Category: Sports News

The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets played in what was clearly an end-of-season game for two teams going in different directions this offseason. Houston won easily, 140-106. Houston is a talented but imperfect team that was able to out-talent the Jazz, who are playing a rotation of developmental players, rookies, and 10-day contract players. Utah is currently in the 5th spot of the lottery, hoping to potentially catch the Sacramento Kings and move into 4th. The Rockets are in the 5th spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, hoping to jump to 4th.

With both teams at almost exact opposites of the standings spectrum, it’s hard not to feel better about the future of the Jazz compared to the Rockets. Houston cashed their chips to bring on Kevin Durant and started the season hot, but have slowly been on a downward trajectory. Losing Steven Adams was a big loss, and they haven’t been right since a recent group chat story involving Kevin Durant during the All-Star break. The Jazz are having to rest every player and sign a group of 10-day contract players to make sure they keep their pick this season. With Jaren Jackson Jr. waiting to join an already interesting core of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler, it’s hard not to think the Jazz could pass up the Rockets as soon as next season. And what if the Jazz win the lottery?

That said, this is a recap of what happened tonight. Utah lost by a lot, but were able to show some real improvement from some of their young core. Cody Williams scored 27 points on 10/16 shooting from the field, he was 7/10 from the free throw line with 11 rebounds. Oh, and he also dished out 4 assists. Quite the line from a player who was getting called a bust after an up-and-down rookie season. Now, it’s clear that Williams is a player who will be a part of the rotation in future seasons. How much is the question?

Ace Bailey continues to show the flashes of a bright future with his combination of shooting and now impressive drives to the rim. Bailey has been the opposite of his scouting report, where he was called a selfish chucker. Instead, he’s a player who looks for the pass, rebounds, and defends hard while also shooting the ball at a higher level than expected. Tonight, Bailey had 22 points with 6 rebounds, and it didn’t look particularly hard for him to get there.

Brice Sensabaugh was solid again tonight with his 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. It’s the 5 assists that are really encouraging. To start the season, Sensabaugh had a style of play that stopped the ball and hurt the flow of the offense. Now, Sensabaugh is looking more and more comfortable playing within the offense and not looking to shoot every time he has the ball. His shooting has also improved, and he’s scoring an impressive amount regardless of the opponent. That scoring is going to make him a valuable player the Jazz can call on in the future when they need scoring off the bench.

Finally, Kyle Filipowski is proving he’s an effective NBA rotation player. His scoring is legit against a wide variety of opponents. Tonight he was solid with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He’s proving that he can be an effective weapon off the bench as a power forward. Utah will need him next season for depth, even though it may be difficult to find minutes for him. At times, they may use him as a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” center if they need a stretch five that can score, but that comes with real problems on defense. That said, Utah has a known commodity in Filipowski, who can score on good efficiency, and his contract makes that really valuable.

Utah now has just four games left and will be watching the standings really closely. There’s a reasonable chance they pass the Kings, but that will take the Kings making silly mistakes. On second thought, maybe that’s a real possibility.

NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and the surging Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.

Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Toronto and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.

McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.

Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.

Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.

Up next

Hawks: Host New York on Monday night.

Nets: Host Washington on Sunday.

The Dallas Mavericks fell again at home on Friday night, losing to the Orlando Magic 138-127. Wendell Carter Jr. led a balanced Magic scoring attack with 28. Cooper Flagg put up 51 points in defeat for Dallas, becoming the first teenager to ever score over 50 in an NBA game.

The opening period in Dallas saw the Magic score early, often, and easily from the field. The team shot 65% from the floor with contributions spread evenly across the board. The Mavericks hung in largely through fantastic three-point shooting; the team hit five of 10 attempts in the opening quarter. Dallas trailed the Magic after 12 minutes, 38-31.

Klay Thompson seemed hellbent on keeping Dallas in this one, hitting his third and fourth threes of the game early in the quarter under extreme duress. The Mavericks eventually picked up Klay’s energy and Cooper Flagg and Naji took control of the game, rallying Dallas back to within three halfway through the period. But after tying the game at 53, Dallas got stuck offensively, committing a variety of turnovers paired with many missed shots. The Magic slowly pushed ahead as the Mavericks could not get out of their own way, ending the half trailing, 71-58.

As has been the pattern in the third quarter, Dallas got ground down to dust. The Magic scored at will on a Dallas defense devoid of principles in the halfcourt. Cooper Flagg at least put on a scoring binge, so that was fun, but the Mavericks entered the fourth down 111-92.

