It's a TNT Thursday, and I'm little underwhelmed.

Honestly, even with all Portland's injuries, because of all of Golden State's injuries, the Warriors just aren't in Portland's league. I'm mainly picking this game not because it will have any postseason significance, but because it will likely be the most entertaining back and forth of the evening.

Oh, Atlanta and Washington might be fun, and probably competitive, but I can't pick a League Pass game on a night designed for the casual fan. Come on. And Chicago/Orlando will be a blowout. If it isn't, then this will mean Orlando will have done something terribly, terribly wrong.

So have fun with the Blazers and the Warriors, two disparate teams in terms of running sensibilities (Portland uses the fewest amount of possessions per game, Golden State the most, by far), but a good watch nevertheless. And if that doesn't suit your fancy, you can always flip over to the Olympics.

(You say what now?)

Comment away.

Portland Trail Blazers: 38-28, 87.8 possessions per game (30th), 110.3 points scored pre 100 possessions (seventh), 107.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (17th).

Golden State Warriors: 17-46, 100.1 possessions per game (first), 106.7 points scored per 100 possessions (14th), 110.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (28th).

All statistics courtesy basketball-reference.com.

J.R. Smith(notes) has been in the dunk contest twice. Somehow, he's never made it out of the first round. He beat Chris Andersen once, but that's not saying much. Apparently, he's been doing the wrong dunks.

Or maybe he's just not comfortable with the structured, archaic format of the contest, and he'd rather do his amazing dunks during a game. The dunk contest is just too easy and he needs to up the difficulty.

That must be it, because a dunk like this gets you some hardware and a chance to sit on the hoop.

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Videogum. This is going to be amazing. So much material to mine for jokes.
PF: SLAM. The definitive analysis of the Knicks' season.
SF: Twitvid. Melas gracefully provides us with Emeka Okafor's(notes) two air-balled free throws.
SG: The Root. Before the NBA was desegregated, there were the Black Fives. Read this.
PG: Silver Screen and Roll. Is Derek Fisher(notes) worse on offense or defense?
6th: A Stern Warning. Chris Bosh(notes) reviews mobile phones.
7th: SB Nation. Would you rather have a rich owner or great player? Jerry Krause loves this post.
8th: Hardwood Paroxysm. A new way of looking at assists.
9th: The No-Look Pass. Ersan Ilyasova(notes) is in commercials now.
10th: Red's Army. The Celtics' defensive problems start with Rajon Rondo(notes).

Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at trey.kerby (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

The Bulls are in trouble.

I understand this season wasn't supposed to matter. I was out in front, making the clarion call, letting everyone know Chicago was mainly looking forward to the summer of 2010 to take that next step, and that the team would be well pleased with sneaking into the lower end of the Eastern playoff bracket this year, possibly taking in an extra few bullet points to provide to any potential free-agent signings, along with that always desirable playoff revenue.

And here we are, in the second week of March, watching the Bulls try to sneak into the lower rung of the playoff bracket, full of expiring contracts, looking forward to next summer. So what's the difference? Why the worry?

Because that shot at the playoffs? That, "at-least-they'll-be-first-round-fodder" ideal that made all this salary clearing and forward thinking palatable to their fans? It's sliding away.

The Bulls are 31-32 with a game in Orlando Thursday night, already a full game out of the East's top eight. They've lost five straight, Joakim Noah(notes) is still weeks away from returning from a bout of plantar fasciitis (and history tells us he won't be right until the offseason, anyway, with that malady), Luol Deng(notes) is out and suffering through right calf and left knee issues, and the schedule is about to get nasty.

Real nasty. Counting Thursday's loss to game with Orlando, 14 of the Bulls' final 19 games are against teams .500 or better. And it's not as if Chicago has its way with the mediocre ones. Teams like Memphis, Houston and Miami still give Chicago fits, and they'll more than have their way with the Bulls if Noah is gimpy (that's an absolute certainty), and Luol Deng is trying to muddle through yet another injury-plagued year.

All the signs for a flameout are there. Vinny Del Negro is hardly the coach you want navigating a team through times of Strum und Drang, and Chicago's lone strength (it's ability to contest shots and play sound defense) is falling apart with Noah's injury and the (pound-wise, penny-foolish) trade that sent Tyrus Thomas(notes) to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Chicago has gone from sixth in defensive efficiency to 11th over the course of this five-game swoon. The team, as currently presented, is a miserable defensive outfit with some of the worst individual defenders at their respective positions (Derrick Rose(notes), Brad Miller(notes), Hakim Warrick(notes)) having to take on extra duty and play roles that they're just not suited for. With Thomas gone and Noah and Deng out, Chicago just doesn't have the length to contest nor the foot speed to stay with opponents, and the results have been pretty terrible over the last two weeks.

