Austin Rivers expects Nikola Jokic & the Nuggets to return to CHAMPIONSHIP FORM 📈 | NBA Today

Austin Rivers expects Nikola Jokic & the Nuggets to return to CHAMPIONSHIP FORM 📈 | NBA Today

Can you believe that the playoffs are just over a month away and we all know that the NBA world has their eyes on the race in the wild wild rest I mean it is Rodeo season down in Houston Texas so let’s take a ride really quick let’s

Start with the Suns versus the Cavs now this is the third quarter Cavs up 7569 and KD that’s his spot Ramona I mean everywhere is his spot Mr efficiency he is now it’s not just the midi the mid-range we’ve also got KD from three he’s been shooting a really great number

Almost career best from three and this was Durant’s fourth straight 35-point game the longest streak of his career the Suns win 117 111 Durant had 378 and six now to the Mavs versus the Bulls 40 seconds left in the first quarter Mavs up big Luca donic talking about

Signature shots his step back that step back and he I mean you can’t even get close to him cuz he’s got his elbow out there and also you can’t get close to him because he knows how to throw a dime to gather for the lay in gaffard made 28

Straight field goals in the past four games that’s the longest streak in play byplay history raona now check this pass out though okay Lucas got it touchdown that’s straight up West unsold it is Don recorded his seventh straight triple double tying the longest streak in NBA history as the Mavs win

12792 da to 27412 light work triple double let’s head to the Nuggets versus the Raptors the Nuggets were down 17 points at the half o just imagine most at home this season and then there’s the hook shot you know something’s cooking yeah Michael Malone probably had something to say about that during the

Break very true and someone who also has yices back Jamal Murray nice little bucket over there now we’re checking in where the nuggets are up 110 107 okay defense yic with the block you know that reputation on him is not a defensive player is way outdated o look at that

Pass the last couple years Nuggets won 125 119 an insane stat from yic get this 35 points 17 rebounds 12 assists and six steals plus the win and the comeback yes that’s crazy now the nuggets the Suns and the Mavs all won last night so here’s how the West currently stands

Denver remains a half game out of the top Spot while Phoenix is hanging on to six as for the Mavs they’re an eighth only a h only a game back of the Suns though now remember the team seated 7 through 10 will be in the playin

Tournament so let me kick it up the since we saw so many great passes to Austin uh the playoffs are literally a month and two days away when you look at where the nuggets are do you think that they go up do you think that they go

Down or do you think that they stay in second I think the Nuggets close out strong here you know we’re talking about a championship caliber ball Club this is a team that has experience this is a team that knows when to turn it on when

To turn it off and now that we’re past Allstar break I expect nuggets to get back in that Championship form when we talk about the best starting lineups in basketball we always reference the Celtics and this team right here the Nuggets who we’ve seen have their way

With the Celtics both meetings this SE they are the favorite in my eyes to win the championship to go back and repeat they’re just that sound and their best player is the most sound player in basketball so when we talk about catching a young OKC team I think that’s

Very very possible and I think this is a team that can come back and you know to tenfold and and end up the season number one spot yeah today I really do agree that I believe the nuggets are the favorites and we do think I think that

They could you know really get that top spot in the west now Ramona switching over to the Suns they’re hanging on to six only a game away from entering the playin situation where do you think that they finish you know what interesting they they’ really they finally got all

Their their big three back Devon Booker Bradley Beal Kevin Durant and they’re and one of the issues that they they’ve been working on all season long is defense like we know that those three guys can score we know they can put the ball in the hoop but defensively they’ve

Had issues all year long and I think Frank vogle has felt that they can actually be a much better defensive team if they get their guys back they play on a string part of good defense though is not turning the ball over they are one of the worst teams in the league at

Turning the ball over and he was asked last night is that because you don’t have a traditional point guard and he said simply nope which is him saying we all need to take much better care of the ball because we we know those big three when they when they’re all together and

They can they score that’s never going to be their problem it’s defensively can they lock down enough that is true now looking at where Phoenix is at the six spot that is a sweet spot but I mean same amount of losses as the teams below them you’re six does that mean you play

The nuggets in the first round if the Nuggets get to one do you really want to be in that four or five game and have the nuggets in the second round it’s it’s interesting it’ll be an interesting last week as everyone starts to jockey for a position look I would want to try

To create as much buffer as possible no matter who I play against but Zach let’s talk about the Mavs because they have fallen into the playin situation at eth where do you think that they land in the grand scheme of things I think they’ve got a good chance

To go up just because their schedule is easy and Phoenix’s schedule is brutal and it may come down to those two teams for the six spot and think about the stakes you’re talking about two teams who have traded so much stuff to go all in right now trying to get out of or

Stay out of the play in also as Ramona said matchups are Paramount if you get up to six not only do you not do you escape the play in you might draw Minnesota trying to figure out life without Carl Anthony towns in the first round if Oklahoma City and Denver go one

And two that is a world of difference from six to seven and Dallas much like Phoenix all World offense just good enough defense they’re a very dangerous team on a game to game and short series basis because their offense is just that good Luca is just that good we just

Haven’t seen consistency on defense or consistency from the role players some nights they’re popping like last night when they can’t miss sometimes it feels like Luca and Kyrie are kind of going it alone hard to see them making a deep Deep Run in the playoffs but nobody wants any part of

