{"id":46198,"date":"2022-03-08T11:31:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T16:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=46198"},"modified":"2022-03-08T21:34:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T02:34:38","slug":"wild-weekend-in-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/03\/08\/wild-weekend-in-the-nba\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Takeaways From a Wild Weekend\u00a0in the NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a wild weekend in the NBA! <\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, all eyes were on Ja Morant<\/a> and his mystifying talent keeping the Memphis Grizzlies firmly entrenched as a top-4 seed in the Western Conference. There\u2019s more parity and young talent in the league now than there\u2019s been in 20 years. With five weeks to play in the regular season and the recently expanded playoff format offering 10 teams per conference a chance at a playoff birth, 25 of the 30 NBA teams remain in somewhat-realistic contention. Even the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Detroit Pistons who round out the bottom five in the league aren\u2019t an easy out on any given night. NBA League-Pass subscribers rejoice!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 5 takeaways from the weekend as we enter the home stretch of the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Five Takeaways From a Wild Weekend in the NBA<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Are we paying enough attention to the Miami Heat?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With 17 games left in the regular season, The Miami Heat sit in first place in the stacked Eastern Conference. They\u2019re 3-1 in their last 4 games, a stretch that pitted them against fellow East contenders – The Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls – all while playing without starting PG Kyle Lowry<\/a>. Victor Oladipo<\/a> made his season debut Monday night against the Rockets. Vegas currently has the Heat at 5-1 to win the East (4th best odds) and 10-1 to win the NBA Championship (6th best odds). Why does it seem like the Heat are flying under the radar?<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one theory – the Heat aren\u2019t\u2026sexy? They didn\u2019t make any splashy deadline trades. They\u2019re top-5 in defensive rating and routinely clamp down on opposing teams\u2019 stars. They\u2019re well-coached. There\u2019s no reported discontent in the locker room. Jimmy Butler<\/a> at 32 years old remains one of the league\u2019s best two-way players but isn\u2019t anywhere near the MVP conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This season, the Heat are an East-leading 22-7 at home and play 12 of their final 17 regular-season games in Miami. The last time the Heat finished the regular season as the #1 seed in the East was 2013. All they did that year was win the NBA Championship. They may not have LeBron James<\/a>, Dwyane Wade<\/a>, or Chris Bosh<\/a>, but they\u2019re for real, and we should be paying attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. LeBron scores 56 as the struggling Lakers beat the struggling Warriors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking of LeBron, wow, what a vintage performance he put up in the Lakers\u2019 win on Saturday against the Warriors. His 56 points were the third-most he\u2019s scored in a game during his illustrious 19-year career. After the game, James told ABC\u2019s Lisa Salters that he and his teammates are playing with a sense of \u201cdesperation\u201d as they fight to remain in contention for one of the West\u2019s play-in spots. In addition to their pride, the Lakers will also likely <\/span>lose their first-round pick<\/span><\/a> this year if they miss the playoffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Warriors are 2-8 in their last 10 games. They miss what Draymond Green<\/a> brings on the defensive side of the floor. The latest reports are that Green should return to action before the end of the regular season. The Warriors need him in top form him if they want to make a run at a title this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Is Nikola Jokic the MVP again?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Nuggets currently sit in 6th place in the West. They\u2019ve played the entire season without star point guard Jamal Murray<\/a> who tore his ACL last April. The primary reason for the Nuggets’ success this season? The Joker\u2019s bid for a 2nd consecutive NBA MVP award.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Sunday\u2019s overtime win over the Pelicans, Nikola Jokic<\/a> posted his second 40-point triple-double of the season. The last player to accomplish such a feat was Wilt Chamberlain<\/a>. Jokic leads the league with 17 triple-doubles this season – a career-high for the 27-year-old from Serbia. His numbers are better across the board this season compared to his MVP campaign from a year ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the tightest MVP race in recent memory. Joel Embiid<\/a> is the current betting favorite with Jokic close behind. Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, and Morant are also playing at MVP levels for their respective teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jokic plays the game like no center ever has. He\u2019s extremely durable for a player his size, and in the 7 games he\u2019s missed this season the Nuggets are 2-5. It\u2019s no knock on Embiid or any of the other aforementioned MVP candidates, but it\u2019s hard to imagine Jokic not being league MVP again this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Shorthanded Suns show their depth, fall to Bucks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On Friday night the first place Phoenix Suns hosted the reeling New York Knicks, losers of their previous 6 games. The Suns were playing without all-star guards Chris Paul<\/a> and Devin Booker<\/a>. The Knicks opened the second half on fire and captured momentum before Julius Randle<\/a> got ejected for a dust-up with the Suns\u2019 Cam Johnson. The Knicks held an 11-point lead heading into the 4th quarter, eventually letting the Suns back in the game, and then <\/span>this happened<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Sunday in a rematch of last year\u2019s NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, both Paul and Booker remained out while Friday\u2019s hero Cam Johnson was also inactive. The Suns led for most of the game despite missing 3 of their top scorers and a down night from defensive player of the year candidate Mikal Bridges<\/a>. The Bucks would eventually win the game, led by a magnificent 44-point performance from Khris Middleton<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nobody is overlooking the Suns as title contenders as their core is expected to return come playoff time. This stretch of games without many of their key pieces gives some of their role players a chance at increased minutes, which will surely come in handy down the stretch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, and the Bucks are still the defending champions. Don\u2019t sleep on them, either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. No Luka, no problem for Mavs to finish off the wild weekend in the NBA<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Dallas Mavericks seem to have found <\/span>the additional shot-creator <\/span><\/a>they so desperately needed in Spencer Dinwiddie<\/a>, who came over in the Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> trade with the Washington Wizards. With Luka Doncic<\/a> taking a night off on Saturday the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 4th quarter deficit and 44 points from De’Aaron Fox<\/a> to beat the Sacramento Kings 114-113. Dinwiddie dropped 36 points and 7 assists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This Mavericks team doesn\u2019t garner a lot of attention in the NBA title conversation, but we know Luka can singlehandedly take over a game. And if Dinwiddie can sustain Saturday’s production, they\u2019re going to be a tough out in the west playoffs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another wild weekend in the NBA, and the best is yet to come.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Embed from Getty Images<\/a>