Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon. It’s Charles Curtis’ turn.
I’ve decided to have a little fun with today’s newsletter and take a snapshot of where we’re at right now in the NBA playoffs. One team is gone — RIP to the Brooklyn Nets, who had a very up and down weird season — and we could lose another on Tuesday night.
But as of right now, between where the series are at and the injuries we’ve seen, who really is a contender right now? Let’s do a very fast power ranking:
16. Brooklyn Nets (obviously).
15. Atlanta Hawks: I think they’re done after tonight’s game in Miami.
14. Chicago Bulls: They were already in trouble, and now Zach LaVine is probably missing Game 5.
13. Denver Nuggets: Golden State is one win away. Can’t wait to see this team next year thought!
12. New Orleans Pelicans: There’s no way they survive against Phoenix … right?
11. Toronto Raptors: I love this team, but I don’t think they can win two more even with Joel Embiid injured.
10. Utah Jazz: Even if they win against the Mavs, I have my doubts about title contention.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves: A lot of fun and could pull off the upset. Still not a contender!
8. Dallas Mavericks: Nice to see Luka Doncic back and playing like we know he can.
7. Philadelphia 76ers: Whew, I wish I could rate them higher but between what we’ve seen in the first round and Joel Embiid’s thumb injury … not great.
6. Memphis Grizzlies: Too low? They have to make it out of the opening round first!
5. Milwaukee Bucks: We aren’t talking enough about the defending champs, but let’s see what happens when Khris Middleton comes back.
4. Boston Celtics: Man, they looked REALLY GOOD against the Nets.
3. Golden State Warriors: We knew they would be among the elite in the postseason.
2. Miami Heat: Given the injuries around them, that could help their case.
1. Phoenix Suns: The Devin Booker injury worries me a lot. But let’s assume he comes back soon and that the Suns win their series to help him rest longer.
On to the good stuff:
The Tip-Off
I love how Kevin Durant woke up the morning after the Nets got swept and he casually threw a ton of shade at Charles Barkley on Instagram. So what if he lost and the Nets are getting the Nelson Muntz treatment? KD loves to troll, and this time was no different. More from our Bryan Kalbrosky:
Perhaps it was surprising for some to see Durant take a shot at the TNT analyst right after his team was eliminated from postseason contention, but the Brooklyn superstar is one of the most logged-on athletes we have ever seen.
Durant is often criticized for playing on a superteam trio of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Then, this season, the Nets were preseason title favorites because KD was on a superteam trio alongside Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
However, the 2014 NBA MVP wanted to set the record straight: He didn’t start the trend of great players joining great players. Barkley even played alongside Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Yep.
One to Watch
Timberwolves (+210) vs. Grizzlies (-6.5, -270), O/U 230.5, 7:30 PM ET
If we’re looking for an upset, this could be one to watch with the series tied up at two games apiece. I’ll take the points here, even with the Griz playing at home.
Who’s in and out?
— Bulls: As I mentioned, Zach LaVine is in the health and safety protocols, so he’s questionable for Wednesday’s Game 5.
— Jazz: ESPN reports Donovan Mitchell has bruising in both his quads and there’s “optimism” for him to play on Thursday against the Mavs.
Shootaround
— Georges Niang called out Pascal Siakam for comments toward Joel Embiid.
— Rough night for Nic Claxton at the charity stripe.
— Jabari Smith now has the highest odds of becoming the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, per Rookie Wire.
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