NBA

2022-05-19

The NBA All-Rookie First and Second Teams were announced last night. Despite the nominations not being at the forefront of the league's action, one omission drew questions from the NBA community.

While German Franz Wagner became the first to ever be selected into the First Team from his country, another international was surprisingly not among the first five.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey was elected to the All-Rookie Second Team. Following the award, the Australian player took to Twitter to express his emotions. Giddey just laughed.

Members from the NBA community joined in to express their disbelief about the Thunder guard not being on the first team. OKC beat writer Brandon Rahbar tweeted: “The only time Jalen Green was better than Josh Giddey this season was when Josh Giddey didn’t play.”

Former Aussie Rules player Jason Davenport was stunned. "This won’t age well leaving Josh Giddey off First Team," he stated. "Let alone the fact he just flat out deserved it!" Fellow Giddey teammate Isaiah Roby could not believe the decision either.

2022-05-19

Belgrade brings back good memories for Real Madrid. 2018 was the last time Real Madrid won the EuroLeague, and now they return for another title hunt.

However, they will try to do that without one of the biggest EuroLeague stars Luka Doncic, who's now breaking records in the NBA.

Doncic left Europe after completely conquering it. Being 19 years old, Doncic has won EuroBasket, EuroLeague title, EuroLeague regular season MVP, EuroLeague Final Four MVP, three Spanish ACB League titles, and two Spanish Cup titles.

Now, the Slovenian superstar is trying to bring glory to Dallas, where his led Mavericks just started the Western Conference series against the Golden State Warriors.

The beginning wasn't easy as Mavericks lost Game 1 87-112, while Doncic scored 20 points on 6/18 shooting from the field.

However, his performance in the series against the Suns left many people stunned. In a decisive Game 7, Doncic accumulated 35 points (6/8 2PT, 6/11 3PT, 5/5 FT), ten rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two turnovers.

In his fourth year in the NBA and his third playoffs, the 23-year-old Slovenian has already played four elimination games. He averages 38.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. 

38 points per elimination game is by far the best result. In the second place is legendary Michael Jordan, who played 13 such games throughout his career and averaged 31.3 points per duel.

2022-05-19

Patrick Beverley made headlines recently when he appeared on ESPN's show Get Up to give his opinions about the Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix Suns NBA Western Conference Semifinal series and its Game 7.

"He can't guard anybody. Everybody in the NBA knows that," Beverley said during the show. " What do we call him? A cone. You know what you do with cones?"

"Like in the summertime, you have a cone. You make a move, what does the cone do? ['Stay still', Mike Greenberg replied] Exactly, he's a cone," he expressed. "Stop playing, man, everybody knows that. You just don't want to accept it."

Having heard the comments, current Philadelphia 76ers player Danny Green did not hold back his words during his podcast "Inside the Green Room with Danny Green".

"People target you too, PatBev, you aren't playing no defense out there," Green pushed back. "You ain't stopping Luka. Time and time again, Luka says 'he's too small' and went right at you every chance he got. When you play Luka, you're a cone too, how would you like that?"

2022-05-19
Although the comparison between Stephen Curry and Juan Carlos Navarro might raise some people's eyebrows, according to Curry himself, the Spanish legend has been an inspiration to him.
2022-05-19

The Dallas Mavericks did not have their dream start to the NBA Western Conference Finals as the team lost in a resounding fashion in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors.

Talking about the match, Mavs superstar Luka Doncic took full blame for the painful loss. The guard scored only 2 of his 20 points in the second half, while the team lost the final 24 minutes by 16 points.

"They were doing a great job on me, especially in the second half," Luka explained. "I have to be better, it's on me. I have to be better for the whole group, so that's on me."

"Of course, we can do things to be better," the Slovenian wunderkind continued. "I think, during the first quarter we had a lot of open looks, the second one also, but in the second half, we didn't."

The tough start to the series changes nothing for the team, Doncic says. "I said it during the Phoenix series, we're going to believe," Doncic told the media after the game. "The confidence level is the same. It's tough to win every game, you're going to lose some but the confidence level stays the same."

What are the keys to victory in the second match? "We have to play better," the Mavericks superstar explained in simple terms. "We have to play tougher. Just like in the Phoenix series after Game 1, we have to learn from there. Game 2 was the same as Game 1, so we have to learn from that. We have to come out hard and play better."

