One-sentence progress reports for all 30 NBA teams as they enter the home stretch
By Cal Durrett
Northwest Division
Portland Trail Blazers: Despite arguably having more talent than most of the bottom-feeding teams in the NBA, the Blazers quietly went 0-9 in February and appear well on their way to a top-five pick.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have already surpassed last season's win total and have a great chance of finishing with the best record in the Western Conference, proving that they are the real deal.
Minnesota Timberwolves: While the Wolves have faded a bit after a hot start, they still have an elite defense and two offensive stars in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, which might be good enough for a trip to the Western Conference semi-finals for the first time in 20 years.
Denver Nuggets: Though they are currently third in the West, the Nuggets have played well enough to make them the favorites over the less experienced Timberwolves and Thunder, whom they may meet in the playoffs.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz having faded in the standings has made it much harder for them to make the play-in tournament and they may soon look to bolster their lottery pick rather than go all out to catch up to the Lakers for 10th place.