The Pelicans suffered a big upset, losing at home to the Spurs, who are at the bottom of the West. The Pelicans really dare to lose, even the Spurs can lose, which shows how bad their state is.
If the Pelicans continue to play like this, they may be kicked out of the playoffs. This is definitely not alarmist, after the loss to the Spurs, the Pelicans suffered a four-game losing streak. In the standings, the Pelicans are 45-32 and seventh in the West, but only one win ahead of the Kings and Lakers. The Pelicans are in such bad shape, and the next schedule is so difficult, it is very possible to continue to lose. It's entirely possible that the Pelicans will be overtaken by the Kings and Lakers and drop to ninth in the West. With the Pelicans' recent form, once they fall to ninth in the West, it will be almost impossible to win two games in a row in the play-offs. The Pelicans' remaining five games are against the Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Warriors, and Lakers. Except for the Trailblazers, which is considered a welfare bureau, the remaining 4 opponents are all card position battle opponents. And the Pelicans can even lose to the Spurs, who are at the bottom of the West, and there may be no welfare bureau for them.
The Pelicans were the big dark horses in the West, and less than two weeks ago, they were ranked fifth in the West, and still have a chance to overtake the Clippers to move up to fourth in the West. As a result, a wave of 4 consecutive defeats and the Pelicans were in free fall. In the closing stages of the regular season, it is difficult to understand why the Pelicans are so sluggish. Ingram's absence due to injury is naturally a big reason, but Ingram is not out recently, he has been out for a long time. The Pelicans weren't bad at the start of Ingram's injury, only to start free-falling at the end of the season.
The Pelicans fell, and the Lakers sat down to receive the gift. The Lakers received gifts not only from the Pelicans, but also from the Kings, Warriors and Rockets. The Kings were defeated by the Celtics and suffered two consecutive defeats. Facing the league's No. 1 Celtics, Fox did his best, playing 44 minutes, 16-of-29 shooting, 7-of-13 three-pointers, 1-of-2 free throws, and 40 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Sabonis Jr. also had 16 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. The Celtics didn't play very well, Jaylen Brown didn't play, and the highest score was Porzingis' 20 points, Tatum only 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting, and Holiday only had 10 points, and the team only scored 101 points. However, the Kings were even worse, with the team scoring only 100 points, which is 60 points for everyone except Fox.
The impact of injuries on the Kings is still too great, Super Sixth Man Monk does not play, the main Huerter is also absent due to injury, and the Kings have lost 2 scorers, resulting in more losses and fewer wins in the near future. Both the Kings and the Lakers have a 44-33 record, with the Kings ranking ahead of the Lakers by virtue of their head-to-head record. But the Kings have to play the Nets, Thunder, Pelicans, Suns and Trail Blazers next. If you don't grasp it well, whether you can keep the top eight in the west is also hanging.
Thompson's final shot failed, and the Warriors lost to the Mavericks, ending a six-game winning streak. The Mavericks actually gave a chance, Doncic didn't play, and Irving led the team with a single core. Irving played 42 minutes, shooting 9-of-19, 2-of-7 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line to finish with 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. PJ Washington became a wonder soldier, playing 40 minutes, 12-of-18 shooting, 5-of-8 three-pointers, 3-of-5 free throws, 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Curry finished with 28 points, six rebounds and five assists on 9-of-23 shooting, 5-of-14 three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws. Thompson had 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals, Dream Green had 6 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Paul had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. After the Warriors lost, the gap behind the Lakers and Kings widened to two wins. With only five games left in the regular season, the Warriors can basically only be tenth in the West.
The Rockets lost 104-119 to the Heat and suffered a four-game losing streak. After an 11-game winning streak, the Rockets immediately lost four in a row. When it comes to a strong team, the rocket still can't do it. Because the Rockets lost, the Lakers also locked up the top 10 in the West. The Rockets are still three wins behind the Warriors and have a poor head-to-head record. The Rockets only have a theoretical hope of entering the top 10 in the West (the Rockets win all next, the Warriors lose all), and the miss on the play-offs is basically decided. However, they still have something to gain this season and see hope.