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals series is scheduled to take place Friday night.

Full Luka Doncic press conference:

2022-05-19

Luka Doncic outscored Andrew Wiggins 20-19 in their head-to-head matchup in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night.

However, there was no doubt who the winner was.

Wiggins harassed the Dallas Mavericks star into his lowest output of the postseason, and the Golden State Warriors countered with a balanced and high-percentage offensive attack en route to a 112-87 (28-18, 26-27, 34-24, 24-18) shellacking in the opener of the best-of-seven series in San Francisco.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday in San Francisco, where Golden State, seeking its sixth trip to the NBA Finals in the past eight years, has gone 7-0 this postseason.

"We did what we were supposed to do -- protect home court, win the first game," said Warriors star Stephen Curry, the game's leading scorer with 21 points. "We had a specific game plan coming in, and for the most part, we executed it. It's going to take that same effort three more times to beat this team."

2022-05-19

The Dallas Mavericks' celebrations during a Game 7 win over the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs led to a $50,000 fine from the NBA on Wednesday.

The league announced that the Mavericks violated regulations dictating "team bench decorum" as Dallas was rolling to a 123-90 win at Phoenix on Sunday.

According to the NBA's statement, "On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks' team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court."

The sanction led to a bemused response from Dallas coach Jason Kidd ahead of his team's Western Conference finals opener on Wednesday night in San Francisco.

"I know about the fine. Just trying to figure out what we did wrong to get the fine," Kidd said. "So, we'll see (Thursday) why we got fined. I mean, who complained? It was a blowout, so I don't think the fans were complaining. I thought the guys did what they were supposed to do. They were cheering on their guys. So we'll find out what the fine is. But it is what it is."

The league previously fined the Mavericks $25,000 for the same issue during Game 2 of the Suns series -- a contest Dallas lost 129-109 in Phoenix.

2022-05-19

Franz Wagner became the first German player in NBA history to be selected to an NBA All-Rookie First Team last night.

Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers each were unanimous selections for the NBA All-Rookie first team announced Wednesday.

Barnes, Cunningham, and Mobley each received the maximum total of 200 points for the first team. Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic (183 points) and Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets (158 points) also made the first team.

The NBA All-Rookie second team included Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans (123 points), Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder (122 points), Bones Hyland of the Denver Nuggets (81 points), Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls (75 points) and Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers (52 points).

The first-team announcement was the latest honor in a standout season for Barnes, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year earlier this month. He finished the season with 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Cunningham led all rookies with 17.4 points per game. Mobley pulled down 8.3 rebounds per game, which led the rookie class.

Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors tallied 47 points, just shy of Duarte for the final spot on the second team.

All-Rookie first team:

  • Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
  • Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
  • Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
  • Jalen Green, Houston Rockets

All-Rookie second team:

  • Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
  • Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets
  • Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
  • Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers

2022-05-18

The Miami Heat on Wednesday listed guard Kyle Lowry as out for Thursday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

Lowry has missed seven of Miami's 12 playoff games thus far with a nagging left hamstring injury. He missed the first two games of the Heat's semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers before returning for Games 3 and 4.

In those two games, he combined for six points on 3-for-14 shooting before missing Games 5 and 6. Miami won the series 4-2.

Lowry averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 63 games (all starts) in the regular season, his first with Miami.

2022-05-18

Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart has been listed as probable for Thursday night's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, but forward Al Horford is doubtful.

Smart suffered a right mid-foot sprain during Sunday's Game 7 triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks. Horford entered COVID-19 health and safety protocol Tuesday.

Smart is averaging 15.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in 10 playoff games (all starts), slightly up from his regular-season averages of 12.1 points and 5.9 assists. He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Horford is averaging 13.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across 11 playoff games (all starts).

The 35-year-old played a crucial role in Game 4 of the Celtics' second-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, when he scored a playoff career-best 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting to help Boston even that series at two games apiece.

The Celtics lost 118-107 to Miami in Game 1 on Tuesday night.

2022-05-18

Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka missed Wednesday's media session because of a non-COVID-19 illness.

The team said Udoka would speak with the media Thursday ahead of Game 2 between the Celtics and host Miami Heat.

No further information was provided by the team.

