NBA campus intel: Lakers' offensive woes continue in the bubble

5:55 PM ET

The Washington Wizards faced elimination Wednesday after an 0-4 start in the NBA bubble, but the Orlando Magic‘s loss to the Toronto Raptors kept them in the running for another day. The Magic lost both games of a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping to the No. 8 seed in the East. And after losing Jonathan Isaac for the season with an ACL injury, they await news on the severity of the hamstring injury Aaron Gordon suffered in the loss to Toronto.

Here’s the latest on the standings, the games to watch Wednesday and Thursday, plus everything you need to know. Check back here for highlights and updates throughout the day.

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Latest buzz

Lakers’ offense continues to falter

After yelling at the referee from the bench, LeBron James receives a technical foul.

The Lakers are the only NBA team averaging under 100 points per game since the restart. LeBron James received a technical foul from the bench as frustrations bubbled over in Wednesday’s loss to the Thunder.

Aaron Gordon leaves with left hamstring injury

Kyle Lowry fouls Aaron Gordon in the third quarter sending AG to the floor clutching his hamstring. Throughout the next several minutes the pair appear to trade verbal blows.

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon exited Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors early in the third quarter due to left hamstring tightness, the team announced.

The injury occurred after a hard foul by Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry prevented a dunk and caused Gordon’s left leg to extend high as he was falling. After a review, Lowry’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant one. Gordon and Lowry exchanged words during the review.

Kevin Durant makes his NBA Finals prediction

With one of the most open NBA postseasons in years, there’s no clear title favorite right now, but the LA Clippers picked up one big endorsement: Kevin Durant.

“If I had to choose — and I hate doing that s— because you never know what could happen, you seen that with us last year — but if I had to choose, I’ll go with Clippers and Bucks for the championship,” Durant said on the Play For Keeps podcast. “And I’ll go with the Clippers.”

Lil Wayne cheers on the Lakers

Rapper Lil Wayne attends the Lakers’ virtual crowd for their matchup vs. the Thunder.

Students from the I Promise School, an elementary school in Akron, Ohio supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation, also showed up as virtual fans.

Michael Porter Jr. sets Nuggets record

Denver Nuggets followed up his 37-point game on Monday by scoring 30 points Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, setting a Nuggets record for most points by a rookie in a two-game span. The previous mark was 66, shared by Carmelo Anthony and Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo. Porter is the fourth rookie over the past 30 seasons with 30 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, joining Blake Griffin, Shaquille O’Neal and Lionel Simmons.

Nikola Jokic passes to Michael Porter Jr. who finishes with a two-handed flush for the Nuggets.

Ben Simmons leaves with left knee injury

Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons left Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter with a left knee injury. The team announced that he would not return today.

After exiting the Sixers’ game vs. the Wizards with a knee injury, Ben Simmons is seen walking slowly out of the arena.

Buzzer-beater not enough for Wizards

The Wizards didn’t have a great first half against the Philadelphia 76ers as they tried to keep their fading playoff hopes alive, but this Jerome Robinson buzzer-beater made for a memorable moment.

? BUZZER BEATER ?#WizSixers | @Rome_Coldbucks1 pic.twitter.com/9UBTRiRaYR

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) August 5, 2020

Jazz end first half on massive run

It’s a well-worn cliche in the NBA that you want to end quarters strong. The Jazz took that to the extreme at the end of the first half Wednesday afternoon, helping them drop the Grizzlies to 0-4 in the bubble.

Jazz, Grizzlies throw it back

If you long for the days of Greg Ostertag battling in the post with Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, the Jazz and Grizzlies had a treat for you Wednesday! Both teams wore throwback jerseys for their afternoon showdown in the bubble, giving the game a very “I Love the ’90s” feel.

Wednesday’s must-see games

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics | 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

The Nets sat Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris against Milwaukee on Tuesday — and beat the Bucks anyway — so they should probably play the second game of the back-to-back against the Celtics. Boston will also be playing the second game of a back-to-back, however, so it might also rest a few players. — Bontemps

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Full scoreboard for Wednesday

Play-in watch

The Nets have clawed their way into the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference after beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The Orlando Magic can get back even with the Nets on Wednesday, but to do so they must beat the defending champion Toronto Raptors.

Over in the West, the Phoenix Suns are the only undefeated team in the bubble in the conference, and will look to climb the standings against the only other team yet to lose in Florida, the Indiana Pacers.

Eastern Conference

7. Brooklyn Nets | 32-35 (.478) | —
8. Orlando Magic | 32-37 (.464) | —
9. Washington Wizards | 24-43 (.358) | 7.5 GB

Western Conference

8. Memphis Grizzlies | 32-37 (.464) | —
9. Portland Trail Blazers | 31-38 (.449) | 1.0 GB
t-10. San Antonio Spurs | 29-38 (.433) | 2.0 GB
t-10. New Orleans Pelicans | 29-38 (.433) | 2.0 GB
12. Phoenix Suns | 29-39 (.426) | 2.5 GB
13. Sacramento Kings | 28-39 (.418) | 3.0 GB

Full standings | Playoff matchups

Thursday’s must-see games

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings | 1:30 p.m. ET

The Pelicans and Kings were set to take the court on March 11 — the night the NBA was suspended — but the game was ultimately postponed just minutes before tip-off because a referee assigned to the game had also been assigned to a Utah Jazz (and thus had come into contact with Rudy Gobert) game days before. This is the first of two meetings between the teams in the bubble as they are also set to meet next Tuesday.

The Pelicans will be led by All-Star Brandon Ingram and rookie Zion Williamson, who combined for 47 points in New Orleans’ only win in the bubble over Memphis on Monday. Meanwhile, the Kings have dropped all three games they’ve played and find themselves at the back end of the six-team race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. — Andrew Lopez

Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks | 4 p.m. ET

The Bucks are looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses — a close loss to the Houston Rockets and then another to the Brooklyn Nets, although Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton didn’t play in the second half against the Nets. However, both are expected to get back to their normal minutes Thursday against Miami.

The Heat meanwhile could be without guard Jimmy Butler, who missed Tuesday’s game because of a sprained right ankle. The injury isn’t thought to be serious, but his status for the Bucks’ game is unknown. The matchup to watch here will be Antetokounmpo against Heat center Bam Adebayo. When the teams met on March 2, Adebayo was pivotal in holding Antetokounmpo to 13 points, tied for his season low, on 6-of-18 shooting. — Lopez

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets | 8 p.m. ET

Both teams here are jockeying for position in their own ways. After a clutch performance by Carmelo Anthony on Tuesday, Portland finds itself 1½ back of the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoff race. Meanwhile, Denver is holding its own as it attempts to wrestle the second seed away from the LA Clippers, potentially earning the right to avoid a matchup with the Lakers until the conference finals. Denver has had held the upper hand over Portland this season, picking up victories in the first three matchups by an average score of 116.3 to 99.3. Denver is one of only two teams this season (Clippers) to hold Portland under an average of 100 points this season. — Lopez

Additional games