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NBC did a pretty cool nostalgia thing with their broadcasts last night. They had all of the graphics and feel of the 1990s NBA on NBC. The score bug, in particular, was an amazing touch that I wouldn’t hate them going back to. Although if we’re going to do a throwback feel for gambling sites, can we at least do some extra work there? Let’s make it seem like the betting sponsor is just some bookie in the back of a dimly lit restaurant who’s dressed like Grama from “Rounders?”
Report cards
Let’s grade the West
We’re three quarters of the way through the season, as every team has finally gotten to at least 60 games played. That means it’s time to give out some grades. We’ll do the Western Conference first and the East down below. The West is still the deeper conference and the bigger battlefield to get through. Which teams have gotten better, and which have gotten worse?
We list the teams in order of standings, their grades and something the teacher (me) wants to see improvement on.
Who has turned it around? The Clippers. They’ve gone 23-10 since their horrendous start, and they’re knocking on the door of the Warriors for eighth place. Their defense completely turned around, and even trading away James Harden and Ivica Zubac hasn’t changed much. They’re 6-4 since the deadline after dealing their second- and third-best player. Not to mention, Darius Garland — whom they got for Harden — debuted for them this week.
Who is getting worse? Denver. The Nuggets are desperate to get Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson back in the mix. Nikola Jokić doesn’t look totally healthy or in shape out there. He’s usually a pretty good help defender, but he’s been out of position a lot. He’s also shooting under 50 percent since his return, and that’s just not like him. Jamal Murray is keeping them going.
Biggest West storyline: Can the Spurs actually pull this off? San Antonio has surged so much that we’re now wondering if a team can go from not even making the Play-In to competing for a championship. They pretty much have the No. 2 seed locked up, and their defense is truly spectacular. They have a deep rotation — at least five different guys can really hurt an opponent on any given night. Victor Wembanyama is so good, it’s hard not to wonder if they can pull off the unthinkable.
Who needs lottery luck the most? Sacramento. The Light the Beam phenomenon feels like it was 50 years ago. The Kings don’t really have any hope with their roster. There are a couple of nice young role players, but mostly it’s bloated contracts and a group that really can’t win. They need a franchise pillar they can build around, and the best shot of that happening is in the first three picks.
Favorite to win the West: The Thunder. How could it not be? Sure, they came back down to earth, but that’s still as good as anybody else in the West. As long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are healthy in time for the postseason, it’ll be hard not to think they get out of the West.
Who’s the dark horse to challenge? Minnesota. I almost went with the Rockets, but I don’t love their end-of-game offense most of the time. The Wolves are sneaky and underrated. Back-to-back deep playoff runs with this group mean they know what it takes. Jaden McDaniels took a leap. They have a deeper bench now. And Anthony Edwards keeps getting better. Scoff all you want! Wait, you’re actually scoffing, aren’t you?
The last 24
☘️ Luck of the Irish? Jayson Tatum’s return from an Achilles tear is nigh. How does it impact the Celtics?
🏓 Love tanking? The NBA is really trying to figure out how to curb tanking. But fans are embracing it!
🧑⚖️ What’s next? The massive federal investigation into illegal gambling could have over a dozen plea deals. Will Chauncey Billups be one of them?
🏀 Back soon? The Nuggets’ Gordon could return from his hamstring injury as soon as Friday. Denver’s season depends on him, Sam Amick writes.
🏀 Too much? The Thunder’s Lu Dort says he “went over the limit” with his flagrant foul on Jokić.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Report cards, part 2
Time for East grades
Who has turned it around? Cleveland! The Cavs have won 22 of their last 30 games, despite a bunch of injuries and inconsistencies with their availability. Not long ago, they were just a game over .500, and we were wondering if they’d blow it up. Instead, they made the bold move for Harden. The bad news: Cleveland is dealing with injuries to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.
