1
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Cavaliers
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Big week for the Cavs, who continued to silence any doubters with wins over the Knicks and Grizzlies. Cleveland is now 43-0 this season when leading after the third quarter, showing its ability to close out games (and its penchant for blowing out opponents before the final frame even starts).
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1
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48-10
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2
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Thunder
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The Thunder have lost two of their last five games — both to the Timberwolves — but there’s no doubt that this team is just as dominant as they’ve been all season. Not to mention that one of their biggest weapons is rounding into form, as Chet Holmgren has averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks on 58/50/85 splits over his last three games.
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1
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47-11
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3
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Celtics
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The we-show-up-when-it-counts trend continued for the Celtics, who handled the Knicks on Sunday even after things got a bit too close for comfort. Derrick White says he has found his basketball joy again, and he’s showing it on the court with averages of 18 points, five assists and four rebounds on 46% 3-point shooting over his last 13 games.
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—
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42-17
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4
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Knicks
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It’s becoming trite to bring it up, but you simply can’t ignore that the Knicks are now 0-6 against the Cavs, Celtics and Thunder with an average margin of defeat of 21 points. That has to mean SOMETHING, right? The first place to look is the defense, which has surrendered an average of 126 points in those six losses. New York is pretty firmly in the No. 3 seed, so we’ll find out in the playoffs whether all this talk is overblown.
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—
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38-20
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5
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Grizzlies
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The Grizzlies showed their versatility this week by scoring 105 points in a win over the Magic and then 151 points in a victory over the Suns just a few days later. Ja Morant has struggled with his efficiency of late, shooting just 39% from the field in his last seven games.
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—
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38-20
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6
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Nuggets
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Nikola Jokić used his mumbly yet powerful voice to call out the Nuggets after an embarrassing home loss to the Lakers, saying that they may have “tricked ourselves that we are playing good” during a nine-game winning streak against “teams that were injured and teams that were not really good or high in the standings.” Leave it to the Joker to tell it like it is. That being said, they’ve still won 10 of their last 11 and are tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference.
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—
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38-20
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7
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Lakers
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That sound you heard was the collective sigh of all 29 other NBA teams as they watched Luka Dončić eviscerate the red-hot Nuggets in Denver. The Lakers are 15-4 since Jan. 15, with the league’s best defense over that span … and now they have Luka freaking Dončić. In case you didn’t already consider the Lakers a true title contender, they’re proving it on a nightly basis.
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1
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35-21
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8
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Rockets
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The Rockets need every win they can get in a vicious Western Conference with the red-hot Lakers behind them, so dropping a game to the Jazz probably wasn’t in the equation. That being said, they’ve won four of their last six with Fred VanVleet seemingly nearing a return following a month-long absence.
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1
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37-22
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9
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Pacers
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The Pacers opened up their post-break schedule with a couple of nice wins over solid Western Conference teams, and now find themselves in the fourth spot out East. Tyrese Haliburton has been hot, putting up 25 points and 11 assists per game (compared to just one turnover) on 59/52/100 shooting splits as Indiana has won four of five.
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2
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33-24
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10
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Pistons
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The Pistons had everyone (OK, maybe just me) Googling the 2008 Detroit roster after winning their eighth straight game on Wednesday. This year’s squad is the first Pistons team since Cheikh Samb, Walter Hermann, Ronald Dupree and Co. to pick up eight consecutive victories. They’ve distanced themselves considerably from the Play-In bunch, and now have their sights on the No. 4 seed. What a story.
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5
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33-26
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11
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Timberwolves
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The Wolves were forced to play the Thunder three times in 11 days, and they came out pretty well with two victories, erasing a 25-point second-half deficit in the most recent one. Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels have all averaged over 20 points in the last four games, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker stepping up off the bench.
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1
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32-27
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12
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Clippers
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The Clippers got a much-needed win in Chicago on Wednesday, snapping a three-game skid out of the break. Kawhi Leonard returned from a couple of games off (foot, not knee … phew) to put up 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes. The Clippers are sitting dangerously close to the Play-In line in the West standings with the Wolves and Warriors hot on their tail.
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3
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32-26
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13
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Bucks
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Milwaukee is 3-1 in its last four games despite Giannis Antetokounmpo averaging fewer than 27 minutes as he recovers from a calf injury. Brook Lopez, averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks over his last four games on 38% 3-point shooting, has been the one to step up with Antetokounmpo limited and Bobby Portis suspended.
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1
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32-25
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14
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Warriors
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Make that 6-1 with Jimmy Butler, who has done as much for Golden State’s swagger as he has for its offense. The confidence is clearly back for a team that now believes they have a legitimate shot at a title as long as they can get to the postseason. Butler is a ridiculous plus-73 in just over 200 minutes as a Warrior.
