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Nuggets

The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery was last night, so we now have our top-14 picks!
Unfortunately, many of these teams &mdash; like the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets &mdash; have grown accustomed to picking in the lottery year after year.
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Of those top-14 teams, some should try to win now. And no, that doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean they have to trade their first-round pick, especially after observing how Rookie-of-the-Year winner Scottie Barnes and runner-up Evan Mobley impacted winning this season. But, for some teams, you could say that if they were better at development, they wouldn&rsquo;t be in the lottery this often.
But we digress. Here are some teams who should strongly consider using their lottery pick in a win-now trade so that they&rsquo;re not back in the same position next season in an increasingly wide-open NBA.
(Did we include specific trade ideas? No, we aren't firing up the trade machine here. It's May, and what do you want? 2,500 words? On the Lottery? During the Conference Finals?)
Sacramento Kings
The Kings, who were the only team to jump in the lottery last night, have picks No. 4 and No. 37 in the upcoming draft, <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Kings.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with all of their pending first-rounders</a> and many of their seconds.
Absolutely no team in the NBA needs to make the playoffs more than the Kings. The team was a perennial playoff participant from 1999 through 2006, which is hard to fathom since they haven&rsquo;t reached the postseason ever since. Their eight-straight playoff trips included four consecutive runs to at least the Western Conference Semifinals, with a Western Conference Finals trip in 2002. They have not made the playoffs since 2006; they&rsquo;ve only finished above 10th place in the West once, in 2019, when they went 39-43 &mdash; their best record in 16 years, and one of only two seasons in which they&rsquo;ve had more than 33 wins.
Last season, they made the now keystone Kings-Pacers trade, dealing Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristian Thompson for Domantas Sabonis (who represented them at the lottery), Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. With the pairing of Sabonis (26 years old) and De&rsquo;Aaron Fox (24 years old), it may make more sense to add a similarly aged starter who can help their 2022-23 presumed playoff push.
Also, expected on the roster next season is Davion Mitchell, who will enter his sophomore season but is already 23 years old and may earn an All-Rookie selection soon. Richaun Holmes saw his role take a hit once Sabonis arrived and missed much of the latter portion of the season <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/being-accused-ex-wife-domestic-010013091.html">dealing with a personal issue</a>. Otherwise, for now, Holmes, Harrison Barnes and Mitchell are among the players under contract for next season.
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Dealing the No. 4 overall pick could land them a damn good player. John Collins, Gordon Hayward, Julius Randle, Jerami Grant and Christian Wood are among those who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/five-nba-players-who-feel-destined-to-be-traded-this-offseason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may find a new home this summer</a>. Could the Utah Jazz look to move on from <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-desinations-for-donovan-mitchell-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donovan Mitchell</a> or <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudy Gobert</a>&nbsp;in the coming months?
The Kings will have to attach players to the No. 4 pick, but imagine if Sacramento could put another win-now piece alongside Fox and Sabonis? They should make some calls to see what a package built around the No. 4 pick could return.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite all of the draft picks the Thunder own, they simply can&rsquo;t draft everyone. In this year's draft, OKC owns No. 2, No. 12, No. 30 and No. 34. Over the next five years, they will have 17 first-round picks and 30 selections in total. This is something you do in NBA 2K when you plan on building a dynasty, but at some point, most virtual GMs realize that you need to start having actual players on your roster to win rather than just continually flipping players for picks while toiling at the bottom of the standings.&nbsp;
At some point, Oklahoma City needs to make its run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is about to enter the first season of his five-year, $172 million extension, which will see him earn just under $30 million next year. SGA turns 24 years old this summer and is a cornerstone for the franchise as their best player at the moment. Last year's No. 6 overall selection Josh Giddey looks like a keeper who almost certainly will be on an All-Rookie team this season. Lu Dort, Tre Mann, Kenrich Williams, Darius Bazley, Ty Jerome and Aleksej Pokusevski are all under contractual control for next season.
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OKC could quickly assemble a package for a high-level starter or borderline star to join SGA and Giddey, particularly with whoever else is retained. They have more than enough draft capital and could probably get close to anyone they want as a result. In terms of their roster, they just need good two-way players who fit what they&rsquo;re trying to build culturally and schematically. Literally, anything goes here.
At some point, the Thunder will have to package some of these draft picks or prospects. We'll see when Sam Presti decides to flip that switch.&nbsp;
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers are in a tough spot with Damian Lillard, and what Lillard wants will factor in to their decision-making. He clearly wants to win but, by all accounts, he prefers to stay in Portland. It may be difficult to check both of those boxes with the Blazers as presently constructed. In the Lillard-CJ McCollum era, Portland made the playoffs every season and reached one Western Conference Finals in 2019. They were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often failed by suboptimal roster construction around Lillard and McCollum</a>, and then the elite backcourt would be unfairly blamed for the team's struggles.
With the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and the assumption that Lillard remains, what&rsquo;s their next move as they once again attempt to win with their elite 6-foot-3 shot creator? Lillard is due over $42 million next season, the second season of a four-year supermax that will include a player option worth close to $49 million in 2024-25.
Eric Bledsoe&rsquo;s $19 million and Josh Hart&rsquo;s $12 million are the only other big salaries on the books for next season. A decision awaits on dynamic guard Anfernee Simons, who is reminiscent of the aforementioned McCollum, as he is up for an extension this summer as he enters restricted free agency. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/02/25/restricted-free-agent-to-be-anfernee-simons-i-100-want-to-stay-in-portland/#:~:text=signed%20a%20three%2Dyear%2C%20%2451.8,board%20career%20highs%20this%20season." target="_blank" rel="noopener">He reportedly wants to stay in Portland</a>.
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Ultimately, if the Blazers decide to package the No. 7 overall with some combination of players, could they look to include Simons via a sign-and-trade? It depends how aspirational a supposed deal could get and who they are getting in return. Only $3.9 million of Bledsoe&rsquo;s deal <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/eric-bledsoe-6900/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is fully guaranteed until June 29</a>, making him a prime trade-and-waive candidate between now and the draft.
Here's the reality: Portland&rsquo;s roster requires a full rebuild, but if Lillard is going to remain, selecting a rookie at No. 7 might not be ideal. And given their history and Simons' fit alongside Lillard, you might want to look at a big.

Bryan Fonseca argues that there are three NBA teams who should look to trade their lottery pick for a win-now piece.

Which NBA Draft Lottery teams should make a win-now trade?

Michael Malone says the Denver Nuggets realize they won't transform into NBA title contenders simply by getting Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back on the court.
Denver's coach said Wednesday the Nuggets need to vastly improve on defense, whether that's through attitude adjustments or player acquisitions.
Thanks to an historic season by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets won 48 games despite Murray missing the entire season while recovering from ACL reconstruction and Porter missing the final 73 games and the playoffs following back surgery.
The Nuggets lost to Golden State in five games in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs with their two max players looking on in street clothes from the bench.
Malone called this &ldquo;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-denver-nuggets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a huge offseason</a>&rdquo; for the Nuggets, who aim to surround Jokic with the proper supporting cast to capitalize on his prime years.
"Everybody wants to just say, &lsquo;Well, it&rsquo;s just Michael and Jamal coming back healthy.&rsquo; And that's just a starting block, but it doesn&rsquo;t end there,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;We have a window and I think windows are only open so long. We have a 27-year-old phenom who will hopefully soon be named a back-to-back MVP.
"We have to capitalize while we have a special player in Nikola and do everything that we can as an organization &mdash; and I know we will &mdash; to put the best players around him to give ourselves the best chance to win the world championship.&rdquo;
There's the draft, trades and free agency, Malone said, &ldquo;but I always tell our players they have to come back better players. We as a coaching staff have to come back and prove we can find ways to help this team.&rdquo;
That starts with becoming a tougher team to score on.
&ldquo;Our defense against Golden State was not good enough,&rdquo; Malone said. "I think we had the 16th-ranked defense in the playoffs, which is dead last."
During the season, Malone noted, Denver allowed 17&frac12; points per game on turnovers, &ldquo;so we fuel teams' breaks, we give them easy baskets."
&ldquo;And then in the half-court, our inability to guard one-on-one, contain the ball, led to a lot of rim attacks and I think we were 30th in opponents' rim field-goal percentage. We were 29th in blocks per game,&rdquo; Malone said.
&ldquo;That's a bad combination if you struggle to guard the ball on the perimeter and you don't have Dikembe Mutombo blocking shots behind you.&rdquo;
Malone said &ldquo;to be a dangerous, deep playoff team you have to have an elite defense, and that's one of the areas we have to really focus on.&rdquo;
Malone added that &ldquo;the best perimeter defenders are tough dudes&rdquo; and he has two on his roster in forward Aaron Gordon and guard Austin Rivers, a pending free agent along with center DeMarcus Cousins, guards Bryn Forbes and Facu Campazzo and forwards Vlatko Cancar, Davon Reed and Markus Howard.
Malone said his expectations for Murray and Porter next season are &ldquo;just to take it slow and not expecting &lsquo;bubble&rsquo; Jamal Murray and not expecting &lsquo;peak&rsquo; Michael Porter right away."
&ldquo;It's really an important offseason for both those guys,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;They weren't able to play this year and that was tough for a lot of people to understand. But they weren't ready, and that's all there was to it.&rdquo;
Malone said that at different times he felt both players would return to action last season, but the patience the organization displayed with them will continue next season.
&ldquo;I think tempered excitement,&rdquo; is how Malone describes his outlook next season with his stars regaining their health. "And as the season goes along they're going to get more and more comfortable. They're going to get their rhythm back, their confidence back and then they're going to get back to their old selves.
&ldquo;But that's not going to be the case come October, whenever the first game comes around. We have to have patience.&rdquo;

Michael Malone said the Nuggets need to vastly improve on defense, whether that's through attitude adjustments or player acquisitions.

