I know it’s March Madness, but the NBA still has great games going!
It’s March. For the NBA, that’s not great. College basketball is primetime viewing with the NCAA Tournament going on, stars are injured or resting, and teams are full-on tanking. I think it’s no surprise that there are a lot more games between contenders and tankers, or two tankers, on the schedule than there normally seems to be.
But fret not NBA fan, for there are still great games to watch this week. Several teams are caught up in brutally tight seeding races.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers are clawing for that sixth seed, with all the sixth-seeded Warriors just one game ahead of the eighth-seeded Clippers. Further up the Western standings, the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Memphis Grizzlies are within two and a half games of each other, all jostling for the two-seed and home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Over in the East, the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons are fighting for the fourth seed, with just two games separating them.
Because we like stakes, I’m going to be focusing on those teams. There’s not really much going on in the rest of the NBA. The tankers are tanking, and the true competitors are secure in their seeding. So, that leads the middle-class, the wannabes, the flawed. Let’s get cracking.
Mar. 24: Minnesota Timberwolves @ Indiana Pacers
The Minnesota Timberwolves are half a game back from the play-in bypassing six seed. The Indiana Pacers are the East’s fourth seed, one game ahead of the fifth seed. Stakes are higher for the T’Wolves, which is what made their overtime loss to the Pacers last week, at the hands of Obi Toppin and his fadeaway corner threes, so brutal.
It was a phenomenal game. Wolves star Anthony Edwards went apeshit in the third quarter, ending the game with 38 points. It’s a shame it came in a losing effort against the Indiana reserves, as the Pacers were resting All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and starters Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner. Thankfully, they are all off the injury report for this Monday night matchup.
But, because it’s March, Edwards is now questionable. You’d expect him to play for two reasons: 1) it’s a chance to gain ground on that sixth seed; 2) he goes crazy against the Pacers. In his last three matchups against them, he’s averaging 39.7 points on 50% from the field and 39% from three. Last season, he had a 44-point performance that doubled as an ‘I’m HERE’ announcement AND was punctuated by an insane game-saving chase-down block where his head hit the rim! When you can do that against a team, why wouldn’t you want to play?!
Mar. 25: Golden State Warriors @ Miami Heat
Since the Miami Heat traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, the Warriors have gone 16-4, and the Heat have gone 4-17, only just stopping a 10-game losing streak. This game will likely be an easy win for the Warriors, even if they are without Stephen Curry (who is questionable).
But it’s Butler’s first game back in Miami since his ugly exit. The trade-request saga involved barbs with Heat president Pat Riley, Butler quiet-quitting games, and reportedly even Riley tears met with Butler indifference. It scarred an otherwise fruitful and successful relationship between the player and the franchise. Two Finals appearances, one more Conference Finals appearance, and culture building.
For those two reasons, it will be interesting to see how the Miami crowd greets Butler. I’d bet it’s boos, but there’ll probably also be a tribute video. Will the fans boo that? Or maybe the Miami video team pulls a Dallas and gets AI to slop one out for them.
Mar. 26: Los Angeles Clippers @ New York Knicks
Kawhi Leonard is back. In his last 10 games, the two-time Finals MVP is averaging 24.9 points on 50% from the field and 40% from three. Those are Quentin Grimes numbers! But for real, the LA Clippers having this form of Kawhi, a still All-Star James Harden, and a fantastic defensive squad around them, has turned them into a great watch and an intriguing lower-seed matchup in the West.
The Clippers win games by their defense (third in defensive rating), and finally have their No. 1 player back from injury and in great form. They are the opposite of the New York Knicks, their Wednesday night opponent.
The Knicks win games by their offense (fifth in offensive rating), and are playing games with their No. 1 player injured on the sideline. All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson has missed the team’s last seven games. When it was announced he would miss extended time, it had Knicks fans worried. Brunson orchestrates their offense and leads the league in clutch usage rate. But the Knicks, albeit with a relatively easy schedule, haven’t cratered in his absence. They’ve gone 4-3 and Brunson’s absence has allowed them to explore different ways to run their offense. Giving Mikal Bridges the ball is one of them.
