While speaking to the Associated Press at the Sundance Film Festival (where her new film, Your Monster, premiered), Barrera said, “I finally am becoming who I’m supposed to be in life, and the last few months have been a big awakening of that. I’m just so grateful for everything that’s happened.”
Barrera first commented on her exit from Scream 7 (Jenna Ortega soon joined her, as did director Christopher Landon) on Instagram. “First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people,” she wrote. “As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need.”
She added, “I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.”
Before the close of 2023, users online were shocked to see clips of Kanye West embracing Kid Cudi during his Vultures listening party. After nearly a year of publicly professed beef, many thought the Kids See Ghostscollaborators would never reconnect. However, a sibling-like spat couldn’t end their decades-long friendship for good.
While promoting his latest album, Insano, Kid Cudi opened up to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about how he was able to mend his relationship with Ye.
“The reason why we became cool again is because he apologized to me, and it was sincere,” he said. “I was just like, wow, ‘Kanye does not apologize to anybody and say sorry to anyone.’ And that’s my brother, man.”
Cudi doesn’t place blame on either party for the rocky fallout. Instead, he wants to learn from it and move forward.
“He’s learning, and he’s growing,” he said. “[Kanye] knows he made some mistakes and I think that that’s the beauty of it, is this is a beautiful thing. It’s like he knows he’s been on one hell of a ride, and he knows he’s said some things that he might not be able to come back from in a lot of realms, in a lot of spaces from certain people. But we grow, and I think I pray for him, and that’s my brother.”
Watch the full interview above.
Kid Cudi’s Insano is out now via Republic Records. Find more information here.
The relationship between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard has been, to put it charitably, frosty. For years, there’s always seemed to be bad blood between the two, as Howard (like Shaq) got drafted No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic and had the nickname “Superman.” Even as recently as last year, Shaq got jokes off at Howard’s expense over the fact that he kept his basketball career going by playing in Taiwan’s top league on a team that had a losing record.
As it turns out, Shaq claims he didn’t always view Howard in a negative light. The Hall of Fame inductee appeared on Trae Young’s podcast and explained that, early on, he rode Howard because he “used to love” him.
“If I mention your name, it means I love you and respect you,” Shaq said. “Like, I used to love Dwight. He did something I couldn’t do. I wish I could jump that high. I love Dwight Howard — a lot of people don’t know that this is my first time saying that. But as a big brother, I ain’t gonna let my little brother slide. Cause I want you to be better than me. A lot of people don’t understand this thing of ours, they think it’s just hate. No, it ain’t hate, I’m telling you how to get here.
“You know I’m here, dawg, I’m telling you how to get here,” he continued. “If you don’t want to get here … and that’s why I kinda had to lay off of him a little bit.”
Shaq’s comments come on the heels of Howard saying the he believes he should have been the first player in Magic history to get their number retired.
Sofía Vergara’s first dramatic role is a doozy. She portrays Griselda “Cocaine Godmother” Blanco in Netflix’s Griselda, which hails from the Narcos and Narcos: Mexico guys. Granted, her new Netflix series is not directly related to the older ones, but rumor has it that Pablo Escobar was slightly terrified of Griselda (the show references this, too), so that’s promising for anyone curious about whether to give Griselda a whirl.
The Emmy-nominated Modern Family actress went the transformative extra mile for the role, which was a passion project. And no, the on-set cocaine wasn’t real, but she sure learned a lot from the experience of portraying the woman who pioneered Miami’s drug trade in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Less than a week away from the show’s release date, however, Griselda might be seeing a wrinkle in the form of a lawsuit. Griselda Blanca’s real-life youngest son, the very non-subtly-named Michael Corleone Blanco, is suing on behalf of his mother’s estate. TMZ broke the news about how he was involved in developing a project based upon his life story. The facts of the case appear to be complicated and require plenty of parsing, but Michael claims that some of his anecdotes have surfaced in the series (possibly with some of the same people involved that he spoke with, although that’s not clear), and no one has paid him. As a result, he’s seeking to push pause on the show’s release:
The gist of their argument boils down to this … Griselda’s son, Michael, claims he’d been doing interviews for years now with some guys who were trying to get his life story — and that of his mother — on paper in the hopes of developing it into a production of some sort. He alleges these interviews he did with them date back to ’09 all the way through 2022.
