Around the NBA: Week 7

Story posted December 5, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Allie Wenskoski

One-third of NBA regular season play has been completed and Week 7 had some pretty exciting matchups.

Here’s your NBA crash course for the week:

Golden State at Dallas - 11/29

As a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals, this game turned out to be more of a playoff game than a regular season matchup.

It was a back-and-forth game, especially in the fourth quarter with the Warriors taking their biggest lead of the game at 100-96. However, the Mavericks answered right away and ended up winning the game 116-113.

The Dallas stars of the game were Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luka Doncic. Doncic scored 41 points on the night while Hardaway hit the go-ahead 3-pointer. In spite of losing, Steph Curry shined with 32 points for Golden State. 

This win for the Mavericks ends their four-game losing skid which is the longest losing streak the franchise has seen under coach Jason Kidd. Kidd is in his second year of coaching for Dallas.

Golden State is currently sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 13-11 while the Mavericks are 11-11 and sit in 10th.

Miami at Boston - 11/30

The Heat couldn’t burn strong enough to overcome the Celtics, with Boston winning the game 134-121. It was also the rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals.

There was one name that was in the driver’s seat the whole time: Jayson Tatum. Unfortunately for Miami fans, once he’s given the wheel, there is a hard time stopping the car.

Tatum had eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 49 points. This was his third 40+ point game of the season and potentially puts him in early MVP watch considerations.

Max Strus was the big name for Miami with 23 points and five 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough for the Heat.

This win marks the Celtics’ 10th straight win at home. Boston is the current leader of the Eastern Conference at 18-5, while the Heat are in ninth with a record of 11-12.

Los Angeles at Milwaukee - 12/2

The Lakers showed up the Bucks on Friday to win 133-129. It was a special game for LA coach Darvin Ham as it was his first time returning to Milwaukee after being their assistant coach from 2018-22.

LeBron James was stellar for the Lakers as he recorded 28 points on the night with 11 assists. This moved James into sixth on the all-time assist list, now ahead of Magic Johnson. Additionally, Anthony Davis netted a season-high 44 points as he continues his dominant season.

Despite the loss, Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo had quite a night for himself with a 40 point performance. It was also the season debut for Khris Middleton who had 17 points of his own.

The game came down to the wire with Milwaukee missing two 3-point attempts in the final twenty seconds that would have tied the game.

The Bucks still sit in second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Celtics, with a record of 16-6. The Lakers are in 13th in the Western Conference, with a record below .500, at 9-12.

Around the League

The Prince and Princess of Wales were in attendance at the Heat versus Celtics game on Tuesday.

The Celtics have a 1.5 game lead over the Eastern Conference while the Suns are on top of the Western Conference by one game.

Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies’ guard, was fined $35,000 after his ejection last Wednesday. He is being fined for his inappropriate language towards officials and refusal to leave the court.

Lebron James has gone under 1,000 points in his race for the NBA all-time scorers top spot. He is currently 936 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.


Allie Wenskoski is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amw7637@psu.edu.