Around the NBA: Bucks-Raptors sequel? Poor ol’ Pistons
Are the Milwaukee Bucks about to play themselves into a firstround playoff rematch with the Toronto Raptors? While there is almost a month left in the season and the Bucks are still seventh in the East, they keep suffering key losses that prevent them from moving up in the standings. The most recent was a 126-117 loss to Orlando — the Magic are 21-48 and second last in the East — that was Milwaukee’s seventh defeat in its last 10 games. The Bucks had gone 10-3 immediately after Joe Prunty replaced Jason Kidd as head coach, but those gains are gone.
L.A. STORY: The Lakers, with a promising group of young players, are doing more than playing out the string on another nonplayoff season. Heading into Thursday night’s play they had won 20 of 29 games and ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in that period. Since LaVar Ball made the comments about the Lakers not wanting to play for coach Luke Walton, they’ve responded by going 20-9 — the seventhbest record in the NBA. They rank inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency over that span. L.A. STORY II: It takes a while to truly determine the “winner” in any trade, but the Los Angeles Clippers sure have a leg up on the Detroit Pistons since their mid-season deal featuring Blake Griffin and Tobias Harris. Without Griffin, the Clippers are 12-4 and currently in the Western Conference playoffs; with Griffin, the Pistons are 8-11 and it will take a miracle finish for them to even sniff the final Eastern post-season slot. The Clippers are also getting Detroit’s 2019 first-round draft pick, which looks to be in the top 10. JOSE’S HELPERS: It was 13 years ago that a young Jose Calderon arrived in Toronto — arguably the best signing of the Rob Babcock era — with little ability to speak English and a flawed jump shot. But he was always a solid playmaker, and the 36year-old is still taking care of teammates. The 36-year-old, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers but still a Toronto fan favourite, went over the career 5,000-assist mark this week, one of only nine active players at that level. SPLASH DOWN: Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors is out for an indefinite time with a fractured thumb — it will be at least a week — and it will be weird to watch the Warriors without him. Thompson has been one of the most durable players in the league; he had played in 530 of Golden State’s 543 games over his seven-year career, and 81 straight playoff games over the last five seasons. Thompson has also never missed more than three games in a row in his career.