Michael claims that these fellas he was consulting with not only wanted to develop his narrative into a show, but into a book as well — and he says they told him they’d start shopping it around Hollywood in 2016. He alleges they pitched it to a producer … ahead of a meeting with Netflix about it. Michael claims he was then told Netflix was interested — but that they didn’t wanna use any of his details or consultations from the interviews he’d done.
The lawsuit also rests upon claims that the series makes “unauthorized use of their family’s image and likeness in this upcoming series,” although Griselda as a subject is not off limits, considering that she is a public figure. Given that Michael alleges that his own anecdotes appear in the show, we’ll simply have to see how this story develops in the next week.
In the meantime, Griselda is still scheduled to stream on January 25.
For decades, Snoop Dogg was been one of the most recognizable figures in pop culture, with a distinct look, charm, and set of talents that has expanded his mainstream appeal well beyond his hip-hop origins. Despite how ubiquitous he’s been for years, though, there are still those who might mistake a poser for him. Such a story happened recently.
Earlier this week, a video that eventually went viral started making the rounds online. In it, a man, who does admittedly bear at least a passing resemblance to Snoop, poses for a photo on a plane with a flight attendant, who was excited to get to meet the rapper she thought she was standing next to. The Snoop dupe opted to not correct the person and instead rolled with the misunderstanding, producing what everybody involved is hopefully looking back on now as a fun moment.
Snoop himself is enjoying the situation, at least. He caught wind of the video and gave it his stamp of approval yesterday (January 18), by sharing it on his Instagram account with a couple of laughing emojis and a shrugging emoji.
With the release date for Madame Web less than a month away, Dakota Johnson is opening up about the new Spider-Man-adjacent film, which she describes as more “cerebral” and “psychological.” And of course, nothing encompasses those two terms more than car chases.
According to Johnson, she was thrown into the world of stunt driving and discovered she’s a freaking natural at it. In fact, she’s so good that she fired off a warning to Tom Cruise.
“I got to do a day of stunt driving work, and I’m really good at it, it seems!” Johnson exclaims, speaking to EW via Zoom in January. “I mean, I can do some really wild things with a car. I drove an ambulance. I drove a taxicab. I drove everything in the movie — except for flying through the air and out of a building. But other than that, I’m like, ‘Watch out, Tom Cruise.’”
While sharing her newfound love of vehicular action and explosions, Johnson reluctantly admitted that she wasn’t allowed to do the driving for a particularly dangerous and fiery scene. She took it pretty hard, but it only made her more determined to work her way up to risking her neck Tom Cruise-style.
“I didn’t get to actually drive [the car] into the diner, which is really a bummer. I really wanted to, but I guess they don’t want to put their lead actor in actual danger, unless you’re Tom Cruise,” Johnson said. “But I’m getting there! I’m working on it.”
Madame Web drifts into theaters on February 14, 2024.
Yellowstonecreator Taylor Sheridan does not seem to be slowing down any time soon, and he sure has come a long way since his alien background role on Star Trek, when he was still known as “Tayler.”
Sheridan’s next big project will be a film based on the 40-year tension between the Comanche tribe and white settlers in the American West, according to Deadline. The film will be based on S.C. Gwynne’s 2010 book, Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. The book tells the decades-long struggle between the tribe and the settlers.
Gwynne is ecstatic for Sheridan to take on the project. “I can’t think of anyone better qualified to bring Empire of the Summer Moon to the screen than Taylor Sheridan,” the author said. “He has a deep and nuanced understanding of both the myth and reality of the Old West. I am thrilled that he is undertaking this project.”
