Latest news with #KristapsPorziņģis
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Playoffs: Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis hang on late to lift Celtics past Magic in Game 4
The Boston Celtics didn't make it easy, but they are now just a single game away from closing out their opening-round playoff series. The Celtics held on late to grab a 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of their series on Sunday night at the Kia Center. That gave Boston a 3-1 series lead and will send it back home with the opportunity to close out the series at TD Garden on Tuesday night and keep its quest to defend last season's championship alive. The Magic kept things close for much of the night. They tried several times to mount a comeback, and nearly did so late in the fourth quarter, too. The Magic tied things up late in the final period after a huge Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3-pointer and then a tip-in from Wendell Carter Jr. It marked the first tie in the game since late in the second quarter. But that was as close as the Magic got. The Celtics rattled off a quick 10-1 run, and only gave up the single free throw after an Al Horford technical foul, to pick up the nine-point win. Kristaps Porziņģis kicked that run off with a huge and-one dunk and then Jayson Tatum drilled a fadeaway jumper over Paolo Banchero. TATUM'S GOT 30 🔥🔥 Couldn't come at a bigger time for Boston! BOS-ORL | 4Q | Game 4 | TNT — NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2025 From there, Boston hit several free throws and kept the Magic's offense largely stagnant in the final few minutes to grab the win. Banchero led Orlando with 31 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Franz Wagner finished with 24 points and seven assists, and Cory Joseph added 12 points and six assists. Tatum finished with 37 points and 14 rebounds despite shooting just 3-of-10 from behind the arc. He now has 32 career playoff games with at least 30 points, which is the second-most in team history, and he went a perfect 14-of-14 from the stripe. Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Derrick White finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Boston went just 9-of-31 from the 3-point line as a team, but it only missed two free throws as a group. The Celtics were without Jrue Holiday once again on Sunday. Holiday, who also missed Game 3, is dealing with a right hamstring injury. It's unclear how long he'll be sidelined. Is Kristaps Porziņģis OK? Porziņģis' health may be something to watch for the Celtics in the near future. Porzingis did not take the floor with the Celtics to start the second half, and was instead riding the stationary bike in the tunnel just off of the court. He was spotted with a wrap on his right calf on the bench, too. Porziņģis ended up returning to the game. He finished with 19 points and five rebounds, and was in foul trouble all night, but he appeared to be fine. The Celtics seemed to have a big spark when he came back off the bench in the fourth quarter, too. The injury, though, is just the latest he's faced so far this series. He was on the wrong end of a flagrant foul in Game 2 when he took an elbow to the forehead, which left him bloodied and bandaged. The Celtics are undoubtedly better when Porziņģis is both healthy and out of foul trouble. If they're going to close the series out on Tuesday night, it'll be much easier with Porziņģis fully available.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtics vs. Thunder: Who would win a Finals matchup?