Nuggets need more than healthy Murray, Porter to contend

Watching the 2021-22 Denver Nuggets, it&rsquo;s impossible not to imagine what this team could have achieved had it been at full strength.
After all, how many teams could lose two max-level players and still manage to win 48 games and secure the Western Conference&rsquo;s sixth seed?
During the Nuggets' first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, even Denver head coach Mike Malone would catch himself wondering how this season could have played out differently if the team had Jamal Murray (who missed the entire season while recovering from a torn ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (who played just nine games after undergoing back surgery in December).
&ldquo;I couldn't sleep one night. At 3 o'clock in the morning, I was looking at Jamal's stats in the Bubble. Wow,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I knew he was good, but sometimes you forget how good he was (26.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 threes on .505/.453/.897 shooting splits). That's the thing about Jamal: When the stakes are at their highest, he steps up. He's never afraid of the moment.
&ldquo;Michael Porter, what he did last year in 10 playoff games: 17 points, 6 rebounds and, more importantly, shooting a high clip from the three-point line (39.7%). Shooting makes up for so many things. Jamal and Michael can do that.&rdquo;
How good can the Nuggets be next season if everyone is healthy?
&ldquo;I think it's scary to think about that,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I go back to last season before Jamal's injury in this building (Chase Center); we felt we had a legitimate chance to win a championship last year. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards for us. Jamal suffers the ACL. Earlier this season, Michael Porter Jr. suffers a back [injury]. You're playing without two max players that have both helped us advance out of the first round the last three years. When they're back and they're healthy, I think that's going to make us a deeper, more talented team. I'm excited about that, I really am. I think the future is very, very bright for the Denver Nuggets.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The potential is scary,&rdquo; DeMarcus Cousins added. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re down two superstars. We took one of the most dominant teams of this past decade and we battled every night with them. The potential is scary. Obviously, it looks good on paper, but we got to put everything together. We'll see what happens.&rdquo;
Even though they were missing two of their three leading scorers, Denver finished the season with the NBA&rsquo;s sixth-best offense (scoring 111.7 points per 100 possessions).
&ldquo;We know when we're fully healthy, we can be even more dangerous,&rdquo; Will Barton said.
&ldquo;We're going to call in the reinforcements,&rdquo; Aaron Gordon said with a smile.
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&ldquo;It should be fun,&rdquo; Monte Morris added. &ldquo;A lot of people don't even know how well they're looking individually. It's going to be just like we never left. It was big-time when we was doing it [before] &mdash; made some great 3-1 comebacks, some big wins. I'm looking forward to it.&rdquo;
Fortunately for the Nuggets, most of their core is under contract for the foreseeable future, including Nikola Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon, Barton, Morris, Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji. Coach Malone isn&rsquo;t going anywhere either, as Denver&rsquo;s front office just gave him a multi-year contract extension last month.
While Jokic is entering the final year of his current contract worth $33,616,770, he made it clear that he wants to stay in Denver long-term and plans to sign a supermax extension this offseason (which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nuggets-offseason-preview-nikola-jokic-extension-free-agents-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $260 million over five years, including $59.1 million in 2027-28).
&ldquo;I would like it, of course, but it's not something that I'm deciding,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;If [an] offer is on the table, of course I'm going to accept it because I really like the organization, I really like the people who work here. I'm in [a] really good relationship with everybody from owner to equipment manager. I think we have something that we're building. It actually feels really good.&rdquo;
For Denver, this offseason will mostly be about getting healthy and making moves around the edges.
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The Nuggets do have several players who will hit unrestricted free agency: Cousins, Bryn Forbes, Facundo Campazzo, Austin Rivers and Vlatko Cancar.
JaMychal Green and Jeff Green could become unrestricted free agents as well, as they each have a player option ($8,200,000 for JaMychal and $4,500,000 for Jeff).
Markus Howard and Davon Reed will be restricted free agents, assuming Denver extends a $1,576,305 qualifying offer to each player.
The Nuggets have $158,679,553 in guaranteed salaries committed for next season, and they are already $9.7 million over the projected luxury tax, per <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nuggets-offseason-preview-nikola-jokic-extension-free-agents-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype's Yossi Gozlan</a>. Denver&rsquo;s ownership has historically avoided paying the luxury tax, but that will change next season as the team tries to make its first NBA Finals run in franchise history.
Cousins&rsquo; free agency will be interesting, as he became a key contributor after joining the Nuggets in February, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. In Game 5, he had 19 points, 4 rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes, while shooting 8=of-12 (66.7%) from the field and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from three-point range.
After the Nuggets were eliminated, the 31-year-old admitted that he isn't sure whether he&rsquo;ll be back in Denver.
&ldquo;I honestly don't know what the future holds,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;A lot in this short time has transpired. I'm still trying to get over the fact that G.P. (Gary Payton II) hit that big shot, right? I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity. I'm happy to be a part of this group. I'm happy with the opportunity that was given to me from Mike, [Nuggets president] Tim [Connelly], [Nuggets general manager Calvin] Booth. To answer that question, I can't right now. I don't know what's future holds.&rdquo;
With that said, Cousins proved that he still has a lot to offer a team, and he should receive significantly more interest during this year&rsquo;s free-agency period.
&ldquo;I belong here; I belong in this league,&rdquo; Cousins said. &ldquo;I was given the opportunity. I'm thankful for Mike Malone. I spoke with him before. A lot of doors closed for me. Mike looked out, gave me an opportunity. I just tried to take the best advantage of it as I could. That's what I did.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I gave him a big hug in the locker room, and I gave him a shout-out in front of his teammates,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;He was a guy hanging out at home in Las Vegas after being released by Milwaukee. He goes out in an elimination game and puts up 19 points in 15 minutes. Nikola is in foul trouble, we need somebody to steady the ship; DeMarcus did that. The biggest thing is I'm just really, really happy for DeMarcus Cousins, and I'm so proud of him for staying with it. He had an impactful run with the Denver Nuggets. We'll figure out the offseason in the coming weeks as me, him and [Nuggets governor] Josh [Kroenke] sit down and talk.&rdquo;
Several fellow Nuggets players vouched for Cousins and stressed that they want him back.
&ldquo;Anytime you have a guy like that, you always want him back,&rdquo; Barton said. &ldquo;Like I say, he's still DeMarcus Cousins &mdash; a guy who, when he's healthy, is a very good player. Those are not my decisions; I'm not in management. Obviously, if I have a voice in the fight, I definitely would love to have him back. He was big for us on and off the court, [a] presence in the locker room. We'll see what happens.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;Signing Boogie, man... I love him to death,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;A guy that would pick up 19 points in a do-or-die elimination game just shows how much heart he has, how much love he has for the game. I'm definitely proud of him... He's a great guy. He has a great family, great kids, an amazing wife. I look at things bigger than just ball. He's a guy that's been through a lot on and off the court, experience-wise. He can help anybody. It's a lot that he's seen. Having that around, I think, is big.&rdquo;
In addition to re-signing their own role players, the Nuggets will also have the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth $6,392,000) to attract talent. Last offseason, Patty Mills (Brooklyn Nets), Rudy Gay (Utah Jazz), George Hill (Milwaukee Bucks) and Justise Winslow (Memphis Grizzlies) are some examples of players who were signed using the taxpayer mid-level.
Also, the Nuggets have the No. 21 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, so they can either draft a prospect or trade the selection for more of a win-now piece. Considering their cap situation, it may make sense to keep the pick and select a rookie who can be a relatively cheap contributor.
In BasketballNews.com's latest <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Denver is projected to pick Baylor's Kendall Brown &mdash; a 6-foot-8 wing who's known for his athleticism, motor and defense.
Denver&rsquo;s front office hasn&rsquo;t been afraid to pull the trigger on trades in recent years &mdash; including the trade-deadline acquisition of Gordon last season. However, the Nuggets&rsquo; continuity is one of their biggest advantages, so don&rsquo;t expect many significant changes. Once Murray and Porter are back to 100%, they will basically count as Denver&rsquo;s big offseason acquisitions.
If Gordon can take the next step in his development, that would be huge for the Nuggets as well. Following the Game 5 loss, the 26-year-old told reporters that his focus this offseason will be &nbsp;&ldquo;working smarter&rdquo; and &ldquo;becoming more of a student of the game.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I'm playing with Jok, who is one of the smartest basketball players in the world, so I gotta raise my level of IQ to help him, to help everyone, to help the coaching staff,&rdquo; Gordon explained. &ldquo;I've relied on my talent for so long &mdash; just natural talent, not enough on the cerebral part of the game. So I think now is the time to switch.
&ldquo;[I&rsquo;ll be] studying film. Just study, study, study &mdash; everybody that's in the league, every game, every set, just leave no stone unturned. I feel like it will slow the game down even more for me and really allow my natural talent to excel. Obviously, I'm going to continue to work on the jumper and just rounding out my game. That's part of it. But the cerebral part, being a student of the game, that's my main focus for this offseason&hellip; That's the way that I'm going to help improve this team.&rdquo;
At the end of the day, the sky's the limit for the Nuggets. If Jokic continues playing at an MVP level, Murray and Porter can return to form and Gordon makes strides, another deep postseason run is certainly a realistic possibility.
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The Nuggets' 2021-22 NBA season came to an end on Wednesday. Now, Alex Kennedy previews what's next for Denver this offseason.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Denver Nuggets?

Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his return to Golden State's starting lineup and the Warriors beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 102-98 on Wednesday night to end the first-round series in five games.
Curry converted a three-point play with 1:33 left and scored again with 29 seconds remaining to held sent the Warriors on to the second round in the Western Conference.
Jokic scored 12 of his 30 points in the final 3:46 and finished with 19 rebounds and eight assists.
The Warriors advanced to play the winner of the Memphis-Minnesota, with the Grizzlies up 3-2 going into Game 6 on Friday night in Minneapolis. Memphis eliminated Golden State in the play-in round last year.
Jokic tied it at 90 on an 18-footer with 2:26 remaining before Golden State's Gary Payton II made a layup moments later. Payton also hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the baseline corner in front of Denver&rsquo;s bench with 6:57 left to put Golden State up 86-84 and finished with 15.
Jokic converted two free throws with 3:46 left after Draymond Green&rsquo;s foul the Golden State defensive star wanted called on the 7-footer. Jokic wound up 12 for 18 from the floor. DeMarcus Cousins added 19 points off the bench against his former Golden State team, and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Denver made 7 of its first 10 shots after halftime to turn a 48-48 tie into a 10-point lead, 66-56. Curry's 3 with 4:06 left pulled the Warriors to 68-67.
Curry shot 10 of 22 with five 3-pointers. He came off the bench the first four games with the series beginning one month from when he sprained a ligament in his left foot March 16 against Boston.
Coach Steve Kerr went small with Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson as Kevon Looney came off the bench. Thompson had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Kerr challenged the Warriors to "get back to being us.&rdquo; They had given up 30 points off 15 turnovers and committed 27 fouls that led to 36 free throws for Denver in a 126-121 road loss Sunday.
GREEN'S D
Green was whistled for his first foul 20 seconds into the game, much like Game 4 when he fouled 40 seconds into the opening quarter.
Green had 11 points and six assists. His three blocked shots moved him past Kevin Garnett for 22nd on the NBA&rsquo;s career postseason blocks list.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Austin Rivers exited late in the first with tightness in his right hamstring. ... Denver shot 3 of 14 from deep in the first half and 6 for 29 overall. ... Jokic had 10 rebounds in his initial 11 minutes.
Warriors: Curry (3,108) passed Julius Erving (3,088) for 24th place on the NBA's playoff scoring list. ... The Warriors are 12-3 in Game 5s since winning the 2015 championship for the franchise's first title in 40 years. ... Golden State was held below 50% shooting for the first time in five games.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his return to Golden State's starting lineup and the Warriors advanced with a win.

