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Post by Miege22 on Dec 31, 2023 22:41:42 GMT -5
Orlando Magic (6-4) over Chicago Bulls (5-5), 6-3The Magic are officially dangerous. After a relatively stress-free win over Chicago, the Magic have now won five straight, and, thanks to their win over Tampa, they are in the playoff picture. Franz was fantastic (28-7-5 on 52/89 splits). Derrick White continues to play at a super high level (20-7, 50/100 splits, 9 threes, 5 steals, 6 blocks). It will also be interesting to see what happens now that RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are (real life) Toronto Raptors. It seems likely they will get bigger roles, and if that's the case, this Magic team is only going to be an even tougher out. They get the Knicks next in chance to really solidify their playoff hopes. The Bulls lost an absolute killer, but not because of De'Aaron Fox (33-6-5, 18 threes). The Bulls now find themselves a game back of the top-6 in the East, and they get a huge game with the Bull Sharks next. A loss there, and it's going to be very hard to make it into the top-5. New York Knicks (6-4) over Atlanta Hawks (0-10), 6-3The Knicks played the entire week without Joel Embiid, but it didn't matter against this Hawks team. LeBron only shot 47% from the floor this past week, but he did shoot 82% from the line, brining him up to 74.9% from the line on the year. He's at 53.5/40.9/74.9 on the season, which would be his best shooting season since 2012-2013, arguably his peak form. The man just turned 39. I know we keep turning the New York section into a LeBron lovefest, but it's kind of hard not to be in awe of what he's doing. The Hawks had a typical Hawks week, but this time Nikola Jovic actually played and put up some numbers. As we've said multiple times, there are a lot of interesting pieces on this Atlanta team, it's just going to take a little time for it to come together. Portland Trailblazers (8-2) over Colorado Swannies (5-5), 5-4Just a devastating loss for the Swannies, who were somehow in this one all the way down to the bitter end. They used a really good Sunday to take a 16 point lead in the final game, but Kevin Durant scored 18 points in the 2nd half to give Portland the 2-point win. It was the third straight brutal loss for the Swannies, but it was a win that allowed the Blazers to stay atop the Western Conference. Trae Young averaged 28/3/12/3 and KD put up 24-7-10 on 56/91 splits while tossing in 6 steals and 6 blocks. Portland now has a chance to really put the Thunder behind the 8-ball. They got the win in spite of the best efforts of Anthony Davis (30-12-4, 6 steals, 12 blocks). The Swannies will now head into an absolute must win showdown with the Golden St. Warriors. Brooklyn Nets (8-2) over Memphis Grizzlies (7-3), 8-1A week ago we said the Grizzlies were likely to win their 5th in a row over a banged-up Nets team. Well... that was wildly short-sighted. The Nets ended up getting basically everyone back but Shaedon Sharpe, while the Grizzlies had one of the worse injury weeks we can remember. It resulted in a nearly 400-minutes advantage for the Nets. Memphis got 1 game total from Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, and DeAndre Ayton. The Grizz basically had no chance in this one. And that was before Wemby averaged 22/6/4/4 on 51/93 splits. Scoot Henderson finally started to pop after getting two starts, and he put up 21-4-9. The Nets also got Jalen Duren back (15-15-3), which was big as JJJ only grabbed 19 rebounds in 4 games. Brooklyn can move one step closer to a playoff spot if they beat Miami in week 11. Not much to write home about for Memphis, though Scottie Barnes was pretty good (24/10/5/2/2 with 12 threes). They'll try and bounce back against Toronto, though who knows how much longer Ayton and Leonard will be out. Utah Jazz (6-4) over Golden St. Warriors (5-5), 6-3Back-to-back wins for the Jazz, and a key tiebreaker won against the Warriors. Dennis Schroder was pushed to the bench, but it didn't stop him from putting up 18-2-9. 22-9-2 for Markkanen. 23-4-5 for DeMar DeRozan. And another 212 rebounds for the league's best boarding team. Utah is playing at a very high level heading into a key week 11 game against the Seattle Supersonics. Pascal Siakam put up 28-5-7 for the Warriors, but losing Vucevic, especially in this match-up, was too big a loss to overcome. They now get the Colorado Swannies in what might be a loser leaves town match. Washinton Wizards (6-4) over Tampa Bay Bull Sharks (6-4), 6-3The Wizards won a key interdivision match-up against the Bull Sharks, clinching that tiebreaker. The Wizards now own the tiebreakers against Orlando, Tampa Bay, and Orlando, and they've already beaten the Knicks once, putting them in a great position to make the playoffs with 6 weeks left. Jalen Brunson (27.5/4/7) and Giannis led the way (33-13-6), while Gafford, McDaniels, and Porter combined to block 20 shots. Gafford also threw in 9 steals. Grayson Allen, Desmond Bane, and Lu Dort had 37 threes between them. It's tough to beat the Wizards when they're playing like that. Tampa Bay has two massive interdivision games up next (Chicago and New York), both of which are close to must wins. While they lost, the Bull Sharks have to be excited about what they got from their D-League signee, Trayce Jackson-Davis. The rookie big man put up 12-7 on the week in a reserve role, and it looks like he's played well enough to get even more minutes. Miami Heat (4-6) over Toronto Raptors (1-9), 5-4This one came down to the wire with both teams playing for percentages on Sunday, leading to an empty lineup for the Heat and just Christian Wood playing for the Raptors. Wood ended up shooting too poorly to flip FG %, but even playing Jalen Williams would have resulted in FT % flipping to the Heat. Miami kept their playoff hopes alive with the win. Tyler Herro continued to play well in his return from injury (24-6-4). Jarrett Allen was a monster (27/17.5/6), and the Heat will need him to keep playing like that against the Nets. 25/5/18/2 for Tyrese Haliburton against just 5 turnovers, which is nothing short of incredible. Given Memphis' injury issues, a massive upset isn't out of the question. Houston Rockets (5-5) over Las Vegas Gamblers (2-8), 6-3The Rockets continue to try and climb out of their early season hole, and they did so with a dominant win over a pesky Gamblers team. Over 1200 minutes for this Rockets team, which resulted in some eye-popping numbers. Julius Randle averaged 29/10.5/3.5. Sengun put up 27/9/5/2. Gary Trent moved into the starting lineup and averaged 14/2/3/3, but when the team's bigs are playing like that (15/21/1/2/2 for Andre Drummond!), this team is really difficult to beat. Houston will get above .500 with Phoenix up next. Cade Cunningham was a beast for Vegas: 34/6/9/2/1 on 57/88 splits. The real life Pistons finally broke their