The addition of the tournament brought a new level of intrigue and drama down the final stretch of the regular season and encouraged teams to compete rather than tank in the hopes of landing a better draft pick. While the play-in format is straightforward, it may be confusing to many NBA fans at first because it’s a new concept to the league. Don’t worry — we’re here to help....
WASHINGTON — Paul George had his best game of the series with 23 points and eight rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers held the Washington Wizards to a franchise-low scoring total Friday night in an 85-63 victory for a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Roy Hibbert was again a factor for Indiana with 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Washington made only 24 field goals, a team postseason worst, on 73 attempts, 32....
In the Pepsi Center at Denver, the Nuggets got off to a blazing start and never looked back, blowing the Portland Trail Blazers out of the game, winning 124-98. The Blazers looked lackluster tonight and thoroughly deserved to lose the match tonight. The series is now in the Nuggets favour at 3-2 with Game 6 at the Moda Center in Portland. With these developments in mind, let us take a look at the 3 main talking points from Game 5 tonight....
Portland ended up pulling off a 140-137 win over Denver to lead the series 2-1. The Nuggets weren’t willing to go down without a fight, though, meaning this likely will be a series that goes to seven games before deciding who advances to the Western Conference finals. Rodney Hood came up big for Portland down the stretch as he turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead with 17 second remaining after making a 3-pointer....
Point spreads and totals are current as of Thursday evening. Check our odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 3 Chicago Bulls (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) Game 3 spread, total: Chicago -2, 196 Series lead: 1-1 Multiple Las Vegas sports books opened Chicago -1.5, with early bettors laying the points and pushing the line to -2. Cleveland (58-30 SU, 44-44 ATS) was a desperate team in Game 2, and it showed with a 106-91 win as a 5....
NBA Rankings: Top 10 small forwards in the history of the league In this edition of our NBA Rankings, we will take a look at the Top 10 small forwards in the history of the league. #10 James Worthy This one was definitely a close call between James Worthy and Adrian Dantley, with Big Game James getting a slide edge, probably due to reason he got his nickname, and his NBA Finals MVP from 1988....
The 13-year veteran was moved by the Miami Heat this summer to the Toronto Raptors as part of the deal for Kyle Lowry. However, after the point guard said that Toronto wasn’t his desired destination and that he had higher ambitions, on top of the fact that he has an expiring $19m contract for this season, it has been widely touted that the Raptors would buy him out. In the most recent NBA rumors, this scenario now certainly seems to be on the cards....
Crowder’s recent social media activity also suggests that he is interested in playing elsewhere this season. Recent reports say he will sit out training camp till the Suns find a trade partner for him. Crowder has consistently written in his captions that he wants to play where he is wanted. Here’s what he posted in one of his recent posts: It remains unclear where Jae Crowder will play next season, but his former Grizzlies teammate Ja Morant may have hinted at his return to the franchise....
The Warriors won the game despite Kevin Durant leaving the game in the first half. After missing several games, Durant made his return in Game 5. He practiced with the team on Sunday and was listed as questionable before the game. Eventually, it was announced that Durant would play in this game. He started the game and had 11 points before his injury. Durant did not return in the game and left the arena on crutches and in a walking boot....
The Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a squeaker, 85-83, on Sunday. The Hawks gave up a three-pointer in transition to the Celtics’ Romeo Langford, which resulted in an 83-81 lead with 11.1 seconds remaining. The Atlanta Hawks were led by rookie Jalen Johnson, who was the No. 20 overall pick of the 2021 draft. He had team-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Indiana Pacers, on the other hand, lost to the Emmanuel Quickley-led New York Knicks, 94-86....
For the first time since 2015, a team from the Central Division failed to make the NBA Finals. With the departure of LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered free-fall, finishing the season with a miserable 19-63 record. However, the Division was still well represented, with the Milwaukee Bucks surging to the Eastern Conference Finals but coming up short against eventual champions Toronto Raptors. While the Bucks will look to assert their dominance once again next season, other teams like the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons will look towards the NBA Draft as a chance to revamp their rosters and develop a squad capable of competing in the future....
Pausing video of the encounter at exactly the right time produces an image of Thompson and West getting close — very close — to each other. As Twitter does, people started sharing their thoughts on the moment. MORE: NBA Finals Game 5 live updates Maybe they were reenacting this scene from “The Office”? It was only a matter of time before someone made a Kardashian joke. This is a good follow-up tweet....
To say the 2015 NBA Finals have been strange would be an understatement. But they also have been memorable, and the Cavaliers taking a 2-1 lead in Game 3 Tuesday only added to that. Now we have a real series, with all the worries about the Warriors sweeping or winning in five no longer even possible. MORE: LeBron’s best Finals games | Can David Lee save the Warriors? | Delly time...
Now, they’ve voted to allow logos from Carl’s Jr. or Verizon or Stamps.com or whatever. MORE: Predicting the postseason: How many Warriors losses? “Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a news release. “We’re always thinking about innovative ways the NBA can remain competitive in a global marketplace, and we are excited to see the results of this three-year trial....
The 6-3 point guard burst through the door bombing 25-footers and quickly garnering comparisons to Warriors star Stephen Curry. Although Young was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, nobody expected him to put up historic numbers — 29.6 points and 10.7 assists per game — as a freshman for the Sooners. SCOUTING REPORT: What makes Young a one-of-a-kind prospect? But he has. And as a result, he’s catapulted himself up the draft board....
Teams such as the Lakers, Thunder, and Rockets are also attempting to make big moves as they look to build a roster that can compete during the 2019/20 season. So, here are all the latest NBA rumours you need to know for June 19th: Harrison Barnes declines $25M option; becomes a free agent A number of players around the league are currently deciding whether to take up player options for the 19-20 season....
The top 3 names from the Rookie of the Year race in Ja Morant, Kendrick Nunn, and Zion Williamson are all present and accounted for. Morant, in fact, is a unanimous pick for the First All-Rookie Team. Here are both the teams: First Team: Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), Kendrick Nunn (Miami Heat), Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Eric Paschall (Golden State Warriors) Second Team: Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Terence Davis II (Toronto Raptors), Coby White (Chicago Bulls), PJ Washington (Charlotte Hornets), Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards)...
NBA News Update: Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer discusses Championship credentials and Jrue Holiday One team that we can expect to see do well again this season are the Milwaukee Bucks. The franchise have not won an Eastern Conference title since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brought the franchise to glory. The Bucks are desperate to live up to their billing in the playoffs and more importantly, keep their star Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, in NBA News, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer while talking to the press today played down rumors that it was a now or never situation for his side....
NBA News Update: Reggie Miller and Chris Webber comment on LA Clippers’ chemistry Before the playoffs began, many believed that the LA Clippers were the favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA championship. They had great depth in their roster and a few players with championship experience. Following their second-round exit against the Denver Nuggets, NBA legend Reggie Miller chimed in and said that the LA Clippers had poor chemistry. After Game 7, LA Clippers’ Paul George and Lou Williams pointed out that the chemistry between the players was an issue....