These dudes for one series it must be look good feel good play good because Zach just said what’s popping I love that that six seed is looking like a precious commodity especially in the Western Conference but the Wolves currently sit one and a half games out of first place and currently have the

13th Mo most difficult remaining schedule but tonight they face off against the fourth seed the Los Angeles Clippers right across the street and both teams are five and five in their last 10 games not exactly where they want to be but both squads have held a top four spot throughout the majority of

The season but tonight’s matchup is a clash of two Titans and also a clash of two totally different styles Anthony Edwards is Young and Restless while Kawhi Leonard has been dominant As the World Turns you see what I did there and how they score Echoes that I mean ant

Ranks ninth in transition scoring this season while Kawai is ninth on scoring from the mid-range the Midian I’ll show you exactly how they get it done right here starting with the hero the Ant-Man you love how he has embraced defense here he’s able to get a steal and

Anthony Edwards 227 transition points he scores before the defense gets set up now on the other side though kawi Leonard I mean what it’s against my Houston Rockets a little show and go Dylan Brooks great defender comes in to send the double doesn’t matter he gets

To his spot 251 mid-range points so far the season so it’s really safe to say that tonight’s wolves and Clippers game that is a huge one both teams were missing their stars in the last game now cat is obviously clearly out for the longer term but for the Clippers PG and

Kawhai will likely return from what coach tyo said was extreme scheduling based off of their backtack and when those two suit up again together that will actually Mark the most games either has played in any season with the Clippers so Zach who do you think goes further in the

Playoffs it’s got to be the Clippers they’re veteran tested they’re ready and most of all they’re healthy until we see when and where Carl Anthony towns comes back and what it looks like it’s hard to see the Wolves offense being good enough and consistent enough to win one two

Three rounds the competition is just too good and in Kawai the Clippers have one of the all-time great playoff performers a Terminator who can control games on both ends of the floor so I’m going clippers but I’ll say this we don’t talk about him much but that 4 Five series if

Five is the Pelicans the way they’re playing that ain’t no picnic watch out for the Pelicans that’s not an easy series for either of these teams you know I was thinking the same thing Zach when I I look at those standings all the time and it feels like the Clippers are

Sort of locked into that spot the top three feel like they’re they’re set but the Clippers in that four five game nobody wants to see the Pelicans in the first round that team is long they have depth they have these Young Guns who you’ve seen them do this in the playoffs

Before a couple seasons ago and so I think that I would I would also say I like the clippers because they have so much more invested in this team these guys are ready to win they’ve they’ve they’ve really gone all in with the veterans on this team this year and I

And I like that their their makeup I like that Kawhi Leonard feels healthy this year and is in good and is in shape to make a playoff run but I don’t like that match up in the four five game at all let’s go to a former Clipper who has

One of the best backgrounds I think you can actually see his jersey in his background Austin which team can make a bigger statement what you if you play for another team by the way I’ve been wondering that the whole time I like that Houston is in front a another

Austin Rivers Jersey in there I don’t know I’m running out of room I can tell you that much um listen I if if we’re talking between the two you got to go Clippers I’m in agree with Zach uh they have the makeup they have the experience uh especially with questions about

Carl’s Health we don’t know what’s going to happen there um but I love the makeup of this Clippers team especially for the postseason I usually don’t try to judge them too much on the regular season this is a team that’s built to make a run in the postseason talk about Kawhi Leonard

We see what he’s done with San Antonio and Toronto uh he doesn’t have as nearly as much pressure on those teams as he does with this team considering his Paul George with him we always talk about playoff James Harden this is the simp the most simple position he’s ever been

In he doesn’t have all that pressure on his soldiers he gets to go out there and really just be a playmaker because he has two closers next to him they got a variety of guys that can help score uh they have some inside presence with a plumbley coming back healthy and zubac

Down there and also adding Daniel Ty I like that team to go contend in the playoffs I think they one of the few teams that actually can give Denver a run but it’s kind of crazy because when you look at them head-to-head they’ve had very similar Seasons but clearly we

All go based off of maybe the veteran loading Clippers lineup right with kawhai Paul George James Harden I think people I mean I’ve been one of those people that have picked the Clippers since early and they’ll probably get Westbrook back at some point he’s hopeful to come back from that from his

Hand injury at some point whether it’s by the end of the regular season or in the playoffs so maybe we should just stand on business really quick because it’s now time for setting the pick brought to you by ESPN bet the official sports book of ESPN so here here’s who

We’ve Got Tonight Ramona Austin Zach and I’m going to throw myself in there we’re all saying the Clippers which means it could be setting one up I mean we just sat there and watch Nas Reed go for 31 points because he can shoot the three like nobody’s been but what happened in

Those games Rona they lost they lost the more the merrier Though

Austin Rivers expects Nikola Jokic & the Nuggets to return to CHAMPIONSHIP FORM 📈 | NBA Today

On NBA Today, Chiney Ogwumike, Ramona Shelburne, Austin Rivers and Zach Lowe discuss the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers and more.

0:00 Recapping the NBA slate
2:32 Nuggets’ outlook
6:18 Timberwolves and Clippers

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