BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Golden State Warriors are not going to finish with the best record in the NBA this season, as the Houston Rockets are pulling away for that honor. But Golden State has bigger goals than that, and at this point is focusing on getting healthy for the playoffs.... 

The Golden State Warriors have long been recognized as the team to beat in the playoffs behind their superstar cast. Golden State may still get that nod provided it can get healthy by the postseason, but the Houston Rockets are making their claim to be the team to beat. The Rockets have won seven consecutive games and are going to finish with the best record in the NBA this season.... 

The Denver Nuggets have fallen off the pace in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spots and need to be great down the stretch to have a chance at qualifying for the postseason. They will be the underdogs next time out against the Philadelphia 76ers but would benefit greatly from an upset win.
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The Phoenix Suns may not be deliberately tanking like some others, but they are doing a great job of losing nonetheless. The hapless Suns have lost nine consecutive games and are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the worst record in the NBA. With the playoffs long out of the picture, losing is actually a good thing for Phoenix to improve its chances at the top pick in the draft.
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The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and have vaulted into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Their 13-game winning streak was snapped last time out by the Rockets but Portland will aim to start a new one next time out against the Boston Celtics.... 

The Philadelphia 76ers seem to be getting better as the season moves along, which is not a surprise for a group with a solid young core. Philadelphia is jockeying for position in the lower half of the Eastern Conference playoff seeds and would love to pick up a winnable game next time out against the Orlando Magic.... 

A recent swoon had the San Antonio Spurs in an unfamiliar place, sitting outside of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference. But San Antonio has won four straight games to move back up to fifth place and hopes to finish strong to cement a spot in the playoffs. The Spurs have a crucial game coming up this week when they face off against the Washington Wizards.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are down their coach but up a star player. It will be interesting to see how the loss of coach Tyronn Lue and the return of power forward Kevin Love affects their performance in a matchup this week against the Toronto Raptors.... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder has always had the high-end talent to be considered one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Now they are playing up to that billing. Oklahoma City has won six straight games to move up to the No. 4 seed in the conference and will aim to stay hot next time out in a matchup against the Boston Celtics. ... 

The Houston Rockets have been the best team in the NBA this season, but the Portland Trail Blazers are the hottest. Portland has won 12 straight games to vault into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and would love to keep rolling in a primetime matchup against the Rockets next time out. ... 

The Golden State Warriors look like a shell of their former selves. Superstars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are all banged up and it’s unknown if any of them will be able to play against the San Antonio Spurs this week.... 

Two of the best players in the world will face off next week when the Milwaukee Bucks head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question is, which superstar will have the more effective supporting cast? Giannis Antetokounmpo has risen to one of the most dominant players in the NBA in 2017-18 but the players around him have been up and down. LeBron James has long been the best player on the planet but similarly has dealt with inconsistency around him.... 

The Houston Rockets are zeroing in on finishing with the best record, sitting two games ahead of the banged up Warriors as the season winds down. Houston has been playing extremely well all season and a few more key road wins could wrap it up. The Rockets have a critical matchup next time out when they travel to play the Minnesota Timberwolves.... 

The San Antonio Spurs currently find themselves in a position they haven’t been in this century -- on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture. San Antonio is trying to extend a 20-year streak of qualifying for the postseason but that is currently in peril. The Spurs could pick up a huge win next time out in a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. ... 

When the Los Angeles Clippers traded Blake Griffin near the deadline, many believed that would end their shot at making the playoffs. But the team has continued to play well and finds itself in the No. 7 spot as the regular season hits its final stretch. The Clippers don’t have much room for error with 10 teams in the mix for eight spots.... 

The Houston Rockets are in the driver’s seat to finish with the best record in the NBA, sitting two games ahead of the Warriors coming down the stretch. Earning home court advantage throughout the playoffs would be critical, especially in the much-anticipated Western Conference Finals showdown with Golden State, and picking up a home win next time out over the Los Angeles Clippers would be another step in finishing it off. ... 

The Boston Celtics are running out of time to catch the Toronto Raptors for the top seed in the Western Conference. They will need to be almost perfect down the stretch, and that begin this week in a home game against the Washington Wizards.... 

The Golden State Warriors missed a golden opportunity to retake the best record in the NBA, losing on the same night as the Houston Rockets last week. They lost again to the Timberwolves on Sunday and now sit two losses behind Houston coming down the stretch in the race for home court advantage throughout the postseason.... 

In the crowded Western Conference playoff picture, a prolonged losing streak can lead to a heap of trouble. The Minnesota Timberwolves recently fell down that treacherous path before coming up with a big upset of the Warriors last time out. They are aiming to stay on the winning path with a victory over the Washington Wizards next time out. ... 

The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sits in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, a spot it does not want to end up in when the playoffs come around. That would guarantee a first-round date against either the defending champion Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.... 

The Golden State Warriors are trying to catch the Rockets for the best record in the NBA and home court advantage in the playoffs. That may be a tough proposition if they miss superstar point guard Stephen Curry for any significant length of time. Curry appeared to tweak his ankle early in a game against the Spurs recently and left the game.... 

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t going to be heading to the playoffs this season, but they have played really well in the past several weeks. That gives hope for the future and they aim to keep it rolling with a win next time out against the Cleveland Cavaliers.... 

Can anyone stop the Houston Rockets? The Rockets are shaping up as a legitimate contender to the Golden State Warriors’ throne as they are in the midst of one of the most impressive winning streaks in recent years. The dominant stretch has pushed them up to the best record in the NBA and they can stay there by knocking off the San Antonio Spurs next time out.... 

In a crowded Western Conference, the hottest team down the stretch is likely to come away with the No. 3 seed behind the Warriors and the Rockets. Right now, that team is the Portland Trail Blazers. An eight-game winning streak has vaulted Portland past a host of teams jockeying for playoff positioning and into the third spot, where it will look to remain the rest of the way.... 

The Los Angeles Clippers refuse to fold, as some solid play even after dealing star power forward Blake Griffin has kept them in the hunt for the playoffs. Los Angeles is currently just a half-game behind the Nuggets with plenty of other teams in its crosshairs. The Clippers need to stack some wins as the regular season schedule hits its stretch run....