In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.
Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.
“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”
It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.
Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.
The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.
Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.
In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.
Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.
“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”
It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.
Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.
The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.
Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
Kawhi Leonard’s near-flawless Game 2 performance against the Denver Nuggets has the NBA world buzzing. Kevin O’Connor and guest Nate Duncan broke down the wild Nuggets-Clippers playoff matchup on the most recent episode of "The Kevin O’Connor Show."
Leonard finished with 39 points on a devastating 15-of-19 shooting line in L.A.'s Game 2 win Monday night. According to O’Connor, it was the seventh-highest true shooting percentage ever for a 35-plus-point postseason outing.
“He feels like a fictional legend,” O’Connor said. “Most of these guys that have injuries, they fall off. And yet here he is right now, in 2025, looking like he's in peak condition.”
Both O'Connor and Duncan were baffled by Denver’s refusal to blitz and double Leonard late. “I can't believe the Nuggets weren't sending two, blitzing, doubling Kawhi Leonard down the stretch,” O’Connor said.
O'Connor also wondered if Nikola Jokić was fatigued after grinding through Ivica Zubac’s physical defense, calling out “mental lapses, mental mistakes” in the MVP’s game.
In some college sports management and public relations classes, there will be seminars dedicated to the Mavericks' handling of the Luka Doncic trade — a "what not to do" lesson.
"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn't quite know it to that level."
Three thoughts here, all a bad look for Harrison:
1) How are you in Dallas and around the Mavericks for four years and not able to grasp the depth of the fan/Doncic relationship?
2) Harrison rose to prominence with Nike as Kobe Bryant's rep with the company. How do you come out of that situation, see that connection between the home-grown MVP candidate player and the fan base, and then not recognize it in Dallas?
3) The NBA is an entertainment business where the fans are the customers. The media reaction helps shape fan reactions and feelings. To misunderstand — or just not be concerned with their feelings — to this degree is just bad for business.
Here is some of the other fallout this week in Dallas.
• Harrison said that not valuing Anthony Davis and his skill set is why some people don't appreciate the trade.
Davis has caught way too much shrapnel in this fight. Harrison is right that, when healthy, Davis is an All-NBA two-way player who can help a team at the highest levels — he has a ring and a gold medal to prove it.
That does not mean this was a good trade for the Mavericks. First, as good as he can be, Davis is not the defense-bending force, MVP-level candidate Doncic is (as he enters his prime). Davis is six years older than Doncic and is prone to injuries. Also, Harrison not getting both Lakers' first-round picks and Austin Reaves back in this trade his hard to fathom.
• Harrison said his relationship with team owner/governor Patrick Dumont is still strong. It should be.
Harrison wanted this trade, but he is also the guy taking the arrows for ownership, which didn't want to pay Doncic the largest contract in NBA history and helped push for the trade, league sources have told NBC Sports.
• With that, Harrison's job is safe (for now, he ultimately could be scapegoated). And no, the Adelson/Dumont ownership group is not going to sell the team after this experience. The team — and with it a new arena in the coming decade — is part of a much larger real estate deal that is the ultimate motivation here. Those long-term plans are not changing because of this trade.
• ESPN’s Tim MacMahon did a deep dive on how the relationship between Doncic and the Mavericks fell apart, with details going back 18 months and looking at the fissures within the organization. It is a brilliant bit of reporting well worth the read.
My primary takeaway: Harrison prizes control over everything else, and is not a fan of dissent. That came across in how unprepared he was for the backlash to this trade, as if it never really dawned on him how this could be received differently than he saw it. He didn't prepare the rest of the franchise or the fans for what was to come.
Lakers star Luka Doncic sits as the Dallas Mavericks play a tribute video for him April 9 at American Airlines Arena. He had 45 points in his first game in Dallas after being traded from the Mavericks to the Lakers in February. (LM Otero / Associated Press)
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made an interesting admission Monday when talking to reporters about his decision to trade fan favorite Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February.
