The Virginia standout has elected to keep his name in the draft process, meaning he won’t be returning to the Cavaliers for his senior season. “Saying goodbye twice is not easy.. Charlottesville, I just want to say thank you so much. I’ll never forget this. One day I will have the words. I am officially keeping my name in the draft. I know it’s the right step after much prayer and thought with my family,” Guy tweeted Tuesday....
While the influx of young bigs may ultimately make long-term team construction difficult for NBA franchises with finite roster space and a limited need for centers, having so many big men in one class means draft evaluators get to watch them match up when their teams face off. Earlier this season, an eye poke robbed us of a full game battle between Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr....
Game 5 in Toronto was an absolute thriller! The Golden State Warriors, who were facing elimination, managed to hold off the Raptors and take the series back to Oracle Arena. Game 6 of the NBA Finals will be the final game played at the famous arena before the team moves to San Francisco. Kevin Durant returned for Game 5, as expected, and showed us why he is considered to be the best player in the NBA right now....
Thus, winning their second title in franchise history and first since 1971. The Greek Freak also finished with 14 rebounds, five blocks and two assists while shooting 16-of-25 from the field and an incredible near-perfect 17-of-19 from the free-throw line. It was all tied up leading into the final period but Milwaukee sealed the victory by outscoring the Suns 28-21. Four other Bucks players score in double figures including 17 from Khris Middleton, 12 points and 11 assists from Jrue Holiday and 16 off the bench from Bobby Portis....
Perhaps the craziest thing about the series through six games is that the total points scored are all square, with the Cavaliers and Warriors scoring exactly 610 points each. Another crazy trend: LeBron James doing his thing with supreme confidence. He has scored 41 points in the each of the past two games, and that’s a big part of why I believe Cleveland (+5, 206.5) will win Game 7....
NBA discipline boss Kiki VanDeWeghe fined Smart $25,000 for escalating the altercation and Smith $15,000 for shoving. Baynes was assessed $15,000 for initiating it. The league announced the fines Monday. In the first quarter of Saturday’s game in Cleveland, Smith and Baynes got tangled up while boxing out under the Boston basket. Smith gave Baynes a two-handed push, and Smart ran in from near mid-court to retaliate with a shove of his own....
Armstrong went through all of McGee’s career highlights — like when he ran back on defense even though his team still had the ball. MORE: Meet Brandon Armstrong | Kobe Bryant | James Harden | Tim Duncan | Russell Westbrook Even better, McGee met Armstrong on the set of ESPN’s “SportsNation” on Monday. Someone please sign McGee so we can have more awesomely JaVale moments this season.
Westbrook’s season started off rocky as he missed the first 8 games of the season due to injury, and it took a while for him to seem to get his groove back. But through the 17 games he has played, he is currently averaging a triple double - 22.1 PTS, 10.6 REB & 10.2 AST, and is currently the only player to be doing so this season. To put this in perspective, in Westbrook’s 2016-2017 MVP season he was averaging 23....
Due to this, the 2019-20 season is quickly gearing up to be among the most exciting in recent memory, and plenty could still happen in the latter stages of the postseason. A number of notable free agents remain available, while players such as Bradley Beal, Steven Adams, and Serge Ibaka continue to be linked with moves. So, with plenty going on around the NBA, here is all the latest news and rumors you need to know for July 26th....
NBA News Update: LeBron James reveals that LA Lakers were ready to leave the bubble The NBA season did go and the LA Lakers were eventually crowned as champions. However, things could’ve been a lot different. Speaking on HBO’s The Shop, LeBron James revealed that both he and the LA Lakers were on the edge in the bubble after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. LeBron James then concluded by saying that getting in touch with Barack Obama helped him and the LA Lakers get some clarity....
L.A. is an 8.5-point favorite, with a total of 220, as of about 11 a.m. ET. Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. ATS: The average score after AccuScore ran its 10,000-plus simulations is Clippers 112-Rockets 102, and there’s nearly a 54 percent chance the Clippers cover a -8.5 spread, a two-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend. In the past week, AccuScore has gone 7-4 (63....
