Month: May 2021

About half a year ago, Sylvan Esso unveiled their third album, Free Love, to the world. Now they’ve shared the exemplary “Numb” as a single, which is accompanied by an artistic video. The clip was co-directed by Meath and Jasmine Albuquerque and features striking choreography by the latter. The clip was also produced by Maavven, a studio that has also worked with icons like Rihanna, Pharrell, and Dua Lipa.

Meath says of the video, “I’ve always loved the pure dance videos of the TRL era and dreamed of making something that could live in that world. I’m so grateful to Jasmine and everyone at Maavven who worked with me to bring this to life, it was such a joy and I can’t wait for y’all to see it.”

The duo also announced a stretch of tour dates for later this year. In a September 2020 interview with Uproxx, Nick Sanborn said of getting back in venues, “Believe me, there is nothing I want more than to be in a room full of thousands of people playing our music on a gigantic sound system.” Meath added, “Dude, playing ‘Make it Easy’? We’re going to be able to get the audience to sing ‘It’s playing now’ with me? At which point I’m going to f*cking cry so hard.”

Watch the “Numb” video above and check out Sylvan Esso’s upcoming tour dates below.

09/04 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
09/06 — Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield *
09/07 — Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater *
09/09 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley #
09/10 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre *
09/11 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA *
09/13 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Event Center *
09/14 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom *
09/16 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom *
09/17 — Austin, TX @ The Moody Amphitheater *
09/18 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom *
09/19 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center *
09/21 — Atlanta, GA @ Roxy Theatre *
09/22 — Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit *
09/23-26 — Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
10/26 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre %
10/27 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre %
10/29 — Madison, WI @ Sylvee %
10/30 — Madison, WI @ Sylvee %
10/31 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom %
11/02 — Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall %
11/03 — Columbus, OH @ Express Live! %
11/05 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE %
11/10 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall %
11/11 — Washington DC @ The Anthem %
11/13 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues %
11/14 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues %
11/15 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5 %
11/16 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5 %

* with Samia
# with Local Natives and Samia
% with Lido Pimienta

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Atlanta rapper Young Nudy returns this month with a new album, Dr Ev4l, and today, he released the video for its first single, “2Face” featuring G Herbo. The 13-song project will also include features from Nudy’s cousin, 21 Savage, and from Lil Uzi Vert. Nudy previously posted the horror-themed cover on his social media channels, as well as an invite to his haunted house-themed album release party in Atlanta. The album is due May 18 on Nudy’s own PDE Records and RCA.

The video for “2Face” sees the two stoic-faced rappers make a stop at the convenience store and throw a parking lot party attended by their respective crews and some scantily-clad, twerking ladies. Lyrically, Herbo and Nudy tread familiar territory, flexing their cash and shouting out their homeboys, denying they’ll ever let their boys down. A beat switch toward the end is accompanied by a transition to a nighttime shoot with Nudy and friends posturing on the block in ski masks as a red filter washes everything in a ghoulish crimson.

Dr Ev4l is Nudy’s first full-length release since 2020’s Anyways and his breakout 2019 Pi’erre Bourne-produced joint mixtape Sli’merre. He also featured on Dreamville’s Revenge Of The Dreamers III, further increasing anticipation for his latest release.

Watch the “2Face” video above.

Dr Ev4l is out 5/28 via RCA. Pre-save it here.

Bradley Beal didn’t play on Monday night when the Wizards lost a close one with the Hawks as he deals with a hamstring injury, but he still found himself as a hot topic of conversation in the NBA space. Beal and Stephen Curry are locked in a tight race for the NBA’s scoring title this season, with Curry holding a half-point per game lead on Beal, but Curry’s teammate Kent Bazemore interjected himself into their friendly competition and drew quite the response from Beal.

