Six days separate us from the NBA Play-In Tournament – that’s it! The 2020-21 NBA season will wrap up this upcoming Sunday, making this the final Power Rankings of the regular season. And looking at the wide spectrum across the league, the entire playoff picture isn’t even close to finalizing itself, making these final six days of the season into some entertaining primetime television.
The Brooklyn Nets don’t have the first or second seeds locked down yet and as winners of five of their last 10, health is playing a major factor in determining their final position in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers have won eight straight games and look to keep that momentum heading into the postseason, and could permanently lock up the top seed in the conference for the first time since the 2000-01 season with a win over either the Pacers, Heat or Magic this week.
Sixth-seeded Miami took a huge leap forward while leaving the now seventh-seeded Boston Celtics in the dust with a convincing six-point win, and should they defy a defiant Boston rally as the Celtics get healthy come playoff time, they could avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether and ensure a first-round rematch against the Milwaukee Bucks (should the Bucks fail to topple the Brooklyn Nets in the standings).
Out West, the formation of the play-in tournament is finishing up, and surprisingly, the sixth-seeded Lakers will headline the one-game elimination series while possibly setting up a first-round series against either the Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns with a knockout win over the Portland Trail Blazers. And despite a concerning loss to the LeBron James-less Lakers, the Phoenix Suns are still in the driver’s seat now two games behind the Jazz for the conference lead.
We’ll get into more of those details in our final weekly Power Rankings, and see where all 30 teams lay heading into the final few days of the season.
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1. Utah Jazz (50-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)
While Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley Jr. continue to rehabilitate from their injuries, Bojan Bogdanovic continues to be a blessing in disguise as a perennial 50/40/90 (.576/.479/.905) scorer over the course of the Jazz’s last seven games – his best run of the season, by far. And in their past ten games where Bogdanovic has averaged over 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, Utah is 6-4 with a significant 1.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns. They couldn’t extend the momentum against the Warriors Monday night but with the league’s best record, win percentage, third-best offensive and defensive rating, Utah looks as poised as ever to enter the playoffs for not only the fifth year in a row, but enter the postseason with the West’s highest seed for the first time in nearly 23 years.
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2. Philadelphia 76ers (47-21, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)
The magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is one, and these Sixers have a favorable schedule to earn their spot atop the Eastern food chain with a signature win over either the Pacers, Heat, or Magic in a two-game series to close out their 2020-21 campaign. Joel Embiid and Nuggets Center/Forward Nikola Jokic are the two most probable finalists for the MVP award this season, but it’s unlikely Embiid gets heavy playing time with the playoffs literally right around the corner. Rest and optimal health should be what Doc Rivers has in the minutes’ distribution, as different rotational pieces like rookie Tyrese Maxey and Dwight Howard earn more time on the floor as the season winds to a close.
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3. Phoenix Suns (48-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)
Philadelphia and Phoenix swap places in this week’s rankings, mainly due to Phoenix’s inability to grab momentum by the horns and drop four of their last 10 to teams like the Hawks and the Lakers. Sure, convincing wins over the New York Knicks, Western-leading Jazz, and Los Angeles Clippers stood out on the board, but losing to the Los Angeles Lakers – their likeliest opponent in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs should the Lakers drop to the seventh seed this week – is worrisome, considering that the next time they play them, the playoff version of LeBron James (who has yet to lose in the first round of the playoffs in his career) will be healthy, active in the starting five, and on their doorstep.
Looking at the positives for a second, it’s fair to throw Chris Paul’s name in the hat for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, as the prescribed “Point Gawd” put up double-double after double-double this past week. registering 16 assists without a turnover in a win against the Cavaliers, and then not too long after dished 11 assists to beat the Knicks, the league’s most efficient defensive team.
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4. Milwaukee Bucks (43-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)
Their five-game winning streak may have ended Monday night, but the (opinionated) most dangerous team on the Eastern radar not named the Philadelphia 76ers or Brooklyn Nets continue to build an established sense of synergy and connectivity with such a fresh and new starting five. The Bucks are now 1.5 games away from prying the second seed out of the Brooklyn Nets’ hands, who themselves could enter the playoffs with the proverbial blown tire of injury woes with the unknown status of James Harden (hamstring) as they’ve lost five of their last 10.
