Check out the best plays from the NBA this week, including Jaylen Brown. The song is called "2. As college basketball prepares to kick off the men's and women's tournaments this week, the NBA is quietly entering the home stretch of the regular season. While the Phoenix Suns have run away with the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors trail Memphis by just half a game, with Draymond Green set to return this week after a two-month absence. The Philadelphia 76ers are 2.5 games back of the Miami Heat in the East. Ben Simmons returned to Philadelphia and the 76ers suffered a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Can the Nets build on their recent success with Kevin Durant back in the lineup in the final month of the season? Can the Los Angeles Lakers make a late-season push? All 30 teams are broken down by our experts one month before the playoffs begin. Our panel (Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing. 1. Phoenix Suns
2021-22 record: 54-14
Previous ranking: 1
The Suns became the first team to qualify for the playoffs with their win against the Heat. The Suns are well on their way to securing home court through the entire playoffs. The Western Conference's No. 2 team has a 7.5-game lead over the Eastern Conference's No. 1 team.
2. Miami Heat 2021-22 record: 45-24
Previous ranking: 2
Miami has a lot of time to rest this week with only two games on the schedule. The good news for the Heat is that Victor Oladipo is back in the lineup and has shown flashes of good play in limited minutes. The veteran group of the coach will have plenty of time to get ready for the playoffs.
3. Memphis Grizzlies 2021-22 record: 47-22
Previous ranking: 3
After missing two and a half months due to an ankle injury, the man known as "Dang" had 15 points and four assists in Sunday's win. The coach put him back into the starting lineup and will gradually increase his minutes. The second-leading scorer in Ja Morant's career, but his presence is more important to the other end, as he is the best on-ball defender in Memphis.
4. Golden State Warriors 2021-22 record: 46-22
Previous ranking: 6
The group of Steve Kerr is getting back on track. Klay Thompson scored 38 points in the win over the Bucks. Jordan Poole hit several big shots in Thursday's win over the Nuggets, andJackie Moon provided a comical assist prior to Tuesday's win over the Clippers. Golden State is expecting Draymond Green back on Monday, and James Wiseman started his G League rehab stint in hopes of making his season debut.
5. Milwaukee Bucks 2021-22 record: 42-26
Previous ranking: 4
A huge reinforcement to their lineup this week will be center Brook Lopez, who will return to action for the first time since opening night. Lopez had back surgery in December and has only played one game this season. Milwaukee has missed his presence on defense, where the team has fallen to 13th in defensive rating, the lowest they have ever been under Budenholzer.
6. Philadelphia 76ers 2021-22 record: 41-25
Previous ranking: 5
Thursday's loss to Brooklyn exposed the concerns about this roster after the James Harden trade. It will take some time to develop their chemistry, as evidenced by Sunday's overtime win against Orlando. Up next? Jokic and Embiid will face off in Philadelphia on Monday.
7. Boston Celtics 2021-22 record: 41-28
Previous ranking: 8
The Celtics have to feel good despite their last-second loss to Dallas. They are just 1.5 games back of second place in the East and look like a completely different team than the one that started the season with a.500 record.
8. Dallas Mavericks 2021-22 record: 42-26
Previous ranking: 10
The Mavs have excelled in clutch situations this season. They were last in the league in clutch defensive efficiency and net rating. Dallas has been first in those two categories since then. Dallas has won 10 of 12 games that qualify as clutch, including Sunday's comeback in Boston, when the Mavs held the Celtics to zero points in the final 2:37.
9. Utah Jazz 2021-22 record: 42-25
Previous ranking: 7
Utah is trying to hold on to the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but it's also important to rest Mike Conley, as the Jazz need him fresh to have a chance at a deep playoff run. Since the All-Star break, Conley has averaged only 7.7 points on 25.6% shooting. He was sitting for one game.
10. Chicago Bulls 2021-22 record: 41-26
Previous ranking: 9
In his first game in over a month, the Bulls guard had 11 points, four assists, and four steals in a win over the Cavs. The defense of Chicago enjoyed an immediate boost with the return of Caruso. The Bulls held an opponent under 100 points for the first time since Caruso's last game.
11. Denver Nuggets 2021-22 record: 40-28
Previous ranking: 11
The Nuggets lost to Golden State and Toronto after winning 12 of 14 games. The team has not lost consecutive games since February. In the loss to Toronto, Denver was without Will Barton and in the win against the Warriors, they had no Will Barton. Denver knows it can rebound better than it did in the two losses. The sixth spot is currently held by the Nuggets.
12. Brooklyn Nets 2021-22 record: 35-33
Previous ranking: 16
Monday, March 14
Nuggets at 76ers, 7:30 p.m.
Bucks at Jazz, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 16
Mavericks at Nets, 7:30 p.m.
Celtics at Warriors, 10 p.m.
All times Eastern.
The Nets season hit a high point recently. Irving scored 50 points in a win over Charlotte. While James Harden was held to a 3-for 17 performance as Ben Simmons watched from the bench, Kevin Durant and Irving dominated the 76ers. On Sunday, Irving watched from his courtside seat because of the city's vaccine mandate, after which he called out NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 2021-22 record: 38-29
Previous ranking: 12
The last automatic playoff spot is still up for grabs, and the Cavs hold a one-game lead over Toronto. They have lost eight out of 11 and have had to change their lineup with Jarrett Allen going out with a broken middle finger, adding Kevin Love to the starting group.
