NBA report card: Grading the recent performances of five standout teams in week 25
Every Monday, we look back over the previous week of NBA action and put five teams under the microscope as we grade their recent performances
Monday 8 April 2019 14:32, UK
The regular season is approaching its climax and for teams in the playoff race, there was more at stake than at any other point in the NBA season.
Here are five teams who have either seriously impressed or have let themselves down badly this week.
Detroit Pistons (39-41, Week 25 record 0-4) Grade - D
Having looked all but assured of a playoff spot at the start of the week, the Detroit Pistons have capitulated to leave themselves desperately hanging on to the eighth and final seeding.
Back-to-back fixtures against the struggling Indiana Pacers appeared to offer the perfect opportunity for the Pistons reach the playoffs for just the second time in 10 seasons.
However, despite Andre Drummond's best efforts to fill the void left by his front-court partner, which saw him amass 46 points and 36 rebounds across the two games, the Pistons fell to defeat on both occasions.
There was a boost as Griffin returned despite continued soreness in his left knee to score 45 points on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but even that was not enough as the Pistons faded in the fourth quarter.
Even after thee defeats, the Pistons still had a chance to seal a postseason place as they had the opportunity to knock the Charlotte Hornets out of the race.
But with Griffin hobbling his way to just 16 points, it was Charlotte's All-Star, Kemba Walker, who controlled the game with 31 points, to bring the Hornets (38-42) within just a game of the Pistons. Also on that mark are the Miami Heat, who have slumped to four straight defeats.
With the Hornets holding the tiebreaker, the Pistons may need to win both of their remaining games, against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and New York Knicks on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether Dwayne Casey's team have anything left in the tank.
Brooklyn Nets (41-40, Week 25 record 2-2) Grade - A-
One of the beneficiaries of Detroit's slump has been the Brooklyn Nets.
With the toughest schedule of the five contenders for the three final playoff places in the East, the Nets appeared to be perilously positioned. They began with home games against the teams with the two best records in the NBA - the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.
Despite All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell's best efforts (28 against the Bucks and 27 against the Raptors), the Nets came up just short on both occasions, leaving them facing the possibility of what had been a promising season ending in anti-climax.
A return game followed against the Bucks, who had - for the Nets' sake - thankfully already clinched top seeding in the East, which may have contributed to MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence from their lineup.
Even without the 'Greek Freak', the Bucks remain a hugely tough nut to crack in their own gym, and proved that by coming from as many as 15 points down to lead with 2:30 remaining. Russell made two free throws before Joe Harris made perhaps the biggest shot of the Nets' season, giving them a lead they would not relinquish.
The Nets were back in action less than 24 hours later against the Indiana Pacers, but carried the momentum built in Milwaukee to pull off a more comfortable victory, as Russell led the way once more with his fifth consecutive 20-point game.
The win guaranteed a first playoff series for Brooklyn since 2014-15, and should mark the first major step on the team's return to prominence.
Golden State Warriors (56-24, Week 25 record 4-0) Grade - A
The situation is starting to look a little ominous for any team who thought that they had a chance of denying the Golden State Warriors a third consecutive NBA title.
Having ended Week 24 with a 47-point victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Warriors hardly relented.
They began by inflicting further mental damage to a possible Western Conference playoffs opponent, the Denver Nuggets. For the third successive game between the two teams, the Warriors jumped on the Nuggets early and eased to a comfortable victory.
A routine victory over the beleaguered Los Angeles Lakers followed at the Staples Center, before complacency threatened to creep in as the Warriors saw a 21-point lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers shrink to three with 2:52 remaining.
Stephen Curry, who has regained his best shooting form in recent weeks, responded with a three-pointer to ensure there was no upset in the Warriors' second-last game at Oracle Arena.
The big (regular season) finale, ahead of the franchise's move to a new San Francisco home, followed against the Los Angeles Clippers. In a party atmosphere, Curry and his team-mates produced a trademark third-quarter explosion to set up a comfortable victory.
With little energy expended and only games against the lowly New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies remaining, the Warriors are set perfectly for another deep playoff run.
Oklahoma City Thunder (47-33, Week 25 record 3-0) Grade - B+
While they have long been assured of a playoff berth, the Oklahoma City Thunder's season appeared to petering out as seven losses in nine games left them facing an eighth-place finish and opening-round meeting with the Warriors.
Although there's little doubt Russell Westbrook would relish the prospect of a playoff meeting with his former team-mate Kevin Durant, he went a long way to averting it in Week 25.
Home games against the Lakers and Pistons followed by a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves did appear to offer a generous schedule, but nothing seemed guaranteed the way the Thunder had been playing.
In the wake of the tragic death of his close friend, musician Nipsey Hussle, Westbrook produced just the second 20-point, 20-assist, 20-rebound game in NBA history to lead the Thunder to a much-needed win over the Lakers.
Westbrook ensured he would finish a third-straight season averaging a triple-double as the Thunder outlasted the Pistons, with Paul George finally finding his shooting stroke to score 30 points.
The Thunder's returning confidence was then displayed against the Timberwolves as they came from behind in the fourth quarter to win, with Westbrook notching another triple-double.
Thunder averaged over 40 per cent from behind the three-point line against both the Pistons and Timberwolves, a figure they will need to keep in that region if they are to carry this momentum into the postseason.
Philadelphia 76ers (50-30, Week 25 record 1-3) Grade - C
There are two ways of looking at the Philadelphia's stuttering finish to the regular season, and neither of them will make particularly enjoyable reading for Sixers' fans.
Disappointing losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks to begin the week were followed by a tight defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks, before an inevitable victory over the Chicago Bulls' current excuse for an NBA roster.
In the loss to Dallas neither Joel Embiid, nor Jimmy Butler featured. Embiid then missed the Hawks defeat, before Butler sat out the Bucks and Bulls games. Therefore, the Sixers never had their full roster available, which could certainly go some way to explaining the defeats to teams such as the Mavs and Hawks.
However, with less than a week to go until the playoffs, to have - arguably in the case of Butler - their two most important players missing games through injury is not good news. Butler has been suffering from back tightness, while Embiid continues to battle knee soreness; neither the sort of injury that quickly goes away.
Meanwhile, since acquiring Tobias Harris at the trade deadline, injuries - mainly to Embiid and Butler - have prevented the Sixers starting five getting much time on court together.
With the No 3 seed wrapped up, largely thanks to the struggles of the Celtics and Pacers, coach Brett Brown could give both Butler and Embiid a prolonged rest until the playoffs begin, a move that could leave the Sixers lacking chemistry going into the postseason.
