There are five days of regular-season basketball left, but only two teams have officially clinched their lottery slots. The have only 16 wins. Everybody
Giancarlo Stanton Jersey else has at least 20, so the Pistons will hold the No. 1 slot on lottery night. The have 26 wins. Everybody above them as at least 33 and everybody below them has 20, so they are locked into the No. 4 slot.But literally every slot on lottery night is still up for grabs. Right now, there are three key races to track:The and are tied at 20 wins apiece. Both of them will have a 14% shot at Victor Wembanyama, but finishing in the No. 2 slot still matters because it ensures that you can pick no lower than No. 6 overall.The control their own destiny in the No. 5 slot with 33 wins, and despite their historic upset over the , they are doing everything in their power to stay there. Portland is running out lineups full of players you've never heard of, and they'll have to do so, because there are three teams (the , and ) tied at 34 wins behind them. Portland wants no part of a tie with those teams, so expect them to keep trotting out G-League lineups.For now, the appear to be focused on their long-shot playoff push. However, it's worth noting that they have only won one more game than the , and slipping to No. 9 in the draft would actually do them quite a bit of good. As it stands, their pick goes to the if lands anywhere between No. 11 and No. 30. If the Mavericks stay at No. 10, they'll probably still keep their pick, but would lose it if anyone between 11-14 jumps into the top four. That's unlikely, but just to be safe, slipping to No. 9 would virtually secure them their own first-round pick this year.In all likelihood, there will be ties that need to be broken when the dust settles. Unlike playoff tiebreakers, lottery tiebreakers follow no complicated protocols. They are merely settled by random drawings. Is that a bit anticlimactic considering the stakes here? Sure. But just remember, up until 1984, the No. 1 pick
Starlin Castro Jersey was literally determined by coin flip. Things could be a whole lot worse.It's one thing for Wembanyama to emphatically flush home a putback down. He has done that time and again this season with Mets 92, including in a . It's quite another thing to do .... whatever it was he did on Sunday. Wembanyama as he is wont to do unfurled an audacious stepback 3-pointer against Pro A-leading Monaco, and while he mi sed the shot, he was -- somewhat miraculously -- able to not only recover his rebound but to jam it home off the bounce. Look at this. Wemby got his own rebound for the jam Watch live on the NBA App: NBA (@NBA) I repeat: LOOK AT THIS. Here is another angle, because there are not enough to bang home just how impre sive this play is. One-handed? Off the bounce? Charging into traffic? Are you kidding?! Victor Wembanyama is an alien Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) Wembanyama finished with just eight points against Monaco in an 87-68 blowout lo s, his lowest point total in a game this season, but he was still able to add 14 rebounds and three blocks in defeat. With a lo s to league-leader Monaco in the rearview, Mets 92 is facing the all-but-guaranteed prospect of finishing second in the Pro A this season. But there's still much to play for as the season continues on Saturday at for the Mets as they face Strasbourg. A win would avenge an earlier lo s to Strasbourg that came in excruciating fashion as the Mets squandered a brilliant 26-point, 18-rebound performance from Wembanyama. The game is its last for nearly three weeks before a hiatus until the final week of April.7. Indiana Pacers: You did it, Orlando! It took the entire season, but the Orlando Magic, winners of six of their past 10, have finally climbed out of the bottom seven. Sure, you could argue that they sacrificed a golden opportunity to add a premium draft pick, but it's not as though they've fallen to the No. 14 lottery slot. The Magic have proven they have a future. Indiana has as well. Without injuries, they'd be in the play-in race right now. The same can't be said for Washington, which earns the Wizards a soft tiebreaker in the race to the bottom. 