The NBA continues to charge ahead with the regular season as the number of Covid absentees steadily climbs. And perhaps no team is handling the challenges of Covid better than the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls smashed the Atlanta Hawks to claim their fourth straight win as they continue to challenge for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets – the current leaders in the East – are maintaining their lead with the help of James Harden, who is returning to MVP form. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies scored another big win over a top Western Conference contender.
Read on below for SBOTOP’s three key takeaways from the latest round of NBA games.
Covid can’t stop the charging Bulls
The Chicago Bulls just keep chugging along. Even without key guards in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso as well as coach Billy Donovan, who is in the health and safety protocols, the Bulls blew out the Atlanta Hawks 130-118 on the road to claim their fourth straight win.
All-Stars wings DeMar DeRozan (35 points, 10 assists) and Zach LaVine (30 points, 9 assists) were both brilliant, while big man Nikola Vucevic had one of his best games of the year with 24 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.
Despite dealing with their share of Covid-related disruptions, the Bulls just keep racking up the wins. They are now 21-10, hot on the heels of the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 1 seed in the East.
Aside from the brilliance of LaVine and DeRozan, whose arrival made the Bulls one of the NBA’s big offseason winners, a lot of credit also has to go to Donovan’s coaching. It doesn’t seem to matter who is available on any given night, his team just continues to play impressively on both ends of the court.
With Ball, Caruso, and Donovan all set to rejoin the team soon and a relatively easy schedule to start January, the Bulls’ winning streak may very easy grow even longer.
Harden returning to MVP form at the right time
James Harden has had his struggles this season, particularly at the start of the year. He needed some time to adjust to the league’s new rules on foul-drawing, and he was also out of shape after the hamstring injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs. But the former MVP is rounding back into form at just the right time for the Nets.
Harden had another brilliant game with 39 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds to lead the Nets past the Clippers in a 124-108. He also had a triple-double of 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in their Christmas Day win against the Lakers.
Harden’s resurgence has helped the Nets overcome the absence of Kevin Durant, who is in the Covid protocols. But both KD and Kyrie Irving – who is set to play part-time only on road games since he is still unvaccinated – are getting set to return, which means Brooklyn’s Big 3 will be back together again.
Having Irving back in the lineup and Harden back to MVP form will be a huge boost to Brooklyn’s NBA 2021 odds of winning the championship this season.
Grizzlies are not going away
The Grizzlies are back on track after their recent poor run of NBA 2021 results. After crushing the Kings by 25 points, they beat the No. 2 seed in the West, the Phoenix Suns, in a thrilling 114-113 contest on the second night of a back-to-back.
The duo of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane were brilliant, combining for 65 points to withstand the Suns’ late surge. The Griz now improve to 21-14, good for No. 4 in the West.
Granted, the shorthanded Suns were without both Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder as well as coach Monty Williams, who are all in the Covid protocols. But still, it was another big win for the Griz, who do not look like they are going away anytime soon.
Morant is getting back to his best after his month-long absence due to a knee injury as well as the Covid protocols. Meanwhile, Desmond Bane has been one of the breakout stars of the season, averaging nearly 17 points per game.
Barring a major collapse in the second half of the season, the Grizzlies are looking like a lock for the No. 4 seed in the West. And as they showed with their win over the Suns, they are quite capable of competing with the top contenders in the West.
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