MANCHESTER, England -- Gerard Pique warned former side Manchester United that Barcelona will put the tie to bed if they get the chance in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg.

Pique, who spent four years at United as a youngster, returns to Old Trafford this week for the first time since moving back to Barca in 2008.

Barca start the tie as favourites but United come into the clash buoyed by an impressive comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round. Pique says he watched both games against PSG and urged his teammates to take the chances which come their way to avoid suffering the same fate as the French champions.

"I think the PSG tie is a great example," the defender said in a news conference on Tuesday. "I think [at Old Trafford], PSG played better. In the second half they scored and could have scored more.

"But you can't leave United alive. If you can beat them [by] scoring a lot of goals, you have to do it. They have a great history and they showed that in Paris, even with a lot of young lads from the academy. It's a great example for us. We have to be switched on from the first minute until the last."

Pique, 32, spent his formative years at United under Sir Alex Ferguson. The Premier League side's form has suffered since Ferguson's retirement in 2013 but Pique still believes they're England's best club despite currently sitting sixth in the Premier League.

"Since I played here, they have always been one of England's great teams," he added. "Obviously, teams have ups and downs and moments of transition but they're the biggest team in England.

"They consider the Premier League the same as the Champions League here -- if not more important -- and since the Ferguson era they've been the biggest team and will keep on being the biggest team. Things aren't [going as well at the moment] but I hope they change and quickly they get back on top.

"I spent several years here, between 17 and 21, my first as a professional. I played in good games alongside great players and also had some crazy times off the pitch. I left my family and friends to come here and I returned to Barcelona an adult. It's a special game for me."

Pique was briefly teammates with current United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his time at United and he has fond memories of the Norwegian, who has turned the English side's fortunes around since replacing Jose Mourinho in December.

"It was a great experience to train alongside him," Pique remembered. "He was one of the veterans and he helped me a lot when it came to adapting to the country and the club. I'm happy to see him in charge of Manchester United, he's done a great job, he's won lots of games playing much better. It will be tough and I hope we can win.

"I imagine we will have the ball, but we have to try and control their counters. They have strong, quick players on the break: [Romelu] Lukaku and [Marcus] Rashford. We have to be careful on dead balls, corners, free kicks. We have to avoid giving them away or defend them well."

Barca have won the Champions League four times since 2006 but have fallen at the quarterfinal stage in each of the last three seasons. It's increased their desire to win it this season -- especially after watching rivals Real Madrid win it three times in a row -- but Pique denied the players are under additional pressure to perform.

"Pressure would be if we'd never won it or if this was the only title left for us [to win] this season," he said. "That is not the case. We have done things well this season and that's why we are where we are: [11 points] clear in La Liga, in the Copa del Rey final and in the last eight in Europe.

"Look back and you will see that we have done very well in [all competitions] in recent seasons. So, there's no pressure. There's a lot of excitement."

Harry Kane exited Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League quarterfinal match against Manchester City on Monday with an apparent ankle injury.

Kane collided with City defender Fabian Delph on the sideline and limped off the Tottenham Stadium pitch toward the tunnel with the assistance of team trainers.

Lucas Moura came in for Kane.

Kane missed six weeks earlier this season after suffering ankle ligament damage in a Jan. 15 Premier League match against Manchester United.

Weeks after expressing his displeasure over the slow, low Chepauk track in the season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni was once again critical of the pitch following another low-scoring match, against Kolkata Knight Riders.

After Super Kings inserted Knight Riders, keeping the dewy conditions in Chennai in mind, the visitors laboured to 108 for 9 in 20 overs, with only Andre Russell passing 20. Super Kings' spinners Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja bowled 15 dots each and ended with combined figures of 12-0-53-5.

Super Kings' batsmen themselves struggled to get going in the chase, but opener Faf du Plessis ushered them home with seven wickets and 16 balls to spare.

Super Kings and Knight Riders played on the same pitch that was used for the hosts' fixture against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday. Dhoni likened the pitch to the opening game of the season that produced a mere a 141 runs. The spinners accounted for 10 of the 13 wickets to fall in that game.

"Well, again, it became like the first game," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation on Tuesday. "We were cribbing about the track but we ended up winning the game. And [after] losing Bravo, it's slightly difficult for us to get the combination right because we're missing an allrounder and David [Willey] is not here, so it can't be a straight swap.

