SUNDAY, APRIL 10 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D7
SCORING GFGFTPTS. AVG.
Embiid, PHI ....................... 67652 6432038 30.4
Antetokounmpo, MIL ....... 67689 5532002 29.9
Doncic, DAL ....................... 64633 3561821 28.5
Young, ATL ....................... 75701 4962127 28.4
DeRozan, CHI .................... 76774 5202118 27.9
Morant, MEM .................... 56573 3111543 27.6
Jokic, DEN ......................... 74764 3792004 27.1
Tatum, BOS ...................... 75697 3972015 26.9
Booker, PHO ...................... 68662 3151822 26.8
Mitchell, UTA .................... 67617 2671733 25.9
Curry, GS ........................... 64535 2751630 25.5
Towns, MIN ....................... 74642 3841818 24.6
LaVine, CHI ....................... 67565 3201635 24.4
Brown, BOS ....................... 65568 2411541 23.7
Fox, SAC ............................ 59516 2611367 23.2
Siakam, TOR ..................... 68596 2841551 22.8
Garland, CLE ..................... 67538 2151462 21.8
Edwards, MIN ................... 71546 2181525 21.5
Butler, MIA ....................... 57398 3961219 21.4
Murray, SA ........................ 67568 1901421 21.2
Herro, MIA ........................ 66501 1901367 20.7
Bridges, CHA ..................... 79593 2651604 20.3
VanVleet, TOR .................. 65442 1941320 20.3
Ball, CHA ........................... 74530 2101484 20.1
Middleton, MIL ................. 66452 2591325 20.1
Randle, NY ........................ 72512 3031447 20.1
Barrett, NY ....................... 70487 2901402 20.0
Rozier, CHA ....................... 72508 1501383 19.2
Holiday, MIL ...................... 66478 1371225 18.6
Westbrook, L.A.L. ............. 78548 2661441 18.5
Poole, GS ........................... 74464 2311365 18.4
Trent, TOR ........................ 69442 1741266 18.3
Bane, MEM ....................... 75502 1381366 18.2
Bogdanovic, UTA .............. 69422 2231248 18.1
Russell, MIN ..................... 65401 1981176 18.1
Valanciunas, NO ............... 73507 2351306 17.9
Wood, HOU ....................... 68440 2071218 17.9
Vucevic, CHI ...................... 73546 921288 17.6
Cunningham, DET ............. 64429 1421114 17.4
Harris, PHI ........................ 71482 1691233 17.4
Maxey, PHI ........................ 73467 2041268 17.4
Simons, POR ..................... 57353 103 988 17.3
Ayton, PHO ....................... 58442 106 997 17.2
Wiggins, GS ...................... 72470 1461241 17.2
Kuzma, WAS ..................... 66423 1561130 17.1
Jackson, L.A.C. .................. 74476 1381256 17.0
Green, HOU ....................... 66392 1791116 16.9
Johnson, SA ...................... 74463 1701254 16.9
Barnes, SAC ...................... 75389 3411260 16.8
FIELD GOALS FG FGA PCT.
Gobert, UTA .................................. 358 502 .713
Allen, CLE ...................................... 369 545 .677
Ayton, PHO ................................... 442 697 .634
Zubac, L.A.C. ................................. 297 474 .627
Poeltl, SA ...................................... 404 652 .620
Capela, ATL ................................... 363 594 .611
Jokic, DEN ..................................... 764 1311 .583
Sabonis, IND ................................. 331 571 .580
Adebayo, MIA ............................... 406 729 .557
Antetokounmpo, MIL .................... 689 1245 .553
Valanciunas, NO ............................ 507 935 .542
Bridges, PHO ................................. 458 856 .535
Nurkic, POR ................................... 321 600 .535
Davis, L.A.L. .................................. 370 695 .532
Towns, MIN ................................... 642 1214 .529
Collins, ATL ................................... 339 644 .526
Carter, ORL .................................... 359 684 .525
James, L.A.L. ................................. 640 1221 .524
Durant, BKN .................................. 573 1098 .522
Gordon, DEN .................................. 434 834 .520
Mobley, CLE .................................. 414 817 .507
DeRozan, CHI ................................ 774 1535 .504
Brunson, DAL ................................ 499 995 .502
Holiday, MIL .................................. 478 954 .501
Wood, HOU .................................... 440 878 .501
THREE-POINTERS 3FG 3FGA PCT.
