Are you a Clippers fan who isn’t sure who to root for in the NBA’s August 4th bubble games? You’re in the right place.
With each team playing just eight “seeding games” in Orlando before the playoffs begin, there’s limited time to both battle for playoff positioning as well as build momentum after a four-month layoff. That means that, while we obviously want the Clippers to be successful, Clippers fans can’t just pay attention to LAC–nearly every game played in the NBA over the next two weeks is important to the playoff picture.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on these each day. The basketball in Orlando has been great so far, but it’s also a lot of fun watching the standings and seeing teams jostle for position in a small amount of games with enhanced meaning.
Monday’s games have come and gone, with continued intrigue in the bottom half of the Western Conference as Memphis and San Antonio lost, and the middle of the playoff race coming into shape with Denver’s win over Oklahoma City and Utah’s loss. Tuesday will continue with another full slate of teams playing their third games.
The NBA’s August 4th Bubble Games
All times Pacific Time.
Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks, 10:30am, NBATV
Rooting for: Brooklyn Nets
It’s not going to happen, and I’m not convinced that it really matters, but technically a Brooklyn win here increases the Nets’ chances of finishing 7th and keeping the stronger Orlando Magic as Milwaukee’s 1-8 opponent. But Milwaukee will steamroll either team, and will steamroll the Nets in this one.
Dallas Mavericks vs Sacramento Kings, 11:30am, NBA League Pass
Rooting for: Sacramento Kings
Check out local, independent Sacramento Kings coverage at The Kings Herald.
The Kings are tied in the loss column with the Portland Trail Blazers (but behind on wins) and it would be nice to start thinning the herd from 8-13 so there’s less room for chaos in the closing games. But other considerations outweigh Sacramento’s potential to challenge Portland.
From the Mavericks’ perspective, they’re all but locked in to the 7-seed, with a slim mathematical possibility of a severe slide by the Utah Jazz pushing Dallas up to 6th. The right combination of a 2-6 bubble for the Jazz (1-2 so far) and a 5-3 bubble for the Mavericks (0-2 so far), or a similar 1-7/4-4 result, could make it happen. It’s pretty unlikely, though, so I’m not going to pick them here in order to bank on such a slim contingency.
I’m ultimately picking the Kings here because they have two games left against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are one of the four more serious contenders for the 8/9 play-in tournament, along with the front-runner Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, and my preferred winner, the Portland Trail Blazers. Sacramento staying engaged enough to split their games against New Orleans is almost certain to matter, while Sacramento’s own chances of making the play-in tournament and the chance of Dallas passing Utah are both almost certain to not end up mattering.
Unfortunately, what matters least of all is my picks, and the Kings’ general apathy in their bubble games so far doesn’t inspire confidence against a Dallas team that has lost their two games by 4 in OT and by 2. At least we have the aforementioned silver linings when Dallas wins.
Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers, 1:00pm, NBATV
Rooting for: The Good Guys
I won’t write anything about this game here since I already wrote a rather lengthy game preview. Check it out here!
Orlando Magic vs Indiana Pacers, 3:00pm, NBA League Pass
Rooting for: Indiana Pacers
Check out local, independent coverage of the Indiana Pacers at The Fieldhouse.
I spent way too many words on Dallas vs Sacramento, so I’ll be quick and economical here: Indiana has been a bubble darling so far (mostly T.J. Warren, who has 87 points in their 2 wins), and Orlando losses put them closer to the 8-seed, forcing Milwaukee to at least defend NBA players in the first round.
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat, 3:30pm, TNT
Rooting for: Miami Heat
This one should be an absolute blast–probably the marquee match-up of the NBA’s August 4th bubble games, although I am also anticipating the nightcap between Houston and Portland.
Boston is, in my eyes, the 3rd-best team in the East, so while Miami has a talented roster and some fun players (like Bam Adebayo), it would serve the Clippers better if the Celtics dropped to the 4th seed and Milwaukee had to go through them and Toronto to get out of the Eastern Conference.
That probably won’t happen, as Boston has a healthy advantage in the standings and easy games remaining against Brooklyn, Orlando, and Washington, but a Heat win here keeps hope alive, while a Celtics win cements their 3rd seed.
Houston Rockets vs Portland Trail Blazers, 6:00pm, TNT
Rooting for: Portland Trail Blazers
If Boston-Miami is the marquee match-up of the NBA’s August 4th bubble games, then Houston-Portland is a close second. While this doesn’t feature two of the NBA’s elite teams (Portland is well under .500), Damian Lillard and co. have looked strong in the bubble, particularly with the return of Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins.
Portland’s lack of depth means they have no choice but to keep one 7′-er on the floor the entire game, but they could play smaller with their 8-man rotation by running a lot of 3-guard lineups with Gary Trent Jr. at small forward and playing Carmelo Anthony (or Mario Hezonja) at power forward. The result is likely more Zach Collins center minutes at the expense of Hassan Whiteside.