Bazemore joked on Monday morning that guys are “hurting hamstrings” trying to keep pace with Steph, which unsurprisingly ticked off Beal, who ripped Bazemore on Twitter while the Warriors were playing the Jazz. Afterwards, Bazemore seemed ready to just be done with the whole thing, saying “I guess we can’t joke anymore,” before saying he won’t be getting into it with Beal on Twitter. While he acted surprised it blew up, Bazemore should know that jokes about injuries don’t fly and can be seen as something crossing the line.

On Tuesday morning, Beal talked to LaJethro Jenkins of Yahoo Sports about the situation and made sure to note it wasn’t anything to do with Steph or even him being upset Bazemore is on the side of his teammate. His issue lies with Baze going at him over an injury, which Beal feels is uncalled for — and that Baze said he was “chasing” Curry, which Beal also disagrees strongly with.

“It’s nothin against Steph. I’m gonna nip that now,” Beal said. “To me it was about — I’m not sitting here debating whose side you should choose. Obviously you should be on your teammates side, but just keep it that. Keep it hoops, don’t bring my injury into it or me into it. My goals and why I go hoop and what I’m focused on is totally different. I could care less about people saying, ‘Ah it’s a close race.’ I don’t really care about that. I’m here to hoop. Everybody knows I can score, I’ve been doing this for the last couple years. So it’s nothin new, I’m not chasing nothin. So for me, I just want to keep it that. Just keep it hoops, stay over there, I didn’t say anything, I didn’t do anything so that’s all my part was.”

He obviously wanted to make it clear he wasn’t trying to beef with Steph and make this a whole thing, but he took issue with the way Baze went about backing his teammate by bringing his injury into it and the insinuation that he’s going out of his way to chase Curry for the scoring title. This should be the end of all of this, but we now know what it takes to have Bradley Beal torch another player on Twitter.

Donald Trump Jr. seems to be intent upon keeping himself in the spotlight, even when he overstays his welcome like he apparently did with Sean Hannity. That hasn’t stopped the most recent ex-president’s namesake from publicly expressing his opinion on everything from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to the freaking Muppets, but there’s a new Don Jr.-centered piece of gossip that will likely (at least momentarily) distract him from his crusade of owning the libs. Will he comment upon this subject? Oh please.

The Guardian is reporting upon excerpts from a new book, Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service (by the Washington Post‘s Carol Leonnig), which claims that certain Trump family members grew “inappropriately” close with Secret Service members on the president’s detail. According to Leonnig’s investigative research, this “dangerous” level of closeness may have been the reason why Don Jr.’s marriage to Vanessa Trump ended in 2018. Here’s the dish:

In her new book, she writes that Secret Service agents reported that Vanessa Trump, the wife of the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, “started dating one of the agents who had been assigned to her family.”

Vanessa Trump filed for an uncontested divorce in March 2018. Leonnig reports that the agent concerned did not face disciplinary action as neither he nor the agency were official guardians of Vanessa Trump at that point.

Naturally, personal relationships between Secret Service members and those who they protect are not only frowned upon but prohibited, so the issue is relevant to Leonnig’s subject matter. Further, she writes that Donald Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany, allegedly “began spending an unusual amount of time alone with a Secret Service agent on her detail” after breaking up with a boyfriend. The book details how this was a “tall, dark, and handsome agent,” who spent a lot of time with Tiffany, although Leonnig points out that Tiffany and the agent have stated that “nothing untoward was happening,” yet Secret Service leaders reassigned him elsewhere. Not that the president was concerned about this guy, though. The book points out that his biggest concern was that “I want these fat guys off my detail.” The King of Fast Food feasts also expressed concern that the agents (who he might have confused with office-focused employees) wouldn’t be able to “protect me and my family if they can’t run down the street.”

Again, there’s been no comment thus far from Don Jr. on the possible cucking, but given how the right-wing loves to use the term as an insult, any followup will be interesting, to say the very least.

