2024 NBA Season

[redsun114]

We are getting closer to the end of the season and there are two main reasons why players end up closing the season out. First of all, when you get injured and you can reach for the last 5 games, just sit those out too and relax, why rush these players back, there is no reason why they need to be back.

If you are a playoff team and you could get them then maybe you could and that may look better, but at the time Houston is not, Atlanta is not neither so they could just rest their players. Secondly, the fatigue plays a big role, a lot of players already played so many games, and so many minutes and if they didn2t get any rest in the middle from some small injury for example, then their body may not handle the load.

[OgNasty]

We are getting closer to the end of the season and there are two main reasons why players end up closing the season out. First of all, when you get injured and you can reach for the last 5 games, just sit those out too and relax, why rush these players back, there is no reason why they need to be back.

If you are a playoff team and you could get them then maybe you could and that may look better, but at the time Houston is not, Atlanta is not neither so they could just rest their players. Secondly, the fatigue plays a big role, a lot of players already played so many games, and so many minutes and if they didn2t get any rest in the middle from some small injury for example, then their body may not handle the load.

I don't think teams will be allowed to sit their star players at the end of the season like they typically do with the new rest rules.  I'm sure some teams will be getting fined.  You know the Clippers will be up there.  Maybe the Lakers as well...

The biggest surprise left for me is how the Philadelphia 76ers are going to end the season.  Will Embiid come back in time to save them?  Also, will KAT come back in time to help Minnesota in the playoffs or will his injury be worse than is currently expected?  There's even the question of whether we'll get the typical Lakers or the in-season tournament Lakers.  Not to mention if the Suns will get healthy.

[wheelz1200]

We are getting closer to the end of the season and there are two main reasons why players end up closing the season out. First of all, when you get injured and you can reach for the last 5 games, just sit those out too and relax, why rush these players back, there is no reason why they need to be back.

If you are a playoff team and you could get them then maybe you could and that may look better, but at the time Houston is not, Atlanta is not neither so they could just rest their players. Secondly, the fatigue plays a big role, a lot of players already played so many games, and so many minutes and if they didn2t get any rest in the middle from some small injury for example, then their body may not handle the load.

If you are the coach of fringe teams they aren't resting players.  The reason is if you can backdoor your way into the playoffs and win a series that could net you some extra time as coach and gm.  Nobody just lays down because every year your job is dependent on winning unless you are a team so far out like Detroit.  But teams in the 8-10 hole or even 11 spot are gonna play everyone til the end.

[Jating]

We are getting closer to the end of the season and there are two main reasons why players end up closing the season out. First of all, when you get injured and you can reach for the last 5 games, just sit those out too and relax, why rush these players back, there is no reason why they need to be back.

If you are a playoff team and you could get them then maybe you could and that may look better, but at the time Houston is not, Atlanta is not neither so they could just rest their players. Secondly, the fatigue plays a big role, a lot of players already played so many games, and so many minutes and if they didn2t get any rest in the middle from some small injury for example, then their body may not handle the load.

If you are the coach of fringe teams they aren't resting players.  The reason is if you can backdoor your way into the playoffs and win a series that could net you some extra time as coach and gm.  Nobody just lays down because every year your job is dependent on winning unless you are a team so far out like Detroit.  But teams in the 8-10 hole or even 11 spot are gonna play everyone til the end.

And in the West, we've seen in the bottom pack, like in the 8th-10th spot that are worth contender teams like Warriors, Lakers, Kings and Mavs. So for sure they will give everything at the end of the season, and fighting out for at least a play-in to have a chance to extend games. And just couple of games are separating this team.

Warriors and the Mavs are going to face each other, crucial for either team. But I think Curry is not going to play or at least listed as questionable. And with that, Dallas is a huge favorite. The Lakers and the Kings are also going to meet tonight, Lakers slightly the favorite.

[vennali]

Lebron is game time decision for tonight's game against Sacramento who themselves have a game time decision on their starter, Kevin Huerter. Odds are fairly close but favouring LA but I would be interested in taking a piece of the action depending if Lebron plays or not. Could be a close contest otherwise.

[danherbias07]

Yes, Kawhi went down, but they have built a solid 20 point lead though and in my opinion, it evens out everything out as Towns is not playing with the Wolves. And yet it looks like they choke in the 3rd quarter and they have wave the white flag early. And it's only 3 players who defeated them and they can't stop either of the 3. Harden 30+ minutes with only 12 points? So not sure what happen to the Clippers here, it's a winnable game for them that can put a good separation against the 5th seed Pelican. Maybe they think that they are safe in the playoff. But that is a bad mentality in the beginning.

