The topsy-turvy Eastern Conference continues to make for fascinating viewing in the NBA. Miami has taken advantage of the Bulls’ dropping seven of ten to move into first place in the conference, but only two games separate first place from sixth place in the conference. After that, it drops off just 2 ½ more games to seventh-place Charlotte. The blue bloods in the East (Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Philadelphia) are all struggling with consistency at this point. In the Western Conference, Phoenix has started to pull away from Golden State with a seven-game winning streak, now leading the conference by three games. Utah has dropped eight of ten to slide down to fourth place. Which teams can we expect to see in the playoffs? Use our guide as you look at your online betting on NBA futures.
NBA News: Update — Teams Reaching the Playoffs
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Phoenix is even getting lucky with its hardship contracts. Bismack Biyombo, a journeyman center, has put up 10.1 points and 6.9 boards per game in eight contests, shooting 70.2% from the floor. In Saturday’s win over Indiana, he had a career high with 21 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds. So even when COVID-19 ravages the roster, the Suns end up ahead.
Golden State is still waiting for Draymond Green (disk) to return, and Klay Thompson missed Sunday’s game as his surgically repaired knee was sore. Stephen Curry has also had a shooting slump, going just 32.7% from downtown in January. They seemed to fix that on Tuesday with a blowout win over Dallas, but we’ll see if that trend can continue.
Miami has Bam Adebayo back from thumb surgery, and in his first four games out on the floor, he has put up 18.3 points, 8.7 boards and 3.7 assists per game. The whole roster has been kicking in, but with their big man back, the Heat are a real threat to stay in the top half of the East playoff bracket and have home court advantage in at least two rounds.
Is Milwaukee dealing with karma for signing dirty player Grayson Allen? He got a one-game ban after picking up a flagrant 2 against Alex Caruso, and while the team released a statement dissenting about the suspension, he will sit Wednesday. The team is struggling with consistency at 30-19.
Chicago has seen Alex Caruso (wrist) and Lonzo Ball (knee) go to the shelf for surgery with timelines of six to eight weeks before returning. Javonte Green and Zach LaVine are both back, which is good news, but Chicago must maintain its winning ways to stay near the top of the East standings.
Smart Picks
Memphis has Desmond Bane, Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones all in the COVID-19 protocols, which means that Ja Morant has to do a lot more scoring by himself. In the last three games, Morant has put up 35.3 points and 8.7 assists per game, but two of those games ended up as losses in Milwaukee and Dallas. To hold that third spot in the West, Memphis will need their depth back.
Philadelphia has gotten at least 30 points out of Joel Embiid in 12 consecutive road games. Since Philadelphia dropped to .500 in the middle of December, they have gone 12-4, which is one reason why they are nipping at the heels of the top teams in the East.
Utah has lost seven of nine, but it’s worth noting that Donovan Mitchell (concussion) and Rudy Gobert (COVID-19 protocols) have only played together in two of those games. Gobert also strained his calf on Sunday against Golden State and could end up missing more time.
Dark Horses
Dallas is now 10-3 in January, second only to Phoenix, and the defensive rating of 98.8 for January leads the league by 5.7 points. Luka Doncic is rounding back into All-NBA form, as he hung 41 on Toronto and then 37 on Memphis last week.
Cleveland has a record of 28-19 and started a stretch this week of eight games against sub-.500 teams in their next 11 going into the All-Star break. Could the Cavaliers make it to the top of the East standings by the midseason intermission?
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