NBA Playoff Clock – Philadelphia 76ers Strategy East’s Prime Seed; New Orleans pelicans in bother
With the addition of play-in games to the 2021 NBA playoffs, the seeding puzzle is wilder – and more important – than ever, as nearly every game on the track has a significant post-season impact.
Here’s a breakdown of all the major games starting Friday night and what the results mean for the sowing, plus a look at the play-in matchups if the season ends today:
What it means for the Sixers: Ugly wins count as much as nice ones in the NBA – which is good for the east-leading Philadelphia 76ers who beat the New Orleans Pelicans in the ugliest possible way on Friday night.
But that won’t bother the Sixers – or their fans – too much, as the win brought Philadelphia closer to victory to secure their first overall seed in the playoffs in the east.
Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images
Philadelphia now has a magic number of three to win the # 1 seed. Any combination of two Philly wins and Brooklyn losses allows the Sixers to hold their own before the Nets, while any combination of three Philly wins and Milwaukee losses allows the Sixers to land before the Bucks.
Losing the Pelicans would have been a potentially catastrophic own goal for Philly as New Orleans did without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Ultimately, another dominant performance from Joel Embiid (37 points and 13 rebounds) was just enough to secure a 46th win of the season for the Sixers and bring them one step closer to winning the Eastern Conference at the Wells Fargo Center. – Tim Bontemps
What it means for the pelicans: The greatest success for the Pelicans’ playoff hopes took place hours before the start on Friday evening. Shortly before the game started, New Orleans announced that Williamson would be out indefinitely due to a broken ring finger on his left hand – his shooting hand.
But when the game started it was evident that the Pelicans missed their two leaders as Ingram fell out with a sprained left ankle.
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The loss puts the pelicans in the 10th seed of the west and makes bringing in the tournament much more difficult. They are now 2.5 games behind Spurs and have five more games to go. New Orleans has four more games on this road trip before it ends with the Los Angeles Lakers.
If Friday’s game is a clue, the pelicans could get into trouble in close matches without their keepers. It would also be helpful if they could get security guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker back from an ankle sprain. He was questionable as he walked into the game on Friday before he was scratched ahead of the tip. – Andrew Lopez
What it means for both teams: After a disastrous performance in Chicago on Friday night, the Boston Celtics may want to play in the play-in tournament in 10 days.
Boston’s loss to the Bulls put the Celtics in seventh place in the east and only adds to the drama of the two critical Boston games against the Miami Heat – now a game ahead of the Celtics – on Sunday and Sunday Tuesday. The Celtics won the first meeting of the season between the two teams, which means that a win in either of those two games would give them the tiebreaker over Miami.
However, the Celtics have to be way better than they were on Friday if they are to stand a chance in these games. While it was good to get Evan Fournier going (17 points on 7v11), the Celtics looked lifeless alongside Fournier and Kemba Walker (33 points). Playing without Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III hurts – Brown, who sprained an ankle, should be back for Sunday’s game. Williams, who walks with lawn toes, is less sure – but this team should have had enough to beat a Bulls team on tired legs without them.
The Chicago win drew the Bulls within three games of the Washington Wizards with five to play. While Chicago holds the tiebreaker in hand and gives it the appearance of a chance, anything but running around the table is sure to mean the end of the Bulls’ playoff chances. – Bontemps
What it means for the Mavs: The Mavericks retained sole ownership of fifth place in the west by cruising to a victory over the Cavaliers. The .500 Grizzlies are the only opponent on the Dallas regular season schedule that doesn’t have a loss record. Therefore, the chances for the Mavs to stay out of the play-in tournament are good.
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Luka Doncic drives down the alley and drops the swimmer, plus the foul.
Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban were among the most notable critics of the play-in concept – though Cuban was part of the Board of Governors’ unanimous vote to approve it – but Mav’s coach Rick Carlisle is more diplomatic as it has piqued interest and the importance of games increased in the late season.
“If you find yourself in a situation where you end up playing in a play-in tournament, it will be a great experience,” Carlisle said ahead of the game on Friday. “You have to see it that way.
“Well, that is, everyone tries to avoid it. Everyone wants that – I don’t know what they’ll call it in the future – that guaranteed playoff position, one through six. But look, my attitude. If it’s there, you have to love it and do your best to avoid it. “- Tim MacMahon
What it means for both teams: In a crucial game in the fight to avoid the play-in tournament in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers not only placed one game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the overall standings with their 106-101 victory on Friday, but also the Head-to-head win – Head tiebreaker by winning the season series 2-1.
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Damian Lillard gets the passport from CJ McCollum and pulls up right in front of the blazer logo to knock down a 3-pointer with dead eyes.
The Lakers played without LeBron James for the third year in a row and had the opportunity to tie the game when Kyle Kuzma got an open 3-pointer in transition, 42.9 seconds ahead. But Kuzma’s shot caught Eisen – he missed all six of his 3-point attempts that evening – and the Blazers made their free throws to hold on.
With Portland now holding the tiebreaker, the Lakers will have to beat them by two wins in the remaining six games to stay ahead of the overall standings. The Lakers also dropped two games back from No. 5 Dallas. As a result, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index now offers defending champions a 71% chance of finishing seventh and getting back to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, while the Blazers set the favorites for sixth seed. – Kevin Pelton
Play-in matchups after Friday’s games
Play-in games will take place May 18-21
• • How the play-in tournament will work
• • Current NBA rankings
EAST
Game 1: No. 8 Charlotte at No. 7 Boston – Winner is No. 7 in the playoffs
Game 2: No. 10 Washington at No. 9 Indiana – Winner continues in play-in; Loser is eliminated
Game 3: Indiana / Washington winner at Boston / Charlotte loser – winner is number 8 in the playoffs
WEST
Game 1: No. 8 Golden State at No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers – Winner is No. 7 seed in playoffs
Game 2: # 10 San Antonio at # 9 Memphis – Winner Continues Play-In; Loser is eliminated
Game 3: Memphis / San Antonio Winner at Lakers / Golden State Loser – Winner is number 8 in the playoffs
The most important games on Saturday
Nets at Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET
Wizard at Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
Pistons at Sixers, 7 p.m. ET
Thunder in Warriors, 10 p.m. ET
Spurs at Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
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