The Nets are beginning to hear footsteps from Milwaukee, who started the week off poorly in a 21-point loss to the Spurs but still have only Orlando, Indiana, Miami and Chicago left on the schedule. That gives them all the more incentive to push to the finish line and accumulate as many wins as possible so they can surpass the Nets in the standings and potentially host two playoff series.
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5. Brooklyn Nets (44-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)
Speaking euphemistically here – the Nets need James Harden back, and without him, disorganization in how the offense is run looks like a giant red flag with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant ironically struggling to direct traffic in the halfcourt. Harden (hamstring) hasn’t played or participated in organized basketball activity since April 5, but he’s said that he “remains confident” that he’ll return at some point in the regular season, namely sometime in the final week of the season.
Though a comeback win over a banged-up-but-highly-seeded Nuggets teams maintains an adage of comfortability and a sense of “we got this”, there are certain intangibles that the 6’5 playmaking two-guard brings to your basketball team that, when it’s not there, makes the chasm of the lack of a true separation-creating floor general all the more glaring.
And while their finish to the season looks promising, Brooklyn has to keep their head on a swivel for any trap game against either the Bulls, Spurs, or Cavaliers (who they’ve lost twice to on the season with Brooklyn’s ravenous trio on the floor at the same time). The Nets are playing with fire, and with Milwaukee on their coattails, avoiding a war of a first-round series against the Miami Heat while still reeling from injuries sounds like a good plan A.
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6. Los Angeles Clippers (45-23, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)
Los Angeles is slowly inching towards getting 100% healthy in preparation for the playoffs, in which they are looking to shake things up a bit and not just advance to the NBA Finals with arguably the most complete and balanced roster in the NBA. And the best thing about the Clips hitting their stride at the moment is that they haven’t even hit the pinnacle of their potential.
The Clippers are still an elite offensive team who possess the league’s mark of having the second-most-efficient offense, and every now and then they’ll put on a dud of a performance, like the one they had Sunday afternoon during their loss to the Knicks. They’ve lost four of their last six, but face teams this week that are either a late entry into the play-in tournament or are selected to miss the playoffs as a whole. So, they’ll likely try and continue to stay competitive down the stretch while keeping their chemistry alive.
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7. Denver Nuggets (44-24, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)
After going 11-1 following Jamal Murray’s season-ending torn ACL during a loss to the Warriors, the Nuggets have dropped three of their last four games, and all losses were close losses to playoffs contenders in the Lakers, Jazz, and Nets. Nikola Jokic is finishing up his MVP case, and it was even further supplanted in the coming weeks following April 12, which is when their second-best scorer Murray went down. In the last 14 games, Jokic has been spectacular, averaging 27.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.
Also, he’s scored 30+ points in four of the Nuggets’ last seven games. That type of productivity usually comes with some hardware, considering that the Nugs have been largely undermanned in more ways than one this year (Monte Morris and Will Barton continue to miss time prior to the playoffs). Still, there’s no reason to panic, since the Nuggets own the tiebreaker over the Clippers at the moment and slightly trail them by a full game entering the final week of the season.
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8. New York Knicks (38-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)
Still in fourth place, still surviving, still thriving. That’s (probably) been Tom Thibodeau’s mantra all season in his first year as the head coach of the New York Knicks. Sunday afternoon’s gargantuan win over the Clippers locks them in fourth place with a full-game lead over the Heat and Hawks. And if all else stands, the Knicks will have clinched their first playoff berth since the 2012-13 season. A win over the Lakers – in which LeBron James could return in after healing up from his ankle sprain – would mean that they’d finish the season feeling good about where they stand, considering it’s the only difficult game on the weekly schedule. They’ll do battle with the Spurs, Hornets and Celtics to close out the year.
