The final stretch of the NBA season is right around the corner right now. Some teams are competing for playoff position while others are just trying to make the playoffs period. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have been the biggest NBA news story all season with their hopes to get to 73 wins still very much alive. The Warriors added another impressive milestone to their incredible season this past week and all eyes will be on Stephen Curry and company over the next few weeks to see if they can actually match or even break the NBA record for wins. Here is a look at the biggest NBA news and notes from around the association this past week.
Warriors Set Another Record
Golden State added another milestone to its impressive season when it became the earliest team to clinch a playoff spot in NBA history. The Warriors edged out the 1986 Boston Celtics by one day when the Houston Rockets lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Surprisingly, Golden State’s magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference remains 22 because the Spurs are just 3.5 games back of them for first place in the standings at 50-9. The Warriors are already the fastest team to reach 50 wins, but the focus has already shifted to their next potential milestone. Golden State is currently on pace to beat the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best regular-season record in NBA history as they look to top 72 wins.
Cavaliers Suffer Another Setback
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in the NBA news this week again. They were rolling when they strung together five straight wins heading in to last Monday night. However, they dropped a listless 96-88 decision to the Detroit Pistons on Monday and then followed up a win over the Charlotte Hornets with back-to-back wins over the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. Cleveland is fortunate to still have a two-game lead atop the Eastern Conference standings, but the three defeats in four games has to be a concern for a team that has struggled with inconsistencies all season. Veteran J.R. Smith ripped the team’s effort in the loss to Washington but one of the main factors in that spot was that LeBron James rested. The good news is that the Cavaliers bounced back on Monday with a 100-96 win over the Indiana Pacers. They’ll return home with key games against the Wizards and Boston Celtics this week and the expectation is they will approach those games with a sense of urgency as they look to get back on track after suffering another setback.
Hawks Sign Humphries
The Atlanta Hawks addressed the absence of injured center Tiago Splitter when they signed Kris Humphries to help fill the void. Humphries, who was bought out by the Phoenix Suns over the weekend, is expected to join the Hawks in time for a date with Golden State on Tuesday night. The 6’9’’ veteran forward has averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while splitting time with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards and should slide in nicely to fill a depth role. In terms of NBA news or even fantasy, this is nothing more than a filler role for him. The Hawks really do miss Splitter.
Gallinari Set To Miss Time
The Denver Nuggets will be without Danilo Gallinari for the next three-to-four weeks after he injured his ankle in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. If that timetable is correct, then Gallinari will be back in the lineup for Denver’s final eight regular season games. The Nuggets will not compete for a playoff spot this season, but the loss is still a huge blow for Gallinari’s fantasy owners. The 6’10’’ forward has averaged 19.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season and his owners would love to have him back in the lineup in time for the fantasy playoffs if it were possible. However, Denver is more likely to rest him and make sure they don’t rush him back in to the lineup until he is back at 100-percent.
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