losing streak thanks in large part to Cade, but it couldn't help the Gamblers snap theirs. They'll try to do that against their arch rival, the Kansas City Kings. Kansas City Kings (7-3) over Phoenix Suns (0-10), 6-3Speaking of the Kings, they easily dispatched the Suns despite losing both Isaiah Stewart and Jimmy Butler. This team is kind of running on fumes at this point, but SGA keeps on trucking (33.5/5/6.5/1.5/1 on 62/94 splits). If the Kings can ride out this stretch without Stewart and Butler, they'll be in a great spot to get back to the postseason. Jokic was awesome for the Suns, 24-13-8 on 73/100 splits, and he continues to put up MVP numbers in a lost season. Seattle Supersonics (8-2) over OKC Thunder (5-5), 5-4Another huge match-up that came down to the absolute wire. The Sonics were this close to blowing it down the stretch, but Smart and Barnes managed to avoid one more turnover, which would have tied that category and flipped the match-up to the Thunder. As it stands, the Sonics are now tied with the Blazers for first in the West (though technically behind the Blazers as Portland currently holds the tiebreaker). Bam was awesome (24/14/4/1/2), as was Ingram (25/5/7/2/3), and James Harden averaged a double-double (22.5/5/10.5). It was enough to overcome an insane week from Luka (43/7/10/2/2 on 52/90 splits with 16 threes. Edwards and Tatum also had pretty great all-around weeks, but they just didn't get enough defensively or from the supporting cast to pull this one out. Week 11 against Portland could, potentially, end their playoff hopes.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 1, 2024 15:19:08 GMT -5
It may not have been the most dominant win of the year for Orlando, but it's beyond time to recognize how well this team has been playing. They've won five straight, beating the Nets, Bull Sharks, Kings, and Bulls in the process. They're rocketing up the standings, and they have a chance to really solidify things against the Knicks.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 2, 2024 9:52:47 GMT -5
The Jazz sit two games back of the Sonics, but they're currently a game ahead of spots 5-8 in the Western Conference. Picking up the tiebreaker against Seattle could prove to be huge down the road. Similarly, the Sonics just keep on finding ways to win despite all their injury issues. With wins over Houston and OKC already, they've grabbed two of the three tiebreakers they'll want to have in their back pocket. A third, here, could all but wrap up a playoff spot.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 9, 2024 11:23:32 GMT -5
The East playoff picture got a little clearer, while the West was thrown into a bit of chaos. Time is running short on the season, and the GM Cup starts back up in week 12. All that and more as we head to Seattle... Utah Jazz (7-4) over Seattle Supersonics (8-3), 5-4The Jazz scored a major victory over the Sonics, clinging to a 5-4 win despite some shaky free throw shooting making things interesting. The win now puts Utah a game back of first in the West, with wins over KC and Seattle now in their back pocket. They were able to get this win despite playing nearly 100 fewer minutes. DeMar DeRozan (20-3-4, 64/94 splits) and Lauri Markkanen (25-7, 15 threes, 54/81 splits) were fantastic and led the way. Clint Capela threw in 6 big blocks, while Jusuf Nurkic grabbed 41 boards. These next three games for the Jazz are going to be. Beat Colorado, OKC, and Houston, and they will very likely enter the final two games against Portland and KC with a real shot at the 1 seed. Seattle didn't get enough from their big guns, but they should still feel relatively good about their position. Vegas and Phoenix are up next, so they should get to 10 wins heading into the final three weeks, at which point, one would think just getting one more win should lock up a playoff spot. Orlando Magic (7-4) over New York Knicks (6-5), 5-3-1The Magic cannot be stopped! 7 steals and a great shooting Sunday allowed them to flip those two categories and pick up an absolutely crucial win over the Knicks. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett have adjusted well to their new roles post-trade, while Nic Claxton and Rudy Gobert combined for 89(!) rebounds. It wasn't all good news for the Magic though. Already without DeAndre Hunter, the Magic lost Franz Wagner toward the end of this match-up, and it's not clear when he will be returning. Fortunately for them, Atlanta is next (and they still have Toronto on the schedule). Could this team make a run at the 1 seed? It's not crazy considering they have the tiebreaker on the Nets. Things in MSG are getting... a bit concerning. Embiid missed another game, as his knee continues to give him some issues. Chris Paul is out for the rest of the regular season with a fractured hand. Sasha Vezenkov and Jett Howard aren't playing. Andrew Wiggins stinks. The schedule still has some heavy hitters left on it, including Tampa Bay this week. It looks like 10 wins could be the cut-off for the playoffs in the East, and that might be just out of reach for this Knicks team. Washington Wizards (7-4) over Atlanta Hawks (0-11), 8-1The Wizards continue to look like one of the best teams in the league, and with 648 points scored in week 11, they now lead the East in that category by nearly 800 points. Giannis put up 37-15-7, which is just absurd, and he might be at the top of the MVP list at this point. Bradley Beal finally played a full week and looked pretty good (20-5-6). Grayson Allen made 17 threes. Desmond Bane, Jalen Brunson both looked great. I could keep going, but you get the idea. This Wizards team is good. Hats off to their new owner. They've got Chicago in week 12, then two games that will all but determine their final seeding: Brooklyn and Memphis. Win those two, and this is very likely your #1 seed. Kyrie Irving came back and was awesome for the Hawks (25-9-5), but they're staring down the barrel of a winless season, unfortunately. Maybe they can play spoiler against Orlando. Brooklyn Nets (9-2) over Miami Heat (4-7), 6-3The Nets continue to put up bonkers block numbers (JJJ and Wemby had 26 combined), and they got really great shooting this week (50%, 70 threes), which has been a bit of a rarity for them. Wemby in particular was something else (24-9, 51/81 splits, 6 threes, 14 blocks), and JJJ filled up the stat sheet (23/7.5/2/1/3 on 48/89 splits). Reaves put up 17-4-7, White averaged 21-6-6, Malik Monk and Devin Vassell combined for 25 threes. It was an all-around team effort for Brooklyn which now stands 2 games clear of the rest of the conference, with wins over Washington, Memphis, and Tampa Bay. Next up is Toronto, and if they win that, they'll basically have a playoff spot locked. Miami played well enough to beat a lot of teams (including Memphis and Orlando, had they been matched up), but we're getting to the end of the road