(Via The Guardian)

While “taking a meeting with Tom Arnold” might not be something anyone had on their Bingo card for Margot Robbie in 2021, she may want to take a listen. Arnold—the comedian and actor who is still best known for being married to Roseanne Barr in the early 1990s—is currently making the press rounds with his sister, Lori Arnold. The two are promoting Queen of Meth, the new Discovery+ docuseries that digs into Lori’s time breaking bad as a real-life Walter White.

According to Discovery+, the three-part series sees Lori confronting “her past by visiting old haunts and rehashing memories with friends and family, including her famous brother, Tom Arnold. Lori and Tom’s vivid recollections of their formative years reveal hidden family secrets and trauma, poignantly piecing together how Lori’s disturbing childhood and wild adolescence led her down a drug-riddled path. More than a trip down memory lane, Queen of Meth showcases just how this highly successful and unlikely entrepreneur oversaw a multi-million-dollar meth empire, and how even within the ravages of addiction, she was able to flip poverty to prosperity.”

In an interview with Page Six, Tom admitted that if Lori’s story “wasn’t happening to my own sister and the town I grew up in, I would say it wasn’t true, but it is. The story is wild, but really well done, and highlights a problem that is happening in our country today with addiction and the repercussions from it.” Queen of Meth arrived on Discovery+ last week and is getting positive reviews for its simple and frank approach. But Tom sees this as just the beginning of his sister’s story being told. He’s currently adapting Lori’s life story into a scripted series, and has some major names in mind for the starring roles. For Lori, who was once dubbed “Scarface in a skirt,” Tom only has eyes for two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie.

“I really want to make this a scripted series and I know it can happen,” he said. “Margot would be great to play my sister because she is a badass and so is Lori. I can see her doing a total transformation similar to what Charlize Theron did in Monster.” (Did he see I, Tonya?)

Of course, Tom will also be a character in the script. And while he’d prefer to play himself, he does have a Plan B: “[I]f I am unavailable, Leonardo DiCaprio will do just fine,” he said.

Robbie and DiCaprio might be two of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood right now, but someone familiar with Arnold’s project confirmed that he is indeed approaching them about being part of his family album. Whether either one of them will pick up when an assistant yells “The guy from Hunt for the Trump Tapes is on the phone!” is another matter entirely.

(Via Page Six)

It’s been a tough year for some of the nation’s most beloved venues. The onset of the pandemic and subsequent quarantine meant staying away from massive gatherings like crowds at The Forum or the Staples Center was the safe choice, with plenty of canceled tours in the wake, and seeing those musical monuments sit empty has been hard on everyone. Now, there’s light on the horizon, as one of LA’s biggest and best arenas is ready to re-open its doors.

That’s right, the Hollywood Bowl has officially announced their 2021 lineup, and it includes some surprising and unexpected names. For instance, I highly doubt most Stripped diehards had not one but two nights of Christina Aguilera headlining the bowl on their 2021 bingo card, but that’s what we’ve got coming up in July. There’s also big appearances from Kamasi Washington, Earl Sweatshirt, H.E.R., Brittany Howard, Jamila Woods, Herbie Hancock, and a whole lot more.

The entire summer calendar announcement is included below, even the LA Phil dates, so please check out the venue’s website for more information on those bookings. Normally we don’t cover a lot of the classical music performances, but after a year of no concerts, I have a feeling those nights will be more populated than ever.

