LOS ANGELES -- Carrying the main card billing of an NBA Finals preview and perhaps the decisive showdown between the league's top MVP front-runners, Friday's heavyweight bout between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks possessed the sort of stakes offered in June, not March.

And from the opening tip in an electric but on edge Staples Center, the game itself took on a playoff-like intensity. Possessions transformed into grinding battles, regular season whistles were put on hold while physicality reigned, and points were hard-won. Their season-long dominance against everyone else dissipated against each other, and a grinding battle ensued, befitting the caliber of two equally-matched contenders.

In the end, the Lakers clinched a playoff berth by defeating the Bucks 113-103. It marked the final regular-season matchup, and foreshadowed what may unfold if these teams meet again in June, when a championship will be on the line.

Until that potential reunion, here are the key moments, observations and takeaways:

All-Star Power Forward Showcase Takes a Backseat

On a night where the Bucks played against the team with the second-best record in the NBA and Giannis Antetokounmpo faced off against another MVP frontrunner in LeBron James, Antetokounmpo was focused on another player in his pregame warm up: Anthony Davis.

It is two hours before tipoff and Antetokounmpo after 15 minutes of work on mid-range shots, three-pointers and free throws, Antetokounmpo is ready for a simulation. He needs Schuyler Rimmer, who works in the Bucks' video room, to stretch taller, get longer and spread his fingers wider. Antetokounmpo is pushing Rimmer to become a makeshift Anthony Davis. The 2019 MVP positioned Rimmer's body the way he has seen Davis guard him on tape. He instructs Rimmer to fan out his arms.

Opposing coaches often say that Antetokounmpo's menacing style of play demands to be guarded by committee. In the Lakers game, Davis would be the Lakers' primary Greek Freak stopper and Antetokounmpo wanted to be prepared... to start.

Ultimately, Davis defended Antetokounmpo only ten times Friday night, according to Second Spectrum. Six of those matchups were in the first quarter, but Davis drew two early fouls and ceded the matchup to LeBron James, who matched up with Antetokonmpo 35 times in the game.

On the other end, Antetokounmpo guarded Davis 37 times in the halfcourt, yielding 12 points in those matchups, according to Second Spectrum. Antetokounmpo was preparing for moments like late in the third quarter, when Davis steamrolled towards the basket. Antetokounmpo set his feet and forced Davis to commit and offensive foul. As he ran down the court, Antetokounmpo wagged his left finger in Dikembe Mutombo style.

In the end, Antetokounmpo had to watch Davis often. The Lakers had the luxury of freeing Davis up on the other end. --Malika Andrews

Bucks not supporting Antetokounmpo

During their December duel in Milwaukee, the Bucks' reserves out-scored the Lakers' backups by a whopping 34-4 margin throughout a game the Bucks often led by double digits. (Even wilder: Bucks reserve guard Kyle Korver out-scored the Lakers bench by himself in that game -- 6 to 4.) It was the kind of performance that proved the Bucks' balance, and that they were far more than just Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the rematch, the Lakers' bench more than rebounded, scoring 33 points to the Bucks' 32. But the more worrisome aspect for Milwaukee was the lack of production that they received from anyone outside of their reigning MVP, who didn't even have his best performance as it was.

Starting small forward Khris Middleton, who was on pace to become the ninth different player in NBA history to shoot at least 50% from the field, 40% on three-pointers and 90% from the free throw line, was off-target for most of the night. The All-Star scored just 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

Starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews, who is often a reliable weapon from 3-point range, tallied just three points on 1-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Starting point guard Eric Bledsoe scored just 11 and struggled with foul trouble. And off the bench, the Bucks received little relief beyond 17 points from Donte DiVincenzo.

And when the Bucks found themselves clanking shots off the iron too often, they predictably turned to the Greek Freak to stop the bleeding. With the pressure ratcheted up, the Lakers surrounded him, making life even more difficult. That's not to say the Bucks' supporting cast is a question mark; indeed, the team has had few weaknesses at all during its 69-win pace.