"So, if you look it looks a good wicket to us. But, I don't think we want to play on wickets like these because it becomes too low-scoring and it becomes slightly difficult for our batters to get going. And also what happens is that it's slightly more difficult if you're batting first. As the dew comes in, it becomes slightly easier in the second half."

Seamer Deepak Chahar, who claimed 3 for 20, echoed his captain Dhoni's thoughts and said Super Kings want a "better" pitch at home. He put down the sluggish nature of the pitches down to the extreme heat and humidity in Chennai.

Ahead of the matches and during practice sessions, the groundstaff have shielded the playing square from getting to dry under the blazing Chennai sun by setting up a tent-like structure.

"I'm happy I performed well, but obviously we're looking for a better wicket," Chahar said. "Nobody wants this type of a wicket. It's [because of] the soil and heat and you can't help it. It's very hot here and the pitch curators are doing their best job to give us a good track. But, at the end of the day you can't help it."

After a week of rumblings, Chris Mullin has officially stepped down as the men's basketball head coach at St. John's, it was announced Tuesday.

"This has been an extremely emotional decision, but after a recent personal loss, I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change," Mullin said in a statement issued by the school. "I am extremely grateful to the administration, which has supported me and our basketball program on every level.

"I've been amazed by our coaches, trainers, managers and staff who work relentless hours, which enables this team to grow and thrive. I've been honored to coach the young men who are the heart and soul of this program. It's a job I will always cherish."

Mullin, the greatest player in St. John's basketball history, took over as head coach in 2015, replacing Steve Lavin. Mullin struggled in his first three years at the helm, going a combined 38-60 and failing to finish above .500 in any of his first three seasons.

This season, St. John's had one of the most talented rosters in the Big East and made the NCAA tournament, but it stumbled down the stretch, losing five of its final six games. The Red Storm lost to Arizona State in the First Four, finishing their season 21-13.

Speculation surfaced this week amid reports of contentious meetings between Mullin and athletic director Mike Cragg, who issued a statement of support on Saturday.

The past four years at St. John's University have been one of the most thrilling and challenging points of my career," Mullin said in the statement. "... I am proud of our accomplishments. NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday will be a lifetime memory. I am forever grateful to St. John's for giving me the opportunity to hear Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden roar again for college basketball and especially for our players."

Mullin, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had no coaching experience before he took the job. He worked in the Golden State Warriors' front office for five years as the executive vice president of basketball operations. He also spent time working as an adviser in the Sacramento Kings organization.

The top target for St. John's is expected to be Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, sources told ESPN on Monday. Hurley played at Duke, where Cragg spent 31 years before being hired at St. John's in September.

Another name expected to be considered is Iona coach Tim Cluess, who played at St. John's for two seasons and has coached in the New York area his entire career.

Whomever replaces Mullin will have a roster in flux. Leading scorer Shamorie Ponds turned pro after the season ended, while Marvin Clark was a senior. The Red Storm's top recruit, highly-touted junior college point guard Cam Mack, recently requested his release from the school, and four-star junior Nate Tabor decommitted Monday night. There are zero 2019 or 2020 prospects currently committed to St. John's.

There is a solid core on the roster, though. Mustapha Heron (14.6 PPG), LJ Figueroa (14.4 PPG) and Justin Simon (10.4 PPG) all have eligibility left, while transfers Eli Wright (Mississippi State), David Caraher (Houston Baptist) and Ian Steere (NC State) sat out this past season.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.

PLANO, Texas — Toyota and Kalitta Motorsports announced the auto maker will be the primary sponsor of Doug Kalitta’s Top Fuel dragster during this weekend’s SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park.

“This is an extension of the exceptional partnership Toyota has enjoyed with Kalitta Motorsports both marketing and technology-wise,” said Laura Pierce, general manager, Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America. “We are looking forward to sponsoring Doug Kalitta, one of the sport’s most successful drivers, in Houston.”

Toyota has a rich history with Kalitta Motorsports, having won 31 races and two Funny Car world championships with the team since joining forces in 2011. Among those wins was Doug Kalitta’s victory in the season-opening NHRA Winternationals.