for Miami's playoff hopes. They're three back of 5th and will basically have to run the table to get in. If they lose to Memphis, that will likely be all she wrote. Golden St. Warriors (6-5) over Colorado Swannies (5-6), 6-2-1The Warriors had a 200+ minutes advantage and used that to rather easily dispatched a battered and bruised Swannies team. Pascal Siakam (23-5-4, 62/84 splits) and Devin Booker (22-4-7) led the way for the Warriors. We have to shoutout Isaiah Hartenstein though, who has been more than holding it down in the absence of Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein put up 10/13.5/3/2/3 on the week while shooting 69%. He's been even better than Mitch Rob was, quite frankly, and has proven to be one of the best in-season signings of the year. The Warriors still get KC, Seattle, and Portland to close out the year, so they have control over their own destiny. The Swannies might not, at this point, and injuries have just been an absolute killer. If you'd told them you'd get this kind of year from AD (27/11/4/2/3 last week), they'd probably assume they'd be near the top of the West. Instead, the wheels have come off, and they've lost four straight to fall outside the playoff picture. Now, win these next two against Utah and OKC, and they will definitely have a shot. Lose one or both? And that might be curtains. Tampa Bay Bull Sharks (7-4) over Chicago Bulls (5-6), 5-4Tampa was this close to a devastating loss to the Bulls, but a Sunday scoring flurry from Jamal Murray (37 points) saved the day. Speaking of Murray, he was pretty great (27-4-6, 9 threes) on the week, as was Sabonis (21-17-8), and KAT (24-7-3), but they have got to get the injury situation figured out. Guys are missing games left and right, and that is going to really hurt them if they make the playoffs, particularly if they land in the play-in. They next two (NY and Orlando) will be instructive. Chicago got an absolute stink bomb from De'Aaron Fox on Sunday (just 4 points), and a normal day for him flips that match-up. Thems the breaks, though, and now the Bulls are, essentially, in a must-win situation against Washington. It's hard to see a 9-7 team, let alone an 8-8 one, sneaking into the East playoffs this year. The conference is just too good. Toronto Raptors (2-9) over Memphis Grizzlies (7-4), 5-3-1The upset of the week happened in Toronto as the Raptors stunned the Memphis Grizzlies behind massive weeks from Ja Morant (25-6-5) and Tyrese Haliburton (21-6-12). Sadly for the Raptors, it may have been a last hurrah of sorts. Ja Morant is now out for the year with a shoulder injury, and Tyrese Haliburton went down early in their week 12 match-up with a rough looking hamstring strain. It would not be surprising if he was done for the rest of our season as well. A lot will now fall on the shoulders of Jalen Williams, Keldon Johnson, and Jordan Clarkson, but if they don't win again, they'll have this match-up to remind them what they're capable of at full strength. The Grizzlies are no doubt frustrated with the last two weeks, but they're still in a good spot. They've already beaten Orlando and New York, and they have their match-up with Washington still to play. They just need their big guns to regain their shooting touch (Mitchell, Kawhi, Bridges, and Barnes combined to shoot just 43.89% on the week). Beat Miami and Atlanta these next two weeks, and they'll be right back on track. Houston Rockets (6-5) over Phoenix Suns (0-11), 6-3The Rockets continue to rise up the standings (I'm sorry, that was a terrible pun), and they're now very much in the playoff picture. The easy slate of games is over, though, and they now head into a gauntlet to close things out (Portland, Utah, KC, OKC, Colorado). If Randle (30-7-3), Sengugn (24-7-4), Drummond (10-14), and Curry (25-3-5) keep playing like this, they should be just fine. In fact, since they still have Portland and KC on the schedule, the one seed is still on the table for this team, which is remarkable given their start. The Suns kept this closer than they had any right to, and it started with Jokic (20-8-10 on 76% shooting lol). Jalen Johnson's return has provided a nice spark as well (17-9-3). Much like the Hawks, this team is looking at a winless season, but there are some nice pieces there, and a nice turnaround next year is not out of the question. Kansas City Kings (8-3) over Las Vegas Gamblers (2-9), 5-4For a large stretch of this one, it looked the Gamblers were going to score a big time win over their arch rivals. Then Zion was ruled out on Sunday, and Cade left his game early, and the Gamblers just ran out of gas. The Kings pulled this one out despite missing Jimmy Butler and Isaiah Stewart for the entire week. Paolo Banchero at himself a week (34-9-6, 14 threes), and we got a glimpse of what the Kings saw when they traded Donovan Mitchell for him. SGA was his usual awesome self (34-9-7), though he shot uncharacteristically poorly from the line (70.6%) and only picked up 1 steal (with 0 blocks). It was an odd week for the MVP candidate. Much like the Rockets, the Kings now head into their brutal home stretch (OKC, GS, Houston, Colorado, Utah). Vegas got a nice week from Klay, but the injuries are just too much to overcome at this point. They'll be officially eliminated with one more loss. OKC Thunder (6-5) over Portland Trailblazers (8-3), 6-3 Last but certainly not least, what a week for the OKC Thunder. A minutes disadvantage and missed games were not enough to stop Luka (31-6-9, 12 threes), Tatum (33-12-6, 15 threes), and Edwards (32-5-4, 13 threes). They were phenomenal, and showed that they can beat anyone when they're playing at their best. There will always be depth questions, but with those three, the sky is the limit. The Blazers lost, but they have to be excited to see Cam Whitmore force his way into the rotation. With the Gamblers and Suns still on the schedule, they're doing just fine.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 9, 2024 12:01:39 GMT -5
It wasn't the most dominant performance of the week, but we have to shout out the Toronto Raptors following their upset of the Memphis Grizzlies. It's been a tough season for a Raptors team that surprised a lot of folks last year, and it only got tougher with the losses of Haliburton and Morant, but the foundation is there. With better health, and some frontcourt depth, this team can most certainly contend next season.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 9, 2024 12:03:03 GMT -5
It's hard to believe OKC has not yet appeared in our match-up of the week, but better late than never. This is a massive game for the Thunder, not only because they're chasing the Kings in the standings, but because they've already lost the first match-up between these two. Getting swept by the Kings, will make it extremely hard to get in the playoffs. Not impossible, mind you, just harder. A win though? And they're sitting pretty.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 15, 2024 11:00:23 GMT -5