But on Friday's primetime stage, the Bucks appeared unbalanced, with far too many players coming up short outside their star. -- Baxter Holmes

The decisive quarter

The league's best team featuring the league's reigning MVP were on the road and leading 55-50 shortly after halftime when LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers went on the type of run that made you wonder which side deserves those superlatives.

Los Angeles busted out an 18-0 run -- the largest by any team against the Milwaukee Bucks this year, according to the Elias Sports Bureau -- and James' fingerprints were all over it:

• There was the alley-oop he threw to Anthony Davis,

• The 26-foot stepback 3 he tossed in with ease,

• Another assist to Davis,

• A pass over the top to Danny Green for 3,

• And a few free throws.

When the extended spurt had subsided, James kept pouring it on -- scoring on consecutive possessions with Giannis Antetokounmpo guarding him, the first one that Antetokounmpo goaltended and the second on a brilliant sweeping drive to the hoop with seemingly the entire arena standing in anticipation of what the King would do against the Greek Freak.

For the quarter, James had 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting to go with three assists and the Lakers outscored the Bucks by 11 points in the eight minutes and 20 seconds he played. And by the start of the fourth quarter, the prevailing thought about the league's best team and MVP shifted to some degree from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. --Dave McMenamin

The Lakers didn't shoot well and still won

Anthony Davis had a feeling this was going to be a low-scoring, physical kind of game with two of the top four defenses on the floor.

But was the messy, low-scoring first quarter because of great defense or bad shooting?

The Lakers and Bucks combined to hit just 3-of-25 3-pointers, the third-worst 3-point shooting first quarter in the last 20 seasons.

"Playoff nerves?" Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of the messy, but intense first half, in which both teams struggled to find any kind of rhythm.

"It definitely felt like two teams feeling each other out."

Eventually, the Lakers did feel the Bucks out. Or rather, they made the Bucks feel them -- beating Milwaukee with physicality and dominating in the paint in ways the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks usually do.

Milwaukee leads the league in defending the paint, allowing just 38.8 points a game inside. Friday night, the Lakers scored 50 points in the paint, led by LeBron James' 18.

That offset an atrocious shooting night from outside as the Lakers hit just 6-of-32 3-pointers. The Lakers won shooting 41.8% from the field (second-worst in a win), making six total 3s (tied for second-worst in any game), and 18.8% 3s (second-worst in any game).

The key: The Lakers made 31 free throws, second-most this season (made 33 in 29-point October home win vs. the Grizzlies). James and Davis combined to make 22 free throws despite missing 10-of-11 3s. The Bucks ... made 17-of-23 free throws as a team (Antetokounmpo: 11-of-14).

Those six 3s the Lakers made also ties a season-low against a Bucks opponent. The Oklahoma City Thunder were also the only team to shoot a worst 3% against the Bucks than the Lakers shot tonight. The Bucks allowed six 3s when they beat the Thunder by 47 points a week ago. The Bucks lost by 10 tonight.

Tonight was also tied for the most fouls the Bucks were called for this season (32) and tied for most free throws allowed (31) by Bucks this season. --Ramona Shelburne

Antetokounmpo x James MVP race

With under five minutes to go in the third quarter, a buzz started circulating throughout Staples Center.

A star-studded crowd that included Jay-Z and Michael B. Jordan was about to get what it came to see: the main attraction MVP showdown between Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James.

On three consecutive possessions, the two best players on the court went back and forth, like an old-school one-on-one superstar isolation duel from back in the day. On one possession, James backed in Antetokounmpo on the right block, drove in, pump-faked before scoring after Antetokounmpo was called for a goaltend on a block attempt.

The reigning MVP came back and answered with a 3-pointer. Then James had Antetokounmpo one-on-one again, this time on the left block. The arena was buzzing again as James faced up Antetokounmpo, drove into the paint and scored.

Three days after Super Tuesday, James began a pivotal weekend that could propel his own campaign and make this MVP race a hotly-contested debate. On Friday, he faced the favorite to win MVP again in Antetokounmpo before a rematch with Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers on Sunday.

