Although the 2021-22 regular season is drawing to a close, the West End rankings are far from settled. Curry's injury suspension and the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. could bring dramatic changes to the West End rankings in the closing stages of the season.
After waiting for a long time, the Nuggets are finally expected to wait for the full body. Recently, it was reported that Murray would be sent to the Development League to find a state, and Porter Jr. would not go with him, but was expected to return to the field as soon as next week. Murray is currently not in full confrontation training, but he has not ruled out a comeback this season. Nuggets coach Michael Malone also said Murray's going to develop the league was a good sign.
In April 2021, Murray suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his knee. Since then, Murray has been recuperating from injuries and has not played a game this season, while Porter Jr. has been recuperating from his back injury since Last November.
During the injury phase of Murray and Porter Jr., the nuggets with an uneven lineup still maintained their combat strength and are currently in sixth place in the West Zone with 42 wins and 28 losses, so Jokic has once again become a big favorite for MVP. Of course, the Timberwolves are now gaining momentum, currently only 1.5 wins behind the Nuggets, and the whole team is also eyeing the top 6 in the West Zone. But the Nuggets now have the possibility of falling down, but they can also strive to move forward.
Curry's injury timeout also gave teams ranked behind the Warriors a chance. In yesterday's Warriors' loss to the Celtics, Curry was crushed to his foot by Smart, resulting in a sprained ligament in his left foot, which may be reimbursed in the regular season, and his comeback may not be until the beginning of the playoffs. Fortunately, Curry's foot did not show structural damage.
The impact of Curry's absence on the Warriors is self-evident. Us media give statistics, in the last 3 seasons of Curry's games, the Warriors 83 wins and 49 losses, a win rate of 62.9%; and Curry's absent games, the Warriors 18 wins and 57 losses, the win rate of 24%, the contrast is obvious.
With 12 games left in the regular season, the Warriors are currently in Third Place in the West End with 47 wins and 23 losses, five wins ahead of the 6th-place Nuggets and 3.5 wins ahead of both the 4th Jazz and 5th Lone Rangers. In the final stage of the regular season, this win difference seems to be not small, but in fact, it is not insurmountable.
In short, the return of Murray and Porter Jr. will help the Nuggets improve their rankings and at least maintain the 6th place in the West Zone, while the Jazz and Mavericks will ignite the flame of hope in the top 3 of the West Zone. The Warriors were a little careless and could even lose home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Between one entry and one exit, the pattern of the West End may change in an instant. (Supine Braces/Hairy)