The Five: Everything to know for Week 18
Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will select their squads from the pool of All-Stars at 7:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 19.
Every Monday we will tell you what you need to know heading into a new week of NBA action.
1. Countdown to All-Star 2023
With only 29 games over four days remaining until the All-Star break, the countdown to the weekend festivities in Salt Lake City is officially on.
We already know the All-Star starters, the reserves, the replacements, the Jordan Rising Stars, and the Ruffles Celebrity Game players. We’re still awaiting the list of All-Star Saturday Night participants, though.
The updated #NBAAllStar player pool
For up-to-date news, info, highlights and MORE head to the 2023 NBA All-Star Hub on the NBA App!
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— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2023
Which players will test their abilities in the Kia Skills Challenge? That event was won on a half-court shot by Evan Mobley of Team Cavs last year in front of the hometown fans in Cleveland.
Which sharpshooters will try to catch fire from long range in the Starry 3-Point Contest — an event won by big man Karl-Anthony Towns last year with a 29-point performance in the championship round?
Which high fliers will put their creativity to the test in the AT&T Slam Dunk — an event won by Obi Toppin last year as he bested Juan Toscano-Anderson in the final round.
The Saturday Night participants are set to be announced 7 p.m. on Tuesday during the pregame show on TNT.
While we’ll know the rosters for the Friday and Saturday events in advance, for the first time ever, the rosters for Sunday’s 72nd NBA All-Star Game will not be known until just before tipoff. Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will select their squads from the pool of All-Stars at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game set to tip off just 30 minutes later.
2. Heat Check: Bucks lead hottest teams entering the break
With each team having played between 55 and 59 games entering Week 18, the All-Star break is coming just in time for teams and players in need of some recovery time before the stretch run begins a week from Thursday.
Coming out of the All-Star break, only 28% of the schedule remains, so it will be a sprint to the finish line as teams look to secure guaranteed playoff spots (No. 1-6 in each conference), a spot in the Play-In Tournament (No. 7-10 in each conference) or find themselves on the outside looking in and headed to the NBA draft lottery.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are hitting their stride as the All-Star break nears.
As much as most teams would welcome rest right now, the Milwaukee Bucks may not be one of them as they enter Week 18 on a 10-game win streak. The Bucks have won 12 of their last 13 games and enter the week trailing first-place Boston by just one game in the Eastern Conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo — who rose to No. 2 in the latest Kia MVP Ladder — is averaging 37.3 points on 59.8% shooting to go with 13.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists in just 31.9 minutes per game during the Bucks’ 10-game win streak.
The Celtics have maintained their lead over the past week thanks to a four-game win streak of their own. Much of that streak has come without Jaylen Brown (who missed the first game due to non-COVID illness). He was knocked out of the second game by an accidental elbow from teammate Jayson Tatum that left Brown with a facial fracture that will not require surgery, so his return (while donning a mask) will be much faster. His status for Sunday’s All-Star Game remains in doubt.
Rounding out the trio of hottest teams — all representing the Eastern Conference, as the only West team with consecutive wins is OKC at two — is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who enter Week 18 having won six in a row and eight of their last 10 games. This run has Cleveland with a solid hold on No. 4 in the East and just a game back of No. 3 Philadelphia.
3. Trade deadline has passed, buyout market up next
Headlined by the Kevin Durant to Phoenix blockbuster, NBA trade deadline day (Feb. 9) saw a total of 12 deals completed, involving 50 players, what seemed like every future second-round Draft pick at the time, but ended up as 43 total draft picks and three pick swaps.
You can look back at every official deal struck on deadline day, and the three deals struck in the days leading into the deadline, headlined by the Kyrie Irving deal to Dallas. But as we begin to wrap our heads around the new-look rosters, there is the potential for more player movement in the days and weeks ahead.
With the trade deadline behind us, Sir Charles recaps the best roster moves he saw.
It is time to shop the buyout market. With the trade deadline dust settling, it is time for teams to assess their new-look rosters, look for any holes to fill, and see which players will become available via contract buyouts over the next two weeks.