The final frame was chaotic; Jason Kidd was ejected arguing a horrible no call on a Cooper Flagg drive and Naji Marshall earned a technical as well. Despite Dallas being down 25 or more points, Dallas went on a Flagg-led run to close the lead some, forcing an Orlando timeout. This is the same team that allowed a 31-0 run from the Raptors just last month. But, despite Flagg’s performance, Dallas just couldn’t get stops to make a real dent in the lead. Watching Flagg operate was awesome though.

For Cooper Flagg, there is no ceiling

We’ve talked about Cooper all year, his shooting, his defense, his growth as a play maker. He’s a star in the making and if you’re still grinding out these Mavericks games with us, you’re going to be able to say you saw him way back when one day.

Tonight’s offensive performance from Flagg is a rallying call for those Mavs fans in your life who are checked out because the season’s been awful or who haven’t watched a game since the Luka trade. I get it, it’s not been easy. But this is special, very special and I want other people to join us here. We should have a whole post on this scoring performance at some point.

Tonight, the three point shot made the difference, as he hit six of nine attempts. That’s going to be what turns him from a good to great scorer and while it won’t happen over night, it will happen. He’s too good.

Shout out to Frank Vogel for his timeout usage. He helped get Flagg spots of rest so that he could go for that scoring number.

The Nets suffered a 141-107 beating at the hands of Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center.

Brooklyn (18-59) remained tied for second in the lottery race, keeping pace with Indiana. The Nets are ½-game behind first-place Washington, and two clear of Sacramento pending the Kings’ tilt with the visiting Pelicans later on Friday night.

Center Nic Claxton had a team-high 16 points and five rebounds, while Malachi Smith added 15 off the bench.

Guard Trevon Scott, inked on a 10-day contract, had six points in his debut. Noah Clowney was ejected with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

CJ McCollum had a game-high 25 points for the Hawks, who have won 19 of 22.

Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers and got outscored 35-11 on giveaways. 

“Yeah, obviously [they have] high-level perimeter defenders; but poor execution on our end,” hrad coach Jordi Fernández said. “We just were not good enough, starting with the guys that bring the ball up the floor and try to get us into something organized. It was very poor. And you see it right there; the difference is 24 points of turnovers. [That’s] the big difference in a game that you should’ve had a chance to compete.”

Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Danny Wolf both went from presumably out for the season to officially ruled out by Fernández.

“Yeah, well, obviously you guys know Day’Ron [Sharpe] is out. With Mike and Danny, based on where we are right now — and based on where they’re at with their rehab, and we only have one week left — they’ll be out just from where they are,” Fernández said. “So that’s the update of those two.”

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It’s an update that will shock no one.

Porter hasn’t played since March 10, suffering from a strained left hamstring. He’ll end his season averaging a career-high 24.2 points on 46.3/36.3/85.9 shooting splits.

Wolf, the last of Brooklyn’s record five first-round picks, sprained his ankle March 22 and will end his rookie campaign averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. He raised that to 10.8 points and 5.6 boards in his final 22 games.

“Yeah, they both have been very positive stories for us,” Fernández said. “[Wolf] being a rookie showed he belongs, and he’s been able to do very different things. Danny, from shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ballhandler, playing off the ball, different lineups, I’m very happy with him.

“Obviously efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively. … He surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.

“And then Michael in a new situation, being on the same team for seven years on a championship team and now having a different role, a different situation, everything has been also very positive. He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should’ve been an All-Star. Now I want him to come back and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing.”

Porter could be traded this summer. He’s also eligible for an extension of up to four years, $243 million, though would certainly command far less. Asked what Porter had shown the organization, Fernández said, “For that you’ve got to ask Sean [Marks, GM]. But me personally, he’s been put in a different role and he’s performed very well. He’s represented himself and the club very well.”

The Nets signed Trevon Scott to a 10-day contract. … Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney were upgraded to available against the visiting Hawks.

In the midst of the Bucks’ Friday night contest against the Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the NBA is investigating the team for “their handling of the player participating policy and potential inconsistent statements regarding the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo.” Shams added that the Bucks and Giannis have given conflicting accounts of his health.

“Milwaukee informed the NBA that it doesn’t believe Giannis is ready and actually wants to play; Giannis informed the NBA he wants to play but the team will not medically clear him, sources said.”

Giannis addressed the situation with local reporters before the game and gave some rather revealing statements. Outside of fully endorsing the investigation and his frustrations with not playing, he gave some very candid thoughts on how things have transpired:

“You know who you are dealing with, so for somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete, it’s like a slap in my face. So, I don’t know where the relationship goes from there.”

“I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”

As far as how this has played out behind the scenes, according to Giannis, he had an initial conversation with head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst. He let both of them know he wanted to play, but that was the last conversation they had, and no one has approached him since. He also slapped down any notion that he doesn’t want to play again this season, citing his wish to play with his younger brother, Alex Antetokounmpo:

“I’ve heard somebody say that, ‘Oh, he says that he wants to play, but he doesn’t really want to play. First of all, I don’t know who gives you information like that… you’d be an idiot to have an opportunity to play with your brother that you’re eight years older than him.”

