We were probably always destine to be a scrappy play in team and here we are. Can’t blame any of us fans for trying to bend the spoon because it’s been an amazing season and we’ve exceeded expectations. But this is when one starts to agonize over the Portland game early this season along with the Suns debacle a couple of weeks ago.

Was it actually the smarter move to protect Kawhi from that Cavs/Magic b2b when as a result of that Cavs loss we will likely end up playing at least one if not two extra games? SMH.

GSW beats Memphis in a game where Memphis really should’ve won despite Steph going off for 50+. Ja and JJJ just show a lot of immaturity in clutch moments.

Jokic had one of the most incredible games you’ll se: 61-10-10 in a double overtime game playing 40 min straight only to have Russell Westbrook have among the worst final 25 seconds any player has ever had in a NBA game: missed FT + gets a steal with 16 sec left and instead of bringing the ball back out forcing the foul call and getting 2 FTs, he attempts to go to the rim, misses the shot, and then fouls NAW on the game ending 3pt shot, giving the Wolves 3 FTs to win the game.

With that win, I don’t believe the Wolves will lose another game the rest of the regular season. They’re headed to the 4 v 5 matchup vs LAL. Memphis is going to free fall to the #8 spot (most likely). LAC and GSW will battle for #6, but Steph is Steph and Kawhi won’t play 2 games b/c of back to backs.

Some takeaways:

• Zu – best player on the floor. Utterly dominant and super efficient. Should’ve had more touches in the half court.
• Norm – was really pleased with his game, almost overjoyed. The Norm we saw tonight against a physical team translates well into the playoffs: under control, able to produce with different lineups, moved without the ball, made buckets, moved the ball, defended his position pretty well without too much fouling.
• Harden – slow to start offensively, some loose passes, but thought he had active hands early as he finished with 7 steals. Took the game over in Q3. Professional performance with 20-3-5-7 and some big buckets.
• Kawhi – Not a great game, but very good physical presence. His body of work in March has been very good and at times excellent. The difference between good and great Kawhi is his midrange efficiency. He was 4/12 from the midrange tonight and had a loose handle. That said, his activity on the glass, on loose ball plays and his ability to initiate offense looked so much better compared to just after the AS break.
• Bogi – Thought he was very effective tonight despite an off shooting night. Had some important defensive stops and some big time plays. Having him and Norm on the court was fun to watch and I’d like to see them on the floor together more.
• Batum – Every time he’s on the court with real minutes the team’s +/- just shoots up. He’s just a thoughtful, skilled and effective basketball player who makes things work. Get that dude 20+ minutes. S
• Dunn – Largely ineffective. His good stuff doesn’t outweigh the liabilities. It’s become very frustrating to watch him clog the offense up as teams have started to play playoff defense against the Clippers. They’ve essentially played him off the court. He has so many touches and open looks b/c that’s by design. We’re just not able to get off to really good starts against decent teams with him on the court. The lane is clogged, teams double Zu/Kawhi/Harden and we’re playing 4 v 5. Terance Mann has much more offensive ability but the coaching staff didn’t believe in him. They really believe in Dunn and think he’s Kentavious Caldwell Pope, but he is nowhere near as good as KCP (who has 2 chips). That starting lineup has to change. DJJ makes a lot more sense, but from a data analytics standpoint, it’s Batum with Zu and Harden that is a killer lineup (though that might be counterintuitive when you think of the need for a POA defender. Maybe moving Kawhi to the #3 is better than having a POA defender?

With Memphis’ loss Clips are just 1 game behind in the loss column from them with a tiebreak. They are all but certain to leapfrog Mem soon. GSW plays Mem tomorrow so Clippers will gain against 1 of those teams. Minn plays Denver tomorrow in what might be the last real opportunity for a Minnesota loss.

Bummer that Houston lost because this was probably the last opportunity to set the lakers back in any meaningful way. OKC will beat them both times but by then it will be too late and they will avoid the play in.