Check out the full listing below:

05/15 —Dudamel and the LA Phil
05/17 — Pink: All I Know So Far screening
05/22 — Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev with Dudamel (LA Phil)
06/12 — Thundercat + Flying Lotus
06/26 — La Santa Cecilia
07/03 — July 4th Fireworks Spectacular + Kool & The Gang
07/04 — July 4th Fireworks Spectacular + Kool & The Gang
07/15 — Peter And The Wolf with Viola Davis & Dudamel (LA Phil)
07/16 — Christina Aguilera (LA Phil)
07/17 — Christina Aguilera (LA Phil)
07/18 — KCRW’s World Festival: Kamasi Washington + Earl Sweatshirt
07/20 — Tianyi Lu Conducts Pictures At An Exhibition (LA Phil)
07/22 — Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky (LA Phil)
07/24 — Ledisi Sings Nina Simone (LA Phil)
07/27 — Mozart and Mendelssohn with Ruth Reinhardt (LA Phil)
07/30 — Cynthia Erivo (LA Phil)
07/31 — The Princess Bride in Concert (LA Phil)
08/01 — KCRW’s World Festival: Reggae Night XIX, Ziggy Marley, Wailing Souls
08/05 — Schumann & Schumann (LA Phil)
08/06 — Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks (LA Phil, USC Trojan Marching Band)
08/07 — Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks (LA Phil, USC Trojan Marching Band)
08/08 — Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns Tower of Power
08/10 — Dudamel Conducts Gershwin (LA Phil)
08/12 — Dudamel Conducts the “New World” (LA Phil)
08/13 — H.E.R. With The LA Phil
08/14 — H.E.R. With The LA Phil
08/15 — Blame It On Rio! with Sergio Mendes and carnival dancers
08/17 — Dudamel Leads Elgar and Grieg (LA Phil)
08/19 — Dudamel Conducts Beethoven & Falla (LA Phil)
08/21 — Sing-A-Long Sound Of Music
08/24 — Dudamel Leads Márquez and Tchaikovsky (LA Phil)
08/26 — Piazzolla & Tchaikovsky with Dudamel (LA Phil)
08/27 — Carlos Vives (LA Phil)
08/28 — Carlos Vives (LA Phil)
08/31 — Ray Chen Plays Mendelssohn
09/02 — Gershwin and Bonds (LA Phil)
09/03 — Maestro of the Movies: John Williams + David Newman conduct the LA Phil)
09/04 — Maestro of the Movies: John Williams + David Newman conduct the LA Phil)
09/05 — Maestro of the Movies: John Williams + David Newman conduct the LA Phil)
09/09 — Beethoven & Schumann (LA Phil)
09/10 — Black Panther in Concert (LA Phil)
09/11 — Black Panther in Concert (LA Phil)
09/12 — Black Panther in Concert (LA Phil)
09/14 — Yo-Yo Ma | The Bach Project
09/17 — Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince In Concert
09/18 — KCRW’s World Festival: Brittany Howard, Jamila Woods, Georgia Anne Muldrow
09/25 — James Blake (Hollywood Bowl Orchestra)
09/26 — Herbie Hancock
09/28 — Mozart Under The Stars With Dudamel (LA Phil)

Following up on this year’s album A Billion Little Lights, which Uproxx’s Steve Hyden called his “most ambitious and overall best work,” Wild Pink shared the 6-track EP 6 Songs. But he didn’t stop there. Now, Wild Pink is gearing up for another EP, titled 3 Songs, which he previews with the song “Ohio.”

The single was made in collaboration with songwriter Samia, who recently burst onto the indie scene with her 2020 debut LP The Baby. “Ohio” shows a jazzier side to Wild Pink’s music, detailing the euphoria of connection over a burst of synths. About the track, Wild Pink said it was inspired by the relief of seeing friends and family members after a long period of isolation:

“This song is about feeling isolated but then the relief that comes from seeing family/friends. It’s about getting some comfort from some of the mundane things I took for granted growing up, like daily summer storms and the hum from an oscillating fan at night. I wrote a lot of it during soundchecks on a tour with Adam Torres in 2018.”

Listen to “Ohio” above and check out Wild Pink’s 3 Songs cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Ohio” Feat. Samia
2. “Leferever”
3. “A Scene From The Eau Gallie Causeway”

3 Songs is out 6/25 via Royal Mountain Records. Pre-order it here.

For many people, seeing any animal in captivity is a tragic sight. But when an animal cannot safely be released into the wild, a captive-but-comfortable space is the next best thing.