“When I played my first NBA game, he was 11 years old. When my dad passed, I pretty much raised him. He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. And you really think that I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody that thinks that is an idiot.”

Before anyone goes into a full-blown panic, worrying that this will push a potential divide between Giannis and the Bucks, he insisted that this latest disagreement does not necessarily mean the two sides are heading toward a divorce:

“We gotta go into couples therapy… sit down, you know, tell their side, I’m going to tell my side and find a solution. Amicably, right? That’s the word. Find a solution together.”

We’ll have to wait and see what the NBA comes up with regarding this investigation, or whether the findings will come in time for Giannis to suit up again this season, but it’s clear whatever is going on has rubbed him the wrong way:

“I’ve been here 13 years and I understand the team gets eliminated from the playoffs, be smart. Taking care of your body, being in and out, just to be careful, to prepare for the next season, prepare for the next generation and the young players to get some minutes, go out there—I get that. But that wasn’t the time that this took place. That’s what bothers me. It’s almost like you waved the white flag and I don’t do that. I am sorry. I don’t. And I never, never will.”

There are a lot of different types of must-win games. Playoff games. Rivalries. Tie-breakers. Ring nights. Banner nights. Revenge games. But then there’s a must-win in the sense that your opponent is 25-51 on the season, actively tanking, and comprised of guys who may not even be in the league next year. 

Tonight was the final type of those must-win scenarios. The Toronto Raptors faced the Memphis Grizzlies, able to do what they needed to to the tune of 128 to 96. 

As the current 7-seed, Toronto would like nothing more than to avoid a play-in scenario. They don’t own the tie-breaker with Philly, which is part of why they’ve fallen, but given the outcome of their regular season games, their desired opponent would likely be Cleveland, meaning Toronto will have to make their way back above both the Sixers and the Hawks again for the 5-seed. 

Memphis has been gutted, with the majority of their starting lineup sidelined for the much of the season. They’ve had 33 different players check in at some point this year, tied (with themselves) for the most in an NBA season. To their credit, they still played with confidence and aggression, making sure the Raptors didn’t just walk away with the win. 

Cedric Coward, GG Jackson, and Javon Small, were their biggest contributors at both ends of the court. Jackson showed his physicality and athleticism to finish with 30 points and 5 rebounds. Small facilitated, ending with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Coward, their rookie, had another solid performance with 15 points. 

For Toronto, bench play was one of the biggest highlights, with Jamal Shead playing solid minutes and finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds. CMB flirted with a career best but ended with 19 points, and Mamu had solid backup minutes with 10 points and 6 rebounds. The bench will be such a big part of their playoff hopes, and getting everyone in and solid minutes out of many of them was encouraging. 

Of course RJ was undoubtably the best player on the court tonight. Ending with 25-3-4, he held them together when they were floundering in the first half, cashing in long range shots when needed and defending with effort. BI put up a solid 17-7-5 performance with some fantastic shooting. 

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Toronto started the game on an 11-0 run, forcing turnovers, getting out and running, and even sinking long range shots. It looked like it would be all Raptors tonight, memories of the recent 31 point run against Orlando seeming like foreshadowing for what could be an even better performance. 

But then three things happened. 

1. Memphis decided they weren’t going down easy.
2. Toronto started to get really sloppy with the ball.
3. The whistle started to get on Darko’s (and everyone else’s) nerves.

Memphis went on to tie it up and then actually earn their first lead. Falling behind seemed to be the push the Raptors needed to give some effort. RJ, CMB, and Shead led the way on a run that built Toronto a 10-point lead. 

Credit where it is due, the Grizzlies were relentless. Trying to get extra possessions, rebounding, and playing aggressive defense. In the fading minutes of the second quarter, Toronto was finally able to draw away and build a comfortable advantage. 

The second half went in Toronto’s favour as well, slowly building a bigger and bigger lead. They settled many of the mistakes they made in the first half, drawing away to the tune of a 30-point advantage. 

Throughout the contest, the bench got plenty of minutes, helping them build some confidence and rhythm going into the post season.

CMB had one of his stronger games, finding his touch around the rim and taking higher difficulty level shots without hesitation. Hi strength around the rim is one of the most fun things to watch: 

Which we got to see a decent amount of tonight:

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Next, Toronto faces the Boston Celtics for an afternoon game, at 3:30pm ET. 

