Wake-up calls are a necessary evil in the world of sports. The Toronto Raptors received one loud and clear this week.
After coming out of the gates slowly on Sunday, the Kyle Lowry-led Raptors did just enough down the stretch to beat the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. A rousing comeback full of spirit and determination overshadowed the sluggish start and stole the headlines.
The alarm had gone off but Toronto managed to press the snooze button.
They weren’t so lucky Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Another slow start on the offensive end was compounded by the fact that a Cavaliers team missing Kyrie Irving put up 59 first-half points on Toronto’s elite defence. The late-game comeback, again led by Lowry, fell short in the final seconds and the loss allowed the Chicago Bulls to jump into third spot in the Eastern Conference.
This time Toronto can’t afford to hit the snooze. A 5-5 stretch has allowed the teams beneath them to close the gap, and the Brooklyn Nets now sit just 2.5 games behind them for the Atlantic Division lead.
It’s time to get up.
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Bench play is a big part of the reason the Spurs are once again the cream of the crop. The second unit is averaging 45.6 points per contest, the highest mark in the league. Getting a win in Golden State without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili was a testament to that depth.
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With 10 games remaining and 50 wins already in the bag, the Clippers look set to best last year’s franchise-record 56 wins. Things could get even better as J.J. Redick is nearing a return.
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James Harden had himself quite the game against Cleveland on Saturday. Criticized for his inefficiency in years past, Harden scored 37 points on a mere 15 shots and managed a pair of four-point plays. He followed that with 31 points in a win over the Bobcats on Monday.
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As mentioned earlier, the league-leading Spurs without Ginobili and Duncan were there for the taking Saturday night and the Warriors failed to take advantage. Adrian Wojnarowski’s report on the dysfunctional relationship between Mark Jackson and the Warriors’ brass points to a much bigger problem.
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Thunder fans held their breath when Russell Westbrook left Friday’s game against the Raptors. MVP-in-waiting Kevin Durant hogs the headlines but Westbrook’s presence takes this team to another level. Bonus: Here’s Kendrick Perkins kissing a sea lion.
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We’ll get to see how Greg Oden matches up against Roy Hibbert Wednesday night when the Heat travel to Indiana for a primetime clash. Both teams are struggling right now and the Pacers are only two games up on their rivals. Something has to give.
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The Pacers have lost three of four, failing to score above 90 points in all but one of those games. A similar showing tonight against Miami would get ugly in a hurry.
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Stagnant ball movement proved to be the Mavericks’ Achilles heel in a close loss to Brooklyn, proving the importance of Jose Calderon to the team’s ambitions. The point guard returned against OKC on Tuesday and the Mavericks won their second game against the Thunder in as many weeks.
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Memphis begins a crucial five-game road trip Wednesday that will factor heavily in whether or not they return to the playoffs. The chances of missing out are low if they play like they did against Indiana. They held the Pacers to 71 points in last week’s win.
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Three nights off is just reward for Chicago after they held Indiana to 77 points on Monday. Only one of their next five games is against a winning team—the struggling Blazers, on the second leg of a back-to-back, come to town on Friday.
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Ten of their remaining 13 contests are against teams outside of the playoff picture. The favourable schedule should give the Raptors a decent shot at fending off the Nets and Bulls in the race for home-court advantage.
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Remember when Jason Kidd was an awful coach? How times have changed in Brooklyn. The $190-million payroll is 27-10 in 2014 and Kidd’s spilled drink timeout seems like a lifetime ago.
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Only 2.5 games up on ninth-placed Phoenix, the Blazers continue to nose dive down the standings. In the last four months, Portland is 0-7 against Western teams seeded above them and on Tuesday night they managed to drop a game to the 20-52 Magic. Ouch.
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The Suns won’t let the Grizzlies rest on their laurels in their battle for the eighth seed. Markieff Morris sparked a 22-point comeback against the Timberwolves Sunday and Eric Bledsoe dispatched the Hawks in the subsequent game. This group is ready to pounce.
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The Wizards are 1-3 in their last four outings, and have to be hoping reports of an early April return for Nene pan out. That scenario would give the Brazilian big man a few games to get up to speed before the playoffs.
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With all of their remaining games against Eastern Conference opposition and seven of the eleven coming against teams with sub-.500 records, the Bobcats look like a lock to make the post-season for the first time since 2009-10.
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A three-game losing streak saw the Hawks’ advantage over the Knicks shrink to 2.5 games. Improving their 28th-ranked rebounding couldn’t hurt—over the three losses they were out-rebounded by 20 boards.
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The Knicks started their five-game West Coast road trip with a blowout loss against the lowly Lakers. The eighth seed is still somehow there for the taking, but the Knicks have the toughest strength of schedule in the Eastern Conference over their final 11 games.
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The Timberwolves are in the midst of a disappointing 1-3 stretch. In those four games they’ve given up 122, 129, 127 and 109 points. It will be at least another year before we see Kevin Love in the postseason.
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An Anthony Davis-fueled three-game winning streak saw the Pelicans come away victorious over Miami and Brooklyn. The Brow’s unique skillset and freakish athleticism make him one of the best two-way players in recent memory.
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A home-and-home against the league-leading Spurs doesn’t leave much room for optimism in Denver. The injury-riddled Nuggets boast a better roster than their record indicates.
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Jarrett Jack put up a season-high 31 points against the Knicks on Sunday to end New York’s eight-game win streak and snap a four-game slide in Cleveland.
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Jordan Hill’s awesome new hairstyle inspired a career-high 28 points against Orlando, which helped end the Lakers’ four-game slide. To say Hill was excited to win a game would be an understatement.
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Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas carry the load offensively, but it’s clear that they need help. The Kings’ bench has scored just 24 PPG in March, the lowest mark in the NBA. Isn’t this why Derrick Williams was brought in?
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Wednesday’s ‘somebody has to win’ contest against the Cavaliers is important for Pistons fans who want their team to tank. The Cavaliers are a mere game up on Detroit. Let the futility begin!
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Brad Stevens watched the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament from his couch as opposed to the sidelines for the first time in seven years. With the Celtics owning two first-round draft picks, his familiarity with the collegiate ranks should serve his new employers well.
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The Jazz allowed the Pistons to win their first game in Salt Lake City in 12 years on Monday. To put that in context, the last time Detroit won in Utah, John Stockton was still lacing ‘em up and Chauncey Billups hadn’t yet won a Finals MVP trophy.
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Canadian Andrew Nicholson has taken a step back in his second season. His per 36 minute numbers have been on a steady decline since November and he’s only scored in double digits once in 2014. Still, Orlando managed to snap a nine-game losing streak with a win over the Blazers on Tuesday.
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Battling back from a 15-point deficit to force a tight finish against the Clippers was admirable, but it wasn’t enough for the Bucks stop a losing streak that currently sits at eight games.
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Two more losses—to the Rockets on Thursday and Pistons on Saturday—would earn Philly the longest losing streak in NBA history. Other than that, nothing new to report here.
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