Friday NBA Roundup: Spurs Rolling Through West's Elites to Home-Court Advantage

The San Antonio Spurs took care of business on the road Friday night, and they may open the playoffs at home because of it. They beat the Houston Rockets for the second consecutive time, making a statement and an even more important impact on the standings.

"We've just got to play our basketball," Houston Rockets MVP candidate James Harden told reporters after a 110-98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. "Not worry about what's going on in the standings and things like that; just focus on ourselves and we'll be alright."

Harden's Rockets were better than alright for most of Friday night but not down the stretch of a game that was ultimately decided by Tim Duncan's third block of the evening. Duncan's block foiled Harden's layup attempt in the final seconds and secured a 104-103 victory for the Spurs, their 10th in a row.

"Got to finish," Harden told reporters of the play after the game. "I've just got to finish."

Instead, it was the Spurs who were finishing a potent intrastate foe. None of San Antonio's past 10 wins carried the import of this one. The Rockets and Spurs switch places in the standings for the time being, with San Antonio usurping the No. 3 spot and Houston falling to No. 6.

In a game that proved Duncan's Spurs could win a close one on the road, San Antonio also improved its odds of securing home-court advantage during the opening (and perhaps second) round of the playoffs. This doesn't guarantee San Antonio home-court advantage with two games remaining, but the Spurs would host Houston in the first round if the playoffs began today.

And no one wants to come to the AT&T Center when the postseason begins, not with the way these Spurs have been playing—and not with their 32-8 record at home. That's where head coach Gregg Popovich's squad blew out the league-best Golden State Warriors by a 107-92 margin on Sunday.

And that's where the Memphis Grizzlies lost 103-89 in late March. This team has been all but unbeatable over the course of the last month, and it proved similarly unsolvable for the Rockets despite a start that suggested otherwise. You could literally hear San Antonio's desperation during a largely one-sided first quarter, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

But the Spurs brushed off an early double-digit deficit and trailed by just two points at halftime. They showed expected veteran poise in the second half—and perhaps the drive of a team that quietly wanted to move up the standings after spending much of the season as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed.

East	Record	GB	West	Record	GB
Atlanta	60-19	-	Golden State	64-15	-
Cleveland	51-28	9	Memphis	54-25	10
Toronto	47-32	13	San Antonio	54-26	10.5
Chicago	47-32	13	Portland	51-28	13
Washington	45-34	15	L.A. Clippers	53-26	11
Milwaukee	39-40	21	Houston	53-26	11
Boston	37-42	23	Dallas	48-31	16
Brooklyn	37-42	23	New Orleans	43-36	21
Indiana	36-43	24	Oklahoma City	43-36	21
Miami	35-44	24.5	Phoenix	39-41	25.5

McHale was generally unimpressed with his team's focus against those Spurs on Wednesday.

"We gave up on stuff," he told reporters after that contest, per Tom Castro of Spurs.com. "We had back cuts against us. We did not go out and execute our game plan very well. We had guys with 'my bads' on the wrong side of picks and just a lot of mistakes. You can get away with mistakes against some teams, but against (the Spurs), they will make you pay." 

Returning home clearly made a difference for Houston, just not quite enough of one. That has to make the Rockets and other would-be contenders concerned. 

Around the Association

New Orleans Controls Destiny Successfully

What a game for the New Orleans Pelicans, who held serve in the two-team battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder by putting a beatdown on the Phoenix Suns. They emerged with a 90-75 victory on Friday, and it's tough to figure out what was most encouraging for the Pelicans.

The first option involves Jrue Holiday coming back from the dead. Playing 16 minutes off the bench—and admittedly struggling with his shot to the tune of a 1-of-7 performance—the dynamic point guard made his first appearance since suffering a stress injury on Jan. 12. 

Even though he drew iron far too often, it was thrilling just to see him back on the court, testing his quickness and displaying his passing touch. The Pelicans have to be similarly excited about adding such a high-upside piece back into the mix during the stretch run, assuming there are no setbacks after a game that will surely leave his leg a bit sore.