Two wins over teams the Lakers hadn't beaten this season would certainly bolster James' 2019-20 MVP resume and shorten the gap between himself and Antetokounmpo.

At 35, James has had an incredible season, keeping the pedal to the metal and playing every game like he's on a mission.

James finished with 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Antetokounmpo went for 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Did we learn anything from this latest matchup between the two MVP juggernauts? Besides home-court advantage being nice to have, having two superstars compared to one was a clear edge on this night.

Big time win! 2 title contenders goin at it! But this is a game I call MVP talk ? And one mans game did a little more talking tonight ?... Took the challenge and guarded the reigning MVP.. Make sure y'all put that shot chart up! New Rankigs!

— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) March 7, 2020

When James needed a rest in the fourth, Anthony Davis attacked Antetokounmpo before finishing with 30 points and nine rebounds after early foul trouble. Meanwhile, the Bucks superstar only got 12 points and 5-for-19 shooting from his All-Star teammate, Khris Middleton.

In the previous meeting between these two teams back on Dec. 19 in Milwaukee, the Bucks beat the Lakers giving Antetokounmpo more support.

James had 21 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists while Davis went for 36 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in that loss.

Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and sank five 3-pointers but the Milwaukee bench outscored the Lakers' reserves, 34-4, in that 111-104 win.

Both teams were 24-4 entering that game but the Lakers went 23-9 since that meeting entering Friday night. The Bucks only lost five times after that first encounter with the Lakers. Actually, make it six now as James added the Lakers' most impressive win of the season.

At the end with 20.3 seconds left, the Staples Center crowd serenaded James with a smattering of MVP chants. --Ohm Youngmisuk

DUQUOIN, Ill. – They may have been caution-filled to start, but Friday’s micro sprint preliminaries inside the Southern Illinois Center ended up as calm as could be by the end of the night.

Amid flips, thrills and spills behind them, Trey Robb and Ryan Timms proved to be the masters of the sixth-mile ‘Mini Magic Mile’ dirt oval, winning their respective 15-lap Dash for Cash events and locking in front-row starting spots for Saturday’s Shamrock Classic micro-sprint finale.

The pair picked up $150 apiece by leading from wire to wire in the two dashes, which set the front nine rows of the starting grid for the Saturday finale.

Robb was simply dominant all night long. He won his heat race by more than a straightaway, then started on the pole for the first dash and never looked back after that.

Not even a caution with three laps left, for a spun Dylan Kadous in turn three, could keep Robb from pulling away to victory by 1.432 seconds over Scotty Milan.

Alex Burgener, Brady Bacon and Andy Bishop filled out the top five in the first Dash for Cash.

“These D1 cars roll great anywhere we go, but especially on flat tracks,” Robb said. “The (Tulsa) Shootout, Circus City (Speedway), here … they’re just hooked up and we were able to show it tonight.

“We had three restarts in my heat and they let me get to the lead (from fourth) coming off turn two every time, so I don’t know what more we could have asked for,” Robb added. “You just had to stay locked around the bottom. Hopefully tomorrow, the track will widen out and we can get two lanes of racing going, but for what we had to work with tonight it was certainly good to us.”

The second Dash for Cash took five tries to get going, with a series of shaky starts that were called back repeatedly by flagman-for-the-night Levi Jones, but once action got underway there was no stopping Ryan Timms.

Timms, 13, led all the way to win the caution-free affair by a half second over Laydon Pearson.

Michael Brummitt, Chad Elliott and Joe B. Miller crossed the line third through fifth in the second dash.

“What’s crazy is that we were fast, and the car has been acting up,” Timms noted. “It was acting up in my heat, and we thought we got it fixed, but even in spite of the issues it was still fast enough to do what we needed to do all night.

“I spun it in hot laps … just wasn’t expecting turn one to be such a tight corner, but once we got it back going in the right direction it was good enough to get us on the front row,” he added. “If we can get a few of these bugs sorted out, maybe we can go out and challenge Trey for that win tomorrow night.”

