NBA races to look at – A very powerful standings battles within the East, West and play-in tournaments

The NBA commerce deadline has handed as groups head into the ultimate stretch of the season.

The race for the highest of the Western Convention is tight, because the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Denver Nuggets are separated by simply half a sport as they jostle for place.

Within the Jap Convention, the NBA-best Boston Celtics have separated themselves from the remainder of the contenders. Which staff can combat for the No. 2 spot to place itself greatest for the postseason?

Will the New York Knicks knock by opponents within the East? Can the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors salvage their seasons within the West? And may the Miami Warmth make one other stunning run?

To prepare for the 2023-24 common season’s remaining two months, our NBA insiders break down crucial races to look at in every convention.

The race for No. 1 within the West, the place the champs are lurking

If anybody goes to knock the defending champs off their throne within the West, home-court benefit can be important.

The Nuggets are 21-4 at dwelling this season — and went 10-1 inside Ball Enviornment final postseason on their strategy to their first championship. They’re nearly unbeatable in Denver when it issues most. Add the altitude benefit, and Denver might be unstoppable within the playoffs.

Can the Timberwolves and Thunder win the West and maybe pressure Denver to must win on the street within the playoffs? Anthony Edwards is among the league’s subsequent brightest stars, and staff president Tim Connelly’s gamble on pairing Karl-Anthony Cities and Rudy Gobert is paying off. The acquisition of Monte Morris stabilizes the Wolves’ bench play that rather more.

OKC is able to present that the longer term is right here. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is attempting to complete an MVP-worthy marketing campaign robust, and Chet Holmgren might be Rookie of the 12 months. The Thunder’s addition of Gordon Hayward, if he is wholesome, might win them the convention’s high seed.

The place the Nuggets would possibly lack depth, they make up for it with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and championship expertise. In addition they nonetheless have arguably the most effective beginning 5 within the league. Coach Michael Malone simply has to search out extra consistency from his second unit and preserve his starters wholesome.

The Clippers maybe have by no means been higher geared up to win a championship. The wholesome duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George has been bolstered by former league MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Clippers entered this season vowing to take the common season extra significantly, and their rise to the highest of the West has been gorgeous following a 3-7 begin. The change? They do not relaxation gamers or take nights off anymore.

“It means the method for this season paid off,” George mentioned Saturday about what it means for the Clippers to be first within the West. “We’ve not [always done that] in years previous, however extra so understanding what’s at stake and the significance of the common season.

“We simply have the roster, now we have the personnel, and now we’re simply placing all of it collectively and we have been wholesome.”

As of Saturday, all 4 groups are separated by a single sport within the standings. The West’s high seed might be determined by the truth that Denver faces Minnesota thrice within the remaining month of the season, twice at dwelling. Their assembly at Denver on April 10 might be season shifting. The Wolves additionally play the Clippers three extra instances, beginning Monday.

— Ohm Youngmisuk

The race to keep away from the West play-in

The subsequent 4 groups battling for positioning within the Western Convention are doing so to get a break — to not combat for his or her potential playoff lives.

Within the play-in match’s historical past, the seventh seed has by no means missed the playoffs. Though final season the Warmth entered because the No. 7 seed, misplaced the primary play-in sport to the Atlanta Hawks, earlier than successful to enter because the eighth seed… and finally going to the NBA Finals.

However the No. 8 seed has been cut up — thrice No. 8 has made the playoffs, and thrice that staff has didn’t make it in any respect (Golden State Warriors in 2021, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Clippers in 2022).

Successful the fifth and sixth seed additionally has one other built-in good thing about every week of relaxation and after an 82-game season, having 5 or 6 days off between video games is definitely a plus.

Of the group, the Dallas Mavericks made probably the most vital push in the course of the commerce deadline buying P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford — who mixed for 33 factors and 14 rebounds of their Dallas’ debut in a 146-111 win over the Thunder on Saturday — whereas sending out Grant Williams, Seth Curry and Richaun Holmes.

