The Warriors have gone 4-6 in their last 10, with some ugly losses (at Miami and Orlando, vs. Phoenix). Golden State is on pace for 56 wins and still in control of the West No. 1 seed by a small margin, but Kevin Durant is sniping at Steve Kerr, perhaps because he feels Kerr is sniping at him, and perhaps just because he’s unhappy finishing out the season with the Warriors.
The Warriors’ boredom opens the door for everyone else
We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State’s now going back on the road, starting Wednesday against the scorching hot Rockets and followed by visits to the Thunder, scorching hot Spurs, and Timberwolves. And Durant hurt his ankle on Sunday, with his status for the trip unknown.
In normal times, you’d say that this road trip would tell us whether the Warriors are ready to hit the gas and lock up the No. 1 seed, put these other teams in their places, and win a third straight championship. But these days, it’s hard to tell whether this matters and whether anything that happens in the regular season matters to Golden State. They could have an 0-4 road trip and still ace through the playoffs for the title. They could beat OKC and lose to Houston and San Antonio and still get pushed uncomfortably hard by the Thunder in the playoffs and lose to the Bucks or Raptors or Celtics or Sixers in the Finals.
Everything is on the table with the Warriors. Their own self-inflicted malaise is a great equalizer. Who saw this coming, that boredom and dissatisfaction would lead to suffering?
Scores
Bulls 108, Pistons 131
Raptors 125, Heat 104
Pacers 89, Sixers 106
Pelicans 116, Hawks 128
Magic 97, Grizzlies 105
Rockets 94, Mavericks 93
Knicks 92, Timberwolves 103
Bucks 114, Spurs 121
Suns 115, Warriors 111
Schedule
All times Eastern. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.
Raptors at Cavaliers, 7
Kings at Wizards, 7
Pistons at Nets, 7:30
Hornets at Rockets, 8, NBA TV
Thunder at Jazz, 9
Celtics at Clippers, 10:30, NBA TV
Links
Paul Flannery looks at James Harden’s case for the MVP award in Sunday Shootaround. To me, it’s a two-person race between Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Paul George as more of a consensus ballot guy.
Good news in Philadelphia: Joel Embiid is back, and he led the Sixers to a crucial win over the Pacers to take the lead for the No. 3 seed, which means likely avoiding the Celtics in Round 1 (if Philly keeps it).
Kevin Arnovitz lays the wood on the Lakers, and specifically Jeannie Buss over her trite comments blaming the media for the team’s woes.
I wrote about how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar struggled in his first season as a Laker, even missing the playoffs. Shaq wasn’t at his best in Year 1 in LA either. Something to acknowledge when putting LeBron’s nightmare season in context.
Blood clots end Brandon Ingram’s odd season. Lonzo Ball is probably done for the season, too.
Patrick Beverley is making a late public case for Defensive Player of the Year by trolling Paul George.
And finally: 18 NBA stars if they were Jedi.
Be excellent to each other.
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