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1. Milwaukee: Jabari Parker, SF, Duke Parker has come on strong of late, averaging 18.9 points (on 51.4 percent shooting) and 11.0 rebounds, with 2.0 blocks in February. Because he is versatile enough to play some power forward, he could be an ideal fit for the Bucks. 2. Philadelphia: Andrew Wiggins, SF, Kansas Wiggins has been inconsistent lately, shooting just 41.4 percent in his last eight games, but the Sixers know what they need to key their rebuilding effort: a dynamic wing scorer....

Keep it? Move it? Use it on a distant relative of Ron Mercer? Who knows? We have a pretty good idea what Boston will do at No. 1, but there aren’t many certainties after that. NBA DRAFT: Looking back at draft lottery wins that changed the NBA Here is how our Round 1 of our NBA Mock Draft looks with a few weeks left until the real NBA Draft on June 22....

The 6-3 point guard burst through the door bombing 25-footers and quickly garnering comparisons to Warriors star Stephen Curry. Although Young was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, nobody expected him to put up historic numbers — 29.6 points and 10.7 assists per game — as a freshman for the Sooners. SCOUTING REPORT: What makes Young a one-of-a-kind prospect? But he has. And as a result, he’s catapulted himself up the draft board....

AccuScore data leans more heavily towards the road team than does Vegas. As opposed to the 41 percent chance Vegas odds give Golden State, AccuScore simulations indicate a 50.2 percent chance of winning. AccuScore would have listed the Warriors as slight favorites. On the spread, the MGM Mirage has Portland listed as 3-point favorites. The Warriors covered a 3-point spread in 56.7 percent of AccuScore simulated games. The average score after 10,000 simulations is 102-101, in favor of Golden State....

Players on opposing teams know Golden State is now the team to beat, and that they need to get to work if they stand any chance. They were shocked when they found out Durant was leaving the Thunder. MORE: NBA free agency tracker | Durant finds perfect fit It’s fair to say NBA players had the same reaction as the fans on this decision.

The playoff fields in each conference are now set, and there should be plenty of drama as teams begin their postseason runs. Can one of the West teams prevent a Clippers vs. Lakers showdown in the conference finals? Will anyone challenge Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the East? Those questions will soon be answered. Let’s take a look at the 2020 NBA playoff picture, including the final standings and seedings....

SN's Sean Deveney and DeAntae Prince go head to head in their evaluations of each playoff series. Here's what you need to know before each series begins. No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Dallas Mavericks Sean’s take: This was as good a coaching job as Rick Carlisle has done in what has been a terrific career. Once again, the Mavs slapped together a club after missing out on their big free-agent prize (Dwight Howard), and despite serious holes on the roster, managed to win 49 games and earn a playoff seed....

In a game they had to win, the Pacers finally showed grit. George put the Pacers ahead 86-85 with a jumper beyond the arc, and West hit another trey with 1:33 remaining. MORE: Spurs at Mavericks | Pacers-Hawks details | Scoreboard | Playoff images Atlanta had a chance after Kyle Korver was fouled in the corner and knocked down three free throws. But George pulled down an offensive rebound to set up George Hill's driving shot with 56 seconds left....

This shot will serve as the lasting image of the Haws' 98-85 Game 3 win over the Indiana Pacers, a win that helped Atlanta capture a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Teague had yet another great game, posting 22 points, 10 assists and one MJ shrug. MORE: George scoreless in first half | Perkins sits on top of Miller | East playoffs in photos [GIF via Ben Golliver]

During the pregame pep rally, general manager Masai Ujiri let fans know how he felt about his team's opponents. MORE: Live blog | Playoff schedule | “We The North”

“Their 3-point shooting is a problem,” coach Scott Brooks said. “They’re one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league and they give you two 5s that can shoot 3s in Al (Horford) and Kelly (Olynyk). So we have to do a good job in making sure we are ready to guard the 3-point line. We can’t give them any airspace.” MORE: NBA scoreboard | Playoff schedule As much as Isaiah Thomas — and his 86 points in two games — has been a problem for Washington, as much as a lack of depth is sapping the good play of the Wizards starters, as much as players have lamented the lack of toughness on the roster, what’s really killed the Wizards in the first two games has been an inability to contest Boston’s 3-point shots....