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9. Dallas Mavericks (40-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)
The Mavericks are going to take the SouthWestern division this year, and might be cleared to avoid the play-in tournament as the fifth-seeded team out West. They hold a full-game lead over the Trail Blazers and two-game lead over the Lakers, and look prepared to duel the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs next week. One problem though: Kristaps Porzingis has missed the last six games due to right knee soreness.
Yes, that same knee that was surgically repaired a few years ago following his ACL tear as a Knick.
Since being drafted in 2016, Porzingis has yet to play a full season in the NBA, which is extremely off-putting, and even moreso since head coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t anticipate – or even have a timetable on – Porzingis’s return before the end of the regular season. The usual 20.2 points per game from Porzingis has been filled in by none other than the Mavs’ second-leading scorer in Tim Harday Jr., who’s averaged 27 points off 53 percent shooting from deep over Dallas’ last six games.
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10. Portland Trail Blazers (40-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)
That’s now seven of the last eight games that have funneled into the win column for Portland, and Dame Time’s clock just got a whole new battery entering the playoffs, now averaging an insane 33.8 points per game off 52 percent shooting over the course of this winning streak. Portland earned arguably their biggest win of the season over the Lakers last Thursday, which granted them an entire one-game lead over the defending champions and a potential immunity card from the play-in tournament. Should they handle business in what’s to be a turbulent week for them (starts with a game against Houston and finishes with back to back road games against the Jazz and Suns, and finishes with a home game against the Nuggets), they’ll be primed to square off with the Clippers in the first round, which means that a rematch between Paul George and Damian Lillard is to come.
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11. Los Angeles Lakers (38-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)
Laker nation – chin up. What we’ve seen from Anthony Davis since his return has been nothing but positive, and he’s seemingly caught that second wind fans have wanted him to have following his comeback from Achilles Tendonosis. A 2-1 week only filled Laker faithful with optimism that these defending champs can run the table and make it back to the NBA Finals should health be on their side, and if so, they could have a case.
Davis went off for 36 points during their loss to the Trail Blazers on the road, and followed that performance with another signature 42-point, 12-rebound, five-assist, three-block, three-steal statsheed-stuffer of a night against the second-seeded Suns, who could do nothing against them all Sunday night. With reports about LeBron’s explosiveness and cutability basically returning back to near-optimal levels as well as Dennis Schroder’s quarantine period ending up, this Lakers team is reassembling at the most opportune time and could be the most dangerous team in the West if teams take their injury woes for granted.
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12. Miami Heat (37-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)
Miami enters the last week of this season tied for fifth in the East with the Atlanta Hawks, and a whole game behind the Knicks (who the Heat own the tiebreaker over) for the fourth spot. Don’t be surprised if these Heat start playing spoiler like how they did a season ago as they advanced to the Finals as the West’s fourth-seeded team in the Bubble, because if Jimmy Butler finds a way to get it going consistently like how he did against the Celtics down the stretch on Sunday afternoon – how’s 26 points and 11 assists sound? – look out.
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13. Atlanta Hawks (38-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)
Injuries ravaged the first half of Atlanta’s miraculous season, and it leaves much to the imagination if key guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and De’Andre Hunter never missed all of that accumulated time. Hunter, the former National Champion, and Virginia standout has only played two games since the tail end of January but in the time that he has been on the floor, he’s averaged 16 points and a little over five rebounds while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. How Atlanta and Nate McMillan re-enters him into the lineup remains to be seen, but the Hawks have a favorable schedule to continue to etch him into the starting lineup, for they’ll finish off their two-game series against the Wizards, and conclude their season against the Magic and Rockets.
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14. Golden State Warriors (36-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)
Stephen Curry is doing all he can to ensure the Dubs a spot in the inaugural Western Conference play-in tournament, scoring 49 points in three quarters against the Oklahoma City Thunder and dropping 11 threes against one of the league’s most skilled and tenacious young defenders in Luguentz Dort. Make that 11 of the past 16 games that have resulted in wins for the Warriors, who look to be the team everyone wants to avoid come tournament time. This past Monday night, they did battle with the Utah Jazz (who were still without Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley Jr.) and while it was a barnburner, they survived a Jordan Clarkson 41-point explosion and earned an upset win over the best team in the NBA. Now the Warriors are a full game-and-a-half ahead of the Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the play-in tournament.