It was a nail-biter, for sure. They needed all 14 available players to do it, but the Knicks (50*-28) managed to escape the Bulls (29-48) tonight. Things got hairy when their 47-point lead was chipped to 36 with four minutes left in the fourth, but the closing crew of Tyler Kolek, Jose Alvarado, Pacome Dadiet, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti managed to slam the lid on this one, 1,360-96.

Indeed, the entire available Knicks roster played tonight, and every man scored at least two points. That seems like a rare feat, no? There’s a no-prize waiting for the statistician who figures out how many times the Knicks have done that.

Karl-Anthony Towns rested a sore elbow tonight, so Mitchell Robinson (17 PTS, 11 RBS, 23 MIN) started at center. The big fella scored four early points as the Knicks zipped off on a 9-1 run, during which the Bulls missed four shots and committed two turnovers. The mismatch was obviously unfair from the jump. The tallest starting Bull was Matas Buzelis (11 PTS) at 6’8”, just tall enough to read Mitch’s chest tattoos.

From there, the Knicks built a huge early lead behind Robinson and Jalen Brunson (17 PTS, 10 AST), back after missing a game with ankle maintenance. Robinson owned the paint with putbacks, dunks, and rebounds, while Brunson kept the ball moving and the offense humming. OG Anunoby (31 PTS, 8 RBS) chipped in on both ends, showing the touch from deep, and the Knicks’ defense fueled the run with steals and easy transition points. Quoth SagaciousNLoquacious, “OGUA WENT NOVA.” Indeed. Anunoby had a monster night and has finally regained his shooting stroke, making 7-of-10 from deep overall and tying his career-best.

The guests couldn’t hit shots early, turned the ball over, and could barely see daylight in the lane. Collin Sexton (19 PTS) hit a couple threes, but his team was a disaster: sloppy possessions, poor shot selection (and poor options, thanks to active defense), and no answer for the Block Ness Monster.

The Knicks outshot the Bulls 56% to 29%, crushed them in the paint (18-2), and forced seven turnovers in the quarter. The lead reached 23 points before the quarter broke on a 38-16 score.

Our heroes shoveled more misery on their guests in the second period as Mikal Bridges (12 PTS) got into the action, and Robinson continued his stomp-Tokyo routine. A mid-quarter stretch made the affair an embarrassment, featuring turnovers by Josh Giddey (6 PTS, 5 AST, 4 TO) and Buzelis that turned into Knicks runouts. Miles McBride (6 PTS, 13 MIN) created steals that became easy points, Anunoby nailed a couple more from deep, and Brunson piled up assists.

For Chicago, Sexton and Tre Jones (13 PTS, 8 AST) provided scattered scoring, but the Bulls couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the sneakers. Guerschon Yabusele, who started the season with the Knicks, has expanded in Chicago, both in role and size. Either that or his uniform was a size too small. If your fly-by-night GLP1 company needs a spokesman, look no further. We mention him here because he made a three-pointer. Yabu finished the night with five points and four rebounds on 2-0f-9 shooting.

The lead reached 41 points, and the Knicks entered halftime with the biggest lead in franchise history, up 78-41. They shot better from the field (59% to 35%) and from deep (43% to 32%), destroyed in the paint (40 to 14), and totally controlled the glass (31-18). They’d committed just two turnovers versus 11 for Chicago, and the Knicks have turned those into a 20-0 edge in points off turnovers. Recording his first half-time double-double, Robinson had 15 points and 10 boards at the break. Anunoby led all scorers with 19, and, for the visitors, Sexton scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep.

The Bulls showed a little life coming out of halftime. Jones and Isaac Okoro (7 PTS) got downhill and scored  early, almost trimming the margin to 30. Buzelis added a couple of finishes, and there was a brief stretch where Chicago forced misses and turned them into points.

Both teams would score 31 in the third quarter. The Knicks were playing with their food. Robinson kept controlling the interior with tip-ins and rebounds, while Brunson scored a bit. For Chicago, Jones and Sexton provided most of the offense, with Buzelis contributing scattered buckets. The Bulls were better than in the first half, but not nearly clean or consistent enough to change the shape of the game. When Anunoby hit a 23’ pullup—just a toenail shy of what could have been a personal-best eighth triple—the home team sat on a 108-72 lead.

Now that three quarters had passed and the differential stood at 36, Coach Mike Brown thought it safe to send in Tyler Kolek with a blend of Jose Alvarado, Jeremy Sochan, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara. About time he did! Under their watch, the lead would reach 47! Sure, they were outscored by 11, but, c’mon, the lead was still 36. After that, Alvarado made sure to score, completing a full house and inspiring the Garden crowd to give our heroes a well-deserved standing ovation. 50 wins for the third straight season! That deserves a clap.

Up Next

The Knicks travel to Atlanta for a rumble with the red-hot Hawks. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup pulled a hammy to end its season.