Game 76: Portland vs New Orleans 7:00pm Root,Root+

[monopoman]

With how bad nearly every other team NO is battling with for the 9th or 10th spot there is no way in hell they don't make the play-in game.

If we played them like 3 times to close out the season and won all 3 that might be enough to knock them to 11th but that is not the case at all. The Pelicans are clearly better than the Spurs, and the Lakers might be better if fully healthy but that is not the case. So really the only way they don't make the playoffs is if the Clippers and T-Wolves can keep them from taking it.

I don't think the Pelicans are such a sure thing to win the #9 vs #10 game as you feel, particularly if it's the Lakers with Davis back.

Even if it's they match up against the Spurs, I'd give them a two-thirds chance of winning (but still a 33% chance of losing).

All it takes is the better team's star player to miss a fair chunk of shots, or a role player from the weaker team to get hot.

Did you see the ridiculous record the Lakers had post all-star break the team was only winning games in which LBJ scored at least 40 or 50 points or something like that. They were 0-8 in games where LBJ did not pull that feat off, I just don't trust the Lakers to do anything, while LBJ and AD are both quite good the rest of their roster is garbage or players so far past their prime they are nowhere near as good as people think.

Now could the Lakers potentially win against the Pelicans? Sure but I think claiming the Pelicans are the better team right now with the current injuries to both teams is not wrong at all.

[Dame Lizard]

With how bad nearly every other team NO is battling with for the 9th or 10th spot there is no way in hell they don't make the play-in game.

If we played them like 3 times to close out the season and won all 3 that might be enough to knock them to 11th but that is not the case at all. The Pelicans are clearly better than the Spurs, and the Lakers might be better if fully healthy but that is not the case. So really the only way they don't make the playoffs is if the Clippers and T-Wolves can keep them from taking it.

I don't think the Pelicans are such a sure thing to win the #9 vs #10 game as you feel, particularly if it's the Lakers with Davis back.

Even if it's they match up against the Spurs, I'd give them a two-thirds chance of winning (but still a 33% chance of losing).

All it takes is the better team's star player to miss a fair chunk of shots, or a role player from the weaker team to get hot.

Did you see the ridiculous record the Lakers had post all-star break the team was only winning games in which LBJ scored at least 40 or 50 points or something like that. They were 0-8 in games where LBJ did not pull that feat off, I just don't trust the Lakers to do anything, while LBJ and AD are both quite good the rest of their roster is garbage or players so far past their prime they are nowhere near as good as people think.

Now could the Lakers potentially win against the Pelicans? Sure but I think claiming the Pelicans are the better team right now with the current injuries to both teams is not wrong at all.

In a single play-in game, I'm taking the Lakers (with AD healthy) over the Pelicans.

This means a lot to LeBron, he'll probably drop 45 points in that game on efficient scoring.

[BlazersBroncos]

Eubanks really is showing something. Even down 10 with like a minute left he was going all out. Love his hustle.

Said it a ton but Eubanks / Watford is a nice cheap platoon backup C option that I think we should roll with barring Duren. I think we have pretty much all the spots locked down with rotation caliber guys outside 2 starting forwards, which probably are the toughest spots to fill:

G - Damian Lillard / Anfernee Simons / Kris Dunn
G - Anfernee Simons / Josh Hart / Keon Johnson
F - / Nas Little / ?
F - / Justice Winslow / Greg Brown
C - Jusuf Nurkic / Drew Eubanks / Trendon Watford

I see needs at starting SF, 3rd string SF and starting PF. I am pretty good w/ the primary backups of Hart, Little, Winslow and Eubanks w/ Watford getting spot minutes. Dunn is a nice cheap specialist and Brown / Keon the long term plays.