Homestretch

1. Laker Luka – Up to this very day, many can't get over the fact that the Dallas Mavericks let loose their franchise player Luka Doncic who is arguably one of the Top 3 players in the NBA. Pundits were skeptical as to how Luka was going to team up with another ball dominant player and probably the greatest ever in LeBron James but slowly, the two are beginning to mesh and have started to climb up the tough Western Conference standings. Despite lacking an above average center, the Lakers are just two games away from second place in the West. Luka is starting to get back to his old form after his injury and the Lakers can go deep in the playoffs.

2. The Chase is On - Two NBA teams have separated from the rest of the pack namely the Cleveland Cavaliers (48-10) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (47-11). As of this writing, only the Boston Celtics have reached 40 victories, but they are six games behind the Cavaliers with over 30 games to go. Barring any major injuries to their starters, both teams are locked to run away with the best record in their respective conferences.

3. Suns is Setting – The Suns have the highest payroll in the league with three Bonafide superstars in the line-up, but the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have been a big disappointment so far. The Suns are five games below .500 and are 11th in the Western Conference. There is still time to turn it around and reach the top six but the way things are going, Durant may just ask to be moved to another team since he is in the twilight of his career and is cementing his legacy. This Suns experiment has been an unbridled disaster.

4. Full Tank – Several teams have been on a full-on tank since the start of the season in hopes of getting the top prize in the 2025 Draft – Duke's Cooper Flagg. The Washington Wizards (10-48), the Charlotte Hornets (14-44) and the Utah Jazz (14-44) have equal odds (14%) in getting the top draft pick with the New Orleans Pelicans not too far behind (16-43). Other teams that may want to think of tanking the season since they are so far behind in the standings include the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs.

5. MVP Race – The Most Valuable Player (MVP) race looks to be between three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and two-time All-NBA Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai leads the league in scoring and his Thunder are the best team in the Western Conference. Jokic, meanwhile, is averaging a triple double and is single-handedly willing the Nuggets to the top of the conference standings. So far, Shai seems to have the slight edge with his team's uber success but if Jokic can close the gap in the standings, he might just win his fourth MVP.

6. Last Chance – Early in his career, Ben Simmons was projected to be one of the NBA's superstars for years to come but successive back injuries and mental issues have made him a shell of his former self. His contract was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets and he is now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. He will no longer get a big contract since teams don't want to bet that he will return to superstar form but there is definitely room for him if he can prove in the next few weeks that he can still be an effective role player.

raffyrledesma@yahoo.com