Nets facing a Lil’ problem in season finale
Damian Lillard is a man on fire, and the Nets will attempt to extinguish him in their final game of the regular season against the Trail Blazers on Friday.
The Nets have already clinched their playoff standing as the East’s seventh seed and are locked into a first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors, but even though they rested their starters against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, interim coach Jacque Vaughn said that is not the plan for the season finale.
“We talked about having some rhythm going into the playoffs,” Vaughn said on Wednesday, “so all guys in that starting unit will be available to start the game. We’ll see how the game progresses, but I’m looking forward to getting some rhythm back on the floor.”
On the other hand, the Blazers have no such clarity on their playoff standing.
Portland, like Brooklyn, has won five of its first seven games in the Orlando bubble. The Blazers entered the NBA’s resumption of the regular season as the Western Conference’s ninth seed with a 29-37 record. They are now 34-39, having overtaken the Memphis Grizzlies as the eighth seed.
The West’s eighth and ninth seeds will battle in a play-in tournament that requires one win for the eighth seed to advance and two consecutive wins for the ninth seed to pull the upset. But seeds Nos. 8-11 (Blazers, Grizzlies, Suns and Spurs, respectively) are only separated by a half-game, meaning a win for one and a loss for another will permanently shift the standings entering the playoff picture.
If the Blazers win — or the Grizzlies, Spurs and Suns all lose — they will retain the eighth seed entering the play-in tournament. If the Blazers lose to the Nets, they would still be able to secure the No. 9 spot if two of the trailing teams also lose.
Portland, however, could be eliminated from play-in tournament contention if they lose and two of the three teams win on Thursday. Simply put: They cannot afford to lose on Thursday, and the Nets are standing in their way of making the playoffs.
Vaughn is plotting ways to slow down Portland’s superstar. Lillard hung 61 points on the Mavericks in Portland’s 134-131 win on Tuesday. It was his second straight game with more than 50 after torching the 76ers for 51 points two days prior.
Lillard became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to record three 60-point games in a single season. He leads the league in scoring in the Orlando bubble with 37 points per game, and his average of 9.3 assists ranks third behind only Luka Doncic and the soon-tobe Rookie of the Year, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.
“For us, it will be some tactical things that we can try to see what works. He’s playing at an extremely high level,” said Vaughn, who is now 7-2 as Nets head coach since taking over for Kenny Atkinson on March 8.
The Nets understand just how important Thursday’s game is to their opponent. They’re expecting the Blazers to come out swinging, guns ablaze, like a team with its back against the wall because, well, that’s exactly what they are.
But the Nets say they’re not focused on what Portland needs. Brooklyn has its own fish to fry. The team already knows who they’re facing in the playoffs and want to enter the postseason on the right foot.
“You’re trying to get ready for the playoffs. You’re trying to continue to maintain your rhythm, have continuity, chemistry amongst one another,” said Nets’ sharpshooter Joe Harris. “So big game regardless of the situation for us. Regardless of the impact — it’s not gonna change our standings. Important for Portland, but it’s a meaningful game in terms of maintaining rhythm and getting ready for the playoffs.”