Tune-In Tidbits: TNT Thursday, March 25, 2021

Damian Lillard leads all players in fourth-quarter scoring at 8.0 points per game.

Trail Blazers (25-18) at Heat (22-22)
7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

• Portland is 11-6 in games decided by five points or less this season; it is the second-most wins behind Sacramento’s 12 and the sixth-best win percentage (0.647). Miami is 5-7 in games decided by five points or less.

• Damian Lillard not only leads all players in total clutch points (128), but his 8.0 points per game in the fourth quarter ranks first in the league as well.

• After putting together a stretch of 11 wins in 12 games, the Heat have dropped four straight games entering Thursday. For the season, the Heat rank 27th in scoring at 106.2 ppg; during this four-game stretch their scoring has dropped to a league-low 100.3 ppg.

• The Blazers rank second in 3-pointers made per game (16.2), with CJ McCollum (4.4) and Damian Lillard (4.3) ranked second and third, respectively, behind Stephen Curry (4.7) for most 3-pointers made per game. Prior to this season, only Curry (4x) and James Harden (2x) had ever averaged more than four 3-pointers made per game.

• Among eligible players with 15 games played off the bench, Portland’s Carmelo Anthony (13.8 ppg in 39 games) and Miami’s Tyler Herro (13.5 ppg in 19 games) rank fifth and seventh in bench scoring this season.

Ben Simmons had a triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in the Sixers’ win over the Lakers on Jan. 27.

76ers (31-13) at Lakers (28-16)
10 p.m. ET, TNT

• The Sixers lead the NBA in both fast break points scored (16.1 per game) and fast break points allowed (15.5). Philadelphia plays at the sixth-fastest pace in the league at 101.23 possessions per 48 minutes, which is more than two extra possessions per game compared to the 18th-ranked Lakers (99.07 pace).

• The Lakers lead the NBA in bench scoring over the course of the full season, with their reserves averaging 41.8 points per game. Over the past three games since LeBron James joined Anthony Davis on the sidelines with injuries, the bench has increased its scoring to 53.0 ppg.

• Over the past three games, Montrezl Harrell has average 21.3 points and 9.0 rebounds and shot 69.4% from the field in 33.6 minutes per game – that is an increase in scoring by 7.0 ppg, in rebounding by 2.6 rpg, and an increase in shooting accuracy by 6.1 percentage points.

• The Sixers rank second in steals (8.8 per game) and ninth in points off turnovers (17.9 ppg). The Sixers are the only team with two players ranked in the top 10 in steals, with Matisse Thybulle (9th) and Ben Simmons (10th), both averaging 1.5 steals per game.

• The Sixers (29th, 28.0%) and Lakers (25th, 29.0%) both rank in the bottom six in the league in percentage of points coming off 3-point shots. The Lakers rank fifth with 46.5% of its points coming in the paint, while the Sixers rank fourth with 12.1% of their points coming from mid-range shots. However, 2.9 of those mid-range field goals (3rd in league) come from Joel Embiid, who has not played since March 12.