Elsewhere, the annual NBA draft is less than two months away, and all eyes are on Zion Williamson – who many have tipped as the next LeBron James. A number of the NBA’s biggest free agents will also be up for grabs in the coming months, and with plenty going on around the league, here are all the latest news and rumors you need to know for May 2nd....
All five agreed with the decision and felt that the Milwaukee Bucks forward was deserving of the accolade irrespective of his playoff shortcomings. Charles Barkley also explained why Antetokounmpo should remain in Milwaukee. Later in the same show, three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green opened up about their victorious campaigns and admitted that the title without Kevin Durant was sweeter than the two with him....
Here are some NBA news updates that didn’t make your feed: NBA News Update: Paul George met with resistance in the locker room post Nuggets loss According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Paul George was preaching to his LA Clippers to remain committed to the team in the offseason after the loss to Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals. It was met by some eye rolls and bewilderment because George did not back up his words with action in the series....
The Pacers and Hawks are tied at a game apiece heading into Game 3 in Atlanta on Thursday. NBA PLAYOFFS PHOTOS: Western Conference | Eastern Conference George was especially effective even though he spent much of the night defending Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who had 14 points. Paul Millsap finished with 19 for Atlanta. The first 24 minutes looked like an exact duplicate of Game 1, but the Pacers pulled away with a 31-13 third quarter....
OAKLAND, Calif. — After a first-round series filled with drama on the court and off it, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will put the focus back on basketball in the biggest way possible. Next up: Game 7. Stephen Curry scored 24 points and dished out nine assists, and the Warriors forced a winner-take-all series finale by outlasting the Clippers 100-99 Thursday night. "We are going to a Game 7 despite all the sideline music, and I like my chances because I've got a group of guys that want to do whatever it takes to win," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said....
Doc Rivers? He was 2-6 to start his postseason career, and followed that by blowing a 3-1 lead against the Pistons as coach of the Magic in 2003. All six of those coaches have something in common: They rank among the top 15 in NBA coaching wins all-time. Three of them (Wilkens, Sloan and Ramsay) are in the Hall of Fame. PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: East | West In the past week, with the Celtics down 0-2 to the Bulls despite ranking as the East’s top seed, the spotlight has landed on Boston’s coach, Brad Stevens....
Midway through the second quarter, Wizards forward Markieff Morris went down with an ugly ankle injury after landing on the foot of Celtics center Al Horford. The Wizards announced Morris suffered a sprained left ankle, and he did not return after playing only 11 minutes. “(Horford) stepped right under my foot,” Morris said after the game. “Not sure if it was intentional or not, probably not. But that’s what happened, rolled it on his foot....
The Texas rivals decided to have some mascot fun Wednesday night during Game 2 in San Antonio. They invited WWE superstar Henry, the World’s Strongest Man, to join in. MORE: Spurs await word on Parker’s injury; ‘Not good,’ says Pop Henry, who hails from Austin, laid the smackdown on someone dressed up as Clutch, the Rockets’ mascot, after the Spurs’ mascot got laid out. Cleanup on Aisle 6 …...
While there undoubtedly will be series that turn into routs (the Warriors and Bucks in the first round, probably), multiple matchups will certainly come down to a seventh game. One player can make the difference down the stretch in those tight contests. And one game can swing a series in either direction. Here are five players who could potentially have that type of impact this postseason. 76ers forward Tobias Harris On paper, the 76ers’ starting lineup turned into one of the most dangerous in the NBA after they acquired Harris from the Clippers before the deadline....
Game 1 of the Eastern finals begins Sunday, with the Indiana Pacers holding home court over the Miami Heat. On Monday, the Western final series opens, pitting the San Antonio Spurs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. PLAYOFF INFO: Heat vs. Pacers | Spurs vs. Thunder | PHOTOS: Must-see playoff action Let's get started. No. 1 Pacers vs. No. 2 Heat Sean’s take Well, we wound up with the matchup in the East finals we all thought we’d get....
Second-seeded Toronto improved considerably, and Kawhi Leonard was simply unstoppable against Orlando. Leonard exploded for a game-high 37 points on 15-of-22 shooting and was relentless in his pursuit of the hoop. Aaron Gordon led the overwhelmed Magic in scoring, totaling 20 points while most of his teammates struggled from the field. Now the series is knotted up at 1-1 as the two squads head to Orlando for Game 3....
Some of the top title contenders can be found at the top of our list, but even championship hopefuls such as the Bucks, Nets and Lakers face big questions entering the 2021-22 campaign. They aren’t alone, though, as The Sporting News staff has presented a big question for every NBA team. RANKING ALL 30 STARTERS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C Important note: These rankings are not projections for how the final standings will look....
#10 Dallas Mavericks - Record: 24-15 The Dallas Mavericks were once again without the injured Kristaps Porzingis over the past seven days, although they managed to come out of a difficult week with a 2-2 record. At 24-15 the Mavs are well ahead of where many believed they would be at this point of the season, and this week’s schedule is quite favorable as they take on the Warriors, Kings and Trail Blazers....
These reports have emerged in the wake of the Lakers reportedly signing DeAndre Jordan. The 33-year-old needs to clear waivers to sign a one-year $2.6 million deal with the side. Gasol, on the other hand, still has one year left on his LA Lakers contract. The Spaniard joined the 2020 NBA champions last season but had an underwhelming campaign, averaging five points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. The LA Lakers even had to sign Andre Drummond mid-season because of Gasol’s poor outings for the team....
One of the most highly anticipated draft lotteries in years turned into one of the most thrilling draft lotteries of all time, as the New Orleans Pelicans overcame six percent odds to steal the first overall pick and steal the right to claim Duke phenom, Zion Williamson. Under the new NBA lottery rules, the three worst teams in the league - which this year were the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and the Cleveland Cavaliers - had the same odds to get the first overall pick, which was 14 percent....
Any joy the Celtics had over the past 48 hours by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals or by winning the #1 Overall Pick in the 2017 Draft was quickly incinerated by one, Mr. LeBron James. The final score, a mere 13-point victory for the Cavaliers isn’t actually representative of how lopsided this matchup was in almost every facet of the game, as Cleveland beat the living spirit out of Boston to take a 1-0 lead in the series....
The Warriors, who led by as many as 29 points on the night, took over the game in a trademark third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 35-14 and holding on the rest of the way for an impressive double-digit win. As the series now shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4, we break down the key player ratings from Game 2. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)...
Lo and behold, as per The Athletic and Stadium NBA reporter Shams Charania, Nikola Vucevic signed a 4-year $100 million contract with the Orlando Magic when the free agency officially began on June 30th, 6 PM ET (July 1st, 3:30 AM IST). The demand in the free agency market for a floor-stretching big man like Vucevic was really high and given his All-Star status, he had offers from all the big market teams like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers to name a few....
This move from Middleton isn’t shocking as he’s expected to re-sign with Milwaukee for five years and near-max money, according to multiple reports. Middleton was named to his first All-Star team last season despite taking a small step back in scoring from last year (18.3 points per game vs. 20.1 in 2017-18) with Mike Budenholzer taking over the Bucks, but he averaged a career-high in rebounds (6.0) and assists (4....
Whether they were lopsided trades or resulted in a dissent between the traded player and the team, some transactions never seemed sensible, no matter how you looked at them. The Rajon Rondo to Dallas Mavericks trade is one such move that comes to mind. Every NBA offseason, some trades make fans and analysts question the decision-making of the franchise. Sometimes these moves work out, but they mostly end up being a terrible experience for all parties involved....
