Spurs (38-6) vs. Warriors (40-4) an unprecedented matchup of strength

By Dan FeldmanJan 25, 2016, 1:04 PM EST

D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images

The Spurs and Warriors will make history when they meet tonight (10:30 ET on NBA TV).

Never have two teams with as high a combined winning percentage as San San Antonio (38-6) and Golden State (40-4) met this far into the season.

In fact, nobody has come close.

The difference between the combined winning percentage for this game and the second-ranking game – Celtics (34-12) vs. 76ers (46-4) in 1967 – is greater than the difference between No. 2 and No. 42.

Here are the 50 games with the highest combined win percentage this deep into a season (88 combined games):

Game	Combined win percentage
Jan. 25, 2015: San Antonio Spurs (38-6) v. Golden State Warriors (40-4)	88.63%
Jan. 24, 1967: Boston Celtics (34-12) v. Philadelphia 76ers (46-4)	83.32%
Feb. 4, 1972: Los Angeles Lakers (44-7) v. Milwaukee Bucks (45-11)	83.17%
Jan. 28, 1981: Boston Celtics (42-9) v. Philadelphia 76ers (44-9)	82.68%
Feb. 6, 2015: Atlanta Hawks (41-9) v. Golden State Warriors (39-8)	82.46%
Apr. 7, 1996: Chicago Bulls (65-8) v. Orlando Magic (55-19)	81.62%
Feb. 5, 2009: Los Angeles Lakers (39-9) v. Boston Celtics (41-9)	81.62%
Feb. 25, 1996: Chicago Bulls (48-6) v. Orlando Magic (40-14)	81.47%
Feb. 4, 1981: Philadelphia 76ers (45-10) v. Boston Celtics (43-10)	81.47%
Feb. 8, 2009: Los Angeles Lakers (40-9) v. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-9)	81.43%
Mar. 1, 1972: Los Angeles Lakers (57-11) v. Milwaukee Bucks (55-15)	81.15%
Mar. 9, 1997: New York Knicks (46-16) v. Chicago Bulls (53-7)	81.14%
Jan. 30, 1985: Philadelphia 76ers (35-9) v. Boston Celtics (37-8)	80.89%
Feb. 5, 1997: Los Angeles Lakers (34-13) v. Chicago Bulls (42-5)	80.84%
Jan. 27, 1973: New York Knicks (40-12) v. Boston Celtics (40-7)	80.80%
Mar. 14, 2007: Phoenix Suns (49-14) v. Dallas Mavericks (52-10)	80.79%
Mar. 4, 1983: Boston Celtics (42-15) v. Philadelphia 76ers (50-7)	80.69%
Feb. 12, 1967: Boston Celtics (44-14) v. Philadelphia 76ers (52-9)	80.66%
Apr. 16, 1997: Miami Heat (59-20) v. Chicago Bulls (69-11)	80.49%
Mar. 17, 1972: Los Angeles Lakers (64-12) v. Milwaukee Bucks (59-18)	80.38%
Feb. 29, 2000: Los Angeles Lakers (45-11) v. Portland Trail Blazers (45-11)	80.35%
Jan. 28, 1973: New York Knicks (41-12) v. Boston Celtics (40-8)	80.19%
Mar. 8, 1967: Philadelphia 76ers (62-11) v. Boston Celtics (55-18)	80.13%
Feb. 2, 1997: Chicago Bulls (40-5) v. Seattle SuperSonics (32-13)	79.99%
Apr. 1, 2007: Phoenix Suns (54-18) v. Dallas Mavericks (61-11)	79.85%
Feb. 7, 1973: Boston Celtics (43-11) v. Los Angeles Lakers (44-11)	79.81%
Mar. 11, 1967: Boston Celtics (55-19) v. Philadelphia 76ers (63-11)	79.72%
Mar. 18, 2015: Golden State Warriors (53-13) v. Atlanta Hawks (53-14)	79.69%
Mar. 2, 2006: San Antonio Spurs (44-12) v. Dallas Mavericks (45-11)	79.45%
Jan. 15, 1981: Milwaukee Bucks (33-12) v. Philadelphia 76ers (39-7)	79.11%
Mar. 22, 1997: Chicago Bulls (58-9) v. Detroit Pistons (48-19)	79.09%
Jan. 25, 1981: Philadelphia 76ers (43-9) v. Phoenix Suns (40-13)	79.04%
Feb. 16, 1986: Boston Celtics (40-9) v. Los Angeles Lakers (39-12)	78.99%
Mar. 1, 1981: Boston Celtics (51-15) v. Philadelphia 76ers (54-13)	78.94%
Mar. 6, 2009: Boston Celtics (48-14) v. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-12)	78.68%
Apr. 12, 2009: Cleveland Cavaliers (64-15) v. Boston Celtics (60-19)	78.47%
Feb. 11, 1972: Boston Celtics (42-18) v. Los Angeles Lakers (49-7)	78.44%
Apr. 10, 1997: Chicago Bulls (67-10) v. New York Knicks (53-23)	78.42%
Mar. 28, 2006: Detroit Pistons (55-14) v. Dallas Mavericks (54-16)	78.41%
Mar. 18, 1997: Chicago Bulls (56-9) v. Seattle SuperSonics (45-19)	78.28%
Feb. 8, 2015: Memphis Grizzlies (37-13) v. Atlanta Hawks (42-9)	78.21%
Feb. 14, 1997: Chicago Bulls (43-6) v. Atlanta Hawks (32-15)	78.12%
Apr. 1, 2012: Oklahoma City Thunder (39-12) v. Chicago Bulls (42-11)	77.87%
Feb. 6, 1973: Los Angeles Lakers (43-11) v. New York Knicks (45-14)	77.87%
Mar. 9, 1973: Boston Celtics (57-13) v. Los Angeles Lakers (52-18)	77.85%
Apr. 3, 2009: Orlando Magic (55-19) v. Cleveland Cavaliers (61-14)	77.84%
Apr. 15, 2007: Dallas Mavericks (65-14) v. San Antonio Spurs (58-21)	77.84%
Mar. 31, 2013: Miami Heat (57-15) v. San Antonio Spurs (55-17)	77.77%
Mar. 16, 1983: Philadelphia 76ers (54-9) v. Boston Celtics (44-19)	77.77%
Feb. 17, 1991: Los Angeles Lakers (36-13) v. Portland Trail Blazers (41-9)	77.77%