Houston, of course, is the mega-small Houston Rockets lineup we’re accustomed to seeing. Their significant win over the Milwaukee Bucks has folks ready to anoint them kings of the bubble, and while I agree that they’re a good team I think their high-variance offense will result in disappointing losses as often as it does signature wins.
That’s what Clippers fans will hope for from this game, as Portland is currently barely in 9th place, with San Antonio, New Orleans, and Sacramento all within a game of them. Memphis’ poor form could help by putting 8th and 9th in play, but the Grizzlies will need to drop a few more games before that materializes.
A loss will also help temper Houston’s run, giving Denver some breathing room in 3rd place. After Denver’s win against Oklahoma City Monday, the Rockets would need to make up 2 games on Denver to pass them, but given the Nuggets’ key absences (Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton are all out), there’s no such thing as too much insurance. Denver needs to do just enough to keep Houston in 4/5 instead of rising to 3rd.
Yesterday’s Games
Toronto Raptors 107, Miami Heat 103
We were rooting for: Miami Heat
A tough blow for the Heat’s hopes of passing Boston for the 3rd seed, but Toronto’s continued impressive play has me increasingly considering the possibility that they’re a legitimate threat to come out of the East over the heavily-favored Bucks.
Denver Nuggets 121, Oklahoma City Thunder 113 (OT)
We were rooting for: Oklahoma City Thunder
Check out local, independent coverage of the Denver Nuggets at DNVR Nuggets.
Chris Paul looked like Lob City Chris Paul down the stretch, as the Thunder led 103-96 with 3:38 to play but managed just 6 points down the stretch of regulation, including a shot clock violation, a late possession where Paul dribbled for 23 seconds without passing and then missed a contested driving shot, and a Paul missed free throw with 2.8 seconds left that would have ultimately won the game. Then, they didn’t score in the first 4 minutes of OT.
The Thunder were without Dennis Schroeder in this game, and it exposed the fact that they are really without a second NBA wing beyond Danilo Gallinari. Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Schroeder are all effective guards, and Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel are a very good center pairing, but the cast of wings leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s hard to credit OKC for Schroeder’s absence when Denver was without their starting point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. The Nuggets are clearly the stronger team, and the likely 3rd seed. In the coming week, OKC will find themselves jostling with Utah for 5/6 as Houston emerges at 4th.
Indiana Pacers 111, Washington Wizards 100
We were rooting for: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are making their fair share of waves (and, characteristically, not getting enough attention for it) in the early days of the bubble, with TJ Warren starring. The Wizards are not only out of hope to make the play-in tournament, but don’t even have the roster to be a believable upset pick in their future games. That could matter with their match-ups against New Orleans and Oklahoma City as those two are in WC seeding battles.
Memphis Grizzlies 99, New Orleans Pelicans 109
We were rooting for: New Orleans Pelicans
It’s not that the Grizzlies are awful–they have a lot of fun, young talent and it’s easy to watch them and be excited about what some growth, maturity, and better role players could bring in the not-so-far future. But starting the bubble with 3 losses to teams behind them is making it look like they might blow their lead in 8th place and fall to 9th… or lower.
Memphis is 0-3 with 5 games to play. If they go 3-5, they should be safe from the teams chasing them (though that doesn’t mean they won’t lose the play-in tournament). At 2-6, you start thinking that 8th is likely gone, and 9th could be too, pending results from other teams. The Grizzlies close against Utah, Oklahoma City, Toronto, Boston, and Milwaukee. Can they beat the 2 teams directly ahead of them after losing to the 3 directly below? And will the Eastern powers rest players in the later seeding games?
This was a huge win for New Orleans, who struggled to start the bubble (including trailing by as many as 42 points to the Clippers on Saturday) but got a win under their belt and now play their final five games against sub-.500 teams: Sacramento, Washington, San Antonio, Sacramento, and Orlando. That schedule gives them an advantage over the Spurs and Blazers, who have tougher roads ahead.
San Antonio Spurs 130, Philadelphia 76ers 132
We were rooting for: Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers barely survived this one, but in fashion that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in them moving forward. The Spurs’ loss helped Portland and New Orleans, keeping San Antonio with the pack. If Portland can play the Spurs evenly over each team’s last six games, the Blazers will finish ahead. New Orleans needs the Spurs to pick up an extra loss, but can make that happen themselves in the remaining head-to-head game between the two.
Los Angeles Lakers 116, Utah Jazz 108
We were rooting for: Los Angeles Lakers
Jazz losses put a sturdy floor below Houston at 6th place. The more insulated Utah and Denver become at 6 and 3, the safer the Clippers are from a second-round date with the Rockets. It would take an exceptional collapse (coupled with Dallas actually winning some games) for Utah to fall to 7th, however.
Stay tuned in to 213Hoops every day of the NBA’s Orlando Bubble for a new Rooting Interests, letting you know who Clippers fans should root for in each of the day’s games.
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