Worse, though Chicago has seen the light offensively at times over the last few games, this is still a terrible offensive team that doesn't get to the line, can't shoot straight from long range and has a miserable time getting easy interior looks.

Even after a hot March, the Bulls are 27th in offensive efficiency this season, about where they've been all year. With Deng and his 18 points per game having to take a seat in favor of undistinguished rookie James Johnson(notes), this only figures to get worse.

It's not pretty, and while the focus for the last two years has been to clear cap space and build around some combination of Derrick Rose, Deng and Noah starting this summer, it still burns a bit to see the final playoff spot fall just short of Chicago's grasp. And though the Bulls will have a game in Charlotte on the last night of the regular season to try and make things right, if the team is two games out of the playoff bracket by then, what will it matter?

We need a patient tone, I understand, because 2009-10 isn't supposed to count. But I don't think even the most dour of the ardent Bulls followers, to say nothing of the team's front office, expected this team to fall short of the top eight in the miserable East.

But with 14 of the next 19 games coming against teams with winning records, last year's starting frontcourt gone to either North Carolina or the sidelines, and a coach that really hasn't proven much of anything in his 144 games at the helm, this is a reality that Bulls fans will likely have to warm to.

Marrying Khloe Kardashian has been good for Lamar Odom(notes). Outside of the eating chocolate in bed part, everything has been coming up Lamar. The Taco Bell commercial, the Power Bar commercial, even his crazy clothing line has been picked up by retailers since he got married.

But it's not all chocolate and championship rings. Lately, Lamar's had to defend his relationship, and that doesn't make Lamar smile even though almost everything makes Lamar smile. He told Janice Carr of the Orange County Register what he thinks about people being in his business, his biz-nass.

"It's funny (but) not in a good way," said Odom. "Yeah, (it's annoying) kind of the whole thing. People, especially in that world, they will say what they want. I don't pay too much attention to it, either does she.

Matter of fact, we were together yesterday, hanging out. Slept in the same bed."

Haters gonna hate, Lamar. But that's why I always say you shouldn't marry reality television stars. You're just asking to end up on the cover of OK Magazine.

However, there has been one added benefit that Lamar wasn't expecting. He illuminated his favorite part of his Hollywood marriage to ESPN's Arash Markazi.

"When I married Khloe I turned into a Laker beau, which I've never been called before," Odom said. "Now, I'm a beau. ... I didn't marry her to sell T-shirts but I'd probably marry her to be called a beau. That's the one thing I do want out of the relationship, to be called a beau."

Lamar Beau-dom? Works for me.

Just yesterday, we learned that former NBA center Mengke Bateer is now making a living as an actor back home in China. Weird career path. But judging by this portfolio of looks, it shouldn't be a surprise.

From top to bottom that's "stoic," "forlorn," "whimsical," and "aghast." Pretty versatile, isn't he?

Mengke Bateer is a regular Jeff Bridges.

These guys know what's up. We all have Tyreke fever. The over-the-backboard thing. The triple-double thing. It's contagious. And that's why we're all wearing these Tyreke Evans(notes) masks. Best caption wins a Tyreke Evans head on a stick, duh. Good luck.

Previously, a couple dudes watching some basketball.

Winner, Zamboni: "In order to avoid the crowds Daniel Tosh and Kevin Smith sometimes go to Bulls games dressed as two people no one wants to talk to."

Runner-up, Mark M.: "Zach: "Is that a black haired flamenco dancer over there?
Adam: "Yes...it is.. and...she's looking at you. Ah, no, no, she's looking at me...sha la la la la yeah!"

Second runner-up,  Daniel Edwin: "Zack: Oh yeah, look it's a sailboat.
Adam: You saw it, too?! Damn it!
Zack: What?
Adam: I've been staring at this thing for a week now--from opening 'til closing--and I can't see a damn thing."

This can't be the real Memphis Grizzlies. You know, the team that didn't win more than 24 games the past three seasons. The team that hasn't won more than 28 games in a season exactly three times before this year. No way this is the same franchise.

Wednesday night the Grizzlies beat the Celtics for the first time since 2006. That's a long time! It was also the Grizzlies' seventh straight road win. The Grizzlies haven't won that many on the road, well, ever.

And they're not fazed a bit. Here's what Rudy Gay(notes) told the Associated Press:

"It wasn't about them. It was more about us," Gay said. "When you look at their lineup you have to respect them. They have three Hall of Famers."

Rudy Gay is like, "yeah, cool, three Hall of Famers. Whatever." Swagger on a hundred thousand trillion.

But what did one of those Hall of Famers, Kevin Garnett(notes), think about the game?

"We played hard in spurts," Garnett said. "But it seemed like whatever they threw up went in. Their bench came in and played hard. They were just on fire. There ain't no rhymes or reason to it."

