Dakota Wizards face Bakersfield Jam with D-League playoff spot on the line

Heading into the weekend, with just a week left in the NBA Development League regular season, only two teams had locked up spots in the playoffs. The L.A. D-Fenders and Austin Toros cruised into the postseason after dominating the league all year long. From there, things got a little more complicated.

From the East-leading Springfield Armor to the Tulsa 66ers—the final team in contention—just five games separated nine teams fighting for the last six spots in the playoffs. Then, on Sunday, Springfield and the Bakersfield Jam both notched wins to claim the next two berths.

Now, with just six days left in the regular season, seven teams still have a chance to keep playing when the postseason opens on Sunday. Some have better chances than others, of course. But in one of the tightest races in league history, hope’s still alive from the Rio Grande Valley (albeit faint, with the Vipers a loss away from elimination) to Bismarck, North Dakota. On Monday night, watch live on SportingNews.com as the Dakota Wizards look to lay claim to the fifth spot when they take on the Jam at 8 p.m. ET.

It took a while for Jam or Wizards to find their respective rhythm this year. But over the past two months, few teams have been hotter.

Since Feb. 14, when the Jam lost their fourth game in a row to fall to 13-14, Bakersfield rattled off a 14-5 mark to vault into the top three in the West. Thanks to the return from injury of center Brian Butch—and his 16.2 point, 10.2 rebound average—on Mar. 2, along with the early-February acquisition of third-year swingman Derrick Byars (16.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.2 apg), the Jam haven’t lost consecutive games since Feb. 4 and 6.

Meanwhile, the Wizards have walked a similar course. A loss on Feb. 3 knocked them down to 12-13 in an East Conference packed with teams around the .500 mark. Since then, they’ve caught fire. Finishing February with an 8-1 run, including a six-game win streak, Dakota has upped its record to 26-20.

Much of the success comes from Edwin Ubiles, the Wizards’ star forward who is now back with the team after a 10-day stint with the Washington Wizards. Ubiles, who is consistently ranked in the top flight of the league’s top prospects all year, has put up 20.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 37 appearances this year. He’s paired with fellow top prospect Leo Lyons, whose scoring touch has taken a hit since coming to Dakota from Austin at mid-season, but who remains one of the league’s most dangerous players around the rim.

Also joining them in Dakota is Chris Wright, down on assignment from the Golden State Warriors since Mar. 25. Wright, who opened the season with Dakota after going No. 3 in the NBA D-League Draft, has put up 17 points and seven boards in his four games with the Warriors’ affiliate—including a 21-point, 11-rebound night against the Texas Legends on Mar. 29.