NBA report card: Grading the recent performances of five standout teams in week 24
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
Tuesday 2 April 2019 05:35, UK
The regular season is approaching its climax and for teams in the playoff race, there is 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.
Los Angeles Clippers (47-31, Week 24 record 3-1) Grade - A
The Clippers have already surpassed all of the expectations anybody had for them this season. A team without a superstar - having lost Blake Griffin and Chris Paul in recent years - and which was starting a rookie point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, nobody expected much from Doc Rivers' team.
But they have roared into the playoffs and as the postseason looms ever larger on the horizon the Clippers have hit their stride. They have the best record in the league since February 9, going 17-5 in that time, and barring a defeat to the league's best team, it was another successful week.
It kicked off with a 122-111 road win at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, with Danilo Gallinari posting a 25-point double-double, on what has been a good week for the Italian.
That performance was followed up by a 128-118 defeat in Milwaukee to the Bucks on a night where Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both performed excellently and were hard to stop, but the Clippers had multiple players with good nights going offensively from all over the floor as seven men scored in double figures.
The weekend saw the Clippers faced with a back-to-back against two of the league's poorer teams but they blitzed the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-108 on Saturday and followed it up with another comfortable win over the Memphis Grizzlies (113-96).
Energy reserves still look strong at this time of year and the Clippers, unburdened by expectation, look in-rhythm and full of confidence. A great week for them.
Charlotte Hornets (35-41, Week 24 record 1-2) Grade - C-
By the end of week 23, Charlotte had managed to push itself back into the conversation for a place in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
But seven days later, those chances are now hanging by a thread and confidence will have taken a hit after the Hornets suffered their worst loss of the campaign (137-90) to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
The Hornets now sit three games behind Miami Heat for the final playoff spot and the games are running out for James Borrego's team to make that ground up.
It all started so well for them this week as well, with an overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs where the Hornets dug deep to take the win by nine points in the end, 125-116.
On Friday night they went down to the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in LeBron James' final game of the current campaign - a disappointing loss considering the Lakers are no longer fighting for anything and the Hornets are.
Overall, two defeats and both very damaging for different reasons. A very poor and disappointing week for Charlotte.
San Antonio Spurs (44-33, Week 24 record 1-2) Grade - C
As covered above, the Spurs started their week with an overtime capitulation against the Hornets, far from ideal, and although they bounced back with a 116-110 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers - one of the league's bottom feeders - the Spurs have lost valuable ground in the west's seedings race this week.
The 113-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday further emphasised that, and they have now fallen back to holding the same record as the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference's final playoff spot.
Gregg Popovich was also ejected during the Kings matchup after he came charging onto the court in the final quarter to berate official Tyler Ford for an out-of-bounds call on Derrick White.
The Spurs head coach got his first technical for going onto the court and his second, and thus the ejection, for continuing to berate the official as DeMar DeRozan attempted to separate them.
A frustrating evening for the Spurs, who are bumped up to a C in grade only because the Kings' elimination from the playoff race earlier in the week confirmed that they will compete in the NBA postseason for a record 22nd consecutive year. That is quite an achievement, but this week's exertions had little to do with it.
Orlando Magic (38-39, Week 24 record 3-1) Grade - A-
The Magic have been written off time-and-again this season but Steve Clifford has fashioned the Florida ballclub into a resilient defensive outfit which sits near the top of the league in most defensive metrics over the past few months.
They have won seven of their last eight and that included three impressive victories in important games this week over two teams who will finish above them in the east and the Miami Heat who are Orlando's direct competitors for the remaining playoff spots - as well as being their local rivals.
On Monday, the Magic turned around a three-point deficit at the interval by locking down on defense against the 76ers, an offensive juggernaut, to eventually take the win 119-98. After struggling to keep Philadelphia's talented lineup at bay in the first half they conceded just 38 points in the second.
They took the confidence from that win into a back-to-back road game against the Heat and were forced to fight hard for the win at the American Airlines Arena.
After falling 14 behind through the first 12 minutes, a blistering third quarter helped Orlando swing the momentum to eventually see out a 104-99 win.
The one setback during the week was a 115-98 road defeat to the Detriot Pistons, who are red-hot at home.
But the Magic showed resilience to bounce back on Saturday and claim a hard-fought win in Indiana to end their three-game road trip 2-1, taking victory over the Pacers 121-116.
It's been another good week for Orlando whose veterans in particular are locked in, given that this is the first time the team has played meaningful basketball at this time of year in six years.
Denver Nuggets (51-25, Week 24 record 2-2) Grade - D
Denver have spent almost the entire season as one of the best offensive clubs in the league but something has knocked Mike Malone's team off-kilter recently.
Towards the end of last week, they were beginning to zero in on the top seed in the Western Conference but they're now a game behind the Golden State Warriors, having failed to take advantage of the defending champions' overtime defeat to the Timberwolves during the week.
More pointedly, the Nuggets have been held to below 100 points three times this week and that must be a bit worrying for Malone as the postseason approaches.
On Tuesday night, they prevailed at home against the Pistons (95-92) but they were then worryingly blown out 112-85 by the Houston Rockets, a potential playoff rival, on Thursday night.
The one decent performance came the following night, live on Sky Sports, as they beat the Thunder 115-105 and that should have been a turning point as they got back to scoring ways somewhat.
Having only lost six home games in the season going into last night, a home clash with the Washington Wizards should have been a banker - but instead, Denver once more failed to find their offensive groove. Washington took the win 95-90, with a frustrated Nikola Jokic ejected late on.
A few worrying patterns certainly seem to have emerged with the Nuggets approaching the playoffs and they will need to recalibrate and refocus if they are to play to their potential once the big-time games arrive.