High praise from Mr. Yell-in-the-Face, who also told the AP that the Grizzlies "just came in and totally annihilated us."

Sitting just 3.5 games behind Portland in the Western Conference playoff race, I think it's safe to say the Grizzlies are a problem.

Right, Stephen Colbert?

Exactly.

James Harden(notes) was all fired up to take on the New Orleans Hornets. After two straight wins, the Thunder had to have been feeling pretty good about their chances against a injury-riddled Hornets squad. Plus, he looked superfly with his white headband.

But then David West(notes) happened. He happened a lot. Twelve points on 6-for-6 shooting in the game's first six minutes. I'm not sure if that's a sign of The Beast, but it's definitely an indicator that something's wrong.

For James Harden, that meant his headband. Maybe he thought his white headband was a sign of weakness, like waving a white flag of surrender. Maybe its brightness was distracting to the other players. Whatever it was, that white headband had to go. 

When he switched to the black headband, everything was fine. The Thunder put the screws to the Hornets and came away with an easy victory, their third straight.

Was it all because of Harden's headband? Maybe. Sounds like we need a follow-up study from Daily Thunder.

Memphis 111, Boston 91

The Grizzlies crushed the Celtics from the outset. Made them look old, made them look outmoded, made them look irrelevant, made me look like a fool for continuing to insist that the Celtics are amongst the litany of championship contenders that this league boasts.

I think it's a safe bit of analysis to mention that the Celtics didn't come out with any fire, which is why I'm passing on telling you that. Honestly, I think the motivation was there, but I also think these guys were whipped. Whipped from having to play the night before, whipped a second time by a quite good Grizzlies team that is worth our attention even if they doesn't make the playoffs this year.

Just 12 first quarter points for Boston, and you can't blame that on tired legs. Legs gone wrong from the second end of a back-to-back usually show up in the fourth quarter, but these C's were dead from the beginning. And 12 points, against one of the poorer defensive outfits in the NBA? Disturbing.

Rudy Gay(notes) was the finisher, he was on it with 28 points and eight boards, but Mike Conley(notes) (finally) seemed to be the catalyst. The third-year guard had 12 points, six boards and six assists, and Maurice Williams (he's left-handed, Boston) came through with 16 points and five assists off the bench.

The Celtics are terrible at holding onto the ball, and yet they turned the rock over only nine times in this loss. Somehow, even with that, the team managed only 99 points per 100 possessions. Mind you, this is a team that we've seen throw up about 115 per 100 while coughing it up 20 times in a game. The shooting, the execution, was that awful.

Scary loss for the Celtics. Scary.

***

Miami 108, Los Angeles Clippers 97

Another slow start for the Clippers that the team's middling offense and sometimes-there defense could not come back from. Dwyane Wade(notes) got to the line 17 times (making 15), the Heat shot 22 more freebies than Los Angeles (making 19 more), and not even Rasual Butler's(notes) six three-pointers could help the Clippers.

Rasual plays for the Clippers, now. Just double-noting.

This was never a blowout, but it was never in question. And, cruelly, my Clipper feed of the broadcast petered out in the third quarter, leaving me only with the Heat's, um, duo.

Wade had 27 points, six rebounds and eight assists in the win.

***

Utah 115, Detroit 104

Jerry Sloan is concerned about his team's defense and, well, he should be. In two nights, the Jazz have given up 114 and 117 points per 100 possessions to two terrible offensive teams in Chicago and Detroit, teams that average about 103 and 104 points per 100 on the year.

Beyond that ... whoosh. The Jazz offense is on fire, the team absolutely dominated the second quarter (35 points) with its passing and finishing, and the defense (14 points for Detroit) wasn't too bad either.

Six Jazz in double figures, and 35 assists on 45 field goals for Utah. These numbers ... these are numbers you just don't come by on the road.

The Pistons didn't have a chance. Six of their players were in double figures, but they were crushed on the boards and needed to get a lot of shots up to grab those points.

***

Charlotte 102, Philadelphia 87

Seriously, Philly. The least you could do is pretend that you give a toss.

Charlotte is now tied with the Heat and Raptors for the sixth spot in the East.

***

Denver 110, Minnesota 102

The Timberwolves competed for most of this game, and that's to be commended. The team still had its usual issues in defensive rotations from its two best players - Al Jefferson(notes), especially, and Kevin Love(notes) are often out of position - but it hung in there, and that's something you usually don't see from Minnesota.

But J.R. Smith(notes) made the difference in this one, nailing a triptych of three-pointers as the Nuggies pulled away. Of course, his showing was typical J.R. this season - you notice the makes and what they meant, but you forget that he shot 3-for-12 otherwise (missing all seven of his other three-point attempts), and that he needed 15 shots to score 15 points.

