Bogut eyes history, Ingles faces retiring Kobe
History awaits Andrew Bogut and the Golden State Warriors while drama and disappointment continues to haunt Joe Ingles and his Utah Jazz.
Happy Valley-born Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles, left, and Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki exchange words during the second quarter in Salt Lake City. Photo: Rick Bowmer, AP.
The NBA’s regular season ends on Thursday ACST.
If the Warriors, on their home court in Oakland, defeat the also playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies they will eclipse the 72-win regular season record by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, featuring Michael Jordan and Australia’s Luc Longley.
The Jazz travel to an emotionally-charged Staples Center in Los Angeles where 20,000 teary Laker fans will bid farewell to one of their greats, Kobe Bryant, who plays his last game.
To grab the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot the Jazz need to defeat the Lakers and then hope the Houston Rockets lose at home to the hapless Sacramento Kings.
“Stranger things have happened,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said after his team suffered a disastrous 101-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday to fall out of the top eight.
South Australian forward Ingles was involved in a heated confrontation with the Mavericks’ star Dirk Nowitzki, with both receiving technical fouls after engaging in rough play.
Bogut’s defending champion Warriors have the top seed in the west and will play the Jazz or Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
Patty Mills’ San Antonio Spurs are second in the west and could play the Mavericks or Grizzlies.
In the Eastern Conference, Matthew Dellavedova’s Cleveland Cavaliers are in the top spot and will play either Aron Baynes’ Detroit Pistons or the Indiana Pacers in the first round.
Another Australian, Cameron Bairstow, can focus on the Olympics after his disappointing Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs – which start on Saturday.
-AAP
