Booker MVP? T-Wolves crack Top 10
SACRAMENTO – The final day of this NBA regular season is April 10.
The play-in tournament is April 12-15. The playoffs start April 16.
Those dates are right around the corner, but so much could happen between now and then.
The only thing that can be counted upon is the Phoenix Suns continuing to win.
They’re 9-4 without injured Chris Paul (fractured right thumb) going into Sunday’s games and remain atop The Republic’s latest NBA Power Rankings.
1. Phoenix Suns (57-14, Last week 1st)
The Suns are very close to wrapping up the top overall seed in the playoffs, but have a chance to set the single-season franchise record for victories.
The 1992-93 Suns led by Charles Barkley went 62-20 to set the record the 2004-05 ‘Seven Seconds or Less’ Suns featuring Steve Nash matched.
Both Nash and Barkley won the league’s MVP award in those respective seasons. With Paul injured, could Devin Booker do the same this season?
Probably not, but he should be in the conversation.
2. Memphis Grizzlies (43-28, Last week 3rd)
The Grizzlies last won 50 games when going 55-27 in the 2014-15 season. Ja Morant was a teenager.
He’s now looking to lead the Grizzlies to a second seed in the West.
With Stephen Curry expected to miss two weeks with a foot injury, the Warriors might fall short of passing Memphis for that number two spot.
Memphis begins a four-game homestand Wednesday against Brooklyn, which will have Kyrie Irving because it’s a road game for the Nets.
The Grizzlies follow that up with Indiana, Milwaukee and Golden State.
3. Golden Warriors (47-23, Last week 2nd)
They have Draymond Green back, but he can’t make up for the scoring the Warriors lose with Curry sidelined.
Golden State will make the adjustment.
Maybe this is a good time for Andrew Wiggins to regain his aggressiveness on the offensive end.
The first-time All-Star has missed multiple games with an illness, but he is expected to return soon. When Wiggins does, Golden State could use an uptick in his scoring.
He’s averaging just 14.2 points in March on 40.7% shooting.
4. Miami Heat (47-24, Last week 4th)
The Heat went 5-2 on their sevengame homestand with the losses coming to Phoenix in Booker’s return after
missing four games in the league’s health and safety protocols and red-hot Minnesota.
The Timberwolves are 9-1 in their last 10 games.
Miami has a huge test coming up at Philadelphia. The Heat have a threegame lead on the Sixers with 11 games remaining.
A win Monday would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (44-27, Last week 5th)
Without Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness), the Bucks ran into the Timberwolves and left on the wrong end of a 138-119 score.
Listen, Minnesota is the hottest team in the NBA right now and are looking to pass Denver for that sixth spot in the West.
Sorry, got sidetracked.
The Bucks are in good shape, though. They finally have Brook Lopez back. Missing most of the season with a back injury, Lopez scored 15 points in 20 minutes against the Timberwolves.
Next five
Philadelphia 76ers (43-26) – These next three could go in any order, but the 76ers are coming off an impressive 10point win over Dallas. The NBA’s best 1-2 punch – Joel Embiid and James Harden – combined for 56 points.
Utah Jazz (44-26) – Two solid home wins over the Bulls and Clippers gives Utah momentum going into a crazy sixgame road trip in the final stretch of a regular season that starts in New York and ends in Los Angeles. Wow.
Boston Celtics (43-28) – Thought Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown couldn’t play well together? The combo is looking pretty good sharing the court, but let’s take a moment to applaud Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for hugging it out at Garnett’s jersey retirement ceremony. It’s about time they squashed that beef.
Dallas Mavericks (43-28) – Losing to Philadelphia is one thing. Embiid and Harden are special, but Charlotte ran the Mavs out the gym despite Luka Doncic going for 37. And it doesn’t get any easier. Dallas faces the T-Wolves twice in its next three games.
Minnesota Timberwolves (42-30) – Can’t give them props throughout this entire post and not have the T-Wolves here to close out the top 10. Nikola Jokic and Embiid are 1-2 or 2-1 for the title of NBA’s best big, but Karl-Anthony Towns is looking like No. 3 right now.
One last thing
Karl Malone down, Kareem AbdulJabbar to go.
LeBron James is second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list after passing Malone in Saturday’s loss at Washington.
He now has 36,947 career points. Abdul-Jabbar is at 38,387.
James will pass him next season to make ultimate history.
Congrats in advance.