Catch Some NBA Play-In Stats From The First Two Nights Before They Fall Into The Abyss
Jack Arent. Getty Images.The NBA will tell you that Play In stats don't count. That they don't matter. That they shouldn't be recognized. That they are lesser than. Unworthy. To be disregarded. Well not this blog. This blog will celebrate the accomplishments of teams and players who fought valiantly for the right to get squashed and grated into a sidewalk storm drain by teams like the Thunder. While the NBA removes all stats from this tournament of purgatory, renegade statisticians like myself procure and vault such historical records for the sake of posterity and honor to those who put up a fight for 48 minutes. And Trae Young.
And the Bulls.
And the Kings.
But before we dive into this year's non-playoff post-season, let's bring forth some key stats that live only in the dark web, restored from the abyss.
- Atlanta Hawks are now kings of the Play-In with the most games played (6), topping the Pelicans (5)
- Hawks in turn lead in statless-points (566)
- Jonas Valančiūnas leads all players in Play-In minutes (281)
Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks
TL;DW: This game started close, then Orlando blew the Hawks out of the building for most of the second quarter before getting Monstar'd to let a 22-point lead slip to just 3. Then they got better and made Trae Young leave his ball behind to walk home crying with a 25-point win.
In defense of the Hawks here, this was not the worst blow-out in the glorious NBA Play-In history. In fact, they themselves have the record with a 132-103 29-point win over the Charlotte Hornets. If you're wondering when the hell the Hornets were ever good enough to make it to the Play-In, then you won't be surprised to learn they have the second worst blow out as well (117-144 vs the Pacers in 2021).
I do have a question for Magic fans. Where exactly were you? This was objectively the most pathetic home crowd energy I've ever seen for a meaningful playoff or pseudo-playoff game in which the home team was blowing their opponent out by 22 in the first half. That's just embarrassing. Every one of you should watch some Penny era 90s home games for a clue. This game could have been played in the center of a cemetery and had more decibels. Seriously - were you guys still using the Bubble face time crowd technology you still had laying around? Absolutely pathetic. Sacrilege to the glorious birch parquet floor that laid under the feet of Hardaway, Shaq, and Nick Anderson.
At least one fan was trying to get some energy going.
As for Trae Young - flaming out in the Play-In while putting up numbers looks like it might just be his thing. But he was only NBA history's Play-In points leader until last night when DeMar Rozen snatched it:
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Golden State Warriors vs Memphis Grizzlies
My favorite stat from this game is that Reggie Miller twice mistook Steph Curry shooting a three-pointer for a pump fake after taking two legitimate pump fakes. Recorded this myself for proper Reggie Millerism historical tracking. Video credit: me.
My second favorite stat for this game is this absolutely hilarious "jump" shot by Zach Edey. Video credit: also me.
This is the Zach Edey everyone imagined coming out of college. Just an absolute lost puppy when he wanders anywhere out of an arms reach of the basket. So anything he does wrong in this situation such as having zero clue where defenders are likely to be coming from is really the owner's fault for letting him out. Standing 7'4" tall, in order for Gary Payton to block this jump shot, he needed to rise 7'4" high off the ground to reach the ball.
This leads us to a very important question. Is this the biggest height disparity for anyone that was blocked? 14 inches is the difference here. Let's first look at those who blocked shots while towering over a smaller shooter. We'll call these the block bullies:
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Zach Edey was the alpha blocking bully with five of the biggest disparities this season. Remember, Victor Wembanyama did play this season folks. And one of these Edey block victims includes Jose Alvarado tying the largest height difference at 16-inches. But let's look at the other side of this. What about the shortest blocking player against the taller shooter? Look who would get their revenge…
Jose was WAITING for this chance a couple months after getting his ball swatted off the planet in January. And that my friends was the only block for a shorter player vs a taller shooter that happened in 2024-25. This is what happens when you're a million feet tall but you are vertically
Dallas Mavericks vs Sacramento Kings
This game was very boring. Tough night for both home teams. Bulls were down 71-47 at one point and the Kings were a little bit better off than that down 71-48. There was no point in watching anything after that if even anything up until then.