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Western Conference Division Sleeper Teams – Basketball Insiders

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Despite not being as deep from top to bottom as the Eastern Conference, the West is still loaded with championship contenders. The Los Angeles Lakers have reloaded with Russell Westbrook at point guard. The Utah Jazz earned the best record in the league last year and return with the same roster. The Golden State Warriors are healthy and have upgraded their squad. The Phoenix Suns essentially have the same team that just played in the NBA Finals.

Just as there are a number of title contenders, there are just as many questions surrounding other teams dealing with injuries to star players. Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray will miss a significant portion of the season. How will their teams manage without them? What will the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers do to upgrade their rosters to surround their MVP-caliber point guards?

All of those questions will eventually be answered but there are some under-the-radar teams in the West that could turn some heads over the course of the 82-game season.

Northwest Division – Minnesota Timberwolves

Utah remains the clear favorite within this division and Oklahoma City has begun its full-scale rebuild. There is a lot of uncertainty though, between two teams in particular. It is difficult to get a read on how things will play out in Denver and Portland, with Murray’s injury recovery and the status of Damian Lillard. Minnesota has a real opportunity to make some noise this year.

As long as Karl-Anthony Towns remains healthy, the Timberwolves will be in good hands. The fit next to his close friend D’Angelo Russell has not produced the results that many expected. While Russell will be aiming for a bounce-back season, there are a number of guards in their rotation that could see plenty of time on the floor with the departure of Ricky Rubio. Malik Beasley makes his return and Josh Okogie remains one of the more under-the-radar young talents in the league.

Patrick Beverley arrives in Minnesota with a chip on his shoulder after being traded twice this summer. The scrappy guard will bring a much-needed defensive mindset to this team. Should Anthony Edwards continue to improve his shooting and avoid a sophomore slump, it could provide a clear direction for this group, as they have been stuck in the mud for the last few years.

Pacific Division – Los Angeles Clippers

Towards the end of last season, it appeared as though this division might have four legitimate championship contenders heading into the 2021-22 campaign. Then there was the knee injury to Kawhi Leonard in the playoffs. Not only did it deflate their hopes of advancing to the Finals, it also puts a damper on the regular season as he continues his long recovery. With the Lakers, Suns and Warriors all expected to contend, the Clippers have already become an afterthought in the minds of many.

While the absence of Leonard will obviously lower expectations in the regular season, Los Angeles did a good job of filling the talent at his position. They brought back Nicolas Batum in free agency and signed Justise Winslow, who will provide solid defense. They selected Keon Johnson with the 21st pick in the draft, who could play more minutes at the guard position should Paul George slide into the small forward spot.

The Clippers have solid backcourt depth with Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Eric Bledsoe, who is returning to Los Angeles in hopes of rejuvenating his career. Marcus Morris will likely see more minutes this season and a healthy Serge Ibaka could play more at the forward position with Ivica Zubac holding down the center spot. Whether or not Leonard returns this season is the ultimate question, but the Clippers should still be a playoff-caliber team without him.

Southwest Division – Memphis Grizzlies

This division is wide open, with New Orleans and San Antonio likely regressing and Houston in the early stages of their rebuild. Dallas will certainly be the team to keep an eye on with the star power of Luka Doncic but Memphis may very well be the best and deepest team in the Southwest. After knocking on the door of the playoffs for the past couple of seasons, this just might be the year that the Grizzlies begin their ascent.

It all starts with the one-two punch of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr but this team is so much more than that duo. Dillon Brooks has quietly molded into one of the top young scorers in the game. The emergence of De’Anthony Melton, Desmond Bane and Jarrett Culver give Memphis an absolute wealth of riches at the guard positions. After a promising start to his career, Brandon Clarke took a slight step back last year. They will need his production at the forward position alongside Kyle Anderson.

The departure of Jonas Valanciunas hurts but they have filled that void with Steven Adams, who will be a much better fit alongside Jackson Jr. The combination of youth and talent with this team is unlike anything else in the league. The Grizzlies have been a team on the rise for quite some time and now could be their opportunity to fulfill those expectations.





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Rockets Win 10th Straight, Eye 1st Playoff Appearance Since 2020

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The Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-126 in overtime on Wednesday night for their 10th straight win, as they continue to fight for their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

It’s the second-longest winning streak in the NBA this season, trailing only an 11-game run by the league-leading Boston Celtics. It’s also Houston’s longest win streak since the Rockets won 11 straight in March 2018.

“Oh, it was lit,” Jalen Green said after recording 37 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. “Everybody was happy, celebrating, screaming. We fought for that one. We worked hard. That’s how we should react after going 10-0. We’ll still keep going. We got what, 10 more games left?”

The Rockets (37-35) lucked out playing a dominant Thunder team without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was downgraded to out on OKC’s injury report due to a quadriceps contusion.

Houston remains only one game behind the No. 10-seeded Golden State Warriors (38-34) for the West’s final play-in spot. The No. 9-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (41-32) hold a 2.5-game lead on the Warriors as well.

“We’re going to get a play-in game,” Green said. “We’re going to keep going.”

Through 72 games (all starts) this season, Green is averaging 19.8 points, a career-high 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 31.6 minutes per game while shooting career bests of 42.7% from the floor and 80.8% at the foul line.

Houston Rockets are 25-19 against Western Conference opponents, still trail Golden State Warriors

However, the Rockets’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft has averaged 29.8 points over the 10 games, shooting 51% from the floor and 45.9% from 3-point range.

