Year: 2022

There’s a recent seven-year gap in Shawn Levy’s film directing career. Now, it’s easy to just assume, well, with his involvement in Stranger Things, maybe he was just busy with that. In fact, that is pretty much what I assumed. But, as we kind of got into when we spoke to Levy last year for Free Guy, Shawn Levy movies make a lot of money. And guess what happened with Free Guy? A movie that was not existing IP and came out during the pandemic? It made a lot of money. So I did wonder if maybe there was another reason for the gap. And, as Levy explains, the gap had quite a bit to do with, after the third Night at the Museum film, losing his friend Robin Williams and needing a break.

Now, after that break, The Adam Project (on Netflix this week) is Levy’s second film in the last seven months. It stars, again, Ryan Reynolds as a crack pilot from the future named Adam Reed who travels back to our present to find his dorky younger self (Walker Scobell). Now, finding his younger self isn’t the main mission, it’s more of a side mission that needs to be completed in order to fulfill the main mission. (Adam is injured and his future aircraft won’t start when it senses a pilot is injured so he needs his younger self’s uninjured DNA to start his plane.) It’s a clever time travel movie that kind of turns the trope of not running into your younger self, or family members, on its head. After the two get the aircraft started, they decide to team up to complete the greater mission of stopping a future conglomerate of controlling everything. (Or as older Adam says, something way worse than the Biff timeline in Back to the Future Part II.)

Ahead, Levy explains why he’s drawn to projects that aren’t existing IP. Though he does realize, now, Free Guy has now become existing IP and people want a sequel. But he will only do one if the script is right and he tells us what he doesn’t want a second Free Guy to be. But, first, as we jumped on Zoom, the host of the meeting gave Levy quite a complimentary introduction that involved many, many accolades…

Shawn Levy: You just get sweeter and sweeter as the day goes on. The introduction is embarrassing.

I wish I had someone to introduce me like that.

I literally need Bea from the Virtual Junket Production Company to follow me around the world.

I would pay money for this service. I guess it does cost money. I guess someone is paying for this service.

Somebody’s paying something, Mike.

Yeah, this isn’t on the house…

I am happy that we’re going to use only audio of this conversation. I got to change to a more comfortable chair and I’m lounging.

By the way, in case this happens, my super is supposed to come today to fix a hole in the wall, and I said the only time I wasn’t available was right now. So I know within the next 10 minutes there’s going to be a knock on the door…

I mean, where are your priorities Mike? Talking to a Hollywood director or fixing shit in your home?

Well, I just want to warn you this could happen.

I love it. Love it.

So I’m watching this movie and I’m picturing you and maybe Ryan having to map out the rules of time travel for this world. And that sounds like a lot of fun.

Well, I’m going to surprise you. To me, that sounds like the opposite of fun.

Wait, really?

Because even though I am now the director of a time travel, sci-fi adventure, my interest in time travel mythology and science rules is minimal. I am an emotional filmmaker. I want my movies to connect emotionally. So literally my whole goal with The Adam Project was the simplest, most concise declaration of rules possible.

Okay, but that’s still rules.

It’s still rules. And you know what? Here’s why I’m lucky. Jonathan Tropper and Don Granger at Skydance spent eight years developing the script. I understood about 78 percent of it. To quote Taika Waititi in my movie Free Guy, “Pretend I’m dumb.” I said, “Tropper, pretend I’m dumb. Tell me the rules.” He explained it to me in layman’s terms. And I said, “Okay, use those words in the screenplay,” because I don’t want the movie to feel like homework. I want it to feel soundly constructed but digestible so that the audience could just connect with the characters.

What’s actually an example of that? Where you thought it was too confusing.

There’s a scene outside the cabin where Zoe Saldaña is talking about how there was a time jet that came back from a certain time stream, but there was no record of it having left. And literally I said to Tropper, “Wait, how was there a record of it if it never left?” And Tropper said because the time stream from which it left had already been changed. And I literally said, “Wait a second. This is convenient. I have one character who’s not so bright, and I’ve got the little, 12-year-old kid who’s like a brainiac. So why don’t you write the dialogue that you and I, director and screenwriter, just had and put it in the mouths of the characters?” So I always find that’s a useful trick, to literally name the explanation by using it as dialogue.

