With little time to go until the end of the NBA regular season, things are beginning to wrap up. That doesn’t mean the excitement is over, as the postseason will deliver more than a few explosive moments.
NBA MVP Competition Has Concluded
After watching Joel Embiid dismantle the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers was only sure of one thing. To him, the NBA MVP competition has concluded.
There are still five days left in the NBA regular season. But after watching Embiid surgically tear the Celtics apart, finishing with 52 points in a spectacular 20-of-25 shooting performance in a 103-101 Philadelphia victory, it’s hard to blame Rivers for getting a little ahead.
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T&C APPLY | NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH ONLY Join NowEmbiid was constantly on for the 38 minutes, 37 seconds he was on the court. He did what he wanted against a Celtics team that came into the contest, having won the first three meetings between the teams and has regularly held hegemony over the 76ers in recent years.
It remains to be seen how far Embiid and the 76ers go in their postseason march.
Lakers Secure Postseason Ticket
The Los Angeles Lakers clinched their ticket to the inning tournament with their 135-133 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz. However, the heavy workload the win required from Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both recovering from foot injuries, could affect their availability for future games as the Lakers try to climb further up the Western Conference standings.
James, in his fifth game after missing four weeks with a torn right foot tendon, played 38 minutes. This load should be monitored as the regular season ends as the risk of a new injury is latent. For now, the Lakers have already secured his pass and that’s what counts.
Nuggets Unleashes Fury Performance
With star center Nikola Jokic back from injury and a chance to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets appeared poised for a big night on Tuesday. Instead, they fell to the worst team in the conference, allowing the last-place Rockets to defeat them 124-103 in Houston.
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T&C APPLY | NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH ONLY Join NowThe lackluster performance drew the ire of coach Michael Malone, who didn’t mince words when assessing his team’s effort. Malone unleashed his ire by indicating that if they continue like this, they will be out of the playoffs in the first round. The coach characterized the performance as “weak” and said that the whole team agreed with his characterization of the facts.
For the Nuggets, it’s not just the first-place ranking that’s important. They also have a goal set: to win the NBA title. However, that win doesn’t come at the end of the regular season. This triumph comes at the end of the journey through the various rounds of the postseason.
Denver still has time to improve its performance and fine-tune its various elements, so there is still work to be done.
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