SUNDAY, MARCH 27 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D7
this year by trading Sabonis, Caris LeVert
and other veterans to pursue a youth
movement. Second-year guard Tyrese
Haliburton arrived from Sacramento as a
backcourt tentpole, but Indiana is still
searching for a true superstar to reinvigorate
its fan base.
The Pacers made a splashy trade for Victor
Oladipo in 2017 with an eye toward the
University of Indiana product’s local
popularity. A similar temptation could
develop around Ivey, who was born and
raised in Indiana and whose mother is the
women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame.
Together, Haliburton and Ivey would cover
all the necessary bases as a backcourt duo,
offering scoring, outside shooting and the
ability to switch positions on defense. Really,
the Pacers enter the draft with no bad
options given that they lack long-term
solutions at virtually every position. If they
jump up, Indiana could form the NBA’s best
shot-blocking tandem with Holmgren and
Myles Turner.
Sacramento Kings (26-48): Every other
team on this list seems to be losing by
design. Meanwhile, the Kings seem to be
losing because they don’t have a clue how to
win. Barring a dramatic late-season turn of
events, Sacramento will miss the playoffs for
the 16th straight season. Like usual, there
are few rays of sunshine: A midseason
coaching change didn’t help, a trade
deadline move for Domantas Sabonis didn’t
move the needle and lead guard De’Aaron
Fox hasn’t lived up to his five-year,
$163 million rookie extension.
Sacramento’s extended run of draft
misfires and failed developmental projects
raises fit questions across the board. Will
Holmgren make up for Sabonis’s defensive
limitations, or will he get lost in the shuffle
with so many veterans who need the ball?
Will Smith evolve into a winning all-around
player, or will he end up stuck with the
“good stats, bad team” label like Fox, Tyreke
Evans and DeMarcus Cousins before him?
Even good draft lottery luck hasn’t been
enough to save the Kings. Remember, they
passed on Doncic, Trae Young and Jaren
Jackson Jr. with the second pick in 2018,
only to select Marvin Bagley III, who never
established himself as a reliable contributor
and was traded in February before
completing his four-year rookie contract.
Portland Trail Blazers (27-46): Portland
interim general manager Joe Cronin has
emerged as the NBA’s Tank Commander-In-
Chief. After Damian Lillard suffered a
season-ending abdominal injury, the Blazers
methodically traded or shut down virtually
every player who might help them win
games, including upcoming free agents
Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic. The
unsubtle plan has seen Portland go 2-12
since the all-star break. Despite an easy
remaining schedule, the skeleton crew could
easily lose so often that the Blazers wind up
leapfrogging the Kings and Pacers in the
race to the bottom.
With Lillard’s supporting cast needing an
injection of talent following the departures
of CJ McCollum and Norman Powell,
Portland hasn’t been this desperate for
lottery luck in more than a decade. Indeed,
the Blazers are the only team on this list
with an established all-NBA talent, which
could set up a fascinating decision should
they jump into the draft’s top four. Would
the Blazers keep their pick to add a top-tier
teenager, or would they eye a trade to
provide Lillard with more immediate help?FREE THROWS FT FTA PCT.
Curry, GS ....................................... 275 298 .923
Poole, GS ....................................... 196 213 .920
Garland, CLE .................................. 180 198 .909
Gallinari, ATL ................................ 136 150 .907
Quickley, NY .................................. 150 166 .904
Durant, BKN .................................. 299 331 .903
Young, ATL .................................... 439 487 .901
Bane, MEM .................................... 126 140 .900
Middleton, MIL .............................. 239 268 .892
Caldwell-Pope, WAS ..................... 128 144 .889
Harden, PHI ................................... 114 129 .884
Lillard, POR ................................... 159 181 .878
Butler, MIA ................................... 360 412 .874
Morris, L.A.C. ................................ 118 135 .874
VanVleet, TOR .............................. 178 204 .873
Herro, MIA .................................... 176 202 .871
Ball, CHA ....................................... 194 223 .870
Bogdanovic, UTA ........................... 201 231 .870
Booker, PHO .................................. 288 331 .870
DeRozan, CHI ................................ 456 525 .869
Harden, BKN .................................. 304 350 .869
White, SA ...................................... 139 160 .869
Porzingis, DAL ............................... 147 170 .865
Maxey, PHI .................................... 190 221 .860
Tatum, BOS ................................... 371 432 .859
Wagner, ORL ................................. 183 213 .859
REBOUNDS GOFF.DEF.TOT.AVG.