That’s the situation for a dozen female pachyderms who have joined the Yulee refuge at the White Oak Conservation Center north of Jacksonville, Florida. The Asian elephants, who are endangered in the wild, are former circus animals that were retired from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 2016. The group includes two sets of full sisters and several half-sisters. Elephants tend to live together in multi-generational family groups led by a matriarch.

Philanthropists Mark and Kimbra Walter, who fund the refuge for rare species, say they are “thrilled to give these elephants a place to wander and explore.”

“We are working to protect wild animals in their native habitats,” the Walters said in a statement. “But for these elephants that can’t be released, we are pleased to give them a place where they can live comfortably for the rest of their lives.”

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Up to 20 more elephants are expected to come live at the refuge in the near future.

According to the AP, Nick Newby leads the team that cares for the elephants and has spent the past few years getting to know each elephant and their habits.

“Watching the elephants go out into the habitat was an incredible moment,” Newby said in a statement. “I was so happy to see them come out together and reassure and comfort each other, just like wild elephants do, and then head out to explore their new environment. Seeing the elephants swim for the first time was amazing.”

The refuge covers about 17,000 acres and will eventually include nine interlinked areas that boast a variety of habitat types, including wetlands, meadows, and woods. the center is also constructing 11 waterholes and three barns that will hold veterinary equipment. As of now, the elephants have plenty of space to roam, whether they want to stay near the barn and their caregivers, wander through the woods, play in the mud, or swim in the pond.

It’s already home to several endangered and threatened species, including rhinos, okapi, bongos, zebras, condors, dama gazelles and cheetahs.

“In the last few years, everything has changed for these elephants for the better — from their retirement to the way they interact with humans and the space they have to roam,” said Steve Shurter, White Oak’s executive director, in a statement. “For the first time in their lives, these elephants can choose where and how they want to spend their days.”

Ever since J. Cole closed his 2018 album KOD with a song title “1985 (Intro To The Fall Off),” fans have looked forward to the album of that title with both anticipation and apprehension. For one thing, lyrics, interviews, and social media posts he’s made since then have all seemed to imply plans to retire from rap once the album drops. However, in a new cover story in Slam magazine, of all places, Cole denies that he has any such plans, explaining that while he’s at peace with never making another album, he has too much love for the game to simply declare he’s done.

“I’m super comfortable with the potential of being done with this sh*t,” he tells Slam. “But I’m never going to say, ‘Oh, this is my last album.’… Because I never know how I’m going to feel two years, three years, four years down the line, 10 years down the line, but please believe, I’m doing all this work for a reason. I’m doing all this work to be at peace with, ‘If I never did another album, I’m cool.’”

If it seems a little out-of-place for a rapper to be doing cover stories for a basketball magazine, Cole made sure to legitimize that as well; yesterday, it was announced that he’d signed a contract to play in the newly created Basketball Africa League as part of Rwanda’s Patriots team ahead of the release of his next album, The Off-Season, which is decidedly not the same as The Fall Off.

With only one week remaining in the 2020-21 regular season, playoff positioning is top of mind for most observers. The top three in the East have separated themselves from the pack, but there is an intriguing battle happening for the No. 4 seed and a similar scuffle being waged to avoid the play-in entirely. In the West, the top two is assured (in some order), but there is fluidity below that and a lot of attention paid to one particular contender (cough, Lakers, cough) as they navigate an injury-plagued stretch run. Still, there is another war happening, and it is occurring at the bottom of the standings.

There isn’t quite as much incentive to tank to the bottom these days after the NBA implemented a flattened lottery system for the 2019 NBA Draft. Still, there are a handful of teams entering the final week with absolutely nothing to play for, and they are bunched together with draft odds at the forefront.