The Phoenix Suns traded for Royce O’Neale and David Roddy in a three-team cope with the Brooklyn Nets and the Memphis Grizzlies. The New Orleans Pelicans stood pat whereas the one deal the Sacramento Kings made was to commerce for Robin Lopez, who was instantly waived for money.

The Pelicans and Suns play twice within the season’s remaining two weeks — in New Orleans on April 1 and in Phoenix on April 7. New Orleans will then tackle the Kings on April 11 in Sacramento.

Dallas has to journey to Sacramento for a uncommon back-to-back with two off days in between in the identical metropolis on March 26 and 29. The sport towards New Orleans is the one time the Suns play any of the opposite three groups in March or April.

With the Western standings so shut, the tiebreakers between the groups will grow to be vital — making the ultimate regular-season head-to-head matchups all of the extra vital.

— Andrew Lopez

The star-studded combat — simply to achieve the postseason

On the time of final season’s commerce deadline, the Lakers had misplaced 4 out of six video games. About seven hours after the deadline, with a number of of their new acquisitions on the sideline in road garments, they misplaced once more, to fall to 25-31 — thirteenth within the Western Convention.

The flurry of trades the Lakers orchestrated fueled an 18-8 run to shut the common season to achieve the No. 7 spot within the play-in match, the place they beat the No. 8 Timberwolves to earn the seventh seed within the first spherical. The turnaround continued with a berth within the convention finals.

Whereas this 12 months the staff has didn’t seize the momentum of that playoff run but, the circumstances had been much less dire when time ran out on commerce season. L.A. had received 5 out of seven heading into the deadline. Even with a loss to the Nuggets to cap the deadline day, the Lakers’ document was 27-26 — ninth within the West.

“We actually just like the gamers on our staff and we’re assured on this group of gamers,” Lakers vice chairman of basketball operations and normal supervisor Rob Pelinka mentioned Thursday after L.A. did not full any offers.

To comply with up final 12 months’s playoff run with one other play-in look could be disappointing in a way, however not practically as devastating as ending eleventh and out of the image fully.

Maybe it is silly to imagine they will replicate their efficiency final spring yet again, nevertheless it’s not simply the Lakers themselves believing they will do it. “I do not need any piece of them within the playoffs,” a Western Convention government informed ESPN this week.

Which has similarities to the concern that the Warriors nonetheless instill of their opponents due to their dynastic historical past. This season has been robust sledding for them, however would anybody volunteer to play Steph Curry for a collection, regardless of who’s surrounding him?

Whereas we’re speaking about 4 groups going for 2 spots, the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz haven’t got practically the identical worries because the Lakers and Warriors. Positive, there could be a little bit of a sting for Utah after having such a promising stretch — going 12-2 from mid-December to mid-January — solely to fade ultimately. And naturally, coach Ime Udoka would clearly desire to comply with up a Finals look in his final season in Boston with no less than a play-in spot in his first season in Houston.

The Lakers? They’re enjoying with the extra weight of delivering a ok exhibiting to make LeBron James need to keep in L.A. to shut out his profession.

The Warriors? They’re enjoying with the burden to indicate that the curtain hasn’t come down on their present simply but and the core of one of many NBA’s biggest groups — Curry, Draymond Inexperienced and Klay Thomspon — nonetheless should not be messed with.

L.A. and Golden State have performed solely as soon as to this point this season and it was an on the spot traditional, with James’ staff edging out Curry’s, 145-144, in double additional time.

With three extra video games on the schedule between them — Feb. 22, March 16 and April 9 — their matchups determine to solely develop in depth as they jostle with each other for play-in spots.

— Dave McMenamin

The race for East No. 2, the place the Cavs have taken cost

The Celtics have the most effective document within the NBA and sit comfortably (5 video games coming into Monday) on the high of the Jap Convention. However whichever staff finishes behind them with the No. 2 seed might pose the most effective problem to Boston come playoff time.

