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Despite a series of injuries, Milwaukee Bucks fall in the lead with their win over Houston. The Nuggets are just behind the Warriors and the Clippers are rising fast.
1. Bucks (56-19, last week # 2). The injury virus hit the Bucks hard and at the wrong time of year, with Nikola Mirotic, Donte DiVincenzo, Pau Gaol, and worst of all, Malcolm Brogdon, all out for extended periods (Brogdon in the playoffs where they will need him after the first round). Still, the Bucks showed Tuesday night against the Rockets that they were the best team. The battle between James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo never took place, but Milwaukee had a superior game plan and the players wanted to do it better. Eric Bledsoe won this new contract with this money.
2. Warriors (50-23, LW No. 1). There have been games in recent weeks in which the Warriors have focused their defense: keep the Thunder and Pacers under 90 points, keep the Timberwolves at 40% and 25% out of three, then at games where they just seemed disinterested again. In their last 7 games, the Warriors have been ranked among the top 10 defensemen in the NBA, but for the season they are 15th (outside of the normally-won ring … though the Warriors feel like an exception ). The loss to Dallas on Saturday was a reminder of how important Stephen Curry was to this team. He sat down and collapsed.
3. Nuggets (50-23, LW 3). Consider Progress: Rather than an end-of-season discussion on "Can Nuggets catch the 8 seeds", they already have 50 wins, secured a playoff spot and have a shot for the seed. This week greatly contributes to the decision of this sowing. Consecutive back Thursday / Friday against Houston that Oklahoma City, difficult. The game against Golden State next Tuesday is even bigger. Denver needs it.
4. Rockets (47-28, LW 5). Houston had a taste of basketball in the Milwaukee playoffs – a defensive play plan focused on James Harden, the referees let them play – and there were positives to remember. Clint Capela had a solid game (and when his man cut the orders of Harden, he did well to slide to the rim). Chris Paul dropped the defenders with his movements. However, the Rockets will need it and more in the playoffs. Another good test in the playoffs Thursday night against Denver.
5. Raptors (52-23, LW 6). If you're looking for positive results while Toronto is heading to the playoffs, you can read this via NBA.com's John Schuhmann: Kawhi Leonard leads the NBA in the baskets to tie in or take the lead at the last minute. a match to eight this season (he is 0-on-3 out of three). He's closer to Toronto, he can go to his places and hit some contested shots, and late in the playoffs, it's a must. Toronto went 2-2 in four recent games that Kyle Lowry missed with ankle problems.
6. 76ers (47-27, LW 4). Philly has won six straight, including a spectacular win over Boston a week ago. They looked like a team that discovered it … then they lost to the Hawks and Magic (two teams played better lately, but all the same). Philly's defense has not been as good in recent weeks, which combined with the lack of depth, makes them vulnerable to the teams they should beat (not to mention the good ones).
7. Trail Blazers (46-27, LW 9). I'm afraid it's perhaps the highest ranking Portland in this ranking, having lost Jusuf Nurkic for the season (and still without CJ McCollum, perhaps until the early playoffs.) C & # 39; is the second and third best player in Portland (you can debate the order) and the guys who release the pressure when Damian Lillard is trapped in the defenses Portland is currently tied with Houston for the third heads standard in the west, the question is whether they can stand up to the Clippers (2 games back) and the Jazz (2.5 back) and keep the l & # 39; field advantage in the first round?
8. Jazz (44-30, LW 10). They won 7 of 8, with the best defense of the NBA and the second best attack – and a net score of +19.1 – in these games. But before reaching "the return of the Jazz", know that this race was made with a very tight schedule, it is simply that the Jazz does what it should do against less important opponents. Nevertheless, it gives momentum and confidence. The easy part of the program continues this week and with the Jazz just 2.5 games from the back of the field in the first round.
9. Lawn Mowers (45-30, LW 11). The Clippers are the most prominent team in the NBA, having won 11 of 12 and in these dozens of games, Los Angeles has the second best NBA attack. Lou Williams has a lot of merit for that, and he's the favorite of the Sixth Man of the Year (yet) for a reason, but the big difference lately is Danilo Gallinari. In its last 10 games, Gallo averaged 24.5 points per game and averaged 44.8% over three attempts of 5.8 attempts per game.
