What to Watch, You NBA Sicko: Mar. 2 - Mar. 8
The best viewing experiences the NBA has to offer...this week
Monday - March 2
Early Slot: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 PM) NBATV
The Celtics are 8-2 over their past ten and 40-20 overall. The Bucks are 6-4 over their past ten and 26-33 for the season. But none of that matters, because Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming back. With Giannis on the court, the Bucks have a net rating of +6.0, which is better than the Celtics net rating with Jaylen Brown.
Late Slot: Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors (10:30 PM) Peacock/NBCSN
Unfortunately, Stephen Curry will continue to miss time due to his bothersome knee, but this is a very important game for playoff seeding. The Clippers are two and a half games behind the Warriors for the eighth seed in the West. While making the playoffs through the play-in is just a precursor to getting blown out in the first round, being in the seven-eight bracket is a huge advantage over the nine-ten. It gives you the chance to win one game to be the seven seed, and should you fail in that endeavor, you get another chance to make it altogether.
Tuesday - March 3
Early Slot: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 PM)
The Pistons and Cavaliers met less than a week ago, and while the Pistons prevailed 122-119 in overtime, the Cavaliers were without both James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. However, Harden was back in action against the Nets on Sunday, and Mitchell has been resting his balky groin since February 24th. Needless to say, should the Cavaliers be at full strength, they will be feeling pretty good about their chances. The Pistons undoubtedly won’t care. They’ve just continued to win games. Sometimes, a team just enjoys a charmed season.
Late Slot: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM)
Don’t look now, but the Pelicans have actually been playing some pretty good ball. They’re 6-4 over their past ten games, which is better than the Lakers’ 5-5 mark. Now, three of those six wins came against teams actively trying to lose, but it’s not like the Lakers haven’t also been beating up on the dregs of the league. I’d imagine the Lakers will pull this out, but I have a feeling it will be close down the stretch.
Wednesday - March 4
Early Slot: Oklahoma City Thunder at New York Knicks (7:00 PM) ESPN
The Thunder are still the best team in the league, and with Shai Gigeous-Alexander back in action, they should be favored in every contest he suits up for. The Knicks have solidified themselves as one of the four best teams in the Eastern Conference, but have had an uneven week. They blew out the Spurs and had an impressive comeback against the Rockets, but were absolutely dismantled by the Cavaliers and Pistons. Every big game seems to be a referendum on the Knicks’ championship odds, which means their fans will be totally normal about the result of this game.
Late Slot: Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks (9:30 PM) ESPN
This game carries serious stakes for the Hawks. They’ve fallen to ninth in the East, with only a half-game lead over the red-hot Charlotte Hornets in tenth. The Bucks are in 11th, and with Giannis back, they’ll be looking to make a charge for the play-in. On top of that, the Hawks own the most favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans’ first-round picks, but the Spurs own swap rights with their pick. The Pelicans aren’t getting out of the lottery, but they’re the only team at the bottom of the league actively trying to win. At one point, it looked like the Hawks would be bequeathed the better of two high lottery picks, while swapping a pick outside the lottery for the 28th pick. Now, it’s looking increasingly likely that they could end up with the ninth pick, while sending the Spurs the 12th pick.
Thursday - March 5
Early Slot: Detroit Pistons at San Antonio Spurs (8:00 PM)
The Pistons, after enjoying a gauntlet at home, now have a gauntlet on the road. Starting with their trip to Orlando this past Sunday, they’ll fly 5,500 miles to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday, the Spurs on Thursday, then a quick sojourn back home to face the Nets on Saturday, with a flight down to Miami to face the Heat on Sunday. That’s a tough week, with this being their hardest test.
Late Slot: Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (10:00 PM) Prime
The Nuggets, since Nikola Jokic’s return, have been reeling. They’re 4-7, and now sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. However, their poor run of results comes with a bit of a caveat. They’re still down Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, and their seven losses have come to Pistons by three, the Knicks in double overtime, the Cavaliers by two, the Clippers by one, the Warriors in a black swan 3-point shooting event, the Thunder in overtime, and the Timberwolves by nine. There’s a world where they’re 10-1 over their past 11, and we’re seriously talking about them as the favorites to win the title. Point being, the Nuggets absolutely need to win this game. The Lakers might be a mess, but they’re only a half-game behind the Nuggets for fifth.
Friday - March 6
Early Slot: Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets (7:00 PM)
Since the start of the new year, the Heat and Hornets have played 28 games. The Heat are 14-14, while the Hornets are 19-9. The Heat have a +2.1 net rating, while the Hornets come in at +10.7. So while the Heat are two games ahead of the Hornets in the standings, they cannot feel particularly confident that they’re going to hold them off. However, a head-to-head win can go a long way, and with how vulnerable the Sixers have looked, both the Heat and Hornets will believe the sixth seed and a ticket out of the play-in are in play.
Late Slot: New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets (9:00 PM)
Two preseason championship contenders who haven’t really solidified that status this season. The Knicks have had their moments, but there’s a gnawing sense that this team just doesn’t have the goods. Meanwhile, the Nuggets continue to receive the benefit of the doubt, but their recent run against playoff teams has my thumb hovering over “press X to doubt.”
Saturday - March 7
Early Slot: Orlando Magic at Minnesota Timberwolves (3:00 PM) Prime
The Magic have been middling for the vast majority of the season, but Desmond Bane’s recent hot streak makes them worthy of a single weekly viewing. The Timberwolves continue to be labeled as a team that struggles against bad teams, but raises their game against the league’s best, and that just ISN’T TRUE. They’re 24-8 against sub .500 teams, and 14-15 against the rest. The Magic count as an above .500 team, which means this should be a good game.
Late Slot: Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks (6:00 PM) NBATV
The Sixers and Hawks are two middling teams, fighting over the middling prize of the Eastern Conference sixth seed. The Hawks’ season never got off the ground and resulted in them moving Trae Young, while the Sixers’ season got derailed the second things started to turn a corner. That being said, both of these teams are aggressive about forcing turnovers, which should make this a fun game of runs.
Sunday - March 8
Early Slot: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (1:00 PM) ABC
These are two of the best teams in the East, and both believe they could and likely should reach the NBA Finals. This could be an Eastern Conference Finals preview, or a preview of one of the best second-round series. Point being, there’s a good chance these two meet again when all the chips are on the table.
Late Slot: Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (8:00 PM) NBC/Peacock
The Rockets have fallen to the periphery a bit, but are still sitting in third in the West with the league’s sixth-best net rating (+5.5). In fact, the Spurs, despite a far superior record, don’t have that sizeable an edge in net rating (+6.1). So, while I fully concede that the Spurs have been the better team over the past 20-odd games, I don’t think there is a massive gulf between them and the Rockets. Plus, who doesn’t want to watch Victor Wembanyama attempt to launch every Kevin Durant jumper back from whence it came?
For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.