Tune-In Tidbits: Western Conference Play-In, ESPN Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Get ready for Tuesday’s pair of Play-In games on ESPN with five key stats to know about each Western Conference matchup. Also, take a deep dive into the stats with John Schuhmann’s numbers preview for all four West teams in the Play-In Tournament.

(10) Spurs at (9) Grizzlies
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

• Ja Morant averaged a team-high 25.3 points on 62.0% shooting from the field in three games against the Spurs this season. That is his fifth-highest scoring average and best shooting percentage against any opponent this season. Morant was the only player on either team to average 18 points or more in this matchup.

• Keldon Johnson led seven Spurs in double-figure scoring against the Grizzlies with 17.7 points per game – his third-highest average against any opponent. Since this entire series was completed on Feb. 1, LaMarcus Aldridge (15.3 ppg) had not been traded and Derrick White (11.3 ppg) had not been injured – both are included in those seven players, but will not play Wednesday. San Antonio’s leading scorer this season (DeMar DeRozan, 21.6 ppg, 25th in NBA) was held to 15.7 ppg against the Grizzlies – tied for his lowest average against any opponent this season.

• This is a matchup of a team that led the NBA in points in the paint (Memphis, 55.8 ppg) and another that led the NBA in mid-range scoring (San Antonio, 16.0 ppg). Neither team relies heavily on the 3-point shot; in fact San Antonio averages the fewest 3-pointers made and attempted in the league, and the Grizzlies ranked 24th and 23rd, respectively. Jonas Valanciunas ranks sixth in the league with 12.7 points in the paint per game, while Ja Morant ranks 23rd at 10.6 ppg. DeMar DeRozan ranks fifth with 2.6 mid-range field goals made per game and shot 47.1% on his 5.4 attempts.

• Memphis’ 127 points per game in this series marked its highest scoring average against any team this season. The Grizzlies increased their scoring with each game (119 on Dec. 23, 129 on Jan. 30 and 133 on Feb. 1), while the Spurs saw a steady decline in their scoring (131 in their win on Dec. 23, followed by 112 and 102 in their two losses).

• In his ninth NBA season, Jonas Valanciunas posted career-best numbers in points (17.1 ppg), rebounds (12.5 rpg, 3rd in NBA), shooting percentage (59.2%, 11th in NBA) and double-doubles (49, T-3rd in NBA). He had 15 points and 13 rebounds in his only game against San Antonio this season – a 131-119 loss to the Spurs in the season opener for both teams. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in second-chance points (15.0 per game) thanks in large part to Valanciunas, who ranks second in offensive rebounds (4.1 per game) and first in second-chance points (5.2 per game).

 

(8) Warriors at (7) Lakers
10 p.m. ET, ESPN

• Between the regular season (16 games) and playoffs (22 games, all in The Finals), LeBron James and Stephen Curry have gone head-to-head 38 times, with Curry holding a 22-16 advantage overall. LeBron has averaged 30.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks when facing Curry and the Warriors. Curry has averaged 23.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.9 3-pointers made when facing LeBron.

Tale of the Tape – LeBron vs. Curry

• With the winner of this game securing the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, this will feel very much like a playoff game. Among all players that have appeared in at least 25 playoff games, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry all rank in the top 10 in playoff scoring average.

• Both the Lakers and Warriors closed out the regular season on winning streaks – six in a row for Golden State (longest active streak in the NBA) and five in a row for the Lakers. The Warriors have outscored their opponents by an average of 14 points during the streak, which has been led by Stephen Curry at 37.2 ppg on 45.4%-37.5%-92.7% shooting splits, as well as 20+ ppg from Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis has appeared in four of L.A.’s five games during the streak and averaged 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and shot 43.8% from the field. LeBron James appeared in only two of L.A.’s final five games; he’s been limited to four games since suffering an ankle injury on March 20. The Lakers went 30-15 (.667) with LeBron in the lineup, but just 12-15 (0.444) when he was out.

• The Lakers won season series with the Warriors 2-1, winning their two games in dominant fashion (+26 on Feb. 28, +31 on Mar. 15), for an average point differential of 18.3 points per game. The Warriors went 0-19 this season when scoring 105 points or less, with two of those losses coming to the Lakers. The Lakers went 10-17 when held at 105 or less this season, but averaged 119.3 against Golden State – their fourth-highest average against any opponent. The Lakers dominated the Warriors on the boards (52.0 to 32.3 rebounds per game) and at the free throw line (23.0 to 14.7 in free throws made, on 11 more attempts per game).

• The Warriors finished the regular season ranked third in pace (102.81 possessions per 48 minutes), while the Lakers finished 21st (98.85). While the pace of their season series (104.17) would tend to favor the Warriors, the Lakers thrived while playing their fastest against any team this season. L.A. had its sixth-best offensive rating (114.0) and top defensive rating (97.4) against Golden State.