Just a year after being traded for Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis has been sent to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton.

The Wizards got Davis along with Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks got Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks and three second-round picks. The two first-round picks are the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 pick and the Golden State Warriors’ 2030 pick. The Warriors’ pick is top-20 protected.

Earlier this season, the Wizards traded for Trae Young. The Wizards will have the veteran duo of Davis and Young surrounding their young core. 

The Mavericks have disappointed this season, finishing as a No. 12 seed. Along with Davis missing games to injury, Kyrie Irving is likely out for the season with a torn ACL he suffered last season. The Mavericks are looking to rebuild around their young star Cooper Flagg. 

Both the Wizards and Mavericks are on the outside looking in of the playoffs. Both teams are looking toward the future with this trade.

The Wizards haven’t made the playoffs since the 2021 season. This is the third-longest playoff drought behind the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, meaning their drought is very likely to end. Missing the playoffs this many seasons in a row is bad for team and fan chemistry. 2026-27 presents a prime opportunity for the Wizards to make the playoffs. 

The Mavericks, meanwhile, are just looking to develop Flagg. Flagg’s points per game go up three points when Davis isn’t playing. The two struggled to form consistent chemistry. Irving and Middleton are more likely to fit with Flagg as they provide spacing. Middleton will get a chance to revive his career in a smaller but still important role. 

The Washington Wizards and two-way forward Justin Champagnie are finalizing a new four-year contract worth $10 million, his agent, Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells uSports.

Champagnie will earn $1.8 million from the Wizards for the last six weeks of the season. Meanwhile, he’s putting up career highs with 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 50.4% from the field and 37.6% from three.

Champagnie initially signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on Feb. 24, then agreed to a two-way contract in March.

A two-way contract allows players with three years or fewer of experience to earn one salary for playing in both the NBA and the NBA G-League. These contracts can range from one to two seasons.

Champagnie appeared in eight games for the Capitol City Go-Go, the Wizards’ G-League affiliate, where he averaged 20.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in 36.5 minutes. He also posted shooting percentages of 48.7% from the field and 75.0% from the free-throw line.

Champagnie made his first start for the Wizards this season on Dec. 7 at home against the Denver Nuggets, helping the team to their first win since Oct. 30, putting an end to a 16-game losing streak.

Scoring a then career-high, he shot 9-for-13 from the field, 2-for-4 from three, and 3-for-5 from the free throw line. He also tied his career-high with eight rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes.

Over the next 12 games, Champagnie earned a starting role, including a standout performance in an overtime loss at home, 136-132, to the New York Knicks on Dec. 29.

He recorded a career-high 31 points, hitting 13-15 from the field and 5-6 from three. He also recorded 10 rebounds, marking his second NBA double-double.

Prior to joining the Wizards, he had stints with the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, also playing for their G-League affiliates.

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama took yet another step forward Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 50 points to completely overwhelm the Washington Wizards in a 139-130 victory. He is the fourth youngest player in NBA history to hit the 50-point mark. It was also the fastest 50-point game in NBA history, requiring only 26 minutes on the floor.

The reigning Rookie of the Year has been inconsistent this season, but the Wizards had no answer for him in a highly encouraging performance. Talking to reporters after the game, Wembanyama downplayed the milestone. He wants this to be one of many.

“My first thought is eventually I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games, to overshadow this one,” Wembanyama said. “I want to make it where in the future, [this is] just another one.”

Wembanyama was the focal point for San Antonio all night, as the team obviously planned to feature him prominently and force the lowly Wizards to come up with a plan to stop him. The closest Washington ever came to responding was by delivering points on their end. Jordan Poole exploded for 42 points and kept his team in the game, but the Wizards’ defense faltered at every turn. Spurs veteran point guard Chris Paul racked up 11 assists, feeding Wembanyama with devastating efficiency. 

Several teams this year have found a way to stop Wembanyama, most notably the Thunder, who held him to six points on five attempts in a game on Oct. 30. In the past week, however, Wembanyama has found his footing, especially from beyond the perimeter. In his last three games combined, he has shot with 57.7% accuracy from three-point range, a mark he did not reach in any single game before this stretch.