Point spreads and totals are current as of Sunday evening. Check our odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. Milwaukee Bucks (0-1 ATS) at Chicago Bulls (1-0 ATS) Series: Bulls lead 1-0 Game 2 line: Bulls -7.5, Total: 188 Milwaukee does one thing well, defense. However, the Bucks allowed 103 points to the Bulls on 45.3-percent shooting in Game 1. The most impressive stat against the Deer was the Bulls dishing 30 assists on 38 made baskets....
MIAMI — LeBron James scored 32 points and added eight assists, Chris Bosh scored 20 points and the Miami Heat held on to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 101-97 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Dwyane Wade scored 15 points, and had a steal in the final seconds to help seal the win for Miami. Mario Chalmers added 11 for the Heat. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 22 points for Charlotte, which got 18 points and 13 rebounds from Al Jefferson, who played through a left plantar fascia strain and shot 9 for 23 from the floor....
Following Wednesday night’s round of regular-season finales, both the Eastern and Western Conference’s first-round pairings are set, and we’re just waiting for the teams to get ready to rumble (no Michael Buffer). Like I always say (at some point the league needs to break me off with some dough for this slogan), “Every game is an episode.” 2017 NBA AWARDS: Sean Deveney’s votes for MVP, DPOY and more As the the significance of the games intensifies, so will the chippiness of the exchanges among competitors in the heat of battle....
Per the NBA: MORE: NBA players react to Bucks’ boycott of Game 5 The NBA announced its decision amid reports that players planned to boycott both the Thunder-Rockets and Lakers-Trail Blazers series. It’s worth noting that players’ decision to boycott could be seen as violating the NBA collective bargaining agreement prohibiting strikes. What actions the NBA may take — if any — following the boycotts remain to be seen....
The New York Knicks front office is notoriously known for making questionable roster moves. As per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, they considered trading Julius Randle ahead of the March 25 deadline, which, in hindsight, would’ve been a huge blunder. Fischer wrote: Julius Randle has taken a major leap this season with the New York Knicks. Randle is averaging 24 points, 10.5 rebounds and six assists per game. His three-point shooting accuracy has improved to 41....
Ujiri has gained admirers across the league since his time with the Raptors began in 2013 and it appears that another Eastern Conference side have their eye on the 50 year-old’s executive abilities. NBA Rumors: Washington Wizards frontrunners of Masai Ujiri as Raptors President’s contract expires Sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards have had one of their worst starts to an NBA season. With the franchise destined to have a development year, it appears the organization have already turned their attention to next season with restructuring set to happen behind the scenes....
Robinson — who before the match said he was fighting for his brothers in the NBA — was beat handily and in humiliating fashion by the YouTube star. The three-time NBA Dunk Contest champion suffered two knockdowns in the first round alone before suffering another knockdown and eventual KO in the second. MORE: Snoop Dogg’s commentary of Jake Paul-Nate Robinson was too much for Twitter In retrospect, maybe pitting the 5-9, 180-pound Robinson against the taller, heavier Paul wasn’t a good idea....
While the 2017 lottery was dominated by perimeter players, the 2018 version is looking to be more of the big variety. Five of the top eight players on this board are 6-10 or taller, led by the top prospect, Michael Porter Jr. 2017 NBA DRAFT: Winners and losers | Pick-by-pick grades In general, this crop is shaping up to be weaker than the 2017 draft class, but stronger than the 2016 one....
New York is hoping to buy another second-round selection in the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified league sources. The Knicks hold the No. 3 pick and are projected to take former Duke star RJ Barrett, if they don’t trade down. They’re also set to be on the clock with the 55th selection. “If that ends up and I’m still there at three, I’d love for (the Knicks) to take me,” Barrett said during a recent interview....
