NBA Rundown Week 7: Mario Hezonja angers Giannis Antetokounmpo, Warriors still in trouble and more

Fear this deer, Hezonja There are quite a few ways to enrage an NBA player. Dunk over him, and it might earn you a hard stare. Barge into him, and you might get a shove in return. Mouth off to him, and you may be abused back. But nothing — yes, nothing — angers the modern NBA player more than a contemporary stepping over him while he’s splayed on the floor. Remember Allen Iverson doing it to Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals? Maybe you don’t, but it’s likely that Giannis Antetokounmpo will. Earlier this week, when the New York Knicks played against Milwaukee Bucks, Mario Hezonja slammed a thunderous dunk which left Antetokounmpo flat on the court. To add insult to insult, Hezonja stepped over the Greek star’s legs as he walked back. In the aftermath, Antetokounmpo was asked about the incident. His response:

‘Drub’ Nation  The Golden State Warriors did not win on the road at all in November. That’s six games played, six games lost. The latest in that series came against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday where even Stephen Curry’s return from injury could not inspire the Dubs to victory. In Curry’s absence, Kevin Durant gave four back-to-back demonstrations of his devastating abilities this week, powering the Warriors with a 28-point game against Detroit Pistons; scorching the Toronto Raptors with a 51-point blitz; pulverising the Orlando Magic with a 49-point game and racking up 44 against the Sacramento Kings. Yet, the Warriors have not been able to chug along at the pace they usually do. But here’s the real bad news: the Warriors are now being outgunned in three-pointers, the trick that made this pony famous in the first place (Not to mention a three-time NBA champion). In the game against Pistons, they scored six from downtown, while the franchise from Detroit had double those figures. Alarmingly, the Warriors attempted 26 shots from outside the line. While the Warriors’ problems come from various quarters, coach Steve Kerr was categorical in his assessment: “I did not like our offence tonight and I’ve got to do a better job. I have got to do a better job than the one I have done in the first couple months of the season.” When Anthony Davis spreads his wings Meanwhile, let’s take a while to appreciate the unnatural wingspan of Anthony Davis, which, as you can see, spans five chairs.

Remembering a legend, NBA style On Friday, NBA coaches turned up for games dressed in their flamboyant best. That was their way of honouring Craig Sager, who lost his battle with leukaemia two years ago. Sager’s style was probably unmatched in the league.

So for once, the monotony of pin-striped business suits across NBA was replaced by bright, floral-printed suits on the sidelines.

Even players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook paid tribute to Sager with sartorial choices that were eccentric, to say the least.

Speaking of Sager, his unflappable style while interviewing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovic was sometimes more entertaining than entire NBA games.

Odd and odder This week saw some inexplicable passages of play. Here’s the Los Angeles Lakers’ Lonzo Ball facing an unguarded basket in the game against Indian Pacers, yet turning around to pass to teammate Tyson Chandler instead. The result: Chandler was caught unaware and the team conceded a turnover.

But this one really takes the cake. This one features James Harden dunking against the Washington Wizards. And then giving himself a nosebleed from the effort.

In other news… In other news, a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers started a petition to have Kendall Jenner, who’s dating Ben Simmons, banned from courtside when the Sixers play at the Wells Fargo. Reason: The team lost their home opener with her on the sidelines. The petition even got nearly 3,000 signatures.

Kawhi metre What sort of a week has it been, you ask? Allow Kawhi Leonard to tell you.