He followed Duke teammate Zion Williamson, who was selected by the Pelicans at No. 1. The Grizzlies then took Murray State guard Ja Morant. New York was “locked in” on the former Blue Devil despite hosting Darius Garland for a private workout Wednesday, who the Knicks were “seriously considering” at the time, according to ESPN. Barrett had previously worked out with the Knicks and repeatedly said he wanted to be in New York....
The draft prospects have a variety of anthrometric measurements taken – height (with and without shoes), standing reach and wingspan, hand length and width, and weight and body fat percentage. Every year there are some eye-catching numbers, even if some of the measurements are somewhat anticipated based on previous reports. And then there are the strength and agility drills and 1-on-0 shooting drills, giving the scouts and executives in the building an idea of how each prospect matches up athletically in comparison to one another....
Phoenix, the franchise with the best odds (25.0 percent) ahead of the lottery, now has a chance to take a young talent like Luka Doncic or Deandre Ayton with the top selection. The Kings, Hawks, Grizzlies and Mavericks will also have top-five picks. The notable Brooklyn pick acquired by Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving trade fell to No. 8 on the big board. NBA DRAFT: Looking back at draft lottery wins that changed the league...
As draft night gets closer, it’s time to get familiar with some of the top prospects in this year’s class. While looking at mock drafts gives you an idea of where prospects may land, their draft positioning isn’t always indicative of where they rank among their peers in terms of talent and potential. That’s where our big board comes into play, providing you with a ranking of the top prospects in this year’s draft class....
While we’re still a ways from the 90s glory years defined by Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and others, today’s current crop of bigs is recalibrating what was an overcorrection in the NBA’s pace-and-space revolution. In today’s NBA, centers are asked to do far more than simply post up and patrol the paint. They shoot 3s. They switch onto guards. They bring the ball up. They run the floor....
It was a mistake then, and it’s coming back to haunt the Pacers now ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft. MORE: SN’s latest NBA mock draft Instead of corralling a worthy package in February, Indiana is looking for a panic-time deal involving George, one they hope to close ahead of Thursday’s draft. The league has been warned that George wants to play for the Lakers, vastly undercutting any package for George, especially if the Pacers had hoped to add draft picks....
The Nets had the best record at the time and are now likely going to have to win a Play-In game to make the playoffs. Some were starting to wonder if it was time for the Celtics to move on from Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, and the two of them now look like they might lead Boston to another title. The Ben Simmons situation in Philly was far from resolved and the 76ers now have James Harden in his place....
Adebayo stuffed Tatum’s attempt to preserve Miami’s narrow overtime lead and secure a 117-114 victory. The sequence is a contender for defensive play of the season. MORE: What NBA players are saying about clutch block Here’s the social media reaction to the end of Heat vs. Celtics:
MORE: Scout weighs in on 10 NBA Draft prospects in NCAA Tournament One would expect the mood in Memphis’ locker room to be bitter, but that apparently was not the case. As pointed out by NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman, beat writer Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal had some notes on the mood of the players after the game. In his recap Tillery wrote: Tillery also took to Twitter to share his thoughts....
In 2014-15, they rose to prominence, taking the basketball world by storm. They won 67 regular-season games on their way to an NBA championship sparked by the play of Stephen Curry’s first of consecutive MVP seasons. The following season they took even more, posting a best ever 73-9 record as Curry won the MVP unanimously only to have their repeat dreams thwarted. A LeBron James-led Cavs team, which Golden State downed the previous season as All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love sat with injuries, came back from down 3-1 to capture the 2015-16 title....
Before the Cavaliers look to even up the series on Sunday, here are three things to watch for in Game 2… Can the Warriors keep the Cavaliers off the offensive glass? If you’re searching for a non-LeBron reason why the Cavaliers were able to keep up with the Warriors in Game 1, look no further than offensive rebounding. Cleveland pulled down a total of 19 offensive rebounds in Game 1, which helped the Cavs score 21 second-chance points compared to only 10 for Golden State....
Durant has been out since straining his calf in Golden State’s Game 5 win over the Rockets in the second round. The Warriors went on to close out Houston in six games before sweeping the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. “Just taking it a second at a time,” Durant told reporters last week. “I try to focus on (the present) and not think too far down the line because I don’t really know too much about this injury....
The big call here for Game 5 is fading Anthony Davis. The Heat have shown an increased ability to slow him down in the past two games, and with Bam Adebayo back and us captaining Butler, a high-priced fade had to be made. It certainly wasn’t going to be James. We’ve taken all our depth pieces from the Lakers with the expectation that they likely close out the series in Game 5....
VanVleet was feeling it, knocking down a dagger 3 in the final seconds of the game to give the Raptors a lead they wouldn’t surrender, taking him to 32 points on the night. NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) After burying the clutch shot, VanVleet ran back to his bench doing an iconic NBA celebration that has become known as the Sam Cassell “Big Balls dance,” according to Cassell himself in a story with The Athletic....
The six-time All-Star was bought out by the Spurs in March before he signed on with the Bucks. He appeared in just three regular-season games for Milwaukee before a stress fracture in his left foot cost him the remainder of the season. Still on the mend from foot surgery, Gasol, 38, said recently in Spain he wants to continue “playing and competing at the highest level.” “The expectations are to recover and see what happens with the free agent market this summer,” he said (translated from MundoDeportivo....
Turner has been expected to be wooed by the Knicks and his hometown team, the Bulls. But the Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers and Grizzlies are also preparing to bid for Turner, the source said. Some meetings will be arranged for the early stages of free agency, but nothing has been finalized. MORE: Free agency tracker | Best free agents available Turner, the Sixers’ No. 2 pick of the 2010 draft, figures to be an interesting free-agent case....
Re-signing the 31-year-old center this summer “is a priority” for Milwaukee, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources. Lopez averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game for the Bucks this season. He shot 45.2% from the field and a career-best 36.5% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per appearance. “I’ve always tried to have fun when I go out and play basketball,” Lopez told reporters earlier this month....
Jordan Bell has agreed to a guaranteed deal with the Timberwolves, his agents told Yahoo Sports on Monday. Bell, 24, was reportedly extended a qualifying offer from the Warriors late last week, making him a restricted free agent. But the team has “no plans” to match the offer, according to the Mercury News. Golden State used a second-round pick on Bell in 2017, and he contributed 4.6 points and 3....
Roy Hibbert tries anyway. MORE: Spurs stretch win streak to 18 | George wants star calls from official The Indiana Pacers center jumps straight up to meet James in the air, and their bodies collide in front of the basket as the shot is missed. Foul or not? And if so, on whom? "It's a hard play. It's a bang-bang play. There's a lot of force involved when these two bodies meet," said Mike Bantom, the NBA's executive vice president of referee operations....
Yes, this week we hit the midseason point in the NBA. MORE: Eight Timberwolves head-coaching candidates That makes for a good time to check on how the award balloting is shaping up. Much can change, of course, but the players who are leading the way for the league’s various awards at midseason very often are the ones who wind up winning in the end. Let’s have a look at where things would stand on my ballot…...
