Tuesday NBA Roundup: Races for Final NBA Playoff Seeds Already Heating Up
The Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans aren't done fighting. In fact, they're just now gaining the steam necessary to throw haymakers down the NBA's home stretch.
Tuesday evening saw the Eastern and Western Conference underdogs notch convincing wins yet again, which should make playoff hopefuls teetering on the edge of qualification quite nervous.
To kick things off, the Pacers positively destroyed the Orlando Magic, 118-86, behind Rodney Stuckey's season-high 34 points (13-of-19 shooting, 6-of-9 from three), seven assists and six rebounds off the bench.
According to The Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner, Stuckey was pleased with his individual outburst but noted it would have been meaningless without a tally in the win column:
To Stuckey's delight, Indiana hasn't just won nine of its last 10 games—it's also churning out victories at a league-best clip over the past six weeks, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Statistically speaking, the seventh-seeded Pacers have also been the league's most dominant team since the All-Star break. In that span, they own a league-best net rating of plus-13.1 points per 100 possessions—a full point better than the second-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers, according to NBA.com.
In an instant, Frank Vogel's squad has also recaptured the tenacious defensive form that propelled the Pacers to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances. Since Feb. 19, the Pacers own the East's top defense with an efficiency rating of 92.1, per NBA.com.
The story is eerily similar for the resurgent New Orleans Pelicans, who took care of the Brooklyn Nets, 111-91, behind 17 points apiece from Alexis Ajinca and Quincy Pondexter. Eric Gordon and Norris Cole each chipped in 16 points, while Anthony Davis rounded things out with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 28 minutes.
And in case you were wondering how high robots can jump, Davis provided a definitive answer in the third quarter:
For a group that was without Tyreke Evans (ankle) and Jrue Holiday (leg) to show that much spunk on the second night of a back-to-back should tell the rest of the Western Conference all it needs to know.
According to Pelicans PR, New Orleans is heating up away from the friendly confines of Smoothie King Center at the right time:
Winners of three straight, the Pelicans are now tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the coveted No. 8 seed and own the Western Conference's second-rated offense since the Feb. 19 trade deadline, according to NBA.com.
The Times-Picayune's John Reid provided a comprehensive overview of the race for the eighth seed following New Orleans' statement win:
"The Pelicans are two percentage points behind Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference. Both teams are 15.5 games behind Western Conference leader Golden State. The Pelicans have the tiebreaker against the Thunder because they won the season series, 3-1.
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The Thunder may have been prematurely anointed captors of the West's final playoff spot, but the fun is just beginning.
'We know where we are, we know what's at stake," Davis said Monday night, according to Reid. "We try to feel a sense of urgency. Everyone's playing their hearts out, putting everything on the line, and it's showing. We know how good we are, and we have to try and prove that every night."
Both the Pacers and Pelicans were previously left for dead, but if this season has taught us anything, it's that uncertainty is the only certainty remaining in the NBA.
Around the Association
Toronto and San Antonio Are Trending in Opposite Directions
All of a sudden, the San Antonio Spurs own the Western Conference's longest winning streak.
With a 117-107 thrashing of the Toronto Raptors, the Spurs have won six straight behind the contributions of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard.
Parker totaled 23 points and nine assists, which means he's surpassed the 20-point threshold in each of the Spurs' last three games. According to Basketball-Reference.com, San Antonio is 11-2 when Parker compiles at least 20 points this season.
Leonard, who posted 24 points, 11 rebounds and five steals, has a similar effect, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
He also nearly ended Jonas Valanciunas with a vicious baseline slam in the first quarter:
That play also serves as a nice microcosm of Toronto's woeful performance this past week. Not only have the Raptors dropped four straight, but they've also lost nine of their last 10 dating back to Feb. 21.
Kyle Lowry got back on track with 32 points and five assists, but Toronto's woeful defense couldn't slow down the Spurs' well-oiled machine.
Since the All-Star break, Toronto's surrendered more than 106 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. Only the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks have been worse, which tells us everything we need to know.
Dallas' Ship is Sinking
The Dallas Mavericks are in a world of hurt, and head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged as much following Tuesday's 127-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Time Warner's Tamara Jolee:
Here's how bad things are in Big D right now:
- Over the past three weeks, Dallas has posted the worst net rating (minus-5.5) of any current Western Conference playoff qualifier, per NBA.com.
- It's also scoring 96.6 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com, which ranks No. 25 overall since the trade deadline. The Minnesota Timberwolves have recorded an offensive rating of 99.4 in that same span.
Dallas still occupies the No. 7 seed, but as The Oregonian's Mike Richman noted, Oklahoma City can shake things up in a big way if it takes care of business over the season's final month:
Perhaps Rajon Rondo wasn't the missing piece of the championship puzzle after all.
LeBron Makes More History as Cleveland Wrangles Dallas
It's seemingly a nightly occurrence at this point, but LeBron James made franchise history again Tuesday evening. En route to racking up eight assists, James passed Mark Price as the Cavaliers' all-time leading dime-dropper, according to NBA TV:
Opting to leave his headband in the locker room, James finished with 27 points (10-of-14 shooting), eight assists and seven rebounds as Cleveland's starting five trounced Carlisle's lethargic lineup.
Every Cavaliers starter finished with a plus/minus rating of plus-21 or better, and Timofey Mozgov (17 points) was the only member of that group to score fewer than 20 points.
J.R. Smith and Kevin Love both scored 21, while Kyrie Irving added 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Cleveland is now 1.5 games clear of the third-seeded Chicago Bulls.
Good Job, Good Effort, Bargs
Andrea Bargnani's been on a scoring tear of late, but his on-ball defense could still use a bit of refinement.
Specifically, he needs to fine-tune his footwork.
However, the not-so-nimble Italian scorer did finish with 20 points (9-of-19 shooting) in the New York Knicks' 87-82 loss to the Utah Jazz. He's cracked 20 points in three of his last four games.
Derrick Favors—who bowled over Bargnani—operated as scorer supreme with 29 points (11-of-17 shooting) and 12 rebounds as he continually pounded the paint against a thin New York frontcourt.
At 27-36, Utah has already won two more games than it did during the 2013-14 campaign.
Quote of the Night
Kobe Bryant held court prior to the Los Angeles Lakers' 93-85 win over the Detroit Pistons and left no room for interpretation about a return next season, according to Lakers Nation's Serena Winters:
In other words, don't question the Mamba's mortality.