The Houston Rockets are going to finish the season with the worst record and, as such, be tied for the best odds to secure the No. 1 pick as, at this moment, they are basically in their own category. Not only does Houston have the fewest wins (16) by a comfortable margin, but the Rockets are an impossibly poor 5-43 since starting the campaign with an 11-10 record. While visions of Cade Cunningham likely dance in Houston’s head, they only have a 14.0 percent chance to land in the top spot and, because of a trade obligation, the Rockets have only a 52.1 percent chance to keep the pick, as it must land in the top four or the selection will be heading to Oklahoma City.

With the Rockets accounted for, there are five (yes, five) teams with either 20 or 21 wins. Detroit has “the lead” at 20-49 and, if they lose their final three contests, the Pistons will likewise secure a 14 percent shot at the top pick. From there, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Orlando and Minnesota all have 21 wins at the time of this post, and none have incentive to add to that total in the next six days.

As an example, the Thunder have been exceptionally bad lately and there are no signs of that changing.

There is also at least one must-see contest that will have direct impact on the lottery race.

The Wolves and Pistons face off on Tuesday evening in Detroit and somebody has to win. That is the only head-to-head matchup between the five teams in question and, well, that could be an all-timer if things break in a certain direction. That isn’t to say that other teams couldn’t pick up a win somewhere along the way but, in the race to the bottom, anything goes.

Adding more intrigue to the proceedings is Minnesota’s pick protection quandary. In similar fashion to the aforementioned Rockets pick that is protected 1-4, the Wolves have a pick with top-three protection that is owed to the Golden State Warriors. If Minnesota can sneak into the top three of the lottery at the end of the season, the Wolves would have a 40.1 percent chance to keep that pick. If they don’t, the odds only decrease and, given the stakes and the other team involved, the fate of that pick has the attention of the league.

At any rate, there could be some unsightly basketball in the next few days, but there are real stakes. In a draft that has a consensus top-five, every slot counts, and while we know the general area of where these bottom-six teams will land this week, it’s time to unveil our DIME power rankings.

1. Philadelphia 76ers (47-21, Last week — 2nd)

Admittedly, it hasn’t been the toughest schedule for the 76ers down the stretch. With that out of the way, they are completely dominating on the defensive end on the way to the NBA’s longest active winning streak (eight), and that can’t be ignored. Barring an unforeseen collapse, Philadelphia will be the No. 1 seed in the East, and they are playing like it.

2. Utah Jazz (50-19, Last week — 3rd)

Utah may have been No. 1 without a loss on Monday. The Jazz won the previous five games in a row and they hold a 1.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. Because of that, Utah could withstand a narrow loss to Golden State and remain in the top two.

3. Phoenix Suns (48-20, Last week — 1st)

It wasn’t the best week for Phoenix, even if a 2-2 mark undersells it. The Suns were annihilated in Atlanta and they suffered a double-digit loss in Los Angeles. The loss to the Hawks, albeit by a far-too-wide margin, could be attributed to schedule challenges, but the Suns couldn’t stay in the top two. Fear not, they are in a great overall situation.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (43-25, Last week — 4th)

We’ll touch on Milwaukee’s ugly showing on Monday in the Spurs section, but the Bucks got walloped by San Antonio. Before that, the Bucks won five in a row, and we’ll attribute that hiccup to 2021 weirdness. Milwaukee also has a relatively friendly schedule and a puncher’s chance at the No. 2 seed.

5. Brooklyn Nets (44-24, Last week — 5th)

Brooklyn could be lower after losing four straight games recently, but they picked up a big win over Denver on the road in their last outing. Moreover, the Nets are easy to trust on offense and, presumably, James Harden will be returning in the near future. No one wants to fool with Brooklyn.

6. L.A. Clippers (45-23, Last week — 7th)

If you want to be pessimistic, the Clippers are 2-4 in the last six and lost a home game in their last outing. If you want to be optimistic, they are healthier at this stage and 30-11 when both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George play. The Clippers also finish with a four-game road trip this week, so it will be interesting to see how they respond.