“The Toyota wrap on the car looks really good and I’m looking forward to trying to go down to Houston and get the win with it,” said Kalitta, the Top Fuel point leader. “Toyota has been a great partner and it’s been a real bonus for our team technically having TRD out there with us. I’m a true believer that having TRD’s involvement was a big part in winning the Funny Car championship last year.”

Kalitta has registered 45 career Top Fuel wins, the fifth-most in Top Fuel history. In addition, he will take a 33-point lead into Houston.

The race will take place just over 200 miles from the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas plant in San Antonio.

FRISCO, Texas -- Fresh off signing a five-year, $105 million deal that included $65 million guaranteed, Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder Wednesday.

Lawrence is looking at a four- to six-month rehabilitation process, which could put the opening of the season in jeopardy.

"I'll be ready for the start of the season," Lawrence said. "I'm not worried about it. It's just about getting it over with."

Lawrence, who has had two back surgeries and a thumb operation, has played with the injury since the 2017 season but has not missed a game, recording 25 sacks and earning two Pro Bowl trips. While the Cowboys had until July 15 to sign Lawrence to a long-term deal, the timing of the surgery was a factor in speeding up the negotiations between the team and his agent, David Canter.

"We were aware of it, and I knew we were getting to a point where we needed to make it happen," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "I think DeMarcus was aware of that, too. I mean, he loves to play the game. Certainly, having that looming out there was probably important for both of us to really push and make the push we did there to get it done."

Lawrence is likely to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The Cowboys, however, can take him off the list at any point over the summer. If he were to start the season on PUP, he would miss the first six games of the season.

The plan is for Lawrence to work with associate athletic trainer and director of rehabilitation Britt Brown.

"We've got one of the best in the business in Britt Brown," Jones said, "and he'll be spending a lot of time with Britt and hopefully get him ready to go and be ready for the opener."

As for the financial windfall, Lawrence, who was joined by his parents, fiancée and son at Tuesday's announcement, was grateful.

"The contract is a big accomplishment, but my goal is still to have a gold jacket," Lawrence said, making reference to the Hall of Fame. "That's what I'm hitting on. I'm so honored just to be a Cowboy and to be able to do it here. I've got a lot of work to keep doing. I'm just in my moment right now, so y'all got to excuse me.

"This is very special to me. But I've just got to keep building, keep building on my resume. You never know ... they might give me a third contract or something."

Lawrence's $21 million average per year and $65 million guaranteed is the most in franchise history, but Jones acknowledged it might not last long as discussions with Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper are expected to heat up this spring and into training camp.

"When you're getting ready to do a quarterback who is a franchise quarterback and already has put some serious skins on the wall like Dak has, no, probably not going to be there long," Jones said of Lawrence's financial marks. "But he can always say he held the mantle, albeit it might be a short time."

The fastest British 800m man this year has Olympian parents, but it’s the US-based athlete’s own performances which are putting him in the spotlight

Colorado State University-Pueblo sits in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in the American West. In one of the dorms, a 21-year-old student has placed a large England flag on one of his bedroom walls and Tottenham Hotspur posters on the other. Football was his first love, but he is now showing an incredible talent for middle-distance running and is currently the fastest British 800m runner of 2019.

The athlete’s name is Thomas Staines and he clocked 1:46.27 indoors in Michigan in February. It is faster than Jamie Webb, Guy Learmonth, Joseph Reid and Elliot Giles have run this year and it is not a one-off, either.

Also in February, Staines ran a UK indoor 600m record of 75.31 at altitude in Albuquerque – breaking Kyle Langford’s national mark of 76.10 – and last month he wrapped up his indoor season by winning the NCAA indoor division two 800m title by a clear second in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Given this, surely he should have been running at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow?

“It would have been cool to go,” he says, “but sadly I had school, which always gets in the way of what you want to do.”

Staines studies automotive industry management and works at a Land Rover and Jaguar dealership. Of more interest to readers of AW, though, is that he is the son of Gary and Linda Staines – two of Britain’s finest athletes during the 1980s and 1990s.

Gary ran a 3:53 mile, 13:14 for 5000m, 27:48 for 10,000m and 2:11:25 for the marathon during a career that also saw him win 5000m silver at the 1990 European Championships behind Salvatore Antibo of Italy.