10. Spurs (43-32, LW 11). San Antonio has been one of the top 10 home defenders of the NBA at home this season, but bring them on the road. They are 8.2 points for 100 worst possessions and rank in the last 10 of the league (which ranks them 20th in the NBA in overall defensive rankings). We saw it on Tuesday night, when Kemba Walker went on the Spurs to Charlotte and led the Hornets to a win. Why is it worrying? The Spurs are going to start the playoffs somewhere.
11. Celtics (44-31, LW 7). Remember when the Celtics destroyed Golden State and Kyrie Irving said that a plane ride across the country and a chance to air the film with Brad Stevens put the Celtics on the right track? Boston has been 4-5 since and now has a four-game losing streak. Last season, Boston's playoffs were built on elite defense, but in its last 10 games, the Celtics are 26th in the NBA (and the situation has deteriorated over the last five). We should not have more than 70 games in the season and ask if this team can do it on time.
12. Pacers (45-29, LW 12). Indiana hits three-by-three when they take it, shooting 37.2 percent from behind as a team, fifth in the NBA. However, they take the second minus one match (25.4). Will this change in the playoffs, where they seem destined to face Boston in the first round? The Pacers will have to generate more offense and without Victor Oladipo to create looks and the triple balloon seems a reasonable way to do it.
13. Thunder (42-31, LW 13). Oklahoma City dropped 5 out of 6, in part because of the collapse of its MVP candidate, Paul George. It's the second season is a line George had trouble after the All-Star break. Last season he shot 38.5% overall (32.4% out of three) after the ASG. This season, 38.6% of shots are fired and 32.9% out of three. Russell Westbrook publishes numbers but he is not as efficient, the need peak of the Thunder must be reached, PG13.
14. Magic (37-38, LW 18). Winners of six consecutive wins, with the win over Miami on Tuesday night, the Magic are in the playoffs. By half a part, but they are in (magic and heat are tied in the loss column). Back at the trade deadline, the Magic has decided to keep Terrence Ross and make a playoff push rather than rebuild, and that sounds brilliant. If fivethirtyeight.com gives Orlando 80% of chances to keep a playoff spot, it's not that easy when you look at the calendar. This week, Orlando will play games on the road in Detroit (another team, the Magic Trail, just half a match), in Indiana and Toronto.
15. Heat (36-38, LW 14). The Heat are significantly worse at home than on the road this season, having played 17-21 games in AmericanAirlines Arena. That came back to bite them Tuesday with a defeat to Orlando. If the Heat come back in the playoffs, they will face Dallas and New York the rest of the week before a home and away game in Boston. The absence of Justise Winslow also hurt a distressed attack, and the Heat just can not stay healthy for Erik Spoelstra to have regular rotations.
16. Fillets (38-37, LW 16). D'Angelo Russell and the company must continue to find enough offensive to be part of their top 10 defense (the last five games, anyway) if the Nets want to retain a playoff spot. Although they are currently the top six seeds, they only have 1.5 more games on the top nine and each remaining match in Brooklyn is opposed to a playoff team (including the Heat). in the last game of the regular season). Fivethirtyeight.com gives Brooklyn a 79% chance to play in the playoffs, but to be up for grabs, it will take a bit more offense in the process.
17. Kings (37-37, LW 17). The Kings are not in the playoffs, but with eight games to play, the goal of a .500 season remains within their reach. It will not be easy. The Kings are on the road for 5 of 8, and they have five playoff teams in this mix. It's a beautiful story of comfort signed by the kings who recently signed former Sacramento state guardian Cody Demps with a 10-day contract.
18. Pistons (37-37, LW 15). I'm betting for a Detroit first-round match against Toronto, the Dwane Casey series of revenge. Detroit took the series of the season 3-0. For the Pistons to make the slightest noise in the playoffs, they not only need a huge series of Reggie Jackson, but also a team whose postups with Andre Drummond are more effective than against most teams. With Marc Gaol and Serge Ibaka, post-ups can be tough on Toronto, but it would be an entertaining series.
19. Hornets (35-39, LW 22). Kemba Walker will not let this team go. He had 38 points against the Spurs on Tuesday night, including 11 in overtime, and was a single-man offensive force just when the Hornets needed it. Charlotte will need a lot more Kemba show in the far right. The Hornets play 1.5 games in the playoffs and play their next four games (and six more of the remaining eight). In addition, there are five playoff teams in these eight teams. If Charlotte manages to find enough victories, the last game of the season against Orlando could be interesting.
