The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly from the Last Week Of the NBA

The NBA season is winding down, and the playoffs are on the horizon for the contenders. The major battle undecided is for seeding in the Western Conference and who will escape the play-in tournaments. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers are the 7th and 8th seeds despite winning a combined 15 of their past 20 games and fighting for their lives to emerge to grab the 6th seed. The surprise team in this stretch of the season has been the Houston Rockets, who have a three-game lead for the 2nd seed and are 8-2 in the last 10 days. However, despite all the good in the playoff race, we still have some drama and teams looking to blow up their squad. In this article, we will discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past week.

The Good

Lakers and Warriors thrill in potential playoff preview- Lebron James and Steph Curry are two legends in the sport of basketball, and on Thursday, April 3, 2025, they faced off for the 56th time in their careers. Both teams entered the game looking for a win to push them closer to the third seed in the Western Conference. After acquiring Luca Doncic and Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline, the Lakers and Warriors have been two of the hottest teams in the NBA. The game did not disappoint, with the superstars leading from the forefront. Curry scored 37 points, 10 of 21 shots, and dished six assists, while Lebron tallied 33 points, 5 of 8 from three-pointers, nine assists, and five rebounds.

The California-based teams combined for 37 made three-pointers of 89 attempts and 41.5% from distance. There was a wild sequence in this game with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter when both traded four straight possessions that ended with a made three-pointer. However, the Warriors maintained their slender lead for a thrilling 123-116 win. Curry now has a 30-26 record head-to-head against James, and if they remain in the 4th and 5th seed, they can sign me up for 7 of these games in the first round.

The Bad

Meltdown in Memphis and Morant antics is a bad look-On February 27, 2025, the Memphis Grizzlies were the number two seed in the Western Conference with a 38-20 record. However, Memphis suffered a collapse in March by losing 12 of their next 19 games to a precarious position of falling into the play-in tournament with a 45-32 record. The disastrous stretch led the Grizzlies to fire their winningest coach, Taylor Jenkins, after six seasons. The decision has not proven beneficial, with the Grizzlies dropping three straight games at home against the Lakers, Boston Celtics, and the Warriors. In the matchup against the Warriors, Ja Morant and Buddy Hield were warned about their use of gun finger gestures. It was a particular concern because Ja was suspended after flashing a gun in a separate Instagram live video as a repeat offender.

The Grizzlies headed on the road on Thursday night looking to turn the tide in the second game of a back-to-back against the Miami Heat. Morant pulled off the heroics to end the losing streak by generating a buzzer-beating mid-range shot to win 110-108. However, rather than being celebrated for his heroics, after the game, the talk was about Morant making another gun gesture during the matchup. Morant was aware of how his celebration would be received by stating, “I’m well aware,” Morant said. “I’m well aware.” “I’m kind of used to it,” Morant said. “I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. So, yeah. I don’t care no more.” Morant is naive in viewing this as making him the villain. We want what all Grizzlies fans are looking for, Morant looking to dominate games rather than antics that distract from winning. Ja needs to stay far away from distractions and lead this talented, but young team to maximize their potential value.

The Ugly

Suns is set in Phoenix, and Durant’s legacy takes a slight dent- the sun going down is one of the most beautiful experiences in the desert. However, what has happened to this basketball franchise has been disastrous. The Suns were runner-up in the 2021 NBA Finals, and the expectation was that they needed to add a second superstar and more pieces to challenge for a title. They pulled the trigger to trade for Kevin Durant for a package that includes dynamic forward Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected future first-round picks. Bradley Beal was traded to the Suns in the summer of 2023 in a blockbuster deal that sent Chris Paul and four first-round picks to Washington. The Suns are the 11th seed in the West Conference, and the experiment has been a disaster due to injuries, chemistry, and leadership. Beal exercised his right to use the no-trade clause when they tried to move him in at the trade deadline.

On Sunday, March 30, in an embarrassing 148-109 loss to the Houston Rockets, Durant suffered a bad ankle injury, which will likely be his last game in a Suns jersey. They expected Durant to fill the void of leadership, but he has failed to display this quality. Instead, his legacy takes a hit, unlike Lebron and Steph, who have galvanized his team toward a championship run. The Suns have made the situation uncomfortable by including Kevin in trade talks without his permission. It will be interesting to see who will be traded this summer and the players who will be staying, but I expect Durant will be heading to his fifth team in his career.