Like Doc Brown explaining something to Marty McFly.

It is very helpful when you have a character in the narrative who can be the mouthpiece of explanation. It also helps when you have a young Ryan Reynolds character who can give shit to Ryan Reynolds. So in that same scene, I wrote a line where Walker looks at Ryan and says, “It’s like I traded in my brains for those muscles.” And then Ryan improvised the line for Walker on the shooting day where he adds, “That’s a shit deal.” That’s very much how we work. We work on the script, and then we add, and then we add, and then we add, and then we add while we’re making the thing.

I assume now that you’ve done two movies in a row you and Ryan are on a wavelength?

Well, we are on a crazy wavelength. And we’re old enough and experienced enough to know that we should grab onto it with both arms and savor it, which we do. But I’ve been lucky in my career because early on I made two movies with Steve Martin, and then I made three Night at the Museum movies. So I have always worked with writer-actors: Steve Martin, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams. And then Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I want my actors to be voices who contribute. I don’t look at them as just the performers who say the script. I want additive contributions every day. So I came to Ryan after a career of empowering my cast as collaborators, and Ryan slots in brilliantly as that.

All things considered, are you still a little surprised Free Guy took off the way it did?

I guess I am. I knew the movie would be satisfying, but so much in this world gives us pessimism about the viability of original movies at the theatrical marketplace. They just don’t make those movies anymore, and no one has released one that became a bonafide hit in a long, long time. Even pre-pandemic, a new movie that went on to be a global hit…

Well, Channing Tatum, who was obviously in Free Guy, had a decent hit with Dog and everyone seems surprised.

And look, it is a positive sign. But the fact that Free Guy went on to make like $330 million. And I like the fact – and Night at the Museum was a bit like this too – it didn’t open with record-shattering numbers, but it just stuck around. And I remember Sam Raimi said to me when I was in film school – I was at some birthday party with our kids – and I congratulated him on Spider-Man, which had done really well. He goes, “No, don’t congratulate me. Opening weekend is the marketing department’s victory. Second weekend? That’s the director’s victory.”

That’s interesting.

That means the movie’s doing its work for you. The movie is satisfying people. So they’re coming back, and they’re telling their friends. So the way Free Guy hung around, that was the most gratifying part.

You mentioned Night at the Museum. I haven’t thought about this in years, but you almost picked my friend Kirk’s apartment for Ben Stiller’s apartment. He was in the final three.

To think how Kirk’s fate would have been altered.

It’s true.

It’s like a whole other time stream. See, I’m bringing it back to time streams.

You are.

Because I’m smart like that now.

He said he would have gotten a free hotel for a month.

I need you to tell Kirk that giving up your home to a movie production, though the money’s tempting, it’s never quite worth it.

Okay, I will pass that along.

I’ve just given location departments a bad name. They are cursing me around the world.

During The Adam Project, I kept thinking what it would be like to meet myself at that age, and I don’t think I’d like it.

Well, but the whole point is – and Ryan and I talked a lot about this when we were polishing the script – you think that a movie like this is going to be about telling your younger self, “Hey buddy, I got you. It’s going to be okay.” The subversive idea in The Adam Project is this is a deeply self-loathing character, so he does not like that kid. He is mortified of that nerd loser who gets bullied and is a flesh-covered antenna of hypersensitivity, and that’s what makes their dynamic interesting.

I think in a situation like in this movie, I think I could convince my younger self that I am the older version. I don’t think he would listen to me. Because I thought I had it all figured out then, and I know now I didn’t.

Young you was defiant, rebellious, didn’t respect authority?

No, I think I was just stupid.

We all were. I think most of us, especially males, aren’t really thinking until about 22.

You’ve mentioned you don’t want to do a second Free Guy until the script is right. You mentioned past sequels you’ve done and you know what you want to avoid. Is there something specific?

Well, it’s not like Night at the Museum 2 or 3 and I wouldn’t even loop in my Pink Panther sequel or my Cheaper By the Dozen sequel because I didn’t direct those. I didn’t direct those because I felt I had done what I wanted to do with the first movies. I just know that with Free Guy especially, if all it is is more video game hijinks, that’s not a reason to make it. It needs that similar alchemy of gamer fluency and coolness with humanism because I think it was the combination of those traits that made Free Guy succeed the way it did and the way I believe it now is, based on social media and volume alone currently on Disney+ and HBO Max.

It’s weird because you were just talking about existing IP, and you’ve made two movies that aren’t existing IP back to back, but now Free Guy feels like it’s becoming exactly what it wasn’t before.

I know. Well, and that’s the other inconvenient thing. If we make Free Guy 2, we will call it Albuquerque Boiled Turkey if only to mock ourselves. But we will literally become the thing we stand against, and then I’m sure we’re going to backpedal.

Once you’re up to Free Guy 6, you’ll be like, “Look…” And you can pay Kirk for almost using his apartment.

I know. Kirk, I’m sorry you were robbed.

I know you had Stranger Things when you had a directing gap, but I’m glad you’re making movies and at a pretty fast pace again…

You know what? I do feel you’re not wrong. There was a long breather there after the last Night at the Museum after Robin Williams’s death where I was knocked back. And I regrouped. And life intervened and brought Arrival into that moment and Stranger Things into that moment. And then to come back to the directing chair with Free Guy and The Adam Project back to back all in an 18-month period, their releases, it’s very gratifying, and I don’t take any of it for granted.

And I’m so happy my super did not interrupt us.

Go deal with the hole in your wall.

‘The Adam Project’ streams via Netflix this weekend. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Rex Orange County has a new album quickly on the way, as Who Cares? is set to drop this week, on March 11. He shared “Keep It Up” to announce the album, and now he has dropped what will presumably be his final pre-album single, reuniting with Tyler The Creator on “Open A Window.” Rex and Tyler have famously collaborated before, most recently on Tyler’s 2017 album Flower Boy.

The new songs lives in the smoother side of Rex’s oeuvre, a soulful tune carried by a subtle but impactful groove. Tyler pops up during the song’s final third with a verse that accentuates the track’s rhythm.

Rex discussed his relationship with Tyler in a 2020 interview and gave an example of a time the rapper helped him out, saying:

“I was complaining and worrying about putting out that album, Pony, and feeling like… I was like, I don’t know if I’m wasting my time when there’s so much music coming out. I’m hearing albums come out every week and I’m even going, ‘Alright, cool, next,’ skimming things. It felt like just a landfill of music. I actually just called him up and he was like, ‘The thing is, first of all, everyone has their place. You can’t change anything. Complaining or hating on anything is a waste of your time, because whilst you’re spending 20 minutes hating on that person, that person’s going to spend 20 minutes doing their thing and living their life that they have. You’re going to be on this planet once and you’re just wasting your life. And there’s going to be someone in the world who thinks their album is what you felt when you first heard, like, Channel Orange or Stevie Wonder or whatever. You can’t take that away from anyone, whether you like it or not.’ […] It helped me so much not to be concerned so much about what people would think. He just broke it down in a way that helped me a lot.”

Listen to “Open A Window” above.

Who Cares? is out 3/11 via Sony Music. Pre-order it here.

Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker has missed the team’s past four games after entering COVID-19 protocols. According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, Booker will return to the floor Wednesday against the Miami Heat when the top seeds in each conference clash.

Shortly after the report, the team confirmed that Booker is back.

Amid Booker’s absence, the Suns went 3-1, with their only loss coming Sunday on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks, 132-122.

Wednesday’s battle should be enticing, despite Chris Paul remaining out of the lineup. Both of these teams look primed to contend for a title this season and Booker’s re-emergence really solidifies the intrigue around this matchup.

Back on Jan. 8, Miami routed the Suns in Phoenix, 123-100, even without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. This time, the Suns will be missing one of their stars, but have received a key reinforcement in the form of their three-time All-Star.

In 54 games this year, Booker is averaging 25.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. The 52-13 Suns will face the 44-22 Heat at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight on ESPN.

While both squads tout enjoyable players regardless of Booker’s status, it’s nice to see him available, both for his own sake (mostly this, of course) and the quality of the game. We should be in for a treat this evening.

Shameless fans hoped (along side Showtime’s Shameless cast) that Emmy Rossum would somehow return as Fiona Gallagher for the series finale. That didn’t happen, because (as articulated by showrunner John Wells) pandemic-related logistics crushed that dream. Another reason: Emmy’s been hard at work for four years (extended also because of you-know-what) on Peacock’s Angelyne, a limited series that she executive produced. And yep, Emmy also stars as the iconic, buxom-blonde beauty that graced 1980s LA billboards a plenty and lived the pink lifestyle.

One can imagine there was a lot of time spent in hair and makeup (and yup, there are some obvious prosthetics involved here, too, as the below images will show). Via Peacock, Showrunner Angela Miller forewarns people not to expect “a straight forward biopic” (whew) but rather “an homage to the Real Angelyne who became a cultural icon in Los Angeles.” And Rossum said of Angelyne, “She’s as if Marilyn Monroe got into an easy bake oven with a ’80s punk Barbie Doll, and a dose of new age spirituality.” That oughta interest Rossum fans, as will the abundance of intriguing co-stars, including Hamish Linklater, Lukas Gage, Martin Freeman, and David Krumholtz.

From the series’ candy-filled synopsis:

ANGELYNE, Peacock’s limited series about fame, identity, survival, billboards, Corvettes, lingerie, men, women, women teasing men, men obsessed with women, West Hollywood, crystals, UFOs, and most importantly of all, the self-proclaimed Rorschach test in pink, glow-in-the-dark queen of the universe, Angelyne.

No one had better troll Emmy for the skimpy outfits here, because she’ll have a ready response for them, as she does. Here’s those aforementioned images.

Angelyne premieres (with the full, four-part shot) on May 19.

The Sacramento Kings couldn’t defend their home court on Monday against the New York Knicks, as Julius Randle went for 46 points and 10 rebounds en route to a 131-115 Knicks win. Late in the game, Kings big man Domantas Sabonis got called for a foul on Immanuel Quickley that he did not appreciate, and he voiced his frustrations to referee Josh Tiven.

Sabonis got a little too heated, which led to him picking up a technical foul. While protesting that, he accosted and made contact with Tiven, which led to his night ending a little early.

As a result, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon that Sabonis got handed a one-game suspension “for aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official.”

According to the release, Sabonis will serve his one-game suspension during Sacramento’s home game on Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets.

Sabonis was acquired by the Kings at the trade deadline along with Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday. In exchange, Sacramento sent standout young guard Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers. On the year, the Kings sit 24-43, which puts them in 13th place in the Western Conference and four games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the final play-in spot.

Rapper Noname is teasing new music. Earlier today, she shared a photo of herself in what appeared to be a home studio, with a microphone, speakers and a Macbook.

In November 2019, Noname announced plans to quit music after releasing her second album, Factory Baby, feeling frustrated after years of performing for predominately white audiences. She also admitted she wasn’t fully invested in music. “To be honest with you, my heart isn’t fully in it anymore,” said Noname in a now-deleted tweet, replying to a fan asking her to drop new music.”The relationship between ‘artist’ and ‘fan’ is really f*cking unhealthy. Y’all like what y’all like and hate what y’all hate. And I don’t wanna be on either side. I’m just tryna read and organize. After factory baby it’s (peace sign emoji).”

Factory Baby never saw an official release, and Noname shared plans to scrap the album altogether last December. however, Noname released the standalone singles “Song 33” and “Rainforest” in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Despite expressing her frustrations, as well as a desire to redirect her efforts toward supporting local communities, Noname may not be completely divorced from making music.

“maybe 30 is too early to retire,” the Chicago rapper said in an Instagram post. She also shared the flyer for Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, where she’s booked to perform supporting The Roots, Toro Y Moi, and Earl Sweatshirt.

Whether she plans to revisit Factory Baby or start on an all-new project is unclear, however, fellow rappers Denzel Curry and Chance the Rapper shared their support for Noname’s potential return to music in her Instagram post’s comments.

Earthgang released their second album Ghetto Gods at the end of February, completing a rollout that included hype releases for “Options” — and its remix featuring Coi Leray — “Erykah,” “American Horror Story,” “All Eyes On Me,” and “Amen.” However, now that it’s out, they aren’t going to slack off. Instead, they brought one of the album’s poignant crowd-pleasers, “Lie To Me,” to a smooth performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon along with their accomplished backing band.

The Atlanta duo took to a smoky stage in front of a large video screen flashing images of the New York City skyline and streets, with Olu and WowGr8 presenting their usual yin-yang clash of styles. While Olu went typically shirtless, wearing a monogrammed silk scarf as a belt, his partner-in-rhyme sported a Canadian tuxedo with a plain black t-shirt. Meanwhile, their band embellished the hypnotic beat with unexpected flourishes that gave the normally stripped-down instrumental a new gravity that built to an impressive crescendo.

Now that Earthgang’s long-awaited, oft-delayed album is finally out in the world, fans will be able to catch the duo at the upcoming 2022 Dreamville Festival on April 2 and 3 in Raleigh, North Carolina, alongside a stunning lineup including Ashanti and Ja Rule, DJ Drama supported by Gangsta Grillz alumni Jeezy, Lil Wayne, and T.I., Kehlani, Lil Baby, T-Pain, and Wizkid.

Watch Earthgang perform “Lie To Me” above.

In case you missed it (or blinked at the wrong time), John C. Reilly had a cameo in Paul Thomas Anderson’s hit movie Licorice Pizza, though you couldn’t really tell it was him, with all that green makeup. The Step Brothers actor graced the screen for a split second, though there was a lot of time and effort that went into his role of Herman Munster.

The comedian stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to discuss his various roles, including his small cameo in the Oscar-nominated Licorice Pizza. Because the movie was shot at the height of the COVID pandemic, Reilly was forced to do most of the Frankenstein-inspired makeup himself, though Anderson’s three young kids had to help him with the back. To be fair, it does look pretty impressive. But it also looks like an ad for Spirit Halloween. In a good way! Anyway, the fans loved it.

Reilly also discussed his distinguished look for HBO’s Winning Time, where he plays Lakers owner Jerry Buss (the role going to Reilly also apparently caused a rift between creator Adam McKay and longtime collaborator Will Farrell, allegedly). Though he doesn’t have a Frankenstein look, he does have a pretty iconic combover, which he had a team to help him put together.

Watch Reilly discuss his various looks (and basketball) in the clip above.

Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham continued her guest host stint on The View on Wednesday, but things got a little tense as Grisham found herself being grilled by co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin over why it took her so long to quit Donald Trump’s administration. It all went down during a discussion on the recent January 6 convictions, which prompted the panel to ask Grisham if she knew what was happening. Grisham denied knowing what was being planned, but she did admit that she had a feeling that “something” was going on. That’s when Hostin hit Grisham with a blunt question about working for Trump: “Why did it take an insurrection to get you to quit?”

After Grisham explained that she tried to resign “many times,” she said that First Lady Melania Trump repeatedly talked her out of it. Grisham also admitted that she believed in Trump when he first ran for office, which is when Behar jumped in. Via The Wrap:

“Excuse me, what did you believe in?” Behar interjected. “His policies? Because you know he was a sexist misogynist, you heard the tapes about grabbing women, all that. So what did you agree with?”

As Grisham explained herself, the hosts pressed further, with Hostin telling her point blank, “You screwed up.”

According to Grisham, her reason for staying was being a single mom and that no one was going to hire her after working for Trump. However, she readily agrees that she messed up, which echoes comments on she made on Tuesday’s episode of The View where she revealed that her gay son was “ashamed” that she worked for Trump.

“He didn’t want to tell his friends where I worked,” Grisham said. “He was ashamed of where I worked, rightfully so.”

