The top eight seeds in the Eastern Conference appear set and ready for the playoffs. And among them we aren’t expecting much suspense until the Eastern Conference Finals. The Western Conference is a different story, and if you needed some confirmation you can look at the 6 games separating the sixth- through 10th-best teams or just Friday’s Nuggets-Thunder classic in the Mile High. Ty Lawson (11 points, seven diems) hit the buzzer-beating jumper in pure hero-ball fashion with the isolated matchup on Thabo Sefolosha, then immediately hit his Bernie at halfcourt. Do you, Ty. It got a win Wilson Chandler came out of nowhere to dominate. OK, not out of nowhere, not after the way Denver ate alive the Lakers earlier this week. But Chandler tied his career high of 35 points (off the bench to boot, and oh yeah, 6-of-7 from three). It took until the game-winner to top Durant’s Barnum & Bailey Three-Ring Circus shot from the first half, though. He had 25 and 14 boards and Russell Westbrook had 38 points but was held to zero stolen halfcourt shots by Denver’s mascot. … Houston’s game at Orlando was a must-watch in the night’s first wave of games. The Magic actually were shooting 60 percent halfway through the third quarter — and still trailed by three to the Rockets because they were shooting 62 percent, with 12-of-22 from deep to that point. It looked like their 23-three-pointer night against the Warriors was in trouble. They’d finish 15-of-32 from deep in the 118-110 win. At the other end new Magic addition Tobias Harris was very impressive in Dwight Howard‘s old No. 12 jersey, getting a career-high 27 off the pine. Carlos Delfino‘s first field goal in the second half was a triple to go up 10 in the final 2:30, effectively ending this one. … The Pacers weren’t in the mood to mess around in Toronto a night after Chris Paul made their defense look junior varsity down the stretch. They got Roy Hibbert back, and while usually that would make us go “meh” because he tends to be meek on the court, the big man had 18 points. The move worked, holding the Raps to 17 points or fewer twice in a quarter and a putrid 40 percent shooting in the 93-81 win. That was crucial considering their own offense looked U-G-L-Y. … Jamal Crawford‘s night of work against Shawn Livingston couldn’t have been good for the latter’s old-man knees. Crawford had him shifting this way and that on his crossovers and iced the Clips’ 105-89 win in Cleveland with his bank three to beat the shot clock from about 28 feet halfway through the fourth. He had 24 points and Cleveland tried to stick tough (Dion Waiters fell short of 20 points for the first time in three games though he did have a nasty dunk) but soon realized it had one star going against five. … Hit the jump to read about Miami’s Friday the 13th …
Count it up to 13 wins in a row for Miami after beating Memphis, 98-91. The Grizzlies made LeBron James work for every bucket and held him to 18 points, just the second time he’s gone for fewer than 20 this season (Portland did it, too). Still, it’s a sign of how well he’s playing that we can sit here and nearly bemoan his 18, 10 dimes and eight boards and call it a struggle. Dwyane Wade played hero with a triple in the final 30 seconds, part of his 22 points. For the record, Miami’s defense deserves a ton of praise for not letting its offensive troubles hamper its own defense. Wade was so effective when he’d peel off Tony Allen to bug another ballhandler. … Bradley Beal is coming on as a rookie monster with his 29 points and 11 boards, but the combo of J.R. Smith‘s 13 points and career-high 12 boards and Carmelo Anthony‘s 30 got the Knicks past the Wiz, 96-88. Their very good defense failed them in the quarter when it gave up a run of 10 straight Knick points to start the fourth. … Stephen Curry had 11 points in the first 17 minutes and Boston’s home crowd was holding its rosaries, praying the Celtics wouldn’t be filleted like the Knicks were Wednesday. Curry wouldn’t catch fire in Boston’s 94-86 win over the Warriors, though, shooting just 6-of-22, a rough patch that mirrored his team’s 34 percent night. Bottom line: Boston’s switch to a zone made Avery Bradley‘s fifth foul and subsequent benching in the third quarter a nonfactor. Paul Pierce dropped 26 points … Yo, Cubes, you scared about getting a razzing Barclays reception? The Mavs owner was in Boston at the Sloan Analytics conference while his team played the Nets, which won Dallas-area native Deron Williams (24 points) in free agency. In the end, the Mavericks broke out of a three-game losing streak at the expense of Brooklyn (on the road, too), 98-90. … In other games, New Orleans beat Detroit, 100-95, behind “General” Greivis Vasquez‘s 25 and Eric Gordon‘s 21 points … Enes Kanter got his second career start and came through with 23 points and 21 boards in the Jazz’s 98-68 drubbing of Charlotte. In the third quarter he missed a jumper, beat everyone to his own board, and slammed it down. … Psst, don’t say it too loudly, but the Suns are on a three-game win streak. They beat the Hawks. 92-87. We’re serious when we saw Wesley Johnson played a big role in it, too, by blocking Kyle Korver‘s three-ball attempt to seal the game. … Shots fired by Magic Johnson: On ESPN he reacted to news Andrew Bynum might miss the entire season thusly: “He’s a guy who never liked criticism. He’s not a gym rat. I think he plays because hey, I’m getting paid and I’m in the spotlight, but I don’t think he loves to play.” Soft is the ultimate four-letter word in pro sports. … OK, here we go again. Magic later offered LeBron $1 million to participate in the dunk contest. If there’s a guarantee that money would go to a reputable charity then whatever. If not, stay strong LeBron, keep doing your pregame routine and stick it to people clamoring for your inclusion at All-Star weekend. … We’re out like Steph Curry’s golden touch.
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