Spurs not consumed by winning streak like Heat were last year

TRIVIA: What is Gregg Popovich’s all-time record in Game 7s? Answer below.

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Soccer legend Pele wasn’t the only former athlete prematurely pronounced dead this week. The New York Post initially and incorrectly reported that a body found in a shallow grave in a Far Rockaway beach was former NBA player Quinton Ross.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat after his team nearly blew a 10-point lead in the last three minutes of Saturday’s home win over Atlanta:

“We call this fatigue. We call this fatigue and too relaxed. I’m glad we won that game. Otherwise, I’d probably shoot myself at home.”

TANKAPALOOZA!: One more win by New Orleans or loss by Boston clinches that the Pelicans will not be among the league’s five worst teams. That means without any lottery luck, their first-round pick will be conveyed to the 76ers. The Pistons are three games behind the Cavaliers with the eighth-worst record and have to remain there (or worse) to avoid giving their pick to the Bobcats. And the Timberwolves are safely entrenched in the 13th spot ahead of the odd team out in the Western Conference playoff race, which means they will keep their pick instead of sending it to the Suns.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York, third quarter, March 25: 12 minutes, 19-26 FGs, 6-9 3-pointers, 7-8 FTs, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, zero steals, one turnover, zero blocks, six fouls, 51 points in a 127-96 win. It was the most points by the Lakers in one quarter in franchise history and the most against the Knicks in one quarter in franchise history. Nine different players scored led by nine points from Chris Kaman, who previously had not played in March. Their only missed free throw was turned into an offensive rebound and dunk with a foul by Xavier Henry. And they made 12 straight shots until Nick Young rattled out a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

LINE OF THE WEAK: Brandon Jennings, Detroit at Philadelphia, March 29: 11 minutes, 1-5 FGs, 0-2 3-pointers, 0-0 FTs, three rebounds, two assists, one steal, two points in a 123-98 loss. Off to a typically poor shooting night – he is at .376 for the season – Jennings was ejected late in the first quarter for arguing, opening the door for the Sixers to snap their 26-game losing streak.

TRILLION WATCH: It was a relatively quiet week for the heroes of zeros, although Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark had 2 trillions Monday vs. Detroit and Pacers teammates Lavoy Allen and Solomon Hill did the same Friday at Washington. The weekly leader was Clippers guard Willie Green with a 3 trillion Thursday at Dallas. Season leaders remain the 10 trillions posted by Pistons rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Thunder forward Perry Jones III.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Golden State at Dallas, April 1. There are loads of meaningful matchups in the Western Conference this week, with the fifth- through ninth-place teams separated by just three games in the loss column. For weeks, the bottom of the West bracket has been three teams gunning for two spots. But if the Warriors lose this game, it will be four teams gunning for three spots.

GAME OF THE WEAK: LA Lakers at Sacramento, April 2. Remember when this used to be the best rivalry in the NBA? Now it’s for last place in the Pacific Division and more ping-pong balls in the lottery. In better California news, it is finally supposed to rain.

TWO MINUTES: Joe Dumars appears done as Pistons president of basketball operations, and he knows it. During halftime of Friday’s home game against the Heat, the Pistons celebrated the 25th anniversary of the “Bad Boys,” their first championship team in 1989. But Dumars declined to be interviewed before the game and did not speak to the crowd because he knew he would be booed. Detroit was hammered, 110-78, by Miami before allowing Philadelphia to end its 26-game losing streak with a 123-98 victory Saturday in which the Pistons weren’t even trying to defend. Since their last trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2008, the Pistons have not finished above .500, and Dumars has made five coaching changes, including this season’s disastrous switch from Mo Cheeks (21-29) to John Loyer (5-18). … The Kings have lost 20 straight regular-season visits to Dallas since Feb. 27, 2003. … It should be mentioned that the current six-game swoon by the Hawks began when sharpshooter Kyle Korver went down with a back injury. That has forced coach Mike Budenholzer to take Lou Williams out of mothballs. Williams returned from a torn ACL in mid-November and needed about two months to regain any sort of rhythm. Coming out of the All-Star break, Williams averaged 14.4 points over seven games. But he scored just four points in his next game and was mysteriously dropped from the rotation on March 7, the first of seven straight DNPs. When Korver went down, Williams returned and has averaged 13.8 points in his last four contests. “Lou had a good bounce. Lou played decisively,” Budenholzer said. The Hawks are just one game ahead of the Knicks (two in the loss column) for the final playoff spot in the East but hold the tiebreaker via better conference record and have the easier schedule. Atlanta plays seven of its last 10 at home and faces five teams below it in the standings. New York plays four of eight at home and just one team below it. … In Wednesday’s home loss to Cleveland, Pistons teammates Andre Drummond and Josh Smith both shot airballs on free throws. … The Pacers undid their spirited home win over the Heat by managing just 78 points in a road loss to the Wizards and 76 in a road loss to the Cavaliers. Indiana has one road win over a winning team since Jan. 20 and is 6-9 in its last 15 games overall, which doesn’t sit well with David West. “We’re losing games at an alarming rate to teams that are inferior to us,” he said. “We can’t figure out a way to perform better. We’ve done what you do. We’ve had team meetings. We’ve had players-only meetings. We’ve had players and the coaches (meetings). We’re kind of looking for answers right now.” … The Bulls have not lost consecutive games since Feb. 1-3. … Bucks guard Brandon Knight has three 30-point games this season. Two have been against the Lakers. … As the season enters its final month, Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Pacers guard Lance Stephenson each have 14 technical fouls and Clippers forward Blake Griffin has 13. All three play for teams with meaningful games remaining and have to keep that total below 16 to avoid a very untimely suspension. One loss for any of those teams could mean the difference between being at home or on the road for a postseason series.