With a month to go in the regular season, the Boston Celtics will host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a marquee matchup on Wednesday between the league's top two title favorites. While neither team will be at full strength (OKC's Jalen Williams is out with a hip strain, Boston's Kristaps Porziņģis is doubtful with an illness), this could be a preview of the NBA Finals. How do the heavyweights match up? What obstacles stand in their way? And who would win if they met on the NBA's biggest stage? Our writers weigh in. Vincent Goodwill: Styles make fights, and although they have similar personnel, these teams don't play the same way. Would Jaylen Brown guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and hound him the way he did Luka Dončić? Would Lu Dort be all over Jayson Tatum? Chet Holmgren and Kristaps Porziņģis in a battle of skinny vs. formerly skinny? The league has become a battle of wings and usually whoever wins the Finals takes the mantle of the supreme style and build for everyone else to follow. Tom Haberstroh: Experience. The Celtics have eight players who have played in multiple NBA Finals; the Thunder have zero. Inexperienced teams have won titles before (see the '23 Denver Nuggets), but these Thunder are greener than the Celtics' away jerseys. The only Thunder player to have ever played in an NBA Finals is Alex Caruso, who will be making his first postseason appearance with the Thunder, so he's not exactly a tenured elder statesman. I don't think experience would entirely determine the fate of this matchup, but it's going to be on my mind anytime either team hits a spell of adversity. Dan Devine: Broadly: Whether Oklahoma City's remix of the Boston build — the ability to toggle between 5-out/drive-and-kick and double-big looks that still have plenty of offensive juice, great positional size across the perimeter, two All-Star-level big wing creators, ace defenders at damn near every position — is good enough to beat the genuine article. More specifically: How will the Celtics guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and how will OKC react to it? We saw the Thunder run aground in the second round last season when Dallas packed the paint to neuter the drive-and-kick and worked to force the ball out of SGA's hands; he still got his 32 a night, but his teammates shot a combined 42.3% from the floor and 31.1% from 3-point range in a six-game loss. On Monday, the Nuggets brought aggressive doubles and traps aimed at turning SGA into a passer; both Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein finished with more shots attempts than Shai, which just about any defense is probably going to consider a win. Would Jalen Williams (who'll miss Wednesday's matchup with a hip strain) be up to the task of making Boston pay for loading up on Shai? Can Chet Holmgren (shooting just 29% from 3 since returning from his hip fracture) seize that opportunity? If not, does a Thunder team that ranks just behind Boston in offensive efficiency this season have enough firepower to beat the C's four times? [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Morten Stig Jensen: The game-to-game adjustments, as both teams have so many varying instruments they can play. The Celtics, despite common conception, aren't just a 3-point shooting team. It's their biggest weapon, yes, but both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can create in isolation, and they can play through the post when Kristaps Porziņģis is healthy. The Thunder, while not a dynamic outside shooting team, do have plenty of role players who can get in on the action from long range, and even SGA has begun embracing the long ball as a complement to his elite slashing game, predicated on acceleration and deceleration. With Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein also in place, the Thunder can play very post-centric, too. From a schematic perspective, Thunder-Celtics would be enormously fun. Devine: I hope you won't find it insufficiently clever for me to say 'the team that's 55-10 with an eight-game lead over Boston, that has a top-10 defense and one of the five best offenses of the last 50-plus years, and that split a four-game season series with the Celtics.' I've been saying it for months: The Cavaliers really are that good. I believe Boston can beat them, because I believe Boston can beat anybody. But I also believe that this year's iteration of the Cavs is going to be a much tougher out than its predecessors, and represents the highest hurdle for the C's to leap between now and June. Goodwill: You wonder if the Celtics' age will make them more ripe for competition this time around. They weren't challenged at all last spring. And it's funny what a difference a year makes. