March Madness is in full effect, but there’s been a lot of action and storylines in the NBA this past week. If you’ve been paying attention to your bracket and the college game, I have you covered. Here are the biggest storylines in the NBA this past week.
Steph Curry Goes Down:
Steph Curry sprained a ligament in his foot after Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart landed on his foot going after a loose ball. Curry is expected to return by the start of the postseason, but this is a big deal. The Warriors are in danger of moving out of the three seed in the West. Being either second or third seed is a big deal, because it means you avoid the Phoenix Suns in the second round. The Warriors just were hitting their stride again with Draymond Green returning and Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole having strong games against the Nuggets and Bucks, before Curry went down versus the Celtics. The Warriors are also still waiting on James Wiseman to return. Can the Warriors get in sync and find the right chemistry to make a deep run in the playoffs and stay in the top three in the West?
Kyrie Goes for 60 in Orlando:
Last Tuesday Kyrie Irving put on a special performance in Orlando. Kyrie went for 60 points, including 41 points in the first half. It was a reminder of the type of special player on the offensive end of the floor Irving is. The problem is, Kyrie is only eligible to play in three more games this season for the Nets and Ben Simmons isn’t ready to return to the floor yet. The Nets are currently in 8th place in the east – only a game ahead of a surging Charlotte Hornets team and two games ahead of the Hawks. If the Nets slide late in the stretch, they will have to win two games in the play-in tournament to get into the postseason. Being in seventh or eighth place ideal as you must only win one game to make the playoffs.
LeBron Passes Karl Malone:
Saturday night LeBron James moved past Karl Malone into 2nd all time on the NBA’s scoring list. In a disappointing season for the Lakers LeBron’s play has been a bright spot. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the Wizards and are now 30-41 in the season. Lakers are currently 10th in the West and it’s not far-fetched that they will miss the playoffs entirely. It’s been a lost season for LeBron as his career is drawing closer to a close.
Surging Celtics:
The Boston Celtics have continued their strong play and currently sit at fourth in the East – only a game behind Philly and Milwaukee who are tied for second place. Make no doubt about it, the Celtics are a contender to come out of the East. Jason Tatum has been on a tear lately and the Celtics are locking teams up. Sunday night against the Nuggets the Celtics went into Denver and spanked them by 20. Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 30 points and the Celtics’ defense held defending MVP Nikola Jokic to 8-23 shooting from the floor.
Timberwolves are Hot:
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Yes you read that right. The Wolves have won 10 out of their last 11 games and are currently 6th in the West and only 1.5 games behind the Mavericks for the fifth spot out West. Minnesota embarrassed the Lakers and let them know about it, talking trash to both Russell Westbrook and LeBron James. They followed that performance up with a convincing win over the Bucks, who rested Giannis due to knee soreness. Even though Giannis was out. the Wolves did what needed to be done by dominating the Bucks without their star. Karl-Anthony Towns has arrived – putting the league on notice with his 60-point performance against the Spurs. Minnesota also has a dog in Anthony Edwards, and DeAngelo Russell has had a solid season – averaging 18.5 points and 7 assists per game. The Wolves are a team you should be paying more attention to.