Category: Basketball

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Nets end six-game losing streak with last-second win over Wizards, 115-112

WASHINGTON (AP) — Drew Timme scored the go-ahead basket on a cutting layup with 7.7 seconds left and the Brooklyn Nets beat the NBA-worst Washington Wizards 115-112 on Saturday night to end a six-game losing streak.

After Timme — playing his second NBA game after signing with the Nets on Friday — gave Brooklyn a 113-112 lead, Washington’s Colby Jones threw the ball out of bounds, and Jalen Wilson hit two free throws to finish the scoring.

Wilson and Tyrese Martin each scored 20 points to help the Nets — 2-9 in their last 11 and 3-16 in their last 19 — avoid a season sweep against the Wizards. Timme finished with 19 points, and Cam Johnson added 18.

Jones and AJ Johnson each had 20 points for Washington. The Wizards were coming off the most-lopsided loss in franchise history, a 162-109 drubbing against Indiana on Thursday night.

Takeaways

Nets: Timme was 9 for 14 from the field and had six rebounds and three assists in about 29 minutes. On Friday at home in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes to become the fifth player in franchise history with a double-double in his NBA debut. The former Gonzaga player averaged 23.0 points in 29 games this season for Long Island in the NBA G League.

Wizards: Washington overcame terrible three-point shooting with 20 first-half free throws to take a 59-51 lead into the break. The Wizards were 1 of 13 on threes in the half, while the Nets went 10 of 30. Brooklyn had 14 fouls in the half.

Key moment

Timme scored the go-ahead basket, with JT Thor called for goaltending.

Key stat

Cam Johnson also had nine rebounds and seven assists.

Up next

Both teams play Monday night. The Nets are at Dallas, and the Wizards host Miami.

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Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman on firing Taylor Jenkins: 'This is in the best interest of the team'

He spoke to the media for less than three minutes and was intentionally vague about his reasoning, but Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman took ownership of the surprise coaching change, firing Taylor Jenkins just nine games before the playoffs.

"I came to the conclusion that this is in the best interest of the team, and urgency is a core principle of ours, so I decided to go on with the move," Kleiman told reporters at the Grizzlies' shootaround Saturday, before the team has a critical game against the Lakers.

Pressed for a better explanation of the reasoning behind firing the winningest coach in Memphis franchise history, Kleiman steered clear of the topic.

"In this case, I'm going to leave it that I of course gave this real thought and came to the conclusion that this is in the best interests of our team going forward," he said.

Kleiman did say several times that he did not consult the players on this move, "This decision is mine and mine only."

What shocked others around the league was less the firing and more the timing, just weeks before the playoffs, while the Grizzlies were 44-29 and tied for fourth in the West (with the Lakers, who the Grizzlies face Saturday night). A league source told NBC Sports that star guard Ja Morant has been unhappy with the team's move away from more pick-and-rolls to more of a motion-based offense, but that was something pushed by Kleiman and why he brought in assistant coach Tuomas Lisalo, who is now the interim head coach in Memphis.

Does Kleiman think firing his coach now will help the team come the playoffs?

"I'm focused on how we operate. I'm responsible for everything. I'm responsible for coaching, I'm responsible for the roster, I'm not trying to absolve myself of anything," Kleiman said. "I'm excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way, but this is the conclusion that I came to, that this is in the best interest of the team and we push forward with this group."

Kleiman and the Grizzlies enter this offseason with a lot of tough questions. Is this team really a new coach away from contending? Will there need to be roster changes? Can a core led by Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. contend?

Before all that, we have to see how the Grizzlies' coaching change plays out the rest of this season.

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Auburn’s Pettiford, Michigan State’s Richardson renew AAU rivalry in Elite Eight of March Madness

Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford and Michigan State's Jase Richardson are high-scoring, left-handed freshman guards who have more in common than big games that helped to propel their teams to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. On Sunday, the rivalry between the freshmen will rise to a new level when No. 1 seed Auburn faces No. 2 seed Michigan State in the final game of the South Region with a Final Four spot on the line.

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3 observations after Sixers fall to their 7th consecutive loss

3 observations after Sixers fall to their 7th consecutive loss  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

With eight regular-season games remaining, the Sixers’ losing streak sits at seven.

Their latest loss came Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center against the Heat, who earned a 118-95 victory.

Jared Butler posted 19 points and 10 assists for the 23-51 Sixers.

All-Star Heat guard Tyler Herro had 30 points and seven assists for the Heat, who moved to 33-41.

The Sixers had eight players out with injuries. Andre Drummond (left toe sprain) will miss at least the next five games and be re-evaluated in approximately one week, according to a team official. 

The Sixers will play the Raptors on Sunday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on their defeat to the Heat: 

An even 50 lineups 

The Sixers added yet another unit to their ever-growing tally of starting lineups. They’re up to 50 after Butler, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Guerschon Yabusele and Adem Bona opened Saturday’s game. 

A Butler-to-Bona alley-oop got the Sixers off to a bright start. Butler then drilled a jumper to give the Sixers a 5-0 lead. 

Miami soon surged in front. Both the Sixers and Heat had identical first quarters shooting-wise — 55 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from three-point range — but the Heat drew more free throws. 

Miami also did far greater damage on the offensive glass, scoring the night’s first 16 second-chance points. The Sixers entered Saturday ranked 24th in offensive rebounding rate and 30th rebounding rate, per Cleaning the Glass. They’re very familiar with the challenges of being undersized and undermanned. 

Grimes finally held under 20  

The Sixers mitigated some of their rebounding struggles with success in transition. 

At halftime, they held an 18-6 advantage in fast-break points. Ricky Council IV (13 points, six rebounds, four assists) had several explosive, effective drives before the Heat’s defense could set up. 

Bona (16 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) was also eager to both start and join fast breaks. He tried to swat just about every Miami shot inside, ran the floor hard, and finished well around the rim. 

The Sixers still trailed by nine points at halftime, in part because Grimes went scoreless in the second quarter after an 11-point first. Rookie Pelle Larsson played physical, solid defense against him, limiting Grimes’ chances to take comfortable jumpers or generally operate with much breathing room. 

Grimes’ streak of consecutive outings with 20 or more points ended at nine games. He recorded 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.

Strong showing by Butler

Butler matched up at times with former Baylor teammate Davion Mitchell.

He played a high-quality game as the Sixers’ lead ball handler, running the show with confidence, hitting open teammates in the pick-and-roll, and making all four of his long-distance attempts.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he plans to give Grimes more point guard reps in the final stretch of the season, since the Sixers envision him as a player who can handle some backup ball handler minutes when everyone’s healthy. That makes perfect sense. Butler looks like he might be in the future backup point guard mix, too.

After a Butler runner cut the Sixers’ deficit to 72-69, the Heat took control of the game.

Former Sixer Alec Burks drained four three-pointers late in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beater that built Miami’s lead to 21 points.

The Heat cruised to victory from there. Miami’s poised to be a play-in tournament team. The Sixers, meanwhile, were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Saturday’s loss.