7. Dallas Mavericks (40-28, Last week — 11th)

Dallas is riding a four-game winning streak and they are 10-2 in the last 12 tilts. That is the best 12-game mark in the league, and they boast a +9.9 net rating with a 119.2 offensive rating in that stretch. Two blowout wins over a bad Cleveland team certainly help, but the Mavs are playing well.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (40-29, Last week — 15th)

Like Dallas, Portland is red-hot. They’ve also won four in a row and eight of the last nine, scoring almost 1.25 points per possession in that sample. The Blazers can’t sustain that level of efficiency, but this closing kick has been impressive. They are now a favorite to snag at least the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in.

9. Denver Nuggets (44-24, Last week — 6th)

It was a 1-3 week for the Nuggets, but they are only dropping because of how good Dallas and Portland have been. The Nuggets lost (by single digits) to the Lakers, Jazz and Nets. There is no great shame in that.

10. New York Knicks (38-30, Last week — 8th)

New York finishes up a six-game road trip against the Lakers on Tuesday, but they’ve already guaranteed at least a .500 mark on that journey. The Knicks continue to surprise, and their latest salvo was an impressive road win over the Clippers.

11. Atlanta Hawks (38-31, Last week — 9th)

The Hawks haven’t lost a home game in almost a month, but they’ve had a few hiccups on the road. That makes the push for the No. 4 seed all the more important, and Atlanta has a (very) soft schedule this week. They can easily finish with 41 wins and put pressure on the Knicks to close strong.

12. Los Angeles Lakers (38-30, Last week — 12th)

With Portland and Dallas both surging, the Lakers might end up in the play-in. If they are the No. 7 seed, though, some of the risk is removed, with two chances to secure a path to the playoffs. Regardless, everything hinges on LeBron’s pending return, which could come as soon as Tuesday.

13. Miami Heat (37-31, Last week — 10th)

The Heat are playing well, especially when Jimmy Butler is on the floor. For the full season, Miami has a +4.7 net rating when Butler is on the floor and a -6.2 net rating when he sits. They are also 31-19 in games when Butler suits up and just 6-12 without him. That basically paints the picture of Miami’s season and why they are scratching and clawing in the middle of the East.

14. Golden State Warriors (36-33, Last week — 13th)

Steph Curry is preposterous. He’s led the Warriors to five wins in the last six games, and the numbers are just staggering. Curry is averaging 37.2 points per game in the last 22 contests, shooting 45 percent from three on 14.6 attempts per game. There is no precedent for that, not even from Curry himself.

15. Memphis Grizzlies (35-33, Last week — 17th)

Memphis clinched a play-in spot on Monday, and that is a testament to their resilience this season. The Grizzlies haven’t had their full complement for much of the year and, while that could be said for many teams, they’ve navigated things quite well.

16. Washington Wizards (32-37, Last week — 14th)

Washington played four games this week and they were decided by five points combined. Yes, you’re reading that right. The Wizards split those four contests, and they almost pulled off a miracle comeback from 19 points down in the fourth quarter in Atlanta on Monday. The headliner there was Russell Westbrook making NBA history, but the Wizards also played relatively well, even without Bradley Beal.

17. Boston Celtics (35-33, Last week — 16th)

Jaylen Brown is out for the season, and that is brutal. The Celtics already disappointed this season, but they certainly couldn’t afford this kind of injury and they will be even bigger underdogs in a playoff setting at this stage. What were the odds of Boston needing to navigate the play-in tournament this season?

18. San Antonio Spurs (33-35, Last week — 21st)

If you’re in search of a reminder of the wild variance from this season, the first half of Monday’s Spurs-Bucks game is something to circle. San Antonio scored a franchise-record 87 points before halftime, using that to throttle the previously hot Bucks. That doesn’t suddenly mean that San Antonio is good and Milwaukee is bad, but it was a win the Spurs needed.

