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Today’s NBA slate has 12 games, including our Los Angeles Clippers versus the Washington Wizards.
· Wizards at Clippers
· Blazers at Magic
· Knicks at 76ers
· Pacers at Cavs
· Nuggets at Heat
· Bucks at Nets
· Raptors at Bulls
· Hawks at OKC
· Grizzly at Mavs
· Celtics at Spurs
· Hornets at Kings
· Pelicans at Warriors
Of these aforementioned games, the following may be of particular interest to you as the playoff race comes down the final stretch. I have ordered these games by their level of entertainment/interest
Memphis at Dallas
Time: 5:30 PM PST
How to watch: FSSW, SPSO
Notes: For Memphis, Mike Conley is Questionable after already missing the last four games because of a right ankle sprain. Beno Udrih has been starting in his place.
Impact: The good news is one team has to lose. Memphis is 4 games ahead of the Clippers in the loss column, though that may become a de-facto 5 if Memphis grabs the seasonal series with the Clippers. One game remains between them for April 11th. Memphis currently leads the seasonal series 2-1. Meanwhile, the Clippers are tied with Dallas in overall record, but have won their seasonal series 2-1 and control the tiebreaker. Dallas has a pretty daunting remaining schedule, so it probably won’t be an issue for them to rack up their share of losses through the rest of the season. Memphis on the other hand has some interesting/tough games, but not as many as Dallas I think. In the end, I think it’ll be more ideal if Dallas wins.
Portland at Orlando
Time: 4 PM PST
How to watch: FSFL, CSNW
Notes: Wes Matthews is gone for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Magic’s Tobias Harris suffered a left ankle sprain in Tuesday’s game against the Rockets and is Questionable.
Impact: The Blazers are 3 games ahead of the Clippers in the loss column and there remains 1 game in the seasonal series that could determine the tiebreaking (Clippers lead 2-1). Naturally the Clippers have only to gain if the Blazers lose.
Atlanta at OKC
Time: 5 PM PST
How to watch: FSOK, SPSO, C+ D
Notes: It’ll be interesting to see how OKC continues to adapt to life without Ibaka and Durant as well. Expect to see Westbrook produce another absurd stat line.
Impact: It’s absurd to think that OKC is the 9th seed in a stacked Western Conference and 5 games back of the Spurs in the loss column (though there remain 2 games in their seasonal series, with OKC leading 1-0). Since it doesn’t matter to the Clippers how Atlanta fares, the real question for Clippers’ fans is really who they want Golden State to potentially face in the first-round. On one hand you got playoff savvy Spurs and on the other you have a potential duo in Durant and Westbrook that are beasts scoring and drawing fouls on their opponents. With news that Durant may be out for the season (still to be seen), this question may very well resolve itself; if Durant returns then OKC could be competitive for the 8th seed. Otherwise, more power to the Spurs.
Boston at San Antonio
Time: 5:30 PM PST
How to watch: CSNE, FSSW
Notes: While Isaiah Thomas will be out for his 6th straight game for the Celtics, Tyler Zeller has been averaging 18.7points over the last 3 games. The Spurs’ Aron Baynes is Questionable still after already missing a couple games due to a rib contusion. Manu Ginobili is also still out with a sprained right ankle.
Impact: As noted in the Hawks-OKC preview, your rooting interests are going to be dictated by who you want facing the top 2 seeds in the West. The Spurs are definitely not the juggernaut they used to be, but I’m not sure anyone is ready to bet against them yet in the playoffs.
New Orleans at Golden State
Time: 7:30 PM PST
How to watch: CSBA, FSNO
Notes: Anthony Davis is Questionable with a sprained left ankle that made him already miss the Pelican’s last game against the Suns. Omir Asik is also Questionable due to a calf strain. Klay Thompson of the Warriors is still out with an ankle injury.
Impact: The Pelicans’ playoff hopes are pretty much already on life support. The Warriors are running away with the conference. Pretty much the only thing to watch for in this game is to appreciate how amazing Curry is and to see if the Warriors are cutting minutes down for their critical players to cut back fatigue and avoid injuries.