BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are currently lined up to face off in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. However, there is plenty of time for movement and one of them will be improving their standing when these teams face off in a critical end-of-season matchup this week.... 

The Golden State Warriors are just trying to tread water at this point, looking nothing like the defending champion as injuries have ravaged their star-studded starting lineup. The Warriors are pretty much locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference so they won’t have a ton of motivation next time out in a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.... 

The Boston Celtics have been fantastic on the road this season but they are going to be challenged this week in a matchup against the Utah Jazz. Even though Utah is only sitting as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference it is one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Jazz has played really well at home all year and could be favored in this one despite the inferior record.... 

It took several months, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally playing like a team capable of making a deep run in the NBA playoffs. The Cavs have captured five consecutive games and will look to keep rolling this week in a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.... 

It has been a bumpy season for the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. They are going to head into the playoffs no better than a No. 3 seed and are not among the top title contenders based on their overall body of work. However, Cleveland has turned it up lately and is hoping to peak at the right time in order to make a run at another NBA Finals appearance.
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The Los Angeles Clippers’ postseason hopes are fading fast. Los Angeles has been more competitive than expected since the midseason trade of star Blake Griffin but reality has sneaked up on it lately. The Clippers are in tenth place in the Western Conference and will need to play nearly perfect ball down the stretch to finish among the top eight seeds.
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The Golden State Warriors are not going to finish with the best record in the NBA this season, as the Houston Rockets are pulling away for that honor. But Golden State has bigger goals than that, and at this point is focusing on getting healthy for the playoffs.... 

The Golden State Warriors have long been recognized as the team to beat in the playoffs behind their superstar cast. Golden State may still get that nod provided it can get healthy by the postseason, but the Houston Rockets are making their claim to be the team to beat. The Rockets have won seven consecutive games and are going to finish with the best record in the NBA this season.... 

The Denver Nuggets have fallen off the pace in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spots and need to be great down the stretch to have a chance at qualifying for the postseason. They will be the underdogs next time out against the Philadelphia 76ers but would benefit greatly from an upset win.
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The Phoenix Suns may not be deliberately tanking like some others, but they are doing a great job of losing nonetheless. The hapless Suns have lost nine consecutive games and are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the worst record in the NBA. With the playoffs long out of the picture, losing is actually a good thing for Phoenix to improve its chances at the top pick in the draft.
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The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have vaulted into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Their 13-game winning streak was snapped last time out by the Rockets but Portland will aim to start a new one next time out against the Boston Celtics.... 

The Philadelphia 76ers seem to be getting better as the season moves along, which is not a surprise for a group with a solid young core. Philadelphia is jockeying for position in the lower half of the Eastern Conference playoff seeds and would love to pick up a winnable game next time out against the Orlando Magic.... 

A recent swoon had the San Antonio Spurs in an unfamiliar place, sitting outside of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference. But San Antonio has won four straight games to move back up to fifth place and hopes to finish strong to cement a spot in the playoffs. The Spurs have a crucial game coming up this week when they face off against the Washington Wizards.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are down their coach but up a star player. It will be interesting to see how the loss of coach Tyronn Lue and the return of power forward Kevin Love affects their performance in a matchup this week against the Toronto Raptors.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder has always had the high-end talent to be considered one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Now they are playing up to that billing. Oklahoma City has won six straight games to move up to the No. 4 seed in the conference and will aim to stay hot next time out in a matchup against the Boston Celtics. ... 

The Houston Rockets have been the best team in the NBA this season, but the Portland Trail Blazers are the hottest. Portland has won 12 straight games to vault into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and would love to keep rolling in a primetime matchup against the Rockets next time out. ... 

The Golden State Warriors look like a shell of their former selves. Superstars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are all banged up and it’s unknown if any of them will be able to play against the San Antonio Spurs this week.... 

Two of the best players in the world will face off next week when the Milwaukee Bucks head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question is, which superstar will have the more effective supporting cast? Giannis Antetokounmpo has risen to one of the most dominant players in the NBA in 2017-18 but the players around him have been up and down. LeBron James has long been the best player on the planet but similarly has dealt with inconsistency around him.... 

The Houston Rockets are zeroing in on finishing with the best record, sitting two games ahead of the banged up Warriors as the season winds down. Houston has been playing extremely well all season and a few more key road wins could wrap it up. The Rockets have a critical matchup next time out when they travel to play the Minnesota Timberwolves.... 

The San Antonio Spurs currently find themselves in a position they haven’t been in this century -- on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture. San Antonio is trying to extend a 20-year streak of qualifying for the postseason but that is currently in peril. The Spurs could pick up a huge win next time out in a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. ... 

When the Los Angeles Clippers traded Blake Griffin near the deadline, many believed that would end their shot at making the playoffs. But the team has continued to play well and finds itself in the No. 7 spot as the regular season hits its final stretch. The Clippers don’t have much room for error with 10 teams in the mix for eight spots.... 

The Houston Rockets are in the driver’s seat to finish with the best record in the NBA, sitting two games ahead of the Warriors coming down the stretch. Earning home court advantage throughout the playoffs would be critical, especially in the much-anticipated Western Conference Finals showdown with Golden State, and picking up a home win next time out over the Los Angeles Clippers would be another step in finishing it off. ... 

The Boston Celtics are running out of time to catch the Toronto Raptors for the top seed in the Western Conference. They will need to be almost perfect down the stretch, and that begin this week in a home game against the Washington Wizards.... 

The Golden State Warriors missed a golden opportunity to retake the best record in the NBA, losing on the same night as the Houston Rockets last week. They lost again to the Timberwolves on Sunday and now sit two losses behind Houston coming down the stretch in the race for home court advantage throughout the postseason.... 

In the crowded Western Conference playoff picture, a prolonged losing streak can lead to a heap of trouble. The Minnesota Timberwolves recently fell down that treacherous path before coming up with a big upset of the Warriors last time out. They are aiming to stay on the winning path with a victory over the Washington Wizards next time out. ...