Linda, meanwhile, ran 50.98 for 400m racing under her maiden name of Keough – a time that still places her No.14 on the UK all-time rankings – and she won a number of national titles plus Commonwealth silver behind Fatima Yusuf of Nigeria in 1990, whereas as a relay runner she was part of a British record-breaking team and won two Commonwealth titles.

Linda and Gary both represented Britain in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, too, so for the young Staines to have inherited ability at a distance which is in the middle of his parents’ specialist events “makes perfect sense,” he says.

Born in Epsom, Surrey, on February 22, 1998, Staines moved to the United States when he was four years old. In 2005 the family started to run the Runners Roost store in Colorado Springs and have stayed in the area ever since.

As a youngster, Staines was mainly attracted to football and his natural speed and stamina on the flanks led to him being picked for an Olympic development programme.

“It’s broken down into states,” he explains, “and the best are picked from every state. One year I was chosen for the Colorado team and I thought ‘this might happen’ but I gradually lost interest as football has a lot of egos.”

He continues to be an avid fan, though. “Growing up, my entire family have been Tottenham supporters so I was always brought into that environment,” he says. “They show a decent amount of games over here and, growing up, my dad would pay for the streaming service or extra channels that would have it.”

Staines adds: “My dad’s dad was Tottenham. My mum’s dad, or grandad, is a Tottenham supporter as well. So it goes back through the family.”

Not surprisingly, when England were playing in the 2018 World Cup, Staines was glued to the action. “Problem is, the games were always when I was working, so I’d watch them during work. I was at work, for example, when we beat Colombia on penalties and no one there understood how big of a deal that was!”

Being the son of such talented athletes, though, meant that he could not out-run his fate forever and perhaps inevitably he began to show the kind of ability that could one day propel him to an Olympic Games as well.

Staines reckons his fledgling running career began only three-and-a-half years ago. “It started because my coach at high school asked me if I wanted to go with the cross-country team to Arizona,” he remembers. “I’d just got done with my worst football season and a lot of my friends were on the cross-country team. I thought the trip sounded great but I didn’t think he meant ‘go run a 5km in Arizona’. I thought he meant that we were just going to Arizona for a trip!

“So a week passed and he found me in the food courtyard and asked me ‘why haven’t you been coming to practise?’ I asked, ‘why would I come to practise?’ He said, ‘because we’re running a 5km in Arizona’. I thought ‘crap, I’ve roped myself into this and now I have to do it’.

“So I ran for a week before we went and they were just two-mile runs. This meant the race was further than I’d ever run in my life. But I ended up having a lot of fun doing it and I enjoyed the team/cross-country atmosphere more than I did with the football, so I stuck with it.”

At close to 6ft 5in tall, it means Staines’ stride eats up the ground and he has so far powered his way to a number of impressive wins on the US collegiate circuit. In 2017 he ran 1:50.39 for 800m but last year he improved to 1:45.57 – a time that placed him seventh on the UK rankings for 2018.

“I’ve only been ‘good’ for about one year,” he says. “When I was 18 I’d never broken 1:50 and my best was about 1:50.2. But it got me into an NCAA event. I didn’t make the final and finished about 14th indoors and 12th outdoors and I was really disappointed I didn’t make the finals. I didn’t want that feeling again.

“I had my wisdom teeth taken out over the Christmas period last year so I couldn’t run for two weeks and I was scared that I had an 800m in February and was worried I wouldn’t be fit. So I buckled down and worked really hard and in my first 800m I ran 1:47 after going through in 56 (indoors). So all of a sudden I ran a top 20 time in the world.

“It just happened like that and literally the following weekend tonnes of people were contacting my coach about it. I went from being unable to make a final to being favourite to win nationals the following month. It was kind of difficult to take in and wrap my head around. But since then I’ve got used to it. It’s become ‘my thing’ now.”

Staines has also not started training to his maximum, either. “At the start I was running about 15 miles per week, whereas now I’m doing about 50.”

Coached by Matt Morris at Colorado State University-Pueblo, he says: “We’ve gone up gradually in a safe way, adding slightly more miles each year so I won’t get hurt. But I’m not a high mileage person so I guess there is still more room for improvement.”

As for his British links, he possesses a British passport, but how often does he come back to the land of his birth? “Normally I go every other year,” he says. “It’s never for running, although that might change now. All our family and friends are still over there.”

