On Christmas Day the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers met for the first time since Game 7 of June's NBA Finals, a game defined by LeBron James' block of an Andre Iguodala layup attempt and Kyrie Irving's game-winning three-pointer. In the aftermath of Cleveland's victory the Warriors made changes, most notably signing Kevin Durant, with the focus being on making a return to the top of the NBA. Sunday afternoon the two teams combined to produce a Christmas Day Classic, but in the end it was Irving and Richard Jefferson who made the plays that sparked Cleveland's comeback from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to win 109-108.
Irving scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out ten assists, and Jefferson's two emphatic fourth quarter dunks gave Cleveland a much-needed spark. But while those two certainly deserve credit, their heroics don't mean much if not for LeBron James (31 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Love (20 points, six rebounds) keeping the team within striking distance in the first three quarters. As for Golden State, a big day from Durant (36 points, 15 rebounds) went for naught as they struggled (and ultimately failed) to put the game away. Stephen Curry's Christmas Day struggles continued, and Draymond Green got off to a terribly slow start that featured two fouls and a technical in the first three minutes. The good news for Golden State (and the fans) is that there's another matchup during the regular season, on January 16 in Oakland. And by the looks of things, there's a good chance that they both return to the NBA Finals for a third consecutive season.
Here is this week's Top 10, with the biggest shift being Utah falling out of the rankings and Charlotte moving in. NOTE: Some links are from Basketball Reference. (Getty)
10. Charlotte
Record: 17-13
Last week: Unranked
Steve Clifford's Hornets have won three straight, most recently taking care of the Bulls with guard Nicolas Batum (20 points, 11 rebounds, ten assists) tallying his first triple-double of the season. The run comes on the heels of a stretch in which Charlotte lost four straight, all on the road, with Clifford citing the team's lack of toughness in a loss to the Wizards in Washington. Since then the Hornets have gotten back to the basics, limiting three of their four opponents to fewer than 100 points. Kemba Walker's still leading the way offensively, with five other Hornets averaging between 10.3 and 14.2 points per game, but it's the defense that will determine just how far Charlotte can go. (Getty)
9. Oklahoma City
Record: 19-12
Last week: 10th
Since losing at home to the Hawks last Monday, the Thunder have won three straight with the most recent result being a 112-100 win over Minnesota on Christmas Day. Russell Westbrook did what he normally does, finishing with 31 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, and big men Enes Kanter and Steven Adams combined to score 42 points. With Victor Oladipo still out with a sprained wrist, Oklahoma City will need Kanter and Adams to provide similar contributions. While Westbrook and Adams combined to score 53 points, the Thunder's other three starters (Andre Roberson, Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Morrow) combined to score nine points on Sunday. (Getty)
8. LA Clippers
Record: 22-10
Last week: 7th
The Clippers have lost their last two games, most recently falling to the Lakers on Christmas, a game they played without both Chris Paul (hamstring) and Blake Griffin (knee). One could even argue that the Clippers should fall even further in the power rankings due to those injuries. But keep in mind that the Clippers beat San Antonio on Thursday despite losing Paul in the second half of that game, so their fall is a modest one. Paul's injury will be one to watch, as he was originally expected to play Sunday but ruled out after testing his hamstring prior to the game. If he has to miss an extended amount of time, with Griffin already out, LA will struggle. (Getty)
7. Memphis
Record: 20-12
Last week: 7th
The Grizzlies aren't a particularly good offensive team, ranking 29th in scoring offense and 28th in offensive rating. But on most nights they get enough from Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, especially when considering just how good they are defensively. David Fizdale's team ranks first in the NBA in defensive rating and second in points allowed, and on many nights that defense has been good enough to get Memphis into the winner's circle. The offense isn't non-existent however, as they've scored 109 points or more in two of their last three games including a win over the Rockets. (Getty)
Al Horford will be counted on with Gordon Hayward out.
SG: James Harden, Houston
Opponent: vs. Charlotte
Price: $11,700
With Charlotte shooting guard Nicolas Batum listed as a game-time decision due to a knee injury, this is an interesting game for Harden. He's obviously going to have the ball in his hands a lot, whether Batum is able to play or not. If Batum can't go that would likely mean that Charlotte looks to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to defend Harden at times, and he's another athletic wing who is a good defender. Harden's going to rack up FanDuel points, but the hope is that he can do so without the turnover count (he had ten against Toronto on Sunday) getting too high. Having to deal with only one of Charlotte's quality wing defenders would help in that regard. (Getty)
4. Toronto
Record: 21-8
Last week: 5th
The Raptors have won three straight and six of their last seven, strengthening their case as the biggest threat to Cleveland in the East. Currently in the midst of a six-game road trip that began with a win in Utah Friday night, Toronto will play both Golden State (Wednesday) and San Antonio (January 3) before heading home. In Toronto's 104-98 win over the Jazz Kyle Lowry was spectacular, scoring 36 points on 15-for-20 shooting from the field, and defensively the Raptors limited Utah to 44.3 percent shooting from the field. Highly efficient offensively, the Raptors will need to call on their defense at times during this trip, which can be a successful one if they can string together stops. (Getty)
3. San Antonio
Record: 25-6
Last week: 3rd
After having their five-game win streak come to an end Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers, San Antonio's rebounded with wins over Portland and Chicago. In Sunday's win over the Bulls LaMarcus Aldridge took full advantage of his matchup with Robin Lopez, making his first nine shots of the game and finishing with 33 points to go along with nine rebounds. The question now is whether or not that performance serves as a spark for Aldridge, who prior to Sunday surpassed the 20-point mark just once in December. San Antonio has more than enough to cover for Aldridge being a consistent high-teens scorer, but they're a lot better when he's consistently scoring 20 points or more. (Getty)
2. Golden State
Record: 29-5
Last week: 2nd
After losing in Cleveland, Golden State rebounded with home wins over Toronto and Dallas. In the 108-99 victory over Dallas Klay Thompson scored 29 points, and Kevin Durant posted his first triple-double as a Warrior, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and ten assists. Recently there's been talk of Stephen Curry's shooting woes, but they've got enough options to not just survive an off night from Curry but thrive. With games against Portland and Memphis, both at home, on the schedule this week Golden State will have the opportunity to build on their lead atop the Western Conference. (Getty)
1. Cleveland
Record: 23-6
Last week: 2nd
The Cavs have won five straight games, even with the loss of J.R. Smith (right thumb) in the midst of this stretch. Head coach Tyronn Lue has moved DeAndre Liggins into the starting lineup, and while he may not be the perimeter shooter that Smith is Liggins is an absolute pest defensively. And frankly, with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love doing the heavy lifting offensively that's all they need from Liggins. Smith's injury does exacerbate Cleveland's need for greater perimeter depth down the line, but for the time being they have the players needed to account for his absence from the rotation. (Getty)
NBA Power Rankings: Heavy’s Top 10 for December 26