19. Charlotte Hornets (33-35, Last week — 18th)

Charlotte will be playing postseason basketball, but they aren’t inspiring with recent play. The Hornets had an opportunity to make a run this week, but they promptly lost home games to Chicago and New Orleans. Charlotte is 24-20 with Gordon Hayward and 9-15 without him, which tells the story, at least in part.

20. New Orleans Pelicans (31-38, Last week — 20th)

There isn’t much to take from a Monday night loss without key pieces, but it wasn’t a good result for the team’s fledgling play-in hopes. With Zion out indefinitely, it’s basically on to 2021-22 for New Orleans, but Basketball-Reference does give the Pels a 1.3 percent chance to reach the No. 10 spot.

21. Chicago Bulls (29-39, Last week — 25th)

It’s likely going to be a “too little, too late” situation for the Bulls, but they’ve won three in a row. It isn’t a coincidence that the uptick began when Zach LaVine returned, and Chicago has been very unlucky since their massive trade deadline acquisition of Nikola Vucevic.

22. Indiana Pacers (32-36, Last week — 24th)

To their credit, the Pacers have won two of the last three games, including a nice home win over Atlanta. That doesn’t paper over the issues, though, and Indiana has been jarringly bad defensively without Myles Turner. We’ll see if they can hold off the Wizards for home-court in the first play-in game.

23. Sacramento Kings (30-38, Last week — 23rd)

Sacramento should potentially be higher on this list after winning five of the last six games. That’s just what they do, though, as the Kings have been the streakiest imaginable team in 2020-21. They’re also doing this in weird fashion, with road straight road wins behind a short-handed roster.

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (21-47, Last week — 22nd)

The Wolves are 7-5 in the last 12 games with a top-10 offense during that run. They obviously had a long way to go to climb up the pecking order after a hideous start but, if nothing else, Minnesota’s been highly competitive and shown flashes. That’s all they could ask for down the stretch of a lost season.

25. Toronto Raptors (27-41, Last week — 19th)

There was a brief moment when the Raptors were kind of alive in the play-in chase. On cue, they lost all three games this week (without Kyle Lowry playing) and Toronto is just 2-7 in the last nine games. Even skeptics didn’t predict 27-41 for the Raptors, but the season from hell is almost over.

26. Detroit Pistons (20-49, Last week — 27th)

Detroit’s win over Memphis this week was enough to push them out of the bottom four. The aforementioned showdown between Detroit and Minnesota will decide some things, but the Pistons… really need to lose the rest of these games. They probably know that, so look out.

27. Orlando Magic (21-47, Last week — 26th)

After a bizarre 3-1 showing prior to this week, the Magic remembered what they needed to do. Orlando lost three games by a combined 78 points, and they are now 29th in the NBA in net rating. Yikes.

28. Houston Rockets (16-53, Last week — 29th)

Houston was oddly competitive in road losses to Milwaukee and Utah this week, falling by single digits on both occasions. That might mask their overall horror, as the Rockets have the worst record in the league over the last three months. It’s taken a good bit of effort to have the driver’s seat for the top spot in the lottery, but Houston has done it.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-48, Last week — 28th)

The bottom has fallen out for the Cavs, who are on an 11-game losing streak. In those 11 games, Cleveland has a defensive rating well above 120, and they are being outscored by 17.1 points per 100 possessions. Somehow, that isn’t the worst net rating in the league over that team (see below), but the Cavaliers are just ready for Cancun.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-48, Last week — 30th)

The Thunder don’t have the league’s worst record or the league’s longest active winning streak, but it doesn’t matter. As noted above, it can be argued Oklahoma City just had the worst 25-game stretch in the history of the NBA, and they are essentially functioning as a G League team down the stretch. Is that probably good for their future? Yes. Has it been entertaining at times? Yes. Are they dreadful right now? Also yes.