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Poll: Which Western Contenders Will Miss Playoffs?

April 3rd, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Three teams in the Western Conference have clinched playoff berths, with the Rockets, Warriors, and Trail Blazers likely locked into the top three seeds, in that order. However, after those top teams, the race for the conference’s final five postseason spots remains hotly contested.

The Spurs (45-32) are ostensibly in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round, but a late-season slide could still put their playoff spot in jeopardy. San Antonio has back-to-back road games against the Clippers and Lakers on tap this week, followed by home games against Portland and Sacramento, and a regular season finale in New Orleans. While it’s still possible that Kawhi Leonard could return for one or more of those games, the club isn’t counting on that.

While the Thunder (45-33) remain in contention for the No. 4 spot too, they’re also one bad week away from slipping out of the playoff picture, particularly since they hold virtually no tiebreakers against their Western competitors. You can probably pencil OKC in for a win at home vs. Memphis next Wednesday, but before that game, the Thunder will have to deal with the Warriors at home, and the Rockets and Heat on the road.

The Jazz (44-33) have won 27 of their last 34 games, but that hasn’t been enough to pull away from the pack in the West. A home-and-away set against the Lakers this week bodes well, but Utah will also have to host the Clippers and Warriors before finishing the season in Portland. Holding tiebreakers over the Spurs, Pelicans, and Clips could come in handy.

The Timberwolves (44-34) could badly use Jimmy Butler in their lineup down the stretch, and he’s still expected to be back before the end of the season, but his exact return date remains up in the air. Home-and-away games against Denver may ultimately decide Minnesota’s playoff fate, though the Wolves will also face a pair of lottery teams in the Lakers (road) and Grizzlies (home). Minnesota’s tiebreakers over the Thunder, Jazz, Pelicans, and Clippers look big now.

The Pelicans (43-34) have lost four straight games, putting their playoff spot at risk, but those losses came against four very good teams. They’ll have a chance to turn things around this week when they host the Grizzlies and visit the Suns. After that, the schedule gets tough again — the Pelicans close out by visiting the Warriors and Clippers before hosting the Spurs.

If any of those five teams falter, the Nuggets (42-35) and Clippers (41-36) will be ready to take advantage, though neither team has it easy down the stretch. In addition to facing Minnesota twice, the Nuggets also host the Pacers and Trail Blazers. The Clippers have one road game left in Utah, and will host the Spurs, Pelicans, and Lakers. The Nuggets and Clippers will also face one another in L.A. on Saturday.

Got all that? Great. Now, we want to know what you think. How will the season’s final nine days play out? Which two of the top 10 teams in the West will end up missing the playoffs? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Five Traded 2018 Draft Picks With Protections To Watch

April 2nd, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

A ton of 2018’s first- and second-round picks have been included in trades already, and many of those traded picks have protections on them. In those instances, the pick only changes hands if the protection conditions are met — for example, the Hawks traded their second-round pick to the Clippers, but included top-55 protection on it, meaning L.A. would only receive it if it falls between 56 and 60. Given Atlanta’s record, that obviously won’t happen.

For many of this year’s traded picks, there’s not much drama left related to those protections. Either they definitely won’t change hands, like that Hawks second-rounder, or they definitely will — like the Rockets‘ first-round pick, which is headed to Atlanta with top-three protections on it.

However, there are a handful of traded draft picks whose status remains up in the air. The season’s final few games will determine which teams end up with those picks, or whether they change hands at all.

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at five of those protected picks worth watching down the stretch…

Pistons‘ first-round pick (to Clippers; top-4 protection)
- The Pistons are likely to finish the season 12th in the lottery standings, so this pick is extremely likely to end up with the Clippers. But that could change if Detroit lucks out in the lottery — at No. 12, the Pistons would have a 2.5% chance of jumping into the top three and keeping their pick.
Bucks‘ first-round pick (to Suns; top-10 protection and 17-30 protection)
- As of today, the Bucks’ 41-36 record has them tied with the Heat for the 15th or 16th pick in the draft. That would mean the Suns receive Milwaukee’s selection. That could change though, if the Bucks get hot to finish the season, pushing the pick back to 17th or 18th overall. Milwaukee has games left against Boston, Philadelphia, and three lottery teams, so that scenario is in play. If it happens, Milwaukee would keep its 2018 first-rounder and owe the Suns a protected first-rounder (protected for 1-3 and 17-30) in 2019.
Timberwolves‘ first-round pick (to Hawks; top-14 protection)
- At 44-34, the Timberwolves are up one game in the loss column on the ninth-seeded Nuggets, and two on the tenth-seeded Clippers. The Wolves’ remaining two games against Denver will be crucial for determining whether they make the playoffs and lose their pick or miss the playoffs and keep it (they’d owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Atlanta in that case).
Thunder‘s first-round pick (to Timberwolves; top-14 protection)
- The 45-33 Thunder are slightly better positioned than Minnesota to clinch a playoff spot, but that could change quickly — Oklahoma City has games against Golden State, Houston, and Miami on tap, and doesn’t hold a tiebreaker edge over most of the other Western Conference playoff contenders. I expect the Thunder to hang onto a playoff spot, but if they don’t, they’ll keep their 2018 first-rounder and owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Minnesota. Interestingly, if the final playoff spot comes down to the Thunder and Wolves, Minnesota could end up with two first-round picks for 2018 or none.
Bucks‘ second-round pick (to Nets if in 31-47 range; to Suns if in 48-60 range)
- As is the case with their first-round pick, the Bucks’ second-round selection is right on the edge here, currently projected to be 45th or 46th. A strong finish for the Bucks could mean that second-rounder lands with Phoenix, but for now it seems more likely to head to Brooklyn.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 4/1/18