Kennard, L.A.C. ............................. 184 409 .450
Maxey, PHI .................................... 130 299 .435
Bane, MEM .................................... 224 519 .432
Johnson, PHO ................................ 165 386 .427
Ball, CHI ......................................... 110 260 .423
McDermott, SA ............................. 108 256 .422
Haliburton, SAC ............................ 104 252 .413
Pritchard, BOS ................................ 99240 .413
Williams, BOS ............................... 105 254 .413
Gordon, HOU ................................. 124 301 .412
Irving, BKN ...................................... 96233 .412
Holiday, MIL .................................. 132 321 .411
Strus, MIA ..................................... 181 442 .410
Towns, MIN ................................... 150 366 .410
Allen, MIL ...................................... 159 389 .409
Conley, UTA ................................... 168 411 .409
Powell, POR ..................................... 93229 .406
Simons, POR ................................. 179 442 .405
Burks, NY ...................................... 155 385 .403
Niang, PHI ..................................... 156 387 .403
Johnson, SA .................................. 158 393 .402
Curry, PHI ...................................... 100 250 .400
Mills, BKN ..................................... 225 563 .400
Batum, L.A.C. ................................ 107 268 .399
Herro, MIA .................................... 175 439 .399
Barnes, SAC .................................. 141 357 .395
Connaughton, MIL ......................... 146 370 .395
Morris, DEN ................................... 124 314 .395
Wiggins, GS .................................. 155 392 .395
REBOUNDS GOFF.DEF.TOT.AVG.
Gobert, UTA ...................... 65238 717 955 14.6
Jokic, DEN ......................... 74206 8131019 13.7
Capela, ATL ....................... 73272 592 864 11.8
Antetokounmpo, MIL ....... 67134 644 778 11.6
Embiid, PHI ....................... 67141 635 776 11.5
Valanciunas, NO ............... 73226 616 842 11.5
Vucevic, CHI ...................... 73142 662 804 11.0
Carter, ORL ....................... 62139 509 648 10.4
Ayton, PHO ....................... 58149 444 593 10.2
Wood, HOU ....................... 68110 576 686 10.0
Adams, MEM .................... 75345 404 749 9.9
Randle, NY ........................ 72125 591 716 9.9
Towns, MIN ....................... 74194 533 727 9.8
Williams, BOS ................... 61238 350 588 9.6
Poeltl, SA .......................... 67258 366 624 9.3
Doncic, DAL ....................... 6455530 585 9.1
Portis, MIL ........................ 72180 477 657 9.1
Stewart, DET .................... 70225 386 611 8.7
Robinson, NY .................... 72295 322 617 8.5
Siakam, TOR ..................... 68128 452 580 8.5
Vanderbilt, MIN ................ 73215 406 621 8.5
Kuzma, WAS ..................... 6670491 561 8.5
Murray, SA ........................ 6780482 562 8.3
Zubac, L.A.C. ..................... 74209 412 621 8.3
Mobley, CLE ...................... 68140 420 560 8.2
Bamba, ORL ...................... 70146 416 562 8.0
Tatum, BOS ...................... 7585515 600 8.0
Plumlee, CHA .................... 72175 382 557 7.7
Horford, BOS ..................... 68108 416 524 7.7
Whiteside, UTA ................ 64164 323 487 7.6
ASSISTS GAST. AVG.
Paul, PHO ........................................ 65702 10.8
Young, ATL ...................................... 75726 9.7
Murray, SA ...................................... 67620 9.3
Doncic, DAL ..................................... 64559 8.7
Garland, CLE .................................... 67575 8.6
Jokic, DEN ....................................... 74584 7.9
Ball, CHA ......................................... 74562 7.6
Lowry, MIA ...................................... 63474 7.5
Russell, MIN .................................... 65460 7.1
Westbrook, L.A.L. ........................... 78550 7.1
Holiday, MIL .................................... 66457 6.9
Morant, MEM .................................. 56375 6.7
VanVleet, TOR ................................ 65434 6.7
Curry, GS ......................................... 64404 6.3
Porter, HOU ..................................... 60370 6.2
Smart, BOS ..................................... 70411 5.9
Antetokounmpo, MIL ...................... 67388 5.8
Anthony, ORL .................................. 65369 5.7
Cunningham, DET ........................... 64356 5.6
Fox, SAC .......................................... 59330 5.6
Butler, MIA ..................................... 57312 5.5
Conley, UTA ..................................... 71380 5.4
Middleton, MIL ................................ 66358 5.4
Mitchell, UTA .................................. 67358 5.3
Siakam, TOR ................................... 68360 5.3
Randle, NY ....................................... 72370 5.1
DeRozan, CHI .................................. 76374 4.9
Payne, PHO ..................................... 58282 4.9
Booker, PHO .................................... 68329 4.8
Brunson, DAL .................................. 78372 4.8
STEALS GSTL. AVG.