The team has gone 12-1 in March with Green playing lights out. He could become the first non-All-NBA player since Tobias Harris in November 2018 to win Western Conference Player of the Month.

Furthermore, Houston is 26-11 at home, 11-24 away, 9-5 against Southwest Division opponents, and 25-19 in conference play. The team has also won six straight on the road and six in a row versus West teams.

“I think it’s invaluable for our young guys to go through this,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “And obviously making the playoffs or play-in will be another step, but just going through what they are now and coming on the other side of .500 is huge for them.”

Rookie forward Amen Thompson finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s win, the first 25-point, 15-rebound game by a Houston player since Yao Ming in December 2022, per ESPN Stats & Information.

Jabari Smith Jr., 20, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, switched from power forward to center after breakout star Alperen Sengun suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain and a bone bruise in his knee against the Sacramento Kings on March 10.

Additionally, the Rockets have finished dead last in the Western Conference the past three seasons.

During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Houston defeated the Thunder in seven games in their first-round series. Though, the club went on to lose in five games to the Lakers in the conference semifinals.





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Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. defends brother Jontay amid betting investigation

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Toronto’s Jontay Porter has missed his last two NBA games due to “personal reasons,” until insiders revealed on Monday that he was actually being investigated by the league for betting issues. This is why his brother Michael, who stars for the Nuggets, decided to speak out in his sibling’s support this Wednesday evening. The Denver player is convinced he would never do anything to jeopardise his career. 

The investigation is based on multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past months, especially gambling props from games on January 26 and then March 20. An NBA spokesperson then confirmed the news, revealing that the league is “looking into it.”

When asked about it, Porter Jr. explained that he doesn’t know more details than the press does, but guarantees his younger brother is innocent. “Jontay loves the game of basketball. I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball, and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,” he said about the two-way Raptors player.

The six-foot-10 athlete has only started in 5 games this campaign, and is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 contests so far. Jontay is yet to publicly addressed his situation, as he patiently waits for a resolution to return to defend the Toronto badge.

It might be obvious, but players and team employees in general aren’t allowed to bet on any NBA events, including prop bets. According to the league officials, participating in gambling are considered violations that could result in fines, suspensions and potential termination of contracts, among other consequences.

Nevertheless, Jontay’s older brother acknowledged that NBA athletes are very much aware on how their performances affect gamblers and these situations are only increasing in the league. “Yeah, especially the last few years you hear people in the crowd saying what they need you to score tonight or what they don’t want you to score.

“Every night you’re disappointing someone. You’re disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you’re disappointing people if you didn’t score enough. So, it’s a part of the game now,” Michael recognised.

The Nuggets forward admitted that betting is slowly becoming a “dangerous habit” surrounding the NBA world

Despite speaking out in support of his younger sibling, Michael Porter Jr. does recognise that the gambling world is growing closer everyday alongside professional sports and has become a temptation for many athletes. “I think that it’s obviously a dangerous habit. It’s a dangerous vice for people,” he explained.

“You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I think that even though it is a thing, we as players just have to accept that,” the player added. “We get paid a lot of money to play this game, and I know these people, these fans, they want to make some money, as well. It’s definitely something that has kind of taken over the sporting world — I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

As Jontay has now missed the last two games for his club, his coach revealed that he only became aware of the investigation until this past Monday. “I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honesty from players,” Darko Rajaković shared. “Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before.”

The Serbian then revealed that he’s yet to discuss this issue with the rest of the locker room. “I don’t know their reaction,” he said. “I just know nobody wants those kind of situations to happen to anybody, to any team. We’ve just got to deal with it.”





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Rui Hachimura Records 103.6% Effective FG, 6th Highest All Time

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura posted an effective field goal percentage of 103.6%, the sixth highest in NBA history in a 30-point, 10-rebound game, in Wednesday night’s 136-124 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hachimura, 26, ended his outing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 35 minutes of action. He shot 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the floor, 7-of-8 (87.5%) from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 (75%) at the foul line.

The Lakers were coming off a thrilling 128-124 double-overtime victory in Milwaukee without LeBron James on Tuesday night. It was Los Angeles’ fifth straight win to pull within 2 1/2 games of the No. 6-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

James registered his fourth triple-double of the season with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists against Memphis. The four-time MVP has been impressed by Hachimura’s performances in the second half of the season.

Rui Hachimura is averaging career highs in effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage

“Very comfortable,” James said of Hachimura’s play since Hachimura became the starting small forward on Feb. 3. “He knows where his shots are coming from. He knows he’s going to be on the floor. And he knows he’s going to get minutes.

“Gives us another big body, another athletic wing out there. When we downsize, a night like tonight, we had to play small at times, me and him, we can switch some things and still be able to clean glass. So he’s been very key for our success since he got here.”

Through 59 games (30 starts) this season, Hachimura is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 26.2 minutes per game while shooting a career-best 53.3% from the field and 42.3% from deep.

His effective field goal percentage (60.5%), true shooting percentage (62.4%), and win shares (3.2) are all career highs. The forward’s 3-point shooting percentage ranks 13th in the NBA this season as well.

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ 138-122 win over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 14, he notched a career-high 36 points on 13-of-19 (68.4%) shooting from the floor, 6-of-8 (75%) outside the arc, and 4-of-5 (80%) at the free throw line.

His seven 3-pointers at Memphis were a career high.





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