The Spurs are still building a team around Wembanyama, and though the likes of Paul, Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell have improved matters, San Antonio still isn’t considered a serious contender in the Western Conference. The team has come a long way already, however, and is far from disgraced, with a 6-6 record to begin the 2024-25 season.

There are currently six teams in the NBA that have 40 or more wins as of March 5.

They are the teams that are struggling to reach double digits in wins.

The worst NBA team of the 2023-2024 season is coming down to the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons, who are both an abysmal 9-52 as of writing. Both teams are on track to finish with among the worst win-loss records in NBA history. How did both teams get here? Here’s how:

Washington Wizards

Washington wasn’t too awful to start the season – they were 2-5 in early November, albeit those two wins came against a Grizzlies team trying to figure out how to play basketball without superstar Ja Morant, and a Hornets team that is not much better than the Wizards. However, the team lost nine straight games after that win over Charlotte, a preview of a season that featured numerous long losing streaks, including a 15-game streak that has yet to end as of writing.

Small forward Kyle Kuzma is having a successful individual season, averaging 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The offense as a whole is ranked 15th in scoring, with Jordan Poole and David Avdija aiding in scoring buckets. However, the Wizards rank last in the league in points allowed, letting up 124.7 points per game. Washington also allows 120.1 points per 100 possessions, and if that stat lingers for the rest of the season would be the highest number since 1996-1997. One can only imagine if the defense was middle-of-the-pack like the offense.

Detroit Pistons

What more can be said about the 2023-2024 Detroit Pistons? The team has been so pitiful there is a treasure trove of social media memes about them – to the point where after a while you simply feel bad for coach Monty Williams and his squad. The most infamous has to be the record-setting 28-game losing streak earlier in the season, which grabbed the interest of NBA fans, wondering when the team would halt the futility.

Even more incredible is that the Pistons were 2-1 to start the year, recording wins over the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets before starting the 28-game slide.

Point guard Cade Cunningham is a star and does his best to give the Pistons a fighting chance in every game, averaging 22.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Small forward and veteran Bojan Bogdanovic is putting up great offensive performances as well, averaging 20.2 points per game. However, the Pistons offense ranks 27th in points scored per game and is a poor free-throw shooting team. They are slightly improved since the historic losing streak, winning three games apiece in both January and February to catch up to the Wizards in the Eastern Conference and overall standings.

The Washington Wizards will promote assistant coach Brian Keefe to head coach after removing Wes Unseld Jr. from the position Wednesday. Unseld will take a front-office position within the organization.

It is unclear if Keefe, the team’s top assistant, will take the job after the season, as the team only needs an interim leader for now as they limp through the final months of the 2023-24 season. Keefe has been an assistant for five NBA teams dating back to 2007.

On the same day that the Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Adrian Griffin, who led the team to a 30-13 in his debut season, Unseld’s departure garnered less surprise as the Wizards continued their free fall. The team currently holds a 7-36 record despite boasting young talent like Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, earning a reputation as an undisciplined and unfocused team.

Because of Washington’s profound struggles this season, some have criticized the decision to keep Unseld on staff as a member of the front office. Wizards President Michael Winger, who also oversees the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, released a statement in which he announced Unseld’s departure but also expressed a desire to continue working with him.

“After several thoughtful conversations with Wes, we determined together that a change was needed for the benefit of the team,” Winger said. “Wes embodies the characteristics we value in our organization, and his vast basketball experience will be an asset to the front office as we progress toward our long-term goals.”

Unseld is the son of Wes Unseld Sr., who spent his entire NBA career with Washington as a player and coach. He was a member of the Bullets team that won the NBA Championship in 1976. He was the Bullets’ head coach between 1987 and 1994 but only managed to lead the team to one winning season. His number, 41, was retired by the Wizards in 1981. His son will now continue to work in his father’s old organization despite three exceedingly poor seasons as head coach.