Gobert, UTA ...................... 59214 645 859 14.5
Jokic, DEN ......................... 67185 720 905 13.5
Capela, ATL ....................... 66246 531 777 11.7
Valanciunas, NO ............... 67207 572 779 11.6
Antetokounmpo, MIL ....... 60117 579 696 11.6
Vucevic, CHI ...................... 65128 607 735 11.3
Embiid, PHI ....................... 60125 553 678 11.3
Nurkic, POR ....................... 56167 452 619 11.0
Allen, CLE .......................... 56192 410 602 10.7
Carter, ORL ....................... 61138 498 636 10.4
Wood, HOU ....................... 67110 570 680 10.1
Adams, MEM .................... 70328 372 700 10.0
Ayton, PHO ....................... 53137 393 530 10.0
Randle, NY ........................ 69121 566 687 9.9
Towns, MIN ....................... 68179 491 670 9.8
Williams, BOS ................... 60232 346 578 9.6
Poeltl, SA .......................... 61242 320 562 9.2
Portis, MIL ........................ 64157 428 585 9.1
Doncic, DAL ....................... 5750464 514 9.0
Vanderbilt, MIN ................ 67201 384 585 8.7
Stewart, DET .................... 63200 343 543 8.6
Robinson, NY .................... 67271 304 575 8.5
Kuzma, WAS ..................... 6670491 561 8.5
Zubac, L.A.C. ..................... 69193 385 578 8.3
Murray, SA ........................ 6477454 531 8.3
ASSISTS GAST. AVG.
Paul, PHO ........................................ 59632 10.7
Young, ATL ...................................... 68648 9.5
Murray, SA ...................................... 64593 9.3
Garland, CLE .................................... 59510 8.6
Doncic, DAL ..................................... 57484 8.5
Jokic, DEN ....................................... 67532 7.9
Lowry, MIA ...................................... 57436 7.6
Ball, CHA ......................................... 67488 7.3
Westbrook, L.A.L. ........................... 72516 7.2
Russell, MIN .................................... 60427 7.1
VanVleet, TOR ................................ 59401 6.8
Holiday, MIL .................................... 60404 6.7
Morant, MEM .................................. 56375 6.7
Giddey, OKC .................................... 54345 6.4
Curry, GS ......................................... 64404 6.3
James, L.A.L. ................................... 54340 6.3
Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC ............... 56331 5.9
Porter, HOU ..................................... 53313 5.9
Antetokounmpo, MIL ...................... 60350 5.8
Anthony, ORL .................................. 60349 5.8
Smart, BOS ..................................... 63367 5.8
Fox, SAC .......................................... 59330 5.6
Cunningham, DET ........................... 58321 5.5SCORING GFGFTPTS. AVG.
James, L.A.L. .................... 54613 2411618 30.0
Embiid, PHI ....................... 60564 5791787 29.8
Antetokounmpo, MIL ....... 60609 4981783 29.7
Young, ATL ........................ 68634 4391913 28.1
Doncic, DAL ....................... 57552 3031579 27.7
DeRozan, CHI .................... 68690 4561880 27.6
Morant, MEM .................... 56573 3111543 27.6
Tatum, BOS ....................... 70652 3711889 27.0
Booker, PHO ...................... 63602 2881659 26.3
Jokic, DEN ......................... 67664 3311754 26.2
Mitchell, UTA .................... 61569 2361595 26.1
Curry, GS ........................... 64535 2751630 25.5
LaVine, CHI ....................... 60518 2781485 24.8
Towns, MIN ....................... 68587 3641676 24.6
Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC 56 477 3281371 24.5
Brown, BOS ....................... 59505 2151371 23.2
Fox, SAC ............................ 59516 2611367 23.2
Siakam, TOR ..................... 60508 2471334 22.2
Garland, CLE ...................... 59467 1801261 21.4
Edwards, MIN ................... 65485 1971359 20.9
Herro, MIA ........................ 59452 1761235 20.9
Murray, SA ........................ 64541 1711340 20.9
VanVleet, TOR .................. 59413 1781229 20.8
Middleton, MIL ................. 59409 2391204 20.4
Randle, NY ........................ 69495 2891393 20.2
Bridges, CHA ..................... 72532 2401440 20.0
FIELD GOALS FG FGA PCT.
