Winners of the NBA Week 1/30-2/6

(ocregister.com)

5. Caris LeVert/Indiana Pacers Medical Staff

This happened slightly more than a week ago but it deserves to be highlighted. Following Caris LeVert’s trade to the Indiana Pacers, his physical showed renal cell carcinoma in his left kidney. LeVert was completely unaware of the cancerous tumor. Thankfully, he went through successful surgery on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery. He will not return to the court this season, but that is a small concern for him, his family, and the organization. He said in a statement released following surgery, “On behalf of my family and myself, we want to thank the Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance. We are grateful for their extreme thoroughness during the physical process and I am looking forward to joining the team and being part of this great organization as soon as possible.” Shoutout to the Pacers medical staff for their detail and diligence in the physical process. We are all looking forward to LeVert’s return to the hardwood.

(nba.com)

4. LaMelo Ball

Lavar must be hyped right now! LaMelo Ball is already looking like the best Ball brother only 2 months into the NBA season. This week was great for the young, exciting Charlotte Hornets Point Guard. LaMelo is averaging 24 PPG over the past week and has officially moved into the starting lineup following an injury to Terry Rozier. Ball dropped at career high 34 points Friday against the Jazz while shooting 4-9 from three and dishing out 8 assists. This was his third 20+ point performance of the week. He has also dominated Instagram and Twitter highlights with a mean stepback three and a behind the back pass leading to a Miles Bridges dunk. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, LaMelo and Bridges would be an undefeated NBA Jam duo. Ball is going to continue to get heavy minutes due to the Hornets’ guard depth, but this is good for Charlotte. Ball is their best ball handler, no pun intended, and the offense flows better with him on the court. His emergence may allow Charlotte to shop one of their other point guards, Terry Rozier or Devonte Graham, for front court help at the trade deadline. It seems the more LaMelo plays, the better his feel and the better the results.

(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

3. Utah Jazz

Somebody call up Jim Jones! The Utah Jazz are BALLING! Utah currently has the best record in the NBA at 18-5 and sit in first place in the Western Conference. The Jazz went 3-1 in the past week with wins over Charlotte, Atlanta, and Detroit. Donovan Mitchell is making a case to start the All-Star game this season, currently averaging 23.3 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds a game. The Jazz are one of the only teams in the league top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating, 4th and 3rd in the league respectively. Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert is leading an impressive Jazz defense with his stellar 100 per 100 possessions defensive rating. He is also second in the league in blocked shots with 62 so far on the season. The biggest surprise for Utah has been sixth man Jordan Clarkson. Utah locked up Clarkson this offseason and it has certainly paid off. He is putting up 17.6 PPG off the Utah bench while shooting 39% from deep. Many believe, including me, that Clarkson is already running away with this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award. The Jazz have been spinning the tires for a few years now. They have been stuck in the rut of being too bad to miss the Playoffs but too good to win the Finals. If they keep playing the way they have this week, expect them to be a very difficult out come summertime.

(Jeffery D. Alfred/Desert News)

2. Sacramento Kings

The Kings are winners! Finally! Sacramento went 2-1 this past week with big wins over the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans. The one game they lost to the Miami Heat was only a one point defeat. De’Aaron Fox has begun to put this team on his back throughout stretches of the game. Fox finished with 26 points in the win over Boston and drilled the dagger shot with a little over a minute left. The game before, Fox hung 38 points and 12 assists on the Pelicans. He has been a constant for the Kings this year, but their other contributors stepped up to cap off the month of January. Harrison Barnes put up 24 points against both the Celtics and Pelicans. Tyrese Haliburton put 21 points on Boston and Richaun Holmes took home a 17 and 10 double-double in the New Orleans game. Sacramento has been seen as a team likely to make moves at the deadline. If they decide to sure up their roster, instead of blowing it up, Sacramento may be looking at their long-awaited return to the Western Conference Playoffs.

(Ed Szczepanski/USA Today Sports)

1. Los Angeles Lakers

The Celtics fan in me is crying, but yes, the Lakers are the big winners of the week. LA went 4-0 this week with wins over Boston, Atlanta, Denver, and the World Tag Team Champions Ol’ Steroid Ass and Courtside Karen. In all seriousness, the Lakers handled their championship business. Their win against Boston on Saturday was a gutsy one. LA trailed by 7 going into the fourth and rode their big 2 of Davis and LeBron to victory. AD came away with 27 points and 14 rebounds, LeBron took home 21, 7, and 7. He also solidified his place atop many MVP leaderboards. LA routed the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals Thursday by going on a 15-0 run to finish out the 3rd quarter. The Lakers are currently the number 1 defense in the league with Anthony Davis on a full “I should’ve won DPOY last year” revenge tour. Davis currently leads the league in defensive rating at 99 per 100 possessions. Just for all you non-analytics geeks out there, any ratings metric with two-digits is insane. The best part of the Lakers' week was LeBron spouting my new favorite insult “Ol Steroid Ass” at an over plump old ass man who was heckling him. By the way, if you think LeBron was being mean, this guy’s Instagram was basically just a “Screw LeBron fanpage.” So shut up. If you’re going to sit court side and talk crap, don’t get butthurt when LeBron roasts you and your wife. The Lakers are riding high as the defending champions with all the swagger in the world attached to their game. Walk like a champ, talk like a champ, and come away with the number 1 spot on this week’s winners.

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)