NBA star Chris Paul will join Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors following another massive NBA trade deal this week. The Washington Wizards, who just traded for Paul on Sunday, will deal him to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, a 2030 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.

Beyond the unfathomably distant draft picks, the Warriors’ exchange of Poole for Paul is an obvious sign that the team is looking to bolster its short-term outlook. Though Poole is a budding NBA talent coming off a career-best scoring season, the 2019 first-rounder also struggled mightily in the playoffs this season. It was a far cry from his star-making showings which helped Golden State win the championship a year prior.

While Golden State came to count on Poole for a time, the team was likely unwilling to meet the needs of the young player at a time when it is looking to capitalize on the final seasons of a historic dynasty. Stars like Curry and Klay Thompson have been the backbone of the Warriors for the better part of a decade at this point. Their success is unparalleled by any team in recent memory. With the clock ticking, however, more established players like Paul could prove useful as the team attempts to maintain its core for another championship run.

While the Warriors try to find ways to maintain greatness, the Wizards are simply in search of a way forward and have gone all in on future investments. On Sunday, the team sent Bradley Beal and point guard Jordan Goodwin to Phoenix for Paul, shooting guard Landry Shamet and a boatload of future draft picks. On Wednesday, the team traded Kristaps Porzingis for Tyus Jones, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari and the 2023 35th overall pick in a three-way deal with the Celtics and Grizzlies.

Washington had no real use for Paul, a 38-year-old point guard looking for a win-now team, but the team has now flipped him for even more potential. Poole and Rollins, a 20-year-old shooting guard, have found a much more suitable spot to grow and develop, far outside the massive shadows of titans like Curry and Thompson.

A Wizards’ assistant coach jumped into the stands Monday evening to fight a fan but was grabbed before any further chaos could ensue.

It all went down at the end of Washington’s lopsided loss to the Heat; cameras showed Mike Batiste appearing to lunge at a fan sitting a few rows behind Washington’s bench.

The footage shows Batiste getting up from his chair, jumping over a row of seats, and nearly making contact with a fan. However, Wizards’ players grabbed him to defuse the situation.

A former pro basketballer who now serves as the Wiz’s manager of player development, Batiste was escorted into the locker room as the final seconds ticked off the game clock.

“Obviously, we have to take the high road and just can’t indulge in that,” said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. “But, I think it was a situation where something was said that was a bit over the line and I think it got the best of one of our coaches. But, either way, you have to take the high road.”

There’s no word as to whether or not the 44-year-old Batiste will be punished for his role in the incident.

The Rockets were in Washington playing the Wizards on Wednesday evening, a game during which Kevin Porter Jr.—fresh off his one-game suspension—hit a buzzer-beater to give Houston a 114-111 win.

The clip of the shot can be seen below:

Porter, along with teammate Christian Wood, was disciplined for poor behavior during Saturday’s loss to Denver.

Afterwards, Porter called game:

The Rockets, currently the cellar-dwellers of the Western Conference at 11-28, are currently rebuilding with young players.

The Wizards dropped to 19-19 on the season and hold the ninth of 10 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

In a blockbuster trade, the Los Angeles Lakers have acquired All-Star Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Lakers received Westbrook in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Wizards also sent 2024 and 2028 second-round picks to the Lakers to complete the deal.

The Wizards used the first-round pick they received in the Westbrook trade to acquire point guard Aaron Holiday from the Indiana Pacers.

The Lakers were originally discussing a potential trade with the Sacramento Kings for shooting guard Buddy Hield but negotiations fell apart. However, Lakers fans are most likely happier with the deal that the team eventually completed.

“Thank you, DC! You welcomed my family and I with open arms from day one,” Westbrook wrote on Twitter. “Everyone from the front office to the training staff, the coaches, my teammates, and the fans. I’m grateful y’all took a chance on me and supported me every step of the way.”

The trade gives Los Angeles a big three in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook. Last season, the Lakers failed to defend their title after suffering a first-round exit against the Suns. It was a disappointing year for the Lakers as injuries sidelined James and Davis during different stretches of the regular season.

