Hawks look to make playoff push
While the struggling Blazers sit 10th in the West, another team playing this weekend sits 10th in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks currently 28-30 after back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic respectfully heading into the All-Star break.
Star point guard Trae Young has been leading from the front in the midst of an elite run of form, coming off his second All-Star selection with current averages of 27.8 points and 9.3 assists, 5th in scoring across the entire league.
With dynamic power forward John Collins sidelined with a foot injury, Young and shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will both have to play well if the Hawks want to beat the well-rounded Toronto Raptors come Sunday.
Healthy Raptors make playoff Raptors
The 2019 champion Toronto Raptors haven't quite made it back to the pinnacle of basketball since Kawhi Leonard took them to the promise land. But they have been playing well, sitting 7th in the East at 32-25 with great contributions from Pascal Siakam, All-Star Fred van Vleet and impressive rookie Scottie Barnes.
As they look to keep winning and sure up a playoff spot in the second half of the season, it's vital that Nick Nurse's men stay healthy in order to do so. The starting lineup of Siakam, van Vleet, Barnes, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr is averaging 34.8 minutes played together this year, the most in the NBA through this many games.
With van Vleet and Siakam playing the most minutes of anyone on the team, it's imperative that Toronto's core five are well managed for the rest of the season, or they may have major problems on their hands come playoff time. All five are expected to start against the Hawks though.
Blazers begin life after CJ
One of the biggest moves to go down at the trade deadline was the Portland Trail Blazers sending long-time shooting guard CJ McCollum to New Orleans in a deal that brought an end to one of the best backcourts in the NBA's recent history.
McCollum formed a lethal tandem with star point guard Damian Lillard in the former's nine-year Portland stint, but the two could never quite carry the team deep enough in the Playoffs. Nonetheless, many criticised the decision to move McCollum due to the team not getting a star in return after Lillard's public pleas for more help alongside him.
With Lillard currently sidelined due to an abdominal injury, McCollum's departure means the new faces of Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada will have to gel quickly with the existing roster if they're to improve their 25-34 record which has them 10th in the Western Conference.
It'll be a tough ask to get the first of the wins they desperately need against the 33-25 Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic continues campaign for back-to-back MVPs
Nikola Jokic is a ridiculous basketball player, and it was finally recognised last year as he took out the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. A walking triple-double, Jokic has only improved on last season's campaign this year, top 10 in points, rebounds and assists across the entire league with averages of 26, 13.8 and 7.9 respectively.
With injuries hampering the Nuggets this year, Jokic has been the only constant, guiding Denver to sixth in the West which culminated in another All-Star selection. So if he's been playing even better than his MVP season, who's to say he can't win again? Nuggets coach Michael Malone certainly thinks that should be the case.
With the weekend in LA now in the rear-view, the Joker turns his focus back to securing a playoff berth for the Mile High City, starting with the matchup against the Blazers on Monday (AEDT). And as he sits second on the MVP ladder behind Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at this point of the season, expect Jokic to rack up another insane statline to continue his quest to change that ranking.
NBA on SBS this weekend
Sunday, February 27
NBA: Toronto Raptors v Atlanta Hawks
11:30 - 14:00 (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand
Monday, February 28
NBA: Denver Nuggets v Portland Trail Blazers
13:00 - 15:30 (AEDT)
LIVE on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand
