After trouncing the Los Angeles Lakers in Kobe Bryant’s return, the San Antonio Spurs are in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the West.
They have four games left, and they only need to win three to be the West’s No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. If they win all four, they could finish with the best record in the entire NBA.
As for the Lakers, they may need to win out in their final two games against Oklahoma City and Sacramento to prevent the Los Angeles Clippers from having a chance of surpassing them and winning the first Pacific Division title in franchise history.
It was a beatdown the Spurs put on the Lakers in the back end of Friday night’s nationally televised doubleheader, a 121-97 victory that moved them 30 games over .500.
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all scored at least 20 points, while Bryant, who had missed the previous seven games with a bruised left shin, scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
From Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “The victory was the Spurs’ sixth in a row since losing to the Lakers 99-84 at home April 11. It had much more in common with the Spurs’ trip to Staples Center on Tuesday, when they ran the Lakers (40-24) off their own floor in a 112-91 victory. That was the Lakers’ most lopsided loss of the season. Until Friday. “Especially last game, we wanted to come out and put forth a better effort than the first game (on April 11),” Duncan said. “We did that (in L.A.), and thought we could carry it over.” Unlike last season, when the Spurs lost eight of their last 12, they are steaming toward the playoffs on a roll. After Friday’s triumph, the Spurs (46-16) have won nine of their last 11, 18 of their last 21 and 34 of their last 41. “It beats the alternative,” said Popovich, whose team was won four straight games by at least 21 points. “Everybody wants to be in a rhythm now. It’s too late in the season to go into a slump and lose three out of five, something like that. To be winning down the stretch, nobody would trade that.” Bryant sat out the previous two meetings with the Spurs, and seven straight games overall, with a sore shin. He returned Friday to find himself defended by a rookie from San Diego State who was in kindergarten when Bryant made his NBA debut. Popovich handed (Kawhi) Leonard the pass-fail assignment purposefully. “He’s learning a lot about all these guys he’s watched on TV,” Popovich said of Leonard. “It’s been a good experience for him, and seeing Kobe is good for him because he’ll learn a lot. Kobe can show him a few things.” The 20-year-old Leonard, who grew up an hour outside of Los Angeles, eagerly accepted the mission. “You just try to stay in front of him, make him take tough shots and hope he misses,” Leonard said.
The Spurs (46-16) have two back-to-backs remaining — at home against Cleveland and Portland Sunday and Monday, and on the road Wednesday and Thursday against the Suns and Warriors. They own the tiebreaker over Oklahoma City (46-17), which goes on the road to play the Lakers on Sunday before closing the season at home against Sacramento and Denver.
They did their part to stay close to the Spurs, with Kevin Durant posting 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a 103-92 victory at Sacramento with Oscar Robertson sitting courtside.
Robertson had 41 triple-doubles in the 1961-62 season when he averaged double figures in points, rebounds and assists.
Durant is still waiting for his first career triple-double.
”I’ve been flirting all season with it but I haven’t been able to seal the deal yet,” Durant said. ”Hopefully I will get one before my career is over. Oscar Robertson is a legend, someone I really look up to. It was a joy playing in front of him tonight.”
In the Eastern Conference, whatever slim chance the New York Knicks had of catching the Orlando Magic for the sixth seed is now even slimmer after a lethargic 98-90 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Amare Stoudemire’s return from a four-week absence.
The Knicks now need to win out in their final three games against Atlanta, the Clippers and Charlotte and hope Orlando finishes 0-4 against the Jazz, Nuggets, Bobcats and Grizzlies. If that fails to happen, they will likely be the No. 7 seed.
From Tim Rohan of the New York Times: “Carmelo Anthony looked claustrophobic while playing with another post player on the court. Amar’e Stoudemire missed three free throws, had a shot blocked and looked lost. The Knicks shot 1 of 7 from the floor, and looked sluggish; they were outrebounded, 9-4, by a frontcourt pairing of Antawn Jamison and the rookie Tristan Thompson.And that was just in the first four minutes of Friday night’s 98-90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Little worked — interior defense, the bench, Anthony — and the Knicks made the lowly Cavs (21-41) look like a playoff team. Afterward, Stoudemire, who made his return after missing 13 games with back injury, admitted that the team had been complacent and that playing 7 games in 11 days might have worn down the players. But the loss left Coach Mike Woodson wondering. “You clinch a spot and guys like to sigh in relief, and they stop playing — and then they think that they can gear it back up,” he said. “There’s nothing about tonight’s game that I liked.”
Elsewhere in the NBA on a light Friday night:
- The Charlotte Bobcats had a chance to end their 18-game losing streak and get the one victory they need to avoid having the worst single-season winning percentage in NBA history. They took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, then were outscored 28-15 in the final frame for an 85-80 loss. Gerald Henderson had the highest-scoring night of anyone in the NBA, putting up 32 for Charlotte. Mike Conley scored nine of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, assuring the Grizzlies will finish no worse than the No. 5 seed in the West. They still could move up to fourth.
- Brandan Wright had 17 points in 17 minutes and Vince Carter’s 19 points included eight straight for Dallas early in the fourth quarter when the Dallas Mavericks finally pulled away from Golden State for a 104-94 victory. Carter became the eighth player in NBA history with 1,500 3-pointers when he made one in the closing minutes. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said he plans to rest Jason Kidd tonight in Chicago.
- Joe Johnson scored 30 points as Atlanta edged the shorthanded Celtics 97-92. Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus stayed in Boston with injuries, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce the night off after playing 11 games in 15 days. The Celtics pulled within one point five times in the fourth quarter before Johnson’s three-point play with 1:56 left gave Atlanta a 90-86 lead.
Go Grizz. Memphis, the team the national media forgot.