Sheridan definitely does have a deep understanding of the Old West! In addition to the massive hit Yellowstone, Sheridan created the prequel shows 1883 and 1923. And that’s not even counting the handful of upcoming projects he has, including the Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff and Land Man. You might think he’s working overtime, but he’s clearly not working as much as Bluey.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Everything is being revived or rebooted, so Seth MacFarlane is taking another swing with this profane teddy bear. This series will act as a prequel film to the films starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Amanda Seyfried, but don’t worry, MacFarlane’s voice will return to drop all of those F-bombs because the franchise demands it.
Over the last two years, Jon Hamm has dazzled as investigative reporter (of some renown) Irwin M. Fletcher in Confess, Fletch (a movie that gets better with every watch), launched into outer space with Reese Witherspoon on The Morning Show, and tussled with Juno Temple on Fargo. Now he’s set to launch Grimsburg, a new animated series about a master detective who returns to his mystery-filled hometown to patch things up with his family. Hamm has proven his comic sensibilities time and time again, so there’s a lot to look forward to with this foray into the exotic world of FOX animated sitcoms, a place where did his career-best work as a talking toilet on Bob’s Burgers.
20. (tie) Monarch: A Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+)
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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters stars Kurt Russell and Godzilla and… are you already sold? You should be. The first live-action TV show in the MonsterVerse — which also includes Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong — makes you care as much about the humans, including Kurt and his son Wyatt, as Godzilla and his “Titan” friends. In an up-and-down year for genre shows, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a highlight.
There are cringe comedies and then there’s Showtime’s The Curse, a limited series about a married pair of alt-HGTV home flippers gentrifying their New Mexico neighborhood via eco-friendly monstrosities and calling it philanthropy. Created by two masters of squirm – Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder – the show is a voyeuristic exercise that tests fans’ capacity for second-hand embarrassment as its main characters, the affluent Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (a shockingly unlikable Emma Stone) bulldoze the soul of their small, impoverished community with just a few reality TV cameras and a staggering amount of white privilege. It’s the best, most uncomfortable TV show you’ll watch this year.
Irish national treasures Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan partner for this thought-provoking sci-fi experiment that’s filled with big themes, unanswered questions, and a strangely large amount of bug shots. Mescal and Ronan play Junior and Hen, a couple stranded in their mundane life, living in a future ravaged by climate change. When one of them is offered a chance to escape with the caveat that their robotic replica will stay behind to keep the other company, hard questions about their marriage, their identities, and their purpose threaten to tear them apart. It’s a lo-fi love story with a twist ending you won’t see coming.
Dan Levy has kept busy in the years since Schitt’s Creek concluded, popping up in a few supporting roles (The Happiest Season, The Idol) and fronting an unscripted show (The Big Brunch), but Good Grief is the one fans have been waiting for. Written, directed, and starring Levy, the film focuses on loss, love, and friendship with friends (Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel) joining Levy’s character on a trip to Paris after supporting him for a year following the loss of his husband.
There’s been a debate online on whether May December qualifies as “camp.” We have no idea, but we do know it’s a very good movie, one of the year’s best. The Todd Haynes film stars Natalie Portman as an actress who shadows a one-time tabloid sensation played by Julianne Moore for a role. It’s best to go in without knowing more than that, although fair warning: while May December is very funny, it’s also quietly devastating.
What do you get if you cross Knives Out with Only Murders in the Building and add Mandy Patinkin and set it all on a boat? Well, this show, apparently, which is described thusly by Hulu: “Imogene Scott finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes the prime suspect in a locked-room murder mystery; to prove her innocence, she must partner with a man she despises, Rufus Cotesworth, the world’s greatest detective.”
It still feels like maybe we should just do a Knives Out/Only Murders crossover event series on a boat, but this works too.
