5. Atlanta Hawks
After all the scoring explosions from LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, and all those elite bucket-getters (plus Saddiq Bey too!), we have to think Trae Young has got something up his sleeve for the final stretch of the regular season.
Before sitting out Saturday’s game against the Grizzlies and a nine-point outing against the Hornets, Young was tearing up defenses. He dropped 47 points on the Pacers followed by 46 on the lowly Trail Blazers. He’s on the verge of scoring 50 sooner or later.
The Hawks are standing on the edges of the play-in tournament, holding on to the 10th seed. The team has also lost John Collins indefinitely due to foot and finger injuries. A starter down and a fight for the play-in might just fuel Young to go bonkers for the rest of the season.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have an edge to them that, frankly, we haven’t seen in a very long time. Did you see Pat Beverley and Karl-Anthony Towns make fun of Russell Westbrook’s airball? How about Beverley’s flex and tap on the butt of LeBron James? KAT also pushed away the King and said something afterwards. What’s going on? It’s like the team has been possessed by the ghost of Minnesota Kevin Garnett.
The trash talk, the swagger, the IDGAF attitude are all spiking. And the mood change is warranted. Minnesota has a legit chance of making it to the playoffs and not just stumbling its way into a play-in shot. And even if the Timberwolves don’t make it to the coveted sixth seed, they can shoot down any of the three teams fighting in the play-in.
We can talk about KAT’s 60-point performance and his other eye-popping numbers but the overall vibe in Minnesota is definitely different. The Timberwolves are hungry for a winning season.
3. Brooklyn Nets
Something flipped in Brooklyn and we’re not just talking about the trade between Ben Simmons and James Harden. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant tapped into their god mode and unleashed all kinds of fury in the past week. There was KD's 53-point explosion followed by Irving’s 60.
Someone going on a scoring binge and lighting up social media is like a League Pass bat signal: you have to drop everything and watch it. Even though the Nets are still outside the playoff picture, you can’t help but gravitate toward the immense star power of their roster.
Add the inspired play of Seth Curry and Andre Drummond plus the inevitable return of Simmons, nobody would want to play the Nets in this final stretch of the season. Brooklyn has always been a delight to watch on any given night and the recent scoring barrage from Durant and Irving was a reminder that they can still light up the scoreboard when they want to.
2. Toronto Raptors
Can the Raptors march their way to the playoffs? They’re banging on the door of that sixth spot, which the Cavaliers are trying to desperately close.
The Raptors have been formidable all season long and they’re peaking at the right time. They bring a different kind of madness with their tall and versatile frontcourt mixed with a pair of fiery guards. It’s as if there’s a Raptor on every inch of the court. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. keep running around relentlessly, while workhorses Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby fly up and down the court. Plus, you know what Pascal Siakam brings as he’s quietly put up stellar numbers across the board.
So take a peek at the Raptors especially in their last dozen games. After a stretch of three games versus the Clippers and Lakers, they’ll face off against three top East teams in the Sixers, Bulls, and Cavaliers. They have an interesting and tough schedule ahead, which makes the race for the sixth seed all the more fun.
1. Boston Celtics
There were several moments in the Boston versus Golden State game that made you say “Oh wow, the Warriors aren’t going to get a good shot here.” And guess what, they didn’t get a lot of good shots. When the box score reads 37.2 percent shooting from the field and 22.9 percent from downtown, you know it’s a shutout.
Granted, this was the game Steph Curry got injured and Draymond Green is still feeling his way back into the lineup, but this was still the Warriors. The Celtics were so locked in defensively that you could just feel that the other team was getting boxed in. Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Damion Lee were doing Warriors-type stuff; moving without the ball, driving and kicking, and running screens. And yet, for every trick that Thompson and company tried to pull, there was a Celtic right on their grill.
Boston has done a tremendous job of maximizing its personnel and owning its defensive identity in the past several weeks. Coach Ime Udoka has his guys switch a ton while putting a premium on guarding the paint. That’s just a team utilizing the length and athleticism of who’s on the floor.
We all know Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are otherworldly scorers. But the hot ticket in Boston right now is its vaunted defense.