Murray, SA ...................................... 67135 2.0
Paul, PHO ........................................ 65121 1.8
Trent, TOR ....................................... 69122 1.7
Thybulle, PHI ................................... 64112 1.7
VanVleet, TOR ................................ 65111 1.7
Smart, BOS ..................................... 70118 1.6
Jones, NO ........................................ 77128 1.6
Butler, MIA ..................................... 57941 .6
Holiday, MIL .................................... 66108 1.6
Ball, CHA ......................................... 74118 1.5
Mitchell, UTA .................................. 67991 .4
Jokic, DEN ....................................... 74109 1.4
Edwards, MIN ................................. 71104 1.4
Melton, MEM .................................. 71102 1.4
Crowder, PHO .................................. 67951 .4
Okeke, ORL ...................................... 69961 .3
Payton, GS ...................................... 69951 .3
Vanderbilt, MIN .............................. 73991 .3
Curry, GS ......................................... 64851 .3
Garland, CLE .................................... 67891 .3
Conley, UTA ..................................... 71931 .3
Rozier, CHA ..................................... 72931 .2
Siakam, TOR ................................... 68851 .2
Bane, MEM ...................................... 75921 .2
Martin, CHA .................................... 70861 .2
Cunningham, DET ........................... 64781 .2
Diallo, DET ....................................... 58711 .2
Wright, ATL .................................... 76921 .2
BLOCKS GBLK. AVG.
Jackson, MEM ................................. 77173 2.2
Williams, BOS ................................. 61134 2.2
Gobert, UTA .................................... 65135 2.0
Robinson, NY ................................... 72133 1.8
Poeltl, SA ........................................ 67117 1.7
Bamba, ORL .................................... 70116 1.6
Mobley, CLE .................................... 68111 1.6
Whiteside, UTA ............................... 64101 1.5
Embiid, PHI ..................................... 67981 .4
Gafford, WAS .................................. 71971 .3
Antetokounmpo, MIL ...................... 67911 .3
Horford, BOS ................................... 68911 .3
Capela, ATL ..................................... 73911 .2
Hartenstein, L.A.C. ......................... 66751 .1
Towns, MIN ..................................... 74831 .1
Stewart, DET .................................. 70781 .1
McGee, PHO .................................... 73801 .1
Clarke, MEM .................................... 63681 .0
Thybulle, PHI ................................... 64691 .0
Bazley, OKC ..................................... 69701 .0
Zubac, L.A.C. ................................... 74751 .0NBA LEADERSprofessional Basketball
regular season burden, perhaps he
could replicate his phenomenal
2020 postseason run. As is, the
Lakers’ strategy of desperately
running up his minutes and praying
that nothing bad happens is
doomed to fail.
James’s contract will pay him
$44.5 million next season before he
is eligible for free agency in July- He could take the Kobe Bryant
approach by accepting that he is in
the twilight of his career and
continuing to cash out as the face of
the NBA’s most prominent
franchise. If James runs it back in
Los Angeles, the predominant
storyline will be his chase of Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring
record.
This summer and the 2022-23
season would get a lot more
interesting, though, if James
admitted to himself that the Lakers
are in a much more dire situation
than he faced with the 2010
Cavaliers, 2014 Heat and 2018
Cavaliers. An offseason trade could
give James the opportunity to play
more meaningful basketball next
season and grant the Lakers a
chance to reset their culture and
acquire draft capital. Thanks to the
fond memories of the 2020 title, it
wouldn’t need to be a messy split.
“Winning is what’s most
important to me and what’s always
been most important to me,” James
said during a tough patch in March.
“But the one thing I’ve been able to
do is keep the joy of the game.”
James has indeed plugged away
through this trying season,
attempting to chase a scoring title
while picking and choosing his
spots to deliver memorable
performances. His patience has
been impressive and unexpected,
considering the poor roster
construction, the heavy workload
and the injuries.