14. Toronto Raptors 2021-22 record: 37-30
Previous ranking: 15
Toronto had little chance of getting out of the play-in a week ago. The Raptors are now within striking distance of the East's top six after sweeping a road trip in Phoenix and Denver.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves 2021-22 record: 39-30
Previous ranking: 13
One of the best wins of the season for the Timberwolves came on the road on Saturday night, when they overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Heat. It avenged a disappointing loss the previous night against the Magic and gave Minnesota its first win of the year when trailing by such a large margin.
16. LA Clippers 2021-22 record: 36-34
Previous ranking: 14
After losing to the Knicks and Warriors, the Clippers came back to beat the Wizards. Reggie Jackson played one of his more controlled games in a win at Detroit after a tough loss at Atlanta. With 12 games remaining in the season and the Clippers looking like they will likely be the eighth seed, coach Ty Lue admitted that the Clippers will likely find time to rest some of their vets like Jackson down the stretch.
17. Atlanta Hawks 2021-22 record: 33-34
Previous ranking: 17
Trae Young put on a show on Sunday night in a 131-128 win against the Pacers. Young had 33 points in the first half, setting a new career high. He scored 47 points on 20 shots. He was 14-of-14 from the free throw line and 13-of-20 from the field. Young has scored at least 40 points in seven of his eight games this season, and he trails only two other players for the most in the NBA.
18. Charlotte Hornets 2021-22 record: 33-35
Previous ranking: 19
The Hornets are going to be in the play-in tournament for a second year in a row because Washington and New York have steep climbs in the race. Charlotte has a tall task of avoiding a 10th place finish and winning two road games to make the playoffs, and they need to get Gordon Hayward healthy, as he has missed more than a month with an ankle injury.
19. Los Angeles Lakers 2021-22 record: 29-38
Previous ranking: 18
Anthony Davis will begin on-court workouts on Monday, four weeks after he injured his foot. While Davis told reporters Sunday he is very optimistic he will be able to make it back before the season ends, James said that might not be enough to fix the team.
20. New Orleans Pelicans 2021-22 record: 28-40
Previous ranking: 20
After winning four in a row out of the break, the offense slowed down due to the injury to Brandon Ingram and the health and safety protocols that were put in place. They got back on track with a win over Houston. The third player in franchise history to hit those marks in a game was backup point guard Jose Alvarado, who had 16 points, 10 assists and 6 steals in the win.
21. Washington Wizards 2021-22 record: 29-37
Previous ranking: 21
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The play-in hopes of the Wizards are fading. Washington lost its first three games. They blew a double-digit lead and watched the Clippers score the final 11 points of the game. The Lakers had a reunion with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards gave up 44 points to Josh Hart in a loss to Portland. Charlotte leads the Wizards by three games for the 10th spot.
22. New York Knicks 2021-22 record: 28-40
Previous ranking: 23
Over the past week or so, New York has been playing better and winning. The Knicks are five games out of 10th in the East and still have the ability to create some positive vibes over the final few weeks of the season.
23. San Antonio Spurs 2021-22 record: 26-42
Previous ranking: 24
The Spurs accomplished something they hadn't done all season when they defeated the Jazz on Friday to make Popovich the NBA's all-time leader in regular-season coaching victories. The Spurs trailed 74-64 going into the fourth quarter, but came back to win. It was the first time this season that the Spurs trailed by 10 entering the fourth quarter and won the game. Prior to that, they were 0-33.
24. Portland Trail Blazers 2021-22 record: 26-40
Previous ranking: 22
Josh Hart scored a career-high 44 points to lead Portland to its first victory since the All-Star break. With Anfernee Simons out for at least a couple more weeks, it's not certain how many more wins the Blazers will get. Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard are not with the team.
25. Sacramento Kings 2021-22 record: 24-45
Previous ranking: 25
Frustration hit a boiling point for a Kings team that is now losers of nine of their last 11 and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 The center issued a statement that disagreed with the ruling and said they stood behind Domas.
26. Indiana Pacers 2021-22 record: 23-46
Previous ranking: 26
In his last four games, Tyrese Haliburton has recorded double-digit assists three times. It is the 22nd game of the season in which Haliburton has recorded at least 10 assists, breaking a tie with Luka Doncic for the fifth-most games.
27. Detroit Pistons 2021-22 record: 18-50
Previous ranking: 28
The rookies of the year race should not be called just yet. The Pistons rookies is making a serious charge. Cunningham has scored at least 20 points in seven straight games, tying Kelly Tripucka as the only other rookies in franchise history to do so.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder 2021-22 record: 20-47
Previous ranking: 27
Injuries to Josh Giddey and Lu Dort have given rookies like Tre Mann an extended run in the starting lineup. Mann, the 18th overall pick in the draft, struggled with efficiency. Mann has averaged 13.0 points per game since the All-Star break and has a 45.9 true shooting percentage.
29. Orlando Magic 2021-22 record: 18-51
Previous ranking: 29
The Magic lost an overtime heartbreaker to the 76ers on Sunday night. He had 23 points and 12 rebound on Sunday. Carter is having a good month, he is averaging 12 rebound a game.
30. Houston Rockets 2021-22 record: 17-51
Previous ranking: 30
According to sources, the Rockets decided to guarantee the salaries of Garrison Mathews and Kenyon Martin Jr. Houston had until June 29 to make the decision, but the front office felt no need to wait, as Mathews and Martin have proven themselves as young role players who fit in the long-term rebuilding plan.
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