1. James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden
leads the NBA in scoring (31.0 ppg) and player efficiency rating (30.62) and
ranks third in assists per contest (8.9). All the meanwhile, the Houston Rockets
are on a 16-game win streak and maintain the NBA’s best record. Further
evidence of Houston’s dominance?—the Rockets are 33-1 when Harden, Chris Paul
and Clint Capela suit up.
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| James Harden and the Rockets have a realistic shot to win the NBA title. (Tom Gutierrez/AP) |
2. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Behind
the brilliance of Davis, the Pelicans have won nine consecutive games and vaulted
to fourth-place in the Western Conference standings—all without DeMarcus
Cousins, who was lost for the season to an Achilles injury. For the month of
February, Davis ranked first in scoring, second in steals, third in rebounding
and third in blocks. According to NBA.com, he is the first player to finish
top-3 in the aforementioned marks since 1973-74—the season steals and blocks
became official statistics.
3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James
looked like the early favorite to win MVP through the first two months of the season,
but now Harden is by far and away the leader of the race. The Cavs have
struggled since the calendar flipped to January, hurting James’ chances to
capture his fifth MVP trophy. Even so he has been great in the absence of Kevin
Love and the departure of failed experiment Isaiah Thomas, averaging a
triple-double for the month of February.
4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
The
Blazers are riding an eight-game win streak, thanks in large part to Lillard. In
the eight victories, Lillard has posted per-game averages of 32.6 points, 6.4
assists and 4.4 rebounds. As clutch as they come, Lillard is shooting 46.1%
from the field in that span and Portland now has the third-best record in the
West and the fifth-best mark in the NBA.
5. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Durant
won’t win MVP as long he is a member of the Warriors (unless Stephen Curry goes
down with a long-term injury), but he can remain in the conversation because of
his stellar play. Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists
with a 25.56 player efficiency rating. He is the driving force of the Warriors
(50-14), who trail the Rockets by a half-game for the best record in the NBA.
Next in Line
6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
9. Russell
Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
10. DeMar
DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
