he looks like he was carrying the team on his back gathering humungous points per game, and earlier he again scored 55 points and 17 rebs as they finished the Wizards on the road.

The potential of Anthony Davis in the Lakers is pretty much crazy, and right now he is regaining his form every time the season progresses, and I think if this continues we can see a 100% Anthony Davis for the Lakers, and for the NBA trade deadline it will be on February 9, 2023, Anthony Davis would be a much bigger gun for the other teams if you include Anthony Davis with the other and if he's going to be healthy for the remainder of the season then a chance for the pay-offs for sure, Imagine the Golden State Warriors will trade Anthony Davis, with James Wiseman, Mosses Moody, and Andrew Wiggins, it will be a big shift for the Warriors in acquiring AD to their roster and it will surely elevate their potential for the finals, and that is what I think about the potential of Anthony Davis,

In my view, the game has already decided as the 2nd half began and that the Lakers owned the game because it was evident enough on my side that the Wizards cannot really close the huge gap that they are in, Anthony Davis was almost unstoppable as well as Lebron and then you have Walker and Westbrook on the side. When the 4th quarter began, it was just like a show already that the Lakers started, even Walker was posterizing a dunk and Davis was not on any pressures as he shoots from downtown.

Surely the Lakers are getting a big change with their games, and this is just because of Anthony Davis if Davis would manage to stay healthy for the rest of the season a high chance of the playoffs for the Lakers that is for sure, for me Anthony Davis is just that good, and if the Lakers would trade his this coming deadline NBA trade it is the loss for the Lakers if Anthony Davis would not be there for the team,

[Velvet78]

Lakers have been doing pretty well in their latest games in the regular season. They have got many wins recently and this is keeping them close to the playoff area. If they keep up this form they can surely have a better season than the previous one. There are still so many games to be played as we aren't even in the middle of the season yet.

I just hope to see the team effort getting better in time. It is not good to see them being too dependent Lebron most of the time. Of course he is still a superstar who is showing great performances. But this mustn't mean that the other players should always have an eye on him. This is likely to decrease the quality of their attacks.

[jakelyson]

The centre position itself has changed a lot in the league, that is one part of the solution. I mean sure AD is playing better and more comfortable there now, but when he got to the league Centre was a different position and he is famously a kid who played PG all his life and then grew tall so he had to learn how to play inside, which caused a bit of a trouble for him to play the centre.

Nowadays centres do not bang up each other, they play with skill too, and that is why AD is doing a lot better, he doesn't face Embiid or Gobert type centres in all games, he faces Jokic style players and that doesn't mean they are less talented, it just means it works better for him.

I think AD is still more comfortable playing forward than center. He is quoted that he prefer that position because he can be help defender and he know when someone passed him, there is still a center that got his back. But the Lakers did not acquire a center so he is forced to play as center. It is good that he is adopting but I think the Lakers should give the best position for AD. They should acquire a legit center to go with AD.

There's no easy way for them to get into the playoffs even if they perform better even though they are in good shape right now and AD is a beast recently still no guarantee for them to place on playoffs automatically. Remember many teams are so strong and also AD is injury prone so they need to be consistent and healthy so that they can reach their target and will not get another big upset on their careers.

Even if we remove the injury-prone factor from AD, it will still be very hard for them. He needs to perform a monster performance in order to carry the Lakers. That is very hard and very exhausting. He would not be able to do that the whole season. WB and Lebron also need to do monster performance to match AD. Without help, they will end up at the bottom or play-in again this year.

[Baofeng]

Lakers have been doing pretty well in their latest games in the regular season. They have got many wins recently and this is keeping them close to the playoff area. If they keep up this form they can surely have a better season than the previous one. There are still so many games to be played as we aren't even in the middle of the season yet.

I just hope to see the team effort getting better in time. It is not good to see them being too dependent Lebron most of the time. Of course he is still a superstar who is showing great performances. But this mustn't mean that the other players should always have an eye on him. This is likely to decrease the quality of their attacks.

Right, last year they started strong if my memory serves me right but then when Lebron got injured, that's where the problem started, series of losses and it's too late to overcome as they fall down on the standings.

And then the WB criticism started which I think really affected him and the team so the losses became desperation for them.

At least for now, they have started to win games this early and should be attempting to break into the playoff berth before the second half of the season.