Bacon, Robb, Bishop, Miller, Aiden Purdue and Timms all won their respective heat races.

While there were no major incidents in either dash, the six heats featured four cars that ended up either upside down or on their sides. All drivers involved walked away without injury.

The remainder of the field that did not transfer through heat races will have one more shot to race their ways into the field through a sequence of last chance races on Saturday afternoon, prior to the finale.

Saturday’s Shamrock Classic program will also feature a full slate of heat races, qualifiers, last chance races and a 50-lap, $5,000-to-win main event for the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series.

The finishes:

Dash 1 (15 laps): Trey Robb, Scotty Milan, Alex Burgener, Brady Bacon, Andy Bishop, Zach Hubbard, Alex Midkiff, Dylan Kadous, Andrew Cockman.

Dash 2 (15 laps): Ryan Timms, Laydon Pearson, Michael Brummitt, Chad Elliott, Joe B. Miller, Jordan Clary, Aiden Purdue, James Scott, Mariah Ede.

The Women's T20 World Cup final will be the fifth time Australia and India have met in just over a month. The played three times in the recent tri-series, including the final, and also played in the opening match of the tournament. The teams have won two games each across the last month and the match-ups have been fascinating. They know each other inside out but both teams will need a find a way to get the match-ups in their favour at the MCG in order to take the title.

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana versus Megan Schutt

Schutt started the year as the No.1 T20I bowler but has since slipped to No.2 while Verma has climbed to No.1 in the batting rankings after mauling Schutt at every opportunity.

"They've got the wood on me," Schutt said. "Smriti and Verma, they've got me covered. There are some plans we're going to revisit as bowlers. Clearly, I don't think I'm the best match-up to those two in the powerplay, they find me easy to play."

Verma has scored 33 runs in 14 balls off Schutt this year without being dismissed, including four boundaries in an over in the tournament opener. But despite her own doubts, Schutt is a good match-up for Mandhana having dismissed her four times for 55 runs in 44 balls since 2016. If it's not Schutt bowling in the powerplay Australia have precious few other options. Ellyse Perry and Tayla Vlaeminck are the perfect match-ups for the India pair but both are unavailable due to injury.

Verma has had trouble against extra pace bounce but has dominated everything else. Australia doesn't have extra pace. The only other pace options they have from the semi-final side is Nicola Carey and Delissa Kimmince, but both bowl at well under 110kph. They tried the offspin of Molly Strano in Sydney without success after she had dismissed Verma five times in seven innings for Australia A and the Governor-General's.

Harmanpreet Kaur versus Jess Jonassen

Kaur has had a tough tour of Australia. Since her outstanding 42 not out against England in the tri-series in Canberra she has only reached 20 twice in nine innings and has three single-figure scores in the World Cup. Jonassen has her measure. The left-arm spinner has claimed her three times in her career and Kaur has scored just 16 runs in 21 balls against her since 2016. Australia have a couple of good match-ups for India's middle order. Kimmince has knocked over Jemimah Rodrigues three times for just 17 runs in 17 balls. The worry for Australia is Deepti Sharma who played a valuable innings in Sydney making 49 from 46. The left-handed Sharma has trouble scoring freely against Schutt and Kimmince, but if those two are forced to bowl a lot upfront, it could be left to two left-arm orthodox and a legspinner later in the innings if Australia pick the same side from the semi-final. Sharma can find the boundary hitting with the spin as she proved twice against Jonassen in the opening match of the World Cup. Molineux has a poor record against all of India's players and Georgia Wareham has strategically not been selected against them.

Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney versus Deepti Sharma

Sharma and Shikha Pandey are the match-ups in the powerplay for Australia's key pair. Like India, if Australia's openers get away the game can disappear quickly. Sharma has been phenomenal against Australia's dynamic duo getting Healy twice and Mooney three times and conceding well under a run-a-ball. India cannot turn to Rajeshwari Gayakwad or Radha Yadav against Healy and Mooney as both have feasted on the left-arm orthodox. It is strange for Healy, a right-hander, to prefer the ball spinning away but the way she uses her feet and her hand path and bat swing means she is much more comfortable creating room and going inside-out over the offside. Sharma can bowl wide of the crease and angle in which cramps Healy. Mooney oddly doesn't sweep Sharma very often despite the fact she bowls over the wicket pitching the ball outside leg stump. Pandey is a gamble. Mooney has scored 49 off 32 against her for one dismissal but Pandey has caused Healy some concern. Poonam Yadav has got Healy twice but she is unlikely in the powerplay with only two fielders out.

Meg Lanning or Ash Gardner at No.3 versus India's spinners

This is an interesting debate for Australia. Lanning has taken control at No.3 in the last two games against New Zealand and South Africa, going against Australia's previous plan of sending Gardner out at No.3 if Healy falls first. But Lanning's career strike-rate drops from 117 to 103 against India and she's never made a half-century, while Gardner's record against India and at No.3 overall is outstanding compared to her career numbers. Both of Gardner's career half-centuries have come at No.3 including 93 against India in the tri-series. She also averages 26.23 at No.3 and strikes at 133.13 compared to her career rates of 21.50 and 127.97. Against India, she averages 32.42 and strikes at 135.11. Lanning has fallen to Radha and Gayakwad twice each and Sharma once. There is a case to be made for Australia to get Gardner to bat as high as possible for this game. That will be weighed up against Lanning's current form, her experience, her leadership, and her record in big finals. But Gardner was Player of the Match in the last World Cup final against England in the West Indies in 2018 where set batted No. 3

Australia versus Poonam Yadav

The fear is real for Australia after Yadav ripped through them taking 4 for 19 in the opening game. "We will talk about Poonam Yadav," Lanning said. "There's a lot of learnings from that first game that we feel like we can implement. We'll do all our research over the next few days, have a look at them, but also how we can play. I've got no doubt we'll be able to adapt."

The MCG is a vastly different surface to the Sydney Showground with much more grass and less turn. Poonam has taken just one wicket in each of the past two games partly because of the lessons other sides have learned. Australia tried to play Poonam's slower than normal legspin off the front foot and all four of Poonam's victims fell either advancing down the track or lunging forward and not reading the spin correctly. A back-foot blueprint was provided by New Zealand's Amelia Kerr who sat deep in her crease and moved outside off stump to pull her twice over backward square. But it's one thing knowing what to do, it's quite another being able to execute under pressure in a World Cup final.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Big Picture

Tournament organisers have been handed their dream final, between the world's No. 1 team and hosts Australia, and the world's mightiest and most populous cricket nation, India. An enormous crowd is expected at the MCG, with the ICC releasing extra standing room tickets on Saturday to cope with demand. With Katy Perry performing either side of a contest on International Women's Day, it shapes as one of the seminal events in the history of sport in Australia, and of women's sport around the globe.

But what about the cricket? Australia, grappling with tournament favouritism and a pair of ruinous injuries to Tayla Vlaeminck before the event and Ellyse Perry in the middle of it, have had the rockiest possible road to the final. They have not played their best cricket, but instead shown forbearance, determination and big-match temperament to forge through what have effectively been four successive elimination matches after they lost the opening game of the tournament to India.

In Meg Lanning, they have a captain and top-order bat of the highest possible quality, while in the field they have shown discipline and athleticism to defend middling targets against New Zealand and South Africa. Fatigue, both physical and mental, will be an obstacle.

India, meanwhile, have more or less ridden the wave they caught in defeating Australia at the Sydney Showgrounds on opening night, neither beaten nor particularly troubled at any point in their next three group matches, then enjoying the benefit of a free pass to the final over England due to their higher better qualifying position. Shafali Verma has been the tournament's undisputed batting star, consistently rocketing her team to rapid starts, while Harmanpreet Kaur has marshalled her spin bowlers and the mediums of Shikha Pandey adroitly.

ALSO READ: How Australia and India made their way to the MCG final

If there are any question marks over India, they are matters of belief, having never played in a T20 World Cup final before, let alone won one, and also sharpness: in a tightly scheduled tournament, their draw and the Sydney rain has meant that they have not played a match in more than a week. Australia, in the meantime, have played twice.

Form guide

Australia WWWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWL

In the spotlight

Against South Africa, Jess Jonassen essentially took up the bowling role left vacant by Perry's torn hamstring, sharing the new ball with Megan Schutt in the powerplay and then bowling at the death as Laura Wolvaardt threatened to perform a middle-order miracle for her side. It was Jonassen, too, who was the decisive force against India in the final of the triangular series that preceded the Cup proper, plucking five wickets in quick succession to deliver the Australians a narrow victory. How Jonassen fares in concert with the other spin bowlers at Lanning's disposal will go a long way towards deciding the outcome.

Scores of 29, 39, 46 and 47, all made at whip-crack pace, have made Shafali Verma the most feared top order bat in the tournament, capable of either setting up a big first innings or supercharging any pursuit of a target. Her danger to Australia is enhanced by the lack of any top pace or bounce bowlers to challenge Verma on the back foot, meaning that Lanning will be relying heavily on the likes of Schutt and Jonassen to nail their lines and lengths. The only thing Verma is yet to achieve in this event is a truly major score, leaving India to hope that the biggest innings will arrive on the biggest day.

Team news

Australia will be tempted to stick with the same formula that saw them through against South Africa, although Molly Strano's offspin is a worthwhile option given India's left-handers, and she did play in the opening match of the tournament. Georgia Wareham would be the bowler most likely to make way.

Australia (possible): 1 Beth Mooney 2 Alyssa Healy (wk) 3 Meg Lanning (capt) 4 Ashleigh Gardner 5 Rachael Haynes 6 Jess Jonassen 7 Nicola Carey 8 Delissa Kimmince, 9 Georgia Wareham/Molly Strano 10 Sophie Molineux 11 Megan Schutt

India have a very settled line-up after their smooth progression through the group stage and semi-final walkover against England.

India (probable): 1 Shafali Verma 2 Smriti Mandhana 3 Jemimah Rodrigues 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt) 5 Deepti Sharma 6 Veda Krishnamurthy 7 Taniya Bhatiya (wk) 8 Shikha Pandey 9 Radha Yadav 10 Poonam Yadav 11 Rajeshwari Gayakwad

ALSO READ: Factors that can influence the T20 World Cup final

Pitch and conditions

Melbourne's forecast is mercifully fine for the final after Sydney's weather travails knocked out England and nearly did likewise for Australia. The pitch itself should be hard and flat, although the ground itself has not hosted any cricket since Australia A's meeting with England Lions more than two weeks ago.

Stats and trivia

• This would be India's first-ever T20 World Cup final appearance

• The MCG has hosted one women's World Cup final previously, the decider of the 1988 ODI tournament, won by Australia over England in front of a crowd of about 3,000 spectators

• Australia won all of the first seven T20I encounters between the teams, but India have won six of the past 12 and three of the past five.

Quotes

"This build-up to the game is something I've not experienced before and I'm quite glad that the final's here tomorrow and we can say we're involved in it. I always dreamed of being involved in this game, when I saw it was the MCG and they were hoping for a big crowd I just wanted to be involved."
Australia captain Meg Lanning

"We are going to have 90,000 in the stadium and it's a great feeling. We just need to enjoy the moment because it's a big moment for all of us."
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he would want Kevin Durant on his U.S. Olympic team roster only if the Brooklyn Nets forward is completely ready for game action.

Popovich made his remarks Friday night after Durant's longtime business partner, Rich Kleiman, told The Washington Post earlier this week that it was "definitely a possibility" that Durant would play in the Tokyo Olympics.

Kleiman's comments, published in the Post this past Saturday, sparked discussion about Durant possibly playing for Team USA before suiting up for the Nets as he works his way back from an Achilles injury.

Popovich said that if Durant is trying to rush his rehab just to play in Tokyo, he thinks it would be better if Durant stayed home.

"My feeling on that is that I would want Kevin to be absolutely ready to go, working out, playing 5-on-5, that his organization and he both feel like it's time to play," Popovich said. "I wouldn't want to be any part of him being 60% or 70% and just starting to get in shape because of the Olympics. The Olympics are important, it's huge, but he's got a career to take care of here with the Nets. I would rather have him do that if he's not totally ready to play this summer."

Durant, who won gold medals with Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, injured his Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals in June 2019. Competition in the Tokyo Games would begin in July, meaning Durant would be returning to the court 13 months after the injury.

NBA players often return from Achilles tears within a year.

Durant was named in February as one of the 44 roster finalists for the Tokyo Games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BOSTON -- After the Celtics dropped their third straight home game Friday night, losing 99-94 to the Utah Jazz, coach Brad Stevens tried to downplay his team's struggles on a night the Celtics shot just 37.2 percent overall and a dismal 10-for-36 from 3-point range.

Marcus Smart disagreed.

"Our effort was s---," the Celtics guard said. "We gave them the first couple punches and then, after that, our effort died down. We picked it up towards the end, but it was too late at that time."

One thing is clear: the Celtics stunk offensively in this one. While at least Jazz guard Mike Conley, who finished with 25 points and five assists while going 6-for-10 from 3-point range, got hot for Utah, the Celtics had no one to match him at the other end.

Smart finished with 29 points, but shot 9-for-23 from the field. He, Kemba Walker (5-for-17) and Jayson Tatum (7-for-19) combined to shoot 21-for-59 -- 35.6 percent. The Celtics were repeatedly stymied inside by the All-Star center Rudy Gobert, the NBA's two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and failed to make Utah pay from deep as a result.

"We definitely couldn't make a shot," Smart said. "They did a great job of coming out and executing all the way through, and that really put us on our heels. So we've got to move on from it. Game's over. Give credit to Utah. They came in and did their job, and we just have to bounce back on Sunday."

The Celtics have several holes in their rotation, from an offensive standpoint, when they are at full strength. When they are playing without core pieces -- like they were Friday as both Jaylen Brown (hamstring) and Gordon Hayward (knee) sat out for the second straight game) -- those issues become even more pronounced.

A bench full of dull offensive weapons cost Boston Friday. Brad Wanamaker was -25 in 26 minutes, and missed two absolutely wide open 3-pointers in the final two minutes when Boston had a chance to get to within four on back-to-back possessions. Enes Kanter played just five first half minutes and was a minus-13. Romeo Langford was -16 in his own five minute stint. Grant Williams played 17 minutes and missed all three shots he took.

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson outscored Boston's bench by himself (17-13) and the Jazz's second unit as a whole outscored the Celtics by a count of 39-13 -- more than enough to tip the balance in Utah's favor.

Still, Stevens dismissed the idea that bench scoring is a problem for the Celtics, saying that if Boston was healthy -- and Smart was back to his expected role coming off the bench -- things would be fine.

"We've had a number of our guys play well off the bench," Stevens said. "And we've never really had our full bench intact because we've never had our full starters intact. Hard to know. When we're full we'll see how it looks and see how it goes, but it is what it is. Thought we had a lot of good things tonight. Just didn't score well enough.

"Some of that was decision-making at the rim, where they did a great job, some of it was excellent pressure defense by them, and some of it was missed open shots. Just part of it. I don't want to make any generalizations about our bench until I see our whole team moving forward."

Adding to Boston's issues is that Walker is playing on a minutes limit as he continues to return from left knee soreness that cost him the first five games after the All-Star Break.

"It's tough," Walker said of the minutes limit. "Obviously I'm just coming in and out the game pretty fast. But it'll come, I guess. Just gotta keep working through it and trying my hardest not to frustrate myself."

Walker's minutes limit is also causing issues for his teammates, in terms of trying to fit in around him.

"Oh yeah, by far," Smart said. "With the talent that we have, Kemba on a minutes restriction, it's tough to really get him into a groove because he's coming out as soon as he starts to get his groove. And he's cooling off, then has to start back up.

