Collision course? Nikola Jokic's Nuggets and Jayson Tatum's Celtics have both lost just three games since the All-Star break.
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As the NBA regular season comes to a close and they head to their home territory, here are some questions to ask all 30 teams.
Will it bloom after the All-Star break or will it put the brakes on?
Everything will depend on whether you gain or lose momentum in March and early April, and this will have a huge impact on your place in the standings and if you try to avoid or, conversely, participate in the SoFi Play-In Tournament. effect.
This season is no exception, as evidenced by the madness swirling at the top and bottom of the Western Conference.
Here are the top five teams with records since the All-Star break and how they got here and where they're headed.
1. Denver Nuggets (15-3 after intermission)
An argument could be made that the Nuggets' increase outpaces any other team's record this season, with the exception of Boston's 20-2 record from February 4th to last Sunday. . The Denver heat combines dominance, stamina, an unwillingness to relax, and a tenacious pursuit of the West's best record.
The Nuggets' three losses since the break were two losses to Kevin Durant (the last without Jamal Murray) and a two-point loss to Luka Doncic. Just look at the wins over Minnesota, Sacramento, and Miami (twice) and his March 7 victory over the Celtics, which was perhaps a preview of his NBA Finals.
The Timberwolves and Thunder are also giving the Nuggets a boost, which helps keep them sharp. And Nikola Jokic is immune to slumps. Kia MVP favorite immediately after the break he achieved his fourth straight triple-double, propelling the team to the situation we are witnessing now.
Denver takes on Minnesota State on Friday (9 ET, NBA League Pass) It was the second meeting in 10 days between the teams, and it could be meaningful. The scary thing is that in the tough times of 2023-2024, the defending champions are treating March like May.
2. Boston Celtics (14-3)
The Celtics are on a roll, and the Celtics are actively pushing for a change in the spelling of their city's name. boss-Tons. Their hold on the East side was more secure than the Mountaineers' grip, and their “chase” for the conference's best record ended soon after the break.
The reason the Celtics are so high on this list is firstly because they're good, and secondly because they have depth. Regarding that last part: Depth means the Celtics can give the core players some breathing room and still give a beatdown, as they have done recently heading into the playoffs. Case in point — Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum missed games for minor things, but nothing major.
Have we seen Sam Hauser, Peyton Pritchard, and the reliable Derrick White step up recently? How about Jaylen Brown instinctively taking over the game like Tatum?
They have lost just three games since the break, two by a combined three points and one to the defending champion Nuggets. Otherwise, the Celtics will remain on pace to finish the season as strong as they started with 65+ wins.
T-3. Houston Rockets (13-5)
The team, which was sluggish with 25 wins and 34 losses as of the end of February, currently holds the longest active winning streak in the league. What a great honor for the Rockets to be on this list, after defeating OKC in a thriller overtime on Wednesday to extend their record to 10 straight wins.
Oh, and I should mention that Houston is putting a lot of effort into the play-in tournament, trying to upset the 10th-place Golden State Warriors, who are only one game behind them (in April in Houston). (Rockets vs. Warriors) 4 might be weird).
Oh, and Jaylen Green is on a roll right now, averaging 29.8 points per game during the winning streak, scoring very efficiently and making a difference. He played in two games of 40 or more games and recorded two games of 37 point shooting. Oh, I forgot. Houston is winning without Alperen Sengun, who was the club's leading scorer until he went down with a sprained ankle.
If the team, which lost 13 and 12 last season, continues to move in the right direction after the break under new coach Ime Udoka, it would be a dramatic and refreshing change in fortunes.
T-3. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-5)
With Kia MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kia Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren, and no major injury candidates, everything is in the air for the ambitious Thunder. As a result, OKC is making a big move to seize the West's best record and home court advantage.
That's what's starving the Thunder at their home line. When the break ended, OKC was in first place by one game over the Wolves, but chasing the carrot became their main motivation. The Thunder are realizing the benefits of finishing first, on their home court. That's going to be huge because this young team lacks a championship atmosphere.
Their post-break record also makes a statement (in a sense). OKC is determined to honor you. The team hasn't traveled in May since 2016, so there's a sense of proving yourself. If OKC takes first place in the West Division and faces the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, some may see it as a boost.
5. Orlando Magic (12-5)
This is the franchise's second winning season, the first since the 2018-19 season. Now that that hump is out of the way, the Magic can avoid the play-in tournament and focus on gaining home court advantage in the first round. Will they be able to finish up to 3rd place in the East?
It is possible that a team that finds its footing after the break could put it down other teams' throats. This group, coached by Jamal Mosley, may be young, but you wouldn't know it most nights.
Since the All-Star break, the Magic have played defense ranked No. 1 in defensive rating. Since the All-Star break, the Magic rank fifth in opponent turnovers (14.6 per game), second in opponent second-chance points (9.4) and fifth in opponent points in the paint (44.7).
That's the difference between Orlando and other young teams.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have struggled with deep shooting (3-of-19 threes) in the past two games, both losses, so the Magic's leading scorer will have to clean it up.
And Orlando's 5th place in the East is questionable. Two consecutive games of slump combined with a surge from either Miami or Indiana could spell trouble.
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Sean Powell has covered the NBA for over 25 years. You can email him here or find his archives here. Follow him on X.
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