5 Takeaways from Thursday's NBA Action

There were only three games on Thursday’s NBA slate, but with LeBron James and the Cavs taking on the Los Angeles Lakers and the high-flying Houston Rockets hosting Kevin Durant and the Thunder, it was a night full of intrigue.

From games across the Atlantic involving the NBA’s worst team to a battle involving two of its biggest stars, here are five takeaways from Thursday’s basketball action.

London Games Can Work, with the Right Teams

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Unlike in the NFL, the pageantry surrounding Thursday’s NBA matchup in London between the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks wasn’t the greatest.

Looking at photos of the crowd, it is clear fans were there and are willing to attend these games, but the two teams involved just weren’t going to draw a big enough crowd.

The Bucks are a small-market team that doesn't push tickets in most American markets, let alone one in Europe. The Knicks on the other hand provide a popular, well-known team from a major city, but are also one of the worst teams in the league, which we’ll get to later.

If commissioner Adam Silver is to be believed, Europe is a “manifest destiny” for the league, but more care needs to be taken with the teams that are involved with exhibition games there until that day.

The Knicks Are the NBA’s Worst

Associated Press

Oh how far the New York Knicks have fallen.

This has been known for quite some time now, but the Knicks have gone from an above average team in the East with some of the game's brightest stars, to a shell of their former selves.

On Thursday the Knicks were clobbered by the Milwaukee Bucks, losing by 16 in London, and the final scoreline didn’t even indicate how much better the Bucks were on the day. New York only managed 13 points in the opening quarter and trailed by 20 or more points for most of the second half.

New York’s losing streak is now up to 16 games, and despite games against Philadelphia and Orlando coming up in the next week, the future isn’t very bright for the Knicks.

It is time we stop asking if the Kentucky Wildcats could beat the 76ers and start asking if they could beat the Knicks (P.S.: the answer is still no).

James Harden Is a Steph Curry Away from MVP

Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

In a race that for years has been dominated by LeBron James and Kevin Durant, there are some new, fresh faces at the top of the race for Most Valuable Player.

While Anthony Davis might disagree, if the season were to end today it is likely the voting would be a two-horse race between James Harden and Steph Curry.

On Thursday night, Harden proved why he is one of the league’s best players, helping the Rockets swat away his old team with a huge 31-point, 10-assist and nine-rebound performance. Leading his team in all three categories, it was another display of what the league’s leader in scoring is capable of on any given night.

If the Rockets finish the season closer to the top of the Western Conference than they are now, don’t be surprised if Harden is named MVP.

Despite All the Drama with David Blatt, LeBron Is Still the Best

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

It has been an interesting month for The King.

Between his injury that kept him out for an extended period and the ongoing drama with coach David Blatt, there have been questions swirling around LeBron and the future of the Cavaliers. But in spite of all of that, James continues to produce on the court as he always has.

The Cavs might not be winning regularly, but with James putting up the numbers he is, scoring more than 30 points in his two starts since returning from injury, it is hard to place the blame on his shoulders.

The season hasn’t gone exactly how many envisioned with the creation of a new big three in Cleveland, but James has proved that, for now, he still reigns supreme as the league’s best player.

But the Cavaliers Still Need a Lot of Help

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

For everything good that LeBron does though, it just seems the Cavs cannot put it all together like they were supposed to.

This was a team that had NBA championship aspirations coming into the year, and while those might have been a little premature, things weren't supposed to be this mediocre this far into the year.

The time the Cavs needed to jel should have come and gone by now, and while they did beat the Lakers Thursday night, it wasn't entirely convincing and just goes to show how far Cleveland is from its ultimate goal.

Still looking for production from the center position, with Timofey Mozgov clearly not the long-term answer and Tristan Thompson still developing slowly, it will take a serious turnaround for the Cavs to find their way to a championship this year.