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We have some familiar faces back in contention in the NBA year this year after being out of the picture the last couple of years. The Warriors are 9-1 and Steph Curry looked invigorated with additional roster help and dropped 50 points on the Hawks last night and look like the favorites to come out of the West this year.
In the East, the Bulls and the Knicks are serious contenders after 20 years of being out of the mix for the Finals. Chicago and New York are two of the best basketball cities in the country, so it is great for the league to have the big market teams in contention once again. If you want to place a bet on the NBA action this week be sure to head over to our Bonus Offers page to get the most up-to-date promotion offers and sign-up bonuses.
Let’s take a look at this week’s power rankings to get some insight on teams to keep an eye on for the rest of the season:
The Warriors should be getting Klay Thompson back any day and he will give the Warriors an additional element that could make them the title favorites. The Warriors core of Curry, Green and Thompson combined with young players like Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and Jordan Poole may have more talent top to bottom then any of the Warriors championship teams had. When the Warriors had Kevin Durant they were a bit top-heavy with a thin bench and while this Warriors team can go ten deep and wear teams down with their outside shooting.
The Sixers will be without Joell Embiid over the next several games due to a positive Covid result but they are showing improved outside shooting without Ben Simmons in the roster and have the look of a team that may finally be ready to advance out of the Eastern Conference and into the finals. Seth Curry is averaging 16.8 points and Tobias Harris is averaging 19.8 and are playing with a faster pace than previous seasons. Ben Simmons is still being held out and GM Elton Brand and President Daryl Morey will likely be able to bring in another big piece to the Sixers roster in a trade for Simmons at some point.
The Jazz were the Western Conference’s top seed last year but fell to the Clippers in the Eastern Conference semifinals in disappointing fashion. The Jazz added some toughness this offseason by picking up Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gay and they look to have a roster that is better positioned for the playoffs than previous years. The big question will be if they have enough ammunition to keep up with the Warriors, who look to be firing on all cylinders once again.
The Bucks are off to a slow start this season, but anytime you have Giannis on your roster you have a great chance to win any given night and I think the Bucks will get things back on track as they get over their Championship hangover. The East looks wide open and we should see the Bucks start to stack together wins and move their way up in the standings.
The Bulls come off of a big win vs. the Sixers and host the Mavericks Wednesday night in a game that should have plenty of points. The Mavs are 7-3 and should be in contention in the West this year with a healthy Porzingis and Doncic continuing to get more experience. The Bulls are a fun team to watch with former UCLA teammates Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine running the court combined with experienced Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
The Bulls Warriors matchup this Friday in Golden State is one I am really looking forward to watching as it pits two teams that I think may see each other in the Finals when all is said and done. The Warriors are hitting on all cylinders and it looks like the Bulls are on the cusp of building something really special in Chicago.
The Heat vs. Jazz face on Saturday in Utah in what should be one of the best games of the weekend. The Heat and Jazz both have 5 players that score in double digits and are two of the deepest teams in the league.
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