Last season, Westbrook was traded to the Wizards from the Houston Rockets. In his only season in Washington, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists, although he shot just 43.9% from the floor and 31.5% from downtown.

The arrival of Westbrook gives the Lakers a playmaker after Dennis Schroder left the team. Schroder was offered the maximum extension the Lakers were eligible to offer him, but he turned it down in favor of free agency. This deal also provides Los Angeles with another star in the event of another injury to James or Davis. Time will tell how much chemistry this big three will have on the basketball court. The Lakers should be considered one of the favorites to win the championship next season.

The Philadelphia 76ers closed out their best of seven series against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night with a 129-112 victory. The effort by the 76ers was inspiring after they lost their MVP candidate and leader Joel Embiid in the first quarter of Game 4. The 76ers were led by shooting guard Seth Curry and forward Ben Simmons, as Curry played like his brother and dropped 30 points on 10-17 from the field, including three for six from beyond the arc. Simmons added 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and was a game-high plus 17.

The prize for the 76ers for winning this series is a date with the fiery Atlanta Hawks, with Game 1 on Sunday in Philadelphia. Embiid will have a few days to rest in preparation for a big series opener. He’s currently being listed as day-to day with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, but coach Doc Rivers is hopeful he’ll return soon: “I don’t know when or how early,” he said. “I’m hopeful. I think that’s a better way of putting it.”

The way the 76ers match up with Atlanta is quite interesting, even without Embiid. If he’s not available to go on Sunday, one must wonder if they’ll stay small as they did against the Wizards. They started Simmons, Curry, Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green and Tobias Harris, with no true center in the lineup. The Wizards employ Daniel Gafford at center, and although he’s a promising and upcoming talent, he’s not nearly as talented as Clint Capela of the Hawks. Capela averaged 10 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in Atlanta’s first-round series win over the Knicks. He also led the league in rebounding during the regular season.

The Hawks as a whole were 10th in rebounding and seventh in offensive rebounding. If Embiid can’t go, Dwight Howard will likely be bumped into the starting lineup, in Thybulle’s place. Will it be enough against a front court of Capela and John Collins? Is the sacrifice in spacing with two non shooting players worth the deterrent in rebounding? Rivers has much to decide. If the 76ers want to win this series, they’ll need continued brilliance from their bench as well. Reserve guard Tyrese Maxey is a rookie, and he was plus 14 in Game 5, finishing with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Rookies usually struggle in the postseason, but Maxey can’t afford to have growing pains.

Furkan Korkmaz and George Hill are the only two other players who will get legitimate run for Philly, and Korkmaz must provide serviceable defense against the plethora of wings for Atlanta, while simultaneously hitting open threes and spacing the floor for Simmons and Embiid. Hill has potentially a more important job, as he’ll be tasked with guarding Trae Young in some stretches. Can he handle that assignment?

This series will be fascinating, and it really comes down to the health of Embiid. If he’s too compromised, the series could go seven.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is doubtful to play in Wednesday’s Game 5. The All-Star is currently doubtful with right knee soreness. The same injury sidelined him during Monday’s Game 4 loss to the Washington Wizards.

Embiid suffered the knee injury during the first quarter of Game 4. The All-Star drove to the basket and was blocked by Wizards’ center Robin Lopez. As Embiid came down, he landed awkwardly and fell on his backside.

The All-Star stayed in the game but was in visible discomfort, holding his lower right back area. Embiid checked out of the game with 36.5 seconds left in the first quarter, then headed into the locker room for further evaluation. He was officially ruled out at halftime.

Embiid had an MRI on his right knee Tuesday and is expected to undergo further evaluation Wednesday. 76ers team doctors were confident that the injury is not serious and has no negative long term impact on the All-Star. However, Embiid is listed as doubtful to play on Wednesday for the team.

Philadelphia was on the brink of sweeping Washington prior to Embiid’s injury, but without the All-Star center, the team was unable to close out the Wizards. Washington was able to defeat Philadelphia on Monday to stave off elimination. The Wizards were able to sneak away with a 122-113 win on Monday by hacking Ben Simmons. Washington took advantage of Simmons’ poor free throw shooting. Simmons went just 5 of 11 from the charity stripe.