Reduce the minimum of the range all the way to 30 combined games. Still only one game features a higher combined win percentage than Spurs-Warriors: Houston Rockets (18-1) vs. Seattle SuperSonics (16-1) in 1994.

The closest proximity is probably Bucks (35-8) vs. Lakers (39-3) in 1972. Milwaukee’s win snapped the Lakers’ 33-game winning streak.

It’s just rare for two teams on this level to meet so deep into the season – mostly because it’s rare for two teams to play at this level in the same season.

Not only are Golden State and San Antonio winning frequently, they’re winning big.

The Spurs are outscoring opponents by 14.5 points per game. The Warriors are +12.1 per game. That’d rank as the No. 1 and No. 7 marks of all time over a full season.

Here are the top 20 teams in point difference per game this far into a season, San Antonio in black and Golden State in blue:

We’ve seen something like this only once before. Beside 2015-16, just one other season produced two teams in the top 20 of margin of victory per game.

In 1971-72, the Lakers (69-13, +13.9) and Bucks (63-19, +13.2) dominated the competition.

Like the Spurs and Warriors, they even shared a conference. Milwaukee was in the West back then. Los Angeles won four of five regular-season meetings then beat the Bucks in six games in the conference finals en route to the title.

Those Bucks – even with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and a championship the previous season – are probably still underrated. They just had the misfortune of playing the same time as a loaded Lakers team that featured Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.

There just hasn’t been anything like that simultaneous domination – until now.

For perspective, here are the top two teams in point difference per game this far into each season (No. 1 in black, No. 2 in blue):

However, there’s a big asterisk on the Warriors’ and Spurs success: They haven’t faced each other.

It’s much easier to dominate when not facing the league’s other elite teams. That’ll change soon.

This is the first of four meetings between Golden State and San Antonio. The Warriors still have all three of their games against the third-best Thunder left, and the Spurs also face Oklahoma City thrice more.

For both Golden State and San Antonio to maintain their high average margin of victory, they’ll have to beat up even more convincingly on other teams. After all, they can’t both dominate their four games with each other. They’ll likely pull each other down to the mean.

But perhaps one can keep its résumé so shiny. If so, will it be the Warriors or Spurs?

Someone will land the first blow in tonight’s historic matchup.

If you’re a Comcast subscriber in the Bay Area, you can stream tonight’s Warriors-Spurs game here.

Lakers’ LeBron James says he could need offseason foot surgery

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 9:11 PM EDT

LeBron James wanted back on the court. He saw the glimpses of what this current roster can do when healthy and focused — the same glimpses that have Laker exceptionalism running strong in Los Angeles — and he sees a West without a dominant team. Together those things mean opportunity.

LeBron could have shut it down when he felt something pop in his foot last month, admitting that two doctors told him to get surgery. However, the “LeBron James of foot doctors” told him he could be back this season — and he made that return Sunday. Still, LeBron admitted he could need off-season surgery.

"When the doctors told me I was healing faster than anybody before they've seen with the injury." @KingJames' response to when he knew he would return from his foot injury. pic.twitter.com/YU0nqhkobj

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 26, 2023

“I don’t know. Right now, I don’t need it, so we’ll see what happens. I’ll probably get another MRI at the end of the season and go from there. But if I end up having to get surgery after the season, you guys won’t know. I don’t talk to you guys in the offseason, and by the time next season starts, I’ll be fine. I’ll be ready to go.”

As for what motivated him to get back on the court this season and not shut it down.