That said, James has never
seemed like the type to fade quietly.
If winning truly does remain the
driving force in his life, this summer
is the right time to explore the
possibility of greener pastures.
Bosh in Miami. In 2014, sensing that
the Heat’s title window was closing,
he returned to the Cavaliers, trading
in Wade and Bosh for younger co-
stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. In
2018, with Cleveland boxed in by
Irving’s departure and a clogged cap
sheet, James jetted off to a fresh
start in Los Angeles.
At the time, it was reasonable to
believe James’s move west was
motivated by wealth and fame
rather than basketball. But the
Lakers had high-level young
prospects, a cache of draft picks and
a front office that was eager to
restore the franchise’s glory days. A
2019 blockbuster trade for Davis
paid off with the 2020 title, an
accomplishment that fully justified
James’s decision to sign with the
Lakers. He managed to have his
cake and eat it, too.
Such a dynamic is no longer
possible: Davis has played just
76 games over the past two seasons,
and James is not the same player he
was four years ago. To be clear,
James’s best nights, such as his
5 6-point outburst last month
against the Golden State Warriors,
are still spectacular. But his
availability, consistency and impact
slipped even though he had an
extended offseason to get his body
right.
Whereas James could once carry
almost any cast of teammates to a
winning record, the Lakers have
gone 25-31 with their franchise
player on the court this season.
James has never appeared in fewer
wins in a season, not even during his
rookie year or two previous injury-
plagued campaigns with the Lakers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and
Kevin Durant have surpassed James
in the NBA’s superstar hierarchy, but
the Lakers forward could still be the
best player on a title team in the
right situation. James’s experience
matters in the playoffs, as does his
ability to manipulate matchups and
to make his teammates better. If he
were surrounded by a younger,
more talented and more athletic
starting lineup that eased hisbefore they sat out the trade
deadline, and their 5-18 stretch
since the all-star break has been an
excruciating mess, punctuated by
second-half collapses and loud boos
for Westbrook.
Mercifully firing Coach Frank
Vogel and finding a way to dump
Westbrook’s $47 million contract via
trade won’t fix all that ails these
Lakers. Those moves would resolve
some nagging sources of tension but
do little to improve the franchise’s
2023 title prospects.
There are too many other issues
to address, including limited salary
cap flexibility, a lack of young
rotation players capable of growing
into larger roles and a tapped-out
pool of draft picks. There also isn’t
any good reason to believe the
3 7-year-old James and the oft-
injured Davis can sustain good
health across an 82-game season
plus a deep playoff run without
significantly more help.
At best, the 2022-23 Lakers can
reclaim some dignity. Past that, the
NBA has too many rising superstars
and too many talented contenders
to believe this aging team can get
back in the title hunt.
These challenging circumstances
set up a fascinating summer for
James, who spent All-Star Weekend
flirting with the possibility of
returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers
and dreaming of a future NBA team-
up with his 17-year-old son, Bronny.
They also beg a crucial question:
What is the main thing for James
these days? Does he still yearn to
match Michael Jordan’s six
championship rings and overtake
the Chicago Bulls legend as the
Greatest of All Time? Or are James
and his family so comfortable with
their busy lives in Los Angeles that
maximizing his title prospects is no
longer his primary consideration?
When James found himself at
similar crossroads in the past, he
made bold, often surprising choices
that altered the league’s landscape.
In 2010, feeling frustrated by the
Cavaliers’ stasis, he formed a super
team with Dwyane Wade and Chrislos angeles —
LeBron James
peppers his news
conferences with
catchphrases and
mantras, including a
line from Stephen Covey, the author
of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People,” that was passed along by
Miami Heat President Pat Riley:
“Keep the main thing the main
thing.”
The aphorism encourages setting
priorities and maintaining focus,
key principles for a superstar athlete
such as James, whose busy off-court
life includes entertainment
ventures, philanthropic efforts and
social justice advocacy, not to
mention his wife and three children.
James takes pride in being “more
than an athlete” — another favorite
refrain — but he has always cast
himself as an athlete first.
“If I was a s--- basketball player,
none of this would be possible,”
James explained in 2019. “The main
thing is basketball. I never lost track
of that. Once that thing is taken care
of, then the sky is the limit.”
Unfortunately, James’s basketball
environment is in shambles, and his
team’s immediate outlook qualifies
as the bleakest of his 19-year career.