On his 2019 plans, he says: “I hope to come back this summer to make the team for the World Champs. That’s the main goal of mine, but I won’t stay over there. If I make it to Qatar then I’ll have to come back (to the US). It’ll be cool to be over there and I’m looking forward to it.”

Staines reckons his improved PBs mean he’s likely to get invitations to some better races, too. Running at Stanford in the early season period is an option, for example, and he has an eye already on UKA’s 800m qualifying standard of 1:45.80.

When he is told that he’s probably the best British athlete that nobody has heard of, though, he laughs. “Yep, I’ve heard I’m just ‘a name’ who runs some fast times and they don’t think I really exist over there!”

You have a feeling that could change this summer.

What's at stake for the NBA playoff race and draft lottery during the final two days of the NBA regular season?

Three teams are competing for the final playoff spot in the East, and it should go down to the wire. Only one playoff matchup is set in either conference, with plenty of movement still possible throughout the West.

The tank race has heated up, especially with traded and protected picks still very much up in the air.

Here are the games to follow, what they mean and how ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) projects everything to shake out.

Note: All odds are via BPI projections unless otherwise noted.

More: Power Rankings | Top 100 prospects | Traded picks

East playoff race

The Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat are battling for the 16th playoff spot. The Hornets own tiebreakers over both teams (including a three-way tie), while the Pistons own the tiebreaker over the Heat.

Games with the most at stake

• Grizzlies @ Pistons | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
• Hornets @ Cavaliers | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
• 76ers @ Heat | Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Magic @ Hornets | Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Pistons @ Knicks | Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
• Heat @ Nets | Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET

Pistons (39-41) | Playoff odds: 75.5 percent

• In: Wins over Grizzlies and Knicks

• In: Win either remaining game combined with the Hornets losing either game

• In: Lose both remaining games combined with two Hornets losses and at least one Heat loss

Hornets (38-42) | Playoff odds: 23.1 percent

• In: Wins over Cavaliers and Magic combined with the Pistons losing either game

• In: A win over the Cavaliers or Magic, combined with two Pistons losses and at least one Heat loss

Heat (38-42) | Playoff odds: 1.3 percent

• In: Wins over 76ers and Nets combined with two Pistons losses and at least one Hornets loss

East playoff seeding

Seeds Nos. 1-5 are wrapped up, guaranteeing Celtics-Pacers in Round 1. Here's how BPI projects the rest of the East:

Meaning the most likely playoff matchups are ...

• (1) Bucks vs. (8) Pistons (61 percent chance)

• (2) Raptors vs. (7) Magic (60 percent chance)

• (3) 76ers vs. (6) Nets (74 percent chance)

• (4) Celtics vs. (5) Pacers (locked in)

West playoff race

The eight West playoff teams have been locked in for weeks, but the seeding will go down to the wire.

The Warriors have claimed No. 1. Here are the odds for the other teams still playing for home-court advantage:

And the odds for the bottom playoff teams:

Tiebreakers

There are still some convoluted tiebreakers up in the air in the West for teams that finish with the same record. A refresher on the order in which these can shake out in a two-team tie:

• First tiebreaker: Head-to-head record

• If tied head-to-head: A division winner gets the edge

• If neither is a division winner (same division): Division record

• If neither is a division winner (different divisions): Conference record

• If still tied: Record against playoff teams in own conference; then record against playoff teams in the other conference; then point differential

• If still tied: Random drawing

If three or more teams are tied, then a division winner gets first priority, followed by winning percentage in games among the tied teams.

Games with the most at stake

• Nuggets @ Jazz | Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET
• Rockets @ Thunder | Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
• Timberwolves @ Nuggets | Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET
• Jazz @ Clippers | Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• The Nuggets will secure the No. 2 seed with two more wins.

• The Rockets own the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, so a victory in the final game with Denver splitting its games will get Houston up to No. 2.

• If the Rockets lose and the Blazers win out (play the Lakers on Tuesday and Kings on Wednesday), Portland gets the No. 3 seed.

• As long as the Jazz win either game, they'll finish at least No. 5.

• If the Thunder win out (play Houston on Tuesday and Milwaukee on Wednesday), they'll at least finish No. 6.

• The Spurs own the tiebreakers with the Thunder and Clippers, so a San Antonio win over Dallas on Wednesday combined with an OKC loss in either game will get the Spurs to No. 6.