[harizen]

I just hope to see the team effort getting better in time. It is not good to see them being too dependent Lebron most of the time. Of course he is still a superstar who is showing great performances. But this mustn't mean that the other players should always have an eye on him. This is likely to decrease the quality of their attacks.

In fairness, if you refer to the Lakers' previous games, there's no such thing that the Lakers are depending on LeBron most of the time. And in fact, that was even the case last season. LeBron is just doing his best as usual and if you noticed, some of the Lakers' players are stepping up on the game e.g Austin Reaves, Thomas Bryant, etc.

It's good that some of their players are given good minutes to play. Aside from that, Westbrook humbly accepts the role of coming from the bench and the most noticeable reason why the Lakers are doing great so far is Anthony Davis' consistency of establishing a monster performance every game. I also noticed Davis' improvement in his perimeter shots. He becomes a threat now whether inside or outside shooting.

[Japinat]

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And that one time that he cannot sink the ball to the rim but got the offensive rebound and dunk it in front of Gafford and KP then jerked the damn rim and stared down on the two defenders. A great display of strength that probably boosted the confidence of the Lakers team.

We have changes in the NBA Kia MVP ladder.
https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-dec-2-2022-edition
1. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics - from number 2
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - from number 1
3. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets - from number 3
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - from number 4
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns - from number 7
If AD keeps up his monster games, we will see him in the top 10 soon. (I think he is the top player in the last 10 games)

Yes, I think Tatum has a good chance to win if the Celtics will continue it's run. There are a lot of sports analyst mentioning his name so I'm not surprised that he moves in the top spot, still young like Luka but deserves to where he is. And he is the the reason why the Celtics is where they are right now. So good luck to them.

As for AD, he suddenly wakes up from a long slumber, lol, numbers is good, confidence is high and Lebron is holding the team together with his play making and crucial decision making in the finals stretch. WB too is contributing, might not be as good as his previous numbers, but still those points and assists help them a lot in their run.

So here's the latest NBA MVP ladder for the season 22-23:
1. Nikola Jokic - Nuggets
2. Luka Doncic - Mavericks
3. Jayson Tatum - Celtics
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo - Bucks
5. Devin Booker - Suns
6. Stephen Curry - Warriors
7. Anthony Davis - Lakers
8. Donovan Mitchell - Cavaliers
9. Kevin Durant - Nets
10. Domantas Sabonis - Kings
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/mvp.html

As we all know, this MVP ladder is updating every single week and it's not surprising that Anthony Davis's name has surfaced on the list after his good productions and their team, the Lakers, has been impressive as well for having a 8-2 run in the last 10 games. Together with Davis's name, Sabonis also appeared in the top 10 in the expense of Ja Morant and Jaylen Brown.
 

[OgNasty]

The Mavericks seem to have the Suns number. They shut down Booker and Luka goes off whenever they play. I think the Suns better figure out how to rectify this before the postseason rolls around.

How about the double overtime game between the 76ers and Rockets that the Rockets won. I’m guessing that’s not what Sixers fans were expecting going into this game…

[Kasabus]

Yes, Anthony Davis is indeed an important player and the key to the team's success. We already saw their situation when he wasn't around for the team and as long as Anthony Davis will remain healthy, the Lakers really got a decent shot to grab their own seat on the playoffs this season. In his last 10 games alone, he looks like he was carrying the team on his back gathering humungous points per game, and earlier he again scored 55 points and 17 rebs as they finished the Wizards on the road.

Yep, sometimes I realize, AD had a relevant improvement, but he is far from his prime when he played for Kentucky and Pelicans for example.
I still speculate if the Lakers keep up with this good performance I have no doubt they managed, they will reach the playoffs easily, but only the time will be able to answer that.

There's no easy way for them to get into the playoffs even if they perform better even though they are in good shape right now and AD is a beast recently still no guarantee for them to place on playoffs automatically. Remember many teams are so strong and also AD is injury prone so they need to be consistent and healthy so that they can reach their target and will not get another big upset on their careers.

Truth is, not only the Lakers but all the teams in the league are not going to have an easy path towards the qualifiers and playoffs. Even the ones who are sitting on the 1st and 2nd seed on both conferences are not yet guaranteed to have a seat in the next phase. They all need to be consistent and healthy to get themselves a place on the playoffs, a serious injury from any given players especially the stars on any given team along the way may alter the team's course heavily.

So far, so good. Let's just enjoy the games now while things are still interesting enough and its unpredictability makes me want to see the games every day.