NBA Power Rankings Week 21: Milwaukee Bucks won’t match Warriors
By Phil Watson
100. . 38-25. Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 13. team
Last week: Won at San Antonio 116-111, lost at Milwaukee 119-100, won at Chicago 108-102
This week: Sunday at Dallas, Tuesday vs. Boston, Saturday at Philadelphia
The Indiana Pacers wrap up a five-game road trip Sunday at Dallas with a chance to finish it with a 4-1 record. That’s not unusual — the Pacers are one of 11 NBA teams playing better than .500 on the road at 17-15.
At a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, that road success could be big when they visit Philadelphia next Saturday. Indiana leads the season series 2-1, having lost in their first trip to Philly, and can secure the tiebreaker with a win.
The Sixers are the NBA’s best home team at 28-2 but fell to 10-24 on the road with a loss Saturday at Golden State. So next weekend’s game could have, as the kids like to say, implications.
Domantas Sabonis had a nice bounce-back game in the win at Chicago Friday night with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes, hitting 10-of-14 from the floor. On the week he averaged 17.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 36.2 minutes a night, shooting 48.8 percent overall and making 2-of-3 from deep.
Oklahoma City Thunder. 12. team. 149. . 39-24. Previous:
Last week: Lost to Clippers 109-94, won at Detroit 114-107, won at New York 126-103
This week: Sunday at Boston, Wednesday vs. Utah, Friday vs. Minnesota
The Oklahoma City Thunder keep battling in the Western Conference playoff race, now just a half-game behind Houston for fifth place and within shouting distance of the fourth-place Jazz at two games back.
The Thunder will try to wrap up a 3-0 road trip with a win at Boston on Sunday. It would be their first unbeaten trip of at least three games since wins at Boston, Philadelphia and Indiana from March 16-19, 2016.
Second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues his breakout campaign, scoring 27 points with three assists, two steals and two blocks in the win at Detroit on Wednesday. For the week, he put up 20.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game, shooting 67.6 percent overall and nailing 4-of-9 from long range.