Curry, Warriors hold off Jokic, eliminate Nuggets in Game 5

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The Denver Nuggets aren't fazed.
They realize no team has ever won four elimination games in a single postseason series. They also know they're the only team in league history to overcome back-to-back 3-1 playoff deficits.
That's where they find themselves after avoiding a sweep by the Golden State Warriors with a 126-121 win Sunday to send the rough-and-tumble series back to San Francisco.
&ldquo;Can I say we want them right where we want them? No, but we're alive," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;We live to fight another day.&rdquo;
Game 5 is Wednesday night.
Although none of the 143 other teams who faced a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs ever bounced back to advance, the Nuggets became the league's first team ever to overcome 3-1 deficits in consecutive series two years ago when they bounced the Jazz and Clippers in the Orlando bubble.
&ldquo;The odds are against us,&rdquo; said MVP favorite Nikola Jokic. &ldquo;But we've beaten the odds a couple of times, so why not?&rdquo;
Jokic scored 37 points and fed Will Barton for a 3-pointer from the left corner with 8.3 seconds left after Monte Morris' short jumper broke a 121-all tie and Austin Rivers stole Otto Porter Jr.'s pass.
It was a reversal of final-minute fortunes for the Nuggets, who faltered down the stretch in a five-point loss in Game 3.
&ldquo;We felt like it could have been 2-2 if we didn't drop that last game,&rdquo; said Rivers, who noted the Nuggets finally matched the Warriors' physicality, especially down the stretch.
Morris finished with 24 points. He hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter, the most in a quarter by any player in these NBA playoffs.
Aaron Gordon chipped in 21 points and helped stifle Jordan Poole, who came in averaging 28.7 points this series but was held to 11.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 33 points despite missing 13 of 23 shots, going 3 for 11 from long range and missing four free throws for the first time in his career, whether in the playoffs or the regular season.
&ldquo;It's the worst feeling in the world, missed free throws,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;It's what I do really well.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson scored 22 of his 32 points after picking up his fourth foul in the final second of the first half. He finished with five fouls.
Behind flexing rookie Bones Hyland's three consecutive 3s, the Nuggets opened a 40-23 lead in the second quarter and they still had a nine-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
Curry's jumper gave Golden State a 121-119 lead, but Jokic's finger-roll layup tied it back up and Andrew Wiggins missed a dunk at the other end as the Warriors went scoreless over the final 80 seconds.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was still a &ldquo;great experience&rdquo; for the players on his team who haven't been in close-out playoff situations after Golden State missed the playoffs the last two years.
&ldquo;We needed that,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;I felt like we got completely away from the game plan tonight in the first half, because I think we were almost too anxious to win the series.
&ldquo;But the focus now goes to heading home and the back in front of our fans&rdquo; with a chance to close it out at home, Kerr said.
&ldquo;So, we're right where we need to be."
Thompson said the Warriors need to be loose ones in Game 5, playing as though their season was on the line, not Denver's.
&ldquo;We got to go with the attitude like all right, it's a must-win,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;We'd like to have some rest before the next series.&rdquo;
Thompson said the Warriors don't want to come back to Denver until next season &ldquo;because a win by them and anything's possible.&rdquo;
The Jazz and Clippers can attest to that.
&ldquo;Out of all teams in the playoffs," Malone said, &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re probably the most comfortable being down 3-1.&rdquo;
BACKDOOR BACKFIRE
The Nuggets took a 63-52 halftime lead after a move by Kerr backfired with less than a second left in the second quarter.
Kerr sent Thompson back into the game with six-tenths of a second remaining and Thompson executed the play to perfection, coming off the screen for the layup &mdash; only, he pushed Rivers on his way to the rim, so the basket was waved off and Thompson was whistled for his fourth foul.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Thompson was 7 of 11 from beyond the arc but his teammates were just 5 of 23 on 3-pointers. ... Draymond Green picked up his first foul 40 seconds into the game when he poked Jokic in the right eye. In the ensuing tussle, Gordon and Thompson were assessed a double technical.
Nuggets: Rivers had five steals. ... Hyland finished with 15 points. His final 3 was a 33-footer that capped a 14-2 run with Jokic catching a breather on the bench after scoring or assisting on 20 of Denver's first 23 points. &ldquo;Those big shots don't faze me,&rdquo; Hyland said.

The Denver Nuggets staved off a sweep on Sunday, toppling the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 and staying alive in the series.

Jokic, Nuggets avoid sweep with Game 4 victory over Warriors

Deja vu is unfolding for the Denver Nuggets this postseason. They face another season in which Nikola Jokic will likely finish as NBA MVP, but the campaign will end in disappointment because of injuries and a lack of impactful depth around him. Jokic&rsquo;s dominance speaks for itself, but as Denver has fallen into an impossible 3-0 hole to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it brings back vivid memories of last year&rsquo;s downfall to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals.
From the start of last year's series against Phoenix, everyone knew Denver was out-matched. It led to a quick sweep, one that left an embarrassing blemish on what was a historic campaign for their franchise player. Who knows how differently it would have gone had Jamal Murray not torn his ACL in that series? Still sidelined a year later, it's no surprise that Murray didn't return for the Nuggets&rsquo; postseason push. If anything, being cautious with Murray is Denver's only option when considering their roster. Still, Murray would've given the Nuggets a lethal one-two punch that would&rsquo;ve made a sizable dent in the West&rsquo;s hierarchy.
Even without Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic&rsquo;s ho-hum manner on his way to pulverizing defenses all season was nothing short of fantastic. But watching the potential back-to-back MVP still put up numbers in losses against the Warriors&rsquo; updated Death Lineup (Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green) shows one player can&rsquo;t do it all. Jokic is averaging 29.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists on a 58.4 True Shooting percentage in the playoffs, but it doesn't matter without the necessary ancillary pieces.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic dropped a monster double-double in Game 3 for the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a>. 🃏 37 PTS, 18 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL Game 4: GSW vs. DEN, Sun. 3:30pm/et on ABC <a href="https://t.co/Kv1kVSratu">pic.twitter.com/Kv1kVSratu</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1517395121985269762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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If Murray and Porter were flanking Jokic, things might be different, but the pain of postseason failure continues to ring in the rocky mountains. We haven&rsquo;t seen the trio of Jokic, Murray and Porter share the court together since April 12, 2021. And with Porter&rsquo;s back issues becoming serious once more, who knows when the Nuggets will see their star trio blossom together and rise up the West standings?
Denver is always going to be a contender during Jokic&rsquo;s prime years, but is this series against Golden State a wake-up call that could lead to an offseason roster retooling? What could the Nuggets fetch if they decided to offload a few key role players?
As it stands, Denver is putting a lot of eggs into the basket of health for Porter and Murray, but there are a lot of intriguing angles to view their roster in the short-term and long-term. Aaron Gordon is a strong fit alongside Jokic after having put together a career-best season in 2021-22, proving last year's trade-deadline investment was the correct move. Also, rookie combo guard Bones Hyland has already forced his way into the picture thanks to his microwave scoring capabilities.
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Denver moving forward with their core of Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon and Hyland is fun to envision. It feels like it&rsquo;s missing one more relatively large piece to the puzzle though. The frontcourt (Jokic, Gordon, Porter) is already in place, but who makes sense as a compatible long-term backcourt partner alongside Murray?
Entering the 2022-23 campaign as an over-the-tax team, Denver will have to get lucky and creative to feel confident going toe-to-toe with the likes of Phoenix and Golden State. Murray and Porter have the equalizer potential of reuniting on-court with Jokic, but can we really view this current version of the Nuggets as true title contenders? That&rsquo;s where I pause, because the injury and depth questions surrounding this roster are legitimate.
Here&rsquo;s an early look at the Nuggets&rsquo; rotation next season, which actually seems okay on paper:
Starters: Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Second Unit: Monte Morris, Bones Hyland, JaMychal Green, Jeff Green, Zeke Nnaji
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
AARON GORDON. YOU, SIR, CAN FLY🤯 <a href="https://t.co/DJEXJLdSRT">pic.twitter.com/DJEXJLdSRT</a>
&mdash; x - Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1517327429081083904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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It&rsquo;s unfortunate to already be writing the eulogy on the Nuggets&rsquo; season led by another all-time Jokic offensive barrage, but here we are as they stare down the hole of a 3-0 deficit to the reloaded Warriors. It's fair to wonder what comes next.
Denver is stuck in a position of hoping, which is one spot you never want to be without certainty.
Murray&rsquo;s return next season should benefit the Nuggets&rsquo; standing in the West, but the domino effect of MPJ's chronic back injuries serve as an eerie cloud that hovers around the corner. Those back problems are why Porter slid to the back of the lottery, which allowed the Nuggets to swoop in at No. 14 overall and draft him as a rookie. Handing out a rookie-scale max extension to Porter, they have to hope he&rsquo;s 100% next year and reaches his max ceiling in order for this dazzling Jokic era to live up to its potential.
The narrative around the Nuggets is starting to take shape. They are a team that shines in the regular season because of their unique superstar big man but folds in the postseason when the smaller things matter most.
For the Nuggets, a unique pivot point is about to arrive this offseason. Let's see how they handle it.
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Once again facing postseason failure, the Denver Nuggets must escape any future plan that forces them to bet on health.

Luck now plays a role in Denver's long-term outlook

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points and the Golden State Warriors muscled past the Denver Nuggets 118-113 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the playoff series.
Draymond Green added a key steal from Nikola Jokic, who finished with 37 points and 18 rebounds, in the final minute and the Warriors closed on a 9-2 run to put the Nuggets on the cusp of elimination.
Golden State can wrap up the series Sunday in Denver. Teams facing a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff series are 0-143.
The Nuggets were in control for much of the second half but after Jokic's finger roll layup put Denver ahead 111-109 with 3:20 left, the Warriors tightened up on defense.
The Nuggets went six straight possessions without scoring and Golden State had the game in hand by the time Will Barton's tip-in with 23 seconds left pulled Denver to 117-113.
Aaron Gordon added 18 points for the Nuggets, who took an 89-87 lead into the fourth quarter but lost for the seventh straight time in the postseason.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone complained before the game that his team hadn't been aggressive, physical or vocal in the series, so he inserted Facundo Campazzo into his rotation after losing the first two games by an average of 18 points.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a little bit undermanned like we are, we have to be ultra physical, ultra aggressive and take the fight to them," Malone said.
Campazzo wasn't the answer, but the Nuggets came out of halftime with renewed energy and used a 30-18 third quarter to take an two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets missed their last four shots of the first half and Curry had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to push Golden State's lead to 69-59 at the break.
Without max players Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back), the Nuggets knew they had to slow the pace because they cannot keep up with the healthy Warriors.
&ldquo;We're in a Pinto, and they're in a Maserati,&rdquo; Malone quipped.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr chuckled at the analogy, noting he's never owned either model.
&ldquo;I'm somewhere in between," he said.
There's no denying his team is turbo-charged, however, after missing the playoffs the last two seasons.
&ldquo;I think in some ways, we are reinvigorated after the last couple of years," Kerr said. "We had a long run that started before I got here. Seven straight years in the playoffs and five trips to the Finals and there was a lot of fatigue at that point, emotional, physical fatigue. It was very easy to tell and to feel that so, last couple of years we haven&rsquo;t been in the playoffs.
"The sense that I get from ... the guys who have been here a long time, it&rsquo;s they are happy as hell to be back. So they&rsquo;re playing with a lot of a lot of energy, a lot of excitement.&rdquo;
INJURIES
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1517349845455065089">Green</a> rolled his left ankle midway through the third quarter but stayed in the game. Jordan Poole went to the bench a short time later, grabbing his left elbow. Trainers put a heating pad on his left elbow and forearm but he returned to action.
HOME SOUR HOME
The Nuggets don't exactly have a homecourt advantage after winning more games on the road (25) than at Ball Arena (23) this season.
&ldquo;I imagine this place is going to be half full of Warriors fans,&rdquo; Malone said Wednesday before president of basketball operations Tim Connelly went on the airwaves to implore Nuggets fans not to sell their tickets to Warriors fans.
Yet, a protracted broadcasting dispute has kept Nuggets games off local cable TV for three years, and that's presumably led to a decline in die-hard Denver fans.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry has at least one 3-pointer in an NBA-best 115 consecutive playoff games. ... The Warriors shot 68% from the floor in the first half and six different players combined for a dozen 3-pointers. ... Thompson (388) now in sole possession of third on NBA Playoffs all-time 3-pointers list, passing Ray Allen (385).
Nuggets: Denver has been outscored in the second quarter of the series by a combined 99-72. They've allowed Golden State to go on second-quarter runs of 16-0 in Game 1, 15-2 in Game 2 and 15-4 in Game 3. ... The first sign of the Nuggets&rsquo; more aggressive play came in the first quarter when Jokic hip-checked Curry to the floor but didn&rsquo;t draw a whistle just before Austin Rivers&rsquo; 3-pointer from the corner.

