The NBA is more than halfway through its seed list and with each passing day, the post-season picture becomes a bit clearer. In the east it’s just a matter of positioning, but in the west the final place is still up for grabs. Two teams were officially eliminated from contention on Sunday, but there are still four teams vying for that final spot, which will now be definitively determined by a series of play-ins between eighth and ninth-seeded in the conference.
Additionally, injury problems continued to plague an Eastern Conference contender and an All-Star guard recovered significantly after a disappointing performance on Saturday. Here are four major highlights from Sunday’s NBA action.
1. Pelicans, Kings eliminated from post-season contention
Playoff hopes for both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings ended on Sunday. With the Trail Blazers’ victory over the 76ers, both teams were officially eliminated from the playoff contest. The four teams still vying for the final playoff spot in the West are Grizzlies, Blazers, Spurs and Suns.
The Grizzlies still hold a slight lead in the race for eighth place, but all three of these teams are within two games of Memphis with a couple of games remaining for each team. According to ESPN, the Grizzlies have a 62% chance of securing the final seed in the playoff photo. Whichever team ultimately ends up clinching the final spot in the West will face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers, who secured the overall first seed in the conference last week.
2. Guaranteed Western Conference play-in series
With their 108-99 defeat to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, the Grizzlies guaranteed a series of play-ins would take place. To trigger such a streak, the 9th seeded team in the conference must finish within four games of the 8th seeded when the seeded list is complete. It is mathematically guaranteed to happen now.
The idea of a play-in series for the final seat in a conference was added by the NBA before the season restart. The idea behind the series was to give hunting teams a fair chance to compete for the spot even if they wouldn’t have the full 82-game roster to do so. In the series, the eighth-seeded team will only have to win once to claim the final playoff spot in the conference, while the ninth-seeded team will have to win two in a row before the eighth-seeded team wins once.
3. Dame Time
On Saturday, Dame Lillard had an unusually free moment, as she missed two free throws in the closing moments of the Portland game against the Clippers and, as a result, the Blazers lost the game. The defeat was particularly hard to swallow considering the fact that the Blazers are fighting for a place in the postseason. Lillard made up for it on Sunday, as he went absolutely nuclear against the Sixers and, in turn, led the Blazers to a much needed victory. Lillard finished the game with 51 points and seven assists. It was the tenth 50-point performance of his career and the fifth this season.
When Lillard gets going like he did on Sunday night, it’s nearly impossible to stop, and in the end the Sixers weren’t able to do it. Lillard seems determined to give Portland the best possible chance of making it into the postseason, so don’t be surprised if he has another major game before the league seed list is completed.
4. Injury problems continue to plague 76ers
The Sixers can’t take a break in Orlando. Earlier this week it was announced that striker Ben Simmons would be leaving the bubble to undergo knee surgery, and is expected to miss the rest of the season as a result. So, the Sixers entered their matchup with the Blazers on Sunday night already under an All-Star, and in the first quarter of the match they lost the other All-Star. After landing awkwardly under the basket, Joel Embiid walked out of the game and didn’t come back. Instead it was excluded with a left ankle injury. Embiid eventually returned to the sidelines of Philadelphia, and appeared to be in a good mood. The Sixers didn’t have an update on Embiid after the match, but an update on its status will likely be provided in the near future. Of course, the Sixers are hoping to get their showpiece back before post-season play begins on August 17th.
