Sched Ahead Daily Update, Games of 3/5

Dallas keeps rolling, New Orleans keeps folding, and the Spurs keep feeling safer and safer.

Yesterday's update.

Most recent weekly update, including game category definitions.

Yesterday's Games

1. L.A. @ Charlotte.  Gerald Wallace, 0-6 in the first half, went off in the third as Charlotte opened a lead, and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Stephen Jackson added 21.  The L@kers shot horribly (36%), with Ron-Ron 1-9, Brown 2-9, Fisher 1-5, Pau 5-14, and Bynum 3-9 providing the Hall of Shame.  L.A. still has a franchise losing record against the Bobcats (5-7).
2. Sacramento @ Dallas.  Ten straight for the Mavs, as Dirk had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Beaubois added 22 filling in for Jason Terry, who will be out 10-14 days after his facial operation.  Sacramento, who took them to the wire before free throws put it away, got 21 points from Landry and 20 each from Tyreke and Beno.  Dallas is getting short-handed -- Terry is out, Dampier is out, and Brendan Haywood went out in the first half with a back problem.
3. Indiana @ Denver.  Granger scored 32 (his fourth straight game over 30), but Indiana is unlikely to beat anyone unless he's the leading scorer of the game, and Carmelo had 34, with more help from his friends than Danny had, and Denver coasted in a "defensively-challenged" game.  Each team had 6 players in double figures, but Denver's were higher double figures.  K-Mart was out again with tendinitis in his knee, so Birdman (who hardly played in the last game because of tendinitis in his knee) stepped up with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Denver was also missing Lawson for the third straight game after bruising his shoulder.
4. N.O. @ S.A.  The party is over for New Orleans, I see no way back for them now, as they drop five and a half games behind Portland, six behind the Spurs.  San Antonio won their third straight against decent opposition after playing horribly against good teams all year, showing that there is still some fight in the old dogs.  Parker is still hurting, but scored 20 to lead the way, and the Spurs had seven in double figures.  Collison had 32 points for the Hornets, West had 22, and Thornton had 18 but had a bad fall and hurt his back, only playing 24 minutes. 
5. OKC @ Clippers.  Durant had 32 points and 9 rebounds, and Westbrook had 15 points and nine assists, and the Blunder took control early, held off a third quarter rally, and put it away at the start of the fourth.  Kaman had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Clips, who shot only 37%.

Not much help for the Blazers in that slate of games.  Perhaps it will be better tonight.

Projections

1. L.A.  59.3 wins (down from 60.3).   
2. Dallas.  55.1 wins (up from 54.7).
3. Denver.  53.5 wins (up from 53.4).
4. Utah.  51.9 wins (down from 52.0).
5. Phoenix.  50.4 wins.  
6. OKC.  49.8 wins (up from 49.3).
7. Portland.  47.9 wins (down from 48.0).
8. S.A.  46.6 wins (down from 47.0).
9. Memphis.  42.2 wins.
10. Houston.  41.7 wins (down from 42.2).
11. N.O.  40.6 wins (down from 40.9).

New Orleans drops below .500, which triggers technical corrections (very small for most teams).  One of the (many) flaws of this projection methodology is on display here, as San Antonio, despite winning, has a lower projection.  In fact, they dropped more than New Orleans did.  The reason for this is their win gave New Orleans a losing record, and that devalues the Spurs' three previous wins over the Hornets.  If it is any consolation, if the Spurs had lost it would have hurt their projection even more.  Rumor has it that the Spurs do not care about the jscot Stupid Sched Projections as much as some Bedgers do, so perhaps they won't care.  The win buries one of the teams chasing them, and strengthens their challenge to get a seed better than #8.

Tonight

Lots of games of varied importance tonight. 

1. Dallas @ Chicago.  A Cat 4 "Rocky Road" back to back for the Mavs.  Chicago is without Noah and possibly Capt. Kirk, Dallas without Terry, Dampier, and possibly Haywood.  Could be a very good matchup, but the red-hot Mavericks have to be favorite.
2. Houston @ Minnesota.  A Cat 3 "Banana Peel" for the Rockets, who simply cannot afford any more bad losses (and this would be a bad one) if they want to have any hope.  Al Jefferson is suspended for Minnesota, while Ariza and Lowry are still expected to be out for Houston.
3. S.A. @ Memphis.  Another big game for the Spurs, this one one the "Rocky Road" for a Cat 4 back to back at Memphis.  Will the Griz finally get a home win, or will this be the one that for all practical purposes finishes their last hope?  The Spurs have won three in a row, can they finally put to rest the stories that they might drop out of the playoffs because of the toughness of their schedule?  If they win this, you'd have to think only Houston might have a chance.  Even if they lose, the chances for both Houston and Memphis have grown very slim.
4. Indiana @ Phoenix.  What is easier than a Cat 1 "Cream Puff" against the Pacers?  A Cat 1 "Cream Puff" against the Pacers who are on a back to back after a tough game in Denver.  Don't be looking for help to catch the Suns from this game. 
5. Clippers @ Utah.  Not a happy occurrence for the Clips, who beat the Jazz in LA earlier this week.  This is likely to be revenge time, and it is not likely to be pretty.  It doesn't help that it is a back to back for the Clips, and the LA to Utah back to back is a hard one.

It's improbable that there will be any results of interest outside of Memphis tonight, though Dallas/Chicago might be a good game, especially with the Mavs short-handed on a back to back.  But the big one is in Memphis -- if we want to pass the Spurs, it would really help if they would drop a few games like this one, and the run-in is likely to be more entertaining if Memphis and Houston can keep some hope and make a run at the Spurs.  That seems unlikely if San Antonio wins again tonight.  If anyone has the mental powers to alter reality, I suggest they use them to put a cover on the basket at the Spurs' end.