Before Brunosn was injured, Mikal averaged 17.2 pts and 3.4 assists on 48/35/73 splits. In the seven games, Brunson has been injured, Mikal’s averaging 21.8 points and 5 assists on 56.5/39/91 splits. Pretty good!
A Mikal vs Kawhi matchup in 2025 isn’t exactly primetime, but it will be a great test for Mikal and the Knicks, and for the Clippers too, facing a diverse, if lessened, offensive attack.
Mar. 27: Memphis Grizzlies @ OKC Thunder
I recommend this game with the hope that Ja Morant is healthy. He’s played just six games in March (of a possible 12) but averaged a stupefying 31 points and seven assists on 52% from the field. But then he was injured again and the team’s lost three straight, dropping them to the fifth seed. Though, they are still just two and a half games back from the two-seed. For a chance to beat this incredible OKC team, the Grizzlies will need him suited up.
But NBA fans need an in-form Ja Morant to play in this matchup because the game’s highlight potential and fun factor would be out of the wazoo. Morant can dunk on anyone. OKC’s big men Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren challenge any rim attack and are great at blocking shots. A highlight reel poster or bruising block is all but guaranteed in this matchup.
And having Shai-Gilgeous Alexander opposite Morant would mean every offensive possession would be beautiful to watch. I’ve waxed poetic so many times about Shai that I’ve run out of words. Instead, I’ll just show you my favorite stretch of his below, when he scored three straight beautiful clutch buckets against the Detroit Pistons to ice the game.
Mar. 28: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons
Even after a four-game losing streak, since Jan. 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA. In that stretch, the Detroit Pistons have the second-best defense in the NBA. Because OKC is No. 1 in both, this is the closest we’ll get to a game between the best offense and best defense.
Beyond that, both teams are having dream seasons. The Cavs are on top of the East and will reach over 60 wins for the first time since 2010. The Detroit Pistons are a top-six seed, have already won more games than they have since 2019, and could reach 45 wins for the first time since 2009.
Their last matchup was incredible, with Detroit coming back from a twelve-point deficit only to lose to Darius Garland’s logo three at the buzzer. Detroit, arguably the most fight-ready team in the league, will want revenge.
Mar. 29: Los Angeles Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies
LeBron James is back from injury. The Lakers need him. They’ve gone 4-6 in their last 10 games, despite Luka Doncic averaging 30 over in that stretch. Their hold on the two seed has slipped, now finding themselves as the fourth seed, half a game ahead of the Grizzlies.
If the Lakers win this Saturday night matchup, they likely secure a top-4 seed as they’ll not only increase their lead in the standings but also secure the season series, which currently sits at 2-1. If the Grizzlies win, they’ll vault into the fourth seed and it will make their and the Lakers’ last ten games of the season extremely important.
There’s modern animosity here too. The two teams had a fiery playoff series a couple of seasons ago, with the Grizzlies doing a lot of shit-talking that LeBron didn’t like. Two main entities of that series, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis and Memphis’ Dillon Brooks, are gone now. But, the Grizzlies’ core is still there, and the Lakers now employ one of the league’s biggest shit-talkers in Luka Doncic. I expect kerfuffles in what could also be a first-round playoff series in a month.
Mar. 30: Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns
Watch the Rockets right now. They just went on a nine-game winning streak (which the Nuggets broke last night) and are West’s two seed right now, one game ahead of those Nuggets. Houston has the seventh-best offense and second-best defense over the last ten games.
They don’t play the No. 1 most fun brand of basketball, but there’s something so intriguing about them. They’re young and old. Athletic and slow-paced. Deep but a low ceiling. They have no star and that’s what’s holding them back from true contention.
One player set to be a star is Amen Thompson, who just returned from injury, therefore catapulting the Rockets into a top-tier League Pass team. He’s already one of the best rim finishers in the league, one of the best defenders in the league, and the most explosive, fast, and quick athlete in the league. He does one thing a game that makes you rewind.
On Sunday evening, he’ll be matched up against Kevin Durant and the Suns, who are feeling good right now after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers. In many ways, they are the opposite of the Rockets. They have three stars (still counting Bradley Beal with that contract) but nothing else going for them. They’re at the bottom of the West play-in picture and have a fruitless future.
But forget futures. Kevin Durant vs Amen Thompson is why we watch. It’s why they play. It will be cinema.