Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Birthday Backcheck features New York Rangers center J.T. Miller, who turns 32 years old on March 14.
Miller is in his second stint with the Rangers after the team drafted him 15th overall in 2011. During his first stint, he became the first Rangers player to have a multi-goal game in more than two decades. He then played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks before returning to New York.
Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media. And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.
With the NBA playoffs just one month away, the Knicks find themselves firmly in the third seed in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind the Celtics for second and 5.0 games ahead of the Bucks in fourth.
There’s plenty of uncertainty as to how they close out the season without Jalen Brunson, but barring an unforeseen disaster, they’re highly likely to end up matched up with the Bucks, Pacers, or Pistons in the first round.
Let’s dive into each of these potential opponents and see how they stack up against New York...
Bucks
The Bucks have failed to recapture their bonafide contender status since winning the 2021 NBA Finals, despite their blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard -- but their deadline deals for Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and former Knick Jericho Sims have given them a top-five defense since early February and a 10-6 record over that span.
They also boast the still-dominant Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s only lost his MVP sheen due to his team’s performance.
New York hasn’t played the new-look Bucks yet, but they have a meeting slated for late March after dusting them in a pair of blowouts earlier this season. The weaknesses displayed in those losses haven’t fully been addressed and New York is primed to take advantage in a potential first-round series.
Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 31 points in those wins, a stylistic nightmare for Milwaukee’s opposing center Brook Lopez. Lopez is a good defender, but he lacks the mobility to cover the space created by Towns and his ferocious driving game.
Expect them to hide Lopez on Josh Hart out of the gate and force Towns to find his spots against their wings -- a popular look that’s worked well for better teams. New York will have to get creative getting Hart involved in on-ball actions and be willing to sit him for a shooter in response.
Despite their high-level defense, the Bucks also don’t have a great individual answer for Jalen Brunson, who had a surgical 44 points on 26 shots during their last matchup. Milwaukee's guards are lacking defensively, so they will likely be hidden on New York’s wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who will need to step up and take advantage offensively.
Brunson will see his fair share of Kuzma, Taurean Prince and Porter, consistent with how foes have guarded him using big wings during the regular season and last year’s playoffs. Fans shouldn’t doubt Brunson’s ability to figure them out one-on-one, but New York would be smart to emphasize his playmaking and other preferable assignments on the floor.
Even with the roster changes, New York measures up nicely with the Bucks. Their offense is average and not much improved since the trades -- it's a stilted and star-dependent system that the Knicks have the personnel to deal with.
They won’t kill New York on the offensive glass, but love to push the ball and can be dangerous if the Knicks let their role players get going. This feels akin to the 76ers series last year -- a star-heavy, tough but beatable matchup that doesn’t pose huge stylistic threats.
Pacers
New York is very familiar with Indiana, having been bounced by them in a seven game series in the second round last year.
But circumstances have changed dramatically since then -- half the Knicks were out due to injury/hurting during that series and the other half were largely traded/lost in the offseason. With that being said, the Pacers are still very much in line with last year’s version.
They boast a top-10 offense behind their engine, Tyrese Haliburton, and a much more comfortable Pascal Siakam, who is having an All-Star season. Benedict Mathurin missed the Knicks series but is healthy and having a career year, averaging 25.3 points in his three games against New York.
Indiana’s defense is at about league average -- a bump from last year but still their Achilles heel.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
New York took two of three games against Indiana this season, including one on the road and a home-opener rout.
This one is more of a clash of approaches. The Pacers are top 10 in pace behind a young, athletic, high-scoring team. A potential series will come down to how well the Knicks can limit them to the half-court and keep them off the boards.
There shouldn’t be much new they can throw at Jalen Brunson when he has the ball in his hands, and he’s proven their individual defenders can’t hold him without help. One thing the Pacers did well was limit his high-efficiency looks -- threes and free throws -- but their attention should be a bit more divided with Towns in the picture.
Towns averaged 30.3 points in the three games against the Pacers this season, and should be expected to dominate his matchup with Myles Turner, who hurt the Knicks last season.
This series is definitely the most favorable to those who prefer narratives, with these two holding a long-time rivalry and the Knicks seeking revenge, and may arguably be the most favorable for a quick Knicks advance as well.
Pistons
The new kids on the block have made their mark, breaking out with a 37-30 record and top-10 defense. They’ve especially given the Knicks problems, up 2-1 in the season series with a final meeting scheduled in April.