Some of the players that will hit the buyout market were just involved in trades at the deadline, as in Russell Westbrook going from Los Angeles to Utah. Will the Jazz add Westbrook to their active roster? Or will they look to buy out his contract and keep the roster spot open and allow Westbrook to become a free agent?
These 15 potential buyout candidates are worth watching and already there are reports that veteran guard Danny Green, who was acquired by Houston from Memphis in a trade deadline deal, is nearing an agreement to join the Cavs. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns not only landed the top player at the deadline in Durant, they are reportedly adding a top buyout candidate in Terrence Ross after he was waived by Orlando last weekend.
4. National TV Spotlight: Four must-see games before All-Star
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs take on the 76ers this week in a key, pre-All-Star break matchup.
Monday: Denver at Miami (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
We open the week with the two-time reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic taking on All-Star Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. Jokic has posted five triple-doubles in his last six games — raising his league-leading total to 20 on the season and his career total to 96. One of those triple-doubles came against the Heat on Dec. 30 as the Nuggets rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 124-119.
Nikola Jokic records his 20th triple-double of season with 30 points, 16 boards, and 10 assists vs. Hornets
Tuesday: Boston at Milwaukee (7:30 ET, TNT)
The Bucks go for their 11th straight win in matchup of top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee (39-17) opens Week 18 just 1 1/2 games back of East-leading (and NBA-leading) Boston (41-16). The Celtics won the first meeting with the Bucks on Christmas Day as Jayson Tatum scored 41 points to lead Boston to a 139-118 win. The Celtics can wrap up the season series with a win Tuesday.
Wednesday: Cleveland at Philadelphia (7:30 ET, ESPN)
After Tuesday’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the East, Wednesday has the No. 3 vs. No. 4 matchup in this one. Cleveland enters the week riding a six-game win streak, while Philly has won three in a row. The first meeting of the season went to the Cavs on Nov. 30 as they held the Sixers to a season-low 85 points.
Thursday: LA Clippers at Phoenix Suns (10 ET, TNT)
It’s the final game before the All-Star break as the Suns host the Clippers in a clash of two teams battling for playoff position in the Western Conference. Entering Week 18, the Suns (31-27) and Clippers (31-28) sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the standings. However, with the Western Conference so tightly packed — four losses separate seeds No. 4 (27 losses) and No. 13 (31 losses), any loss can result in a major swing in the standings. The Suns lead the season series 2-0 and can wrap up a potential tiebreaker with a win on Thursday.
5. League Pass Games to Watch: Three games to circle
Monday: Los Angeles at Portland (10 p.m. ET)
Dating back to Jan. 23, Damian Lillard has scored at least 35 points in six of his last 10 games, including four games of 40 or more and a 60-point game, with a league-best scoring average of 37.9 ppg with 53/41/97 shooting splits during that span. LeBron James has not played since breaking the all-time scoring record last week, but a scan done on his sore left ankle and foot revealed no major damage. He is listed as day-to-day.
Tuesday: Sacramento at Phoenix (9 ET)
At 7-3, the Suns have the best record in the Western Conference over the past 10 games as they have Devin Booker and Chris Paul back in the lineup. Phoenix currently sits at No. 5 in the West, two games back of No. 3 Sacramento. The Suns won the first meeting with the Kings back on Nov. 28 behind 44 points from Booker. This is a matchup of the league’s No. 1 offense (Kings at 117.5 points per 100 possessions) against the No. 7 defense (Suns at 112.0 points per 100 possessions).
Wednesday: Dallas at Denver (9 ET)
Kyrie Irving (28) and Luka Doncic (27) combined for 55 points in their first game as teammates on Saturday in an overtime loss to the Kings. The Mavs open the week against Minnesota before heading to Denver to take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Jokic is on pace to become the first center to average a triple-double as he enters the week with averages of 24.9 points (15th), 11.4 rebounds (6th) and 10.1 assists (3rd).