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis are veteran pieces you may wonder about in a playoff run. Do they have the stamina to stay effective for four rounds? Of course, Dan's point about Cleveland being really good matters, especially with home-court advantage. And Cleveland isn't old where it matters positionally. All the pieces, and all the ages, matter. Jensen: The easy answer is the Cleveland Cavaliers. That's also the complicated answer, because getting past them won't be a walk in the park. Head coach Joe Mazzulla will need to dig deep in his bag of tricks to drag the Celtics through a best-of-seven series against one of the best two-way forces in the league. The Cavs, not unlike the Thunder, can play in many different ways, as they field elite perimeter playmaking and elite interior defense. The key to it all will be the play of Evan Mobley, who seems to be the offensive x-factor for these Cavs. If he gets it going concurrently with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, Boston's defense will have to stretch its limits significantly. Haberstroh: Cleveland. This team is having the best regular season in Cavs history. Kenny Atkinson has them playing like juggernauts on both ends of the floor. I'd pick Cavs in seven with home-court advantage being The Diff. Jensen: Dare I be simplistic and say the best player in all of basketball might present the biggest obstacle to the Thunder? Nikola Jokić is currently playing the best basketball of his career, by his own admission, and it's reflected in the numbers. 29/13/10 is outrageous, especially when you factor in that the Serbian is also hitting nearly 58% of his shot attempts. Also worrying, for the Thunder, is that Jamal Murray is finally returning to the state of which he used to play (23.2 points over the last 40 games), and MIP-candidate Christian Braun is seemingly locking in his starting spot over the next decade. The Nuggets are good, but given their poor start to the season, it seems not everyone has caught up to that fact. Haberstroh: The Golden State Warriors. With Jimmy Butler in the fold, the Warriors don't turn the ball over nearly as much as they did before. The Thunder's defense preys on mistake-prone teams like the pre-Butler Warriors, but Mike Dunleavy did well to sharpen their attack. The Finals-tested Dubs have the confidence and skills to dethrone the Thunder, but it'll take a perfect performance from aging vets to rattle the peerlessly disciplined Thunder. Goodwill: The fat man in Denver (we say fat with affection here) because nobody has a matchup for him. But could the Lakers or even Warriors provide the challenge? Not that either would be favored to knock off the Thunder, but could the collective body blows do the trick? In the East, it feels like a collision course between two teams. In the West, it feels like an ATV ride through muddy and choppy terrain for everybody. A refreshed Steph and Jimmy? Don't want to see them. A healthier LeBron and rounding-into-health Luka? Nah, I'd rather someone else knock them off. Devine: Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one: Nikola friggin' Jokić. I don't think it's recency bias to say that a Nuggets team that's been championship-caliber whenever it's had both Jokić and Jamal Murray healthy — and that just flambéed OKC's league-best defense to the tune of 1.42 points per possession on the second night of a back-to-back — is a threat worth taking seriously. (Ditto for the new-look, Jimmy Butler-infused Warriors. And If LeBron James' groin heals up, a Lakers team that can use him and Luka Dončić to create mismatches on offense and switch everything on defense could be pretty dangerous, too.) Haberstroh: Thunder. I'm trusting OKC's record-setting point differential of +12.6 every 100 possessions. By acquiring Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso this offseason, they filled in two of their biggest weaknesses: rebounding and experience. Unlike most teams, the Thunder boast the same lineup flexibility as the Celtics and I'm worried about Kristaps Porziņģis' health (and not just the mysterious viral infection). The Thunder are vulnerable to Boston getting hot from downtown just like the Mavs were last playoffs, but you can say that for every team facing the Celtics. Devine: Thunder. I took OKC over Boston in our preseason roundtable; I am nothing if not a man of deep, abiding principle, so I will stick with it. (The fact that the Thunder have literally been one of the most dominant regular-season teams we've ever seen doesn't exactly hurt here.) Jensen: Thunder. We've heard the cries of inexperience, but eventually teams figure that out and move on to another level. OKC seems to be hitting that stride. The collective confidence level is sky-high, the team is deep as heck, and we can hardly use last season's playoff disappointment as anything given that the team replaced Josh Giddey, who Mark Daigneault couldn't keep on the floor, with Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. Boston will put up a fight, especially if healthy. And as tiring as it sounds, given that this narrative has certainly played out, perhaps a Thunder matchup in the Finals will be the exact setting for Tatum to raise his game and lean into his vast scoring skills. Goodwill: Celtics. Someone has to repeat, right? It's been so long and it's good to have continuity, historically with this stuff. Have the Thunder suffered enough? One playoff heartbreak in the second round last year is the only bruise on that body. Do they know how precious these trips are? You wonder if this is a last dance for Boston's group en masse with aprons and tax implications. So if that's the case, they have experience and urgency and two supreme players to match up with OKC's firm of SGA and Williams. Gimme the ornery Celtics if they make it that far.
