Lakers-Clippers would be great first round NBA playoff series

LINE OF THE WEAK: Dwight Howard, LA Lakers at Oklahoma City, March 5: 37 minutes, 1-7 FGs, 4-8 FTs, 16 rebounds, zero blocks, zero steals, two turnovers, six fouls, six points in a 122-105 loss. Forget the boards. The Thunder had 52 points in the paint and had one shot blocked. This is why the Lakers son’t want the Thunder in the first round – because Kendrick Perkins has been in Howard’s jock and head for five years.

TRILLION WATCH: It was tandem week among the zero heroes. On Monday, Miami’s James Jones and Mike Miller each had 2 trillions at Minnesota and Denver’s Jordan Hamilton and Evan Fournier had 2 trillions vs. Atlanta. On Tuesday, LA’s Robert Sacre and Chris Duhon both had 2 trillions at Oklahoma City. But the leader for the week was Memphis center Dexter Pittman, who had a 3 trillion Wednesday vs. Portland.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Memphis at Denver, March 15. Neither team appeals much to TNT, so both teams will be rested. And ESPN is tapping out this week for college hoops, so you need League Pass to watch this terrific test of styles. The grit-and-grind Grizzlies have won 12 of 13 overall. The fun-and-gun Nuggets have won eight in a row and are 28-3 at home.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Charlotte at Toronto, March 15. The Bobcats are 6-45 since a 7-5 start and have lost 10 in a row by an average of 21.5 points. But they could actually win the season series from the Raptors, who have lost six of eight.

TWO MINUTES: Think the Thunder might want to catch the Spurs for the West’s top seed? Since a home loss to Brooklyn on Jan. 2, Oklahoma City is 12-1 at Chesapeake Energy Arena, with every win by at least 12 points and by an average of 23.0 points. Denver, Memphis, Golden State, the LA Lakers and Boston are among the victims. … On the flip side, eight of Milwaukee’s last 11 games have been decided in overtime or by three points or less. The Bucks are 5-3 in those games. … One of the more shocking scores this season occurred Friday in San Antonio, where the Spurs were tied with the Blazers at halftime – and lost, 136-106, after surrendering 79 points in the second half. It was the worst home loss of the Tim Duncan Era, which has seen the Spurs allow 79 points or less in a full game 200 times. … When Knicks guard J.R. Smith scored 36 points Thursday vs. the Thunder, he matched the best game by a reserve this season, established just last week by Sacramento’s Marcus Thornton at Miami. … Magic center Nikola Vucevic has two 20-20 games this season, both against the Heat. He had 20 points and 29 rebounds on Dec. 31 and 25 points and 21 boards Wednesday. … Clippers guard Jamal Crawford holds the all-time record for four-point plays and has a customary five this season. But he doesn’t lead the league like he normally does; he is second to Washington’s Martell Webster, who has seven. … This summer’s newest member of the $10 Million Club – players with an annual average salary of eight figures – could be Blazers forward J.J. Hickson, who has picked the right season to be entering free agency. He is tied for second in the NBA with 35 double-doubles – seven more than his All-Star teammate, LaMarcus Aldridge – and is one of just 11 players averaging a double-double. And he is fourth in the NBA at shooting at .578 while riding a streak of 25 games where he has made at least half his shots. … Nuggets guard Ty Lawson began the season in a slump many believed was a result of him trying to hard to live up to the four-year, $48 million contract extension he received – which doesn’t even begin until next season. Whatever was bothering Lawson, he appears to be over it. In his last 13 games, Lawson is averaging 24.2 points while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. … Twenty years from now, someone will look at the Thunder sharing the NBA record for fewest turnovers in a game – 2, which they did Tuesday vs. the Lakers. Then they will look at point guard Russell Westbrook’s turnovers for the season and wonder how in the hell it happened.