Thanks to a 121-110 loss Tuesday to
the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles
Lakers were officially eliminated
from the Western Conference
playoff picture. James sat out the
clinching defeat with a sprained
ankle as the Lakers failed to reach
the playoffs for the second time in
his four-year Los Angeles tenure.
This dreadful campaign, which
was doomed by an ill-advised trade
for Russell Westbrook and repeated
injuries to James and Anthony
Davis, couldn’t have ended quickly
enough for its stars, its embattled
coach or its incensed fan base.
Missing the play-in tournament and
avoiding the possibility of an
embarrassing first-round loss
qualifies as sweet relief. The Lakers
appeared to realize they were
fundamentally broken and
incapable of competing for a titleAfter Lakers’ fall, James is a t a crossroadsOn
the NBA
BEN
GOLLIVERASSOCIATED PRESSJoel Embiid made his closing
argument for MVP votes and all
but wrapped up the NBA scoring
title, scoring 41 points while add-
ing 20 rebounds and four assists to
lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a
133-120 win over the visiting Indi-
ana Pacers on Saturday.
Embiid shot 14 for 17 from the
field, went 11 for 15 from the foul
line and made both his three-point
attempts in a game Philadelphia
(50-31) needed to win to remain
alive in the hunt for the third seed
in the Eastern Conference play-
offs. It was the first time this sea-
son that an NBA player scored 40
or more points and had 20 or more
rebounds in a game.
“I’ve always said that every sin-
gle night, I want to dominate,”
Embiid said. “If you are dominat-
ing, things can show up in a lot of
different ways — whether it is
offensively or defensively. Some-
times the numbers don’t show it.
But it’s good, I guess.”
James Harden had 22 points
and 14 assists for Philadelphia.
Oshae Brissett scored 20 points
and Tyrese Haliburton had 19 for
Indiana (25-56), which lost its
ninth straight game.
Embiid is averaging 30.6 points
for the season, which is just ahead
of LeBron James’s 30.3 clip for the
Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Du-
rant’s 30.1 average for the Brook-
lyn Nets.But neither James nor Durant
will play enough games to qualify
for the statistical title; in an
8 2-game season, 58 games played
is the minimum. That means the
scoring race comes down to Embi-
id and Milwaukee’s Giannis Ante-
tokounmpo, who would need a
miracle finish to grab the scoring
crown.
l GRIZZLIES 141, PELICANS
114: J a Morant had 21 points and
nine assists in his return from sore-
ness in his right knee, Dillon
Brooks scored 23 points, and Mem-
phis routed New Orleans at home
to tie the 2012-13 franchise record
for victories in a season at 56.
After missing nine games, Mo-
rant played almost 27 minutes as
the second-seeded Grizzlies got
their starting lineup back together
as they prepare for the postseason.They will close the regular season
at home against Boston on Sunday
night.
Brandon Clarke added
20 points for Memphis, making all
10 of his field goal attempts. The
Grizzlies shot better than 60 per-
cent from the field through three
quarters.
CJ McCollum led New Orleans
with 16 points.
l WARRIORS 100, SPURS
94: I n San Antonio, Jonathan
Kuminga and Jordan Poole each
had 18 points as Golden State won
its fourth straight to strengthen its
hopes for a top-three seed.
Golden State is a game ahead of
Dallas in the Western Conference
and can secure the third seed with
a victory Sunday at New Orleans
in the season finale. If the War-
riors lose and the Mavericks beatthe Spurs on Sunday, Dallas will
finish third after going 3-1 in its
season series with Golden State.
San Antonio will finish 10th in
the Western Conference and must
travel to ninth-seeded New Or-
leans for the opener of the play-in
tournament Wednesday.Technical on Doncic rescinded
Luka Doncic will be able to play
for the Dallas Mavericks in their
regular season finale after the
NBA office rescinded his
16th technical foul of the season,
wiping out an automatic one-
game suspension.
The Mavericks, already guaran-
teed opening the playoffs at home,
host San Antonio on Sunday
night. They still have a chance to
move up to the No. 3 seed in the
Western Conference.NBA ROUNDUP
Embiid tightens grip on scoring race with display of dominance
76ERS 133,
PACERS 120ASHLEY LANDIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
LeBron James will head into the offseason with much to ponder after the Los Angeles Lakers missed the postseason with an old, injury-prone roster.