Oh yeah, that kind of perspective from players is near to happen as we get near the playoffs. The safety of a playoff spot which could be the reason why they won't play hard. Another reason is targeting a team that they think is a weakness for them, even the higher seeds should worry if they will face an opponent where they had a difficult time during the season.
16-17 more games, that will be fast.
Those who are deep in the rankings can still have a chance to avoid the play-in tournament as long as they win their respective games.
Like this one.

Indiana Pacers is trying to survive that 6th spot but the 76ers might go deeper without Embiid around, they are also trying to keep that position.
While in the Western Conference.

Those above Houston Rockets should be careful. They are swimming back up and they are now on their 3rd winning streak. It should've been 6th but the Clippers stopped them once.
Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

[jakelyson]

That is exactly what makes things so entertaining when he gets posterized as well. I mean if you posterize someone like lets say Kevin Love, specially at this age, when he literally has grays in his hair, and was never a great blocker or anything, then would that made any news? Of course not, that's normal and you could posterize him and just move on, that would be just an ordinary possession and nobody would even think about it twice.

But, if you posterize a 7'5 centre who has been leading the league in blocking at his rookie season, which is something I can't think when was the last time a rookie did that, then it is a lot better for the views, it only makes the news when you posterize someone like that. That's actually good for Wemby, shows that he is actually not thought as someone who can be posterized, so people make it a news when it happens.

We all know the feeling of posterizing someone who is out of his league, especially an aging Kevin Love, and all know about this and it is a common thing and it is really disheartening to try and posterize a player like Kevin Love but in the heat of the game they need to do it, but posterizing somebody like a 7.5 unicorn that is something to brag about and if that 7.5 is a rising star and the number 1 pick right now.

You're asking too many questions and making things more complicated than what it really is. There are times when players take their foot off the pedal or relax a bit since they were tired after making some runs. They turn cold as a result but that is also the same time when the other teams starts getting hot and keeps making shots. The momentum suddenly shifts. It happens in a lot of sports.

It really is happening like that and I think it was depicted in an Anime that a player can do some things he isn't able to do when he is in this state I think it was called the zone and in entering this mode a player senses doubles even triples and unlock possible things that he isn't been doing like in my case playing basketball I think that I can not reach the rim on our public basketball court but when my body heats up and I was in the heat of the game suddenly I think my jump becomes hinger then I was able to reach and dunk the ball in the basket I was really surprised and couldn't be believed what I was able to do.

[Jating]

And the Mavs won against the Steph Curry and Draymond Green less Warriors. But they have to pay the price as Luka went down with a left hamstring soreness so he will be questionable against the OKC in their next game. And so the triple double streak ended as well.

But it was a good performance, their 2 latest acquisition in the trade deadline doing the damage, Gafford with a lot of block shots + 10 points, PJ Washington with 11 points. We do hope that Luka can play against OKC because that is another must win game for them.

[Questat]

And the Mavs won against the Steph Curry and Draymond Green less Warriors. But they have to pay the price as Luka went down with a left hamstring soreness so he will be questionable against the OKC in their next game. And so the triple double streak ended as well.

I hope he is fine and he will be back soon because he is playing at an MVP level this season, he has a chance to win an MVP award.
Luka makes this team better, without him things will be different.

Wait, Gafford's 100% FG percentage streak is still active? This game he is 5-5/

But it was a good performance, their 2 latest acquisition in the trade deadline doing the damage, Gafford with a lot of block shots + 10 points, PJ Washington with 11 points. We do hope that Luka can play against OKC because that is another must win game for them.

Dallas needs a big man and Gafford was the real answer. For him, life is easier as Luka is good at passing on the pick and roll everytime he gets doubled.
Easy money, reason why Gafford FG percentage can't drop.

[dwyane36]

While in the Western Conference.

Those above Houston Rockets should be careful. They are swimming back up and they are now on their 3rd winning streak. It should've been 6th but the Clippers stopped them once.
Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

[Oasisman]

Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

Nah, there's no hope for the Rockets unless they win at least 80% from their remaining games and considering the Lakers and the Warriors will also lose 60-70% of their remaining games. Every team below the 10th seed has only very little to no chance of making to the play-ins.
On the other side, the Pelicans, Kings, Suns, Mavericks, Lakers, and Warriors are tightly contesting for the playoffs and play-in spots. And it looks like the Lakers and the Warriors are most likely not gonna secure a spot in the playoffs without playing for the playins and try to find their way to the playoff spot. Too bad for both of these teams as the teams who's above them are not an easy teams to beat. In fact a couple of these teams just gave them a really bad beating this season. The Lakers just got swept by the Kings this season. AD has absolutely no answer against Sabonis who recorded 0-10 against him his whole career.
It's gonna be exciting to watch whether or not the Lakers or the Warriors can make it again to the playoffs coming off the play-in tournament.