Gobert, UTA .................................. 321 451 .712
Allen, CLE ...................................... 369 545 .677
Ayton, PHO ................................... 407 632 .644
Zubac, L.A.C. ................................. 273 440 .620
Poeltl, SA ...................................... 368 598 .615
Capela, ATL ................................... 320 530 .604
Sabonis, IND ................................. 331 571 .580
Jokic, DEN ..................................... 664 1158 .573
Adebayo, MIA ............................... 358 650 .551
Antetokounmpo, MIL .................... 609 1108 .550
Valanciunas, NO ............................ 470 872 .539
Davis, L.A.L. .................................. 341 635 .537
Nurkic, POR ................................... 321 600 .535
Bridges, PHO ................................. 415 779 .533
Towns, MIN ................................... 587 1110 .529
Collins, ATL ................................... 339 644 .526
Carter, ORL .................................... 352 670 .525
Durant, BKN .................................. 485 924 .525
James, L.A.L. ................................. 613 1171 .523
Gordon, DEN .................................. 380 742 .512
Mobley, CLE .................................. 401 790 .508
Tate, HOU ...................................... 335 660 .508
Holiday, MIL .................................. 438 866 .506
DeRozan, CHI ................................ 690 1366 .505
Brunson, DAL ................................ 453 904 .501
Wood, HOU .................................... 435 870 .500
THREE-POINTERS 3FG 3FGA PCT.
Johnson, PHO ................................ 159 355 .448
Kennard, L.A.C. ............................. 171 382 .448
Bane, MEM .................................... 209 491 .426
Ball, CHI ......................................... 110 260 .423
McDermott, SA ............................. 108 256 .422
Williams, BOS ................................. 98232 .422
Maxey, PHI .................................... 108 257 .420
Holiday, MIL .................................. 118 284 .415
Tucker, MIA ..................................... 77186 .414
Haliburton, SAC ............................ 104 252 .413
Gordon, HOU ................................. 124 301 .412
Connaughton, MIL ......................... 136 331 .411
Pritchard, BOS ................................ 82200 .410
Allen, MIL ...................................... 152 372 .409
Towns, MIN ................................... 138 337 .409
Johnson, SA .................................. 139 341 .408
Mills, BKN ..................................... 211 518 .407
Barnes, SAC .................................. 130 320 .406
Powell, POR ..................................... 93229 .406
O'Neale, UTA ................................. 113 279 .405
Simons, POR ................................. 179 442 .405NBA LEADERS
professional Basketballlottery: It entered the night hoping for a
pair of top-five picks but slipped to sixth
and watched as the Rockets got to keep
their protected pick. All’s well that ended
well; General Manager Sam Presti snagged
Josh Giddey. Still just 19 years old, the
Australian guard has enjoyed a delightful
season and joined Shai Gilgeous-
Alexander as key building blocks for the
Thunder.
Presti might be the NBA’s most patient
executive, and his diligent stockpiling of
future draft assets has set up Oklahoma City
to slow-play its rebuilding effort. Even so,
the Thunder’s frontcourt lacks proven
commodities and could benefit from
Holmgren’s versatility, Smith’s shooting or
Banchero’s scoring instincts.
