Here’s the best news from week 13 in the NBA, and other news from around the world of basketball.

😳 Victor Wembanyama at the Skills Challenge (15/01)

😱 The bomb has just been dropped from Shams Charania’s Twitter account, Wemby is aiming to line up for the Skills Chalenge at the All-Star Game next month!

⭐️Le Skills Challenge is one of the 3 emblematic competitions of the All-Star Weekend. It consists of a course with a slalom, a passing exercise, and a few shots to get in as quickly as possible.

🔥 Victor Wembanyama is undoubtedly the most at ease with the ball for his size (2m24).

🤩 Lance Stephenson impresses in the G-League! (16/01)

🐺 The former NBA player is playing in the G-League with the Iowa Wolves, a franchise attached to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With 7 games played, Stephenson looks very fit!

🔥 Last night, Born Ready, as he is known, showed that he was ready for a return to the big leagues with a triple double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The G-League is the league where young players play who NBA teams want to develop before recalling them to the ‘normal’ squad. It’s also a place for injured players to get back into the swing of things and for older players to prove they’re still fit.

🧐 Lance averaged 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in the 7 games he played for the Iowa Wolves. He left the NBA a year and a half ago after 10 seasons.

😩 Dejan Milojevic has passed away after suffering a heart attack… (17/01)

😔Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died suddenly at the age of 46 after contracting a serious health problem at a dinner in Salt Lake City.

🌧️The incident led to the postponement of the game scheduled against the Utah Jazz due to a « medical emergency in the Warriors family ».

⛹🏻Milojevic, a former professional player for 15 years, had joined Steve Kerr’s team in 2021 and was valued as much for his skills as a coach as for his strong relationships, with European players such as Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

👑 LeBron James proves his longevity again! (18/01)

🤯 A phenomenal statistic appeared on the screen during the Lakers’ game against the Mavericks last night. LeBron James has faced 35% of the players who have set foot on an NBA floor!

🫣 21 seasons, 39 years old, King James has been around for a long time and, to date, has faced more than a third of all the players in the history of basketball’s greatest league. There are plenty of fun facts about his longevity. For example, LeBron has played 9 father/son pairings over the course of his career. Speaking of which, James still has plans to play his son, Bronny James, expected in the 2024 Draft, at the same time.

💪 Jalen Williams is indispensable to OKC! (19/01)

🔥 If the Thunder team is so competitive this season, the American winger has a lot to do with it, with a vital role in the offensive and defensive organisation.

🎯 25.6 points at 67% shooting and 7 assists on average over the last 3 games. Last night, Jalen Williams took great pleasure in blowing up the Jazz’s zone defence with breathtaking energy. He particularly shone in the 4th quarter, as he often does. This earned him the nickname « Fourth Quarter Dub » as J-Williams continually helps the Thunder win in the final period of the game.

🔒 It’s in defence too that Williams is invaluable. In fact, his coach said « To be able to do that on offense and defense shows the complete aspect of his game. It’s very impressive ». In short, Jalen Williams is indispensable to Mark Daigneault and is largely responsible for the Thunder’s success this season!

🥳 Tyrese Haliburton is back (19/01)

😱 After his injury against the Celtics on 8 January, Indiana’s point guard is back against the Blazers tonight!

🩼 More fear than harm for Hali for whom we had feared the worst after a slip causing a hamstring injury.

🍿 He makes his return for the first game of his brand new teammate Pascal Siakam, who arrived from Toronto. The Pacers will therefore be showing off their new look with the Hali-Siakam duo capable of working miracles.

😱 Boston’s unbeaten run at home comes to an end (20/01)

🏟️ The Denver Nuggets managed the feat of winning at the TD Garden last night. It was the Celtics’ first defeat at home this season, as they had gone on a 20-game winning streak at their legendary venue.

😮‍💨 Boston’s leaders, Brown and Tatum, were too quiet in this game, with 13 and 22 points respectively. On the other side of the court, Jamal Murray had 35 points and 8 rebounds in 36 minutes. Nikola Jokić was, as usual, indefensible with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists.

🏖️ Jayson Tatum had the ball to equalise at the very end of the game, but missed his shot completely. Denver won 102-100 to inflict the Celtics’ first home defeat since 29 May, the date of Game 7 of the conference final won by the Miami Heat.

🏆 This thrilling game, and the playoff atmosphere in Boston last night, make you want to see a Nuggets-Celtics game again.

💪 Damian Lillard leads the Bucks to victory! (21/01)

🔥 Big performance from Lillard… but a small win for the Bucks. The American point guard pulled out all the stops with 45 to points on 54% shooting and 11 assists. After shooting 28% from 3-point range since Christmas, Dame had a good game at the best of times. It’s also his best points total in a Milwaukee shirt!

😳 However, the Bucks struggled against the worst team in the league, Detroit. Still, the advantage they gained in the second quarter was enough for Milwaukee to beat the Pistons 141-135.

🥈The Bucks are back to winning ways after the setback in Cleveland on Wednesday night. With 28 wins and 13 losses, they maintain their second place in the Eastern Conference!

Eliott Caillot