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, and Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points.

Curry, Poole, Thompson lead Warriors past Nuggets, 118-113

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Thursday's postseason slate.
Utah Jazz (-7.5) vs. Dallas Mavericks
The pessimism surrounding Luka Doncic&rsquo;s immediate playing time is obvious from Dallas. Reading the tea leaves, Doncic will probably be out for Game 3 due to a calf strain suffered in the Mavericks&rsquo; regular season finale. Jalen Brunson has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-stats-notebook-jalen-brunson-is-in-the-drivers-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put on a show</a> in Doncic&rsquo;s place, but this series flipping back to the raucous environment in Salt Lake City could change things up.
Donovan Mitchell is poised for a big breakout performance, plus Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s defensive dominance is always a looming factor. In the end, hammer the Jazz to cover -7.5 over Dallas as a Best Bet.
Pick: Jazz -7.5
Player Props: Donovan Mitchell over 29.5 points, Jalen Brunson over 24.5 points, Rudy Gobert over 15.5 rebounds, Spencer Dinwiddie over 6.5 assists
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors (-2.5)
Similar to the Suns series last season, the Nuggets are simply too outmatched here. Golden State&rsquo;s offense has exploded behind a new modern-ady death lineup: Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. With an absurd Offensive Rating above 200 right now, Denver doesn&rsquo;t stand a chance against the Warriors
And with Devin Booker&rsquo;s hamstring now playing a major factor in the Western Conference playoff storylines, Golden State might have a clearer Finals path. Behind a big game from Curry, hammer the Warriors to take the commanding 3-0 series lead.
Pick: Warriors -2.5
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 29.5 points, Jordan Poole over 22.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 5.5 rebounds, Stephen Curry over 3.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Thursday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/21/22

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Monday's postseason slate.
Philadelphia 76ers (-7.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
With Scottie Barnes ruled out for Game 2 and possibly beyond for the Raptors, they&rsquo;re in huge trouble trying to further contain Joel Embiid. Philadelphia showed in Game 1 when its trio of Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey is making shots consistently, Toronto might not have enough firepower to keep up.
For Game 2, we&rsquo;re going back into the well and hammering with emphasis Philadelphia to cover the 7.5-point spread. Expect a monster game from Embiid, plus the Sixers&rsquo; backcourt to win its matchups once again. When the series heads back to Toronto, how will the Raptors be able to stop the Sixers&rsquo; stars?
Pick: Sixers -7.5
Player Props: Joel Embiid over 32.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 25.5 points, Fred VanVleet over 3.5 threes, James Harden over 2.5 threes
Golden State Warriors (-7) vs. Denver Nuggets
Even with a limited Stephen Curry, Golden State had no issues handling the Nuggets in Game 1. Nikola Jokic had a tough go of it, plus Denver&rsquo;s lack of consistent offensive threats showed in a big way. Just like last season going up against the Phoenix Suns, Denver is completely outmatched in this series. The Warriors have ample amounts of versatility, which is already bothering the Nuggets.
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&mdash; Monday, April 18th Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors</blockquote>

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Jokic will need to keep on his Superman MVP cape to keep this one close on Monday night. Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and Curry should have their way with Denver once more, so lock in Warriors -7.
Pick: Warriors -7
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 28.5 points, Jordan Poole over 21.5 points, Aaron Gordon over 6.5 rebounds, Klay Thompson over 3.5 threes
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Who are the best bets for Monday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/18/22

Jordan Poole shined in his long-awaited playoff debut with 30 points, staying in the starting lineup as Stephen Curry returned from a foot injury by coming off the bench, and the Golden State Warriors smothered Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 123-107 in the opener of their first-round playoff series Saturday night.
Healthy at last, Klay Thompson returned to the playoff stage for the first time in nearly three years and scored 19 points with five 3-pointers, and the perimeter combination of Curry, Poole and Thompson was too much for the Nuggets.
Jokic had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, facing stifling defense in the paint from Draymond Green and Kevon Looney while shooting 12 for 25.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Chase Center &mdash; which hosted its first playoff game since opening in fall 2019. Fans received black T-shirts reading &ldquo;Gold Blooded.&rdquo;
Curry came off the bench to contribute 16 points in 21 minutes after missing exactly a month with a sprained ligament in his left foot. The two-time MVP tested it in a scrimmage Thursday, came off the bench and had a minutes restriction. He checked in at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter to a rousing ovation.
Curry missed his first five shots before a layup that went in on a goaltending call against Aaron Gordon 1:14 before halftime, then knocked down a 3 from the top of the arc as the Warriors took a 58-47 lead at the break.
Golden State won its final five games to end the regular season and kept rolling.
Jokic averaged 28 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the four matchups with the Warriors, three won by the Nuggets but only one by double digits. But Green hadn't faced Denver this season, so his addition was huge.
Green hit a 3 from the top over Jokic with 1:47 left in the third, then the Nuggets star committed a turnover moments later as Gary Payton II capitalized with a basket that put Golden State up 89-68.
Green wound up with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three blocked shots for a Warriors team that lost last year in the play-in game to Memphis and is back in the playoffs for the first time since losing the 2019 NBA Finals in six games to Toronto.
That was Thompson's last playoff game, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee that required surgery before he tore his right Achilles tendon in November 2020 and had that repaired &mdash; costing him more than 2 1/2 years until he came back in January.
Aaron Gordon and Thompson were hit with double technicals at the 6:25 mark of the second.
FAMILIAR FACES
Curry, Green, Andre Iguodala and Thompson played their first game together all season, given the Warriors' four playoff-tested veterans dealt with injuries and lengthy absences. Curry, Green and Thompson helped Golden State beat Denver 4-2 in the first round of the 2013 playoffs when Iguodala played for the Nuggets.
The experienced players were reunited for the first playoff game in San Francisco in 58 years, since April 1, 1958, against the St. Louis Hawks.
PLAYOFF DEBUT
Poole warmed up in a T-shirt reading &ldquo;Poole Party&rdquo; then dazzled on the big postseason stage, shooting 9 for 13 with five 3s while starting in Curry's place.
With 2:54 before halftime, Poole cut one way then the other through the key for a layup and got fouled by Will Barton and converted the three-point play. Poole hollered in celebration as Curry stared him down in delight.
Poole made his first six shots and had 17 points by intermission.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: DeMarcus Cousins was ejected with 10:28 left in the game after back-to-back technicals. He had seven points and two rebounds against his former team. ... Denver shot 11 for 35 from deep, Jokic missing his four 3-point tries. ... Gordon missed his first two shots and wound up 3 for 10 with eight points.
Warriors: Thompson passed Rasheed Wallace (2,384) for 44th place on the all-time playoffs scoring list. ... Andrew Wiggins had 16 points and nine rebounds in his first and only playoffs with Minnesota in 2018. ... Looney, who played all 82 regular-season games, grabbed seven boards. ... Golden State shot 64.7% in the first quarter and trailed 27-26. ... The Warriors went 6-6 down the stretch without Curry, winning their final five regular-season games.

Jordan Poole shined in his long-awaited playoff debut with 30 points, staying in the starting lineup as Stephen Curry returned from injury.

Poole shines in playoff debut, Curry back as Warriors win

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for the night portion of Saturday's postseason openers. It's playoff time!
Philadelphia 76ers (-4.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
We're kicking off our postseason picks with a bang, as the Sixers taking on the Raptors will be an all-out war. Joel Embiid and James Harden will go up against Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. There's so much versatility on both ends of the court. As you can tell, I&rsquo;m pumped. From a betting perspective, especially for the season opener, it&rsquo;s hard not to lean in the direction of Philadelphia.
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&nbsp;
&mdash; Saturday, April 16th Toronto Raptors @ Philadelphia 76ers</blockquote>

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If Harden shows up alongside Embiid delivering a strong offensive performance, the Sixers should be in great shape. However, if the Raptors get under their skin early, this could go any direction. In the end, settling on the Sixers feels like the right choice. Ride the Embiid train to cash out some coins.
Pick: Sixers -4.5
Player Props: Joel Embiid over 33.5 points, Pascal Siakam over 22.5 points, James Harden over 10.5 assists, Scottie Barnes over 7.5 rebounds
Golden State Warriors (-6.5) vs. Denver Nuggets
This is such an underrated series in my opinion. Nobody seems to be giving Denver any shot, but I feel confident in Nikola Jokic carrying this into a longer series. Jokic matches up well against the Warriors&rsquo; lack of size, but who on the Nuggets will step up next to the likely back-to-back MVP?
We&rsquo;re threading the needle for Game 1 here. If you want to stick to moneyline-only bets, hammer Golden State to win on its home court. On the spread, 6.5 points feels like too much. Bet big on Jokic to keep this one close throughout.
Pick: Nuggets +6.5
Player Props: Nikola Jokic over 29.5 points, Stephen Curry over 25.5 points, Draymond Green over 7.5 assists, Aaron Gordon over 6.5 rebounds
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Who are the best bets for Saturday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' picks and fantasy advice for 4/16/22

NBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Saturday, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each first-round series. Let's dig in, shall we?
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-in-weigh-in-part-two/id1547857052?i=1000557698545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II</a> of our series previews at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.)
(1) HEAT VS (8) HAWKS: STAR SWITCH BATTLE
Any hope of an Atlanta Hawks upset begins with the virtuosic creation ability of Trae Young. He's one of the NBA's best pick-and-roll creators, blessed with the ability to bend defenses to his will with a blend of pull-ups, floaters, stop-on-a-dime foul-drawing and every pass in the book.
Enter the Miami Heat, who do a tremendous job of flattening out offenses with switches. And that&nbsp;discussion begins with the versatility of Bam Adebayo.
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The Hawks score on this possession, but look at how much work it takes. Double drag? Nope. Running to a handoff to create an advantage? Nope. Forcing a favorable switch (Tyler Herro will have his work cut out for him) and hoping to attack? Nope, here comes a double.
Only two teams &mdash; the New Orleans Pelicans (0.847 PPP) and the Sacramento Kings (0.722 PPP) allowed fewer points per possession against Young-led ball screens than the Heat (0.851 PPP), and Miami faced more picks (182) than those two teams combined (119).&nbsp;
There's a reason for that. The Heat have the personnel and scheme versatility to make Young's life difficult.
(2) CELTICS VS (7) NETS: BRUCE BROWN'S PLAYMAKING
"We got to be physical with them. Now they don&rsquo;t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint. We can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] Theis. Them not having Rob Williams is huge.&rdquo;
That was Bruce Brown following the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1 of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant had to put out the fire shortly after, but the message rang loud: We think we have another avenue to attack your defense.
I think a lot about this possession from their most recent outing.
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The Nets opened the quarter with Spain pick-and-roll (!!!) and Boston switched every bit of it. That led to an Al Horford-Kyrie Irving matchup, but Williams felt comfortable trapping Kyrie to get the ball out of his hands. Brown has been making hay as a short-roll threat in 2022, and does so here by nailing a floater.
How often will those advantages be there for Brown? With no Williams, the Celtics will have to decide which of their frontcourt guys &mdash; Horford or Theis &mdash; will take the Brown assignment. And from there, what coverage will they go with? Will they switch, possibly throwing Horford or Theis on Kyrie or Kevin Durant in space? WIll they trap from there?
If so, the Nets may have a way to create some advantage situations aside from their stars.
(3) BUCKS VS (6) BULLS: KHRIS MIDDLETON LEADING THE DANCE
This doesn't seem like a great series for the Chicago Bulls. Quick hat tip to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore</a> for detailing just <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1515199182641926145?s=20&amp;t=9hbXMskZXIW6rvu06kVdpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how much of a mismatch</a> &mdash; on paper, at least! &mdash; this matchup projects to be.&nbsp;
If there's a Milwaukee Bucks thing to keep an eye on, it's the Khris Middleton-led stuff. The Bucks swept the season series, but Middleton wasn't his best self. He shot a shade under 28% from three and, for the purposes of this section, averaged nearly 4 turnovers per contest.
For the brilliance that Middleton can provide with his shot-making, his handle has long been a weak point against the peskiest of defenders. He's likely to see a steady dose of Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, guards who don't mind getting in his jersey.&nbsp;
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If Middleton isn't able to get to his spots comfortably &mdash; or worse, turns the ball over &mdash; the Bulls may have an avenue to junk up the Bucks' half-court attack.
(4) SIXERS VS (5) RAPTORS: JAMES HARDEN'S STEPBACK
I think James Harden's hamstring has been talked about enough. I'm not a doctor; I simply hope he's good to go because he's freaking awesome when he's healthy. It unlocks the full breadth of his game.
Regardless of which version of "Harden, The Driver" we get, he's going to need this shot.
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Harden made one of his eight stepback-three attempts against Toronto this season, and has converted just 31.6% of his stepback threes this season (roughly 4.0 attempts per game) via InStat tracking. That's a wild dip from last season (36.7% overall on 4.3 attempts) and the year before that (34.7% on 6.5 attempts).
I don't have to explain why shooting under 32% on an already-tough shot isn't ideal. The layer beyond that shot is the real issue; the nature of the shot, and location of the shot, makes Harden one of the last lines of defense in transition. The Sixers have been bad at getting back &mdash; they rank 20th or worse in every transition defense stat, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; while the Raptors have been incredibly fruitful when they're able to run.
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(1) SUNS VS (8) PELICANS: WHO DEFENDS CHRIS PAUL?
Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the sport. My pals and I landed on him as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's best screen navigator</a> already. His nimbleness and persistence will bother someone in this series.
That's the thing though: He's only one dude.
If Jones gets the Devin Booker matchup (a reasonable guess), who's defending the other All-NBA caliber guard for Phoenix? That might land on nominal point guard CJ McCollum, who hasn't had the best luck at defending Paul.
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Paul-led pick-and-rolls with McCollum as the primary defender have generated well over 1.5 points per possession over the last three seasons, per Second Spectrum. That number drops to the 1.3 PPP range when filtered for drop coverage, but, like, that's still pretty absurd.
The Pelicans will have some options. Chief among them: Switching screens between Paul and Deandre Ayton, then tasking Jaxson Hayes (likely to defend Jae Crowder) with saving McCollum by executing a scram switch.
Of course, the Suns have counters to that counter; don't be surprised if Crowder is used as an off-ball screener to occupy Hayes' attention.
(2) GRIZZLIES VS (7) TIMBERWOLVES: WHERE IS JAREN JACKSON JR.?
Let's take a look at two possessions. Ja Morant-led pick-and-rolls, the Minnesota Timberwolves in their base "two to the ball" pick-and-roll coverage. Two missed shots. Keep an eye on Jaren Jackson Jr. for both.
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That's JJJ chilling at the left wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt stunting at the roll from Steven Adams before retreating. D'Angelo Russell is now tasked with making the rotation as the low-man.
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On this one, Jackson is chilling in the dunker spot after clearing the left side of the floor. The Memphis Grizzlies are setting up a screening action for Desmond Bane &mdash; a smart counter to the Wolves sending two players to Morant &mdash; but look at Vanderbilt. He's able to peel over early while Karl-Anthony Towns works his way back to Adams. Russell tasked with dropping down to Jackson if a full rotation from Vanderbilt is needed.
When I say "Where is JJJ.?", you can take that in a "Will he show up?" context. He will need to knock down threes, and his mobility will be needed against Towns in space when he's asked to play the 5.
But it's important to note Jackson's literal location on the court. Where he's stationed can lead to some tough rotations for the Wolves if they continue to defend aggressively.&nbsp;
(3) WARRIORS VS (6) NUGGETS: FINDING THE BLEND WITH NIKOLA JOKIC
Nikola Jokic has improved quite a bit as a defender over the past three seasons. He's firmly good as an at-the-level defender, and he made real strides as a drop defender this season. Arguing for an All-Defensive team selection is a bridge (or two) too far, but the liability talk should've died a while ago.
With that being said, the Golden State Warriors pose some real trouble for him. The Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole-Klay Thompson triumvirate has the pull-up chops to abuse drop coverage. Kevon Looney screens and hand-backs could also create open threes.
With Draymond Green (or Gary Payton II when he's out there), the Warriors have the short-roll playmaking chops to beat a two-to-the-ball scheme.
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We get both coverages from Jokic on this possession. He starts in drop, with Monte Morris doing a fine-enough job staying attached to Poole. The ball swings to Thompson, and Jokic plays higher up. Two screens, two coverages, two solid results for Denver.
Then the&nbsp;third&nbsp;action happens, which also coincides with Poole jetting to the right corner and Aaron Gordon being occupied with Andrew Wiggins. Jokic is in another drop but he can't beat Thompson to his spot, nor does he have help on the backline.
What do you do with that?
Probably not drop.&nbsp;
The Warriors generated north of 1.3 points per possession (!!!) when facing Jokic in drop coverage during their regular season meetings, per Second Spectrum. Playing Jokic to the level will be a tough task, especially considering the offensive workload he'll have to carry, but that may be the easier poison to deal with.&nbsp;
(4) MAVERICKS VS (5) JAZZ: SPENCER DINWIDDIE'S DRIVES
With no Luka Doncic for at least Game 1, more offensive responsibility will fall into the hands of Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
He's been a godsend for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16-3-4 while shooting over 40% from three since joining the team. He's been a great complement to Doncic; naturally, some of Dinwiddie's success is due to Doncic drawing the best perimeter defender on the opposing team.
That may shift to Dinwiddie now &mdash; I doubt we're going to see, like, Royce O'Neale on Jalen Brunson for extended stretches. It'll be up to Dinwiddie to puncture defenses and start the chain of rotations. He hasn't had much success against Utah this season; he's shooting just 44.4% off of drives against the Jazz, and he's paired that with a paltry 8.5% assist rate.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down a key factor for each first round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Critical first-round battles in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

The Orlando Magic finished another losing season singing a familiar refrain.
Despite dropping 60 games, posting the worst record in the Eastern Conference and missing the playoffs for the third time in five years, the club insists it&rsquo;s latest overhaul is headed in the right direction.
&ldquo;From when we walked into the building on Day One, we talked about how we were going to compete at a high level, defend at a high level, work every day and have fun doing it,&rdquo; first-year coach Jamahl Mosley noted Sunday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
The Magic dropped 27 of 32 games to start the season and never won three games in a row, yet Mosley said a young team that played most of the season without two of its best players never got discouraged.
&ldquo;Practice (Saturday) felt like Day One. There was an energy, an enthusiasm, a joy for being on the court with one another throughout the day,&rdquo; the coach said before Sunday night&rsquo;s finale against the Miami Heat.
&ldquo;And I think it was about what we&rsquo;ve talked about from the beginning. It&rsquo;s about us getting better every single day. Whether we win or lose, we&rsquo;re putting that work in every single day,&rdquo; Mosley added. &ldquo;These guys have embraced that, and they have embraced each other.&rdquo;
In a sense, this season was doomed from the start with Jonathan Issac and Markelle Fultz, two of the young players the Magic are trying to build around, on the mend from serious knee injuries.
Issac tore his left anterior cruciate ligament when the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season resumed in the Disney bubble. He&rsquo;s missed all of the past two seasons and only played 136 games since being drafted five years ago..
Fultz tore his ACL in January 2021 and was sidelined almost 14 months before returning late this season and playing well enough to gradually work his way back into a starting role.
Team president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond remain committed to building through the draft after trading veterans Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon in March 2021 for future first-round picks in 2023 and 2025.
The current roster includes eight players selected in the first round of the past five drafts, including Fultz (No. 1 overall by Philadelphia in 2017) and Wendell Carter Jr. (seventh by Chicago in 2018).
Isaac (sixth, 2017), Mo Bamba (sixth, 2018), Chuma Okeke (16th, 2019), Cole Anthony (15th, in 2020), Jalen Suggs (fifth, 2021) and Franz Wagner (eighth, 2021) are Orlando picks.
Suggs and Wagner showed flashes of promise as rookies this season. The 6 foot-10 Carter looks like part of the future, too, after averaging a confidence-bolstering 15 points and 10.5 rebounds in 62 games.
&ldquo;All the young teams in the league &mdash; the Memphis Grizzlies, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; I feel like we&rsquo;re right there,&rdquo; Carter said.
&ldquo;Especially with us being so young, it gives us the opportunity to really mold everyone,&rdquo; Carter added. &ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re in a perfect opportunity where everybody understands what everybody is capable of, and we all like each other.&rdquo;
WORK TO DO
Despite insisting there are signs of progress, this the seventh time in the past 10 seasons the Magic have won fewer than 30 games.
Orlando has had five different coaches and only posted one winning record (42-40 in 2018-19) during that span. The franchise hasn&rsquo;t won a playoff series since 2010.
MIXED REVIEWS
Suggs was the fifth pick in last year&rsquo;s draft out of Gonzaga. He earned a starting job right away, but would up missing 34 games due to various injuries. He shot just 36% and averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 assists in 48 games..
Wagner, the 8th pick out of Michigan, averaged 15.2 points in 79 games. He started the first 74 games before being sidelined by an ankle injury.
GET IN THE GYM
Mosley said one of the team&rsquo;s priorities is improving its perimeter shooting.
The Magic finished 28th in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 43.4, including 33.4 from 3-point range.
Fultz (23.5%, Suggs (21.4%) and Anthony (33.8%) all struggled from beyond the arc.
Without mentioning any names, Mosley said he wants everyone to return in September with better jump shots.
&ldquo;Being able to shoot the heck out of the basketball, and coming back with that conditioning level all the way up, I think those are going to be the big keys,&rdquo; the coach said.

