Until the end of the NBA’s seeding game schedule on August 14, Yahoo Sports NBA will provide a daily bubble primer, complete with current standings and a breakdown of the schedule, from gambling odds to playoff implications and the biggest stories. Today marks Day 11 of the new resume after the 2019-20 season.
NBA standings
Eastern Conference
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Milwaukee Bucks (55-15)
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Toronto Raptors (49-19)
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Boston Celtics (46-23)
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Miami Heat (43-27)
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Indiana Pacers (43-27)
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Philadelphia 76ers (42-27)
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Brooklyn Nets (33-36)
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Orlando Magic (32-38)
Washington Wizards (24-45)
Western Conference
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Los Angeles Lakers (51-18)
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LA Clippers (47-22)
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Denver Nuggets (46-24)
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Houston Rockets (43-25)
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Oklahoma City Thunder (42-26)
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Utah Jazz (43-27)
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Dallas Mavericks (42-30)
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Memphis Grizzlies (33-37)
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Portland Trail Blazers (32-39)
Phoenix Suns (31-39)
San Antonio Spurs (30-38)
New Orleans Pelicans (30-39)
Sacramento Kings (29-40)
The schedule of Sunday
(All times Eastern)
Washington Wizards vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 12:30 p.m.
Memphis Grizzlies Vs. Toronto Raptors, 2 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans, 3 p.m. (ABC)
Orlando Magic Vs. Boston Celtics, 5 p.m.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 6:30 p.m. (NBATV)
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings, 8 p.m.
Brooklyn Nets Vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 9 a.m. (NBATV)
Washington Wizards +9.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder -9.5 (-110)
Over / Under 221.5
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Memphis Grizzlies +6 (-110)
Toronto Raptors -6 (-110)
Over / Under 221.5
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San Antonio Spurs +3.5 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans -3.5 (-110)
Over / Under 238.5
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Orlando Magic +9 (-110)
Boston Celtics -9 (-110)
Over / under 220.5
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Philadelphia 76ers +3 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers -3 (-110)
Over / Under 229.5
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Houston Rockets -5.5 (-110)
Sacramento Kings +5.5 (-110)
Over / under 233.5
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Brooklyn Nets +13 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers -13 (-110)
Over / Under 226.5
Implications for Playoff
Washington Wizards (24-45) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-26)
The Wizards have been eliminated from playoff controversy.
The Thunder will remain in position to play the Rockets in the West’s 4-5 series with a win. A loss would drop Oklahoma City to sixth place behind the Jazz, positioned for a potential 3-6 series with the Nuggets.
Memphis Grizzlies (33-37) vs. Toronto Raptors (49-19)
The Raptors would confirm the No. 2 seed in the East with a win.
The Grizzlies can climb to eighth place with a win and a Blazers loss. That means the team in ninth place would have to win two straight games in a play-in series to discover them from the final playoff seed of the West. However, Memphis’ grip on eighth place could loosen up after only half a game with a loss and a Portland win.
San Antonio Spurs (30-38) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (30-39)
The Spurs could jump to ninth place in the West with a win and a Blazers loss – in a position to force a play-in series with eighth-place Grizzlies with only two games left on their regular season schedules.
The Pelicans would be eliminated from the playoff controversy with a loss and a Blazers win.
Orlando Magic (32-38) vs. Boston Celtics (46-23)
The Celtics would be locked up in the No. 3 seed in the East with a loss as a Raptors win.
The Magic would be locked up in the No. 8 seed in the East with a loss and a Nets win.
Philadelphia 76ers (42-27) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (32-39)
The Sixers would drop a full game back from both the Heat in fourth place and the Pacers in fifth place with a loss. Miami and Indiana both have head-to-head tiebreakers over Philadelphia.
The Blazers can draw eighth place within half a game with a win and a Grizzlies loss. Portland could fall out of ninth place with a loss and a win from Spurs, outside the playoff picture with two games left to come back.
Houston Rockets (43-25) vs. Sacramento Kings (29-40)
The Rockets would only be eliminated from controversy for the No. 3 seed in the West with a loss.
The Kings will be eliminated from the playoff controversy with a loss as a win over Blazers.
Brooklyn Nets (33-36) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (47-22)
The Nets can secure the No. 7 seed in the East with a win and a Magic loss.
The magic number of the Clippers to climb the No. 2 seed in the West would simply be one with a win.
Who and what to see
The cultural advantage of San Antonio
You know what helps if you live in a bubble after four months away from playing basketball? A two-decade foundation of success built on great coaching, sound decisions and heightened awareness of each player’s responsibility for the team in its role. Welcome to the San Antonio Spurs model.
More than any other team still fighting for the play-in series between the eighth and ninth teams in the West, except for the Blazers, the Spurs understand the stakes. There can be no brake pedal in a seeding game, and performance under pressure is very important on any possession. With LaMarcus Aldridge sidelined, the Spurs are too often at a talent disadvantage, and a defensive lapse on 76ers save Shake Milton’s winning 3-pointer on Monday was a reminder of their slim margin of error to keep the hopes alive.
It is with that wisdom that the Spurs enter Sunday’s game against no. 1 general pick Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. The loser will need a miracle to find safe ground before their bubble pops. New Orleans is trying to establish an identity under a new front office in the wake of the departure of Anthony Davis, and this game – with Williamson and ex-Lakers Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart ahead of what is essentially the first must-win game of their young NBA careers – will be held in the kind of culture-setting atmosphere that San Antonio has acclimatized to since drafting the last major power forward No. 1 overall.
For those who tolerate the clock
The Spurs and Pelicans are not only among Western Conference teams desperately in need of victory on Sunday, only the only two to play head-to-head. The Blazers, Grizzlies and Kings are all fighting for their playoff lives, whether in the form of a spot in the play-in series or the edge of introducing one or the eighth seed.
Damian Lillard has built a career that responds in such situations, but who will join him? Yes Morant and De’Aaron Fox, respectively point guards for the Memphis and Sacramento, will hope to establish themselves as The Next Damian Lillard as some version of it. New NBA heroes and goats will be born on Sunday.
We might even see quit in some teams. While some playoff teams will use their last few games to increase their intensity, other players will rest ahead of heavier loads on their fitness. Others will still dismiss the fact that there is nothing left to play in Orlando. The Wizards have been eliminated from playoff controversy, with several teams in the West weighing in on the edge. It could get ugly if they fall.
More from our NBA relay series:
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him via [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