It’s no surprise why -- Detroit is another young and athletic team as opposed to the older, slower Knicks, and they have strong depth off the bench. They’re a top-10 offensive rebounding team and are top-five on the other end, so New York needs to devote a lot of energy to the possession battle.
They also relentlessly attack Brunson defensively with their 6’6” former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, who just made his first All-Star team. In their two wins over New York, Cunningham put up a 29-point triple-double and a 36-point outburst, though the Knicks left plenty of adjustments off the table.
Cutting off the head of the snake is crucial to the Knicks in this series. The Pistons are somewhat limited in creation beyond Cunningham, with the onus falling on Jaden Ivey and a hodgepodge of reliable but more complementary veterans.
Those vets will help guide the young Pistons through their first playoff experience -- a huge factor in a potential series.
The postseason is an entirely different game, and the shift from the regular season can give new teams whiplash before they get a chance to adjust -- see the Cavaliers in 2023 or the Knicks in 2021.
One might think this isn’t relevant to a Knicks strategy against the Pistons in a series, but they lost these regular season games due to a lack of focus and execution. They committed an uncharacteristically large amount of turnovers that let the Detroit offense get running and punching above its weight.
If New York can limit those turnovers and show poise defensively and on the boards at a level the Pistons shouldn’t be accustomed to, this should be a confident series for them. However, they can’t underestimate them or it will be an embarrassing first-round out.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes that Steph Curry’s 3-point record is unbreakable
For Parsons, there’s no way anyone will match Curry’s eventual final total, which currently sits at 4,000 career 3-pointers.
“I think all records are meant to be broken, not this one,” Parsons said on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on Friday. “It can’t be done. I don’t think someone [else] is going to shoot so efficiently. The dude shoots 42 percent from the [three-point line] for his career. And he takes a boatload of them and he’s so consistent. We will never see it again.
“A lot of guys can shoot the ball, a lot of guys can create space, nobody does it in as big of moments as him. No one does it as clutch as him. Think about this summer, with what he did in that gold medal game. It’s just ridiculous what he does. It’s an honor to watch this due play basketball, like it’s crazy. Every single night he steps on the floor, he does something that mesmerizes you and he continues to do it.”
Steph Curry is truly 1 of 1, and he showed it last night by becoming the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 three-pointers in his career! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/F3GtJPELbV
In theory, NBA records are meant to be broken, but a select few are so far beyond the capabilities of any normal player that they’re unlikely to be surpassed. Wilt Chamberlain’s 23,924 career rebounds, or his 100-point game, also belong in this category.
While the entire league has shifted towards long-range shots, Curry is such an outlier that it’s incomprehensible. Los Angeles Clippers superstar James Harden is next on the all-time 3-pointers list at 3,127, but it’s unlikely he — or anyone for that matter — can catch the 37-year-old.
For one, the 35-year-old Harden is at the tail end of his career, and there’s not enough time to chip away at the gap. Second, Curry still is playing at an elite level and shows no signs of stopping, so it’s conceivable that he could end his career with around 5,000 3-pointers.
It’s one thing to take a lot of long-range shots, but another to make them consistently. Curry does both things so much better than anyone else that it’s hard to imagine a player who could match him.
When No. 30 decides to hang it up and retire, expect his record to be on another plane of existence, far out of the reach of any future NBA players.
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Adin Hill to a six-year, $6.25M AAV contract extension.
The 28-year-old is enjoying his third season with the Golden Knights, posting a career-high in games played with 17 games remaining on the schedule.
In the 39 games he's played, Hill has posted a .906 SV% and a 2.53 GAA. The save percentage is the lowest of his three years in Vegas, but the numbers have been steadily rising as the season has progressed.
The Golden Knights defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, and Hill recorded his fourth shutout of the season, turning away 27 shots.
The Golden Knights and GM Kelly McCrimmon placed a lot of trust in Hill when they elected to trade away Logan Thompson. Thompson has been enjoying a great season with the Washington Capitals, but the recent performances by Hill have put fans at ease about the decision the franchise made.
McCrimmon has been busy this season with re-signings. Last season, he watched multiple integral players leave in free agency and seems determined to avoid doing so this season. During the 2024-25 campaign, McCrimmon has re-signed Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, Brayden McNabb, and Shea Theodore. He's also handed out entry-level contracts to Trent Swick, Kai Uchacz and Braeden Bowman.
With the salary cap rising, McCrimmon has put the Golden Knights in a better position to chase after free agents, instead of replacing key players.