This is a series based on the best-selling adventure books by Rick Riordan
For those unfamiliar, Percy is “a 12-year-old modern demigod who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt”
This is probably a lot more than you had going on when you were 12
Bradley Cooper has been nominated for nine Oscars (including four times for Best Picture as a producer) with zero wins. He’s really going for the gold with Maestro. Cooper not only stars alongside Carey Mulligan in the biopic of American composer Leonard Bernstein, he also co-wrote the script, directed the thing, and produced it. Did he also provide the catering? Maybe! Give the man an Oscar for all his hard work, jeez.
Hey. Hey. Are you guys missing Slow Horses a little bit? Are you getting that itch for another extremely British spy show, maybe one starring Peter Capaldi? One that you can stumble across without even closing the Apple TV app that’s been open on your devices sapping battery power for a week because you just straight up forgot to close it? Well, good news. Look at this.
An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case; one is a young woman in the early stages of her career, and the other is a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy.
— A new Prime Video series described as folllows: “A young married couple’s life turns upside down after secrets are revealed about each other’s past.”
— Stars Kaley Cuoco, who rules, and David Oyelowo, who also rules and has seen his star rise big time in the last year
— Maybe don’t watch this with the spouse you just married?
— The official description of the Netflix Kevin Hart movie — “A master thief is wooed by his ex-girlfriend and the FBI to pull off an impossible heist with his international crew on a 777 passenger flight from London to Zurich” — sounds awesome
— It’s directed by F. Gary Gray, whose résumé includes Friday and Set It Off and The Italian Job, which is a fascinating collection of films for one man to direct
— Also stars Billy Magnussen and Jean Reno, which is cool
From the mind of New Girl and Minx (RIP) star Jake Johnson comes a wild movie about a guy trying to win a million bucks by constantly being near other people whilst being hunted. Apologies for the old-assed references, but Self Reliance is what would happen if you took the Richard Pryor classic Brewster’s Millions and crossed it with Schwarzenegger’s Running Man and then turned it into a rom-com. Plus it’s got Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, and Biff Wiff. You in?
Netflix continues its run of ultra-high profile specials from super polarizing comedy giants with this check-in on Pete Davidson’s standup comedy stylings. From the soiled underthings of his alleged stalker to ruminations on the lengths he’d go to get his mom laid and the hidden benefit of Make-A-Wish kids, Davidson is as shocking and on point comedically as ever. He’s also in black and white. We do not know why.
You want a psychological thriller? Cool. Check out this premise: “A family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers appear at their door.”
You want a solid creative pedigree? Cool. This movie comes from the brain of Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail (who knows a little something about psychological thrillers ), who writes and directs based on a book of the same name.
You want star power? Cool. This sucker stars Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke and Julia Freaking Roberts, and features rising star Myha’la Herrold in a major role and Kevin Bacon in a smaller one.
Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh is seemingly, you know, everywhere… all at once, and there are no complaints there, except possibly from this piano player from the awards circuit. Creators Brad Falchuk (Glee, American Horror Story) and Byron Wu (The Getaway) bring us the story of Bruce (Sam Song Li), who begins to realize that his mom, Eileen (Yeoh), hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about her past. Soon enough, it becomes obvious that a family business exists and has already been joined by older brother Charles (Justin Chien), a powerful assassin. Expect both comedy and action as roundhouse kicks collide.
Paul Giamatti is picking up awards left and right for his performance in Alexander Payne’s latest film, which is great. For Paul Giamatti. But also for us. Like, as a society. Look at this: “A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”
Our official position here is twofold: one, we support anything where Paul Giamatti gets to be curmudgeonly; two, we love to see Paul Giamatti thrive. This checks both boxes.
Greta Gerwig’s massive summer blockbuster hits streaming. There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said. It’s wickedly smart and funny and sly. It’s much weirder than people expected, in the best ways possible. Margot Robbie is incredible as Barbie, providing layers of depth to a character who has rarely before had more than one. Ryan Gosling is a delight as the deeply confused Ken who is watching his simple little world crumble around him. There are cameos galore and touching moments and belly laughs. If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time. If you have, well, now’s the time to watch it again. This one is worth a rewatch. Or two. Or five. How you spend your time is your business.