No, Harrison did not admit that the move was a mistake. On the contrary, he clung tightly to his "defense wins championships" explanation for making the deal that sent Doncic to Los Angeles and brought elite defender Anthony Davis to Dallas.
But after more than two months of Mavericks fans calling for his firing — in a very loud and visible fashion — Harrison did admit that he had underestimated the level of outrage the surprise trade would cause.
“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base," said Harrison, a former longtime Nike executive whose fourth season with the Mavericks ended Friday with a play-in loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. "I didn't quite know it to what level."
Doncic, 26, endeared himself to the Dallas fan base during his six-plus seasons with the organization, making the All-Star Game five times and leading the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals. If Harrison didn't realize the level of fans' adoration for the Slovenian superstar before the trade, he certainly does now.
“When you have 20,000 people in the stadium chanting 'Fire Nico,' you really feel it," Harrison said. "I mean it's — I use the word 'awesome,' but not in a positive way. Like, you can really feel how they feel.
"But my job is to make decisions I feel are in the best interest of this organization, and I gotta stand by the decisions, and some of them are going to be unpopular. This was clearly one that's unpopular."
Harrison said he thought — and still thinks — fans would have taken more kindly to trading away such a beloved player if they had been able to see his and the organization's "vision" of a starting five of Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II.
Instead, an onslaught of injuries prevented those five from taking the floor together at all.
"Really the way we looked at it was, if you’re putting a team on the floor that’s Kyrie, Klay, P.J., Anthony Davis and Lively, we feel that’s a championship-caliber team and we would’ve been winning at a high level and that would have quieted some of the outrage. And so unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, so [the outrage] just continued to go on and on.”
Harrison added that he expects the core team to be back next season and will "be competing for a championship."
“I believe winning will help repair the relationship with the fans and that’s what we plan to do,” he said.
Harrison was speaking at a news conference that took place six days after he and team CEO Rick Welts held a closed-door roundtable discussion with a small, select group of media members. Those reporters were not allowed to bring cameras and initially were told they could not bring audio recording devices either, although they ended up being allowed to record the meeting for transcription purposes only.
The purpose of the roundtable was to provide closure to the Doncic situation, but Harrison acknowledged Monday that didn't happen.
“The goal was that I answered all the [Doncic] questions, [so] today I could talk about the team as it currently is and then what we do going forward," Harrison said. "But because it fell flat, today I’m basically answering the same questions I answered last week because we didn’t do a good enough job."
During the roundtable event, Harrison repeatedly fell back on the "defense wins championships" mantra as an explanation for trading Doncic. During an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews that aired Friday, Doncic was asked about Harrison's comments.
"It's just sad the way he's talking right now," Doncic said. "I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I'll always keep at heart. It's time for me to move on from there."
Told of Doncic's comment, Harrison said: “I feel the same way he does. I've actually never spoken ill of Luka at all, and I'm just ready to move on with this team that we have.”
For Harrison and the Mavericks, the opportunity to move on won't come until next season. Doncic, on the other hand, has the chance to take another step in the process as the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night with the chance to tie their first-round playoff series at one win apiece.
L.A. fans seem to know how important Doncic is to possibly making that happen.
It looked bad when it happened. Jayson Tatum went up for a dunk and was fouled in the air by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (who was given a flagrant foul on the play). Tatum stayed on the ground for a few minutes, grabbing his wrist, but continued to play in the Celtics’ win.
A closer look at the play where Jayson Tatum injured his wrist. KCP was given a flagrant 1. - Tatum said he got an X-Ray on the wrist after the game and that it came back clean.#celtics#jaysontatum ⚡️ by Gametime pic.twitter.com/vcg2zULkLX
Now comes word that Tatum suffered a bone bruise on the play, as reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. This is reportedly a pain tolerance issue that the Celtics will monitor.
After the game, Tatum played down the injury saying he had an X-ray and it came back clean. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tuesday that Tatum was "day to day."