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Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, celebrates with teammates after his first-period goal opened the scoring Thursday. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
The biggest obstacle to a long playoff run for the Kings may be the airport.
Provided the Kings make the playoffs, of course, and right now things are looking pretty good. With a dominant 3-0 win Thursday over Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings jumped over Edmonton into second place in the Pacific Division and moved within six points of first-place Las Vegas.
The win was the team’s fourth in a row, its longest winning streak in more than two months. But it wasn’t just that the Kings won; it was how they won and where they won that mattered.
They controlled every phase of the game, outshooting and outhitting the physical Capitals. They scored a power-play goal while killing five penalties of their own. And they shut out the highest-scoring team in the league while stopping Ovechkin, the second-highest-scoring player in history, leaving him nine goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s once-unbreakable record of 894 career goals.
“That was as complete as it's been all year,” coach Jim Hiller said of his team’s effort. “We had a game plan. We adhered to it as well, for 60 minutes, as each player can.”
That’s how they won. Where they won is just as important.
The Kings have lost in regulation just three times in 29 games at home this season, the best record in the NHL. On the road, their 17 losses are the most among likely Western Conference playoff teams. So if the team begins the playoffs with a trip to LAX, its postseason run could be a short one.
Which wouldn’t be novel. The Kings have been eliminated in the playoffs in the first round in each of the last three seasons — and each time they opened the postseason on the road in Edmonton. In fact, the team has never won a playoff series under general manager Rob Blake, whose job may depend on the Kings winning one this spring.
But then they’ve never had home-ice advantage in a playoff series under Blake, either. Finishing first or second in the division would give them that this year and that would potentially flip the script since the Kings haven’t lost at home to any of the top 15 teams in the NHL this year.
On the road, they’ve beaten just one of those same 15 teams in the last two months.
“We feel, especially on home ice, that it doesn't matter who we're playing. If we play our game, we're going to come out in front,” said goalie Darcy Kuemper, who hasn’t lost in regulation at home since Nov. 7, matching a 34-year-old franchise record by earning a point in 11 consecutive games.
“Obviously we have our eye on trying to get home ice for playoffs,” said Kuemper, who posted his first shutout since New Year’s Day against a team that hadn’t been blanked since the seventh game of the season. “Every team in the race wants that and we know how important every point is going to be down the stretch.”
“We're strong at home this year, way better than last year,” added Kevin Fiala, who had a goal and an assist Thursday. “We feel comfortable we can beat anybody and we’re showing it.”
Thursday’s game definitely had a playoff feel to it and the Kings rose to the challenge, with Warren Foegele giving them the only goal they’d need when he banged in a loose puck from the edge of the crease with 6:52 left in the opening period. The goal, Foegele’s 19th of the season, gave him 200 points for his NHL career.
Fiala doubled the lead with his 22nd goal of the season on a power play 65 seconds into the third period, and while the goal was being announced over the PA system, Quinton Byfield made it 3-0 off an assist from Fiala.
It was the team's 15th goal in the four-game home winning streak; they scored just 16 times in the last eight road games.
“In the locker room, we always believed,” Fiala said. “Doesn’t matter the standings. Doesn’t matter who we beat. But tonight we beat the best team in the league.”
The game turned chippy as the minutes ticked away, with five players sharing the penalty boxes at one point. But the Kings didn’t back down. If they play like that in the playoffs, they’re going to win a lot of games.
“I do believe that our players know that if we are all together, we all do the same thing and play the game the way we believe that our team has to play it to have success, then we can beat anybody,” Hiller said.
This is what Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman says to himself as he falls asleep every night (probably). A little healthy competition never hurts anyone, and there is competition for ice time on the Red Wings' blueline.
The contract includes performance bonuses and signing bonuses for each of the three years.
The fourth-round pick in the 2022 entry draft has had a solid two years in Sweden. Johansson played full-time SHL last season and is doing so again this season.
He played 46 games for Leksands IF this year, recording 10 points, 98 shots, and 50 penalty minutes. Johansson averaged 16:38 of ice time per game.
This represents a big step forward for the defender. In 46 games last season, he only recorded eight points, 59 shots, 16 penalty minutes, and 13:32 ice time per game.
The right-handed defender will report to the Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on an amateur tryout. The ice in North America is smaller than in the SHL. This is a bigger deal for defenders than it is for forwards.
Defenders must react quicker and be more aggressive on the smaller ice surface. The AHL is a great place for a young Swede to acclimate to making faster decisions.