20. Timberwolves (33-41, LW 19). It seems that Ryan Saunders will retain the position of head coach, in part because he deserves credit for releasing Karl-Anthony Towns. (KAT plays so well that he's ready to be part of the All-NBA Third Team, which would mean a $ 32 million overspend in his contract with Minny.) The real question is who will be his next General Manager and how can it evolve in the cities Thibodeau is bogged down with expensive veterans and the contract / anchor to the maximum, Andrew Wiggins.
21. Lakers (33-41, LW 24). As the Lakers play the chord, the conversation in Los Angeles has moved to "Who's next?" As in, who takes over from Luke Walton after letting him go? While the Lakers were watching big names, Doc Rivers remains at the end of the Staples Center corridor and Rick Carlisle enjoys working for Mark Cuban. While the name of Mark Jackson is mentioned, the smart money returns to Tyronn Lue – a former Laker player and respected by LeBron James – who gets the job.
22. Pelicans (31-45, LW 20). Jrue Holiday has now been in service since March 7 and underwent surgery to repair a "central muscle injury" (formerly known as sports hernia). For fun, here are the figures of Anthony Davis since the break of the star game (when his minutes were cut as a result of his exchange request): 16.9 points per game with an impressive percentage actual shots of 60.8, 8.4 rebounds per game and a net score of +11 to 21.1 minutes per night.
23. Grizzlies (30-44, LW 23). Jonas Valanciunas was an interesting fit in Memphis, essentially in the role of Marc Gaol after trading in Toronto. He averages 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, but he does not seem to have the same chemistry as Mike Conley (the pair has a net score of -4.7 overall in a timeshare of 270 minutes). Remember that JV has a $ 17.6 million player option this summer, he can look at the market and decide to take the bird in hand and opt for another season.
24. Assistants (30-45, LW 21). Interesting situation in the brewing with Bradley Beal: he is leading the total number of minutes played with 2823 players (ie 181 more than the second, James Harden … that's a lot) and, with the team playing just the rope, it would make sense to reduce and soften the best player in the team. However, if Beal can be part of an NBA team – and he is seriously interested in the third team, addressing the electors – this summer, he will be able to claim an extension of the supermax team. $ 199 million over four years (in addition to the two years remaining on his contract, locking it for six seasons). The Wizards have already reached the maximum level of John Wall, Ted Leonsis he has the courage to do with Beal too?
25. Hawks (27 to 48, LW 25). What is the temperature of Trae Young? He has four straight games with at least 20 points and 10 assists (including 33 and 12 losses for pelicans on Tuesday night) and four other players have had at least three 20-20 games this season: James Harden (twice), LeBron James, Dr. Angelo Russell, Russell Westbrook (twice).
26. Mavericks (29-45, LW 26). Luka Doncic has had triple consecutive double doubles and this gives her seven on the season. Here is the list of the other players who had so many triple doubles in their rookie season: Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Ben Simmons. Awesome company to keep. As hot as Trae Young was to finish the season, Doncic's regularity from day one will allow him to win the rookie of the year award.
27. Bulls (21-54, LW 27). The Bulls showed how fun they could be, but with Wendell Carter Jr. already closed for the season and Zach LaVine and Otto Porter Jr. battling stubborn injuries, the spark is gone. The Bulls would be well advised to risk nothing and also close the other two guys, or at least reduce them. The next season should be interesting in Chicago, with Lauri Markkanen ready to start early (hopefully coach Jim Boylen will release the reins and let this team multiply the trios).
28. Horsemen (19-56, LW 29). These are the positives for Cleveland and Collin Sexton has proven to be one of these over the last few weeks. He scores an average of 24.6 points per game and draws 50.8% of his three attempts on 6.3 attempts per game in his last 10 games. Cleveland is only 3 to 7 years old in these games, but we are confident in the repechage (and maybe Kevin Love will be healthy next season).
29. Suns (17-58, LW 28). Devin Booker scored 59 points the other night in a loss. The Suns committed a late foul to recover the ball so he could cash a point and reach 60 and the Jazz counter by treading it when he touched the ball so he could not come back. take a three. Although Zion Williamson is the obvious price of this project, if the Suns land in 2nd place and can get Ja Morant, that seems fine.
30. Knicks (14-60, LW 30). If it was the old lottery system, the Knicks' heavy tanks in recent weeks to secure the worst NBA result would have been smart with Zion Williamson. As they are the Knicks, they have a 14% chance of being the best choice and a 27.4% chance of being in the top two. The Knicks continue to project their confidence about the free agency in July, we'll see if it's justified.
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