Tatum played through a fractured wrist for part of the 2022 playoffs and likely will miss little, if any, time in this series. That said, the Celtics' medical staff may want to save Tatum from himself a little, they are going to need him at his peak in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals if they are going to repeat as champions.
Boston is up 1-0 in what will be a physical series with the Orlando Magic, one that the Celtics should win but will not be a pushover. Boston now has more motivation to get this series over quickly — and hope the Knicks/Pistons series drags out — so that Tatum can get more rest.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview
It’s Tuesday, April 22, and the Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) and Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) are all set to square off from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Lakers hosted the Timberwolves in game one, which was not pretty for the hosts.
Despite 37 from Luka Concic, the Lakers failed to reach 100 points and were defeated 117-95.
The Lakers' offense was stagnant and lacked ball movement. Regardless of their offensive performance, it was always going to be difficult to stop the Timberwolves if they shot 51% from the field and 50% from three.
The Timberwolves are currently 24-17 on the road with a point differential of 5, while the Lakers have a 7-3 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Timberwolves vs. Lakers live today
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Time: 10:00PM EST
Site: Crypto.com Arena
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: TNT
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Timberwolves vs. Lakers
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Timberwolves (+200), Lakers (-245)
Spread: Lakers -5.5
Over/Under: 210 points
That gives the Timberwolves an implied team point total of 104.08, and the Lakers 106.95.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Timberwolves vs. Lakers game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
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Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is betting on Lakers -5.5...
Thomas: "Doncic points is interesting, but with the Lakers being down 1-0 at home, they need a massive response. I think they hunker down and put together a great performance."
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Timberwolves & Lakers game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Minnesota Timberwolves at +5.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 210.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Timberwolves vs. Lakers on Tuesday
The Timberwolves have won on 4 of the last 5 occasions that they have been a road underdog
The Total went over in 54% of the Timberwolves' regular season games (44-38-0)
The Timberwolves have covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 games (75%) as an underdog
The Over is 44-39 in Timberwolves' games this season
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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It was a historic campaign for Pritchard, who surpassed Wayne Ellington for the most 3-pointers off the bench in a single NBA season. He made at least five 3-pointers in 22 games, setting a Celtics record previously held by Jayson Tatum (18).
Pritchard is the fourth player in Celtics franchise history to win the Sixth Man of the Year trophy — which is named after C’s legend John Havlicek — joining Kevin McHale (1984-85), Bill Walton (1985-86) and Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23).
Pritchard notched career-bests in every major category with 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor (40.7 percent from 3). The 27-year-old averaged a career-high 28.2 minutes per game.
Pritchard had multiple big moments during the C’s 2024 championship run, including a wild buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He picked up where he left off with a 19-point performance in Boston’s Game 1 win Sunday against the Orlando Magic.
Pritchard will look to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s Game 2 at TD Garden, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
It was a historic campaign for Pritchard, who surpassed Wayne Ellington for the most 3-pointers off the bench in a single NBA season. He made at least five 3-pointers in 22 games, setting a Celtics record previously held by Jayson Tatum (18).
Pritchard is the fourth player in Celtics franchise history to win the Sixth Man of the Year trophy — which is named after C’s legend John Havlicek — joining Kevin McHale (1984-85), Bill Walton (1985-86) and Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23).
Pritchard notched career-bests in every major category with 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor (40.7 percent from 3). The 27-year-old averaged a career-high 28.2 minutes per game.
Pritchard had multiple big moments during the C’s 2024 championship run, including a wild buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He picked up where he left off with a 19-point performance in Boston’s Game 1 win Sunday against the Orlando Magic.
Pritchard will look to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s Game 2 at TD Garden, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
A Lakers fan looking to go viral has cost Minnesota's Anthony Edwards $50,000 in a fine from the league.
In the third quarter of the Timberwolves pushing around the Lakers in Game 1 of their playoff series, Edwards — along with Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo — were about to check back in when a Lakers fan nearby hit record on his phone and tried to trash talk Edwards. The Timberwolves player shut him down, pointing out how he has a $200 million contract, Gobert has a $300 million contract, and added "my d*** is bigger than yours" while grabbing his crotch.
