The Boston Celtics secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference following their 139-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night, the regular-season finale for both teams.
With the second seed in the Western Conference already secured, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins rested a number of starters including Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were listed as questionable and while not ruled out, finished with DNPs.
Although the Celtics had a full complement in a game they needed to win, the weakened opposition did not cause tunnel vision, as they shared the ball to come up with 34 assists as a team.
Jayson Tatum came up with three of his own, along with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Celtics.
In an odd statistical quirk given the situation, the Grizz's John Konchar claimed the first triple-double of his career, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Dubs find their groove to clinch third seed
The Golden State Warriors clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with their 128-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Klay Thompson made seven three-pointers and scored 41 points for the Warriors, who have impressively managed to close out the season without Stephen Curry on a five-game winning streak.
While Jordan Poole's 22 points off seven-of-16 shooting lightened the load, Jonathan Kuminga again scored a critical 18 points off the bench and gave the team important balance.
Doncic strains calf in Mavs win
Luka Doncic strained his left calf in the Dallas Mavericks' 130-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs, putting the Slovenian star's status in question for the playoffs.
The two-time All-Star would not have been eligible for what was ultimately a meaningless game – following the Warriors win - if the NBA did not rescind his 16th technical foul of the season, which he earned in the previous game against the Portland Trailblazers.
Doncic led Dallas with 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds but sat the second half, with his ability to play against the Utah Jazz in the playoffs now in doubt.
Doncic cleared to face Pacers after NBA rescind Hornets tech
Luka Doncic has been cleared to face the Indiana Pacers after the Dallas Mavericks star's suspension was overturned by the NBA.
Doncic received his 16th technical foul of the season during the Mavericks' 110-104 defeat against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, after directing a profanity at an official following a correct no-call.
Dallas' fourth successive loss left them 11th in the Western Conference at 36-39, but their hopes of ending that streak against Indiana have been boosted after the NBA confirmed they had rescinded the point guard's infringement.
Doncic has been at the centre of controversy recently.
The Slovakia international revealed his frustrations at the Mavericks' poor form, while he was fined $35,000 after making "an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture" towards an official during their defeat to the Golden State Warriors.
Embiid out for Sixers against Nuggets
Joel Embiid will not be playing for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Denver Nuggets, according to reports.
Monday's game had been billed as a showdown between two of the leading candidates in the NBA's MVP race.
However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers are ruling out Embiid due to a calf issue.
According to Wojnarowski, Embiid attempted to train on Monday but the Sixers, who are already guaranteed a playoff berth, felt it was best to leave him out as a precaution.
The Sixers will hope James Harden manages to overcome an Achilles tendon problem. The 33-year-old has missed the last three games but participated in a shoot-around earlier on Monday.
Philadelphia sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 49-25 record, while the Nuggets top the West with 50 wins.
Second Jokic-Embiid battle set to have big say in 'nasty' MVP race
It will be interesting to see whether a passionate Denver Nuggets crowd follows coach Michael Malone's lead on Monday when Joel Embiid comes into town.
Embiid is Nikola Jokic's rival in an NBA MVP race that Malone believes has taken "a really ugly, nasty turn".
"It's like when I was a college coach, all the negative recruiting," Malone said last week, having described Embiid as "a great candidate".
"It's not promoting my guy. It's ripping down every other guy. And that's just ridiculous.
"Celebrate them; don't criticise, don't tear them down. Build them all up. And whoever wins it, good for them."
The Nuggets and Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers have been fighting for position in their respective conferences, but debate around the top individual award has continued to rage.
For his part, Jokic has tried to set it aside. "I don't think about it anymore," he said.
But it is easy for the two-time reigning MVP to take that stance. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the periphery of the conversation – albeit perhaps less so after losing to the Nuggets at the weekend – and he won the two before Jokic.
Embiid has been a finalist the past two years but has never been named the MVP. He might have a different view of things.
For that reason, the 76ers superstar should relish the opportunity to go into Denver and upset the top seed in the West.
Embiid has already landed a big blow in one game against the Nuggets this season, finishing with 47 points and 18 rebounds in the Sixers' win back in January.
That was only the 15th instance of such a performance in the regular season since the NBA/ABA merger, with others to achieve that feat including Antetokounmpo, Michael Jordan and, on three occasions, Shaquille O'Neal.
Yet for all Embiid's dominance, that game also illustrated how he and Jokic are so different.
That is no secret, with Jokic a center like Embiid but possessing the playmaking skills of an elite point guard, but it has only become clearer this year.
Embiid has a usage rate of 37.4 per cent, nudging above last year's mark for a career high. It is little wonder then when he has games, as against the Nuggets, in which he attempts 31 field goals. He has twice attempted 32 field goals this season.
It is that volume shooting that allows Embiid to lead the league in scoring (33.3 points) despite ranking 'only' 23rd in field goal percentage (54.5). It also helps that he is the only player making more than 10 free throws per game (10.2) – albeit he made just seven of 10 against the Nuggets.
Meanwhile, Jokic is averaging 24.9 points, down on the previous two seasons. He scored 24 against the 76ers.
But this is in line with his usage rate shrinking considerably to 27.3 per cent after peaking at 31.8 per cent in 2021-22 – and Jokic could scarcely be more efficient with those possessions.
He leads the Nuggets in both points and assists (9.9), as well as rebounds (11.8), just as he did in the 76ers game (nine assists, eight rebounds). His turnover percentage is up slightly (16.6) – there were seven against Philly – but so is his assist rate (45.5 per cent) and his shooting from the field (63.3 per cent), three-point range (39.0 per cent) and the foul line (82.3 per cent).
Jokic is right there for a season averaging a triple-double. That has only been done – four times – by one player in the modern NBA. In those seasons, Russell Westbrook's usage rate never dipped below 30 per cent. He also averaged at least 4.5 turnovers per game in each year, with Jokic back on 3.5.
Embiid, who likewise has 3.5 turnovers, carries the 76ers' burden in scoring and rebounding, but James Harden is the team's creative force. He had 13 assists against the Nuggets.
What the 76ers big man lacks in eye-catching passes, however, he makes up for on the defensive end. Defensive metrics do not really do justice to the gap between Embiid and Jokic.
But that is not to denigrate Jokic. In truth, given their extraordinary seasons, there are no shortage of numbers that would support the case for one man or the other – perhaps contributing to the nastiness Malone bemoaned.
Maybe it is best then that it comes down to a matchup on the court, two weeks out from the end of the regular season.
Might we see another 40-point Embiid night to clinch a first MVP? Or Jokic's latest triple-double that pushes him towards three in a row? Whoever wins it, as the Nuggets coach said, good for them.
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