Good news for dads and possibly you, too. Lee Child’s bestselling novels continue to come to hulking life (starring the 6’2″ Alan Ritchson) as opposed to the Tom Cruise movie. Season 3 is already filming, but the second round is now available and should satisfy those pie-and-vending-machine cravings in the meantime. This batch of episodes doubles down on the brilliant simplicity of both Jack Reacher and this show when he teams up members of his former Army unit to stop some murder business. Together, they continue to dive into a high-stakes mystery full of betrayal and revelations, and lest you think that Reacher is all brains and no brain, well, think again.
Can Season 4 recapture the magic of Season 1? At the very least, this new story seems to be hitting some of the same atmospheric and tonal notes as the original story starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who shall not be seen but are executive producing. There will be plenty of literal and figurative chills while Jodie Foster’s detective teams up with an old colleague portrayed by Evangeline Navarro. Together, they will attempt to unearth frozen truths involving horrors that took place during a Polar Night when an entire research died under mysterious circumstances. Are your teeth chattering already? Same.
Disney+’s first street-level entry into the MCU is as kickass as its Netflix predecessors with a magnetic anti-hero in Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and the kind of gritty, neck-breaking fights that more than earn its TV-MA rating. Picking up after the events of Hawkeye, Maya has cut ties with the Tracksuit Mafia and her adoptive dad, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), fleeing to Oklahoma to connect with her roots. The show plays up its connection to Netflix’s Daredevil – Fisk is in every episode and Charlie Cox returns as Hell’s Kitchen’s most pious vigilante for a vicious fight sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the season. But the draw here is Cox, and the character-driven storytelling Marvel is committing itself to with these more grounded entries into its universe.
“Miracles” singer Alex G has captured the ears and hearts of alternative music lovers everywhere. Along the way, he has graced our screens via NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series and television with appearances on CBS. Alex G has accomplished all these major feats while on an independent label (Domino).
But now, the musician is ready to take on the big leagues. Today (January 19), Alex G announced that he inked a new record deal with RCA. Supporters are dying to know when his major label debut will hit streaming services. Well, until then, what has been confirmed is Alex G’s touring plans.
In addition to supporting Foo Fighters on the road this summer, Alex G has a set tour of his own, which includes an appearance at Governors Ball 2024. View Alex G’s full tour schedule below. Presale for Alex G’s solo tour dates will begin on Tuesday, January 23, at 10 a.m. local time. The general sale will launch on Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more information here.
Alex G 2024 Tour Dates
06/07 — New York City, NY @ Governors Ball
08/06 — San Diego, CA @ SOMA ~
08/07 — San Diego, CA @ Petco Park *
08/09 — Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues ~
08/11 — Los Angeles, CA @ BMO Stadium *
08/12 — Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst ~
08/13 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ~
08/15 — Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre ~
08/16 — Portland, OR @ Providence Park *
08/17 — Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory ~
08/18 — Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park *
08/20 — Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory ~
08/21 — Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
08/22 — Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues ~
The Utah Jazz looked like they might be in contention for a high lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft when they got off to a 7-16 start this season. Front office sharks were circling the Jazz, hoping to pick off useful veterans at the trade deadline, and there were even rumblings about teams hoping to land star forward Lauri Markkanen if Utah was going to pull the plug and enter a full-on rebuild.
However, since then the Jazz have gone 15-5, including a recent 6-game win streak that included wins over the Sixers, Bucks, and Nuggets in succession. Utah has been one of the league’s best offenses over their hot streak, boasting a 121.7 ORtg (5th in the NBA) over the last 15 games. They’ve also raised their level on defense with a 113.2 DRtg (10th in the NBA) in that same stretch. Only the Celtics and Cavaliers have managed to be top-10 in offensive and defensive rating over their last 15 games like the Jazz, and Utah has gone from being a potential fire sale candidate to a potential buyer at the deadline.