The NBA is fining Anthony Edwards $50,000 for telling a Lakers fan “my d*ck is bigger than yours”
The rest of the story is obvious: The fan did post the interaction, it did go viral, and now the league has come down with a $50,000 fine for Edwards "for directing inappropriate language and making an obscene gesture toward a fan."
That's BS by the league.
A fan near the players pulls some crap trying to go viral, then let it go. Edwards didn't say anything wildly inappropriate. It's just trash talk, the fact a fan filmed it should not matter.
That said, based on the online response, this all worked out for Ant as he gained a lot of new fans and followers — and probably sold a few shoes — with his comments.
This marks the eighth time Edwards has been fined this season for a total of more than $300,000.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
It’s Tuesday, April 22, and the Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) and Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) are all set to square off from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
The No.1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder embarrassed the Grizzlies in game one of the series.
The Thunder won 131-80. Not a single Grizzlies player scored more than 17 points in that matchup.
Now the Grizzlies must rely on a banged up Ja Morant to try and level the series before they head to Memphis.
The Grizzlies are currently 22-19 on the road with a point differential of 5, while the Thunder have a 8-2 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Grizzlies vs. Thunder live today
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Time: 7:30PM EST
Site: Paycom Center
City: Oklahoma City, OK
Network/Streaming: TNT
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Grizzlies vs. Thunder
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Odds: Grizzlies (+737), Thunder (-1190)
Spread: Thunder -14.5
Over/Under: 229 points
That gives the Grizzlies an implied team point total of 113.63, and the Thunder 121.19.
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Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Grizzlies vs. Thunder game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
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Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is betting on the Thunder -14.5...
Thomas: "It feels lazy to bet on the Thunder to cover again in game two. However, it's for good reason. This is not a good Grizzlies team. They are banged up, and they are playing against the best team in basketball, on the road, in front of a sellout crowd."
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Grizzlies & Thunder game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Memphis Grizzlies at +14.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 229.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Grizzlies vs. Thunder on Tuesday
The Thunder have won four of their last five games at home against Western Conference Southwest Division teams
Six of the Thunder's last seven home matchups against the Grizzlies have stayed under the Total
Oklahoma City have won four of the last five meetings by at least 17 points
The Thunder have won 7 of their last 9 home matchups against the Grizzlies
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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In just his second season as Warriors general manager, Mike Dunleavy took a massive gamble at the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline by acquiring six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.
The early return has been positive, to say the least, as Butler single-handedly saved Golden State’s season as the team resurrected and rose to the playoffs. It was a move that will go down in the history books, at least according to Bob Myers, a man who knows a thing or two about championship basketball.
“I think it’s one of the best in-season trades in the history of the league,” Myers told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ann Killion. “Credit Mike for seeing that because it’s his risk that he takes. Not just his, but when you make these decisions, it’s your name — your reputation — on the line.”
Myers was the general manager of Golden State for more than a decade and the orchestrator of the Warriors’ dynasty that brought four NBA championships to the Bay.
After he stepped down from his duties, Dunleavy took over, and the Warriors missed the playoffs in the first season of his tenure. Things weren’t looking good for the Warriors to start the 2024-25 season, either — until Butler arrived.
The Warriors skyrocketed the standings in a loaded Western Conference, finishing as the No. 7 playoff seed and currently in a first-round playoff series with the No. 3-seeded Houston Rockets.
“The Jimmy thing is a pivot point,” Myers told Killion. “That’s a signature deal that will go on Mike’s resume.”
Finding Steph Curry a reliable second option has been the main priority since Klay Thompson’s departure. Andrew Wiggins was a two-way beast in spurts, but his availability began to teeter for a team working on a win-now timeline.
In 30 regular-season games with Golden State, Butler averaged 17.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting, with 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.7 minutes. More than anything, though, his presence helped relieve Curry while also making everyone around him better.