New York Times
14-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA report cards: Grading every team's season at the 2025 All-Star break
It's the NBA All-Star break, and when teams resume play, we'll see a two-month sprint toward the regular season's finish line. By now, we have an idea of what each team is and isn't and whether the remaining 25-30 games should be focused on title contention, short-term progress or the long-term future. Advertisement What better time for The Athletic NBA staff to break out our red pens and hand out some grades? Have the Celtics lived up to last season's dominance? Not quite. It took them a month and a half to rediscover how to play together once Kristaps Porziņģis returned from injury. Still, entering Wednesday night, they were the only team in the top five in both offense and defense. The Celtics' biggest problem might be that the league around them has improved. They didn't have a challenger like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Cleveland Cavaliers last season. — Jay King There is no correct way to grade the Nets' season because the franchise is pulling in two directions. Jordi Fernández had a great start to his first coaching campaign, building a competitive culture that positioned the Nets as one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference. But then the front office started trading away his starters, as the team clearly needs to tank right now to draft some stars. The problem is the Nets are still fighting for a Play-In spot in the East, so they aren't bad enough to reach that bottom-four group in the standings that has the best lottery odds. They were able to scrape together some draft capital ahead of the deadline but didn't secure big enough returns to move off some of their better players. This season has been effectively down the middle for them, which is just fine. — Jared Weiss The Knicks are third in the East thanks mostly to the second-best offense in basketball. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Town have been dominant on that end, and Josh Hart has been very consistent as the connector. But after spending a year cashing in assets to build a top-heavy roster, the Knicks are 0-5 against the Thunder, Cavaliers and Celtics, losing twice to Boston by a combined 50 points. Furthermore, New York has a losing record against the top-eight seeds in the East. The defense has been up and down, ranking 18th in the NBA. Teams are shooting well from 3 against the Knicks, and the pick-and-roll defense has been flimsy. Even with the defensive inconsistencies, New York is still near the top of the conference. — James L. Edwards III Advertisement The continued star-level rise of Tyrese Maxey and the emergence of young players such as Justin Edwards and Jared McCain save this grade from being an F. Make no mistake, however: This is an F-level season from the Sixers. Paul George has been a bust and may have one of the worst contracts in the league. Joel Embiid has hardly played. The good news? There is enough young talent to envision a quick rebuild. But this has been a nightmare, and right now, the Thunder, of all teams, own Philly's first-round pick, top-six protected. Imagine the Thunder adding a top-10 pick. — Tony Jones An awfully confusing trade deadline clouds the picture, as the Raptors were on their way to a season with modest developmental gains amid a lot of losing, which was the expectation before trading for Brandon Ingram. On the floor, Scottie Barnes has been better than ever defensively but often looks miscast as a top offensive option. Immanuel Quickley has missed too many games to form chemistry with his teammates, while Gradey Dick has plateaued. Ochai Agbaji and Jamal Shead could be potential long-term rotation candidates. The Raptors should be in decent position to get lucky on lottery night, which is probably the most important thing. — Eric Koreen When the Bulls look back on this season, their biggest achievement will be regaining control of their 2025 first-round draft pick. It only required them to trade their best player, Zach LaVine, to the Sacramento Kings as part of the three-team De'Aaron Fox deal. Meanwhile, the Alex Caruso trade for Josh Giddey looks like a major mistake. Patrick Williams has regressed in the first year of a five-year, $90 million extension. And for the third-straight season, the Bulls are clawing to make the Play-In Tournament. This franchise has some heavy lifting to do this offseason. — Darnell Mayberry According to BetMGM, the Cavs' predicted win total for the season was 48.5. As of Thursday, they already had won 44 games and might reach 49 by month's end. Cleveland is No. 1 in offense, No. 1 in 3s and No. 8 in defense. It made the most impactful trade at the deadline among the teams with the top six records in the league. Almost as an aside, the Cavs are, comfortably, the No. 1 team in the East. Yes, an 'A' is on the card. — Joe Vardon The Pistons have a case to be the most impressive team in the NBA this season, given they became a national headline for being synonymous with losing