(Via The Wrap)

The Phoenix Suns are in a tier of their own at the top of the Western Conference. Even with the team missing Chris Paul for an extended period and Devin Booker in recent days, it would be staggering if the Suns did not finish atop the conference standings, and the reigning Western Conference champs are in a comfortable position. From there, the Memphis Grizzlies are one of the better stories in the NBA this season, with Ja Morant enjoying a superstar turn and the team emanating spectacular vibes. The Golden State Warriors enjoyed a strong start before a downturn that coincided with Draymond Green’s absence but, despite that, the Warriors are terrifying when at full strength and far less so if Green or Stephen Curry are hampered or absent.

The drama in the West truly begins with the No. 4 seed and, in recent days, the teams situated between No. 4 and No. 7 have been red-hot. The Utah Jazz are 10-3 in the last 13 games and, with Rudy Gobert on the floor this season, Utah is 34-16 overall with an elite point differential. The Dallas Mavericks are on a five-game winning streak, further building on a positive extended stretch that includes an 11-2 mark in the last 13 contests. The Denver Nuggets, led by an MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic, are also 11-2 in the last 13 contests, overcoming the absences of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to staggeringly impressive results. Finally, the Minnesota Timberwolves are 8-2 in the last 10 games, including a five-game winning streak, and they have proven they aren’t fading away.

While the synergy of the four teams excelling in unison is interesting in its own right, there is also a battle to be waged in the final quarter of the season. Admittedly, the Wolves are four games behind the Jazz, making it difficult to envision Minnesota climbing all the way to No. 4, but the Jazz, Mavericks, and Nuggets are separated by a total of 1.5 games with approximately one month to go. Positioning will also be important in that no one wants to be in the play-in and potentially align themselves with a matchup against the Suns in the first round. From there, a full-strength Warriors team may present a different challenge than other contenders, and the “styles make fights” nature of the Western Conference Playoffs will be fascinating.

What does it all mean? These four teams appear safe to make the postseason, but the bracket could open up for each of them. With attention paid to the play-in races in both conferences and the uncertain picture at the top of the East, it would be easy to overlook the shuffling, but observers should buckle up. Where do these squads stack up in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s take a look.

1. Phoenix Suns (52-13, Last week — 1st)

Phoenix isn’t the same team without Devin Booker and Chris Paul. That isn’t breaking news to anyone, but the Suns are staying afloat and the team’s advantage in the standings is undeniable. Phoenix has an eight-game (!) lead on the entire NBA field, and that makes this a pretty easy call at the top, even when taking circumstance into account.

2. Miami Heat (44-22, Last week — 3rd)

Since Feb. 3, the Heat are 12-2. The two losses came against good teams (Dallas, Milwaukee) by a total of nine points. Miami also has the best record in the Eastern Conference, and it is appropriate to send respect their way. Oh, and the Heat get a chance to face the Suns at home on Wednesday.

3. Boston Celtics (39-27, Last week — 8th)

It feels absolutely wild to have the Celtics in the top three, but it is clearly justifiable when considering an extended period of results. Boston is 16-3 in the last 19 games, and the Celtics beat the Grizzlies head-to-head this week. The Celtics now lead the league in defensive rating (105.6) for the full season, and Boston’s net rating (+16.3) over the last 19 games is preposterous.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (45-22, Last week — 2nd)

Memphis still has the second-best record in the league, but the Grizzlies had a weird loss to Houston this week on top of the aforementioned loss to Boston. Still, there is no reason for alarm, and Memphis blasted New Orleans on Tuesday. That helps to lessen the sting of a (minor) drop.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (40-24, Last week — 4th)

The schedule hasn’t exactly been murderous, but Philadelphia is 5-0 with James Harden in uniform. Four of those five victories came by double-digits, and Harden is averaging 12.4 assists per game to go along with efficient scoring. The Sixers may not be this good when things settle in, but Philadelphia is having fun, and any offensive concerns have been muted.