Chauncey Billups(notes) scored 25. He hit half his shots from the field, and Nene managed 17 points and nine boards in the win.

***

Dallas 96, New Jersey 87

They almost did it.

OK, well, the Nets didn't almost do it, they played well in the first quarter and sort of fell apart after that, but this was something, right?

Probably not. The Mavs were without Jason Terry(notes) and Dirk Nowitzki, who has been about as good as any basketball player not named "LeBron" this year, struggled, so the Mavs had to poke their way toward a safe advantage and win. And because it came against the Nets, it feels a bit odd.

But it was nice to see New Jersey with a lead. A significant lead built because Devin Harris(notes) was attacking, and Brook Lopez(notes) is good at basketball.

Dirk missed 13 of 16 shots and, most notably, turned the ball over five times. That is, honestly, like a week's worth of turnovers for him. Don't believe me? Check the game log. He turns it over on 7.5 percent of the possessions he uses up, and if you can't appreciate that, then you need to be following the Grapefruit League at this point. For comparison's sake, LeBron, also quite good at not turning the ball over, turns it over on 12.4 percent of his possessions.

So, Dirk earned a night off, and the Mavs slowly picked it up. Rodrigue Beaubois(notes) reminds so much of Leandro Barbosa(notes) in his first year (when he wasn't that good, but all the athletic signs were there) that it's quite warming, Jason Kidd(notes) continued his brilliant season with 20 points, four steals and nine assists, and the Mavs have won 13 in a row.

Thirteen. I'm not going to say that I don't care that the team's point differential isn't that hot. I do care. History has told me to care, and it's flattened the Mavs before. But these men - the oldest team in the NBA - deserve whatever goodness we can throw their way. They take care of business, even if it means winning by five at a time.

Against the Nets? Nine at a time.

***

Oklahoma City 98, New Orleans 83

The Thunder D closed off the lane expertly in this win, Oklahoma City was all moving feet and extended arms and it really never looked like the Hornets had a chance. New Orleans has made its hay on the offensive end over the last few months, and it was clear from the outset that there was no hay to be made in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

We all know that's not true, Oklahoma City's town infrastructure is half hay, and that's a terribly smug thing for me to say, but I have this hay thing on the brain so you'll just have to deal with me being a huge, unfunny, jerk.

Just 92 points per 100 possessions for NOLA as OKC dominated defensively, owning the boards and forcing the Hornets into missing 11 of 14 three-point attempts.

Typical ranch stash for the Thunder. Kevin Durant(notes) had 29 points in 34 minutes because he's brilliant, Russell Westbrook(notes) continues to grow by the minute and added a 17-point, eight-rebound, nine-assist, two-steal game, and Serge Ibaka(notes) did his usual with 12 and nine rebounds off the bench.

Nice to see the Thunder setting the tone, y'know? You are not us. We are here (points up high), you are here (points way, way low).

***

San Antonio 97, New York 87

This was a close game in the fourth quarter, and with the other games falling short it was fun to watch the Spurs pull away, even if you're always hoping for a close one.

But Manu gave the Knicks 28 points. Gave it to Danilo Gallinari(notes), gave it to Wilson Chandler(notes), gave it to Toney Douglas(notes), gave it to Al Harrington(notes), just went Manu on the whole crew. Six boards and five assists and while he might not be considered a Sixth Man candidate anymore, he does appear game to save San Antonio's season.

Just 36 combined points in the second and third quarters for the Spurs as the Knicks made a game of it, David Lee(notes) was slipping into open spaces and the Spurs just struggled to get good looks or finish from anywhere. I didn't see a lot of the comeback because of the other games going down, but also because Sean Elliott (who, I swear, started out OK back in 2005-06 as a color analyst) makes me want to pretend I'm Elvis and imagine Robert Goulet is on my TV.

Richard Jefferson(notes) went scoreless in 18 minutes and he ... he makes over $14 million this year.

***

Sacramento 113, Toronto 90

It's a little too early in the trip for Toronto to feel tired, but we can sort of understand. They played in Toronto on Sunday afternoon, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and in Sacramento on Wednesday night. And their body clocks are registering 10:39 p.m. when it comes time to tip off.

I don't know if the Raps came out of the locker room in the second half expecting the Kings to lie down, but I do know that as much as I appreciate Sacramento's talent and hustle, they aren't 20 points better than the Raptors over a 12-minute span. And yet, the Kings moved and cut and curled their way to 43 third quarter points while the Raps managed the status quo with 23. And it was over after that. How couldn't it be?

Tyreke Evans(notes) notched 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists before pointedly going after his 10th assist with 90 seconds left in a game in stat-grab that I'll never get used to, no matter how much I like the stat-grabber.