The Magic dropped 27 of 32 games to start the season and never won three games in a row, yet Mosley said they remained upbeat.

Jamahl Mosley: Young, rebuilding Magic have promising future

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic made history on the night his Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Jokic became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
He had 35 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and five steals Thursday night.
&ldquo;Dude is really great at basketball,&rdquo; teammate Bones Hyland said.
Jokic's big night came after taking an inadvertent elbow from Jaren Jackson Jr. to the right forehead and temple that <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1512238860008263680?s=20&amp;t=Kft2-KJVkVHiG4YQh_Bs_w">drew blood</a> in the opening minute.
After having to retreat to the bench twice to stop the bleeding, Jokic donned a red headband for the remainder of the game as he helped the Nuggets (48-33) overcome a shaky start to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Grizzlies.
&ldquo;The MVP isn't even a competition,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone declared afterward. &ldquo;There's other great players. I'm not saying they're not great players. But what Nikola Jokic has done this year &mdash; with this team &mdash; everything we've had to go through, is just incredible.
&ldquo;He was good last year and he's even better this year.&rdquo;
Despite missing stars Jamal Murray and Kevin Porter Jr., the Nuggets clinched a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoffs and avoided the four-team play-in thanks to another outstanding performance from the reigning MVP.
They can still win the Northwest Division with a victory Sunday night against the Lakers and two losses by the Utah Jazz (48-32), who finish up against Phoenix and Portland.
Aaron Gordon added 22 points for Denver and Desmond Bane had 14 points for the Grizzlies, who were coming off an overtime loss at Utah on Wednesday night, have already captured the first division title in their history along with securing the second seed in the West.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve been playing good basketball, even the other night against Utah. Tonight, we just didn&rsquo;t have it,&rdquo; Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Jokic was the biggest reason.
&ldquo;We threw a lot at him,&rdquo; Jenkins said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the MVP for a reason. He&rsquo;s nearly impossible to guard. He&rsquo;s going to beat you from inside, outside, playmaking. He played at a really high level tonight.&rdquo;
The Grizzlies are hopeful of getting All-Star guard Ja Morant back this weekend from a right knee injury that has sidelined him since March 18.
Jokic was hit in the head on the Grizzlies' first bucket, a drive by Jaren Jackson Jr., and retreated to the bench for treatment. He wasn't back on the court for long before returning to the sideline for more treatment and a <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1512251453842227202?s=20&amp;t=Kft2-KJVkVHiG4YQh_Bs_w">red headband</a>.
&ldquo;My first thought was Steve Nash in that playoff series and they couldn't stop the bleeding,&rdquo; Malone said. "And I'm saying, &lsquo;Of all games, Nikola gets a very non-malicious elbow, an inadvertent elbow to the head and he's bleeding.'
&ldquo;I'm saying, &lsquo;Not tonight."
Malone said he implored his trainers to do whatever they could to staunch the flow of blood.
&ldquo;Like, get a staple gun out here," Malone said. "And it finally stopped and Nikola put on another MVP performance."
While making NBA history.
Jokic said he's not going to keep wearing the headband, however. He'll leave that look to LeBron James.
&ldquo;No, I look great,&rdquo; Jokic said. &ldquo;I cannot let you guys see me twice like that."
Jokic agreed he's had a better season than last year but he said there's 20 superstars in this league and he's not himself lobbying for another MVP award.
&ldquo;If that's enough, it's enough," he said. "It not, you cannot control that.&rdquo;
Jokic got a game ball from the Nuggets as a keepsake of his historic night but he joked the trainers would probably sell his blood-soaked headband on eBay.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Memphis remains one win shy of tying the franchise record for wins in a single season (56-26 in 2012-13). ... Despite back-to-back losses to Utah and Denver, the Grizzlies finished 26-15 away from home, the NBA's second-best road record.
Nuggets: Murray missed his 81st game, but the Nuggets still haven't ruled out a return either Sunday in the regular season finale or in the playoffs. Murray tore his left ACL last April 12.
MORE MORANT
Morant is averaging 27.6 points. His return could make Memphis the darlings of the NBA playoffs.
Jenkins said they would like to have at least one game with their full contingent before the postseason. But health matters more.
&ldquo;If that&rsquo;s not what&rsquo;s the recommendation of the medical team, we don&rsquo;t feel like that&rsquo;s the smartest move, then we won&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Jenkins said.
COURTSIDE VIPS
Among the VIPs at courtside was Broncos new QB Russell Wilson and his wife, R&amp;B singer-songwriter Ciara.
&ldquo;So, that was an added bonus,&rdquo; Malone said of seeing Ciara, who's also a model and dancer.
He didn't introduce himself to Ciara, &ldquo;but I talked to the guy she was with, but I didn't get his name,&rdquo; cracked Malone.
Wilson, who tossed an autographed football about 40 yards into the stands in the first half, also is set to throw out the first pitch at the Colorado Rockies' home opener Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Return home to face New Orleans on Saturday.
Nuggets: Wrap up the regular season at home Sunday night against the Lakers, who are sitting out these playoffs.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets clinched a fourth consecutive playoff berth with a 122-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nuggets clinch playoff berth with 122-109 rout of Grizzlies

Nine days.
I repeat, nine days until the NBA Playoffs are officially underway.&nbsp;
As I mentioned previously, to do my civic duty in aiding your preparation for basketball&rsquo;s second season, I have decided to spend the next month studying some of the NBA's biggest stars and (hopefully) prescribing some tips for how teams can try to slow them down this postseason. (Here are my linked breakdowns of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/slowing-giannis-the-wall-still-the-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant</a>.)
But remember, these suggestions are only for slowing these stars down &mdash; because you can never truly stop the best of the best.
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Now, without further ado: Luka Doncic.
In the most recent episode of the Dunc&rsquo;d on Podcast, Nate Duncan said this of Doncic: &ldquo;[He] has an argument... to be the best playoff offensive player in the NBA.&rdquo;
When I heard that, I did the Tiger Woods fist pump to myself, because I knew at that moment I had the introductory hook to my article.&nbsp;
In all seriousness, though, he&rsquo;s got a point. This dude just might be unstoppable.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-to-slow-down-kevin-durant-let-the-reaper-reap">In my last article of this series</a>, I posited the idea of using a balancing scale (between scoring and playmaking) when thinking about star offensive players. Guys like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are naturally more inclined to score, while the scales&rsquo; of Nikola Jokic and Chris Paul lean more towards the playmaking side.&nbsp;
No such imbalance exists with Doncic.&nbsp;
Over the last two seasons, not one player has finished in the top-five in both points per possession and <a href="https://backpicks.com/metrics/box-creation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">box creation</a> (an estimate of open shots created for teammates). This means teams can&rsquo;t load up on his scoring attempts or try to isolate him (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation/?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Doncic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90th percentile</a>) to defang his passing without suffering some harsh repercussions. &nbsp;
Although the sample is small (13 games), his achievement of the perfect chemical equilibrium puts him in rarified air as far as postseason scoring goes.
Career Changes in Scoring/Efficiency From Regular Season to Postseason
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 324px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Player 
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
Points Per 100 Possessions*
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
True Shooting*
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Kobe Bryant&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
-1.1
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.9%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Luka Doncic
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+5.1
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
+1.0%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Kevin Durant
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+0.3
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-1.6%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
LeBron James
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+0.4
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 54px;">
<td style="width: 25.258%; height: 54px;">
Michael Jordan&nbsp;
</td>
<td style="width: 41.9226%; height: 54px;">
+2.9
</td>
<td style="width: 32.7389%; height: 54px;">
-0.1%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Mobile users scroll right to view the full table.)
*Data Provided by Basketball Reference&nbsp;
His offensive versatility (the key to postseason success) is highlighted when you look at his counters in the pick-and-roll game.&nbsp;
Similar to the Phoenix Suns (who I <a href="https://fansided.com/2022/03/15/phoenix-suns-pick-and-roll-defense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spotlighted </a>last month), the Dallas Mavericks run a ton of pick-and-rolls (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/ball-handler/?sort=POSS_PCT&amp;dir=1">No. 8</a> in frequency). However, their attack isn&rsquo;t pioneered by a two-headed serpent. Instead, it's quarterbacked by the human manifestation of the Old Testament&rsquo;s Leviathan.
If you opt for <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/how-to-identify-pick-and-roll-coverages-a1e8dffe54e9">drop coverage</a> against Doncic, he can hit you with his float game (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4432#tab-shooting_accuracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90th percentile</a> in the short midrange) or a lob over the top.
If you <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/how-to-identify-pick-and-roll-coverages-a1e8dffe54e9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hedge/show</a> against him, he&rsquo;s too big, too calm, too cool (Hand Luka) to not see over the top of you and find the weak point in the defense.
Lastly, you can&rsquo;t mitigate his impact with switches the way you could with the frailer Chris Paul/Devin Booker tandem. It's all thanks to his powerful frame (71st percentile or higher in post-ups from 2019-21), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHxTzCU3KKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trusty stepback</a> and aforementioned isolation brilliance.&nbsp;
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Also, as if that wasn&rsquo;t already enough, he&rsquo;s improved his efficiency on <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1512112939834261507?s=20&amp;t=qxvZzjOsRvwk7TutSRadNw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handoffs</a> to give his game an off-ball element.
Watching him for this article reminded me of an old Antonio Gramsci quote: &ldquo;Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.&rdquo;
We are all smart enough to know that Doncic is probably going to decimate any game plan we attempt to deploy against him, but we can&rsquo;t lose hope in our ability to slow him down. Here are three ideas Optimistic Mat came up with:
1. A little luck never hurt anyone!
Poor shooting has plagued his worst performances of the season. He&rsquo;s shooting a combined 9 of 46 from three (19.6%) in the six outings where he&rsquo;s posted a sub-10 <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01/gamelog/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game Score</a>. But it&rsquo;s not really anything his opponents are doing that is slowing him down, as according to NBA.com tracking data, he&rsquo;s shooting 9 of 39 on open/wide-open threes (23.1%) during those contests.
On the surface, banking on him having an off-shooting night seems demoralizing, but when you account for the fact that he&rsquo;s fielded three months of <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1512122208461758479?s=20&amp;t=qiNoKstzbC5gFXVfNUv5BQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sub-29%</a> shooting this season, there&rsquo;s a decent chance you could catch him on a bad day.
2. Get yourself an Aaron Gordon.
I&rsquo;m partially joking here, but man, does <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/gordon-wasnt-the-player-the-magic-wanted-but-hes-exactly-who-the-nuggets-need" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gordon</a> have Doncic&rsquo;s number. This season, Doncic is shooting a mere 7 of 24 (29.2%) from the floor during the 97.5 partial possessions he&rsquo;s being shadowed by AG (per NBA.com). Widen those parameters a bit further, and for his career, Doncic is shooting a slightly better but still pedestrian, 22 of 73 (30.1%) throughout 287.3 partial possessions.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/4zdhth" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Gordon is strong enough that Doncic can&rsquo;t simply veer into him on finishes, quick enough to reattach to him after screens and long enough that, when he crowds him, he can blur his sightlines.
And while Gordon himself isn&rsquo;t cloneable (yet), players stemming from the same evolutionary branch have experienced some success of their own against the Slovenian. In the playoffs last season, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were the only players who could hold Doncic to under <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629029/head-to-head?Matchup=Offense&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=MATCHUP_FG_PCT" target="_blank" rel="noopener">48% shooting </a>from the floor. This year, De'Andre Hunter has held him to 4 of 17 shooting during the two games their teams have squared off in.
The formula for (partial) success here is finding a lengthy wing who can match Doncic&rsquo;s unique blend of quickness and strength.&nbsp;
3. Throw the kitchen sink at him.
Despite not having a Gordon-esque body type on the roster (Jarred Vanderbilt is a little too lean), the Minnesota Timberwolves held Doncic to his lowest Game Score output of the season (4.5). And yes, some of it came from the <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629029/shots-dash?DateFrom=03%2F21%2F2022&amp;DateTo=03%2F21%2F2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting luck</a> we talked about earlier, but the group also did a good job of throwing a ton of different matchups/coverages at Doncic.
During their March 21 showdown, I counted seven different Wolves guarding Doncic for at least a possession during the game. This revolving door of characters makes it so that Doncic can never fully figure out the cadence of his defender.
For instance, a smaller Patrick Beverely would probably get <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqyaO8G899k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bullied</a> if assigned to the larger Doncic for the entire night. But his pest powers become far more valuable when Doncic has just spent the past handful of possessions getting acclimated to the longer dimensions of a Taurean Prince.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ql9b1e" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The same logic applies to coverages. The Timberwolves are notorious for their aggressive approach to defending ball-screens. However, in this game, they coordinated their traps and blitzes with a steady diet of switches and drops, and this strategy ultimately befuddled the Mavericks' star for large portions of the game.
<a href="https://ezhoops.co/2021/01/04/feel-and-feel-accessories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Feel-based</a> players like Doncic need to be kept on their toes by throwing new problems at them to identify and solve at all times.
Regardless of what option you choose to rely on, you better bring your A-game when you stand by for battle, because anything less will be the equivalent of playing with fire.&nbsp;
And when your dealing with quite possibly the best postseason weapon in the world, you will most certainly get burned.
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Mat Issa attempts to find a way for opponents to best limit Luka Doncic's wizardry.

