04-07-2023, 03:55 AM
Jazz eliminated by Thunder, so it most likely comes down to can Mavs beat Bulls tonight, because OKC should lose at Memphis and the Mavs host the Spurs on Sunday.
A look at the odds for the seemingly crucial Friday night games makes one wonder WTF is going on. Lakers -7 over Suns. Warriors -5.5 over Kings. Then you look at the injury reports for the teams playing those games, and in one case it makes sense…
The Kings have Sabonis, Huerter, Mitchell, Monk, and Lyles listed as doubtful, suggesting the Kings in fact are resting key players for what is a meaningless game for them. Of course you know many Warriors fans will make fools of themselves on net today claiming the Kings want to lose so they avoid Warriors in playoffs, which is a dumb take.
As for the other game, the Lakers list James, Davis, and Russell as doubtful, and the Suns have just one player who rarely plays listed as doubtful. Kinda makes me think odds makers expect the Suns injury report to fill up some time before the game on Friday. The Nuggets didn’t play any of their starters in Phoenix (and still only lost by 4), so don’t know how hard Phoenix tried to win that game. It’s hard to believe Paul, Booker, or Durant will play tonight, no matter what the injury report says.
This is what I meant by certain teams maybe resting their key players, having an impact on the results this final weekend. The Knicks are also resting some key guys in New Orleans tonight, so the W’s will likely need to win to stay ahead of Lakers and Pelicans. They now have a great opportunity being handed to them to do this and avoid play-in. Can they summon the will and intensity to win in Sacramento tonight?
In any case, with just 2 games left, the Clippers, Warriors, Lakers, Pelicans, and Wolves can all still finish anywhere from 5 and 9.
A look at the odds for the seemingly crucial Friday night games makes one wonder WTF is going on. Lakers -7 over Suns. Warriors -5.5 over Kings. Then you look at the injury reports for the teams playing those games, and in one case it makes sense…
The Kings have Sabonis, Huerter, Mitchell, Monk, and Lyles listed as doubtful, suggesting the Kings in fact are resting key players for what is a meaningless game for them. Of course you know many Warriors fans will make fools of themselves on net today claiming the Kings want to lose so they avoid Warriors in playoffs, which is a dumb take.
As for the other game, the Lakers list James, Davis, and Russell as doubtful, and the Suns have just one player who rarely plays listed as doubtful. Kinda makes me think odds makers expect the Suns injury report to fill up some time before the game on Friday. The Nuggets didn’t play any of their starters in Phoenix (and still only lost by 4), so don’t know how hard Phoenix tried to win that game. It’s hard to believe Paul, Booker, or Durant will play tonight, no matter what the injury report says.
This is what I meant by certain teams maybe resting their key players, having an impact on the results this final weekend. The Knicks are also resting some key guys in New Orleans tonight, so the W’s will likely need to win to stay ahead of Lakers and Pelicans. They now have a great opportunity being handed to them to do this and avoid play-in. Can they summon the will and intensity to win in Sacramento tonight?
In any case, with just 2 games left, the Clippers, Warriors, Lakers, Pelicans, and Wolves can all still finish anywhere from 5 and 9.