NBA team of the week

By Ethan Barlow

Who have been the strongest performers in the NBA this week? (Image: Getty Images)

Here are the standouts from this week in the NBA:

PG - Kyrie Irving

Irving has stolen the limelight from a Mavericks star this week (Image: Getty Images)

If there was a Dallas Mavericks guard in this team, Luka Dončić would be more than expected to be the player, but it was his backcourt counterpart Kyrie Irving who was the star man this week. Irving averaged more points, rebounds, steals and blocks than the Slovenian international this week, proving the Mavericks to have the best backcourt in the league.

The Mavericks started their week with an easy win over the Portland Trailblazers in Dallas. Despite being without their MVP candidate, they won by over 30 points. Their most impressive win of the week came at home to the best in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Irving and Dončić both had 30 pieces as they scored 60% of the Mavericks’ points on the night. The Mavericks picked up their only loss of the week when the on-form Memphis Grizzlies came to town, as again both Mavericks’ guards had 30-plus point games. The Mavericks finished off their week with their fourth of four home games. The impressive New York Knicks came to town, and as it looked like it might be a stroll for the home team when they built up a 20-point lead in the third quarter, the Knicks fought back and brought it to a one-point game, with just over a minute on the clock. Despite the Knicks' fightback, the Mavericks held on as Irving scored 44 points and he guided his team to their second win of the week without Dončić.

Irving averaged: 34 points, 7.3 rebounds, six assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks across an impressive week for the 2016 champion. “Uncle Drew” shot: 52.1% from the field, 53.1% from three-point range and 90.5% from free throws.

SG - Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell was a star for the Cavaliers in the French capital (Image: Getty Images)

The Cleveland Cavaliers guard has gone under the radar this season and hasn’t been in many elite guard conversions. But this week, Donovan Mitchell shone on one of the biggest stages in the regular season: The NBA’s yearly NBA Paris match. “Spida” dropped 45 points in the French capital (more than all of the Brooklyn Nets starters combined) as he crowned off a brilliant 3-0 Cavs’ week.

Before their NBA Paris triumph, the Cavaliers won at home to the Washington Wizards before another home win against the San Antonio Spurs. After their flawless week, the Cavaliers are now the fifth seed in the East, among a mosh pit of play-off contenders as the fourth to eighth seed is split by just one win.

Mitchell averaged: 29.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and two steals as he helped the Cavaliers extend their unbeaten run to four. The Cavs’ single-game scoring record holder shot: 47.6% from the field, 33.3% from behind the arc and 72% from free throws.

C - Domantas Sabonis

Sabonis is making this team of the week thing a habit (Image: Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings centre has made the team for the second week running as the Kings have won six of their last eight matches. Sabonis has almost been a walking triple-double over the last couple of weeks and has been the key man to Sacramento’s success.

The Kings started their week with a narrow victory at home to the Toronto Raptors, with Sabonis scoring a triple-double. The Kings had a difficult night as they were beaten comfortably at home by the in-form New Orleans Pelicans, but they bounced back with wins at the Detroit Pistons, with the help of a second Sabonis triple-double of the week, before finishing the week with a win at the Charlotte Hornets. Back-to-back 3-1 weeks move the Kings to fifth seed in the Western Conference.

The former Pacer averaged: 25.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and one steal to keep the Kings in a strong vein of form. The Lithuanian international shot: 71% from the field, 60% from his five three-point attempts and 78.6% from free throws in a very efficient week for the European powerhouse.

SF - Coby White

White’s importance to the Bulls cannot be underestimated (Image: Getty Images)

Despite not being the biggest name on the team, Chicago Bulls fans would be the first to tell you the importance of Coby White this season. With DeMar DeRozan not playing his best basketball and Zach LaVine being injured for large parts of the season, White has had to show his qualities to help the Bulls out of a difficult period. White was the standout this week, as he helped the Bulls to a flawless 3-0 week.

This week, the Bulls started in Chicago with a win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls' next match was the revere fixture, as they had to go to Charlotte and after a hard-fought night, they won in overtime. The Bulls were forced into overtime again when the Houston Rockets came to the United Centre, they won again with White putting up 30 points. The Bulls' recent improvement in form after an awful start has them at ninth seed in the East, with a big gap between eighth seed. It would be a massive task for the Bulls to make the top six, but 3-0 weeks won’t do them any harm.

White averaged: 26.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists across a solid week for the Bulls. The number seven pick, in the 2019 draft shot: 54.2% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 83.3% from free throws.

PF - Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jackson Jr. was one of many standout performers for the Grizzlies this week (Image: Getty Images)

The Grizzlies' playoff hopes may have been tarnished at the beginning of the week when it was confirmed that Ja Morant would miss the rest of the season through injury, despite just coming back from his lengthy suspension. This didn’t stop the Grizzlies cruising to a flawless 3-0 week, with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane being the Memphis standouts.

The Grizzlies began their week, with a win in LA against the Lakers. Four Grizzlies starters scored 20-plus points, with Jackson Jr., Bane, Marcus Smart and Morant all comfortably going above double digits. This win was to be Morant’s last action of the season as he is set to undergo shoulder surgery, after playing just nine games this season. The Grizzlies' next win came at the Phoenix Suns where the players who had scored 20-plus in the previous match had done it again (except Morant). The Grizzlies finished their week with their most impressive win of the lot, beating the Mavericks in Dallas. The Grizzlies still sit in 13th seed, and it would now take a miracle to make the Play-ins without Morant.

Jackson Jr. averaged: 27.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 blocks this week as the “Block Panther” showed how he earned the nickname. Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year shot: 55.8% from the field, 54.5% from three-point range and 92.9% from free throws.

6th man of the week – Bennedict Mathurin

Rookie of the week – Victor Wembanyama