April 1st, 2018 at 5:10pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Lakers recalled Travis Wear from their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, after their playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Blue on Saturday, the team announced on Twitter. Wear enjoyed a strong regular season for South Bay, averaging 16.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 33 games.
The Hawks recalled forward Tyler Cavanaugh to their affiliate in Erie, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
The Thunder recalled rookie center Dakari Johnson from their Oklahoma City Blue affiliate after yesterday’s playoff game, the team announced in an email.

Dakari Johnson Assigned To OKC Blue For Playoff Game

March 31st, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder assigned rookie center Dakari Johnson to their Oklahoma City Blue affiliate for today’s playoff game, the team announced in an email. Johnson put up 15 points and five rebounds in a loss to South Bay.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/30/18

March 30th, 2018 at 8:17pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Lakers assigned Travis Wear to their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, for their playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Blue on Saturday, the team announced on Twitter. Wear enjoyed a strong regular season for South Bay, averaging 16.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 33 games.
The Thunder assigned Dakari Johnson to the Blue this afternoon only to recall him back to the NBA squad hours later, per a pair of press releases. He is expected to be in uniform for the Thunder’s game against the Nuggets but it’s likely he’s assigned to the G League tomorrow for the Blue’s postseason matchup against South Bay.

Thunder Recall Dakari Johnson From NBAGL After Big Game

March 23rd, 2018 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have recalled Dakari Johnson from the G League, the team announced today in a press release. Johnson helped the Oklahoma City Blue pick up a victory on Thursday night by posting 23 points, 13 rebounds (11 offensive), and six assists vs. Austin.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/22/18

March 22nd, 2018 at 7:19pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Thunder assigned rookie big man Dakari Johnson to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Johnson has appeared in 29 games with the Thunder, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.2 RPG.

Northwest Notes: Gobert, Stockton, Nurkic, Brewer

March 18th, 2018 at 4:03pm CST by marksuleymanov

Rudy Gobert missed 26 games due to two knee injuries earlier this season, but has been a focal point in the Jazz‘s recent nine-game winning streak. Gobert has always been praised for his defense and the Utah center said he deserves to be rewarded for it, Eric Woodyard of Desert News writes.

“To me, there’s no question right now,” Gobert said about whether or not he should be Defensive Player of the Year. “Like I said, my goal is to make my teammates better defensively and to make my team better, but yeah, there’s no question.”

Gobert has been a double-double machine for the Jazz, averaging 14.0 PPG and 10.7 RPG. While the team struggled in his absence, Gobert said the team needed to go through it to enjoy its current success.

“The team had to go through this kind of slump, and when I came back the second time, I felt I was better,” Gobert said. “I felt like it made everyone better. Everyone got better by going through this moment.”

Check out more notes from the Northwest Division:

David Stockton, who signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz this week, is excited for the opportunity to suit for the team where his father became an NBA legend, Woodyard writes in a separate article. However, he is not putting any pressure on himself. “I try not to think about it,” he said. “The statue has been there, and it’s kind of been the same old story my whole life as far as basketball and playing and having this name, so I try not to think about it, and I don’t think there’s too much pressure.”
Jusuf Nurkic has been a solid player for the Trail Blazers since he was traded from the Nuggets. As he prepares to showcase his talent on the postseason stage, restricted free agency looms over him, but he tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype he is not worried about it. “I don’t even think about it. I’m really only focused on Portland and the playoffs right now,” he said. “In this league, business is business, but I just try to keep it simple: I’m going to hoop and let everybody else do their job.”
Corey Brewer joined the Thunder for the stretch run and he has played a vital role in a short time. His success can be attributed to his family, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes.

UFA-To-Be Grant Showing Off Improved Offensive Game

March 14th, 2018 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

In his second season with the Thunder, Jerami Grant has been able to focus on his close-range game rather than being relied upon to space the floor. As Erik Horne of The Oklahoman details, Grant is enjoying his best offensive season as a result, averaging 10.6 PPG on .576/.355/.605 shooting since Andre Roberson went down in January. The 24-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer, so he has shown signs of improvement at the right moment.

George Leaves Game With Groin Injury

March 14th, 2018 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George left last night’s game with a groin injury, but doesn’t expect to miss any time, according to Royce Young of ESPN. George will be re-evaluated today before the Thunder decide whether he can play Friday.