The NBA playoff race is heating up with the final month around the corner. This week’s slate of underperformers and overachievers shouldn’t disappoint.
Well, 10 teams in the NBA are officially out of the playoff race, but that hasn’t stopped a few teams from playing playoff spoiler of sorts. Just last Sunday, the New York Knicks handed the Washington Wizards their third loss in a row. The Wizards are currently 41-33 and sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. With a 27-49 record, the Knicks are clearly out of the playoff picture, but don’t tell Trey Burke that.
Burke went off for game-high 19 points against his former club, showing what the team was possibly missing out on. He played sparingly with Washington, appearing in 57 contests for an average of 12.3 minutes per game. Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and Burke is now a member of the New York Knicks after signing a multi-year contract in January.
Performances like these are what overachieving are all about. This week’s overachievers certainly delivered on their end, with Burke being a glimpse of what’s to come.
Teams can’t be lackadaisical with the home stretch of the regular season on the horizon. The injury bug is also another thing to keep an eye on. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors have been two teams to watch with Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry nursing injuries. Both players are expected to miss at least the first round of the playoffs. Luckily for them, their teams have already clinched playoff spots.
Here’s a look at the underperformers and overachievers for Week 24.