For New Orleans, Charlotte, Washington and Utah, the seasons will end Sunday.
That might not be soon enough.
The Pelicans, Hornets, Wizards and Jazz — all playing out the string of dismal seasons — along with the playoff-bound Houston Rockets combined to make the wrong kind of NBA history on Friday night. All five of those teams lost by at least 30 points, marking the first time that the league saw that many blowouts of that size on the same day.
Miami beat New Orleans by 49, 153-104. Boston beat Charlotte by 36, 130-94. Oklahoma City beat Utah by 34, 145-111. The Los Angeles Lakers topped Houston by 31, 140-109. And Chicago beat Washington by 30, 119-89.
Those five games pushed the NBA's total of games decided by 30 or more points this season to 79 — tying the league mark for such games, set in the 2021-22 season.
“It's challenging. For sure, it's tough," Pelicans coach Willie Green said, after a game where his team trailed the Heat by as many as 52 points. “You feel for your guys. They're out there fighting and we're undermanned, but at the same time, you've got to be able to go through some adversity. It builds you. It makes you stronger.”
It was a night filled with lopsided scoreboards, and plenty of other games seemed poised to join the 30-point blowout trend before the margins got smaller by the final buzzer.
Minnesota beat Brooklyn by 26, Dallas led Toronto by 38 before winning by 22, Phoenix led San Antonio by 31 early in the fourth before winning by 19, Golden State led Portland by 27 before winning by 17, and Orlando had a 35-point lead on Indiana before winning by 15.
The three other days before Friday that the NBA saw four games decided by at least 30 points:
Dec. 7, 2016 — Sacramento 120, Dallas 89; Cleveland 126, New York 94; Houston 134, L.A. Lakers 95; Boston 117, Orlando 87.
Jan. 15, 2019 — Golden State 142, Denver 111; Milwaukee 124, Miami 86; Philadelphia 149, Minnesota 107; Indiana 131, Phoenix 97.
May 5, 2021 — Utah 126, San Antonio 94; Atlanta 135, Phoenix 103; Portland 141, Cleveland 105; Boston 132, Orlando 96.
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