[Dave1]

And the Mavs won against the Steph Curry and Draymond Green less Warriors. But they have to pay the price as Luka went down with a left hamstring soreness so he will be questionable against the OKC in their next game. And so the triple double streak ended as well.

I hope he is fine and he will be back soon because he is playing at an MVP level this season, he has a chance to win an MVP award.
Luka makes this team better, without him things will be different.

Wait, Gafford's 100% FG percentage streak is still active? This game he is 5-5/

But it was a good performance, their 2 latest acquisition in the trade deadline doing the damage, Gafford with a lot of block shots + 10 points, PJ Washington with 11 points. We do hope that Luka can play against OKC because that is another must win game for them.

Dallas needs a big man and Gafford was the real answer. For him, life is easier as Luka is good at passing on the pick and roll everytime he gets doubled.
Easy money, reason why Gafford FG percentage can't drop.

Yeah, they have experimented with a lot of big men in their last couple of seasons, if I remember it correctly, they got CWood as well, but he was not a perfect fit on how they play. And not sure why the Wizard unload him, he is a good big men. So it was a great pick for the Mavs indeed.

I think it's not that serious injuries, although it could re-occur. I also remember that James Harden has this kind of hamstrings too since the days with the Houston Rockets. And there will be time that we will missed games and then will go on stationary bike prior to the game to warm up his hamstrings.

[TravelMug]

While in the Western Conference.

Those above Houston Rockets should be careful. They are swimming back up and they are now on their 3rd winning streak. It should've been 6th but the Clippers stopped them once.
Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

I also doubt that the Rockets will go to at least the play-in. It will be a 4 team tournament, Warriors, Lakers and Mavs and Kings. I don't think that the rankings will move though, and even if it move, it will not make any difference at all unless someone in the top 6 will have like a losing streak. But I doubt that it will happen, they are going to protect it at all cost and just hoping that there will be no major injuries for their star player. So still a very competitive play-in tournament in the West. Not that much in the East though, I think it's more predictable as who will be in the playoff for the East as the 8th-10th are not in this kind of close W-L records.

[Fredomago]

Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

Nah, there's no hope for the Rockets unless they win at least 80% from their remaining games and considering the Lakers and the Warriors will also lose 60-70% of their remaining games. Every team below the 10th seed has only very little to no chance of making to the play-ins.
On the other side, the Pelicans, Kings, Suns, Mavericks, Lakers, and Warriors are tightly contesting for the playoffs and play-in spots. And it looks like the Lakers and the Warriors are most likely not gonna secure a spot in the playoffs without playing for the playins and try to find their way to the playoff spot. Too bad for both of these teams as the teams who's above them are not an easy teams to beat. In fact a couple of these teams just gave them a really bad beating this season. The Lakers just got swept by the Kings this season. AD has absolutely no answer against Sabonis who recorded 0-10 against him his whole career.
It's gonna be exciting to watch whether or not the Lakers or the Warriors can make it again to the playoffs coming off the play-in tournament.

That's a tough challenge for both Lakers and Warriors but who knows, the game still rolling and they still have games to compete the position still unsecure to all of them and with good plays and good adjustments with the system that they are executing they might find that winning rhythm and maybe they both start winning games again, though just the same with your opinion, those teams above are also competitive teams which is not an easy opponents to beat, they need to come up with good adjustments to make things possible while trying to survive during this regular season.

And the Mavs won against the Steph Curry and Draymond Green less Warriors. But they have to pay the price as Luka went down with a left hamstring soreness so he will be questionable against the OKC in their next game. And so the triple double streak ended as well.

I hope he is fine and he will be back soon because he is playing at an MVP level this season, he has a chance to win an MVP award.
Luka makes this team better, without him things will be different.

Wait, Gafford's 100% FG percentage streak is still active? This game he is 5-5/

But it was a good performance, their 2 latest acquisition in the trade deadline doing the damage, Gafford with a lot of block shots + 10 points, PJ Washington with 11 points. We do hope that Luka can play against OKC because that is another must win game for them.