Our match-up of the week was a brutal rock fight that served as a springboard for the West's top team, while the East playoff picture looks to be coming into focus. Let's jump in... Kansas City Kings (9-3) over OKC Thunder (6-6), 8-1The Kings won this won going away, but the real story was just how banged up both teams were. In addition to the guys already missing for the Thunder, OKC also lost a game from Tatum and only got Luka for 1 of 3 games. On the Kansas City side, Jimmy Butler is still out, Bismack Biyombo got waved, Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant missed a game each, and Brogdon missed two. In fact, losing Thybulle, Grant, and Brogdon for the last game of the week ultimately cost the Kings a spot in the GM Cup semifinals, but the win over OKC is probably a good consolation prize. SGA did his thing again (32/5/6/2/1 on 67/89 splits), and he continues to pace this Kings team that needs every single thing he brings. Walker Kessler nearly outblocked the Thunder by himself (7 for Kessler vs. 8 for OKC). The win gives KC the season sweep over OKC, and makes it borderline impossible, even in a three or four-team tie, for OKC to get in over them. The Kings can officially lock up a playoff spot with a win over GS combined with a Houston loss to Utah. The Thunder are now in desperation mode, and they'll need to beat Colorado to keep pace with a Warriors team that seems to be peaking. With Luka on the fence for the match-up, that is going to be a tall task. Orlando Magic (8-4) over Atlanta Hawks (0-12), 7-2Make that 7 wins in a row for the Magic, easily the longest winning streak for anyone this season. It continues to be a true team performance for the Magic. Bridges, Sexton, Poole, Gobert, Quickley all averaged 20+ points on the week. They shot over 80% from the line as a team, despite Rudy Gobert dragging them down with an 18/28 performance. They'll take that, though, when Gobert grabs 47 boards and swats 9 shots. Week 13 brings the biggest match-up of the season for this Magic team: Tampa Bay. Beat the Bull Sharks, and Orlando moves firmly into the top-3, a full game ahead of the play-in. Kyrie Irving and Jonathan Kuminga were bright spots for the Hawks. Irving averaged 37/6/7/2 and knocked down 13 threes on 49/91 splits. Kuminga put up 21-4-2 on an eye-popping 62% from the field. The Hawks nearly played spoiler here, and they'll try again against Memphis. Washington Wizards (8-4) over Chicago Bulls (5-7), 7-2It was a little sketchy for the Wizards early on, but a solid weekend allowed them to win comfortably for their 4th straight dub. Giannis was a monster (duh): 27-10-8, and Bradley Beal was solid with 25-4-4. However, it was not all good news. The Wizards lost Desmond Bane for the rest of our regular season due to a nasty ankle roll. There's a chance he could be back for the conference semifinals, so landing in the top-3 is going to be imperative for this Wizards team. A key game with the Nets is up next. The Bulls are circling the drain, falling two back of the Grizz with four to play (and Memphis has the tiebreaker). It wasn't all bad news, though. The Bulls were able to hang on to defeat the Kansas City Kings in the quarter finals of the GM Cup and will face the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks with a spot in the GM Cup Final on the line. Miami Heat (5-7) over Memphis Grizzlies (7-5), 8-1The Heat kept their playoff hopes alive with a dominant win over the Grizzlies. You could see this coming last week when the Heat played great against the Nets only to lose to a Brooklyn team that played, arguably, it's best ball of the season. They kept it going against a Grizz team that was behind the 8-ball from a schedule and injury standpoint. Herro was good (22-5-4). Keegan Murray hit 11 threes. Alex Caruso chipped in 5 steals AND 6 blocks. Memphis only had Donovan Mitchell, Mikal Bridges, and Dorian Finney-Smith for one game a piece (and Mitchell was fantastic, putting up 45/12/6/4) since they were playing in France. They lost games due to injury from Santi Aldama, Trey Murphy, and DeAndre Ayton. It's just hard to win missing all that firepower. The good news is they get Atlanta next to snap this little skid. Miami enters another must-win against the Bulls. Golden St. Warriors (7-5) over Phoenix Suns (0-12), 7-2The Warriors have now won 4 of 5 heading into a showdown with the Kansas City Kings. How about Hartenstein? 8/16/3/2/2 including a game this week where he grabbed 20(!) rebounds. TJ McConnell is also benefiting from more playing time (9/3/9/2). Things are looking up for the Warriors, and they have a real chance to jump into the top-3 race if they can win these next two against KC and Portland. As so often happens in this Suns section, we have to shout out Nikola Jokic. He shot 80% from the floor this week (LOL), and he averaged 26-11-10. An MVP candidate any other year, that's for darn sure. Tampa Bay Bull Sharks (8-4) over New York Knicks (6-6), 8-1It's been a hard luck season for the Knicks, and it's not lost on them that the team that may have sealed their fate is the one that has given them so many devastating playoff losses. The Knicks just could not overcome the injuries and missed games, playing over 300 fewer minutes than the Bull Sharks. Domantas Sabonis (24-11-10) looks like a dark horse MVP candidate. Zach LaVine looks back (17-7.5-6.5). KAT put up 23-8-4 and hit 12 threes. Tampa was clicking on all cylinders, and they won both this game and their GM Cup quarter final against Seattle, with relative ease. Their game against Orlando this week is basically a must-win if they want to avoid the play-in.... which is really what the Knicks have left to hope for, a task that only gets tougher since Memphis owns the tiebreaker. At the very least, they get a Toronto team missing Ja and Hali this week, though they likely won't make up ground since Memphis gets Atlanta. Brooklyn Nets (10-2) over Toronto Raptors (2-10), 6-3The Nets followed up what might have been their best performance of the season with their worst. After JJJ and Wemby combined for 29 blocks against the Heat, the pair blocked 3 shots total against Toronto (and missed 3 of 6 games to boot). In the end, it didn't matter since Toronto lost both Hali and Ja for, essentially, the entire match-up. With the win, the Nets move to 10-2 on the year, and they have virtually locked up a playoff spot (all they need is a win or a New York loss). Given the Mobley injury, they'll surely want to land in the top-3, and they've done just about everything they could, to this point, to land there. They could lock up a top-3 spot with a win over Washington. They did lose their GM Cup match-up to Colorado though, so the hopes of pulling off the double are now dead. Toronto got a great week from Tobias Harris (35-9-4), but without Ja and Hali, they just really had no realistic shot to win this. Their odds of playing spoiler have dropped dramatically as well, and they'll more than likely finish with 2 wins. Utah Jazz (8-4) over Colorado Swannies (5-7), 5-4A heck of a comeback for the Jazz, who used some great shooting and a big rebounding performance to come back and beat the Swannies on the final day. It was a massive win for a Jazz team that has now won 4 straight. DeMar DeRozan (24-5.5-5) and Lauri Markkanen (24.5-11-3) led the way. These next two games against Houston and OKC can both lock up a playoff spot and knock those two out, so they're kind of important. For the Swannies, it was a devastating loss, though blunted a bit by the return of LaMelo Ball and their win in the GM Cup. They've now fallen two back of the Warriors, and don't have that tiebreaker. It's going to be an uphill climb, but one this team is very much capable of making. Seattle Supersonics (9-3) over Las Vegas Gamblers (2-10), 5-4Much like the Nets, it was a pretty miserable week for the Sonics that just didn't matter since their opponent was so overmatched. Brandon Ingram averaged 11 points and missed a game. Max Strus essentially missed a whole game, and he might be out a bit moving forward. Spencer Dinwiddie played one game and scored 2 points. Marcus Smart was lost for the rest of the regular season. AND YET... they still held off the Gamblers and stayed even with both the Kings and Blazers. They also have Phoenix this week, so it will more than likely be the same story. Not a lot to write home about for the Gamblers. They're kind of playing out the string at this point, though they're not quite as banged up as the Raps, so maybe they still have an upset up their sleeve. Portland Trailblazers (9-3) over Houston Rockets (6-6), 5-4Last but not least, the Blazers used a big Sunday to hand the Rockets an incredibly tough loss. Had Houston won, they'd officially be in 5th, given their win over GS, but they'll have to settle for a game out with four to play. 27 points per game for Paul George, including 20 threes, and it really feels like we haven't talked about him much this season. He's having a solid season: 24 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg, 1.6 steals... 46/92 splits and 3.6 made threes per game. It's really impressive stuff, and it fueled a nice bounce back win. They also move on to the semis of the GM Cup against the Colorado Swannies. Houston's next two (Utah, KC) will very likely determine their playoff fate. If Jaylen Brown keeps playing like this (29/6.5/2.5), they'll have a real shot.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 15, 2024 11:09:12 GMT -5
Not the most dominant performance of the season, but in a week where so many winners seemed to play poorly, crushing your rival in a must-win for your playoff hopes is an easy choice. Miami will probably reach the end of the season wondering "what if" with injuries to Herro, WCJ, and, occasionally, Keegan Murray. But a strong finish keeps their hopes alive for this year.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 15, 2024 11:15:11 GMT -5
An easy choice for game of the week with the seeding implications riding on this one. The Magic are absolutely rolling. Tampa Bay has won two straight. The Bull Sharks will look to avenge their loss to the Magic over a month ago, and if they don't, they will be firmly behind the Magic in the race to avoid the play-in. The schedules for both are basically even after this. Both have the Grizz and Heat, while Tampa gets Atlanta and Orlando plays Toronto. This one isn't for all the marbles, but it might as well be.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 15, 2024 14:38:47 GMT -5
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 22, 2024 15:58:30 GMT -5
Playoff spots are getting clinched, the season is getting late, and time is running out. Who will be the last ten standing in three weeks? All that and more, plus the inaugural GM Cup comes to a close, this week... Orlando Magic (9-4) over Tampa Bay Bull Sharks (8-5), 6-3The Magic had a bit of a tough week from an injury standpoint, but their incredible depth allowed them to prevail over Tampa Bay. They notched their 8th consecutive win and swept the season series with the Bull Sharks, which will go a long way as they try and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2018. In fact, they can all but lock up that spot with a win or New York loss, though it won't be official since there is still the possibility of a three or four-team tiebreaker. To officially clinch, they'll need a win and a New York loss. Things look pretty good, however, and Collin Sexton has played a major role in that. He put up 30-2-6 on the week, and he's up to 22 ppg on 52/45/92 splits in January. He's been remarkably efficient after an uneven start to the year. They'll look to move one step closer to the playoffs with a win over Miami in week 14. The Bull Sharks lost this week in the regular season, but they advanced to the first ever NBA GM League Cup Final by defeating the Chicago Bulls. They'll take on the Colorado Swannies in the championship game. Domantas Sabonis was great (21-11.5-10.5), but only getting two games from him was a killer. It's been a tough second half of the season thus far for the Bull Sharks, who are now 2-3 since the halfway point. They do get Atlanta this week, so that'll move them one step closer to the playoffs. But with the way Miami has looked lately, that's certainly no gimmee. Miami Heat (6-7) over Chicago Bulls (5-8), 8-1Speaking of Miami, the Heat are kind of rolling. They've won 3 of their last 4, and they've looked wildly better since getting healthy (shocker, I know). Jarrett Allen continues to do everything in the absence of Evan Mobley (15/13/3/2/2 on 68/100 splits on the week). Tyler Herro knocked down 14 threes. Alex Caruso nabbed 7 steals. Just a great all-around showing for this group as they head into their biggest game of the year against the Orlando Magic. A win keeps them very much alive for the playoffs, while a loss would effectively knock them out of the race. That's pretty much where Chicago is after their third straight loss. The one thing propping them up is their win over Washington, but a Wizards win or another loss will officially eliminate the Bulls from the playoff race. It would be a tough way for Fox and Maxey to go out, but the Bulls know they have their backcourt of the future set in stone. Toronto is up next. Brooklyn Nets (11-2) over Washington Wizards (8-5), 5-4The Nets caught some seriously lucky breaks. First with Giannis missing a game, then with him coming back and shooting a ghastly 11/22 from the line. The Wizards almost pulled off the final day comeback, but 15 points from Austin Reaves in the final game of the day sealed the win for the Nets AND a top-2 seed in the East playoffs. It's a