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2
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31-27
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15
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Mavericks
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It certainly had to hurt watching Luka Dončić put up a triple-double against them, but overall the Mavs are staying afloat with the skeleton crew they’re currently forced to operate with. Their margin for error should allow them to remain in Play-In position until the return of Anthony Davis, who has been doing some on-court work — a great sign for Dallas.
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2
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31-28
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16
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Kings
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Doug Christie called a meeting with select players after an unacceptable blowout loss to the Warriors in the first game after the All-Star break, and they’ve responded with two wins … sure helps that the Hornets and Jazz were next up on the schedule. The quartet of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk are still figuring it out, with an ugly minus-nine net rating so far in just under 170 minutes.
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2
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30-28
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17
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Magic
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A 40-point home loss to the Cavs was enough to remind the Magic just how far they have to go to compete with the big boys. Orlando now has the worst offensive rating in the NBA since Jan. 1, scoring fewer than 105 points per 100 possessions.
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—
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29-31
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18
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Heat
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Welcome to Miami, Andrew Wiggins. The trade deadline acquisition (sorry, can’t remember who they traded to get him … ) is averaging 18 points, five rebounds and three assists in a Heat uniform, though Miami is just 2-4 with him in the lineup. The Heat offense is 25th in the NBA since the deadline deal.
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2
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27-30
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19
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Suns
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First, the good: Bradley Beal has come alive since returning from a two-week hiatus, averaging 24.5 points, six rebounds and 5.5 assists over his last four games on 57/47/86 splits. Now, the bad: Phoenix has lost nine of its last 11 games, and is on the outside looking in at the Play-In Tournament. A team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker is going to need a serious run down the stretch to even make the postseason — hard to wrap your head around.
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1
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27-31
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20
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Hawks
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The Hawks are essentially already locked into one of the four Play-In spots, and it will be absolutely riveting to see where they land. Trae Young has been putting up some gaudy numbers, averaging 29 points and 11 assists over his last 10 games.
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1
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27-32
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21
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Trail Blazers
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The Blazers beat up on the Cooper Flagg trifecta — Charlotte, Utah and Washington — which means the Play-In is still just far enough within reach to make it enticing. We’ll see if measures are taken to ensure that doesn’t happen, but it would be an exciting story if Portland could make this interesting down the stretch.
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1
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26-33
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22
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Spurs
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The Spurs are now 3-8 without Victor Wembanyama, a troubling figure considering the phenom is going to miss the remainder of the regular season. They’ve lost four of five since the All-Star break, and it doesn’t help that De’Aaron Fox has shot 36% from the field over that stretch.
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1
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24-33
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23
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Bulls
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The Bulls have lost eight of nine games, but remain in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference because everyone below them is actively trying to lose (except the 76ers … sad). Josh Giddey has been filling up the stat sheet in the losses, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 51/56/84 splits over his last 10 games.
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—
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23-36
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24
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Nets
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The Nets pulled off one of the best tank moves of the season by losing to the Wizards on Monday, but they still find themselves just one game out of the Play-In in the loss column, perhaps despite their best efforts. Big man Day’Ron Sharpe put up a career-high 25 points to go along with 15 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s loss to OKC.
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—
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21-37
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25
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76ers
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Podcast P is now just P, but that hasn’t stopped the Sixers from taking Ls. It’s now nine losses in a row as a possible Joel Embiid shutdown seems to be getting closer and closer to reality. To George’s credit, he put up a valiant performance in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, his first time breaking the 20-point barrier in over a month.
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—
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20-38
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26
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Raptors
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The future core of the Raptors is Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, so it’s probably not great that the team’s net rating is nearly minus-15 when they’ve been on the floor together this season. Maybe Brandon Ingram will change the dynamic if and when he gets healthy.
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—
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18-41
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27
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Pelicans
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When you’ve had a season like the Pelicans have, three wins in four games is nothing to overlook. Zion Williamson has been a monster, averaging 23 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes during the stretch on 57% shooting.
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2
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15-43
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28
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Jazz
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Keyonte George has been up and down all year, but his 30-point performance in Utah’s surprising win over Houston on Saturday will go in the “keep” pile, for sure. And for those of you unaware of what rookie distributor extraordinaire Isaiah Collier has been doing, he’s averaged 8.2 assists since Jan. 1, good for seventh in the entire NBA over that span.
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—
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14-44
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29
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Hornets
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On the surface, four straight losses is nothing out of the ordinary for this Hornets group. But then you consider that they had the WORST THREE-GAME STRETCH IN NBA HISTORY, and that changes the calculus a bit. That’s right, Charlotte has lost its last three games by 131(!) points, absolutely destroying the previous record for futility. And the crazy thing is, LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams played two of the games, while Miles Bridges suited up for all three.
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2
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14-43
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30
|
Wizards
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The Wizards have a .333 winning percentage when Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart play, blowing away their season-long mark of .172. Successful trade! The two vets have combined to average 18 points and six assists in three games, but it’s probably best if Wizards fans don’t get used to seeing them on the court too often.
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—
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10-48
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