Dallas needs a big man and Gafford was the real answer. For him, life is easier as Luka is good at passing on the pick and roll everytime he gets doubled.
Easy money, reason why Gafford FG percentage can't drop.

Yeah, they have experimented with a lot of big men in their last couple of seasons, if I remember it correctly, they got CWood as well, but he was not a perfect fit on how they play. And not sure why the Wizard unload him, he is a good big men. So it was a great pick for the Mavs indeed.

I think it's not that serious injuries, although it could re-occur. I also remember that James Harden has this kind of hamstrings too since the days with the Houston Rockets. And there will be time that we will missed games and then will go on stationary bike prior to the game to warm up his hamstrings.

Yeah, Mavs needs someone who can help them inside, not sure why both CWoods and KP didn't workout for them, but looking at Gafford seems that he's benefiting from how Luka and Kyrie is playing the game, just need to be there when the team needed him maybe not that much with offense but with good defense and inside presence.

[ultrloa]

Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

Nah, there's no hope for the Rockets unless they win at least 80% from their remaining games and considering the Lakers and the Warriors will also lose 60-70% of their remaining games. Every team below the 10th seed has only very little to no chance of making to the play-ins.
On the other side, the Pelicans, Kings, Suns, Mavericks, Lakers, and Warriors are tightly contesting for the playoffs and play-in spots. And it looks like the Lakers and the Warriors are most likely not gonna secure a spot in the playoffs without playing for the playins and try to find their way to the playoff spot. Too bad for both of these teams as the teams who's above them are not an easy teams to beat. In fact a couple of these teams just gave them a really bad beating this season. The Lakers just got swept by the Kings this season. AD has absolutely no answer against Sabonis who recorded 0-10 against him his whole career.
It's gonna be exciting to watch whether or not the Lakers or the Warriors can make it again to the playoffs coming off the play-in tournament.

That's a tough challenge for both Lakers and Warriors but who knows, the game still rolling and they still have games to compete the position still unsecure to all of them and with good plays and good adjustments with the system that they are executing they might find that winning rhythm and maybe they both start winning games again, though just the same with your opinion, those teams above are also competitive teams which is not an easy opponents to beat, they need to come up with good adjustments to make things possible while trying to survive during this regular season.

Lakers and Warriors are so inconsistent so what if they continue to lose until the end of their remaining days then Rockets surprisingly get a good run and earn wins on each games they play? For sure the phase became different so I can still see the play in spot is so tight until we see that there's still a lot of games remaining so the ball is rolling and none of them are safe to get a play in spot. It would be more exciting each game to see if this teams can able to win since we can nearly see who's going to compete on play in and still get a chance to kick in until finals.

[danherbias07]

It's unlikely that the Rockets can reach the play-in zone in the standings and displace any of the mentioned teams. By the way, the Rockets have only 17 games left in the regular season, and the problem is that they are quite a bit behind the Warriors in terms of win percentage. Can the Rockets win at least 14 of their remaining 17 games to really compete for the last play-in spot? I doubt it.

Is it?
Warriors will also lose some of their games without Steph Curry. I think he will be out for at least 2 or 3 more games although reports say he is cleared for the on-court workout. They cannot just force it yet.
This is the chance for the Rockets to try and get near their standings. Yes, it will be a feat that will be difficult to achieve but still as long as there is a chance then I bet they will play hard.

Yeah, Mavs needs someone who can help them inside, not sure why both CWoods and KP didn't workout for them, but looking at Gafford seems that he's benefiting from how Luka and Kyrie is playing the game, just need to be there when the team needed him maybe not that much with offense but with good defense and inside presence.

Kristaps Porzingis is not an inside man, more like an outside shooter and that's not what the Mavs need. The same goes for Christian Wood.
Gafford and Lively III are the perfect combination for the star duo Doncic and Kyrie. They need someone who can make second chance opportunities for them and not someone who won't even box out to get the rebounds.

Anthony Davis still hasn't won against Domantas Sabonis. That's 10-0 now.
Sacramento Kings. Despite playing a back-to-back game against 2 elite teams, they still managed to win today against the Lakers. They are strong. Sabonis is strong and he recorded another triple-double just like their last game against the Lakers too on March 7.
They badly need each win. They are trying to put a gap between them and the Phoenix Suns so they can get a safe spot for the playoffs.

