NBA Weekly Recap: Feb. 27 - Mar. 5
The past week of NBA action has been full of excitement and surprises that has kept teams and fans on their toes as we get closer and closer to the playoffs.
A shift occurs in the Eastern Conference standings, and a much anticipated debut from an even higher anticipated player takes place in the warm state of Arizona.
Kevin Durant suited up with his team for the first time, as the Phoenix Suns were able to dominate the Charlotte Hornets on the road in regulation on Wednesday night. Durant walked away with 23 points in his debut, as the duo of Durant and Devin Booker is looking dangerous already.
On the Western Conference side, the Denver Nuggets continue to hold on to the top spot in the conference, and the surprisingly strong Sacramento Kings team continued their unexpected hot streak of “lighting-the-beam” after five straight wins, before a close loss to the Timberwolves on Saturday night.
The Memphis Grizzlies face internal team struggles off the court as star guard Ja Morant was suspended from the team for showing a gun on one of his social media platforms early one morning this past week. A statement was released by Grizzlies staff, but Morant is still away from the team at this time.
Back on the Eastern Conference side, the Milwaukee Bucks have taken over as the leaders of the East, as they lead by a game and a half after the Boston Celtics face a tough three-loss week all to division rivals.
The Celtics have not struggled too much since the All-Star break, but with three recent losses to Atlantic Division rival teams one being to the new-look Brooklyn Nets and the other two to the Knicks, it could be time to talk things over as a team.
The fight for a spot in the playoffs appears to be a lot tighter in the Western Conference, as teams like the new look Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers with Russell Westbrook will fight with teams like Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James for that last potential play-in spot.
The Eastern Conference is not necessarily as tight-knit towards the bottom, but teams like the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks still have a case to make for themselves as we’re nearing the end of the regular season.
The Celtics have dominated the past few playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, but the Bucks still pose a threat for any and all teams on the Eastern side.
Brendan Conroy is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him email him at brc5392@psu.edu.
