The NBA returns tonight after a well-deserved break with nine games, including two (Grizzlies-76ers and Warriors-Lakers) on national television. Let’s break down where things stand in the league with the final stretch of the regular season laid out ahead of us.

The title contenders

While three teams have separated themselves atop the standings—the Bucks, Celtics and Nuggets are the only teams to have won 40 games—it feels like the title race is wide open. Joel Embiid is capable of taking over a game the way few players in the league are and could certainly power the Sixers to the Finals. Plus, James Harden is shooting the ball way better than he did after being traded to Philadelphia last year. The Grizzlies took a big leap last season, and Ja Morant is confident (perhaps too confident) that they’re even better this year. And then there’s the Suns. They have the second-best title odds at SI Sportsbook, behind the Celtics (and tied with the Bucks). Kevin Durant is reportedly expected to make his Phoenix debut against the Hornets on March 1, so we’ll have to wait a little bit to find out exactly how good the NBA’s newest superteam will be, but the thought of Chris Paul feeding the ball to Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton should scare the rest of the NBA.

The playoff fringes

The play-in tournament has added plenty of intrigue to the final stretch of the season. In the East, the Knicks and Nets are looking to avoid slipping from the playoffs to the play-in, while the Heat are just a half game behind New York and could jump from the play-in to a guaranteed spot in the first round.

Who knows what the Nets are going to look like over the rest of the season without Durant and Kyrie Irving? The immediate aftermath of the trades did show that Brooklyn still has scoring threats, though. Earlier this month, Cam Thomas became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in three straight games, and Mikal Bridges, acquired from the Suns in the Durant deal, had 45 in the final game before the break.

The Heat were quiet at the deadline (their only move was to offload Dewayne Dedmon’s contract), but they made a splash in the buyout market, signing Kevin Love after he was let go by the Cavs. Love isn’t the kind of superstar he was back when he played alongside LeBron James, but he’ll be a valuable piece coming off the bench.

The crowded West

It’s impossible to say right now what the Western Conference playoffs will look like. Only eight games separate the third- and 13th-place teams. The Warriors, for example, are in ninth place at 29–29, one game ahead of the 11th-place Jazz. One subpar stretch could send them crashing out of postseason contention. The Kings are currently in third place, in position to have home court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2004. But they’re just three games ahead of seventh place, which would mean having to survive the play-in to snap their playoff drought.

Who will win MVP?

Nikola Jokić is poised to make history. While there are other strong contenders to win the MVP, like Embiid, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Herring writes that Jokić has to be considered the leader to take home the award. Jokić is looking to become just the fourth player in league history to win the award in three straight years, joining Bill Russell (1960–63), Wilt Chamberlain (’65–68) and Larry Bird (’83–86).

The race to the bottom

French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who stands well over 7 feet tall and combines the offensive perimeter abilities of a guard with the interior defensive abilities of a big man, is all but assured to go No. 1 in June’s draft and the potential to land him has led to some serious tanking. There’s a better than 50% chance that one of these four teams will get the top pick: The Hornets (17–43), Pistons (15–44), Spurs (14–45) and Rockets (13–45) all have at least eight losses more than any other team in the league. The three worst teams all have the same chances of getting the No. 1 pick (14%) and the fourth-worst team has a 12.5% chance. If Wembanyama wants to start shopping for houses, those four cities are a reasonably safe place to start looking.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Bob Harig wrote today’s Daily Cover story on LIV Golf’s franchise format. If you’ve ever wanted to own a team of pro golfers, now’s your chance.
The USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup win was an important step for the young team ahead of this summer’s World Cup, Stephanie Apstein writes.
Tom Verducci checks in from MLB spring training with notes on the shift, a veteran surprisingly without a job and some players who showed up to camp looking fitter than ever.
Gilberto Manzano has five trade proposals for Aaron Rodgers.
Iona coach Rick Pitino addressed the possibility that he could leave for a more high-profile job but said it would take a “really special” program to lure him away.
Alabama basketball player Brandon Miller’s attorney released a statement on his client’s involvement in the Darius Miles murder case.
The Broncos reportedly interviewed Matt Patricia for their defensive coordinator job.
Providence coach Ed Cooley said UConn’s $2 beer night helped the Huskies beat the Friars in Storrs.

The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Alex Morgan’s perfectly placed shot for her goal against Brazil.

4. Tyler Seguin’s near buzzer beater at the end of regulation, a day after Patrick Kane did the same thing. (Seguin’s Stars lost to the Blackhawks when the goal was disallowed.)

3. Boston College students’ storming the court after their upset of Virginia.

2. Mississippi State freshman pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje’s pouring in heaters with his left arm and right arm.

1. Anna DeWolfe’s buzzer-beating three to lift Fordham over A-10 leader Rhode Island.

SIQ

Longtime Bears safety Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who turns 42 today, found an interesting new career after retiring from the NFL. What is his job now?

Firefighter
FBI agent
Actor
Chef

Yesterday’s SIQ: Where did Auburn and Alabama play the first Iron Bowl on Feb. 22, 1893?

Auburn
Tuscaloosa
Montgomery
Birmingham

Answer: Birmingham. While 84 of their 87 meetings have taken place in November and early December, the first iteration of Auburn and Alabama’s historic rivalry was played in late February.

Both Auburn and Alabama began playing college football in 1892. Because of the nontraditional late winter date of the inaugural rivalry game, Alabama considers the February ’93 matchup to be the final game of its first season, while Auburn counts it as the first game of the ’93 season. The Auburn game was Alabama’s first against another college team. The Tide had previously beaten Birmingham High School 56–0 and split a pair of games against a local athletic club.

A crowd of about 5,000 people showed up to watch the first Alabama vs. Auburn game, with the Tigers winning 32–22. The game was played at a baseball park at Clairmont Avenue and 32nd Street South in Birmingham and though the area has changed significantly in the century since, a historical marker at the site lets people know today that it was where one of college football’s greatest rivalries began.

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