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Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons both want Defensive Player of the Year. Who should get it? Both Sixers stars want Defensive Player of the Year. Who has a stronger case? Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images The end of the NBA’s regular season is often said to be the least consequential part of the calendar, but it does offer intrigue on two levels: teams jockeying for playoff (or draft lottery) position, and players making their final push for individual awards. The MVP race always gets the most attention, but Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic should have it about wrapped up. Jokic had a strong case to be considered the front-runner for MVP even before top competitors Joel Embiid and LeBron James missed long stretches with injuries, and none of the other challengers Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Damian Lillard have done enough to surpass him as the best player of the regular season. ....
What the Jazz/Clips games tell us about Suns playoff challenges Share this story A long long time ago, the Phoenix Suns used to appreciate big late season matchups as another step toward the intensity of upcoming playoff games. We are finally at that stage again in 2021. Indeed, early-season matchups versus potential playoff opponents are interesting and give you bragging rights if you win but are never going to have that playoff-level competitive spirit. As the season progresses, the ‘big’ games against potential playoff opponents become much more serious, more heated in the moment. That’s what the Suns experienced on Wednesday and Thursday night versus the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz (win) and No. 3 seed LA Clippers (loss). If the standings remain as they are, with the Suns the No. 2 seed, the Suns would face the Clippers in the second round and then the Jazz in the Conference Finals for the right to an NBA Finals berth. ....
Ten NBA things I like and don't like, including the Nuggets' devastating stars espn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from espn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images Stormy weather, but a sunny finish. It was pretty messy for the Brooklyn Nets for much of last night’s game, but they got in formation late and marched away to beat the Houston Rockets by 12 points. More importantly, the win put them at the top of the Eastern Conference standings for the first time since April 2003. Now if you guys will excuse me, I have to go find my Rocawear shirt to put on so I can REALLY get into the 2003 spirit. The opponent tonight will be the Charlotte Hornets. Surprisingly, Michael Jordan’s guys are solidly in the playoff hunt and are doing better than a lot of us expected. They helped the cause by beating the Washington Wizards in DC on Tuesday night. The win helped keep them in first place ahead of the Miami Heat in the Southeast Division. At 6-4 over the last 10, Miami has a better record than their playoff competitors, the Heat, Knicks, Celtics and Bulls and the same record as the Hawks. ....
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports It’s deja vu all over again. The Milwaukee Bucks are in our nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards, two days after taking down these same Wizards in a triple-double fest. Where We’re At Don’t look now, but the Bucks are on a three-game winning streak and are 10 games over .500. They remain 2.5 games back of the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers (who they also play on Wednesday, sans Joel Embiid), meaning that tonight is a major opportunity for Milwaukee to make up ground in the conference. Bucks’ forward Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to perform at the peak of his powers, fueled by that which fuels us all: smoothies. ....