Now Philadelphia has another chance to eliminate Washington on Wednesday night. Game 5 is a home game for the Sixers so the crowd should help get the team going, even if Embiid is unable to suit up. That being said, Philadelphia has to prepare for the Wizards’ strategy of hacking Simmons. If the Wizards do indeed employ that strategy, we could be looking at a Game 6 if Simmons is unable to knock down his free throws.

One thing is for certain; the 76ers can’t wait to get Embiid back on the court.

Yesterday’s game four between the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers was an absolute dog fight of a game, because the 76ers lost NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid to what the team called a sore right knee late in the first quarter. With Embiid gone for most of Game 4, Bradley Beal’s 27 points, Russell Westbrook’s 12th career playoff triple-double and Washington’s hack-a-Ben Simmons strategy led to a 122-114 win to cut Philadelphia’s series edge to 3-1.

76ers coach Doc Rivers wasn’t too pleased with the way his guys played down the stretch. “Each guy thought they had to win the game for us, You’ve still got to play right,” Rivers said. “Tonight we didn’t play right, on either end.” When Rivers was asked for more information about Embiid’s knee, he said  “I really don’t know,” and added that some “precautionary” tests will be done Tuesday.

The next game in this series is Wednesday in Philadelphia. Embiid’s potential absence could loom very large for the 76ers, as he’s the engine and driving force for this team. If we look back to Game 3’s 29-point win for the 76ers, one can see how Embiid’s career-high 36 points in 28 minutes led the charge. Even in Game 4, with Embiid getting run in the first quarter, the 76ers led by 11 points in the frame. With Embiid’s injury came Philadelphia’s downfall. At halftime, their lead was a mere one point.

In the third quarter, Washington led by as much as 92-78. In the fourth quarter, to seal the game, the Wizards utilized the hack-a-Simmons strategy. “Obviously that’s what they’re going to do,” Rivers said about Washington’s strategy to foul Simmons as much as possible. “That’s what they should do, And I’m OK with that.” When asked about potentially taking Simmons off the floor in these situations, Rivers said “You want me to take Ben Simmons off the floor? No. He’s pretty good. I’ll pass on that suggestion.” Simmons ended the game 5 for 11 on free throws. His free throw shooting will be under the microscope even more for the duration of this series, and will be vital if Embiid misses more time with his injury.

Russell Westbrook helped lead the Washington Wizards to the playoffs. It was a success because the All-Star delivered what he told the team in the middle of the season. It was in the middle of the season after a loss that morale and hope were fading, but Westbrook gave a passionate speech and vowed that Washington would make the postseason.

On Thursday, the All-Star made good on his word by helping power the Wizards to a steamroll over the Indiana Pacers to send the team to the playoffs as the eighth seed. The Wizards became the first team to make the playoffs after being 15 games under .500 during the season since the Phoenix Suns in 1996-97.

“We were struggling, and everybody was down on the outside, and we had to figure out a way to knuckle up and make the playoffs,” Westbrook said about his vow to the team. “Simple as that. I didn’t care what happened in the previous games. We had to figure ourselves out, look at ourselves in the mirror, starting with myself.”

Washington led by 14 at the end of the first half of the game. That 14 then became a big 31-point lead at the end of the third quarter. In the third quarter, the team exploded for 48 points. At one point the Wizards went on a 30-14 run and made 15-of-20 shots.

Westbrook scored 18 points, dished out 15 assists and hauled in eight rebounds in the Wizards’ 142-114 win over Indiana. Fellow superstar teammate Bradley Beal added 25 points, four assists and five rebounds. The team as a whole played great basketball in front of their 5,333 fans at home. “Probably the most beautiful thing I’ve seen us do all year,” Beal said of the team’s win. “I haven’t been in the playoffs in three years. I’m definitely happy to be back.”

One month ago, it seemed certain that the Wizards would be heading to the lottery pick, but the team managed to turn it around to make the postseason. The Wizards will be gearing up to play the Philadelphia 76ers in what will be a hard-fought series.

