BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Houston Rockets have already clinched the best record in the NBA, and are on the short list of contenders for a championship run. While they will be revved up and ready to go for the postseason, it remains to be seen how hard they will play the rest of the way in the regular season.
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The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are both on the outside of the Western Conference playoff chase as the regular season winds down, but within striking range of sneaking into the postseason. Neither team has much room for error and they will face off in a critical matchup this week.... 

The Houston Rockets are in cruise control, knowing full well they will enter the playoffs with the best record in the NBA and the top seed in the Western Conference. They seem like serious contenders to Golden State’s crown and may rest some key players down the stretch to be primed to go. That would be music to the ears of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who must hit the road this week and face off with the Rockets in Houston.... 

The Golden State Warriors are not exactly flying into the playoffs looking like another unstoppable group. While Golden State is the defending champion and is certainly going to be a handful for any team in the postseason, injuries have taken their toll of late and the Warriors are limping to the finish line as the regular season winds down.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to finish atop the Eastern Conference like many envisioned when the year began, but they are playing a good brand of basketball as the playoffs approach. Cleveland dealt with more than its fair share of tumult early in the season but has smoothed everything out and is beginning to play like a title conference contender.... 

The New Orleans Pelicans are hanging on by a thread to one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. Several teams are clumped together and the Pelicans’ fate could be decided with how they play in the final few games down the stretch of the regular season.... 

The No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference will be up for grabs when the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the road to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers in a pivotal late-season contest this week. Cleveland has held the spot for nearly the entire season but Philadelphia is charging hard.... 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have slid down the Western Conference standings of late and have to play well down the stretch in order to ensure a playoff berth. They have to hit the road in a game this week but it is a winnable one against the Los Angeles Lakers.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA of late. The problem is, they are getting chased by a team playing even better. Cleveland has won nine of its past 10 games but sits only a half-game ahead of the 76ers in the standings because Philadelphia has reeled off 11 straight wins.
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The race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference has been a jumbled mess for weeks, and as the season comes to a close there will finally be some clarity. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets are right smack dab in the middle of that mix so their matchup this week is a huge one. ... 

The Boston Celtics have closed the gap on the Toronto Raptors for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, suddenly making their showdown this week one of the most critical games in the NBA. Boston would love to overtake Toronto for the top seed and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference but has no room to spare. The Celtics must figure out a way to pull out the win on the road against a strong Raptors squad. Toronto will be the favored team in this matchup because of the home court advantage in NBA basketball spreads.
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The San Antonio Spurs are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, re-establishing themselves among the top seeds in the Western Conference after a recent lull which had them outside of the playoffs completely. San Antonio must hit the road next time out but is heading to Los Angeles for winnable matchup against the Lakers.
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The San Antonio Spurs have righted the ship after a midseason lull and are now on track to earn home court advantage in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs. However, there are still several teams hot on their tail and the Spurs need to play well down the stretch. They have a lot of motivation next time out but so does their foe the Los Angeles Clippers, who are in a battle to simply make the postseason.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder has played quite well at home all year, and another victory in their friendly confines would be huge next time out. Oklahoma City is in the jumble of teams fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference and would love to pick up a win this week. The Thunder will face off against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who are getting healthier but will still be without former MVP Stephen Curry.... 

The San Antonio Spurs were in a rare spot a few weeks, actually sitting on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture. But they have found a groove to move back up to the No. 4 seed and are hoping to stay there to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.... 

The Boston Celtics have won five straight games to keep the heat on the Toronto Raptors for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the postseason. Boston doesn’t have a great shot of catching Toronto but can edge ever closer when the teams face off in a head-to-head matchup this week.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing stiff competition from the 76ers and Pacers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting just a half-game ahead of both heading down the stretch run. Cleveland needs to take care of business in every winnable game the rest of the way, and the next one certainly qualifies as that. The Cavaliers will host the Dallas Mavericks, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA and don’t figure to put up too much of a fight.... 

The Blazers have zoomed to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and are one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA, so they will be favored to capture this victory. Los Angeles has to figure out a way to attack Portland’s weaknesses and try to somehow pull out a win to edge closer to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the standings in NBA basketball odds.... 

There are only a few weeks remaining in the regular season but there is still much to be determined in the playoff standings in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans are among the teams jockeying for position as they prepare to face off in an important clash this week.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are currently lined up to face off in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. However, there is plenty of time for movement and one of them will be improving their standing when these teams face off in a critical end-of-season matchup this week.... 

The Golden State Warriors are just trying to tread water at this point, looking nothing like the defending champion as injuries have ravaged their star-studded starting lineup. The Warriors are pretty much locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference so they won’t have a ton of motivation next time out in a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.... 

The Boston Celtics have been fantastic on the road this season but they are going to be challenged this week in a matchup against the Utah Jazz. Even though Utah is only sitting as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference it is one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Jazz has played really well at home all year and could be favored in this one despite the inferior record.... 

It took several months, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally playing like a team capable of making a deep run in the NBA playoffs. The Cavs have captured five consecutive games and will look to keep rolling this week in a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.... 

It has been a bumpy season for the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. They are going to head into the playoffs no better than a No. 3 seed and are not among the top title contenders based on their overall body of work. However, Cleveland has turned it up lately and is hoping to peak at the right time in order to make a run at another NBA Finals appearance.
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The Los Angeles Clippers’ postseason hopes are fading fast. Los Angeles has been more competitive than expected since the midseason trade of star Blake Griffin but reality has sneaked up on it lately. The Clippers are in tenth place in the Western Conference and will need to play nearly perfect ball down the stretch to finish among the top eight seeds.
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