It remains to be seen whether or not Johansson has an NHL future ahead of him - but at the very least, he’s one step closer.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Was it wise to sign Johansson at this point?
Brissett is a 6-foot-7 forward who knows Sixers head coach Nick Nurse from his Raptors stint and time with the Canadian men’s national team. The Syracuse product won a championship last season with the Celtics.
Brissett has yet to appear in the NBA this year. Over 11 regular-season games for the Long Island Nets in the G League, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Brissett is a 6-foot-7 forward who knows Sixers head coach Nick Nurse from his Raptors stint and time with the Canadian men’s national team. The Syracuse product won a championship last season with the Celtics.
Brissett has yet to appear in the NBA this year. Over 11 regular-season games for the Long Island Nets in the G League, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
The Wales U20 team will complete their Six Nations campaign against England at the Arms Park tonight, but the age-grade international action continues apace with Wales U18 meeting their Scottish counterparts at Kingston Park, Newcastle on Sunday. (3pm kick-off). It is the first step on the international ladder for the youngsters, who have only three […]
Matt Sherratt will be back at Cardiff Rugby on Monday but admits he might have to delay his return to the Arms Park if he can get his Wales side to beat England in their Guinness Six Nations finale at Principality Stadium this weekend. After games against Ireland and Scotland, Sherratt leads Wales for the […]
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani enters the field at the Tokyo Dome for a workout on Friday ahead of next week's Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
They screamed.
They screamed and made that noise that crowds make when thousands of people scream at the same time, that sound that is heard when the home team takes a lead late in a playoff game.
Imagine if Ohtani had actually taken batting practice Friday like most of the other Dodgers hitters. Imagine the reaction of the 10,507 fans who packed the lower-bowl seats behind home plate and the two foul lines at the Tokyo Dome.
The crowd’s response to Ohtani, however, reestablished a longstanding truth about the Dodgers: In Japan’s view, there is Ohtani and then there is everyone else.
The Dodgers are the Rolling Stones and Ohtani is Mick Jagger.
“If not for Ohtani, I don’t think all of Japan would be in a frenzy like this,” said Taka Hattori, a 51-year-old fan who wore a custom-made No. 17 jersey with “SHOTIME” embroidered across the back.
Fans cramped into a nearby 30,000-square-foot hall that was transformed into a temporary souvenir store. Hundreds showed up the previous day at Haneda Airport to catch a glimpse of the Dodgers, who arrived for the Tokyo Series, their season-opening, two-game set against the Chicago Cubs that starts on Tuesday.
More than 1,000 media credentials were issued for the games, which are sold out. The asking price on the secondary market for the least-expensive tickets are in the neighborhood of $1,500.
Hattori paid 18,000 yen, or about $120, to join the Dodgers’ fan club, which entered him into a lottery for Japan Series tickets.
Hattori settled for the workout on Friday, as he was able to purchase tickets from a friend at their face value of 2,000 yen, or about $13.
“I personally really like Ichiro [Suzuki],” Hattori said. “I was able to watch Ichiro play here on opening day. But it wasn’t like this.”
Hattori described Ohtani as being “from another universe.”
“Of course, Ohtani is a representative of Japan,” Hattori said. “But it doesn’t matter any more whether he’s Japanese, American or Korean. I feel he’s reached the level at which he is not a representative of any particular country but is rather a representative of baseball.”
Runa Misaki traveled from her hometown of Osaka to watch the workout with her friend Yuko Hanashima.
Fans try on Dodgers caps at a souvenir store at the Tokyo Dome on Friday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
They said they were drawn to Ohtani as much by his personality as his performances.
“I think he really likes baseball,” Hanashima said. “I think he likes baseball more than anyone. I think that’s why children like him so much.”
Misaki said she would return to Tokyo on Sunday for an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers. Tickets for that game, as well as for a game on Saturday against the Yomiuri Giants, are being sold on the secondary market for more than $600.
“I would like them to open here every season,” Misaki said.
Ohtani’s popularity here is such that other Dodgers have also become famous by association.
Fans waved en masse at manager Dave Roberts, who waved back. They shouted the names of Teoscar Hernández and Miguel Rojas. They shrieked with delight when Freeman acknowledged them with an affectionate wave of the glove.
They also watched batting practice with the same focus with which they would watch a game. Binoculars and mobile phone cameras were pointed at the batter’s box. Some fans observed the action while clutching sleeping babies. The conclusion of every round of batting practice was followed by applause.
Mind you, this was for a workout. The first official game was still four days away.
