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NBA Top 5, Bottom 5: Knicks Charge Into Top, Bulls Tumble Toward Bottom

Celtics Fall From Top Spot

Just a little over a month remains in the NBA regular season and the action is intense. There’s finally been a little shuffling at the top of our power rankings, although nobody has pulled too far from the pack.

Read on for a little more on the best and the worst the league has to offer. Perhaps it can help with your online gambling or a bet on NBA action.

Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks dunks during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on March 01, 2023
Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks dunks during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden on March 01, 2023 // Elsa - AFP

Let’s check the latest NBA news, stats, injury report and NBA lines. We’ve got plenty of NBA picks for you to consider.

Top Five

1. Bucks

The winning streak finally came to an end at 16 games, and it ended with a thud, as the Bucks blew an 18-point second-half lead against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.

The Sixers scored 48 points in the fourth quarter even after losing two starters, stunning a Fiserv Forum crowd that has watched its team rise to the top of the Eastern Conference.

“They went wherever they wanted to go, scoring from the paint, floaters, isos, offensive rebounds, free throws, 3s,” said Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 34 points and 13 rebounds. “You name it. They were able to get everything. We’ve got to be able to play 48 minutes of good basketball and defend for 48 minutes. This is a good lesson for us.”

It had to end at some point, so there’s no shame in falling to one of the league’s top teams. But seeing the Bucks lay down in the second half like that was a bit of a shock. Actually, that’s been somewhat of a theme lately (see Boston Celtics below).

No worries, though. Milwaukee rebounded the very next night to win at Milwaukee against the Washington Wizards, displaying the kind of toughness a championship team needs.

  • +500 NBA Championship Odds

2. Nuggets

It’s been a while since we’ve had someone other than Milwaukee or Boston in the top two spots, but the Nuggets are just plodding along toward what seems like an inevitable No. 1 seed in the West.

They’ve won seven of their last eight, getting revenge for the one loss in that span by knocking off Memphis handily on Friday at home. That result left Denver with an NBA-best 29-4 mark at home, which doesn’t bode well for Western Conference competitors who will have to go through the Mile High City in the playoffs.

Nikola Jokic is the front-runner for another MVP award, recording his 25th triple-double in the 16-point win over the Grizzlies. All the pieces around him are healthy (seemingly) and new additions Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson have bolstered the bench a bit.

The East and Los Angeles often dominate the NBA news cycle, but Denver just might be the best team out there.

  • +800 NBA Championship Odds

 

3. Celtics

There’s almost an urge to drop them another spot or two simply because they can’t seem to hold big second-half leads. First, we witnessed the biggest collapse in the NBA this season on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, who erased a 28-point gap to win by 10, and then a Sunday night thriller in which they turned a 14-point second-half edge into a double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks.

The Celtics have lost three of four and are a pretty pedestrian 10-8 over the last 18 games. That easy dominance they displayed for months has vanished.

“We’ve just got to get our swagger back,” guard Derrick White said. “Find a way to play with each other, have fun out there. I’m sure we’ll get it back here soon.”

That won’t be easy with seven of the next eight games on the road for a team now 1½ games behind first-place Milwaukee.

  • +350 NBA Championship Odds

4. 76ers

That win in Milwaukee showed us so much about this team, which had lost three of four going in. It’s the kind of win a team can think back to when trying to get out of a tough spot in April or May.

The Sixers have a somewhat difficult stretch run with several road games, including visits to Denver, Cleveland, Phoenix, Golden State and Milwaukee again. However, Saturday’s remarkable finish will go a long way toward helping them survive and hang onto the No. 3 seed in the East.

“You find something that works and try to stick with it,” guard James Harden said Saturday.

  • +1200 NBA Championship Odds

5. Knicks

The Phoenix Suns are charging with Kevin Durant in the mix and Cleveland and Memphis both still have better records, but we can’t deny what the New York Knicks have been doing over the past few weeks.

Their winning streak is at nine straight ever since a loss at Philadelphia on Feb. 10. And how the last two have come gives off that vibe of a team of destiny.

First, Julius Randle buried an off-balance, broken-play heave to knock off the Miami Heat on the road. Then came the rally in Boston without star guard Jalen Brunson, who was out with a foot issue. Immanuel Quickley stepped into the starting role and scored 38 points, including his team’s first seven in the second overtime.

The Knicks still might have to open the playoffs on the road, but that’s no issue. After these back-to-back dramatic triumphs, they are the only team in the East with more road wins (20) than home wins (19).

  • +8000 NBA Championship Odds
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks – Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

Bottom Five

26. Bulls

The Orlando Magic still have a worse record, but not by much. After falling to Indiana on Sunday night at home, the Bulls were just 3-8 over their last 11 and sinking further from a play-in spot.

The wait for Lonzo Ball’s return is no more, as he won’t be back in 2022-23. This has been a subpar squad ever since Ball left the lineup last season, and it won’t change anytime soon. The Bulls start a road trip at Denver on Wednesday and now figure to limp into the lottery.

  • +35000 NBA Championship Odds

27. Hornets

There was some buzz in Charlotte after a recent hot streak amid a stretch of good health for an oft-injured bunch. That came to a crashing halt when LaMelo Ball was lost for the season with a foot injury, and the losses have started to pile up again.

The Hornets are averaging 94.3 points in three straight losses since Ball went out. They averaged 122.0 in the last five games he played – all wins. That says all you need to know.

  • +100000 NBA Championship Odds
    LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets
    LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets – David Jensen/Getty Images/afp

28. Rockets

Hey, we’ve got a little winning streak going over here. Well, it’s two straight wins over San Antonio, but that still counts for something for a young team learning how to survive late in games.

Houston enters Monday still a half-game behind the Spurs for the worst record, but sweeping that back-to-back says a lot about where the two teams are (or who wants that No. 1 pick more).

  • +100000 NBA Championship Odds

29. Pistons

They’ve lost seven straight and 10 of 11, with the only win in that span coming against lowly San Antonio in double overtime. Unless there’s a streak somewhere in these last few weeks, the Pistons will wind up with 60 losses for the first time since 1993-94.

  • +100000 NBA Championship Odds

30. Spurs

They won the finale of their brutal Rodeo Road Trip and then added a second straight victory in the return home, but then came the two straight losses to Houston by a total of 44 points.

San Antonio gets a very rare four-day break before its next game against Denver at home on Friday. It’ll be interesting to see how they emerge from that much-needed break and finish the season.

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