Jayson Tatum had one of the best performances of his career against the Washington Wizards last night. The Celtics’ All-Star had a game-high 50 points to carry the team past Washington in the playoffs.

The Celtics and Wizards played one another in the play-in tournament to determine who would advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed in a one-off game.

Tatum led the way for Boston with one of his best career contests. The All-Star finished with 50 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks in 41 minutes. Furthermore, the star converted all 17 of his attempts from the free-throw line. Teammate and fellow All-Star Kemba Walker added 29 points to help Boston come out victorious.

The entire first half of the game was relatively close and competitive. Heading into the third quarter, the Wizards were leading 54-52, but Tatum erupted to begin the second half. The Celtics’ All-Star scored 23 of his 50 points in the third quarter alone. Tatum’s 23 points almost outscored the Wizards’ entire output in the third quarter. Washington scored 26 points in the third quarter compared to Tatum’s 23.

With the help of Tatum, Boston quickly got to a 20-4 run to start the second half. Boston took a 90-80 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was close as Washington started to score in an attempt to come back, but Tatum and Walker responded each time to prevent a Wizards comeback.

Boston held on to a 118-110 win over Washington. The win allowed Boston entry into the playoffs as the seventh seed and set up a series with the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. While Boston advances, the Wizards will have to play the Indiana Pacers on Thursday to determine the eighth seed for the playoffs.

Following the win, Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal had nothing but compliments for the Celtics’ star. “He’s a special talent, and I have been saying that since he was in diapers,” Beal said of Tatum. “It doesn’t surprise me.”

“It’s tough when you guard him,” Beal added. “He’s 6-9, he can get his shot off, he’s strong, and can shoot the ball. He’s a three-level scorer. So you got to respect everything he does on the floor. I know a lot of his moves, and a lot of it I was there, but I am only 6-3. I wish I was 6-9 with robotic arms.”

Tatum spoke about his performance and whether it solidified his status as a superstar. “I guess it helps,” the All-Star said. “I don’t really get caught up in those who think I’m a superstar and those that don’t. What does that really mean? I know that my teammates, I’ve earned their respect. I’ve earned the respect of the guys I’ve played against and the coaches.”

“I believe in myself, and that’s all that matters.”

The NBA regular season has concluded, and the play-ins will begin on Tuesday night.

The play-in tournament will decide which two teams will be the seventh and eighth final team to qualify for the playoffs. The play-in tournament is part of the expanded playoff format that was recently implemented. It allows a chance for teams that finished seventh-10th in the conference standings an opportunity to make the playoffs. The play-ins are held before the playoffs to determine which teams from each conference will enter as the seventh and eighth seed.

In the Eastern Conference, the four teams that will participate in the play-ins are the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets. The seventh-seeded Celtics will face off against the eighth-seeded Wizards, and the ninth-place Pacers will play against the 10th place Hornets. The winner of the Celtics-Wizards game will advance to the playoffs as the seventh seed. The loser of the Celtics-Wizards game will face the winner of the Pacers-Hornets game, and the winner will be the eighth seed.

In the Western Conference, the defending NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Golden State Warriors to decide the seventh seed. The Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs will battle each other to determine who will face the loser of the Lakers-Warriors game for the final spot in the playoffs.

The final weekend of one of the most interesting and thrilling NBA season’s is upon us. Although the year was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t fail to give us unforgettable moments and plays, and the playoffs are shaping up to be a thrilling conclusion.

In the Eastern Conference, the race for the four through six seeds has become a microcosm for the season. Every other seed is decided but the five and six seeds, and we won’t know those seeds until Saturday night, in which the Miami Heat take on the Milwaukee Bucks in what should be a thrilling game. The Bucks are firmly entrenched in the three seed as of now, but only sit a game behind the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets, meaning if the Nets lose either of their remaining two games against the Chicago Bulls or Detroit Pistons, they could fall to the third seed.