Indiana Pacers (25-49): After years of
accepting middling results as long as they
reached the playoffs, the Pacers shifted gears6.7 assists — has changed the story of
Detroit’s season. After the Pistons looked
hopelessly young and lost for months,
Cunningham’s breakout has restored faith
that 2021’s top overall pick can develop into
a centerpiece like James Harden or Luka
Doncic.
Even better: Cunningham’s playmaking
skills and defensive impact make him an
incredibly adaptable player who would fit
well with virtually any of this year’s top
prospects. Holmgren, Smith, Banchero and
Purdue guard Jaden Ivey would all slot in
cleanly as secondary offensive options next
to Cunningham. From a purely basketball
standpoint, Detroit might be Holmgren’s
ideal landing spot given the sky-high
potential for his pick-and-roll pairing with
Cunningham.
Oklahoma City Thunder (21-52): The
Thunder got jobbed in last year’s draftFor shameless bunchof tankers, losses arewins near season’s endSARAH STIER/GETTY IMAGES
Undrafted forward Trendon Watford is one of several little-known players who saw
increased playing time as the Trail Blazers fell down the league’s standings.The NBA’s play-in tournament
has succeeded in
turbocharging the playoff
seeding races in both
conferences, but the new
format offers little incentive
for bottom-dwellers.
For mediocre teams, the possibility of
sneaking into the playoffs as a ninth or
10th seed and building momentum for the
future qualifies as a “something is better
than nothing” proposition. For the dregs
stuck in rebuilding mode, nothing beats
draft lottery ping-pong balls.
The tank race has picked up speed with
two weeks to go in the regular season. Five
teams have been eliminated from the play-in
tournament and several others soon will join
them. Things have gotten downright ugly:
The Oklahoma City Thunder has lost 10 of its
past 11 games, the Portland Trail Blazers
have eight losses by 30 or more points since
the all-star break, and the Orlando Magic
conceded a 60-point game to Kyrie Irving
and a 51-point game to Saddiq Bey in a
three-day span.
When the NBA holds its draft lottery
drawing May 17, all this short-term pain will
pay off for a few lucky teams in the form of
potential franchise players such as Gonzaga’s
Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr.
and Duke’s Paolo Banchero. With that in
mind, here’s a look at the NBA’s seven worst
teams and how the draft could alter their
long-term fortunes.
Houston Rockets (19-55): Life could be
worse for the NBA’s worst team, who were on
a five-win pace in mid-November.
Importantly, Jalen Green, last year’s No. 2
pick and the franchise’s top asset, has picked
up his scoring efficiency over the last month.
Yet there’s still plenty of bad news: Houston
has the NBA’s worst defense, Kevin Porter Jr.
has flunked as a starting point guard, and
center Christian Wood has devolved into a
stopgap.
This year’s draft class is light on top point
guard talent, so the Rockets probably will
need to find an alternative solution to that
glaring weakness. On the bright side, the
glut of power forwards at the top of the
board would give Houston some intriguing
options. Green and Smith would form a
tantalizing scoring duo, while Holmgren
would shore up Houston’s frontcourt defense
and provide a natural complement to
offensive-minded rookie center Alperen
Sengun.
Orlando Magic (20-54): In an honest
world, the official slogan for Orlando’s
season would be “Suffering in obscurity.”
Jalen Suggs, the fifth pick in last year’s draft,
was supposed to hit the ground running.
Instead, the 20-year-old point guard has
battled injuries, shot 36.1 percent from the
field and posted the lowest player efficiency
rating of anyone in his class who has played
at least 1,000 minutes. The Magic knew life
would get difficult after it traded Nikola
Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and other key
contributors before last year’s deadline, but
there have been few bright spots beyond
rookie forward Franz Wagner.
Orlando sent multiple executives to Las
Vegas to scout Holmgren at the West Coast
Conference tournament, and the 7-footer
could roam as a shot-blocking power
forward alongside Wendell Carter Jr., a
sturdier option in the middle.
Detroit Pistons (20-54): Cade
Cunningham’s excellent production since the
all-star break — 21.6 points, 6.9 rebounds,On
the NBA
BEN
GOLLIVERASSOCIATED PRESS
Kevin Durant scored 23 points,
Seth Curry added 17, and the
Brooklyn Nets overwhelmed Mi-
ami, 110-92, on Saturday night,
sending the host Heat to its
season-worst fourth consecutive
loss.