How to slow down Luka Doncic: Is it even possible?

Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 20 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 116-97 on Tuesday night, securing a spot in the play-in tournament.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns tonight, the Spurs locked up at least the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Not that they're really thinking about it. Or at least Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a game on Thursday and we&rsquo;re going to play that,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;Not worry about anything else. It&rsquo;s not like we&rsquo;re world beaters.&rdquo;
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 41 points and 17 rebounds for the Nuggets, who squandered a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win after Minnesota lost to Washington.
"We wasted a golden opportunity,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;I just didn&rsquo;t think we had the requisite focus, determination, urgency, desperation &mdash; whatever adjective you want to use. I just didn&rsquo;t think we had it tonight.&rdquo;
The Spurs had six players score in double figures as they won a regular-season game in Denver for the first time since Jan. 5, 2017. But it wasn't easy even after San Antonio built a lead that stretched to 21 late in the second quarter.
The Nuggets cut it to four early in the fourth, only to see the Spurs go on a 14-2 surge to regain momentum. One of the key plays was when Davon Reed tried to make a behind-the-back pass that was stolen by Tre Jones, who went in for a layup. Jones finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
&ldquo;Every team has nights like that and I think this was one of those for the Nuggets,&rdquo; Popovich said. "Nothing went right for those guys, even to start the game. ... We took advantage of it.
&ldquo;So I think for them it was one of those nights, but I was really happy with our aggressiveness the whole game.&rdquo;
The Nuggets fell to sixth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Utah and two games in front of the seventh-place Timberwolves. Denver can wrap up a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament with a Minnesota loss or by winning one of its final two remaining home games.
Teams seeded Nos. 7-10 compete in the play-in tournament.
Malone was given a technical in the second quarter for arguing a call with official Tony Brothers.
It came almost a week after Austin Rivers was ejected by Brothers when the guard faked throwing an elbow on Indiana's Lance Stephenson. Malone said Brothers told him it was a malicious act by Rivers.
Jokic later picked up a technical in the second half as well &mdash; not from Brothers.
TIP-INS
Spurs: G Dejounte Murray didn't play due to a respiratory illness. ... It was San Antonio's fifth straight road win. ... Josh Richardson had 18 points and four 3-pointers. Vassell and Richardson were a combined 8 of 11 from 3-point range.
Nuggets: G Jeff Green (personal reasons) was a late scratch. ... Rivers had a basket overturned when officials later determined he stepped out of bounds. ... F Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 13 boards.
STOPPING JOKIC
Asked the best way to contain Jokic, Popovich responded: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has figured that out. He&rsquo;s a great one.&rdquo;
OFF NIGHT
Jokic finished 18 of 35 from the floor, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range.
Malone had a simple explanation: "That he is fatigued. He&rsquo;s been carrying a team for 80 games, and I can&rsquo;t take him out of the game.&rdquo;
HOME SWEET HOME?
At 22-17, the Nuggets haven&rsquo;t been as dominant at home this season. On the road, though, they&rsquo;ve won a franchise-best 25 games.
&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t explain it. I really can&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Malone said of the struggles at Ball Arena.
MPJ &amp; MURRAY UPDATE
Malone didn&rsquo;t rule out a possible return of forward Michael Porter Jr. (back) and point guard Jamal Murray (knee) at some point.
&ldquo;Yes, you have that in the back of your mind. We could get reinforcements,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;But you also have to help the guys that are ready and available to play.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Minnesota on Thursday.
Nuggets: Host Memphis on Thursday.

The San Antonio Spurs secured a spot in the play-in tournament by beating the Denver Nuggets 116-97 on Tuesday night.

Spurs beat Nuggets, secure a spot in West Play-In Tournament

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and six assists, and the Denver Nuggets moved into fifth place in the Western Conference with a 129-118 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Will Barton scored 25 points and Aaron Gordon added 24 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who capitalized on LeBron James' absence with a fourth-quarter surge to grab their fourth win in five games. Denver moved a half-game ahead of Utah for the fifth spot in the playoff picture, getting further insurance against being forced into the play-in tournament.
Anthony Davis had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the 11th-place Lakers, whose play-in hopes waned further with their sixth consecutive loss. Los Angeles has lost 28 of 38 since Jan. 7. Russell Westbrook added 27 points and Carmelo Anthony had 17.
The Lakers were competitive against a superior opponent, yet couldn't overcome the absence of the NBA's leading scorer, who sat for the fourth time in six games to rest his sprained left ankle. James dropped 38 points in the Lakers' loss to New Orleans on Friday night, but determined he couldn't recover from that exertion quickly enough to face the Nuggets in an early game. T
The 37-year-old James has to play in at least two of the Lakers' final four games to qualify for the scoring title, which would be only the second of his career and first since 2008. He began Sunday ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid by a fraction of a point.
Jokic committed turnovers on the Nuggets' first two possessions in their first game since they made 18 turnovers in an ugly home loss to Minnesota &mdash; after which the MVP quipped: &ldquo;How good are we at turning the ball over? We&rsquo;re so good that it&rsquo;s crazy.&rdquo;
Jokic scored 24 points in the second half, including 14 points in the third quarter, as the Nuggets nursed a small lead.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Coach Michael Malone reiterated his dislike for the play-in tournament before the game and believes it should be used only when the ninth- and 10th-place teams are extremely close to the teams above them. ... DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points against his former team.
Lakers: The Lakers began Sunday one game behind San Antonio for 10th place in the West and the final spot in the play-in tournament. The Spurs also hold the tiebreaker over LA, meaning the Lakers face long odds. ... Anthony returned from a non-COVID illness. ... Davis had his first back-to-back 20-point games since Feb. 8.
SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPIONS
In two pregame ceremonies, the NBA unveiled the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy, which will be given annually to the league's &ldquo;Social Justice Champion.&rdquo;
Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's career scoring leader and a lifelong advocate for social justice and equality, was on hand for the first public presentation of the trophy. Anthony won the award last year and appeared on court with Abdul-Jabbar before tipoff.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host Spurs on Tuesday.
Lakers: At Suns on Tuesday.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic had 38 points, 18 rebounds and six assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-118.

Jokic gets 38, leads Nuggets past LeBron-less Lakers 129-118

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The Minnesota Timberwolves are still polishing their playoff credentials and Karl-Anthony Towns gave a sneak peek Friday night of just what type of challenge they'd present in the postseason.
Towns scored 32 points and the Timberwolves overcame Nikola Jokic's 38-point, 19-rebound performance in a 136-130 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
D'Angelo Russell added 24 points and Anthony Edwards scored half of his 18 points on a trio of clutch 3-pointers in the closing minutes to help the Wolves fend off Denver's comeback, snap a two-game skid and halt the Nuggets' three-game surge up the standings.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve shown multiple times we&rsquo;re a playoff team and I think we also shown that we&rsquo;re not a joke,&rdquo; Towns said. "This is the real deal Holyfield. Tonight was just another night with the chips all on the table &mdash; and for both teams. They even played their MVP 44 minutes.
&ldquo;I think both teams showed that we were all into winning this game and we both understood the magnitude of this game and the importance. We just came out and found a way to win in their home.&rdquo;
Aaron Gordon scored 24, including a <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1510077384757682176?s=20&amp;t=IJilCuwV_V4cHIczzPwdJA">reverse alley-oop dunk</a>, and Monte Morris had 23 for Denver. But what did in the Nuggets were the 36 free throws they allowed and the 30 points they gave up off 18 turnovers.
&ldquo;We had some stupid turnovers,&rdquo; said Jokic, who finished two assists shy of a triple-double.
The Timberwolves (44-34) still are long shots to avoid a play-in scenario but they gave themselves a shot by taking three of four in the season series with Denver (46-32), which fell a half-game behind Utah in the Northwest Division.
Taurean Prince sank a pair of free throws with 19.8 seconds left after the Nuggets, who trailed by as many as 15, had pulled to 133-130 on Will Barton's 3-pointer, and Edwards added a free throw to cap the scoring.
The Timberwolves took a 70-65 lead into the locker room after Edwards blocked Morris, who bypassed open teammates in both corners to take it to the hoop against two defenders, and Prince scored at the other end.
Before tip-off, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was blunt about how his team has been pulling out games in which they played poorly.
They weren't so fortunate against the Wolves.
HOOPS HOPE
The Nuggets have been without stars Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) most of the season, but Malone insisted the team hasn't ruled out Murray's return down the stretch.
Asked what he would say to fans pining for Murray, who hasn't played since getting hurt last April 12, Malone said, &ldquo;Keep hope alive.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We're not shutting down Jamal Murray. This is not a black and white issue,&rdquo; Malone said. "We're not running a race with a definitive finish line. Who knows what the season is going to look like after these (last) four games? Are we going to be in the playoffs? Are we going to be in the play-in? Who knows? That's to be determined.
&ldquo;Jamal is getting better every day. Trust me, we all want him back. I want him back. We're a better team with Jamal Murray. And he wants to be back. He's making great progress. But I can't sit here and say that he's going to play in any of the last four games. But I also can't say that he won't.&rdquo;
While Morris said Murray looks ready to return, Jokic said he admonished his star point guard not to rush back.
&ldquo;I told him, &lsquo;If you&rsquo;re not 100% ready then don't come back. It's stupid," Jokic recounted. "'You risk (getting re-injured) if you're not 100% ready to go, especially in the playoffs.'"
What about Porter, who appeared to be ahead of Murray in his rehab until a recent setback in his recovery from back surgery?
&ldquo;Uh, no comment,&rdquo; Malone said.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: G Malik Beasley returned after missing two games with an ankle injury. ... Minnesota was 20 of 22 from the free throw line in the first half. ... The Timberwolves hit 12 of their first 16 shots. ... Towns (6 for 6) and Russell (4 for 4) were perfect from the field in the first quarter and each swished both of their free throws in the opening quarter as well.
Nuggets: F JaMychal Green returned to action after missing two games with a wrist injury. ... Jeff Green raced through the tunnel and out the arena early in the third quarter because of a personal matter. ... Jokic didn't grab his first rebound until the 3:09 mark of the first quarter. ... DeMarcus Cousins picked up four fouls and a technical in just 2 minutes, 6 seconds spanning the first and second quarters.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Wrap up their road schedule at Houston on Sunday night before finishing with three home games.
Nuggets: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon before finishing up with three home games.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 32 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves scored a 136-130 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Towns, Edwards lead Timberwolves to 136-130 win over Nuggets