At the moment, that spot belongs to the Cavs, winners of 9 in a row and 17 of their previous 18 video games and arguably the most popular staff within the league. Cleveland continues to be looking for its first playoff collection win with out LeBron since 1993, however with a protection that ranks second and Donovan Mitchell enjoying even higher than final season, the Cavs have the make-up of a contender within the East.

At the beginning of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks had been thought-about on the identical tier as Boston. But, issues haven’t gone easily within the first 12 months of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing and the Bucks changed their first-year coach Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers, who has began 2-5 since taking the job.

After the commerce deadline, the Knicks garnered probably the most leaguewide reward for a powerful deadline of savvy strikes. They’ve set themselves up for a deep playoff run behind Jalen Brunson, who made his first All-Star staff and whose ascension has modified the trajectory of this franchise.

Claiming the No. 2 seed within the East has its share of benefits: a positive first-round matchup towards what appears like a doubtlessly weak play-in subject (not together with lurking Miami), dwelling courtroom till no less than the convention finals and avoiding an early matchup with Boston.

— Jamal Collier

The race for East Nos. 5-6, starring the convention’s largest wild card

When the season started, the storyline surrounding the Jap Convention was its depth. As a substitute, it has been about star accidents as groups embark on the ultimate two months of the common season.

That is definitely the case for the group of groups battling for the Nos. 5-8 spots within the East, a quartet led by the Philadelphia 76ers.

There isn’t any larger query throughout the NBA over the remainder of the common season than if the league’s reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, will have the ability to return to the ground for Philadelphia this season. If he can, the 76ers have an opportunity to contend for a title. If he cannot, it is unsure if they’re going to even make the playoffs.

The opposite staff lurking on this vary is the defending East champion Miami Warmth,who, like final 12 months, are at present sitting in a play-in spot. The possibilities of replicating a Finals run from there are slim, so the purpose can be to push up into the highest six.

Nevertheless, Miami has handled accidents all season, together with a shoulder damage to Josh Richardson on Sunday that had him in a sling postgame and what seemed like a doubtlessly severe knee damage to lately acquired Terry Rozier.

After which there are the younger upstart groups on this combine: the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic. Each have been out of the playoff combine lately, each are powered by younger All-Stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Paolo Banchero and each would like to get into the highest 6 within the East and keep away from the play-in.

Making the playoffs for both of these groups will make this season a profitable one. And with the accidents in Philly and Miami, stepping into the highest 6 is inside the realm of chance.

— Tim Bontemps

The race for the underside of the East bracket

Even after watching the Warmth beat the chances to achieve the 2023 NBA Finals from a play-in spot, this season’s race for the underside of the East’s play-in bracket is not probably the most compelling battle we have seen.

The Chicago Bulls, Hawks, Nets and Raptors had been among the many largest “will they or will not they?” groups on the commerce deadline. All 4 have shedding data and detrimental web rankings, which means they may’ve opted to unload expertise and accumulate draft picks.

The Raptors, at present in twelfth, had already turned the web page by dealing OG Anunoby (to New York) and Pascal Siakam (to Indiana) to construct round All-Star Scottie Barnes. The free-falling Nets, in eleventh, have dropped 16 of their final 21 video games. Chicago and Atlanta, in ninth and tenth, respectively, stood pat on the deadline, despite the fact that they’ve repeatedly landed in the midst of the pack — with no true risk of competition — the previous few years.

As a result of the Bulls and Hawks at present maintain the ultimate two play-in spots, and each stored their rosters exactly the identical, they is likely to be the most secure picks to complete there, too. Chicago and Atlanta do have the hardest remaining schedules of those 4 groups.

The NBA’s center is an unenviable place to be, however on some degree, with Chicago and Atlanta having loads of expertise working from this very spot, it nearly appears comfy.

— Chris Herring