
Denver's loss in Philadelphia was meaningful not because of how it impacts a tired MVP conversation, but how it showed a crack in the overall project for the Nuggets ahead of the trade deadline.

There's been a discussion, both lately and near-constantly over the past seven or eight years, about how carefully the minutes of most NBA stars are managed. Your experience watching these games, or not, exists beyond the plane of problems and solutions.

Teams like the Bucks and Sixers have become boring to NBA fans who thirst for interpersonal conflict and player movement, but it won't be when the playoffs hit.

Walker Kessler was thrown into the Rudy Gobert trade and has emerged as a shot-blocking force for the Jazz. Meanwhile, Gobert has become the avatar for Minnesota's disappointing season.