“Now we sitting at a chance to be able to… to hell with the play-in, we actually can be a top-[six] seed. That definitely changed my mindset on me coming back and trying to be a part of this, obviously, so — well, I don’t really want to say changed my mindset, it just enhanced what I was trying to do as far as my workouts, as far as my treatment and everything”

The Lakers sit tied for 9/10 in the West, one game below .500. While LeBron can say, “to hell with the play-in,” his Lakers would need help from the Clippers or Warriors to climb into the top six even though they are only 1.5 games back (time is short for L.A., if the Warriors or Clippers go 4-3 the rest of the way, the Lakers need to go 6-2 over their last eight). Los Angeles also is just a game up on Dallas for the 11 seed, and if the losses pile up they could fall out of the play-in completely.

With LeBron back, missing the play-in is unlikely. But having him back (and eventually a healthy D'Angelo Russell, who was out Sunday with a hip issue) also is no guarantee of wins — the Lakers still need peak Anthony Davis to compete. When he has a solid game of 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists (as he did Sunday), they lose. The Lakers need bubble Davis every night, or even if they make the postseason it will be short-lived.

Dončić dodges suspension, NBA rescinds 16th technical

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT

Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

This was unexpected, especially after crew chief Kevin Scott said after the game last night: “Doncic was assessed a technical foul for his use of profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.”

The NBA league office reviewed the incident (as it does with all technicals) and rescinded what would have been Luka Doncic’s 16th technical.

Luka Dončić’s (DAL) technical foul (7:51, 3rd qtr) from the game on 3/26/23 has been rescinded upon league office review.

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 27, 2023

That 16th technical would have triggered an automatic one game suspension. With it rescinded, Dončić is clear to play Monday night when the Mavericks take on the Pacers.

Sunday night in Charlotte, Dončić was given a technical when he didn’t get a call on a leaning baseline jumper and said something to the nearby official.

Luka Dončić got his 16th technical foul of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/K3X0Np47dA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2023

This incident comes days after Dončić was fined $35,000 for making a money gesture towards a referee in frustration after a Mavericks loss.

Through all this the Mavericks have lost four straight, 7-of-9, and have slid back to 11th in the West, outside even the play-in. Their team is disintegrating and if they don’t pick up some wins fast they have less than two weeks until they are on summer vacation.

MVP showdown off: 76ers to sit Joel Embiid due to calf tightness

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 2:32 PM EDT

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Recently Joel Embiid said,” ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.” Today’s news plays right into that narrative.

Embiid has been playing through calf tightness for a few games now — he only played a half against the Bulls last Wednesday — but still putting up numbers (46 points against the Warriors, 28 and 10 against the Suns). However, there had been some concern in the organization about not pushing things and making sure Embiid is healthy for the playoffs. Which is why they will rest him on Monday night, short-circuiting an MVP-race showdown against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN broke the news and John Clarke of NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed it.

Joel Embiid is out tonight. His calf is still bothering him. https://t.co/SqRdaoBRmg

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 27, 2023

Embiid did go through part of the 76ers’ shootaround this morning. The decision was made after that point.

Undoubtedly this will spark the load management discussion around the league again, and Embiid is going to take heat for this — but this is a situation where the team’s medical staff made the call, likely over Embiid’s objection.

From the 76ers perspective what matters is having Embiid healthy during the playoffs — they are going nowhere without him — and there is no reason to take undue risks with the team all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the East.

James Harden is still expected to make his return to action Monday from a three-game absence.

But it robs fans — including those who bought tickets in Denver — of one of the great showdowns in the league, and one of the more anticipated games of the season’s final weeks. The NBA has to find a way to balance player health with having their best players on the court for the biggest games. Keep telling fans the regular season doesn’t matter and they will start treating it like that.

Joel Embiid not stressing about MVP: ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.’

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Joel Embiid is the MVP betting favorite — -160 at our partner PointsBet — heading into Monday’s showdown with the reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokić (+180 at PointsBet).

Embiid campaigned for the MVP award the past couple of years but came up second to Jokić. This season, Embiid is not stressing about it. Or at least trying not to stress about it. Here is what Embiid told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

What matters — it’s just about winning, winning, winning. I’ve been focused on that. We’ve been doing that. Whatever happens, happens. If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.

Why hasn’t Embiid won the MVP? Outside of Jokić also being deserving and the complaints of Antetokounmpo and others that the criteria for the award are constantly changing (which suggests there are criteria for the award, but there are none officially), Embiid thinks it’s because he is not well-liked.

People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked. And it’s cool with me, that’s fine. I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a–hole anyway. I like being the underdog. So that’s fine with me. My thing is … when I leave the game, I want to make sure that they say: No one was stopping him offensively and defensively, and he was a monster.

There’s no doubt he will leave the game remembered as one of the great 76ers and a “monster” on both ends when healthy. However, resume matters with legacy and an MVP award helps with that. Just not as much as being the best player on a championship team, something more difficult to pull off because it requires a lot of help (it’s up for debate whether Embiid has the help he needs around him to win it all, and if they can stay healthy enough to make that run).

This season the MVP race is a tight three-way contest between Embiid, Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+450 at PointsBet). There are legitimate cases to be made for each member of this trio. However, with the Sixers surging (and the Nuggets stumbling a little), things may break his way this season.

Another dominant performance against Jokić with just a couple of weeks left in the season would stick in voters’ minds and help his cause.

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