How Monday's NBA results impact the playoff race in the Eastern and Western Conference

Gilbert McGregor

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How Monday's NBA results impact the playoff race in the Eastern and Western Conference image

The NBA restart at Walt Disney World continued with a six-game schedule on Monday.

With 12 teams in action, each game had an impact on the standings as teams were still jockeying for playoff positions in both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

How did today's results impact the standings? Below, find a rundown of what has transpired…

STANDINGS

San Antonio Spurs 108, Memphis Grizzlies 106

#Spurs

BOX SCORE

Two clutch free throws from DeMar DeRozan were the difference as San Antonio earned yet another crucial win by edging Memphis.

DeRozan scored eight of his 14 points in the final frame and added a team-high seven assists as he continues to thrive as a playmaker. 

Dejounte Murray led the balanced Spurs attack with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Derrick White (16), Lonnie Walker (12), Rudy Gay (12) and Patty Mills (10) were the other Spurs in double figures.

Memphis was led by Ja Morant, who recorded a near triple-double with 25 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, including a clutch triple to tie things at 106 but following DeRozan's freebies, failed to convert on an open look for the win.

Canadian Dillon Brooks finished with 16 points but did so on 7-for-20 shooting as he failed to get going. The Grizzlies are now 0-2 during their time in Orlando and are back in action tomorrow when they face the New Orleans Pelicans in yet another key game.

What it means:  Don't count out the Spurs! San Antonio moves into ninth place and now trails eight-seeded Memphis by two games in the standings. 

The Spurs are putting their 22-year postseason streak on the line and have claimed the driver's seat to either overtake the No. 8 seed or take part in a play-in situation. There's plenty of basketball left to play, though.

As for Memphis, an 0-2 start isn't ideal, but it is still in eighth place… for now. As mentioned before, the Grizz must quickly regroup as it faces a Pelicans team that is also 0-2 to begin the restart. 

There's still an outside shot that Memphis falls out of the playoff picture altogether as things get no easier on its schedule.

Boston Celtics 128, Portland Trail Blazers 124

tatum-lillard-nbae-gettyimages-08022020

BOX SCORE

It was a tale of two halves.

After a rough opening game, Jayson Tatum looked to get back on track while reverting to a familiar look.

It might have been the haircut, as Tatum looked like his old self from the onset, scoring 21 first-half points on 7-for-12 shooting as the Celtics led by as many as 24 points before taking a 19-point lead into the break. 

In the second half, it was Dame time.

The Trail Blazers clawed back, even taking a lead late in the fourth, thanks to 22 second-half points from Damian Lillard, who finished the game with 30 points and 16 assists, tying a career-high. Jusuf Nurkic also added 30 points while Gary Trent Jr. scored 21 points off the bench by going 7-for-11 from deep.

Ultimately, the Celtics were able to prevail, led by a combined 86 points from Tatum (34 points), Jaylen Brown (30 points) and Gordon Hayward (22 points).

What it means:  Portland falls to 30-38 with the loss but is still 2.5 games behind Memphis for the No. 8 seed. With the Spurs win, the Blazers stumbled to 10th after they entered the day leading the Spurs by a half-game for the ninth seed. 

The third-seeded Celtics are now currently two full games ahead of the Heat in the standings. The two teams are set to meet this week.

Brooklyn Nets 118, Washington Wizards 110

nets-nbae-gettyimages-08022020

BOX SCORE

It's been a rough start for the Wizards, who entered Orlando without their top two scorers and, in turn, have lost each of their first two seeding games.

Not for a lack of effort, though, as head coach Scott Brooks told reporters his team "played about as hard as we can play." It just wasn't enough.

The Nets proved to be too much as Caris LeVert scored a game-high 34 points, Joe Harris added 27 points (while shooting 6-for-7 from deep) and Jarrett Allen recorded a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double.

Washington was led by double-doubles from big man Thomas Bryant (30 points, 13 rebounds) and guard Troy Brown Jr. (22 points, 10 rebounds).

What it means:  With the win, eighth-seeded Brooklyn builds a seven-game lead over Washington in the standings, making a play-in situation appear to be less and less likely in the Eastern Conference with each Wizards loss.