Most likely playoff matchups

• (1) Warriors vs. (8) Thunder (49 percent chance)

• (2) Rockets vs. (7) Clippers (26 percent chance)

• (3) Nuggets vs. (6) Spurs (55 percent chance)

• (4) Blazers vs. (5) Jazz (82 percent chance)

Draft odds at stake

The tweaked lottery system hasn't eradicated the tank race down the stretch. There are precious pingpong ball combinations up for grabs that will affect traded picks and odds to get one of the coveted top three selections (bringing a chance to select Zion Williamson, Ja Morant or RJ Barrett).

Go here for a full breakdown of how the new lottery works.

Projected lottery odds

Games to watch and what they mean

• Hornets @ Cavaliers | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
• Grizzlies @ Pistons | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
• Celtics @ Wizards | Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
• Warriors @ Pelicans | Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET
• Suns @ Mavericks | Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET
• Warriors @ Grizzlies | Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
• Mavericks @ Spurs | Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET

• The New York Knicks have secured the worst record. The Knicks will share the same 14 percent odds of landing the No. 1 pick with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, but New York is guaranteed to stay in the top five.

• The Suns and Cavaliers -- tied at 19-62 with one game left -- are essentially battling over top-five odds. Under the new system, with the top four picks now in the lottery draw, the three worst teams share equal odds for all four slots. But the team with the second-worst record will hold an 80 percent chance to stay in the top five, while the third-worst team has only a 67 percent chance. The third-worst team can slide all the way to No. 7.

• This race for second-worst record will get settled Tuesday ... sort of. Cleveland faces a Charlotte team fighting for a postseason spot, while Phoenix gets a Dallas squad that has its own reasons to lose.

• If these teams -- or any lottery teams -- finish with the same record, the NBA will break the tie with a random drawing Friday. The tied teams will receive the average of the total number of combinations for those tied positions, with the winner of the draw getting any extra combinations if there's an odd number to split.

• The Suns and Cavs are already bound to share the same odds whether they tie or not, but the random drawing also determines the order in which the teams pick if they don't get selected in the top four. So, hypothetically: If the Suns and Cavs tie, the Suns win the random drawing and neither team wins a top-four lottery selection, then the Suns would pick No. 5 and the Cavs would pick No. 6. (Unless the Knicks also don't land in the top four. In that scenario the Suns get No. 6 and the Cavs get No. 7.)

• The Chicago Bulls (No. 4) and Atlanta Hawks (No. 5) are locked into their slots.

• The Washington Wizards (32-49), Dallas Mavericks (32-48), Memphis Grizzlies (32-48) and New Orleans Pelicans (33-48) are bunched up at Nos. 6-9. This is especially important because Dallas and Memphis have a chance to lose their protected picks without some lottery luck, and they both have two games left.

• The Mavericks will send their pick to the Hawks if it's outside the top five, and the Grizzlies will send their pick to Celtics if it's outside the top eight. BPI currently projects that Dallas has a 27 percent chance to keep its pick, while Memphis has a 74.9 percent. The Mavs' pick remains top-five-protected next year if not conveyed; the Grizzlies' pick drops to top-six-protected in 2020. There are rumbling that Memphis -- in the middle of a rebuild -- prefers to give up a first-rounder this season before the protections drop further.

• If any team grabs the No. 6 spot outright, that comes with a 9.0 percent chance for No. 1 and a 37 percent chance for top five. Falling to No. 9 outright means a 4.5 percent chance for No. 1 and a 20 percent chance for top five. The most likely scenario is that at least a couple of these selections end up tied.

• Dallas faces a Phoenix team that also is incentivized to lose and then a San Antonio team that should be playing for playoff seeding. Memphis gets Detroit (on the playoff bubble) and then Golden State.

• The Lakers can improve their odds with a loss to Portland on Tuesday and at least one Timberwolves win.

The Calgary Flames roared to the top of the Western Conference this season, while the Colorado Avalanche narrowly qualified for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Who wins the series? Let's break it down:

How they got here: The Flames missed the playoffs last season after making them in 2016-17 for one primary reason: offense. They had a 2.63 goals per game average, ranking them 27th in the league. So GM Brad Treliving got to work. He fired head coach Glen Gulutzan and replaced him with former Carolina coach Bill Peters. He made a blockbuster trade, moving defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Hurricanes with Micheal Ferland and the rights to Adam Fox for defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm. He signed Derek Ryan and James Neal (although the less said about that latter signing, the better).

