Several NBA teams proceed to vie for a spot at the top of each conference as we approach the final two weeks before the February 9 trade deadline, with true contenders already separating themselves from challengers across the league.
Perhaps one of the mid-range teams will jump to a smaller pool of title contenders because of a great reception ahead of the deadline, but for now it’s hard to assume greater than seven or eight teams with legitimate aspirations to lift the championship trophy in June.
Here’s our late January snapshot of the teams that appear to be they may win the title as they’re:
1. Celts (35-14)
After breaking their nine-game streak, the Celtics lost two straight games (to newcomer Magic and the Heat) heading into Thursday’s national televised matchup with the Knicks. But the defending Eastern Conference champions still have the league’s best record under Joe Mazzulli in his first season after replacing Ime Udoki. All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the most scoring duo in the NBA with a total of 57.9 points per game, while Malcolm Brogdon added depth as the Sixth Man.
2. Dollars (30-17)
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo deserves to be back in the conversation (a minimum of in the top three) for leading the Bucks to a 52-win pace despite three-time All-Star Khris Middleton appearing in only seven games before back to the game. rotation in Monday’s 150-point blast against Detroit. The 2021 NBA champions led the Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season without Middleton, who could seemingly be seen as the most influential addition to any rival lineup ahead of the trade deadline.
3. Nuggets (34-14)
Nikola Jokic is the leader to win his third consecutive MVP award, which might make the great Serbian the first player since Larry Bird (1984-86) to win that persistently in a row. The one others to perform this feat? Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Jamal Murray got off to a slow start after missing all of last season with ACL surgery, but averaged 20.0 points and 6.1 assists in his last 36 games, helping the Nuggets to a top record in the West after being knocked out in the first round play-offs. spring by Warriors.
4. Nets (29-17)
Brooklyn will likely be without Kevin Durant (knee) for the next couple of weeks, but Kyrie Irving and the Nets each had away victories in Utah and Golden State after losing their first 4 games in KD’s absence. Health and availability proceed to be issues for the team led by this duo and Ben Simmons, but before Durant’s latest injury they’d 18 wins in 20 games.
5. 76ers (30-16)
The Sixers didn’t make it past the second round with Joel Embiid as their star player – a drought dating back to Allen Iverson leading them to the Finals in 2001 – including an early elimination by the Heat last yr in James Harden’s first postseason with the team. Philly is 18-4 after a 12-12 start, including five straight wins, all away, starting Wednesday’s home clash with the Nets.
6. Warriors (23-24)
The defending champions stayed 7-10 in the West all season, despite stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins missing a minimum of 10 games through injury. The Warriors are currently ranked tenth, but just two losses separate the fifth-seeded Clippers (24) and the Thirteenth-seeded Lakers in the confusing West. But with Jordan Poole averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game, no team will wish to face this battle-proven core at full strength should the Warriors make it into the postseason. The truth is, on Tuesday, FanDuel continued to trade the Warriors with the fifth best odds (+850) of winning all, behind the Celtics, Bucks, Nets and Nuggets.
7. Grizzlies (31-16)
Memphis lost three straight games on an 11-game winning streak, and Ja Morant and Steven Adams made up for Monday’s loss in Sacramento with injury markings. This group – also featuring underrated 20-point scorer Desmond Bane – won their first round of the playoffs last yr against the Timberwolves before losing to the Warriors in the second round.
Rest
The Kings have change into one of the league’s most enjoyable offensive teams behind De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as they move as much as third in the West, but making the playoffs for the first time since 2006 will have to suffice this yr. The rising Cavaliers added the star the Knicks (Donovan Mitchell) wanted, but these 4 in the East will likely be hard to beat. Zion Williamson and the Pelicans might also be in the West next yr. The Heat are available, going 15-7 after starting 12-15, ahead of the Knicks for the coveted No. 6 spot for the time being.
Today’s back side
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Numbers to Know: Knicks-Cavaliers
The Knicks won 105-103 over Donovan Mitchell’s Cavaliers on Tuesday night at the Garden. Here’s a snapshot of the pivotal win that snapped a four-game losing streak and tied their record to 26-23:
3️⃣6️⃣ Points for Julius Randle
8 ️⃣ 3-pointers for Randle, who has shot 28.9 percent from range in his last 11 games.
With 4️⃣ seconds left (4.4 to be exact) Isaiah Hartenstein edged Mitchell, potentially drawing the game.
6️⃣ Team assists for Immanuel Quickley returning to the squad after leaving the game attributable to left knee pain. The Knicks defeated the Cavs by 14 points in Quickley’s 27 minutes.
1️⃣1️⃣ points for Obi Toppin in 10:22 motion, his second double-figure in a row after failing to achieve that mark since mid-November.
— Jonathan Lehman
That is Hall, folks
Scott Rolen will likely be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer after narrowly passing the required 75 percent of the BBWAA electorate, of which I’m a voting member. The eight-time Golden Glove winner will join modern age commission honoree Fred McGriff as a third baseman at this yr’s induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
This yr I used seven of my slots, up from a maximum of 10 a yr ago. Since David Ortiz was elected and Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling withdrew from the vote after 10 years of consideration, I added longtime Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins to my other six: Rolen, Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield and Billy Wagner.
Pushing that to 2024, the vote bodes well for Helton, a five-time All-Star first baseman with the Rockies, and Wagner, a dominant former nearer who has spent most of his profession with the Astros, Phillies and Mets.
Especially when you think about that Rolen has come to date since his first ballot appearance when he received 10.2 percent of the vote in 2018.
Helton, in his fifth yr on the ballot, jumped from 16.5 percent in his first yr in 2019 to 52.0 percent a yr ago to 72.2 percent this yr.
Wagner rose from 10.5 percent in 2016 to 51.0 percent last yr to 68.1 percent with two years to think about.
Helton, Wagner and others – including the soaring Andruw Jones (58.1%), Gary Sheffield (55.0% in yr nine qualifying) and rookie Carlos Beltran (46.5%) – will likely be the first to hitch next yr – placed on the ballot Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer.
Beltran has apparently been hurt this yr by his involvement in the Astros sign theft scandal, but after taking a yr off, I plan so as to add the former Mets center back to my roster for the next round of voting.
Not surprisingly, nonetheless, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez gained little popularity of their candidacies. Each stars suspended by PED received lower than 36 percent of the vote, much like last yr.
Mikaela gets her way
Almost a yr after a disappointing personal Olympic success, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has set a record on the slope with a chance for more.
Shiffrin, 27, won her 83rd Alpine World Cup event in Italy on Tuesday, eclipsing the previous record held by retired former US teammate Lindsey Vonn. Shiffrin also moved up three wins to match Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark’s total of 86 wins.
“It’s actually hard to search out the words,” Shiffrin said. “I believe there are not any words to elucidate all the feelings.”
The 2-time Olympic gold medalist was rejected in six events at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Shiffrin looks set so as to add to his giant slalom win early Wednesday and two more slalom races in the Czech Republic before the world championships kick off on February 6 in France.