last year. Detroit enters the All-Star break with a 29-26 record, sixth in the East and in position for its first postseason berth since 2019. Cade Cunningham is an All-Star and has solidified himself as one of the best young players in the league. Jalen Duren has been on a tear in 2025. Ausar Thompson is beginning to look more and more comfortable creating for himself and others. And Jaden Ivey was in the midst of a career season before suffering a broken fibula. The Pistons have exceeded expectations in the short term and seemingly have a plan for the long term. — Hunter Patterson First, my reason for the grade: At the outset of training camp, I predicted the Pacers to finish fourth in the East — and that's precisely where they are. How they got there is where it gets sticky. Tyrese Haliburton got off to an inexplicably horrendous start, and injuries to most of their wings and bigs throughout the first part of the season led to Indiana playing G Leaguers in NBA games. As they got healthy, the Pacers soared defensively and played their way to where they are now, and Haliburton's numbers are very close to being All-Star worthy (Pascal Siakam is an All-Star, and he helps the grade). Over their last 15 games entering Wednesday, the Pacers were eighth in the NBA in defense — another reason for the high mark is because they have a reputation as a terrible defensive team. But Myles Turner has missed the last three games with injury, and Indiana lost two of them. So, to hold onto this grade, the Pacers either need to be healthier or find a way to mitigate the damage when a key player goes out — as they did last season. — Joe Vardon Advertisement The Bucks wanted to be title contenders this season; they haven't played at that level through 53 games. Heading into the break, they are just five games over .500 and find themselves in fifth in the East. They have played much better after a putrid 2-8 start to the season, but they haven't performed at the same level as the East's top-three teams. That just isn't good enough based on their preseason goals and expectations. — Eric Nehm The Hawks seemed primed to beat the modest expectations for this season — they're in the top half of the league in defense! — before Jalen Johnson's season-ending injury sent the offense into a tailspin. Atlanta cashed in on a career year from De'Andre Hunter at the trade deadline but still stands to benefit from a mini-breakout by new starting center Onyeka Okongwu and the emergence of defensive ace Dyson Daniels. On the downside, No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher hasn't made much impact, and Trae Young's declining shooting numbers are a concern. — John Hollinger This would have been an 'A' if the Los Angeles Lakers hadn't rescinded the Mark Williams trade. That would have netted the Hornets an unprotected 2031 pick, a 2030 swap and Dalton Knecht for a talented but oft-injured center. But the Lakers decided Williams was too injured for their liking and nixed the deal. Still, the Hornets had a nice deadline, acquiring what likely will be a late 2026 first-round pick to take on Jusuf Nurkić's contract. They also netted two second-round picks from the Phoenix Suns last month in the Nick Richards trade. It was less bombastic than it first looked, but it continues to move the Hornets along toward what will be a sizable rebuild. — Mike Vorkunov The Heat enter the break under .500 and have one consistent culprit: blown leads. Only the Utah Jazz (16) have blown more double-digit leads than the Heat (13), who have the NBA's worst offense since Jan. 22, the day after Jimmy Butler's last game in their uniform. That being said, Miami does have upside given Tyler Herro's All-Star nod and the frontcourt duo of Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware, but coach Erik Spoelstra needs lineups with more upside on offense as Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson adjust to the rotation. — James Jackson If we had graded the Magic on Jan. 7, they would've earned an A, maybe even an A-plus. Without Paolo Banchero for most of the season and without Franz Wagner for an entire month at that point, Orlando still held a 22-16 record. That was a remarkable achievement. But it's impossible to ignore what's happened since then. From Jan. 7 through Feb. 11, the Magic slumped to a 5-13 record and had lost much of their mojo, even though Banchero returned on Jan. 10 and Wagner returned on Jan. 23. The team struggles terribly from 3-point range, averaging a league-worst 30.6 percent. An optimistic view is that Orlando is totally gassed, exhausted from its injury-plagued season, but can put together a run following the break. A pessimistic view is that Orlando doesn't have enough shooting to earn a top-six postseason berth and avoid the East Play-In. