NBA Power Rankings Week 21: Milwaukee Bucks won’t match Warriors
By Phil Watson
84. . 28-35. Previous: . Sacramento Kings. 21. team
Last week: Beat Detroit 106-100, beat Washington 133-126, lost to Philadelphia 125-108, won at Portland 123-111
This week: Sunday vs. Toronto, Wednesday vs. New Orleans
Consigned to yet another season without a postseason appearance, the Sacramento Kings have put together an improbable run since the All-Star break, winning seven of nine games to climb into ninth place in the Western Conference, just 3½ games behind the eighth-place Grizzlies.
The Kings were routed at home Thursday by the 76ers but recovered to win at Portland on Saturday night, snapping a 12-game losing streak at Moda Center that dated back to Dec. 8, 2012. Sacramento has not made the playoffs since 2006 but came into this season with great expectations after a surprising 39-win campaign last season.
De’Aaron Fox has been steady of late, though his string of games with at least 20 points ended at seven on Saturday night. For the week, Fox averaged 22.8 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32.2 minutes per game, while shooting 49.2 percent overall. Fox has been cold from 3-point range of late, however, making only 2-of-14 in the four games.
. 28-37. Previous: . Portland Trail Blazers. 20. team. 34
Last week: Won at Orlando 130-107, beat Washington 125-104, lost at Phoenix 127-117, lost to Sacramento 123-111
This week: Tuesday vs. Phoenix, Thursday vs. Memphis
The Portland Trail Blazers lost some prime chances to stay with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference playoff chance, instead falling 4½ games off the pace for eighth place after dropping both ends of a back-to-back Friday and Saturday. Portland has now lost eight of its last 11 games.
While it’s early March, it’s hard to overstate the importance of the next two games for the Blazers. They host the Suns and Grizzlies — a chance to get a valuable two-game swing in the standings with a victory and to tie the season series at 1-1 with one game remaining in Portland on April 5. A loss gives the tiebreaker to Memphis, which beat visiting Portland 111-104 back on Feb. 12.
Damian Lillard is back, but CJ McCollum came up big while he was out, including a 41-point outburst on Monday at Orlando. In four games, McCollum averaged 26.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 35.5 minutes per game, shooting 51.9 percent overall and knocking down 35.3 percent on 8.5 3-point attempts a night.