Devin Booker is unstoppable

Devin Booker and the Suns remain fearless, the Heat remain cynical and the Jazz seem to be coming together and overcoming their crisis.

the Sportish presents the 7 things that stood out in the NBA in a 5 game night.

The game of the evening

The truth is that at dawn there was no thriller. Still, the Jazz’s game against the Knicks was certainly an interesting development, with Utah twice eradicating a 12-point lead before clinching a 113-104 win.

Top winner was Donovan Mitchell with 32 points, Bojan Bogdanovic gained 20 points. With the Knicks, Julius Randle had 30 points and Mitchell Robinson had 19 points and 21 rebounds.

The Appearance of the Night

Devin Booker appears set on addressing regular-season MVP. Against the Bulls (Sun’s Chicago 124-127 win) gave another recital and finished the game with 38 points with 14/23 shots (5/10 threes), 5/6 shots, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in 38 minutes of participation, which are – again – non-stop.

Booker is in terrible shape. He already has three 30s in four games in February, scores comfortably, does better. The Suns are first in the NBA. If those two continue, then it’s going to be difficult not to include Booker in the MVP conversation, even as…fifth.

The warriors are fearless

Nine wins in a row. That’s the Warriors’ tally after defeating the Thunder (98-110) in Oklahoma City, on a score that came up idle with Clay Thompson (21 points) and Steph Curry (18 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists) helping gets promoted Jonathan Kuminga (16 points).

Golden State has had professional victories of late and remains second in the West. He’s buying time until Draymond Green returns and ends the season strong. The warriors are still here.

The heat is ruthless

Miami showed its cynical face – again – and 121-100 broke the Wizards in Washington. He achieved the three straight wins and remained at the top of the East with a record of 35-20.

Miami is cruel, cynical and ruthless. If it finds a team underneath, it will be disbanded. If he finds a team on himself, he will try to throw it. The heat continued through the first half of the season despite injuries. Most of their players have since returned. And they are extremely dangerous.

The Hornets in crisis

When the Hornets are on them, it’s a treat. But if you’re among them… you’ve got a problem. They are currently experiencing the second situation and after the home loss against the Raptors they have 5 losses in a row. In their defence, all 5 losses came from teams that are either in the top 6 in their region (Heat and Cavaliers) or play in play-in tournaments and are well trained (Raptors, Clippers and Celtics). Nevertheless, the five defeats in a row show that something is wrong lately.

The Hornets have conceded fewer than 100 points since Jan. 17 and have 11 consecutive +100 passive point games. The low numbers are charming, but they cost defense. If Plumley stays on the ground, they lose part of their attack. As if that wasn’t enough, Gordon Hayward’s injury came, although it’s worth noting that they played great basketball at some point during the season in the absence of the veteran forward. The Hornets’ next opponent is again difficult as they welcome the Bulls. At some point they have to react.

Jazz meets

Crisis was and is over? Could be. The Jazz had a bad month while Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gomber were absent and eating cuff after cuff. The return of the former corrected things, however, with Utah going 3 straight wins after dominating the Knicks where he stopped on 32 points.

The Jazz are in a special position right now. It’s a 6th team in the west, which shows they’re relatively comfortable with teams 7th and below, so they’re not in danger. But they’re at least a notch below the periphery (Suns, Warriors) and not sure they’re any better than the Grizzlies and the (full) Nuggets and Mavericks. If they want to move up, they need a supplement, and the trading deadline (February 10) is their last chance. It might sound cynical, but Joe Ingles’ contract (season aside) could be their best hope for that.

Mike Batiste was upset

Mike Batiste witnessed the Panathinaikos-Olympiakos derby, where the climate wasn’t – and is – not exactly… sporty. You could say he’s seen it all in terms of fan behavior. Somehow, right before the final of the Wizards vs. Heat game, he made an impression with his reaction when after something he heard him say, he went to the podium to fight with a Washington fan (his team).

The former Panathinaikos center and current Wizards’ assistant didn’t escape anymore as, luckily for everyone, Montrezel Harel immediately rushed and restrained him and took him to the locker room. The question, of course, remains: What could he have heard that he hadn’t heard earlier in his career to react that way? Maybe someday we’ll find out the answer.