6. Washington Wizards: There are finally some signs of life out of . The 2022 lottery pick scored 16 total points in Washington's first 67 games because he was so ineffective that he spent most of the season in the G-League, but he has now reached double figures five times in the past month. On Tuesday against the , he scored 20 points for the first time in the NBA. The Wizards might have a player yet.5. Portland Trail Blazers: On Sunday, the Blazers completed in recorded NBA history. As 19.5-point underdogs, they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves to earn a win they desperately didn't want. They came dangerously close to winning another game on Tuesday when they managed to take a lead on the early in the fourth quarter. The Blazers have to be careful. They control their own destiny for the No. 5 slot right now, but one more win complicates that pursuit greatly.4. Charlotte Hornets: The Charlotte Hornets have an above-average defense since March 1, ranking 14th overall in the NBA in that time. "Above average" might not sound particularly impre sive, but remember, this is a team that had nothing to play for in that window. Veterans are mi sing games left and right. Steve Clifford is already one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA. will soon be among its best
Miami Marlins Jersey defenders. 3. San Antonio Spurs: I'd really rather not dignify the lineups San Antonio is putting out lately with a blurb. Think of the reasons I've offered to watch the Spurs throughout the season. is out now. is out. is hurt. has played 10 games in the calendar year 2023. I love as much as anyone and even I think 29 minutes is a bit much.2. Houston Rockets: The season hasn't even ended yet and there's already been about
Jose Fernandez Jersey who will replace Stephen Silas as Houston's head coach. Nick Nurse, who once coached the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is suddenly a hot candidate for the Rockets. It's an interesting if slightly risky pick. A coach of his stature surely expects to win quickly, so would the Rockets overhaul the roster for him? Would he be more open to playing a deeper bench on a younger team? As a championship-winning coach, would he have the cache to convince Houston's ball-dominant youngsters to subscribe a team-first system? It's a home run swing, but it's not as though the Rockets are afraid of swinging and mi sing.1. Detroit Pistons: played 30 minutes for the first time since Feb. 10 on Tuesday. He responded with 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Pistons have gotten too cute with their frontcourt. By all means, give and Marvin Bagley a chance, but Duren is the best young center on the team. Developing him should be their first, second and third priority. Every time I think I know which game is going to land in this slot, it gets overtaken. Let's just take a walk through the past two weeks of basketball played by the Dallas Mavericks and
allas manages to lose a game against the in which it wins the 3-point, free-throw and turnover battles.Dallas loses at home to a Charlotte Hornets team mi sing most of its best players on the second night of a back-to-back. They play again two days later. Charlotte wins again.Oklahoma City faces Charlotte, gives up 43 points to , and loses what is effectively a one-point game by mi sing four free throws in the last six minutes.Dallas manages to force , and to shoot a combined 18-of-44 from the field and still finds a way to lose.Oklahoma City gets back for a game against the Indiana Pacers, who are without and , and loses by shooting 4-of-30 on 3-pointers.Dallas has a chance to tie Atlanta at the free throw line in the closing seconds on Sunday. mi ses one of his two attempts with 1.4 seconds left, but the ball ricochets out of bounds off of Atlanta, miraculously giving Dallas a second chance, and is fouled on the inbounds lob play. If he makes both, Dallas wins. He mi ses the first and Dallas loses in overtime. McGee and Wood played the last six minutes of the third quarter, the entire fourth quarter and most of overtime without a rest.The Thunder build a 10-point halftime lead on the Warriors Tuesday only to get whacked by 21 points in the second half. Mark Daigneault gets a technical foul because the officials to allow the Thunder to sub into the game on a deadball.The lengths these teams are going to mi s the playoffs, intentionally or not, are stunning. Every time one of them loses a heartbreaker, the other tops it. The math overwhelmingly favors the Thunder to earn the No. 10 seed, but in a just world, the Western Conference postseason would allow only nine entrants.Thursday, April 6: Blazers at Spurs: If you've ever wanted to watch a G-League All-Star Game in NBA uniforms, this is probably your best bet. Friday, April 7: Rockets at Hornets: I almost feel guilty listing the Hornets at this point
Jeff Locke Jersey . They've been playing competent basketball for more than a month now.Friday, April 7: Pistons at Pacers: This is probably the likeliest spot for that pesky Pacers-Wizards-Magic tie to get broken, so Orlando and Washington will be watching this game closely.
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