NBA week 7: Five things we learnt

The Golden State Warriors were finally beaten on Saturday night in Milwaukee to bring an end to their remarkable 24-game winning streak to start the season. It was a big surprise against Jason Kidd’s Bucks who currently occupy 13th in the Eastern Conference and had lost six of their previous nine games. The reigning champions seemed fatigued after the previous evening’s double-overtime victory in Boston. Despite the return of All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson, were beaten 108-95. It showed the rest of the league that this side is not invincible, but this record should not be underestimated.

Their 24 consecutive wins in one season is the third-best in league history behind the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2012-13 Miami Heat. The league has credited them with a 28-game win streak, including the four regular season games they won in the 2014-15 season before the play-offs, which would put them second. But it is a flawed logic that has irritated NBA fans across the world, with Golden State losing play-off games between that period. What is certain, is that the Warriors will be looking to ensure their status as the No 1 seed in the West heading into February’s All-Star break. And sitting at 24-1, don’t rule out the possibility of this team toppling Phil Jackson’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls side that finished the season with just 10 losses from their 82 regular season games.

With every team having played at least 21 games, we are a quarter of the way through the season and it’s a natural time to reflect on how this year’s rookies have fitted into the league. There have been controversies surrounding both the second and third picks of the 2015 NBA Draft, with Jahlil Okafor missing two games for Philadelphia after getting involved in an off-court incident. While D’Angelo Russell has seen his minutes reduced by Lakers head coach Byron Scott in an attempt to lose games and ensure the franchise gets a top draft pick in 2016. But it has been refreshing to see the majority of players settling into the league and improving a few struggling sides.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis seem to be having their own Rookie of the Year competition in the early stages of the season. Towns is posting averages of 14.9ppg and 9.2ppg, while Porzingis has gone a long way to change the opinion of those New York fans that booed him on draft night with 13.6ppg and 8.4ppg. The Latvian has even drawn comparisons to the seemingly ageless Dirk Nowitzki with his impact as a European big coming into the league. Elsewhere, the impressive defense of Justise Winslow and Stanley Johnson have helped improve their respective benches in Miami and Detroit respectively. And despite his off-court issues, Okafor has shown why he was a top three pick by posting good offensive numbers despite playing for the league’s worst team

This week’s 109-103 defeat at home against Houston condemned the Wizards to their 7th loss in 11 home games and meant they remain outside of the Eastern play-off picture. They have undoubtedly been one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Bradley Beal was ruled out for two weeks on Friday and they may struggle in this week’s tough games against Memphis, San Antonio and Charlotte. But their form at the Verizon Centre continues to be their biggest worry, with only the Philadelphia 76ers possessing a worse home record in the East. Of their seven home defeats, they lost against the Knicks and then suffered the ignominy of losing to a Lakers side that are bottom of the West with a 3-21 record.

They actually picked up a couple of excellent road victories this week, winning in Miami and Dallas to further maintain their reputation as the most inconsistent side in the NBA. They have also won in Cleveland and Detroit as well as beating Gregg Popovich’s Spurs. John Wall is beginning to re-find his form of last season that saw him named as a starting All-Star, but something is not clicking and there have been reports of a little unrest in the dressing room. With 10 teams sitting above .500 in this year’s competitive East, it is vital that last year’s Conference semi-finalists find a way to win at home, and quickly.

The Toronto Raptors continued their rise in the East by winning all four consecutive games this week to end a six-game home stretch and go to 16-9 record that puts them second behind Cleveland. Okay, so two of those wins came against the Lakes and Sixers, who have a combined record of 4-45, but they also showed a grit and determination that was missing at times last season by defeating the Spurs 97-94 at the Air Canada Centre. And much of their success can be put down to a back-court of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan that is probably the best in their Conference right now.

Both players are in the top 13 for points per game with over 21 points per game and they will be the main attractions for when the Raptors come to London for the NBA Global Game in January. DeRozan is still far from the complete player, despite averaging 21.8 points per game and a career-high 4.1 assists per game this season. His field goal percentage is still languishing around the low 40’s and his inability to shoot the three-ball continues to reduce his efficiency.

DeRozan may not be an elite performer, but in Lowry they have one of the league’s best point-guards and he is certain to start for a second consecutive All-Star game in February. He has career-high averages of 21.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is shooting over 40 per cent from beyond the arch for the first time. After the huge disappointment of being swept by the Wizards in last year’s play-off first round, Lowry and the Raptors will be more prepared this time around and should be a tough side to beat.

It is hard to forget that Derrick Rose is still only 27-years-old. He became the joint-youngest winner of the MVP Award at just 22, but has been plagued by injuries ever since and has missed more games than he has played in since 2010-11. He is averaging a career-worst 13.2 points per game, shooting just 36 per cent from the field and 23 per cent from three-point range. This is a player that has a Rookie of the Year award and three NBA All-Star appearances as well as his being the 2010-11 MVP. But his steady decline and the Bulls lack of post-season success has seen Rose widely talked about as the first MVP that could miss out on being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It is a thought that would have been inconceivable during Rose’s first three years when he took the league by storm, and there is no doubt that injuries have hampered him. Many believed the introduction of Fred Hoiberg as the Bulls head coach would breathe new life into Rose and the Chicago offense, but that has not happened. Indeed the Bulls offense is currently the fourth worst in the division. However, Rose is still young and has many years left in him if he can stay fit, so let’s hope that he can return to his magical form of five years ago.