![]() The tweaked hamstring that limited Russell Westbrook to just five minutes in his first game off the bench for the Lakers will not limit him on opening night. ![]() But if naming only one team from each conference, it’s hard not to give benefit of the doubt to Los Angeles’ and Brooklyn’s premier top-end talent. I don’t feel great about picking that NBA Finals matchup. So much could go wrong for the Lakers and Nets. But this prediction reflects my higher faith in the Jazz to make the Western Conference finals. If actually matched up in the second round, I’d favor the Warriors over the Jazz. The Nuggets, too, if Jamal Murray gets fully healthy. The Lakers, Jazz, Suns and Warriors all look like they have realistic championship chances. But these teams don’t have any margin for error, things need to fall perfectly in line for them. The Nuggets (if Jamal Murray gets healthy and is his old self again) and the Warriors (if Klay Thompson returns, plus some young role players like James Wiseman step up) could be threats to come out of the West. I think a Bucks-like leap is possible for them this season. While some pundits write the Jazz off in the playoffs after the Clippers took them apart a year ago, I believe if Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley are healthy (unlike a season ago) they are a threat to come out of the West. Utah brings back the same roster that had the best record in the West last season. The Jazz and Suns have the talent and ability to knock off the Lakers if they stumble at all. Fully healthy, I’ll take Kevin Durant over LeBron James for Finals MVP and the Nets over the Lakers. ![]() The Lakers and Nets are the best teams in their conferences when healthy, but when you look at the age and injury histories of their stars and rosters, it seems unlikely that both will make it through the marathon of the NBA season and be 100% ready to go in the postseason, but if they do those are the teams to beat. Here are the NBC Sports NBA writer predictions for the West this season, plus our Finals picks (our East predictions came out yesterday). That’s a good team that could end up in the play-in because the West is stacked. The West is again deep - look how far down the list we have Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Meanwhile, the Warriors/Nuggets/Jazz all need to stay healthy, but if things break right they are a threat. Golden State and Denver face off in the first round, with the winner likely taking on the Grizzlies in the conference semifinals.After a summer of bold moves such as bringing in Russell Westbrook, the Lakers are grabbing headlines and are the betting favorite to be the Western Conference champion - again.īut Chris Paul and the Suns got a taste of the Finals and want more (and to prove last season wasn’t a fluke). Quin Snyder rested Donovan Mitchell for the clash against the tanking Blazers.ĭallas and Utah are aligned with the Phoenix Suns in the top half of the Western Conference bracket. Utah remained ahead of the Denver Nuggets with its win over the Portland Trail Blazers. According to NBA correspondent Marc Stein, the Mavs are calling the injury a left calf strain.ĭoncic has at least six days to rest up before the Mavs embark on their playoff series with the Jazz. That result kept the Dallas Mavericks in fourth place.ĭallas received a brief injury scare when Luka Doncic left Sunday's game early with a calf injury. 3 seed with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Golden State and Utah set the top six West teams in place with their respective victories on Sunday night. Milwaukee-Chicago is the other confirmed first-round playoff matchup in the East. The Sixers will be without Matisse Thybulle for the road games because he does not meet Canada's vaccination mandate. Philadelphia and Toronto are confirmed postseason opponents. That series will likely begin Sunday because of the turnaround needed for the victor. The winner of Friday's play-in contest squares off with the Miami Heat in the first round. The one significant victory in that stretch was a road win over the Bulls. The Hornets enter on a three-game winning streak. The Hawks closed with seven wins in their last nine games. The Hornets won the last meeting on March 16. The Hawks and Hornets split their regular-season series. 8 seed on Friday night.Ītlanta and Charlotte face off in an elimination contest on Wednesday night in Georgia. The Brooklyn-Cleveland loser faces the Atlanta-Charlotte winner for the East's No. 7 spot in the East standings, and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be difficult for the Cavaliers to stop over four quarters in an elimination setting. Brooklyn hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in the first play-in contest in the East.īrooklyn defeated Cleveland last Friday to take over the No. Boston's win puts it on a collision course with the Nets for the first round.
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