The Bucks have the proper incentive to beat the Heat, especially after last year’s heated playoff series between the two teams. The Heat however, want to win this game so they don’t have to face the Bucks again in the first round of the playoffs. Miami currently sits in the fifth spot in the East, meaning they get to play the Atlanta Hawks, who have locked up the four seed and can’t move up or down. While the fourth-seeded Hawks have been absolutely tremendous this year since making Nate McMillan their head coach, the team is relatively young and inexperienced. Their best player, Trae Young, is a liability defensively and one can imagine that will be exposed even more in a playoff game. Getting to keep the five seed is a huge deal for the Heat.

The New York Knicks are the current six seed, and are attempting to pass the Heat for the five seed after a tremendous come-from behind victory over the Spurs last night. The Knicks trailed by 17 points and were able to pull off the miraculous comeback. They face off with two play-in tournament teams this weekend, in the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics. Wins in each of those contests could be absolutely vital in sliding back up to reclaim the five seed and taking on the Hawks in the first round. If the Heat lose one of the the team’s last two games, which could very well happen against the Bucks, the Knicks could easily reclaim the fifth spot in the East if they finish the season strong.

As for the rest of the conference, the Philadelphia 76ers sit at the top of the standings while the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards are the final two play-in teams in the East.

Current Eastern Conference Standings:

1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Miami Heat
6. New York Knicks
7. Boston Celtics
8. Charlotte Hornets
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Washington Wizards

While the battle between Steph Curry and Bradley Beal for this year’s scoring title continues, Beal had another Golden State Warriors player in sight yesterday. The star shooting guard called out forward Kent Bazemore on Twitter, after Bazemore seemingly made a joke at Beal’s expense. On Monday, during practice, Bazemore complimented Curry for his extraordinary ability to remain humble no matter how many achievements he garners. “Forty-nine points in 29 minutes, though, that’s unreal,” Bazemore said, referring to Curry’s game against the OKC Thunder on Saturday. “Then we got guys hurting hamstrings, trying to keep up. So, y’all gotta do some research on that.” This quote seems to reference Beal’s injury on the same night in which he dropped 50 points. Beal interpreted it this way as well, going on an absolute tirade.

Beal concluded his Twitter thread with a GIF of a clown. Bazemore was informed of the situation after the Warriors tilt with the Jazz, and had this to say on the matter: “I guess you can’t joke anymore,” Bazemore said, adding, “I don’t say things to ruffle feathers, but … if you want to know what my loyalty is, it’s to [Curry]. Anyone out there chasing him, it’s gonna be tough.” Asked if he would reach out to Beal to describe what he meant by the remark, Bazemore replied, “There’s nothing really to explain; I was laughing, jokingly, half-heatedly saying it.” He went on to say that there was “nothing malicious about that comment.”

Beal furthered the situation by going on First Take, and saying. “I didn’t like that. I didn’t like the last part of the comment,” Beal said. “The first half of it about what Steph was doing was — I’m with you, bro. Forty-nine in 29 minutes, I think everybody in here can agree that that’s remarkable and truly amazing, so nobody’s arguing that. But I didn’t mention you, my hamstrings have nothing to do with why I go out there and play the game, and for me to injure my hamstring and you kind of make a joke about it, I don’t take that too fondly, honestly, because I take pride in being somebody who — my first four years, I was always labeled as an injury-prone guy. I was always labeled as somebody who couldn’t stay on the floor. So I take pride in my body, I take pride in being on the floor and being available for my team and giving my team the best chance to win. … Don’t make fun of something that’s not funny.”

On Sunday, fans were treated to an offensive, back-and-forth game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards.

The Nets were led by superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. James Harden did not play because he was out with a thigh contusion. Regardless, the team jumped to a quick start in the first quarter. Brooklyn scored 23 to the Wizards’ nine in an offensive run when the game started. That offensive run dictated how the rest of the game went. By the end of the first quarter, Brooklyn led 38-28. For the next three quarters, each team scored over 30 points in each quarter. At the end of the first half, the score was 71-65 as the Nets led. Brooklyn maintained the lead heading into the fourth, where Washington came back to beat them.