Orlando Magic 132, Sacramento Kings 116

#Isaac

BOX SCORE

The Orlando Magic picked up their second win from as many seeding games, finding their range from beyond the arc (18-of-38) en route to a comfortable 132-116 win.

Nikola Vucevic led the charge with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Aaron Gordon added 22 points, but it was the contributions off the bench that made the difference. 

Terrence Ross led them in scoring with 25 points and Markelle Fultz added 14, nine of which came in first quarter, where the Magic raced out to a 44-26 lead. He capped off the period with this buzzer-beating heave from beyond half-court.


The bad news for the Magic — forward Johnathan Isaac exited the game in a wheelchair early in the fourth quarter which the Magic later announced to be a torn ACL in his left knee. He planted his left leg on a drive to the basket and immediately grabbed his knee as fell to the floor. 

Harry Giles III led the Kings with 23 points and eight rebounds — one of seven Kings players to score in double figures on the night. 

What it means: The Kings fall to 28-38, missing an opportunity to leapfrog the New Orleans Pelicans. They sit 3.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed, however, they remain in the mix for a play-in situation for the post-season. For the Magic, the win keeps them 0.5 of a game up on the eighth-seeded Brooklyn Nets, who picked up a valuable win over the Washington Wizards.

Houston Rockets 120, Milwaukee Bucks 116

#Westbrook

BOX SCORE

The Houston Rockets trailed by eight points with three minutes remaining, roaring home to snatch a 120-116 win over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. 

They weren't shy letting it fly from deep, going 21-of-61 from beyond. the arc, tying their own record for most three-pointers attempted in a non-overtime game.

Russell Westbrook continued his stellar offensive play, recording 31 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while James Harden added 24 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds, with all five Rockets starters scoring in double figures.

Houston's offence is already firing, but they won this game on the defensive end, coming up with big stops down the stretch. For the game, they forced 23 Bucks turnovers, which they turned into 30 points, while only committing nine turnovers themselves. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists.

What it means: The Bucks are assured of the top seed in the Eastern Conference, with a six-game lead on the second-seed Toronto Raptors, while the Rockets jump from the sixth seed into the fourth seed, just 1.0 game back of the third-seeded Denver Nuggets.

Phoenix Suns 117, Dallas Mavericks 115

#Booker

BOX SCORE

The Phoenix Suns clawed their way back from a 15-point deficit to pull off an impressive comeback win to make it 2-0 in the bubble 

Devin Booker poured in 30 points, while Ricky Rubio added 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but the most impressive performance came from rookie Cameron Johnson, who recorded 19 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

Luka Doncic led thre Mavs with 40 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while Kristaps Porzingis added 30 points and eight rebounds. 

What it means: Courtesy of the Grizzlies loss to the Spurs, the Mavericks have sealed their spot in the post-season, while the Suns keep their slim playoff chances alive, sitting 4.0 games back of the eighth-seed Grizzlies, which keeps them in contention for a potential play-in situation. 

Current Standings

 
  EAST         WEST      
  TEAM W L GB   Team W L GB
1 x - Milwaukee Bucks 54 13 - 1 x - Los Angeles Lakers 50 15  
2 x - Toronto Raptors 47 18 6.0 2 x - LA Clippers 45 21 5.5
3 x - Boston Celtics 44 22 9.5 3 x - Denver Nuggets 43 23 7.5
4 x - Miami Heat  42 24 11.5 4 x - Houston Rockets 42 24 8.5
5 x - Indiana Pacers 40 26 13.5 5 x - Utah Jazz 42 24 8.5
6 x - Philadelphia 76ers 39 27 14.5 6 x - Oklahoma City Thunder 41 24 9.0
7 Orlando Magic 32 35 22 7 x- Dallas Mavericks 40 29 12.0
8 Brooklyn Nets 31 35 22.5 8 Memphis Grizzlies 32 35 19.0
9 Washington Wizards 24 42 29.5 9 San Antonio Spurs 29 36 21.0
          10 Portland Trail Blazers 30 38 21.5
          11 New Orleans Pelicans 28 38 22.5
          12 Sacramento Kings 28 38 22.5
          13 Phoenix Suns 28 39 23.0

x – Clinched Playoffs Berth

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.