remarkable turnaround for this team that went 1-15 last year, and it was led by their frontcourt, all of whom came to play against Washington. JJJ averaged 27/5/4/2, Wemby put up 26-9-2 and blocked 12 total shots, and Jalen Duren averaged a cool 15-13. They got Thompson twin sightings this week too, as Amen and Ausar each got in the lineup for a game and produced (Ausar had 22-9, Amen had 15-14-5). The Nets can clinch the top seed with a win and a Magic loss. The Wizards head into a massive week against the Memphis Grizzlies, and they'll have to do it without Desmond Bane (who is out for the rest of our regular season). If they get the kind of week they did from Jalen Brunson against Brooklyn (36-5-8), then they'll be in pretty good shape. A loss would really open the door for the New York Knicks to try and sneak into the playoffs since they play the Wizards to end the season. Memphis Grizzlies (8-5) over Atlanta Hawks (0-13), 6-3The Grizz forgot to set their lineup to start the week, but it didn't matter as they still dominated the lowly Hawks. Mitchell and Kawhi were awesome, but if there's cause for concern here, it's that DeAndre Ayton just hasn't really gotten it going this season. They've thrown depth pieces at the big man spots to paper over it, but it will be interesting to see how this team fares in the postseason against either the Nets or Bull Sharks, two teams that boast very strong frontcourts. More importantly, the Grizzlies head into their end of year gauntlet against the Wizards, Magic, and Bull Sharks. Considering they've beaten the Magic once this year, they would leapfrog them in the standings if they won out. The Hawks will try and play spoiler against the Bull Sharks. On the bright side for them, Jarace Walker finally got some run since the Pacers have been shorthanded, and he looked pretty good. 11/5/2/2/1 is not a bad week for a kid who hasn't really played all year. It will be interesting to see if he gets some more run moving forward. Kansas City Kings (10-3) over Golden St. Warriors (7-6), 6-3We're not even really sure how the Kings pulled this one off, because they kind of looked dead by midweek. Then they had a massive weekend to come from behind and pull away from the Warriors AND lock up a playoff spot. The highs and lows of this Kings season have been unreal. They've beaten both the Blazers and Nets, but they also looked horrible in losses to the Jazz and Magic (both of whom are good teams, mind you; the Kings just weren't competitive). They had 6 guys average 20+ points, and they actually missed out on the crazy 33-point game from Niang, who was left on their bench. The Kings can still get the top seed in the West, but they need to keep pace with the Blazers, who are also 10-3. The Warriors have to be frustrated that FVV, who'd been an ironman all season, missed the final game of the week and almost certainly costed them the win (they lost by two threes and one rebound). At the very least, Tre Jones is finally getting the minutes he should, and they also picked up Marvin Bagley, who should be a much better contributor than Killian Hayes. A massive game against Portland awaits. New York Knicks (7-6) over Toronto Raptors (2-11), 6-3Tyrese Haliburton only played one game for the Raps, which was surely the difference (as three, maybe even two games would have been enough to flip this one). LeBron led the way for New York (25.5-8-6 on 51/83 splits) as he tries to get the Knicks back to the postseason to defend their crown. Embiid was awesome too, 38-8-5, and they need him on the floor to pull this off. It will be interesting to see what this team decides to do with Podz, since he will exhaust his eligibility before the playoffs if he keeps playing during these regular season match-ups. Win these next two, and they can potentially turn the season finale against Washington into a win and in scenario. Toronto got some great weeks from Tobias Harris and Jalen Williams, but it will be about the trade deadline now. They hold some pieces they could potentially flip that would have an impact on the playoff race. Will they make a move? Portland Trailblazers (10-3) over Las Vegas Gamblers (2-11), 7-2Another one that wasn't close as Vegas limps to the finish line. The Blazers got Draymond Green back, though, sadly, they had multiple games postponed due to the tragic passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. Just a brutal season for the real life Warriors. The Blazers will also have to monitor the status of Trae Young moving forward since he left the last game of the week with a concussion and is now out indefinitely. The Blazers are still in good position to land a top-2 seed, but they have tough games left against the Warriors and Sonics. It appears the Gamblers have punted on the season, though, like the Raptors, they do have intriguing trade pieces as we near the deadline. Colorado Swannies (6-7) over OKC Thunder (6-7), 8-1Colorado snapped a five-game losing streak with a dominant win over the OKC Thunder, keeping their playoff hopes alive (though GS has the tiebreaker, so they need some help). The Swannies are finally getting healthy, and their GM Cup finals appearance is a testament to that fact. Anthony Davis continues his borderline MVP campaign (23-13-6, 63/84 splits). He's single-handedly, at times, keeping this Colorado team afloat. They could potentially keep the Sonics in play with a win there. OKC has lost four of five, and they're probably heading toward being sellers at the deadline. Though with how top heavy they are, there isn't much to "sell." Phoenix Suns (1-12) over Seattle Supersonics (9-4), 5-4The shocker of the week, maybe of the season, goes to the Phoenix Suns as they completed the massive upset of a Sonics team that was looking to clinch a playoff spot. 34-14-7 on 65/86 splits as he finally carried this Suns team to a win by himself. Well, not totally by himself. Jalen Johnson (15/8/4/3) and Jeremy Sochan (15/7/5/2/1.5) were key to the win. Sochan also shot 11/12 from the line, which doesn't sound that amazing until you realize he shoots them one-handed. Yeah, pretty crazy. Suddenly those end of season games against Portland and Utah don't look cake walks for those two. Seattle, meanwhile, closes with Colorado, Portland, and Golden St., and if they lose out and miss the playoffs... man, that would be rough. Not really a ton to say other than they need to play better because this was a tough, tough loss. Utah Jazz (9-4) over Houston Rockets (6-7), 5-4The Jazz, potentially, scored a major win over the Rockets, and we say potentially because they won by just 1 block. If there is a score change in that category that ties it up, this result will flip to Houston. We'll keep an eye on that throughout the week. Assuming this score holds, what a year it's been for the Jazz. They've won five straight, and a win over OKC should lock things up for them. Brandon Miller had a solid week (23.5-8), and would be a real ROY candidate in a year without Wemby and Chet. Lauri Markkanen (27-10-3) picked right up where he left off last year. This team is legit and a real threat to come out of the West. Houston is not quite yet in a position where they need to win out, since they own the tiebreaker with the Warriors and are only a game back, but they'll probably want to win these last three. That's especially true of the season finale against Colorado. Frankly, the OKC game too. If they're going to drop one, it has to be KC. Losing to either of the other two is probably a death knell.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 22, 2024 16:08:41 GMT -5