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15. Washington Wizards (32-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)
And Voila – here’s the team no one wishing for a playoff spot in the play-in tournament wants to see. Triple-double machine Russell Westbrook is out for blood with aspirations of getting the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time in nearly four years and made NBA history as he tied “The Big O” Oscar Robertson’s in career Triple-Doubles on Saturday night in an Overtime win against the Pacers without Bradley Beal on the floor, and then earned the most-coveted Triple-Double No. 182 on Monday night, albeit in a loss to the Hawks that he nearly won himself with a heave from the J with mere seconds remaining.
The first half of their Back-to-back games against the Hawks showcased a milestone moment in sports history – like Cal Ripken’s 2,000th hit in the beginning of the 21st century – but more importantly, they hope to at least split the series against the Hawks, and get some positive results in their home games against the Hornets and Cavaliers. Don’t look now, but the “lowly” Wizards are only a game-and-a-half away from clutching the eighth seed and advancing to the play-in tournament.
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16. Boston Celtics (35-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)
Sunday’s near comeback against Miami was cut short due to the heroics of Jimmy Butler, and likely shoved Boston into the play-in tournament instead of in the regular playoff picture. Even worse news: Celtics star Forward Jaylen Brown is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a procedure to his left, and non-shooting, wrist, leaving Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker to fend for themselves in what should be a first-round exit in the playoffs. A second home game against Miami followed by trips to Cleveland, Minnesota and the Madison Square Garden in New York City await to close out their regular season.
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17. Memphis Grizzlies (35-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)
When you’re chasing a playoff spot, losing to the Pistons is never a good thing, but Memphis is in good shape to earn a play-in spot after a 2-2 week. Jaren Jackson Jr. is getting back into form, averaging 17 points and almost 24 minutes per game over the last three weeks. With six players averaging double figures, the Grizzlies continue to spread out their offense. Ja Morant led the team with 19.3 points per game this past week.
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18. Charlotte Hornets (33-35, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)
The Hornets defeated the Pistons and Magic this week, but lost to the Bulls and the Pelicans, who were shorthanded. They’ve almost locked up a spot in the play-in tournament as they prepare for Miles Bridges and possibly Gordon Hayward’s return. Terry Rozier led the team in scoring this week with 25.3 points per game, including 43 in the Pelicans’ loss on Sunday. On 60 percent 3-point shooting, PJ Washington scored 20.3 points and nine rebounds per game, while the returning LaMelo Ball had 19 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game.
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19. San Antonio Spurs (33-35, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)
The Spurs have lost three of their last four games, allowing the Pelicans or Kings to sneak into the No. 10 slot. San Antonio still has a chance to make the playoffs, but even with an upset 21-point victory over Milwaukee Monday night, they entered Monday’s contest having lost six of their last seven games, with games against the Nets, Knicks, and Suns (twice) scheduled for the final week. DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 18.3 points per game during an offensive disaster-class of a week for the Spurs.
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20. Indiana Pacers (32-36, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)
The Pacers went 1-3 this week in some wild games, reportedly due to tension between head coach Nate Bjorkgren and his team. With the exception of a 93-point performance against the Kings, Indiana scored 135 points per game in the other three games this week, with Caris LeVert leading the way with 28.3 points per game on 45 percent 3-point shooting. Since returning from injury, Domantas Sabonis has been a beast, averaging 27.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 68 percent from the field.
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21. New Orleans Pelicans (31-38, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)
Now a full 2.5 games behind the Spurs for the 10th seed, hope is quickly fading for the Pels’ playoff hopes, and even more so with a 115-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night while still trying to find some semblance of offense in the wake of Zion Williamson being sidelined for the rest of the year due to a broken finger.
To keep hope alive prior to the loss on Monday night, the Pels nearly stunned the 76ers on Friday, then beat the Hornets on Sunday, led by Eric Bledsoe’s 24 points and 11 assists. For the week, Lonzo Ball averaged 17.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, while Jaxson Hayes and Willy Hernangomez filled in admirably for Steven Adams, who has been out for six of the team’s last eight games.
