The Blazers point guard is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history, and his ability in the clutch is matched by few, if any, players across the league. It’s been largely smooth sailing thus far for the league’s No. Four days into the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Fla., and the reactions and takes are flying high as teams get their feet wet. I’ll pass on the panic.

Saturday’s win over Milwaukee may have been Doncic’s masterpiece. The three-time scoring champion has come out with a fury in Orlando, tallying 71 points in his last two games. He’s also largely a known entity. But little optimism was provided in the NBA restart. The Clippers have the deepest rotation in the West. The Heat’s star has made plenty of enemies across his decade in the NBA, adding a beef with T.J. Warren in January. How NBA Power Rankings are created * Power rankings are updated every Monday and Friday of the NBA regular season.

Sporting News' NBA power rankings for the 2020 restart come with a Disney-Pixar twist. Forward Gary Clark has shown flashes of two-way talent following a stint with the Rockets, and he scored a career-high 15 points in a loss to Boston on Sunday.

They have two top-12 players. The Clippers are seriously limping into the postseason after giving up 129 points to the Skeleton Nets on Sunday, but should we really worry about Los Angeles’ postseason chances?

Player of the Seeding Games August 11, 2020 … But the Bucks point guard remains critical to their Finals hopes. The Duke product is shooting 53.8% from three in Orlando, more than doubling his attempts compared to before the NBA restart. Kenny Atkinson’s dismissal wasn’t shocking, but it certainly felt odd given the impressive program he’s built in Brooklyn. DeRozan’s days leading a winner are likely in the rearview mirror.

We’re down to the last week of the seeding round before the playoffs begin on Monday, August 17th. Toronto Raptors (50-19, 4-1) The defending champs have looked solid since their blowout loss to the Celtics. But Butler always seems to back up his bravado. He led the way as Miami Boston’s 122-100 win over the Raptors on Aug. 7 was its most impressive performance in the NBA bubble, with the victory sparked by a smothering defense. We should remain patient with Mitchell, who’s had the burden of leading a playoff team for three straight seasons. We’ll rank the top teams in the bubble so far below.New Orleans has only beaten the winless Wizards and the The Kings were eliminated from playoff contention when the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Bulls brought in a new GM, so pairing him with a new coach makes sense.Going over the play-in tournament format for NBA Western Conference 8-seed [UPDATE]With the race in the West extremely tight for the last spot into the playoffs, we’ll go over how the tournament will work again. So where do things stand as we approach the play-in game(s)? Mitchell has been a household name since his first months in the league, yet he’s always felt a notch below the league’s top perimeter players. Bledsoe is a fierce on-ball defender, and he adds a secondary playmaker unseen in Milwaukee outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sacramento is likely to lose Bogdan Bogdanovic in free agency, and the Kings’ frontcourt is still quite limited. Oklahoma City’s trio of guards can at least battle Houston’s dynamic backcourt. But the Celtics have the scheme and the long wings to make things work.

The Kings have now been eliminated from playoff contention for the 14th straight season, and the road won’t get much easier in the coming years against a stacked Western Conference. The Wizards’ defense continues to be historically porous, and they’re generating turnovers at a rate that is sure to gray Scott Brooks’ hair.

Bledsoe’s performance could once again swing Milwaukee’s season.The NBA is inching closer to the postseason. Leonard certainly looks to be in Finals MVP form following a 39-point night, and Montrezl Harrell should be ready to play in at least one seeding game. Boston still lurks as a Finals contender.James Harden’s shooting struggles before the COVID-19 suspension appear to have been more of a random blip than a sign of things to come.

Eric Bledsoe has been maligned plenty in previous seasons, and rightly so after back-to-back playoff disappointments. The Thunder are unlikely to be Houston’s preferred opponent in the first round. All Rights Reserved. Add another forward to the Magic’s never-ending collection of frontcourt players.The never-say-die Spurs continue to stay alive in the Western Conference after knocking the Pelicans out of the playoff hunt on Sunday, and DeMar DeRozan deserves a large share of the credit.