1
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Thunder
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to score at least 20 points in 65 straight games during a single season. We’re running out of superlatives for this dude, who may be on his way to his first MVP (and is DEFINITELY on his way to a massive payday this summer). Meanwhile OKC has hit the 60-win mark and has won seven straight. Let’s not take for granted what a remarkable season this is.
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—
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60-12
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2
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Cavaliers
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Nothing like matchups with the Jazz and Blazers to help cure the ills of a four-game losing streak. Ty Jerome averaged 18.5 points and three assists on 7-for-9 combined 3-point shooting in the two wins.
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—
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58-14
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3
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Celtics
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The Celtics clicking on this level is a scary sight for the rest of the league, who feared that Boston would start to ramp things up as the postseason approached. They’ve won 12 of their last 13, with the only loss coming to the league’s best team, and have outscored opponents by 12 points per 100 possessions during that stretch. The scary thing is, they’ve rarely had their full complement of players on any given night.
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—
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54-19
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4
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Rockets
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Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets (without Nikola Jokić) could prove costly in the standings, but Houston is still playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. Seven Rockets have averaged double figures as the team has gone 10-1 since March 6, with the league’s fourth-best net rating over that span.
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—
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47-26
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5
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Nuggets
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Nikola Jokić was a welcome sight on Wednesday for the Nuggets, who went 2-3 in his only extended absence of the season. He sure looked rusty in his return, putting up 39 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 16-for-25 shooting in a win over the Bucks.
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1
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46-28
|
6
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Grizzlies
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Memphis badly needed a victory, and luckily the Jazz were next on the schedule. Prior to Tuesday’s win, the Grizz had dropped four of their last five with the defense struggling mightily. Ja Morant is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Scotty Pippen Jr. has filled in admirably (again) with averages of 15 points, 7.5 assists and five rebounds over his last four games.
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1
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44-28
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7
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Knicks
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The Knicks are now 5-5 since Jalen Brunson’s ankle injury with an offensive rating just under 114, good for 19th in the league over that span. Rookie Tyler Kolek has gotten some run as Tom Thibodeau searches for answers at the point guard position, racking up 24 total assists while averaging fewer than 20 minutes over his last three games.
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—
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45-27
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8
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Lakers
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On Wednesday against the Pacers, LeBron James was held without a field goal through three quarters for the first time since he was 19 years old … and then he ended up tipping in the game-winner because of course he did. The Lakers badly needed the win, since they had dropped their previous three by wide margins. Something not exactly concerning, but worth keeping an eye on: The Lakers have a minus-2.1 net rating with James and Luka Dončić on the floor this season.
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—
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44-28
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9
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Clippers
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The Clippers are back in the No. 6 spot for the first time since March 1 thanks to nine wins in their last 11 games. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have combined to average 53 points during the stretch, with both shooting 42% from the 3-point line.
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2
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41-31
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10
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Pacers
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A LeBron James buzzer-beating tip-in stopped the Pacers from winning their sixth straight, as they maintain a two-game lead in the loss column for the East’s No. 4 seed over the Pistons and Bucks. Bennedict Mathurin has averaged 20 points and seven rebounds during the six-game run.
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4
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42-30
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11
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Warriors
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With Steph Curry sidelined, Jimmy Butler has virtually taken his place in terms of on/off impact. In losses to the Hawks and Heat, the Warriors’ net rating was minus-42(!) in 30 minutes with Butler on the bench. The good news is that Curry could return on Friday, and the Warriors are 15-2 when both of them play.
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2
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41-31
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12
|
Timberwolves
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After looking like one of the most dangerous lower-seed threats in the Western Conference for the better part of a month, the Wolves have now lost three out of four games to fall to No. 8. Since Rudy Gobert returned from injury on March 9, Minnesota’s net rating has improved by a whopping 30 points per 100 possessions when he’s been on the floor.
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2
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41-32
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13
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Pistons
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The No. 4 seed is still in the Pistons’ sights, but they’ll have to navigate a pretty difficult remaining schedule with games against Cleveland, OKC, Memphis and New York, among others. Marcus Sasser has been a late-season revelation, averaging 23.5 points in 26 minutes over his last two games on 8-for-11 3-point shooting.
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1
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41-32
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14
|
Bucks
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The Damian Lillard news is a brutal blow for the Bucks, who aren’t exactly built to sustain a major absence from one of their two stars. The good news is that there is “optimism” that Lillard could return some time this season. The question is whether or not Milwaukee will still be alive in the playoffs if and when Lillard is able to suit up again.
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1
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40-32
|
15
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Suns
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Wednesday’s shellacking at the hands of a red-hot Boston team aside, the Suns are finally starting to put it together with defense-first lineups around their two healthy stars. Kevin Durant has been magnificent, averaging 28 points on ridiculous 54/56/89 shooting splits as Phoenix has gone 5-2 over its last seven games.