Andre Drummond had
13 points and 11 rebounds for
Brooklyn, which got 11 points
from Kyrie Irving — who will play
his first home game of the season
for the Nets on Sunday — and 10
from Nic Claxton.
Bam Adebayo scored 14 points
for Miami, which trailed by 37 —
its biggest deficit of the season.
The Heat was without Coach Erik
Spoelstra, who missed the game
because of a family matter; assis-
tant Chris Quinn took his place.
Tyler Herro and Max Strus
each had 13 and Kyle Lowry had
12 for Miami. Jimmy Butler was
held to just seven points on
2-for-9 shooting.
And the Eastern Conference
race only got tighter, now with
the top four teams all separated
by only a half-game.
Philadelphia (46-27, .630)
moved into first in the East,
percentage points ahead of Mi-
ami (47-28, .627). Boston and
Milwaukee — which lost Satur-
day night in Memphis — are both
46-28 (.622); the Celtics hold the
head-to-head tiebreaker at this
point over the Bucks.
Brooklyn (39-35) remained in
the No. 8 spot, now a full game
ahead of No. 9 Charlotte. The
Nets and Hornets meet on Sun-
day night.
l GRIZZLIES 127, BUCKS
102: De’Anthony Melton had
24 points, Desmond Bane added
20, and host Memphis continued
to win in the absence of scoring
leader Ja Morant.
Dillon Brooks scored 19 points
and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 16 and
two blocks to help Memphis win
its fourth straight and eighth in
the past nine games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led
the Bucks with 30 points, 11 re-
bounds and four blocks, scoring
18 points in the third quarter
when Milwaukee tried to make a
run.
l RAPTORS 131, PACERS 91:
Toronto’s victory over visiting
Indiana was delayed about 70minutes in the second quarter
when the arena was evacuated
because of a fire in a speaker
hanging over the stands.
Players headed to their locker
rooms with 4:05 left in the sec-
ond quarter and the Raptors
leading 66-38.
About a half-hour after the
game was paused, a Raptors
spokesperson said the team had
consulted with Toronto Fire Ser-
vices and hoped play could re-
sume without fans in 30 or
40 minutes. Shortly after that,
two workers using ropes and
harnesses hung from the ceiling
and sprayed a fire extinguisher at
the problematic speaker.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points
to lead the Raptors.
l BULLS 98, CAVALIERS 94:
Zach LaVine scored 26 points,
DeMar DeRozan added 20, andChicago stayed alone in the No. 5
spot in the Eastern Conference
with a win at Cleveland.
The Bulls held the Cavaliers to
just 35 points in the first half and
won on the road for the first time
since March 9, snapping a five-
game slide.
Chicago, which is 4-8 in
March, came in with a one-game
lead over Cleveland for the fifth
playoff spot.
With the loss and Toronto’s
win, the Cavaliers fell into sev-
enth place — one of the play-in
positions — and are one game
behind the Raptors.
l SPURS 107, PELICANS
103: Dejounte Murray had
15 points, 13 assists and 11 re-
bounds, Keldon Johnson punctu-
ated his 21-point night with a
breakaway dunk in the final sec-
onds, and visiting San Antonio
bolstered its postseason hopes
with a victory at New Orleans.
l KINGS 114, MAGIC 110
(OT): Donte DiVincenzo and
Harrison Barnes hit three-point-
ers in the final minute of over-
time, and Sacramento outlasted
host Orlando.NBA ROUNDUP
Brooklyn delivers Miami its fourth straight defeat
JIM RASSOL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kevin Durant scored 23 points, and the Nets helped tighten the
Eastern Conference standings with their win at first-place Miami.WIZARDS’ NEXT THREE
vs. Golden State WarriorsToday6NBCSWvs. Chicago BullsTuesday7NBCSWvs. Orlando MagicWednesday7NBCSWRadio: WTEM (980 AM)