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22. Sacramento Kings (30-38, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)
The Kings have won three of their last four games despite the absence of De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Harrison Barnes. The Spurs’ loss was particularly painful because they are the team Sacramento is chasing for the final play-in spot. Terence Davis, who was acquired from the Raptors shortly before the trade deadline, led the team with 17.5 points per game this week, while Delon Wright, who was also acquired at the deadline, averaged 17 points, 7.8 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Whether they qualify for the play-in tournament or not, the Kings deserve credit for fighting until the end in an abridged season.
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23. Chicago Bulls (29-39, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)
The Bulls went 3-1 this week to keep their ever so fading playoff hopes alive, and Zach LaVine’s return from Health and Safety protocols provided a much-needed boost, as he scored 22.7 points on 41 percent 3-point shooting in the Bulls’ final three games of the week, all of which were wins for Chicago. Nikola Vucevic contributed as well, scoring 25.3 points, 14.7 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Chicago is but a mere 2.5 games behind the Pacers for the final play-in tournament spot entering the final week of their season.
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24. Toronto Raptors (27-41, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)
For the first time in eight years, the Toronto Raptors will miss out on the postseason.
The Raptors lost to the Clippers, Wizards, and Grizzlies this week, potentially ending their chances of making the playoffs, which they seem to be fine with considering their history of resting key players. Pascal Siakam averaged 28.7 points and seven rebounds per game, while Fred VanVleet added 24.5 points and nine assists per game, making him one of the few Raptors regulars to play all three games this week. Now, they can look forward to returning to Scotiabank Arena, and Toronto, Canada as a whole, next season after an atypical season that forced them to play in Tampa, Florida as a result of the pandemic.
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25. Minnesota Timberwolves (21-47, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)
The Wolves started the week with losses to the Grizzlies and Heat before dominating the Magic on Sunday. The trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards has looked promising…on that end, at least. Minnesota put up an impressive 121.4 offensive rating for the week. In a loss, Edwards had perhaps the best week of his young career (so far), scoring 42 points on 22 shots against Memphis.
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26. Orlando Magic (21-47, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)
Orlando won a tank-off against the Pistons on Monday but then, of course, lost their next three games convincingly. This week, Dwayne Bacon led the team in scoring with 18.8 points per game, which tells you what you need to know about the Orlando Magic’s current situation. In Orlando’s three games without Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba has performed impressively as the starting center, averaging 10.3 points, 12.7 assists, and 3.3 blocks.
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27. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-48, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)
After taking the Suns to overtime, the Cavs were blown out three times in a row to finish the week with an 0-4 record. Cleveland, which has now lost ten games in a row, can’t wait for the offseason to arrive. In the absence of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton has led the offense, scoring 23.8 points per game this week, while rookie Isaac Okoro has averaged 16.5 points per game on 43 percent 3-point shooting.
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28. Detroit Pistons (20-49, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)
The Pistons only won one of their five games this week, a solid performance against the Grizzlies. In a loss to Charlotte, Hamidou Diallo set a career high with 35 points, but he only appeared in one other game this week, while Saddiq Bey continued his good rookie season. As he consumes extra playing time from the unavailable Pistons on the injury report, Sekou Doumbouya has had some eye-opening stretches.
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29. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-48, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)
So, there you have it. The Thunder have now lost four games in a row, with their last three defeats averaging nearly 30 points each. After an incredibly strong start to the season, they’ve now lost 24 of their last 26 games, a tank job of epic proportions. This is an important time for players like Darius Bazley and Theo Maledon to improve, but being in more than one close game per week will be beneficial.
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30. Houston Rockets (16-53, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)
The depleted Rockets had the anticipated results this week against the 76ers, Bucks, and Jazz, but they held it tight in the final two games. Kenyon Martin Jr. has taken advantage of his increased playing time this week, averaging 25.3 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting 55 percent from three-point range. It’s time to look forward to the lottery, and the Rockets’ increasing chances of landing the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Photo cred: Fox Sports 1430
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