Celtics forward Al Horford was placed in the league's health and safety protocol hours before tipoff of the Eastern Conference finals series opener on Tuesday. It wasn't clear if Horford tested positive, and his status for Game 2 is unclear.

The Celtics dropped a 118-107 decision to the Heat on Tuesday night.

The Celtics were outscored 39-14 in a pivotal third quarter. Udoka argued with Grant Williams on the bench during the third quarter.

2022-05-18

Vivid NBA guests are frequent at the EuroLeague Final Fours in recent years, so it will not be different in Belgrade this time.

The legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be the special guest of the EuroLeague at Final Four 2022, according to MozzartSport.

The American mastermind of Serbian origin should arrive in Serbia tonight, via the report.

For the five-time NBA champ, Belgrade is one of his favorite European basketball destinations. Three years ago, the 73-year-old Popovich was a guest of the Basketball Without Borders project in the Serbian capital.

Coach Pop became the all-time winningest head coach in NBA history this season. Now, he has 1,344 victories during his years with San Antonio (1996-present).

The Spurs made the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons from 1998 to 2019 under Popovich, winning five NBA championships.

Since then, San Antonio has finished with a losing record in three straight years, missing the postseason each time.

2022-05-18

"Ajde, Doncic," the Nikola Tesla's airport staff member made way for BasketNews daily editor when he noticed him wearing Luka Doncic jerseys.

On his way to the Final Four city, Edvinas Jablonskis saluted Doncic's spectacle in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals vs. the Phoenix Suns, where Luka went off for another remarkable 35-point performance.

But Doncic's name also has another meaning for the upcoming EuroLeague fiesta in the Serbian capital.

Apparently, Doncic played his last EuroLeague game in the previous Final Four that Belgrade hosted in 2018.

He left the EuroLeague floor in style as the EuroLeague champion, the Final Four MVP, and the season 2017-18 MVP.

On top of that, he made history, becoming the youngest EuroLeague season and Final Four MVP at the age of 19.

2022-05-18

Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference finals where they'll face the Golden State Warriors. The matchup against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson is definitely an interesting topic but the Slovenian start believes that the real key to the Warriors is another player: Draymond Green

"I have so much respect for Draymond as a guy, you know", Doncic said to the reporters before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. "Obviously, Steph and Klay are two incredible offensive players but I think that the key to the Warriors' team is Draymond". 

"He's just unbelievable, man, I mean everything he does on the court, I really respect him", Doncic added. "He's not the best offensive player but he impacts the game in every other category, so I really have a lot of respect for him". 

Doncic also explained that he enjoys trash-talking with Green. 

"Obviously, we're gonna have some words", Doncic said. "But I love that part of the game, you know, it's the fun part". 

2022-05-18

As reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the NBA Board of Governors is considering making a change to the transition take foul rule. The new rule would award the offensive team with one free throw and retaining possession. 

The board of governors will vote on the matter in July but during the meeting that they had in Chicago there was widespread support for this change, Charania added in his report. 

Over the past few months, in fact, the NBA, the NBPA, and the Competition Committee had already discussed the matter to propose a change to the current rule. 

The type of foul occurs when a player on defense attempts to stop a fast break by intentionally making contact with the offensive player in order to stop their momentum down court to the basket. 

2022-05-18

The NBA Draft Lottery took place last night and now we know the order for the upcoming NBA Draft. The Orlando Magic will select with the no.1 pick and the quest to understand who'll be selected as the no.1 pick now is officially on. 

Duke alumn Paolo Banchero was interviewed by ESPN right after the lottery and shared his thoughts about why he should be the no.1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. 

"I feel like I'm the no.1 pick in the draft just because overall I'm the best player in the draft, I feel like I check all the boxes", Banchero explained. "Whether it's being a great teammate, being a star player, or doing whatever the coach needs. I've been aware of that my entire life, and when I'm going to the NBA it's not gonna change". 

2022-05-18

The Orlando Magic won the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft in Tuesday night's lottery held in Chicago.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will pick No. 2. The Houston Rockets were No. 3, and the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons rounded out the top five.

2022-05-18

Jimmy Butler scored 17 of his 41 points in an epic third-quarter uprising to help the host Miami Heat rally for a 118-107 (25-28, 29-34, 39-14, 25-31) victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Butler also contributed nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots to help Miami overcome a 13-point, second-quarter deficit. The Heat outscored Boston 39-14 in the third quarter to seize a 93-76 lead entering the final stanza.

