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The NBA has resumed play post All Star break, and one team has emerged as a serious threat: the Los Angeles Lakers. Led by the superstar duo of LeBron James and the recently acquired Luka Doncic, the Lakers have been on fire, beating the 3-seed Nuggets to snap Denver’s nine-game win streak on Saturday, February 22. This will be a big week for Doncic, as he is set to face off against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Tuesday, February 25. Because Doncic was so unceremoniously traded, this game will be a must watch as the 25 year-old gets his revenge.
Another team that’s been on a run recently is the Golden State Warriors with their new acquisition in Jimmy Butler. Since trading for Butler at the deadline, the Warriors have gone 4-1 while looking more dominant than ever. Butler has done exactly what the team was hoping for as he has provided an aggressive and consistent scoring attack that has taken some pressure off of Steph Curry.
The 4 Nations Hockey tournament was one to remember as players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States fought it out from February 8 to February 20, trying to take home the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy. This tournament took the place of the annual all star game for the National Hockey League and was a move that fans really seemed to enjoy. The tournament was a round robin format meaning that each team played three games and the two teams with the most points advanced to a one game final. The two standout teams of the tournament proved to be the United States and the Canadians. In their first matchup against each othe it is safe to say the atmosphere inside the arena was nothing short of electric. As the “Star Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” anthems commenced, the US anthem was met with heavy boos from the Canadian crowd due to Trump’s claim of overtaking Canada as the 51st state. Team USA initiated three fights in just 9 seconds of game time. This carried US momentum for the remainder of the game resulting in a 3-1 victory.
The two teams met again in the championship held in Boston and the Canadians Anthem was now met with heavy boos from the American crowd. The game was back and forth among the three periods as the two nations were both tied at 2 to end the 3rd period. Canada edged out the win in overtime with a goal from Connor McDavid with a score of 3-2 taking the trophy to Canadian soil.