Shout out to the Phoenix Suns, grabbing their first win of the year in a massive upset of the Seattle Supersonics. If that's their only win this season, it could be one that has a profound impact on the playoff race, so they got their money's worth.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 22, 2024 16:11:14 GMT -5
We're stepping outside the regular season because we have reached the NBA GM LEAGUE CUP FINALS! Get excited everyone, because someone is winning a championship and adding a banner. Either the Swannies are winning their first title in franchise history, or the Bull Sharks are adding to their already overflowing trophy case. Both teams are also still in the hunt for the postseason, so the winner here has a chance to pull off the double if they can also win the NBA title in a couple months.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 29, 2024 11:04:40 GMT -5
The GM Cup came down to the wire, and the red hot Suns (no pun intended) can no longer lose. We've reached trade deadline week with a number of teams still in it, so let's get to last week... GM CUP FINALS: Tampa Bay Bull Sharks over Colorado Swannies, 6-3After a slow start for the Swannies put them behind the 8-ball, they made a valiant climb back to give themselves a real shot heading into the weekend. A massive Saturday by the Bull Sharks, including 43 points from PJ Washington, and a combined 9 steals and 5 blocks as a team, helped give them the cushion they needed to hang on and claim the inaugural GM Cup. Domantas Sabonis was the easy choice for GM Cup MVP, as the do-everything big man averaged 19-12-9 in the knockout round, playing every game. With that, the GM Cup comes to a close and we get set for the final two weeks of the season. The Bull Sharks already know they'll be in the playoffs, while the Swannies hope that their exciting run here can propel them in the final two weeks to a play-in spot. More on both teams in a bit. Orlando Magic (10-4) over Miami Heat (6-8), 6-3For a stretch, it looked like the Heat would pull off the win and keep their playoff hopes alive, but the Magic just kept coming at them as the week wore on, and that is all she wrote for Miami. There is no combination of wins and losses that would allow the Heat to get in, as tiebreakers favor other teams. Ultimately, the early season injuries and stronger conference were just too much to overcome this year, and now we wait and see what Miami does at the deadline. They'll likely be sellers, though many pieces are signed for at least another year and would be helpful to keep around. Could the Magic be buyers? They've now won 9 in a row, and while they're incredibly deep, they may want to make a move for an impact player. We'll see. This is also a team riding a bunch of one-year rentals, so it'll be very interesting what happens once the season does come to a close for them. In the meantime, they're back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and seeking their first title. Brooklyn Nets (12-2) over New York Knicks (7-7), 6-3An absolutely dominant victory for the precocious Nets, and they sweep the season series with their in-city rivals. The bigs were beasts for the Nets. Jalen Duren (14-15-3), Wemby (26/10/4/1/2.5), and JJJ (24/6/3.5/2.5/1) all put up big numbers. That frontcourt is only going to get better as Evan Mobley plans to return this week. Brooklyn's strategy of building around big men has paid major dividends less than one full season into the project, and they now get Atlanta with a chance to wrap up the top seed in the East. The Knicks aren't quite done, but they're going to need some help. A loss or a Washington win ends their season as they are unable to win the tiebreaker. Even worse, they got just a MONSTER effort from Joel Embiid to start the week as he put up 70 points and 18 rebounds to kick off the matchup. He ended up missing the final game of the week, meaning he finished with a 50.5 ppg average (lol), but it wouldn't have mattered anyway if he played. There was actually some incredible history set, but we'll detail that in the OKC match-up recap. The Knicks try and stay alive against the Bulls. Memphis Grizzlies (9-5) over Washington Wizards (8-6), 5-4The Grizz completed the final day comeback after Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal, shockingly, combined to go 2-6 from the line. That flipped FT% in their favor and wrapped up a playoff spot. That's right, the Grizz are back in the postseason, their first trip since moving back to the Eastern Conference several years ago. Mid-season injuries made that a shakier proposition than many expected, but they're here, and that's what matters. The win over Washington also goes a long way toward giving them a shot to avoid the play-in game. That will be determined with their final two games against division opponents: Orlando and Tampa Bay. Since they've already defeated Orlando once, they will lock up the 2 seed if they win out. If they lose to Orlando, they can still get up to 3 with a win over Tampa Bay, but that would likely come down to categories (if Tampa beats Miami). At this point, Washington is probably looking at a play-in date for the 2nd straight season. All they have to do to clinch a playoff spot is beat Toronto. Now, if they win out, Memphis loses out, and Tampa loses to Miami, then they will be the three seed. Outside of that, we don't see another scenario that keeps them out of the play-in. Chicago Bulls (6-8) over Toronto Raptors (2-12), 4-4-1 (Chicago wins on points)The Bulls kept their slim playoff hopes alive by hanging on to beat Toronto on points. Chicago has been decimated by injuries, but fortunately for them, Toronto didn't have Hali or Ja. Shout out to Saddiq Bey though, who put up 18-8.5-3 to help the Bulls stay alive. A lot has to go their way for Chicago to sneak in ahead of Washington and New York, but they do at least control the latter portion of that with the Knicks up next on the schedule. Toronto... what more is there to say? Just a really rough season for them with the Ja and Hali absences. Jalen Green played well last week though (28-7-3), so that's something. And Jalen Williams looks like a star. Some interesting pieces here for