Second, we have Anthony Davis.

His line—19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and zero turnovers on 7-of-12 shooting from the field—was pedestrian by his standards. But one play still made NOLA hold its collective breath, as he took an inadvertent elbow from Earl Barron in the first half and was diagnosed with a rarely seen throat contusion.

Fortunately, he returned during the second half and picked up right where he left off after a 13-point first quarter. And now with even more studs available to them, the Pellies have just three games left on the schedule and still control their own playoff destiny.

—Contributed by Adam Fromal

Thunder Keep Pace With Pels 

Russell Westbrook led his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-103 win against the Sacramento Kings, posting 27 points and 10 assists in yet another dominant effort. That keeps the Thunder tied with the Pelicans and within striking distance of the No. 8 seed they occupy. With three games remaining, there's still time for OKC to pull ahead.

They'll just need a lot more of Westbrook in order to do so—along with some additional help.

"Russell played his usual great game and got people involved, but the thing that I liked was the scoring balance," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks told reporters after the game. "We had a total team effort and closed out quarters well. Dion [Waiters] and Anthony [Morrow] hit some clutch baskets when Russ wasn't on the floor."

So long as Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka aren't on the floor, OKC's playoff bid may be all for nothing. As far as this shorthanded team has come, it probably won't go much further without all its weapons.

Memphis Holds On to No. 2 Seed for Now

Gordon Hayward missed the third of three free throws late in regulation, falling one point short of tying the now 54-25 Memphis Grizzlies. The win keeps Memphis a half-game ahead of the Spurs, a position that would mean an opening-round meeting with the Dallas Mavericks if the playoffs began today.

Led by Marc Gasol's 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Memphis outlasted Utah by an 89-88 margin that had the club's signature defense written all over it.

The Grizzlies used their veteran execution down the stretch, finishing the game on a 16-6 run that came just in time. But Gasol was called for a foul against Hayward with .01 seconds remaining, putting the Jazz forward on the free-throw line for those three attempts and the chance to tie.

Close call, but still a win for the defensively-stout Grizz—the sixth in their last 10 outings. 

Memphis may be hard-pressed to hold on to that No. 2 seed, however. It visits both the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers before finishing the season at home against an Indiana Pacers team still trying to make the playoffs. 

Bench Mob Shining for Injured Hawks

On a night that saw the Atlanta Hawks adorn Philips Arena with a banner celebrating their division title, the Charlotte Hornets kept things close until the second half. But then it was all Hawks, as they won their 60th game of the season, breaking past that barrier for the very first time in the lengthy history of the franchise.

But this contest, a 104-80 win for Atlanta, meant more than just getting to the vaunted six-oh. The bench validated itself yet again, which was particularly important after the news that Thabo Sefolosha broke his tibia and will be out for the season.

Mike Muscala, in the starting lineup as a replacement for Paul Millsap, impressed after some early turnover struggles. He finished with 17 points and six rebounds on just nine shots from the field. Dennis Schroder, whose jumper continues to improve during his sophomore season, shot 6-of-10, made both of his threes and ended up recording 14 points and five dimes.

Throw in Kent Bazemore's solid defense, John Jenkins catching fire in the fourth quarter, Mike Scott providing plenty of offense and the rest of the eight players who came off the pine at various points throughout the contest, and you have a unit that really shouldn't be considered a weak point heading into the postseason.

—Contributed by Adam Fromal

Boston Takes Care of Business

The Boston Celtics need to send a thank-you card to Kyrie Irving.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers' All-Star point guard sitting out of the proceedings, the Celtics went on the road and emerged with a hard-fought 99-90 victory over one of the East's top squads. And it was a much-needed one, as Boston is still firmly embroiled in the mess of teams fighting for the final two playoff spots in the NBA's weaker half.