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. — Josh Robbins If we were to grade a team only for its on-court performance, the Wizards would net an F. They own a 9-45 record and have endured two 16-game losing streaks. Their net rating of minus-13 indicates how uncompetitive they've been most of the season. But for the Wizards, this season is about a larger picture: Maximizing their lottery odds for a top-four pick, giving their young players extensive minutes and developing those youngsters. Those objectives have gone very well — to the point of an A- grade — though we can argue about how much the youngsters have improved. So, I'm averaging the grades and giving the Wizards a C- overall. — Josh Robbins Advertisement This team has a chance to compete for a championship. Nikola Jokić has been sublime. Michael Malone has done a wonderful coaching job. Russell Westbrook has proven he has juice left in the tank. The Nuggets have perhaps the best and most explosive offense in the league. You always have a chance with Jokić, but the Nuggets have put a very good team around the best player in the world this season, and Denver is arguably the second best team in the Western Conference as a result. — Tony Jones This was shaping up to be the most anticipated season in Timberwolves history, coming off a run to the Western Conference finals and bringing back the entire roster. Then the Wolves changed course with the massive Karl-Anthony Towns trade. They have achieved greater flexibility going forward over the next five years to build around Anthony Edwards, but Towns has put together the best season of his career in New York, while Julius Randle has just been solid, not spectacular. I still believe Minnesota can win a playoff series, or even two, if players get healthy and the Wolves get the right matchups. On the other hand, they could lose in the Play-In if they get the wrong matchup. Their schedule lightens up considerably from late February on. This season has not been a disaster, but it has not been the thrill ride fans were expecting, either. — Jon Krawczynski What other way is there to assess the squad with the best record in the NBA, especially when the group hasn't had its second-most important player, Chet Holmgren, for the majority of the season? The Thunder own the league's top defense by a mile. They are sixth in points scored per possession. Only one other team, the defending-champion Celtics, is top six on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma City can shoot it, can create, can force turnovers aplenty, owns arguably the league's most versatile roster and employs the possible MVP favorite, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. At the halfway point, it is all going right in OKC. — Fred Katz For the first time in four years, there is more than just hope in Portland. There is actually some good, solid progress thanks to player development and a favorable offseason trade. At the top of the achievement list: The Blazers' starting forward spots should be cemented for the foreseeable future with Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara. The trade for Avdija has been the best move in the Joe Cronin era, as Avdija has emerged as the team's best all-around player while being on one of the NBA's most team-friendly contracts. And in his second season, Camara has not only become a serious All-Defensive team candidate, but also a reliable 3-point shooter. Throw in the improvement of point guard Scoot Henderson and the flashes of stardom from wing Shaedon Sharpe, and you can see a foundation of promise. This team still has a bunch of dead weight (Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle) that is clogging the progress more than helping it, but so far, this season has been a step forward. — Jason Quick Utah's season starts in May with the draft lottery and what the Jazz hope is the chance to draft Cooper Flagg. That, and development of their young players, is what this season is about. What we've seen is encouraging. Isaiah Collier has emerged as a starting level point guard in his rookie season. Walker Kessler has emerged as a potential star-level big man. The Jazz don't have a potential superstar on their roster. But they hope the ping-pong balls fall their way in a few months, so they can correct that. — Tony Jones They accomplished a desperate goal — finally acquiring a star scorer next to Stephen Curry — and only really had to part with Andrew Wiggins and a 2025 top-10 protected first-round pick to do so. That's a bargain for a motivated Jimmy Butler, and that's exactly what they appear to be getting. Butler has been terrific so far, jolting a previously weak offense with his paint attacking. His 28 free throws in his first two games were the most by a Warrior in a two-game stretch since Kevin Durant in 2018. The only reason this isn't an A is because it came attached to a high-priced, two-year, $112 million extension for a 35-year-old Butler, cluttering their books moving forward. But if that's the price of keeping Butler happy, then that appears to be the necessary price to reduce Curry's burden, keep him fresh and win more games. — Anthony Slater The Clippers are in an interesting place. When the season started, expectations were in a valley somewhere, and Kawhi Leonard wasn't playing. Then in December, it was clear the Clippers were