Who is getting worse? Chicago. It’s by design, but the Bulls have really sunk into this tanking thing. They lost 11 straight games almost immediately, as they punted on the Play-In Tournament. They’re seeing which guards are worth keeping and praying they can get some real lottery luck to get a future star on the roster.
Biggest East storyline: Who is the actual favorite in the East? We’ve discussed whether people believe in Detroit. The Celtics will get Tatum back soon, and it has people wondering if he’ll be healthy enough to help carry them through the East. The Knicks remain the favorite by default, but people are also looking toward Cleveland with Harden as a possibility. It’s entirely up in the air, but not because there are so many great teams. It’s a bunch of “Yeah, I could see it” teams.
Who needs lottery luck the most? Chicago. I almost went with Brooklyn here, but I really want to see the Bulls return to some type of prominence. The organization has been mostly poorly run since Michael Jordan left, and it could use an injection of star power in the building.
Favorite to win the East: I guess we have to pick now, huh? I’ll default to the Knicks. They do seem the most built for the postseason of the available teams. But they also haven’t looked good at all against a Detroit team that struggles to score outside of Cade Cunningham.
Who’s the dark horse to challenge? Cleveland? I’m not a massive believer in “add Harden to playoff struggles and then profit” as a strategy. Not with his history of disappearing in elimination games. But it’s hard to deny how much talent is here if the Cavs are healthy.
About last night
Cavs learn how to finish the job vs. Pistons
Cavs 113, Pistons 109: A few days ago, Cleveland could not execute down the stretch or in overtime against Detroit. Last night, even without Mitchell, the Cavs finally figured it out. Jaylen Tyson had 22 points, and Evan Mobley and Harden had 18 apiece. Detroit got 24 and 14 from Jalen Duren, but the Cavs forced Cunningham into 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. His 14 assists were not enough to overcome it. Cleveland is only a game and a half out of third in the East.
Knicks 111, Raptors 95: Karl-Anthony Towns was awesome with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, plus he was fantastic defensively. Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 10 assists, but New York won this with the dominant 24-13 fourth quarter. Brandon Ingram’s 31 points were not enough.
Spurs 131, 76ers 91: It might have been the 81-39 advantage by the Spurs in the second and third quarters that decided this one. Wembanyama had 10 points, eight boards, four assists, three steals and six blocks in 24 minutes. Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 22 points each. The Spurs had more assisted buckets (36) than the Sixers had total buckets (33), and V.J. Edgecombe only played 20 minutes due to a back injury.
Now we head into the Dunk Tank …
Hornets 117, Mavs 90: Charlotte went 20-of-51 from deep. Dallas went 3-of-22. Give the Mavs an 8/10 tanking score for this game. They played too many veteran starters.
Magic 126, Wizards 109: Paolo Banchero had 37 points, and the Wizards allowed Orlando to make 55 percent of its shots. That’s a tanking score of 8/10.
Heat 124, Nets 98: Brooklyn had three times as many turnovers (18) as 3-pointers made (six). That’s a 9/10 tanking score for the Nets.
Thunder 116, Bulls 108: Jared McCain led the Thunder with 20 off the bench (no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in this one), and Collin Sexton led the Bulls with 20 off the bench too. Very close game. Miserable 4/10 tank score for Chicago.
Wolves 117, Grizzlies 110: Anthony Edwards had 41 points and five steals, as the Grizzlies made this far closer than it should have been. Just a 5/10 tank score for Memphis.
Lakers 110, Pelicans 101: Luka Dončić had 27-10-7 and LeBron James had 21-7-7. But it was the Pelicans giving up a 34-23 fourth quarter that clinched it. That’s a tank score of 9/10.
Suns 114, Kings 103: Jalen Green’s 20 points were enough to overcome Maxime Raynaud’s 22-10-4 night. Kings’ tank score is a 7/10 here.
Tanking teams shot a combined 63-of-229 (27.5 percent) from 3-point range last night