THE National Basketball Association (NBA) standings have basically remained the same since the All-Star break a few weeks ago. A number of teams have made impressive strides in recent games but only time will tell if that level of play can be maintained (or if it’s just for the moment), but here are the biggest stories in the league right now.

The Atlanta Hawks went on a notable 8-2 run, including a victory last Saturday (March 20) over the Los Angeles Lakers in a game during which LeBron James retired early due to injury. The victory over the Lakers marked Atlanta’s eighth-straight for interim head coach Nate McMillan and the most wins for an interim coach after taking over a team since Lawrence Frank started 13-0 for the New Jersey Nets in 2003-04.

The Hawks have stepped up their offence but their defensive improvement is most striking. Since McMillan took over on March 2, the Hawks have the league’s second-best defensive rating at 105.2 which has helped to currently place them at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference. They did allow a 22-point lead to collapse in their 119-110 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night but they have been inspiring to watch over the past couple of weeks and may surprise at the end of the season.

Also in the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks have revived the winning formula that led to back-to-back regular seasons at the top of their conference.

Milwaukee, after last Saturday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs, had six straight victories (and 11 of their past 12) and now sits at No. 3 behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, respectively. The Bucks are only two games behind the leader and are taking serious aim at getting back atop the East.

With LeBron James out indefinitely with a high-ankle sprain, Anthony Davis (calf strain and tendinosis) sidelined for at least another week, and Marc Gasol working to get back into game-shape after missing a couple of weeks due to health and safety protocols, the defending champion Lakers started Markieff Morris, Wesley Matthews, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Dennis Schroder on Sunday, March 21 against the Phoenix Suns and lost 94-111, ending their weekend with back-to-back losses.

While the Lakers are in no clear and present danger of not making the play-offs, their current injury situation will have a considerable impact on the Western Conference play-off picture.

The Utah Jazz still boasts the NBA-best record but are exhibiting signs of a mid-season downturn, and with the Suns and Denver Nuggets displaying improved form the race for No. 1 in the West is truly on. Since Utah’s 24-5 start to the season they are 7-6 and rank twenty-first in defensive efficiency during that span (113.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). This may be a sign of the Jazz slowing down or those behind speeding up, but either way the West is far from won.

New Orleans Pelicans’ power forward Zion Williamson scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting in a 113-109 win over the Denver Nuggets last Sunday (March 21), marking the twentieth-straight game in which he had scored at least 20 points on at least 50-per cent shooting. That tied him with Karl Malone for the second-longest streak of such games in the shot clock era (1954-55).

On Tuesday, March 23 he went one better, scoring 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting against a short-handed Lakers team with the Pelicans winning 128-111. Zion is now chasing Shaquille O’Neal who holds the NBA record at 25 straight games with at least 20 points on at least 50 per cent shooting. However, with his 21 consecutive games of at least 20 points, Zion broke a tie with both LeBron James and Luka Doncic and is now the youngest player to achieve that feat before turning 21.

A full slate of games are on this weekend but the pick of the pack should include the Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtic and New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets tonight, the Pelicans vs Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, and the Denver Nuggets vs Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Despite sitting outside play-off contention currently (at No. 11 in the West) the Pelicans have impressed, with only narrow losses contributing to the tarnish on their record. They have back-to-back games this weekend but the young line-up, especially in key areas, should provide the necessary energy to see them through.

The Celtics and Mavericks currently occupy No. 8 in their respective conferences but have enough talent to ensure they are in the conversation come play-off time. The Bucks and Pelicans will have their hands full against these opponents while the Clippers, 76ers, Nuggets and Hawks will provide top-of-the-table matchups over the weekend.

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NBA Champion Team O ddsBrooklyn Nets 3.70

Los Angeles Lakers 3.90

Los Angeles Clippers 6.00

Milwaukee Bucks 7.80

Utah Jazz 9.00

Philadelphia 76ers 13.00

Denver Nuggets 23.00

Phoenix Suns 27.00

Miami Heat 30.00

Boston Celtics 40.00

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*Odds are subject to change.