Despite entering the NBA bubble 3.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies, the current overwhelming favorite to capture the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference is the Portland Trail Blazers. The FiveThirtyEight RAPTOR-based forecast gives the Blazers a 76 percent chance of making the postseason, up from just 12 percent prior to […]
The New Orleans Pelicans were always bound to be one of this season’s most fascinating teams. The Pellies had already been preparing for a big change when they got lucky in the lottery and landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. The fortuitous bounce of the pingpong balls allowed them to […]
The NBA has been back officially for almost a week now, giving us just enough time to make some observations as clubs make their end-of-season pushes before the playoffs begin. Some of the early returns are surprising, while others are ones we should have seen coming. Here’s a quick breakdown from both categories. WE SHOULD […]
High-usage bucket-getters like Donovan Mitchell are essential for most title contenders, and before the 2019-20 season began, that’s exactly what his Utah Jazz were. Their preseason over/under was lower than that of only three other teams, and after opening night, the FiveThirtyEight prediction model gave them a 5 percent chance of making the NBA Finals […]
Twelve NBA teams have already clinched their place in this year’s playoff field, but 10 others made the trip to the league’s Orlando bubble with the hopes of playing their way into the four remaining unfilled spots. Some of those bids have a better chance than others; for instance, our prediction model thinks the Dallas […]