The Wizards were led by the duo of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. Washington trailed the first three quarters before the team erupted in the fourth quarter for a comeback win over the Nets. Westbrook scored 41 points for the Wizards, along with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Beal had 37 points, six rebounds and four assists, as they led the scoring in the fourth quarter. Their scoring outburst led them to close the gap as there were seconds left in the game.

The fourth quarter heated up as Washington outscored Brooklyn, 48-38. The high scoring quarter led to an intense and exciting finish. With 11 seconds left in the game, the Wizards trailed 146-141 before Beal hit a three-pointer to bring the score to 146-144. The key moment came as Brooklyn inbound following Beals’ three was stolen by Wizards’ Garrison Mathews, who then passed it to Westbrook, who scored a three to put the team up by one.

Washington clung on and sealed the deal as superstar Beal sank two free throws to seal the teams’ comeback victory. The shooting guard told reporters following the win, “It wasn’t just one guy who won us the game or two guys, it was a collective effort from everybody.”

The loss stung Brooklyn as it highlighted a recurring issue for them since the Harden trade. The trade caused the team to lose their defensive players. Since the trade, Brooklyn is one of the top five worst defensive teams. The team is currently 25th in team defensive rating with 113.3. Nets’ coach Steve Nash put it bluntly to reporters after the game, “We were not good enough defensively.” Nash spoke more about the teams’ troubles, “When you give up 149 points, that’s one error in about 50 defensive lapses.”

John Wall and Russell Westbrook faced off once again, following the trade that sent Wall to Houston and Westbrook to Washington.

Wall had long been part of the Washington Wizards’ franchise before being traded to the Houston Rockets. Westbrook was a big part of the Rockets last year but was traded to Washington for Wall before the 2020 season started. The trade was a result of both point guards requesting a trade from their respective teams.

GET DEALS ON HOUSTON ROCKETS TICKETS HERE!

Tuesday night was the first matchup between the two point guards since the trade. Wall was pumped up and ready to beat his former team and Westbrook. The 30-year-old finished the game with 24 points and led Houston to victory. On the other side of the ball, Westbrook has a solid outing of his own, but his 19 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists were not enough.

A notable moment between the two stars occurred on a play where Wall stumbled on a Westbrook drive that resulted in a foul. The two guards exchanged words with one another before officials intervened and issued a double technical foul.

The Rockets’ point guard described the altercation as “just basic basketball trash talk.” Wall noted that this was one of the rare times he’s beaten his Washington counterpart, “This is only my third win against Russ, I think since I’ve been in the league, so that means that he’s a hell of a talent.”

Meanwhile, Westbrook had different opinions on the matter. The Wizards’ star said, “Now listen, I don’t start talking s—t… I defend myself because I don’t just allow people to say just anything, especially when I know the facts as it pertains to anybody on the court playing against me.” The All-Star went on to claim that the trash talk started because Wall was winning. “So, I think [Wall] just started talking s–t because they just started to win, started winning at that time,” Westbrook said.

The Wizards’ star finished off his remarks by reminding everyone that the two will face off one more time this season. “So, you know, it’s cool, though, we play them again,” he said.

Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas has given Russell Westbrook his blessing to wear number zero. Arenas said, “‘0’ is all [you] Brodie,” Arenas wrote. “It will be an honor.”

Arenas played with the Wizards from 2003-2010, where he broke out as an all-star for the team. His status as a major talent in Washington and his jersey number of zero earned him the nickname “Agent Zero.” Arenas left the Wizards in 2010 after being traded to the Orlando Magic. Since then, no player has worn jersey number zero after his departure.

However, that could change after the Wizards acquired Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets. It was reported on Tuesday that the Wizards traded their star point guard John Wall and a first-round pick to Houston for Westbrook.

Westbrook, a former MVP has worn number zero his entire NBA career and all of his college career. When the Wizards announced him as a member, he was photographed with the number four instead of zero.

It is unknown if Westbrook would accept Arenas’ blessing to wear number zero again for Washington.