BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sits in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, a spot it does not want to end up in when the playoffs come around. That would guarantee a first-round date against either the defending champion Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.... 

The Golden State Warriors are trying to catch the Rockets for the best record in the NBA and home court advantage in the playoffs. That may be a tough proposition if they miss superstar point guard Stephen Curry for any significant length of time. Curry appeared to tweak his ankle early in a game against the Spurs recently and left the game.... 

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t going to be heading to the playoffs this season, but they have played really well in the past several weeks. That gives hope for the future and they aim to keep it rolling with a win next time out against the Cleveland Cavaliers.... 

Can anyone stop the Houston Rockets? The Rockets are shaping up as a legitimate contender to the Golden State Warriors’ throne as they are in the midst of one of the most impressive winning streaks in recent years. The dominant stretch has pushed them up to the best record in the NBA and they can stay there by knocking off the San Antonio Spurs next time out.... 

In a crowded Western Conference, the hottest team down the stretch is likely to come away with the No. 3 seed behind the Warriors and the Rockets. Right now, that team is the Portland Trail Blazers. An eight-game winning streak has vaulted Portland past a host of teams jockeying for playoff positioning and into the third spot, where it will look to remain the rest of the way.... 

The Los Angeles Clippers refuse to fold, as some solid play even after dealing star power forward Blake Griffin has kept them in the hunt for the playoffs. Los Angeles is currently just a half-game behind the Nuggets with plenty of other teams in its crosshairs. The Clippers need to stack some wins as the regular season schedule hits its stretch run.... 

The New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards are both without one of their stars right now, but both are doing just fine. Washington is keeping pace in the Eastern Conference while the Pelicans are red hot and moving up the ladder in the West. These two teams will face off in a game that figures to be intense.... 

There are right teams within four games of each other in the Western Conference playoff race, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are right in the middle of the pack. Needless to say every victory moving forward is huge and Minnesota has a tough game coming up next time out against the Boston Celtics.... 

The San Antonio Spurs have long been one of the best teams in the NBA, but a rash of injuries to their top players is making it tough to be in the hunt this season. San Antonio is currently the No. 5 seed in the West and can get as high as No. 3, but they are also only two games from falling out of the playoffs completely.... 

The Toronto Raptors continue to gain steam as a possible contender in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has expanded its lead for the top seed in the East over the Boston Celtics to a game-and-a-half, and finishing atop the conference would be big come playoff time. The Raptors can keep the pressure the pressure on the rest of the East by picking up a big win over the Detroit Pistons.... 

If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to convince everyone that they are truly NBA title contenders, they need to show something down the stretch. It has been an underwhelming season for the LeBron-James-led Cavaliers, and a midseason re-tooling hasn’t done much to change those fortunes. Cleveland will go on the road this week to take on the Denver Nuggets and could very well be the underdogs based.... 

The Houston Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA, as a long winning streak has pushed them to the best record in the NBA. Golden State is right on its tail and Houston needs to keep racking up wins down the stretch.... 

The New Orleans Pelicans were counted out when star forward DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles. Instead, Anthony Davis has taken on an even bigger role and has the team in the midst of the Western Conference playoff seeding. New Orleans has won eight straight games and will aim to keep it goin this week in a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers.... 

The Houston Rockets are making the rest of the NBA look foolish. They have won 14 consecutive games and have risen to the top record in the NBA in that span. The Golden State Warriors may still be the team to beat but Houston is on its tail and looking like the chief contender. The Rockets will look to stay hot when they host the Boston Celtics in a critical clash of top teams.... 

The Portland Trail Blazers are battling a host of other teams for position in the Western Conference, and every win down the stretch is critical. The Blazers have a good opportunity to pick up a road win early next week when they head to Los Angeles to face off against the Lakers.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had some nice moments since re-tooling the team on the fly at the trading deadline, but they are far from a finished product. It remains to be seen if the Cavaliers are a true title contender, and they will aim to prove their worth down the stretch.... 

The Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are side-by-side in the standings as the NBA hits its stretch run. Both teams are in good shape to make the postseason but would love to get as high of a seed as possible.Philadelphia is slightly ahead by percentage points but these teams look extremely even in talent level. With that the case, the Bucks should be considered the favorite since they have the home court advantage.... 

The Utah Jazz are charging hard for a playoff berth, but to get one, they are going to have to knock off some higher seeds down the stretch. A golden opportunity will present itself later this week when Utah hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves in a key Western Conference clash.... 

The Toronto Raptors don’t roll off the tongue as a true title contender, but there’s no one playing better in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has surpassed the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East and is hoping to keep the No. 1 seed heading into the postseason. It has a big game coming up this week against the Washington Wizards.... 

The Western Conference playoff race is extremely tight for seeds No. 3 through 9, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers are smack dab in the middle of it all. They will face off this week in a critical showdown. ... 

For the past few seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the best team in the Eastern Conference and the Philadelphia 76ers were the worst. In 2017-18, they are much closer to equals. The 76ers are on pace to make the playoffs this season while Cleveland is no longer sitting atop the standings. These two teams will face off this week in Cleveland and the result could have a big impact on the playoff race. ... 

The Golden State Warriors have kicked it into high gear since the All-Star Break as they look to track down the Houston Rockets atop the Western Conference standings. Golden State hopes to keep rolling next time out when it hits the road to face off against the Washington Wizards. ... 

Do the Golden State Warriors have a true challenge to their throne? The Houston Rockets certainly seem to be making their case. Houston has one fewer loss than the Warriors as the season winds down and would love to finish the year with the best record in the NBA. They could pick up a key win next time out on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers. ... 

Even after trading Blake Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers are still hanging around in the Western Conference playoff hunt. They only sit one game behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final spot and the teams will face off this week in a critical showdown.... 

There are several teams jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference, with only a couple of games separating five of them in the middle of the pack. The Milwaukee Bucks can climb closer to the Washington Wizards if they can knock them off in a game this week....