“With Jimmy, just — bam, right away it happened,” Myers told Killion. “If you hook up the people who made the decision to a lie detector. I think everybody would feel surprised at how well it’s worked.
“When you do these moves, you always think: What’s the best case? What’s the worst case? It’s usually somewhere in between. But this is the best-case scenario.”
Myers joked with Killion that Dunleavy likely will last longer as general manager than he did, attributing his early success to not only being a former player but also the son of an NBA coach.
“I think there’s a healthy disconnect you need to have, while balancing that with passion and intention,” Myers said. “He was reared in the NBA. He’s seen the highs and the lows, so he’s not going to get overly emotional. He knows too much.
“He puts the NBA in its proper place, and it makes him effective at what he does.”
No matter how this season ends, whenever that might be, it’s safe to say the Warriors’ trade for Butler will go down in the record books.
Derrick White doesn’t get the credit he deserves from the national media and NBA fans outside of Boston for how important he is to the Celtics’ success.
But his peers definitely recognize his value.
The Athletic on Tuesday released the results of its annual player poll. A total of 158 players (at least one from every team) were polled on a bunch of questions, including which team will win the 2025 NBA Finals, the most deserving MVP candidate, most overrated player, most underrated player, and several others.
White was tied with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams for the most underrated player in the league in last year’s poll. In 2025, he came in second place behind Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham. White received 7.4 percent of the vote, while Cunningham got 8.8 percent.
White averaged a career-high 16.4 points, along with 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. He scored a team-leading 30 points on 10-for-18 shooting (7-for-12 from 3-point range) in Game 1 of the Celtics’ first-round playoff series versus the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
The veteran point guard wasn’t the only Celtics player who received votes in The Athletic’s poll for most underrated.
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was tied for fifth place with 2.9 percent of the vote. C’s guard Payton Pritchard was one of six players in the next tier at 2.2 percent of the vote. Superstar forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum received 1.5 percent each.
The Celtics were well-represented in other areas of the poll, too.
When asked which team will win the title this season, 57.7 percent of players voted for the Celtics. The Oklahoma City Thunder were second at 17.5 percent. Players weren’t allowed to vote for their own team.
Boston also came in third place (15.3 percent) for “best organization” behind the Thunder (17.5 percent) and Golden State Warriors (21.9 percent).
Joe Mazzulla received the fourth-most votes for best coach in the league.
“There are little things he takes advantage of,” one player said of Mazzulla, per The Athletic. “It seems like he thinks about the game very strategically. He takes advantage of every single, tiny, little thing that he can.”
Game 2 of Celtics-Magic is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Full coverage on NBC Sports Boston starts at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live.
The All-Star guard told reporters Tuesday morning at shootaround that he would play in Game 2 in Indiana that night, his first game in more than a month due to deep vein thrombosis in his calf.
Damian Lillard tells reporters that he is playing in Game 2 tonight.
That Lillard can play at all so soon after being diagnosed with a serious condition is the important news, especially for Lillard personally. This can be a career-threatening (and, if untreated life-threatening) condition. That he is back so quickly is a credit to early detection and action by the Bucks' medical team, as well as the experts at the Mayo Clinic.
His return is also vital to the Bucks.
Lillard missed Game 1, when the Pacers tilted their defense heavily toward Giannis Antetokounmpo and made him work hard for everything. No other Bucks player stepped up (Kyle Kuzma was scoreless, for example), and as amazing as the Greek Freak was — 36 points, 12 rebounds — it was not enough, and the Pacers pulled away early and cruised to a Game 1 win.
Asking Lillard to come in cold after a month off and be that secondary scorer and shot creator in a physical postseason game is a big ask, but welcome to playoff basketball. Lillard averaged 24.9 points a game while shooting 37.6% from 3, plus adding 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game this season.
Milwaukee needs Dame Time starting tonight or they will fall into a deep 0-2 hole in this series. The fact that he is back gives Milwaukee a chance.