Getting Markkanen back on the floor after he missed some time has helped, as he’s once again playing at an incredibly high level, backing up his All-Star campaign a year ago with averages of 24.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 49.7/39.7/87.5 shooting splits this season. However, what has really allowed the Jazz to finally find their groove is improved play from their backcourt.
Early in the season, Utah was just not getting anything consistent from their guards, and as such there wasn’t a great flow to their offense. However, when the Jazz moved Collin Sexton into the starting lineup for an injured Jordan Clarkson in mid-December, the team took off. Their 15-5 run has coincided with Sexton becoming a starter, and Clarkson has returned to the sixth man role he has thrived in for many years. That shift was one Will Hardy wasn’t sure he wanted to make, but circumstances called for it and the result has been a rejuvenated Jazz team, with Hardy noting Sexton’s play has taught him a lot about coaching without leaning on preconceived notions of what a player is from past teams.
In the Jazz starting lineup, Sexton is enjoying the best stretch of basketball of his career, averaging 21.9 points, 4.8 assists, and just 1.6 turnovers per game on 52.2/41.5/90.8 shooting splits. What he provides this Utah team is an element of rim pressure they simply don’t get from anyone else. Clarkson is a terrific scorer, but with the spacing the Jazz have in their starting lineup, Sexton’s ability and willingness to attack downhill relentlessly puts immense pressure on defenses — take his 30-point performance against the Pacers on Monday, where he got two feet in the paint consistently.
With Sexton in the starting lineup, Hardy has made some adjustments to help open up those driving lanes and create tough decisions for defenses. Walker Kessler, who is not a three-point threat, now stations himself in the corner fairly regularly, daring his man to sink to the paint to provide help on a driver. That creates a runway for Kessler to cut to the rim and finish lobs like he would from the dunker’s spot, but makes the read easier for the guard by putting the defender in more space and making them make a decision quicker. He’s also moved Simone Fontecchio into the starting lineup alongside Sexton, putting another three-point threat on the floor to open things up, while moving Clarkson and rookie Keyonte George to the bench unit.
All of the strings Hardy has pulled of late have been working, and the Jazz have gone from a group that appeared aimless to a legitimate threat as a Play-In team in the West, vaulting into ninth at 22-21, just 2.5 games back of the 6-seed. How they proceed from here as an organization will be fascinating. A year ago they sold at the deadline in a similar position, but with a less enticing Draft this year (and clearly no chance of getting into the tank race with how bad the bottom of the league is), they could very well become buyers or at the least let this group play it out and see how far they can go.
Where do the Jazz find themselves in this week’s DIME Power Rankings? Let’s find out…
TIER I: The Contenders
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1. Boston Celtics (32-9, Last week: 1)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11, Last week: 3)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13, Last week: 2)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (26-14, Last week: 4)
5. Denver Nuggets (28-14, Last week: 5)
6. Milwaukee Bucks (28-13, Last week: 6)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (26-13, Last week: 7)
Last week I broke this group up and put the Celtics by themselves and they promptly got beat by the Bucks so badly TNT switched to showing a different game. Lesson learned, even if Boston still looks like the class of the league overall, and this week we bring them all back together. These look like the seven most complete teams in the NBA, even if there are lingering questions that need to be answered come playoff time for almost all of them. Boston bounced back from that Bucks loss to beat up on a soft spot in the schedule and Minnesota’s back on track with four straight wins to move back into the second spot. OKC beat the aforementioned red-hot Jazz on Thursday to end a short skid, while the Clippers just keep winning. Philly got the best of Denver in a clash of MVP bigs this week that was one of the games of the year so far this season, but both teams look the part so long as Jokic and Embiid are on the floor. Milwaukee looked like a buzzsaw for most of the last week before a 40-point loss to Cleveland, as they can’t help but have one performance every week or so that keeps you from fully buying in on them.