[Baofeng]

How about the games between the Bulls and the Pacers, DeRozan put up a massive 45 points in a win in OT against the home team Pacers. I thought that the Pacers are going to win without going into OT, but DeRozan mid range shot proved to be still his best weapon, him and Kawhi I would consider has put that as their main weapons, and no one can stop it with their fade away shots.

However, I'm not a hater of Bulls, but there are games that they are inconsistent that's why I stay away from betting on them. But congrats to those who have ride on them on this big win against the Pacers.

[Maslate]

How about the games between the Bulls and the Pacers, DeRozan put up a massive 45 points in a win in OT against the home team Pacers. I thought that the Pacers are going to win without going into OT, but DeRozan mid range shot proved to be still his best weapon, him and Kawhi I would consider has put that as their main weapons, and no one can stop it with their fade away shots.

He was really one of the best player in the NBA now. his work ethic made him wha the is now, and it seems like this guy is just so cool as we haven't heard a lot of issues about him being a demanding player or whatsoever. The bulls are playing undermanned but it looks like they are very competitive now, and have a chance to be in the play-in. I think the current line up is really capable of winning, so I'm happy to bet on them everytime as they are undervalued most of the time.

However, I'm not a hater of Bulls, but there are games that they are inconsistent that's why I stay away from betting on them. But congrats to those who have ride on them on this big win against the Pacers.

That I cannot deny.. I also witnessed their inconsistency as well, they are bad on bad teams and good on strong teams, so if you are a bettor, bet on them when they are up against a strong team.

[Natalim]

Anthony Davis still hasn't won against Domantas Sabonis. That's 10-0 now.

Nice trivia, didn't know that. Not happy with that too, lol.. I loss my bet on the Lakers, thinking they are well rested and could bet the home team. Again, I fall into the trap thinking the Lakers are for real, they are just messing with my money, never agian. 

But back to the topic, honestly I don't know that Davis was 0-10 vs Sabonis. I think I'll research more on that. That says also that Sabonis is very underrated as a player.

Sacramento Kings. Despite playing a back-to-back game against 2 elite teams, they still managed to win today against the Lakers. They are strong. Sabonis is strong and he recorded another triple-double just like their last game against the Lakers too on March 7.
They badly need each win. They are trying to put a gap between them and the Phoenix Suns so they can get a safe spot for the playoffs.

Kings offense are just impressive, although they have their best player but the ball movement was really impressive. They are not afraid to shot the ball, that's the Warriors style their coach had learn, now they are better than the Warriors since they have healthy and young players.

[LogitechMouse]

And the Mavs won against the Steph Curry and Draymond Green less Warriors. But they have to pay the price as Luka went down with a left hamstring soreness so he will be questionable against the OKC in their next game. And so the triple double streak ended as well.

I hope he is fine and he will be back soon because he is playing at an MVP level this season, he has a chance to win an MVP award.
Luka makes this team better, without him things will be different.

Wait, Gafford's 100% FG percentage streak is still active? This game he is 5-5/

Yes the streak is still active. Currently, he has made 33 field goals without any miss in his last 5 games. Current record is held by Wilt Chamberlain with 36. Well, I hope that it will be broken by next game.

Another one to note on that game is that, the one who posterized during their last game got posterized as well. I'm talking about Jackson-Davis who got posterized by Gafford. Anyway, as for Luka's injury, it seems that he will be out in their next game against OKC because of that hamstring injury. He got the record already of 7 straight triple-doubles already, and that's a record that's kind of hard to break. Luka has been always in the top 5 in terms of the MVP race this season, and with his past performances, his rankings might go up TBH.

As for him winning the MVP, I don't think so especially now that they're at the play-in spot. For me, there's a chance that Jokic might get it again especially if the Nuggets will again get the top seed after the regular season.

Dallas needs a big man and Gafford was the real answer. For him, life is easier as Luka is good at passing on the pick and roll everytime he gets doubled.
Easy money, reason why Gafford FG percentage can't drop.

They're constantly upgrading, and getting new players every season. Their problem last season is getting a reliable big, and they got Lively as well as Gafford. I just don't know why the hell they are still at a play-in spot. I guess the toughness of the competition in the West is the main reason isn't it?

Sadly, Alperen Sengun is out for the season. Let's see if Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet could still scare those above them.

Kind of unfortunate TBH especially now that he's their one of the go-to guy when it comes to offense. With this one, I guess they will not get that 10th spot anymore. I will remember Sengun as the guy who got posterized by Wemby .
Anyway, got some good news for those NBA fans out there. Pistons are on a 2-game winning streak currently.