Tyler Herro registered 18 points and eight rebounds and Gabe Vincent scored 17 points for Miami.

Jayson Tatum recorded 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Robert Williams III added 18 points and nine rebounds and Payton Pritchard also scored 18 points for Boston.

Game 2 is Thursday night in Miami.

2022-05-17

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford entered COVID-19 health and safety protocol Tuesday and will miss Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the host Miami Heat.

The Celtics also ruled out point guard Marcus Smart, who was considered a game-time decision due to a right mid-foot sprain.

Horford is averaging 13.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across 11 playoff games (all starts). The 35-year-old played a crucial role in Game 4 of the Celtics' second-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, when he scored a playoff career-best 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting to help Boston even that series at two games apiece.

Smart is averaging 15.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in 10 playoff games (all starts), slightly up from his regular-season averages of 12.1 points and 5.9 assists.

He had an MRI exam on Monday that detected a mid-foot sprain, which he suffered during Sunday's Game 7 triumph over the Bucks.

When Smart missed Game 2 of the Milwaukee series with a thigh contusion, Derrick White started at point guard. Center Robert Williams III, now at full health, could draw back into the starting five in Horford's absence.

--Field Level Media

2022-05-17

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will be looking to continue their regular-season mastery of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors when the Western Conference finals tip off Wednesday night in San Francisco.

Only one game separated the teams in the regular season, and it's because of the Warriors' 53-52 edge in wins -- rather than the Mavericks' 3-1 triumph in the season series -- that Golden State has earned the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven.

The disparity in win totals is a far cry from the last time the clubs faced each other in the playoffs. That historic event 15 years ago saw the eighth-seeded Warriors, who won 25 fewer games than the Mavericks, shock top-seeded Dallas in six games in what has become known in San Francisco as the "We Believe" series.

The Warriors won all three of their home games in that series, and home court could be critical this time as well, with Golden State yet to lose in six games on its home floor this postseason.

The Mavericks have won five straight at home after a series-opening loss to Utah.

Both teams upset better-seeded opponents to arrive at just their second-ever meeting in the postseason. Fourth-seeded Dallas took out Phoenix, the Western Conference regular-season champ, in seven games, while third-seeded Golden State disposed of No. 2 Memphis in six games.

Doncic, who averaged 32.6 points in the series against Phoenix, outscored Curry in all four regular-season head-to-heads this season. In fact, their personal duel wasn't close, with the Dallas star running up 26-14, 25-18, 34-27 and 41-21 scoring advantages.

The Mavericks didn't see the Warriors at their best, with Draymond Green missing the last three meetings and Klay Thompson missing two of the first three.

Then again, the Warriors saw the Mavericks only twice after Dallas' headline-grabbing trade of Kristaps Porzingis at midseason, with newcomer Spencer Dinwiddie leading the Mavericks to wins in the last two meetings with a total of 41 points.

Based on their history of having made the Western Conference finals six times in the past eight seasons and owning the home-court advantage, the Warriors go into the series as the favorite, even with coach Steve Kerr warning them not to think that way.

"Every opponent at this stage is going to pose a huge threat because only the best teams are left," said Kerr, who missed the last three games of the Memphis series with COVID. He has been cleared for the start of this series.

"It's all about figuring it out," he continued, "and I thought our team and our staff did a really good job over the course of Games 4, 5 and 6 (against Memphis) of making that adjustment to the way the series had shifted and kind of finding a way to get through."

The Warriors have had two extra days of rest, having wrapped up their second-round series on Friday while the Mavericks were going the distance to a Game 7 in Phoenix on Sunday.

Doncic appeared to pull from Warriors-Mavericks history when gushing over the elimination of the Suns, declaring: "We came here with a statement in Game 7. We believed. So I'm just happy."

Both teams will be without one of their most famous names, with the Mavericks having lost Tim Hardaway Jr. for the season to a broken foot, while the Warriors likely will remain without Gary Payton II, who fractured his left elbow in Game 1 against the Grizzlies.

Golden State expects to have veteran Otto Porter Jr. (sore foot) back for Game 1, but awaits a re-evaluation of Andre Iguodala's neck injury on Thursday before projecting his potential entry into the series.

--Field Level Media

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