NBA: Top 5 Stars of the Night- 14th November 2019

Last night's the NBA did not have a very packed schedule of matches, but we got treated with some very good clashes on the board. There are quite a few important bits and performances to talk about, as the Grizzlies managed to win an important game in Charlotte, the Houston Rockets defeated a rival at home, the Boston Celtics continued their winning streak, and a lot more. At the root of these important results, we could find star players of the league, that turned-up for this round of action. Whether we talk about Harden putting another showstopper for the Rockets, or Ja Morant continuing to impress in his rookie season, this feature has you covered. In this article, we will look at the Top 5 performers from this round of the NBA.

5. Ja Morant

Even though he might not have had the numbers other players had last night in the league, Ja Morant was vital for his team's win in Charlotte , against the Hornets, as the rookie from Murray State University scored the game-winning shot for his team in the last seconds of the match.

Ja Morant finnished the match for the Grizzlies with 23 points and 11 assists. At the same time, he was clutch in the most important moments of the match, and did not tremble when he got the opportunity to win the match for Memphis. He continues to show a lot of maturity on court for someone with his level of experience in the NBA, and in my opinion he was one of the top performers from last night. As Zion Williamson continues to be injured and will be for the immediate future, Morant is slowly but surely gaining that lead in the "Rookie of the Year" race, and you have to believe that more performances like this one will help him retain that award.

4. Bradley Beal

Cleveland Cavaliers v Washington Wizards

Even though the Washington Wizards lost last night in Boston, against the Celtics, it is hard to overlook Bradley Beal's impressive performance for his team, just for that reason. The Wizards's star player had an almost flawless game in the TD Garden, as he scored 44 points, had 6 assists as well as 5 rebounds. The loss that Washington suffered was definitely not on him, as Beal was the player that made the match close more or less, and helped the Wizards be competitive in it.

It is important to note that Beal scores these numbers at the moment, without having a proper playmaker in the team, as John Wall continues to be sidelines. The Wizards's offense looked like a one-man offense in last night's match against Boston, and Beal deserves the praise for making his team be competitive against one of the top teams from the Eastern Conference, and even one of the best in the NBA, from this season. Beal had for sure a performance that deserves an induction in this list for last round.

3. Andrew Wiggins

Minnesota Timberwolves v Detroit Pistons

It was hard to decide between Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns for this third spot, but at the end of the day, I felt that the Canadian player was more important for the Minnesota Timberwolves's win against the San Antonio Spurs, from last night. Wiggins had once again impressive stats and he is surely building a nice case for himself, to get that "Most Improved Player" Award at the end of the regular season.

Wiggins finnished the match with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Also, he shoot 4/7 from the 3-point line, which is great for his standards, after the terrible shooting period he had last season. While it is unfair to Towns to say that Wiggins was the "machine" for Minnesota's offense last night, the Canadian player played great in all of the important moments of the match. He was a better player offensively, and that for me made him a better match for this third spot in the list.

2. Pascal Siakam

Toronto Raptors v Los Angeles Lakers

Pascal Siakam won the "Most Improved Player" Award last season, but with the season he has been having so far, it would not be wrong to put him at this stage of the season in the MVP discussion. Even though he might not be at the level of James Harden or Giannis Antetokounmpo at the moment, the Raptors's star is definitely one of the most impressive players in the NBA at the moment.

Siakam led his team to victory in Portland last night, against the Trail Blazers, as he scored 36 points, and got 6 rebounds and 3 assists. He also did well from the 3-point range, as he got in 4 shots out of 7. Without Lowry on court right now, Siakam is the main engine of this Raptors's team, and the young player is definitely not disappointing at the moment. The scary part is that we can feel that Siakam can actually get way better than this.

1. James Harden

Oklahoma City Thunder v Houston Rockets

While we had some nice performances from top NBA players last night, it is hard to argue that anyone was better than James Harden, who seems to be going for that MVP Award once again this season. Harden played in the marquee match of the NBA from last night, when the Rockets hosted the Los Angeles Clippers, and managed to defeat Kawhi Leonard&Co. The importance of the match, as well as the level of the opposition also helped Harden's case to reach the top spot here.

The Rockets's star ended the night with 47 points and 7 assists for his team, and once again was decisive for Houston's success. Another important aspect of his game that the stats might not show, is how much better he was defensively in this match against the Clippers, compared to his other performances. Harden shut down Kawhi last night, and was definitely the best player on the court in the most important match of the night from NBA. The runner-up in the MVP race from last year is surely building a great case for himself at the moment, for that "Best player in the league" discussion.