6. Denver Nuggets (39-26, Last week — 6th)

We highlighted the Nuggets last week and they promptly lost a home game to Oklahoma City. That isn’t great, of course, but Denver answered the bell in winning the next three games. As noted above, Denver is absolutely in a groove right now, and the optimism on the potential returns of Murray and Porter Jr. brings even more buzz.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (41-25, Last week — 9th)

There should be appropriate fear of the Bucks right now. Milwaukee is on a five-game winning streak, beating a handful of quality teams in the process, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a man possessed. Are the Bucks as deep as they were a year ago right now? Absolutely not, but the top of the roster is scary.

8. Dallas Mavericks (40-25, Last week — 10th)

Dallas leapfrogs Utah on the strength of a head-to-head win this week, and the Mavericks also have two victories over the Warriors in recent days. The Mavericks may not have the true talent level of a 24-7 team, but that is the record for Dallas since late December.

9. Utah Jazz (40-24, Last week — 7th)

Losing to Dallas, as noted above, wasn’t the disaster this week for Utah. That honor belongs to a 34-point loss in New Orleans. Most teams have messy performances, but that one clouded the other work going on in Salt Lake City.

10. Golden State Warriors (44-22, Last week — 5th)

When Draymond Green returns, the smart bet would be that the Warriors are better than this. Lately, though, Golden State has been anything but spectacular with a 3-9 mark over 12 games that was actually boosted by a home win on Tuesday. The measured take is to wait and see how they look at full strength, but they are wavering.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (37-29, Last week — 12th)

Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 30 and 11 in March. Obviously, that is a small sample, but Towns is also shooting 65 percent from the floor and doing it all in 29 minutes per game. When he’s playing like this, the Wolves are clearly dangerous.

12. Cleveland Cavaliers (38-27, Last week — 14th)

It’s not as if the medium-term evaluation of the Cavs is fantastic, as Cleveland is just 3-6 in the last nine games. They did pick up a very nice win over Toronto on Sunday, though, and Darius Garland put together an electric performance (41 points, 13 assists) in a Tuesday night win over Indiana.

13. Chicago Bulls (39-26, Last week — 11th)

Danger in Chicago? The Bulls have lost five straight and lead Boston by only a half-game for the No. 4 seed. Considering Chicago was tied for No. 1 very recently, that is a precipitous fall. To be charitable, all five losses came in tough matchups, with a gauntlet of road games in Miami, Atlanta, and Philadelphia mixed in with home tilts against Memphis and Milwaukee.

14. Toronto Raptors (34-30, Last week — 13th)

The Raps are 2-5 since the All-Star break, and the only two victories came against the Durant-less Nets. That isn’t exactly the start to the second half that Nick Nurse wanted, and Toronto is closer to No. 8 than No. 6 in the standings as a result.

15. Brooklyn Nets (33-33, Last week — 16th)

The biggest news is the return of Kevin Durant and, amid other craziness, the Nets are 25-14 when he plays this season. It was Kyrie Irving that keyed the team’s most recent win, however, as the star guard erupted for 50 points in Charlotte on Tuesday. Now, all eyes turn to Thursday’s showdown in Philadelphia and Ben Simmons returning to Wells Fargo Center.

16. L.A. Clippers (34-33, Last week — 15th)

L.A. is almost in its own tier right now. The Clippers are 3.5 games behind the Wolves and 4.5 games ahead of the Lakers in the West, giving a strong likelihood that they stay at No. 8 when the play-in arrives. But, if you take a look beyond the nuts and bolts, it is clear that the Clippers have mammoth upside, especially amid (at least mild) rumblings that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George may suit up in the coming weeks.

17. Atlanta Hawks (31-33, Last week — 17th)

Every time it seems like the Hawks are turning the corner, they stall out. The latest example was a back-to-back sweep over Chicago and Washington this week, only to lose to Detroit in overtime on Monday. Atlanta’s schedule is quite friendly down the stretch, but this is a team that is struggling to find a consistent level.

18. Charlotte Hornets (32-34, Last week — 20th)

Charlotte lost at its own game on Tuesday. The Hornets gave up 132 points to the Nets and, even on a night in which they were scoring effectively, Charlotte couldn’t win at home. That isn’t a death sentence, especially with the Hornets tied for No. 9 in the East, but the ceiling is limited because of the defense.