Though they almost blew a massive lead and actually let Cleveland go up in the third quarter, the C's ultimately rode the contributions of their guards to victory. Without Irving's dribbling exploits sapping their energy on the less glamorous end, the Boston backcourt was much more explosive.

Avery Bradley dropped 15 points, Marcus Smart, who made a number of big threes throughout the game, put up 19. Isaiah Thomas contributed 17 off the bench.

Per Boston's Twitter account, head coach Brad Stevens expressed his own gratitude both for Smart's performance and the Cavs' decision to rest their key players:

As Stevens noted, LeBron James sat out during the fourth quarter. Kevin Love did too, which left Cleveland playing devoid of any Big Three contributors. But the Celtics, who moved to 37-42 with the win, aren't going to complain about having to face off against lackluster competition.

They need wins, and they got one on Friday night.

—Contributed by Adam Fromal

Pacers Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey scored 24 points apiece in the Indiana Pacers' 107-103 win against the Detroit Pistons, moving the team to 36-43 for the season and within just one game of the No. 8-seeded Brooklyn Nets and No. 7-seeded Boston Celtics.

"This is the story of our season," Miles told reporters after the game. "We keep finding ways to win games."

It guarantees nothing, especially with the Pacers playing the Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies in two of their three remaining games. The other comes against the Washington Wizards.

Paul George continued his return in limited action, posting 10 points in just 14 minutes. The two-time All-Star missed almost the entire season after breaking his leg during Team USA practice back in August 2014.

Friday's win was Indiana's fourth in a row. They haven't quite snagged a playoff spot yet, but they certainly aren't going without plenty of fight.

All Hail Brook Lopez

The oft-injured Brooklyn Nets big man has been a revelation over the last few weeks, asserting himself as a bona fide star and dazzling on the offensive end during the stretch run. It's made his team significantly more threatening as they fight to stay in prime position for the Eastern Conference's playoff picture, which they did successfully with a dominant 117-80 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday.

Granted, John Wall wasn't on the floor for the Wizards. But the Nets have to take solace in putting on such a show against a postseason lock, especially because Lopez built upon his back-to-back Player of the Week selections with 26 points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal.

And here's the crazy thing: Lopez's numbers since as far back as March 20 are actually going down after his latest performance. During the last dozen appearances prior to this excellent showing, he was averaging 26.2 points and 9.7 boards, both of which will now drop ever so slightly.

Laden with underperforming veterans as they are, the Nets probably won't strike fear into the hearts of any top Eastern teams that are playing at full strength. But with Lopez playing like this, they're at least a bigger threat to steal a few games and make the road into later rounds a bit tougher for the favorites. 

—Contributed by Adam Fromal

DeRozan Helps Raptors Push for Home-court Advantage

It took 29 points and five assists from star swingman DeMar DeRozan, but the Toronto Raptors sneaked past the Orlando Magic by a 101-99 margin on Friday. Lou Williams nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 9.9 seconds remaining in the contest.

It marked Toronto's 11th-straight win against the Magic, who were led by Victor Oladipo's 19 points.

The win also improves Toronto's chances of opening the playoffs at home and ties the club with the Chicago Bulls in the standings, making the Raptors the No. 3 seed for now. 

The Magic had five players in double figures, but it wasn't enough to stop DeRozan from carrying his Raptors to their 47th win of the season.

DeRozan had some help from Tyler "Pyscho T" Hansbrough, who posted 16 points and seven boards in 36 minutes while starting in place of the injured Amir Johnson. All-Star Kyle Lowry added 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Mavericks Take Wild One of the Night

There was no Dirk Nowitzki in double overtime of the Dallas Mavericks' 144-143 victory over the Denver Nuggets, and there was good reason for his absence, as Grantland's Zach Lowe pointed out:

Besides, the Mavericks are locked into the seventh seed, so winning this game didn't mean much. However, it did mean an opportunity for Dallas' reserves to get some prime-time minutes late in a still-contested ballgame. That kind of experience never hurts heading into the games that matter most—the playoffs.