A look at the NBA playoff picture
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EAST UPDATE
The bracket was unchanged Saturday.
Milwaukee beat New York, improving to 43-37 on the season – tying Miami for the sixth-best record. But the Heat remain holders of the No. 6 seed, since they have the tiebreaker over the currently seventh-seeded Bucks.
Toronto now has the second-best record in the NBA. The Raptors are now a half-game ahead of Golden State.
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WEST UPDATE
The race is wild now: Six teams playing for five playoff spots, all to be decided over the next four days, and with all of those teams on either 45 or 46 wins.
There were no clinchers on Saturday, and – just like in the East – the potential first-round bracket was unchanged. San Antonio and Utah both could have wrapped up their postseason berths, but didn’t get the help they needed from other teams. The Spurs pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Portland, and Oklahoma City snapped Houston’s 20-game home winning streak.
The Thunder, Pelicans and Spurs can all win their way into the postseason on Monday. Oklahoma City visits Miami, New Orleans visits the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio hosts Sacramento.
Meanwhile, for the first time in seven years, the Clippers are not heading to the playoffs.
Doc Rivers’ team was eliminated, the final blow being a 134-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets. This will be the 13th time in franchise history the Clippers finish with a winning record, and in each of those years but one – until now – that’s been good enough for a postseason berth.
Denver, right now
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SUNDAY’S GAMES
– Dallas at Philadelphia: If the 76ers win, they move closer to securing the No. 3 seed in the East.
– Indiana at Charlotte: Pacers would be assured of the No. 5 spot in the East with a loss; a win keeps their slim hopes of moving up alive.
– Atlanta at Boston: Celtics will be No. 2 in the East, so there’s really nothing to play for in this one.
– Orlando at Toronto: The East’s No. 1 seed, Toronto still has a shot at the NBA’s second-best record.
– Utah at L.A. Lakers: Jazz can clinch a playoff spot, and Quin Snyder has to be a coach of the year candidate.
– Golden State at Phoenix: The Warriors aren’t at their best, but a loss to the tanktastic Suns would be really bad.
– Detroit at Memphis has no playoff implication.
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CURRENT BRACKET
First-round matchups if the season ended Saturday …
East: 1-Toronto vs. 8-Washington, 2-Boston vs. 7-Milwaukee, 3-Philadelphia vs. 6-Miami, 4-Cleveland vs. 5-Indiana.
West: 1-Houston vs. 8-Minnesota, 2-Golden State vs. 7-Oklahoma City, 3-Portland vs. 6-San Antonio, 4-Utah vs. 5-New Orleans.
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NOTE OF THE DAY
A year ago, only one Western Conference playoff spot was decided in the final seven days. This year
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
”I just believe in protecting the league.” – Doc Rivers, after the Clippers were eliminated, on why he expects to play his regulars against playoff-contending New Orleans on Monday.
LeBron James made the first move. Now what?
Cleveland? Los Angeles? Philadelphia? A surprise?
Stay tuned. Decision III is this summer’s blockbuster, and it’s coming soon.
James told the Cavaliers that he is not exercising his $35.6 million contract option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, two people familiar with the decision told the Associated Press.
The decision to decline the option for 2018-19 was expected by James because it gives him more options, which includes him re-signing with the Cavs, who can offer him the most money – a five-year, $209 million contract. James can also sign a short-term deal with Cleveland, something he has done each year since returning in 2014.
James had until 11:59 p.m. to express his intentions to the Cavs and his agent Rich Paul informed the team in the morning.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The deadline for Kevin Durant to opt into his contract with the Warriors for next season passed without him doing so, making the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP a free agent – yet his intention has always been to stay put and re-sign with Golden State.
Much like a year ago, Durant declined to opt in for the second year of his deal, allowing him to work on a more lucrative contract once the signing period begins Saturday night.
Durant only had to inform the Warriors if he planned to opt in, and the team had long been prepared for this move – merely a procedural decision – knowing his plans for months.
The 29-year-old Durant could sign for as many as four years and about $160 million. He has made clear all along his commitment to the Warriors, especially after winning a pair of championships in his first two seasons with Golden State.
DALLAS (AP) – The Dallas Mavericks are making another run at DeAndre Jordan
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Jordan has opted out of the final year of that contract he signed with LA in 2015, and the Mavericks intend to pursue him as an unrestricted free agent, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
Dallas also intends to decline the $5 million club option on Dirk Nowitzki’s contract and re-sign him once its salary structure is more settled, the person told the AP. The move on Nowitzki is designed to create more room under the salary cap, as were the decisions to rescind qualifying offers to shooting guard Doug McDermott and center Salah Mejri, making both unrestricted free agents.
NHL
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – When Barry Trotz resigned, the Washington Capitals didn’t even bother with a coaching search.
There was only one candidate and he got the job.
Top assistant Todd Reirden will take over the Stanley Cup-champion Capitals, promoted from the bench in a move that allows Washington to maintain a sense of continuity. Reirden coached the defensemen the past four seasons, was a finalist for another NHL head job two years ago, earned a promotion to associate coach and played a substantial role in the first championship in franchise history.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan hopes promoting Reirden from within will allow the team to ”transition seamlessly into next season and beyond.”
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) – Defenseman Drew Doughty has agreed to an eight-year, $88 million contract extension through the 2026-27 season to stay with the Los Angeles Kings.
After ****ing the Kings’ roster as an 18-year-old, Doughty has been among the NHL’s top defensemen throughout a 10-year career spent entirely with the Kings.
He won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2016. As an aggressive, skilled two-way blueliner
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Doughty played a major role in the Kings’ Stanley Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2014, and he also has two Olympic gold medals from playing for Canada.
GOLF
POTOMAC, Md. (AP) – Beau Hossler has been hanging around the lead on the weekend in search of his first PGA Tour victory, and he gets another chance at the Quicken Loans National.
So does Tiger Woods.
Hossler, the 23-year-old in his first full year on the tour, birdied four of his last five holes and finished with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 4-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Ryan Armour and Brian Gay.
Armour (65) and Gay (64) each made short birdies on the par-3 ninth hole to finish their rounds and tie for lead.
Woods finished a steamy morning on the TPC Potomac at Avenel with two pars that felt just as big. On a day in which he made seven birdies – all but two of them from 15 feet or longer – Woods didn’t let a good round go to waste at the end. He saved par from the bunker on the eighth and ninths holes for a 65.
KILDEER, Ill. (AP) – Lydia Ko birdied the first hole and just kept rolling from there – all the way into contention for another major victory.
Ko shot a 6-under 66 in the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to move two strokes off the lead. The 21-year-old New Zealander shook off an opening 74 at Kemper Lakes to reach 4 under and give herself a shot to win her third major.
First-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72), 2016 winner Brooke Henderson (71) and So Yeon Ryu (69) were tied for the lead at 6-under 138. Carlota Ciganda (69) was one stroke back, with Ko, Moriya Jutanugarn (72) and Annie Park (69) at 4 under in the third of the LPGA Tour’s five majors.
Michelle Wie (74) was 1 ove.
