NBA News: Monday, March 20th, 2023

The NCAA Tournament might be the most important basketball games taking place this weekend, but the NBA is still taking place as well. It’s been a relatively slow weekend in terms of big NBA news, but there were still some interesting things that took place. 

Playoff races continue to heat up in both conferences, and all of the games mean more this time of year. Here is a look at a few of the biggest NBA news stories that have taken place over the last few days.

Memphis Pulls Off Huge Comeback

The Memphis Grizzlies had an impressive win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, but their most impressive performance came on Friday night. Memphis was down by 29 points in the third quarter but rallied to pick up an overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Grizzlies were also down by nine points in the final minute of the game, but a 9-0 run in the final minute allowed them to send the game to overtime. This was the biggest comeback of the season in the NBA, and it was also the biggest comeback in franchise history. 

Memphis was playing this game without Ja Morant, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke, which made the win even more impressive. 

Jokic Concerned About Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets remain the best team in the Western Conference, and they entered the weekend with a four-game lead over two other teams. Despite the comfortable lead in the West, the Nuggets have not been playing great basketball of late. 

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic spoke about the recent struggles and indicated that he is upset with how his team has been play of late. Those comments came after a loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday in which the Nuggets did very little right. 

Entering play on Sunday, the Nuggets had lost five of their last six games, and they have been one of the least efficient teams on both ends of the floor during that stretch. Jokic continues to look like the MVP this season, but the Nuggets are looking to play well in the postseason. 

Timberwolves Hit Hard By Injuries

The Minnesota Timberwolves have not lived up to preseason expectations this season, and it could end up being a rough finish for the team. Minnesota made a big trade in the offseason to acquire Rudy Gobert, but they have continued to struggle to win games with any consistency. 

Minnesota has been playing without All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns since November 28th as he is sidelined with a calf injury. Towns is expected to make his return to the floor in the coming weeks, but he might be playing without his best teammate.

Anthony Edwards suffered an ankle injury during a Friday night loss to the Chicago Bulls, and it’s unclear how long he will be out. Minnesota has announced that Edwards is out indefinitely with the injury, and he is currently in a boot. 

Minnesota entered the weekend in 7th place in the Western Conference, which would put them in the play-in tournament to reach the NBA Playoffs.

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All Media on this page by Associated Press.