These changes, along with career years from Johnny Gaudreau (99 points) and Matthew Tkachuk (34 goals), helped the Flames to be the league's third-best offense, at 3.52 goals per game. Their Mark Giordano-led defense was good enough in front of their below-average goaltending to win them the Pacific.

The Avalanche had a more complicated path to the postseason, clinching their wild-card spot in the last days of the regular season. They did so on the back of goalie Philipp Grubauer, acquired last summer from the Capitals, who went 8-1-2 down the stretch and gave up more than two goals just once in that span. While depth is not a word associated with these Avs, they do boast one of the best lines in hockey when the group is together and healthy. Can they muster up enough pop to keep pace with Calgary?

First line: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog played 841 minutes together at even strength and dominated: 46 goals, a goals-for percentage of 61.33 and a 54.56 scoring chance percentage. But Calgary's Sean Monahan, Gaudreau and Lindholm were nearly as potent offensively in 823 minutes, with 52 goals, a 59.77 goals-for percentage and 52.56 percent of scoring chances. They were also a little better defensively, thanks in no small part to Lindholm joining up. It's close, but we'll still give the nod to MacKinnon's group. Advantage: Avalanche

Depth: With any of their top-line players on the ice, Colorado scored 80 goals at 5-on-5; without any of them, they scored just 76. Such is the depth problem these Avs have at forward, as no other center or winger had more than 50 points. Carl Soderberg (23 goals) and Alexander Kerfoot (42 points) were the next-highest scorers. Colin Wilson had 27 points. Derick Brassard, their most notable trade deadline pickup, had four goals in 20 games. Calgary, by contrast, had six forwards in double digits in goals outside of the top line: Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund (21), Michael Frolik (16), Mark Jankowski (14), Derek Ryan (13), Sam Bennett (13) and Garnet Hathaway (11). The team's "3M" line of Tkachuk, Backlund and Frolik has a 67.44 goals-for percentage at even strength. Advantage: Flames

Defense: Giordano is the favorite to take home his first Norris Trophy after a season that saw him score 17 goals, amass 74 points and post a plus-39 rating at 35 years old. He's paired with T.J. Brodie. Travis Hamonic and Hanifin make up the other duo, but then it gets a little thin with players such as Oscar Fantenberg, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Dalton Prout in the mix. The Avalanche are anchored by Tyson Barrie, who had 59 points in 78 games this season. He skates with Nikita Zadorov, who was a plus-19 this season. Their leader in ice time on defense is veteran Erik Johnson, who skates with Samuel Girard (27 points). Veteran Ian Cole and Patrik Nemeth round out the group. Advantage: Flames

Goaltending: Grubauer has been red hot down the stretch, and strong overall, with a .917 save percentage. (Although his goals saved above average is just 0.85.) Semyon Varlamov was 20-19-9 with a .909 save percentage, and he has appeared in six games since March 1. The Flames got a great run from David Rittich, who posted a .911 save percentage and 7.99 goals saved above average. But 36-year-old Mike Smith has split time with him in the past month, and he appears to have the crease to start the playoffs after two months that salvaged his season. Advantage: Avalanche

Coaching: Jared Bednar has coached only six NHL playoff games, but that's six more than Bill Peters has coached. Bednar has coached through adversity this season, and he made the playoffs in consecutive seasons; that's no small feat in the West. Advantage: Avalanche

Health: Rantanen, who has been out since March 21, is skating in a non-contact jersey this week, but he looks like he'll answer the bell for Game 1. The Flames are healthy. Advantage: tie, assuming Rantanen is back

Special teams: The Flames were 18th on the power play at 19.3 percent, while Colorado was seventh at 22.0 percent. The Flames' penalty kill was 21st (79.7 percent) and Colorado 25th (78.7 percent). In other words, nothing to write home about on special teams outside of the Avs on the man advantage. Advantage: Avalanche

Prediction: Flames in six. Grubauer keeps the Avalanche in it, but the Flames' offense proves too much to handle. But fret not for the Avs: Cale Makar, the No. 1 drafted prospect in hockey, and Ottawa's lottery pick mean they're going to be loaded next season (and beyond).