Last week, Kobe Bryant became the oldest player ever with a triple-double, recording 31 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ contest against the Toronto Raptors.
Incidentally, the Lakers beat the East-leading Raptors, 129-122, in overtime. The triple-double was Kobe’s first since April of 2013.
Kobe added to his legacy when he dished out his 6,000th career assist midway through the third quarter. Bryant became the first player ever to score 30,000 points and doll out 6,000 assists in a career.
Kobe continues to lead the league in scoring, but it hasn’t been enough to drive the Lakers to a lot of victories. The Lakers are 2-8 at home and 1-13 in the Western Conference.
Once the Lakers get a few more games against the weaker Eastern conference, they may begin to see things turn around a bit, especially if Kobe can continue his scoring tear.
***
On Wednesday the Philadelphia 76ers became the last team to notch one in the win column when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 85-77, in Minneapolis.
In what turned out to be the perfect metaphor for their season, the game was stopped 16 seconds in because the Sixers were attacking in the wrong direction.
The Sixers jumped out to a 10-point advantage at the end of the first period thanks to a 7-0 run to end the quarter. The Wolves countered by using a 13-1 spurt at the end of the half to take a two-point lead into halftime.
The game remained close throughout the third quarter and in the fourth the Sixers began to take over thanks to consistent scoring from Robert Covington and rookie K.J. McDaniels down the stretch.
The win was the fifth for the Sixers franchise since January 21st of this year. Over that time, Philadelphia has gone 5-49. Later in the week the team won their second game, coming out on top in their tilt against the Detroit Pistons.
This Sixers squad is the youngest team in the history of the NBA at an average roster age of 23.3 years. The reason their average age is even that high is the fact that they have retained the services of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (28) and the ghost of Jason Richardson (33).
As this team continues to mature, they will certainly find themselves the winner in a few more contests. Whether they can win more than the 19 they got last year remains to be seen.
Last year’s iteration of the Sixers was 7-13 in their first 20 games. This year, they are 2-18.
***
The Golden State State Warriors are as hot as it gets. The Warriors have now won 12 in a row, are 17-2 on the season and look to be the best team in the NBA as we reach the quarter-season mark.
Stephen Curry is once again leading this team, and looking like an early frontrunner for the MVP in the process. Curry is leading the league in 3-pointers made in addition to being fifth in the league in assists. Notably, those assists are going to Klay Thompson. Thompson is hitting his shots, as he is fifth in 3s made.
Marreese Speights has been a boom off the bench for the Warriors.
In his career, Speights has have averaged 7.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting in 15.7 minutes. This season, Speights is averaging 12 points on 53 percent shooting in 16.2 minutes in his second season with the Warriors and first under Steve Kerr.
Speights is filling in for David Lee, and may not see his minutes diminish too much upon his return.
This week the Warriors faced the Pistons, Magic, Pelicans and Bulls. These teams have a combined record of 32-50. The Bulls were merely the fourth team with a record of .500 or better that the Warriors have faced all season.
The Ws play the Rockets, Mavs, Grizzlies and Thunder in the next two weeks. Those are tough tests for sure, but these Warriors have already established themselves as a West contender. W
e’ll know a little more about the championship vitality of this team after these matchups with the West’s elite.