19. Washington Wizards (29-34, Last week — 22nd)

Home wins over the Pistons and Pacers won’t excite anyone, and that’s fair. The Wizards still went 2-1 this week and nearly beat the Hawks in the third game. Kristaps Porzingis is now on the floor, too, and Washington is only 1.5 games out of the play-in. This season isn’t over by any means.

20. New Orleans Pelicans (27-38, Last week — 18th)

The Pels are very clearly in pole position for the No. 10 seed and a recent four-game winning streak further established that stranglehold. New Orleans did just lose two games, allowing 270 points in the process, but a four-game homestand begins on Wednesday against Orlando.

21. San Antonio Spurs (25-40, Last week — 19th)

Gregg Popovich is a legend by any description. He tied Don Nelson’s NBA career record this week with 1,335 wins, and he can set a new record as soon as Wednesday. That doesn’t mean San Antonio is great by any means but, after 65 games and a mark that is 15 games under .500, the Spurs still have more points than their opponents for the season.

22. Los Angeles Lakers (28-36, Last week — 23rd)

Los Angeles is still in the No. 9 spot in the play-in, and they are projected to stay in that range. With that said, the Lakers are just 2-8 in the last ten games and the vibes are horrific. It’s worth noting that LeBron James reminded everyone he’s an alien with 56 points in a big win on Saturday, but the positive blips are few and far between for the Lakers.

23. New York Knicks (27-38, Last week — 25th)

A seven-game losing streak all but closed the door on the Knicks making a run at the play-in. New York did bounce back with a weekend sweep on the road over the Clippers and Kings, but the Knicks now have to travel to Dallas, Memphis, and Brooklyn in succession.

24. Detroit Pistons (18-47, Last week — 29th)

Since mid-February, the Pistons are 6-2. That includes three straight wins and victories over the Hawks and Raptors. Cade Cunningham appears to be the real deal and, if nothing else, Detroit is playing hard and not yielding, even when they could easily justify it.

25. Sacramento Kings (24-43, Last week — 24th)

The Kings actually got a nice road win in San Antonio on Wednesday, but the rest of the week wasn’t great. Sacramento lost to a Luka-less Mavericks team before allowing more than 130 (!) points to the Knicks at home on Monday. That is gross, and the Kings are four games out of the No. 10 spot.

26. Portland Trail Blazers (25-39, Last week — 21st)

Portland’s four-game winning streak before the All-Star break seems like a million years ago. To put it kindly, the Blazers have pivoted to the future, losing five straight contests in blowout fashion. All five losses came to playoff-caliber teams, but it wasn’t as if Portland was on the precipice of stealing any games.

27. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-45, Last week — 26th)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 99 points and 29 assists in the last three games for the Thunder. Sadly, Oklahoma City was 0-3 in those games with an average margin of defeat of 25.7 points. The Thunder also announced that three players, headlined by Lu Dort, won’t return this season, and the focus is ping-pong balls.

28. Indiana Pacers (22-45, Last week — 27th)

With Tyrese Haliburton and Malcolm Brogdon both available, the Pacers have one of the more intriguing backcourts in the league. That doesn’t cure all ills, but that duo at least gives Indiana fans something to watch that could inform the future. The Pacers are still 1-4 in the last five games with a split against Orlando and a loss to Detroit.

29. Orlando Magic (16-50, Last week — 28th)

The Magic have been borderline frisky for about six weeks. Orlando is 8-11 in the last 19 games, and the Magic nearly beat the Suns on Tuesday. Granted, that wasn’t the full-strength Suns, but the Magic aren’t embarrassing. They are competitive.

30. Houston Rockets (16-49, Last week — 30th)

Houston did shock Memphis this week, snapping a 12-game losing streak in the process. That wasn’t enough to escape the basement, though, as that victory was the team’s only win in the last calendar month. The Rockets are 1-13 over that span with a hideous -12.5 net rating.