next year. Houston Rockets (7-7) over Kansas City Kings (10-4), 6-2-1The Rockets have struggled this year, but not against the Kings. This is their second detonation of the team tied for first in the West, though it didn't come without it's own bad news. Julius Randle dislocated his shoulder late in the match-up, and odds are he will be out for our entire postseason, if the Rockets get there. The Rockets are probably the most interesting deadline team. They're still in the playoff race, but the odds are long, and they've got guys who, theoretically, would generate a decent return. They could determine the winner of the title even if they don't make it. The Kings, on the other hand, need to stay healthy. They've not been as horribly banged up as a team like Toronto, but they keep missing games here and there, and it finally caught up to them. With 32-5-7 on the week, though, SGA may be the leader in the clubhouse for MVP. If the Kings finish atop the West, it may be hard to give it to anyone else. KC can officially avoid the play-in with a win over Colorado. Golden St. Warriors (8-6) over Portland Trailblazers (10-4), 6-3Talk about a statement win. The Warriors dominated the Trailblazers to stay one game clear of Colorado and Houston in the race for the final playoff spot. They are locked into the play-in game though because of losses to KC and Utah (I guess there's a slim chance they could avoid it if they finish tied with Portland, but that's so unlikely we haven't even gamed it out). Devin Booker went absolutely CRAZY this week, averaging 42-5-4, knocking down 15 threes and shooting 64% from the floor. In a week where Embiid and Luka (more on him shortly) both scored over 70 in a game, Booker might have had the best week. Ironically, he and the other two have something absurd in common that, again, we'll hit in the OKC recap. The Warriors get Vegas next. Bummer of a loss for Portland, but they still have to feel pretty good about their chances to avoid the play-in since they still have Phoenix on the schedule (though that's not a guarantee any more, apparently). Also Trae Young came back and looked fine, so other than Poeltl and Melton, they're fairly healthy. Phoenix Suns (2-12) over Las Vegas Gamblers (2-12), 6-2-1Break up the Suns! Phoenix won their second straight, and leapfrogged Vegas in the standings, on the backs of some great performances. Jokic was Jokic (29-13-7), but how about GG Jackson (12-3, 64/80 splits)? Or Andrew Nembhard (18-2-8)? Or Jeremy Sochan (15-8-3)? Or Jalen Johnson (18.5-8-3.5)? We're not exactly sure how the Suns feel about it, but the last two weeks have to have been pretty fun, especially with their young guys coming through. Vegas, man, tough year. The roster looked competitive in the off-season, then Adams got hurt, Simons got hurt, Oubre got hit by a car... just some incredible bad luck. At least they know Cade and Chet are true building blocks, and, despite the injuries, Zion looks like a real re-sign guy. Pieces are there for this team. Utah Jazz (10-4) over OKC Thunder (6-8), 6-3OK, here we go. First, hats off to the Jazz, who now control their own destiny to avoid the play-in. All they have to do is beat KC the final week of the season. If they win out, and Portland drops one, they're the one seed. This team is deep. They're versatile. And they look like they hit a home run with Brandon Miller. We should talk more about them, but we can't. Because Luka Doncic made history. Doncic scored 73 points in a game this week, becoming the 5th player in NBA history to score at least 70 in a game during the run of our league. He joins Joel Embiid (last Monday), Damian Lillard (February 2023), Donovan Mitchell (January 2023), and Devin Booker (March 2017) in that feat. That's not the only thing they have in common though. Believe it or not, all four of those guys LOST the week they put up 70 in a game. Joel Embiid's Knicks obviously lost to Brooklyn last week. Damian Lillard's Rockets lost in the playoffs to Portland. Donovan Mitchell's Kings lost to the Rockets. And Devin Booker's Thunder... well they didn't lose, technically, but they had already been eliminated from the playoff race and weren't playing for anything, so it's kind of a loss. You would think that a team seeing one of their own guys hit 70 points in one game would help propel them to victory, but to this point, the opposite has been true. We're honestly not even sure how. The events that have to take place to conspire against them are pretty incredible. That being said, OKC needs to beat Houston this week to stay alive, so Luka should probably keep his scoring in the 60's if he wants to win. Tampa Bay Bull Sharks (9-5) over Atlanta Hawks (0-14), 7-2We covered the Bull Sharks in the GM Cup Finals paragraph, so we won't go too long here. They defeated the Hawks to clinch a playoff spot, and they'll now try and avoid the play-in game with matchups left against Miami and Memphis. KAT was awesome, putting up 34-7-3 including one game of 62 points (which, again, kept him out of the dreaded 70-point curse. Yes, we're calling it a curse now). If they can avoid the play-in, it will give Zach LaVine some extra time to rest and get traded, we mean heal. The Hawks are wrapping up a lost season, but their trade for Kuminga looks like a big win after he put up 26-7-2. Good on them. Colorado Swannies (7-7) over Seattle Supersonics (9-5), 6-3The Swannies completed the comeback against Seattle, and they've now set up a fascinating final two weeks. With their win here, they own the tiebreaker, and the very likely outcome is a two-way tie between these two (unless GS somehow loses to Vegas). In the event that just Colorado and Seattle are tied, the Swannies will bump the Sonics out of the playoffs. And if that happens? Woo buddy, Phoenix will have caused some major upheaval. Most importantly for Colorado is the health of Anthony Davis, who briefly left the last game of the week with hip spasms. They desperately need him to be healthy for these last two weeks if they want a shot to sneak into the postseason. Seattle got a crazy week from Harrison Barnes (30-5, 15 threes, 55/94 splits), but it wasn't enough and Bam and Ingram combining to go 20/30 from the foul line didn't help. Seattle will now have to sweat out these final two weeks, which is wild considering they just had to beat Phoenix to clinch a playoff spot.
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 30, 2024 16:14:25 GMT -5
Wasn't Memphis' most dominant effort of the season, but easily the biggest win of the week. Losing to Washington would have essentially locked the Grizzlies into the play-in round. Instead, they will now control their own destiny. Win out, and they will climb all the way to 2, no matter what else happens. Their week 15 match-up against Orlando will be the biggest game of their season, by far.
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