With the score tied and less than five seconds remaining in Tuesday’s game, Lillard took what seemed like an unlikely shot from 37 feet out. But the ball ended up going in to lift the Trail Blazers to a 118-115 win in Game 5. The buzzer-beater capped off an impressive night for Lillard, who finished with 50 points, and his game-winning shot led to a big reaction from the NBA world as players and fans watched his playoff performance send Portland to the second round of the playoffs....

The Jazz pulled the series back to 3-1 with victory in Game 4 as Mitchell put up 31 points in a 107-91 defeat of the heavily favored Rockets. And while Utah still has work to do if it’s to take Houston to seven games, the second-year shooting guard acknowledges he has become used to tricky hurdles in his time in the NBA. “That’s who we are. We’ve had our backs up against the wall plenty of times in the past two years we’ve played together as a team,” Mitchell said....

Harden had a double-double (38 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the Rockets to the 112-108 triumph, bringing the series even, 2-2. Kerr said it was clear what the reigning NBA MVP was capable of, but he backed the Warriors to improve against the Rockets star. “He’s always been pretty good. It’s hard for me to look back and compare from one year to the next because last year he was the MVP,” Kerr told reporters....

Tuesday’s game at Oracle Arena saw the Currys become the first brothers to face off in a conference final. And it was the Warriors’ two-time MVP who claimed first blood, hitting nine 3-pointers as he scored 36 in a 116-94 victory. His performance came after he scored 33 in the second half of the Warriors’ Game 6 win over the Rockets to close out a semifinal series in which he largely struggled and Golden State lost Kevin Durant to a calf injury....

Indeed, there are just two series in this year’s first-round featuring a favorite that opened at less than 2-to-1. Nevertheless, we offer our thoughts and predictions for the opening round series, which you can read up on here (we're hesitant to call these picks since, again, there are heavy odds to lay). We do have picks, though, for this weekend’s eight Game 1s. Nets at Raptors (-2, 194), Saturday, 12:30 p....

Part of that should stand as a credit to the way Memphis defends, but it is also a pattern the Thunder sometimes get into, when it looks as though the gameplan is to either give it to Kevin Durant and let him force up a shot or give it to Russell Westbrook and let him force up a shot. Neither were particularly efficient in the first round. MORE: Playoffs schedule | Look back on first-round Game 7s | West in photos...

The Knicks were scheduled to host the Kings at Madison Square Garden, with the Nets playing the Trail Blazers in Brooklyn. Both games have been postponed, per reports by Kings broadcaster Grant Napear and Yahoo! Sports, respectively. MORE: Cancelled college basketball games | Howard trolls Lakers | Lance Stephenson trade rumor The Knicks-Kings game has been rescheduled for March 3, while Nets-Blazers will be played on April 6, the league announced....

While there is always the possibility of another major move before the start of the new season — hello, Ben Simmons! — it seems as though most front offices are rolling with their current rosters. There wasn’t a ton of cap space available around the league over the summer, which led to many general managers working around the margins rather than making big splashes. Still, a few notable names will be wearing new jerseys very soon....

Dr. King paved the way for people to unite. Sports bring people from all walks of life together, and the NBA is acknowledging that in their “Breaking Barriers” video. The video showcases many firsts for the NBA, from Michael Jordan becoming an owner to Violet Palmer becoming the first female referee. The NBA has broken a lot of barriers and from here the growth can only continue. MORE: Nike’s Black History Month collection | Reggie Miller calls Carmelo Anthony ‘selfish’ | David Blatt takes Cavaliers bowling...