better than those expectations and Leonard was going to come back sooner rather than later. Now that Leonard is back and the Clippers are plateauing, people who believe in this team are considering their readiness to be hurt again. They need this All-Star break badly so Leonard can recharge, the offense can be retooled and the five new additions to the team (half of whom are expected to bolster the bench) can be integrated into what the Clippers want to do on both ends. — Law Murray Advertisement It's hard to imagine this season going much better for the Lakers up to this point. The first 35 or so games were a bit rocky, but they've stabilized as one of the better teams in the league, having won 12 of 15 entering the All-Star break. And that's before mentioning that they pulled off one of the most consequential trades in NBA history in acquiring Luka Dončić. The Dončić-LeBron James duo is the best pairing in the league and gives the Lakers a legitimate chance against any opponent in a seven-game playoff series. Los Angeles is clearly behind the Boston, Oklahoma City and Cleveland class of Tier 1 contenders, but it's difficult to put many — if any — of the remaining teams above it. — Jovan Buha A team with the league's most expensive roster, one with two superstars, has no business hovering below .500. No business fighting to make the playoffs. The Suns aren't a title contender, but they should be better. They still have time to make a push — the sixth spot in the West remains within range — but they've done little to show they are capable of the consistency required to get there. A decent stretch without injuries, keeping Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the court together, would help. But it also might be fool's gold. — Doug Haller They'd tell you their hands were forced, but the fact remains: The Kings traded their star franchise guard in the middle of a win-now season and received back a solid but worse player (Zach LaVine) on a currently bigger contract. The cheap Jonas Valančiūnas and Jake LaRavia acquisitions should boost their thin depth. That 2031 unprotected Minnesota first acquired in the De'Aaron Fox deal could have some real long-term value and wasn't a horrible return. But the grand plan was never to lose Fox. In doing so, the Kings are further away from their goal of contention and not that much better stocked for a future rebuild they seem immune to accept anyway. — Anthony Slater Even if it were true Luka Dončić lacked personal discipline and didn't like to practice — and I believe this was true — it didn't make sense for Mavericks management to trade him this way. Why not play this season out and re-evaluate the decision this summer? The only player who has a higher playoff scoring average than Dončić is Michael Jordan. Trading a 25-year-old with that type of talent for someone who's six years older and more injury-prone doesn't add up. — Christian Clark After hitting the ground running, Houston has been a rough watch the past two weeks (23rd in offense, 19th in defense). The Rockets' fourth-quarter struggles (23rd in net rating in the period and in the clutch) continue to haunt them and could cost them. They only just climbed out of a six-game slump by beating the banged-up Raptors. This is still an exciting, aggressive team that has a great shot at securing home-court advantage in the first round, but it is in serious need of a vibes boost — and needs more than a returning Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet for a tight stretch run in the West. — Kelly Iko The Grizzlies are in position to match or exceed the franchise record of 56 wins while starting two rookies. They are holding off Denver for the second seed in the West, which is a pretty remarkable recovery from the 27-55 disaster of 2023-24. That turnaround has happened even with Ja Morant missing 21 games. The underlying numbers suggest they might be even better than their record, with Memphis ranking the top seven in both offense and defense. — John Hollinger I could easily give this team an incomplete grade based on the long list of injuries it has endured since the second day of training camp. But in reality, even with all the injuries and uncertainty surrounding Brandon Ingram's situation heading into the trade deadline, there's no way this team should have more than 40 losses heading into the break. Advertisement The Pelicans being bad shouldn't be a surprise; the Pelicans being this bad should be considered a major disappointment. The Zion Williamson drama has decreased considerably now that he's back playing (semi)-consistently. The overwhelming priority for this team the rest of the way will be keeping him healthy. — William Guillory We expected a step forward from the Spurs, and they have made it. Then they raised the bar once again by acquiring De'Aaron Fox before the trade deadline. But this team has a lot to improve. The offense is average and the defense is not as improved as it should be without Victor Wembanyama on the floor. — Zach Harper (Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
