NBA fans have survived three days without basketball after Sunday's All-Star Game, but Thursday marks the return of pro hoops and the start of the stretch run before the playoffs.
The conclusion of the All-Star break means it's time to get ready for the league's "second half," but in reality, roughly one-third of the season schedule remains for all 30 teams. With that in mind, here are five things to watch as the 2017-18 regular season comes to a close.
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Will the Spurs’ streak of 50-win seasons come to an end?
The last time the Spurs won less than 50 games in a season was the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season in which only 50 games were played (their 37-13 record put them at a 61-win pace). San Antonio holds an NBA-record of 18 consecutive seasons of winning 50 or more games, including its 50-16 record in the 66-game 2011-12 season.
At 35-24, San Antonio is currently on pace to win fewer than 50 games this season, and its 18-year streak is once again in jeopardy. Most recently, the Spurs were 32-24 in the 2009-10 season, but won 18 of their last 26 games to finish the season 50-32.
While winning 15 of 23 may not seem like too daunting of a task for a Gregg Popovich-led team, the Spurs have been stumbling. San Antonio has lost three straight and six of its last 10.
Throw in the fact that Popovich doesn't expect Kawhi Leonard to return this season, and San Antonio’s historic streak is in serious danger of ending. All streaks must eventually come to an end, right?
Can Russell Westbrook average a triple-double again?
In his 2016-17 MVP season, Westbrook broke a 55-year-old NBA record when he recorded 42 triple-doubles. His averages of 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists made him the second player to average a triple-double in league history. This season, Westbrook’s 25.4 points, 10.4 assists and 9.4 rebounds per game are close to a triple-double, but those numbers have somehow slid under the radar.
Provided he plays in each of the Thunder’s last 23 games, Westbrook needs to average 11.6 rebounds and nine assists to finish the season averaging a triple-double. This is doable — he has 13 games of 12-plus rebounds this season.
Will he do it? You probably should never count out the guy with a mantra of “Why not?”
Will the Warriors end up as the West’s No. 1 seed?
For three straight seasons, the Warriors have finished atop the Western Conference. In fact, the closest a team has finished to Golden State for first place during the three-year span is six games back.
This year has been a bit different: Golden State (44-14), enters the second half of the season a half-game behind the surging Rockets (44-13) in the standings. Houston has won 10 straight, while Golden State has lost two of its last three.
While there are plenty of games remaining for each team, the Rockets winning the season series with the Warriors means Golden State would have to finish at least one game ahead of Houston to earn this year’s one seed. The wild thought of the Warriors potentially opening a postseason series somewhere other than Oracle Arena is becoming more and more realistic.
Can Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons both win the Rookie of the Year award?
The precedent has been set. Jason Kidd and Grant Hill did it in 1995, and Elton Brand and Steve Francis did it in 2000. Are we due for another Co-Rookie of the Year duo in 2018?
Mitchell and the Jazz (30-28) have been on fire lately, winning 11 straight games prior to the All-Star break. The rookie is leading Utah in scoring with 19.6 points per game, which is also first among all rookies in the NBA. In addition to his scoring, Mitchell has averaged 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. His performance in the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest has made him even more of a household name.
Simmons has helped lead the Sixers (30-25) to a streak of their own; the team has won five straight. This season, Simmons has consistently impressed with his play — his 16.4 points per game is second among all rookies behind Mitchell while his 7.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game lead all rookies.
With both Utah and Philadelphia in the hunt to make the postseason, the contributions of Mitchell and Simmons could leave voters torn, resulting in another tie.
Who will win in each conference's race for eighth?
Detroit’s surprising midseason move to acquire Blake Griffin from Los Angeles made the playoff race in both the Eastern and Western Conference a little more interesting.
The Pistons are currently on the outside looking in, sitting 1.5 games behind the Heat for the East’s final playoff spot. Detroit has a record of 6-3 since acquiring Griffin and is anticipating the return of starting point guard Reggie Jackson, who has not played since Dec. 26.
Since dealing Griffin, the Clippers’ 5-2 record has allowed them to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. At 30-26, LA is a half-game behind New Orleans for the West’s final playoff spot and 1.5 games behind Oklahoma City for the fifth seed.
After winning 11 straight, Utah is one game behind LA and 1.5 games behind New Orleans for eighth. The Jazz’s streak has created a logjam in the West, as 2.5 games separate the fifth and tenth seeds.
In addition to the Jazz, Clippers, Pelicans and Thunder, the Nuggets and Trail Blazers are also vying for a spot in the playoffs this year. With six teams and four spots, the race for eighth in the West could very well come down to the last night of the season.