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1
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35-38
|
16
|
Mavericks
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Anthony Davis won the battle with certain members of the organization who wanted him to shut it down for the year, as he put up 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes in his first appearance since his debut game with the Mavericks that seems like a lifetime ago. Davis certainly makes a Play-In appearance more feasible as Dallas battles the Suns and Kings for the West’s ninth and 10th seeds.
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1
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35-38
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17
|
Kings
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That win over the Cavs must have taken a lot out of the Kings, who have lost four straight since. The margin of error for landing in the Play-In is getting slimmer as the Suns are playing better and the Mavericks are getting healthy.
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2
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35-37
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18
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Magic
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A modest three-game winning streak couldn’t be happening at a better time for the Magic, who would love to gain a tiny bit of momentum heading into their Play-In matchup(s). Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have been in elite form of late, but Anthony Black stepping up with Jalen Suggs out may be the most important long-term development for Orlando.
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—
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35-38
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19
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Hawks
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All hail the G-Wagon (previously known as the Minivan)! Georges Niang is averaging 18 points on 58% 3-point shooting in fewer than 23 minutes over his last three games. While the veteran forward may not do this every night, if you’re looking for an X-Factor in a win-or-go-home Play-In scenario, which the Hawks will soon face, Niang coming in and drilling six 3s certainly fits the bill.
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—
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35-37
|
20
|
Bulls
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Are the Bulls suddenly becoming the team that nobody wants to face in the Play-In Tournament? Wins over the Kings, Lakers and Nuggets make it eight out of their last 10, and they’ve outscored opponents by nine points per 100 possessions over that stretch. Their defense was 27th in the NBA before the All-Star break, and has improved to 14th since.
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1
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32-40
|
21
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Trail Blazers
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With the Mavericks getting healthy and Phoenix on a roll, the Blazers’ faint chances of a Play-In Tournament berth may be all but extinguished. Kudos to them for making it interesting for this long though, as many teams in their position would have tried to maximize their losses. We’ll see if the basketball gods reward them.
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1
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32-41
|
22
|
Heat
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Jimmy who? Andrew Wiggins, who came over from the Warriors in the Butler deal, put up 72 total points in consecutive games against the Rockets and Hornets on incredible 26-for-34 shooting from the field. He followed that up with a stinker against his former team, but Miami only cares about the two straight wins that pulled the team out of a 10-game skid.
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—
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31-41
|
23
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Spurs
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Raise your hand if you had the Spurs going 4-3 after De’Aaron Fox joined Victor Wembanyama with a season-ending injury … nobody? They’re eighth in the league in offense over that stretch, with Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle each averaging 20 points per game.
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—
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31-40
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24
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Raptors
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Despite playing basically every other game for the past month, Immanuel Quickley has started to look good with averages of 21 points, six assists and four rebounds over his last 10 games. It will be interesting to see what this core looks like when the team is actually trying to win games and Brandon Ingram joins the fold.
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—
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26-47
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25
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76ers
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Let’s go glass-half-full here for a second (a short one), and hypothesize that Lady Lottery Luck favors the Sixers and they earn the No. 1 pick in the draft. That means they could add Cooper Flagg to a core of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid. Injuries and performance declines aside, that’s not a bad outcome for what has otherwise been the season from hell.
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—
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23-50
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26
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Nets
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The Nets have won two of their last 15 games, tied with Utah for the fewest victories over that stretch. Different young players have shown flashes throughout the season, but it’s hard to say any are part of the future plans. Stay tuned for what could be an eventful summer.
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—
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23-50
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27
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Pelicans
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In what is otherwise a lost season, the Pelicans can at least take away the fact that Zion Williamson still makes a clear impact on winning. In 857 minutes with him on the floor, New Orleans has been nearly 10 points better per 100 possessions. The problem lies in those pesky 2,662 minutes where he’s been OFF the court. Maybe next season will be just the second time in his career that he reaches the 70-game plateau.
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—
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20-53
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28
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Hornets
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For a tanking team, it’s nice to have a win like last Thursday’s against the Knicks every once in a while. It’s not going to propel Charlotte out of the bottom three, and it gives fans one night to imagine the feeling they could experience if the best-case scenario of the rebuild eventually comes to fruition. The Hornets promptly followed that up with three straight losses to get back to business.
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—
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18-54
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29
|
Jazz
|
In their last five losses, the Jazz have been outscored by an average of 25.6 points per 100 possessions, which is … not good. Tanking is one thing, but it would be nice to see some competitive games every once in a while against teams that aren’t the Wizards.
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—
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16-57
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30
|
Wizards
|
Alex Sarr is giving Wizards fans reason to be very excited for the future, as the 19-year-old 7-footer has averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks over his last 12 games on 38% 3-point shooting. This is exactly the type of two-way production that made him such a coveted prospect.
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—
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16-56
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