As we move past the midpoint of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, we are seeing some of the usual suspects moving to the top (and bottom) of the standings – while there are also some surprises who could bring you some sports betting cash as the season winds down and as the postseason approaches. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have hit a rough patch, dropping six of ten, but they are still in second place in the standings, just 2 ½ games behind Phoenix and two games clear of Utah. A couple of hot middle-tier teams have moved up in the West, as Memphis has won nine of ten to move into a tie with Utah for third, while Dallas has won eight of ten to slide into fifth place. The Lakers and Clippers, on the other hand, have slid to eighth and ninth respectively. In the Eastern Conference, the surprising Chicago Bulls shot to first in the standings and are still a half-game up on Brooklyn despite a three-game skid. Cleveland has won four in a row to sit in sixth, and Charlotte has won seven of ten to move into seventh. Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Philadelphia are also in the top five, but the East could see some real surprises down the stretch.
Let’s take a closer look at some teams that you should count on seeing in the NBA postseason.
NBA News: Past Mid-Season — Teams Reaching the Playoffs
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Phoenix is getting another turn-back-the-clock season from Chris Paul, as he is on course to average 10 assists and two steals per game. He would be the only player to do that with three teams – he was the only player to do it with two different teams (New Orleans and the Clippers). He is 36 and would be the oldest player to break those marks in one season. So while the emphasis might be on Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, Paul just keeps leading.
Golden State has lost Draymond Green for at least two more weeks, as it emerged that his calf problem connects to a disk issue in his back. Klay Thompson is still settling in after missing 2 ½ seasons due to ACL and Achilles tendon injuries. Thompson will have to take on a larger role than the team expected with Green missing so much time.
Milwaukee is struggling with consistency. Over the last two weeks, they have blown out Brooklyn and Golden State, but they have also lost to Charlotte and Toronto. Finding ways to even out their effort levels will be crucial for them to get a high seed and think about a run that goes more than even one series.
Smart Picks
Memphis saw an 11-game winning streak end on Friday against Dallas, and some of the teams they took down in that stretch included Phoenix, Brooklyn, Golden State and the Lakers (twice). A four-game East Coast swing looms, including a date with Milwaukee. Ja Morant has emerged as a real superstar during that winning streak, winning the Western Conference Player of the Week twice and putting up 26.7 points per game. In crucial late situations in these wins, he simply took over the game. He’s getting ready for the postseason.
Utah saw Rudy Gobert put up 18 points, 19 boards and two blocks and post a +36 rating in Utah’s win over Denver on Sunday. While Gobert was out, the Jazz went 1-4, posting a dreadful 120.8 defensive rating. Gobert publicly called out his team’s bad defense and then came back and led by example.
Dark Horses
Charlotte is a young team with a young leader, as LaMelo Ball is just 20 years old. Around him, a talented group consisting of Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges has coalesced and has the team paying well. Despite the youth of this team, they have won 12 of 23 games that have involved statistically clutch situations (with the score being within five points in the last five minutes of regulation or overtime). Those 12 wins are ninth overall in the league. Ball and Bridges, who is just 23, are the two top scorers of the team. Ball puts up 19.4 points per game, shooting 42.1% overall and 36.9% from three-point land. Bridges puts up 19.6 points per contest, shooting 47.3% overall and pulling down 7.2 boards per game. Rozier (18.3) and Hayward (17.3) round out the scoring nicely.
Chicago saw Zach LaVine go down and has dropped three straight. However, Alex Caruso has cleared the league’s COVID-19 protocols and will help the defense, which has ranked just 26th in the league in efficiency since Caruso entered the protocols on December 20.
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