![]() ⬇️ Load management Adam Pantozzi / National Basketball Association / Getty Whether he can keep up his hot shooting and Brooklyn can stay above the play-in line remains to be seen, but it's been a near-perfect marriage thus far. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference at 39-32. ![]() Though the Nets were decimated at the trade deadline, Bridges has helped them stay afloat in the No. Bridges is averaging 25.9 points per game in his 16 games with the Nets, shooting 49.6% from the field, 43.9% from deep, and 89.2% from the line. Moving from Phoenix Suns 3-and-D wing to Nets star forward, Mikal Bridges has proven himself in the larger role. The franchise should at least consider making a move at the head coaching position this offseason. Outside of the championship-winning season with Kawhi Leonard on his side, Nurse has only won one playoff series and is on pace for his second sub-.500 campaign in three years. Nurse's unique, ultra-slow-paced scheme is zigging while the rest of the league zags, leaving the Raptors with as little offensive firepower as any team in the Association. He's been unable to figure out his rotation, with Toronto ranking dead last in bench minutes per game. At some point, the blame has to be put on head coach Nick Nurse. 500 and have a handful of questionable losses in March. ⬇️ Nick Nurse AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Denver Post / Gettyĭespite successfully integrating new addition Jakob Poeltl and the team possessing the NBA's third-best offensive rating among starting lineups since the Austrian's arrival, the Raptors still sit below. Fox might thus win the first award in his career - the league's newly minted Clutch Player of the Year. The lead guard scored 182 points in clutch situations this season, 33 more points than the second-placed DeMar DeRozan. Although the Lithuainan big man is having a career year, Fox has acted as the Kings' closer when it's mattered the most. The All-Star pairing of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis has been the foundation of the league's best offense. With a victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento secured its first winning campaign since 2005-06 - the same season as its last playoff appearance. Not only is Jokic's grip on a third straight MVP award waning, but Denver's also staring down the rapidly approaching Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies in its rearview mirror.Īs other Western Conference rivals begin to lose steam, the Kings look stronger than ever. However, his usual statistical wizardry hasn't translated to wins as it usually does, even though he's maintaining absurd on-off splits. Over Denver's last seven, Jokic is averaging 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. Michael Malone's squad dropped five of its last seven, including double-digit defeats to the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls, plus a bewildering loss to the lottery-bound San Antonio Spurs. The strengthening of Embiid's MVP candidacy coincides with a drastic loss of momentum for back-to-back winner Jokic, whose case isn't being helped by the Nuggets' poor form. ⬇️ Nuggets cooling off AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Denver Post / Getty It was always going to take something special to knock Jokic off his perch, and Embiid is doing just that. Embiid also has the head-to-head edge against Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, going a combined 3-1 and averaging 31.3 points, 11.8 boards, 6.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and one steal versus their respective clubs. He registered his 25th game of 35 points or more last Friday, tying Moses Malone's single-season record by a center since the 1976 NBA-ABA merger. Embiid is averaging 36.1 points, 8.8 boards, 4.6 assists, and 2.3 blocks through nine games this month. Joel Embiid's continued strong play, combined with the Denver Nuggets' recent slide, has made the Philadelphia 76ers star the new odds-on favorite for MVP. Welcome to the latest installment of Stock Watch, a look at what's been trending up and down in the NBA.
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