It’s Holy Week, right? That’s definitely the case in Philadelphia. On Monday, No. 1 overall pick and final (?) puzzle piece of The Process Markelle Fultz rose from the void and played for the first time since October. He had 10 points, eight assists, and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action, and was +16 overall. The Sixers beat the Nuggets to stay a game out of the No. 3 seed.
Markelle Fultz is back. Grease those light poles, Philly.
We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia was ready for this, and showered Fultz with love. So did his teammates and the league at large. For the jokes people have on Twitter, everyone — except maybe some Celtics fans who know who they are — wants the kid to succeed fully. Getting out there this season and performing really well is a brilliant restart on that path to success.
It’s also a nice boon to the Sixers, who needed that playmaker to run things when Ben Simmons rests, or to supplement Simmons. Consider the stakes of landing the No. 3 seed for Philly: that would result in a first-round series against the weakest finisher of the teams in their cluster -— the Pacers or Wizards, likely — and a potential second-round series with the injury-plagued Celtics. Getting the No. 3 seed means avoiding the Cavaliers and/or Raptors until the Eastern Conference Finals.
Liberty Ballers wonders when you can call The Process complete. Getting to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 might do the trick. What a rise.
Playoff Picture Update
So the Sixers won, keeping them in the No. 4 slot in the East, one game behind Cleveland and a game ahead of Indiana in the loss column. Philly has five games against non-playoff Eastern teams before an April 6 showdown with the Cavaliers. Cleveland has four games against playoff teams before then, including a battle with the Raptors on April 3. The Pacers have two games against the Warriors in the next two weeks, plus a couple other tough outs. The Wizards have the Spurs, Rockets, and Cavs in the next 10 days.
Long story short, unless Cleveland starts running the table, Philadelphia might go into the April 6 showdown in the No. 3 slot with Indiana sliding far behind.
On a light Monday night, two Western teams suffered tough losses. The Nuggets were throttled by Philadelphia in the second half because their defense couldn’t hold. (This team is defined by its defense, for better and often worse.) The Timberwolves, meanwhile, were embarrassed by the Grizzlies in the Twin Cities. That’s an inexcusable loss in this situation.
Denver’s loss saved Minnesota from falling into a tie for No. 8 — the Wolves remain a game ahead in the loss column. But the defeat put them a game down in the loss column behind Utah for No. 7 and two out of the 4-5-6 pool. You do not want to be the No. 7 or 8 seed in the West. It’s better than being No. 9 or 10, sure. But come on. Don’t lose to Memphis at home with the stakes such as they are.
Scores Galore
NYK 128, CHA 137 (OT)
LAL 106, DET 112
DEN 104, PHI 123
MEM 101, MIN 93
BOS 102, PHX 94
... And So Much More
Rest in peace, Zeke Upshaw. The 26-year-old collapsed on the court while playing for the G-League’s Grand Rapids Drive on Saturday. After two days in the hospital, he died on Monday. What a tragic loss for his family and friends, his team, and the basketball community. Hopefully whatever we learn about Upshaw’s sudden passing can be used to prevent further occurrences.
Be very afraid of the Sixers in the playoffs. In the West, the team no one wants to face is ALL OF THEM.
Carmelo Anthony continues to struggle to find himself in Oklahoma City.
Chris Herring on how the Pacers are doing what they are doing.
New Drawing Board breakdown of Duke prospect Marvin Bagley III. He’s going to be good.
Interesting in-season signing: the Bulls gave Sean Kilpatrick a three-year deal.
The presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals will be ... YouTube TV. I do wonder how ABC/Disney feels about this.
Packed schedule riddled with playoff implications on Tuesday. Full schedule here.
Be excellent to each other.
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