Some years, the NBA MVP is unmistakable.
It's when voters, fans, coaches and pundits everywhere unite in agreement that one player has proven himself more valuable than all others. For instance, Shaquille O'Neal fell one vote shy of being the first-ever unanimous MVP in 2000. In 2013, LeBron James received 120 of the 121 first-place votes cast, and a short three years later in 2016, Stephen Curry became the first player ever to receive the MVP award via a unanimous vote.
This year is NOT one of those years, one where voters could make a compelling, cogent and convincing argument for several different players to take home the league's most prestigious individual award. It seems possible that the 2021-2022 season could gives us the closest vote in NBA history.
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So after plenty of deliberation, here's how my ballot would look.
MVP Ballot
1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Put simply, Nikola Jokic is in the process of authoring one of the greatest statistical seasons the NBA has ever witnessed. He is averaging a mind-boggling 26.3 points (on 57.6% shooting), 13.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks in just 33.2 minutes per game. He leads the Nuggets in each of those statistical categories, and is on pace to become just the fifth player in league history to finish a season ranking in the top 10 in points, boards and dimes. (The other four are Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.)
Despite playing without star guard Jamal Murray and forward Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets are currently 14 games above .500. The team's second-leading scorer is Will Barton. Monte Morris is second on the team in assists. Aaron Gordon is Denver's second-best rebounder. Yet, thanks to Jokic's all-around brilliance, the Nuggets trail the Northwest Division's first-place Jazz by just a half-game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic dropped his 19th triple-double of the season to propel the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> to the win! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MileHighBasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MileHighBasketball</a> 🃏 26 PTS | 19 REB | 11 AST | 2 STL <a href="https://t.co/bTAQyRvwxD">pic.twitter.com/bTAQyRvwxD</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1508650095620898818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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When it comes to advanced metrics, Jokic's production is even more prolific. He leads all players in RAPTOR, LEBRON and ESPN's RPM this season. Oh, and he's on track to record the highest single-season PER (32.68) and best Box Plus-Minus (13.83) in NBA history.
To help put Joker's 2021-22 stats in context, consider this:
<ul>
<li>He is averaging more rebounds than Tim Duncan or Hakeem Olajuwon in their MVP seasons.</li>
<li>He is averaging more assists than Stephen Curry or Derrick Rose in their MVP seasons.</li>
<li>He is averaging more points than Charles Barkley or Julius Erving in their MVP seasons.</li>
<li>He is shooting a higher percentage from the floor than Shaquille O'Neal or Moses Malone during their MVP seasons.</li>
<li>He is shooting a higher percentage from three-point range than LeBron James in either of his first two MVP seasons.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Make no mistake, Joel Embiid is worthy of winning the MVP Award. The Sixers were seemingly skidding out of control in the weeks and days leading up to the start of the 2021-22 campaign, all due to the drama and uncertainty surrounding the Ben Simmons saga. But , Embiid put the team on his back and got them off to a good start, and they haven't looked back.
The big man's overall numbers are jaw-dropping: 29.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 made three-pointers per game. He currently ranks second in the league in scoring (just 0.2 points per game behind LeBron James), and Philly is just a game behind the Heat for the best record in the Eastern Conference. (Each of the last four players to lead the NBA in scoring on a team that finished the year with the league's best record went on to win MVP that season: Curry, James Harden, Shaq and Michael Jordan.)&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🔔 35 PTS, 16 REB, 7 AST, 2 BLK 🔔 Down by 12 points at the half, <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelEmbiid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoelEmbiid</a> led the <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sixers</a> to a comeback pouring in 23 points in the second-half &amp; OT! <a href="https://t.co/HRQYxhskAF">pic.twitter.com/HRQYxhskAF</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1503355378846904321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Like Jokic's Nuggets, the Sixers are wholly dependent on Embiid to carry them each night, as evidenced by Philly's 6-11 record when he sits or scores fewer than 18 points. The team averages 114.4 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor, and that number plummets all the way down to 106.8 when he is on the bench.
It's also crucial to note that Embiid has been at his best in big moments. According to NBA.com, he leads the NBA in total points (147) scored in the clutch this season (Jokic ranks second). In crunch time, Embiid is shooting 48.9% from the floor and a scorching 45.5% from downtown.&nbsp;
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo has seemed to fly under the radar this season. That may be because he is just a year removed from winning back-to-back regular-season MVPs, and less than 10 months removed from capturing NBA Finals MVP for his otherworldly performance that led Milwaukee to its first title in 50 years. However, let's not take for granted the fact that this man is averaging a career-high 29.7 points on 55.0% shooting to go along with 11.6 boards, 5.8 dimes 1.1 treys, 1.4 blocks and a steal per contest. He's on pace to become the first player in over 30 years to average more than 29 points while shooting above 55% from the floor and 70% from the free-throw line.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half tonight &amp; tied a season-high with 4 blocks. 30 PTS | 11 REB | 4 AST | 4 BLKS <a href="https://t.co/ZPdhuJv4VR">pic.twitter.com/ZPdhuJv4VR</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1507918078180413441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And as we know, Giannis is also dominant on the defensive end. In fact, he's currently ranked No.1 on NBA.com's latest ranking of the league's top defenders. The only players to ever finish in the top-three in scoring and win the Defensive Player of the Year in the same season were Hakeem Olajuwon (during his MVP campaign in 1993-94) and Michael Jordan (during his MVP season in 1987-88). In most other years, Giannis would be a heavy favorite to take home the hardware.&nbsp;
4. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
The Celtics were sitting at .500 in mid-January, but Jayson Tatum has played at an MVP-caliber level in the three months since, catapulting Boston up to the No. 1 seed in the East for a brief moment this past weekend. During this 30-game stretch, he has averaged 29.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.7 made triples, while slashing .495/.394/.880.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jayson Tatum is a scoring machine, he dropped 44 points to log his 4th-straight game with 33+ points, and lift the <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@celtics</a> to their 4th-straight win! <a href="https://twitter.com/jaytatum0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaytatum0</a>: 44 PTS, 5 REB, 3 STL, 6 3PM <a href="https://t.co/hIgVphSaWp">pic.twitter.com/hIgVphSaWp</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1501924597440131078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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On the season, the Celtics have outscored their opponents by 608 points with Tatum on the floor, which is the highest individual plus/minus in the entire league. On Monday, he was named the East's Player of the Week for the third time in March. The only other player in NBA history to win the award three times in the same month is LeBron James in January 2012.
5. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
After a slow start to the season for both Doncic and Dallas, Luka has been a beast, and the Mavs have climbed up to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Dating back to late December, Dallas has won 30 of its last 41 games, and is 17 games above .500. Since New Years, Luka has averaged 29.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per contest.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/luka7doncic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luka7doncic</a> drops 32 PTS as Dallas moves 2 games behind Golden State for the West&rsquo;s 3rd seed! ✨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA75?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA75</a> <a href="https://t.co/cEM4sml4Eb">pic.twitter.com/cEM4sml4Eb</a>
&mdash; NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_Philippines/status/1508339338689794048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>

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He has led the Mavericks in points, rebounds and assists in the same game 28 times in 2021-22. Although he'll likely finish outside the top three in MVP voting this season, Doncic continues to establish himself as one of the most prolific young players the league has ever seen.&nbsp;
Just Missed the Top 5 
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Good tidbit via StatMuse: Devin Booker is on pace to become just the 10th player in NBA history to average 25/5/5 on a team that finishes a season with a winning percentage above .800. Eight of the previous nine players in the exclusive club went on to win the MVP.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant has posted dazzling numbers whenever he's been on the floor. The fact that he leads the NBA in points in the paint this season is almost unimaginable. And the Grizz have been arguably this season's most pleasant surprise. However, Morant has missed 20 games, and Memphis is 18-2 (!!) without him in the lineup.
Best of the Rest: Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Trae Young, Chris Paul
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With the NBA season coming to a close, Tommy Beer shares his ballot for the league's 2021-22 MVP.

2022 NBA MVP Rankings: Jokic edging out Embiid, Antetokounmpo chasing

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-109 on Monday night.
Aaron Gordon added 21 points and Will Barton scored 18 for the Nuggets, who earned a split of the season series.
Miles Bridges had 27 points and 11 rebounds and LaMelo Ball added 22 points, 11 assists and six rebounds for Charlotte, which fell to 1-13 in the second night of back-to-backs. The loss dropped the Hornets to ninth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the idle Brooklyn Nets.
Denver took a 83-74 lead into the fourth quarter and quickly extended it to 13 points. The Hornets battled back to cut the lead to one with 4:07 left behind 3-pointers from Isaiah Thomas, Bridges and Ball and an alley-oop dunk by Bridges.
The Hornets had several chances to tie the game, but shots wouldn't fall.
Monte Morris put the Nuggets up by five with two free throws with 38.8 seconds left before Rozier answered with a 3.
Jokic missed a jumper on Denver's next possession, but got his own rebound and was fouled hard with 8.6 seconds left. He made both shots to make it a two-possession game.
The Hornets couldn't score on their final possession, losing for only the second time in the last eight games.
Denver dominated the offensive boards and finished with 32 second-chance points.
HARRELL EJECTED
Montrezl Harrell and Gordon exchanged words and some light shoves near the end of the third quarter, resulting in Harrell getting two technical fouls and being ejected from the game.
Gordon was assessed one technical foul, but remained in the game.
It started when Harrell appeared to step over Austin Rivers &mdash; who was on the ground after taking a shot to the head &mdash; and then shoved Gordon with one arm, prompting a retaliatory shove from Gordon. The two then had to be separated by teammates and, after a long delay, Harrell was ejected.
TIP INS
Nuggets: Outrebound Charlotte 51-40. ... Morris had 14 points and nine assists.
Hornets: Had 33 assists. ... Bridges and Terry Rozier were a combined 4 of 17 from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Hornets: At Knicks on Wednesday night.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists for his 19th triple-double of the season.