There was plenty to choose from for the latest edition of six best dunks of the week, which made narrowing the list down to six all the more difficult.
But after much debate, here are the six that made it.
6. Dwyane Wade can still get up
Hassan Whiteside gets this play started with a huge block, Goran Dragic grabs the rebound and leads the fastbreak, dishing off to Wade for the finish. Wade, bad knees and all, flushes it home.
“Great play by D-Wade. He’s still got the hops,” Dragic said after the game, via ESPN. The Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers twice in three days, with Wade scoring at least 20 points in both contests.
5. JaMychal Green with the poster and the staredown
Utah Jazz seven-footer Rudy Gobert doesn’t let much get past him at the rim. He ranks second in the NBA in blocked shots per game this season, but there was no stopping Green with a full head of steam. The Memphis Grizzlies forward stared down Gobert right after posterizing him to rub salt in the wound. Memphis won the game 94-88 on Friday.
4. Russell Westbrook drops the hammer on the Warriors
Westbrook looks like he’s trying to break the rim every time he dunks, and Thursday night against Golden State was no exception. Oklahoma City lost 121-106, but Westbrook got the Thunder bench up on this one.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo goes coast-to-coast and posterizes Serge Ibaka
I don’t know what’s more impressive; the dunk itself or the fact that Antetokounmpo went the length of the court in just four dribbles. The Greek Freak earned his second triple-double of the season with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but the Milwaukee Bucks fell 104-96 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
2. Zach LaVine takes flight
When you’re the slam dunk champ two years running, everyday is a dunk contest. LaVine doesn’t quite take off from the free-throw line but it was close. LaVine finished with 21 points, but Minnesota lost 104-98 at home to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
1. Willie Cauley-Stein puts Zach Randolph on a poster
Cauley-Stein had no respect for the elderly in this week’s top dunk, as the Sacramento Kings rookie threw down the two-handed jam over the 14-year veteran from the Memphis Grizzlies. Cauley-Stein had eight points off the bench, but the Kings lost 104-98 in Memphis Wednesday.