"That's tough for any player. Kemba's a great player, but that's still tough on you, especially coming out and sitting those many games and now you're trying to get in that rhythm, your mind's in it, and now you're mind's playing tricks on you because you're missing shots, now you're thinking things you shouldn't think. And it's tough.

"But nonetheless, Kemba is a great player. We're going to figure it out."

Boston is now two full games behind the Toronto Raptors for second place in the Eastern Conference -- positioning both teams are desperate to get in order to have home court advantage in what projects to be a brutal battle in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But for Boston to put itself in that kind of position, it's going to have to get back on track starting Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder -- potentially with both Brown and Hayward watching from the sidelines again.

"We may not those two guys on Sunday," Stevens said. "Certainly not Jaylen and who knows what crops up between now and then? That's the way the league works. You play as well as you can and the guys that played a lot of minutes did a lot of good things and have played great minutes for us all year."

Amid increasing concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus, the NBA asked teams on Friday to begin developing processes and identifying actions required if they have to play games without fans in attendance, limiting attendees to only what is deemed "essential staff," according to a memo obtained by ESPN.

The memo said that members of the media and other typical attendees, in addition to fans, also could be absent from the arenas during games.

Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker said he hoped it didn't come to that point.

"That would be terrible," he said. "That would be boring. They might as well cancel the whole game before that. That would suck. But at the end of the day, it is getting serious. I don't know. It would be very weird though for sure."

Teams have been asked to identify the team and arena staff essential to conduct such a game and to develop processes for "communicating quickly and effectively with team and arena staff who are/aren't essential for this purpose."

The memo said teams should also prepare for the possibility of implementing temperature checks on players, team staff, referees and anyone else essential to conducting a game.

The Golden State Warriors confirmed that Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers will be played as scheduled after the San Francisco Department of Public Health advised for the cancellation or postponement of "large gatherings, such as concerts, sporting events, conventions or large community events." That city had its first two patients test positive for the coronavirus on Thursday.

The Warriors said they have been coordinating with the NBA and local officials.

As of Friday, the COVID-19 virus has infected more than 95,000 around the world, with more than 3,200 deaths reported. Fifteen of those deaths have been in the U.S.

In a previous memo sent to teams earlier this week, the NBA recommended players utilize fist-bumps over high-fives with fans and avoid taking items such as pens, balls and jerseys when giving autographs.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Chandler Smith made a gamble call and it paid off.

The 17-year-old from Talking Rock, Ga., used pit strategy to get his No. 20 JBL Toyota out front of the ARCA Menards Series field, and he held off Ty Gibbs and Michael Self in a two-lap sprint to the finish to win Friday night’s General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway.

The race was also the first of 10 races in the Sioux Chief Showdown.

On the last pit stop, Smith’s team elected to change just two tires, which allowed him to start at the front.

The victory was Smith’s eighth in 21 ARCA Menards Series starts. He is running the full Sioux Chief Showdown schedule, as well as the ARCA Menards Series races at Kansas, Pocono and Springfield.

Self, the Daytona winner, overcame early electrical issues to nip Gibbs at the line by .022 seconds for second. Gibbs, who was fastest in practice and won the General Tire Pole Award, settled for a disappointing third-place finish after leading the most laps.

“I kicked their butts all day, the car was just so good,” Gibbs said. “We drove away from them and at the end there, we just got jacked. I was happy with how we ran. It just sucks what happend at the end.”

Tanner Gray finished fourth and Zane Smith.

The finish:

Chandler Smith, Michael Self, Ty Gibbs, Tanner Gray, Zane Smith, Nick Sanchez, Hailie Deegan, Chase Cabre, Lawless Alan, Gio Scelzi, Dawson Cram, Christian McGhee, Takuma Koga, Drew Dollar, Bret Holmes, Jesse Love, Armani Williams, Thad Moffitt, Tom Berte, Sam Mayer, Howie DiSavino III, Gracie Trotter, Tim Richmond, Ryan Huff.