TIER II: Playoff Hopefuls
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8. Cleveland Cavaliers (24-15, Last week: 12)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (25-17, Last week: 8)
10. New York Knicks (25-17, Last week: 11)
11. Miami Heat (24-17, Last week: 14)
12. Dallas Mavericks (24-18, Last week: 13)
13. Indiana Pacers (24-17, Last week: 10)
14. Phoenix Suns (22-18, Last week: 16)
15. Sacramento Kings (23-18, Last week: 9)
The gap between this tier and the next is closing steadily, as the middle of the playoff race in both conferences is heating up. The Cavs are scorching right now and have vaulted into fourth alone in the East, as they’ve gone back to embracing the three-ball and playing with more pace, which has opened up the floor and seen their offense take off. The Pelicans are likewise rolling offensively, while the Knicks are getting it done with defense since bringing in OG Anunoby. Miami and Dallas haven’t been making a ton of headlines, but just steadily roll up wins and keep themselves firmly in the top-6 race in their conferences. Indiana picked up a surprising win over Sacramento without Tyrese Haliburton or the newly acquired Pascal Siakam, who is expected to make his debut in Portland this weekend as they look to establish themselves as a real threat in the East. Phoenix appears to be on the upswing again as they get more reps with their full big three on the floor, as they get more comfortable playing together by the game, while the Kings are in a slide with four straight losses that have pushed them into a Play-In spot for now.
TIER III: The Play-In Chase
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16. Utah Jazz (22-21, Last week: 18)
17. Orlando Magic (22-19, Last week: 15)
18. Los Angeles Lakers (21-21, Last week: 19)
19. Houston Rockets (19-21, Last week: 17)
20. Chicago Bulls (20-23, Last week: 20)
The Jazz finally had their winning streak snapped by the Thunder, but there’s no shame in that and even in a loss their offense continues to impress. Orlando has not been able to recapture the (pardon the pun) magic they had early in the season, and they’re a candidate to take a swing at the deadline to try and get some more backcourt help. The Lakers seem to have stabilized things a bit and climbed back to .500 this week, but trade rumors continue to swirl in L.A. and it seems likely that a roster shakeup is on the horizon. Houston’s home/road split continues to be outrageous, as they went 1-5 on their road trip through the East with a lone win in Detroit. The good news is they’re back at home for three in a row coming up. Chicago hasn’t been stringing wins together of late, but they are staying afloat in the Play-In race in the East, thanks in large part to a breakout year from Coby White.
TIER IV: In The Mud
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21. Golden State Warriors (18-22, Last week: 21)
22. Atlanta Hawks (17-23, Last week: 24)
23. Toronto Raptors (16-26, Last week: 25)
24. Memphis Grizzlies (15-26, Last week: 22)
25. Brooklyn Nets (16-24, Last week: 23)
The Warriors are off until at least Wednesday as they grieve the sudden, tragic death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, as that takes precedence over anything on the court. The Hawks have won two in a row amid rumors that Dejounte Murray is a near lock to be traded by the deadline, and how they reshape this roster in the coming weeks will be fascinating to see. Toronto has finally picked its direction with the Siakam and Anunoby trades and can begin building around Scottie Barnes in full. Memphis’ injury report would be a really solid starting five and it’s just tough for them to hang on a nightly basis right now, but they do have some fun young players getting valuable experience that could benefit them long-term. The Nets are 1-9 in their last 10 and are in desperate need of some changes as it’s pretty clear this roster just doesn’t have it — Nic Claxton is really good, though, on a positive note.
TIER V: Tank Generals
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26. Portland Trail Blazers (11-29, Last week: 26)
27. San Antonio Spurs (7-33, Last week: 28)
28. Charlotte Hornets (8-30, Last week: 27)
29. Detroit Pistons (4-37, Last week: 30)
30. Washington Wizards (7-33, Last week: 29)
After losing to the Pistons, the Wizards have earned the 30th spot for this week. The Spurs don’t beat many teams but they do absolutely bludgeon the three bottom teams in the East when they get the opportunity, so they move up after destroying the Hornets this week. Portland can be frisky some nights and others they lose by 62.
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