The NBA hopeful’s video profile: MORE: Upshaw’s mother releases statement following tragic death of her son Upshaw, who was in his second year with the Grand Rapids Drive, collapsed on the court with less than a minute left in the game. On Monday, there was an outpouring of support for Upshaw and his loved ones from the basketball community following the news of his passing.
As we always caution, some of the top options aren’t listed in the playbook below. That doesn’t mean they’re bad plays; rather we aim to provide options across all ranges of salary. Most players are listed by their FD positions, but note that they may be eligible at other positions on the other sites. Position wise, it is easier to mix and match with the multiple DraftKings options as it is for FD....
Birch, who started his career at Pittsburgh, averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as a junior. Birch is expected to be a second-round pick, which means he will not have a guaranteed contract upon being selected.
A week after star Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish declared, junior big men Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier announced through Duke that they will test the waters. “Javin DeLaurier & Marques Bolden will enter the NBA Draft process. The rising seniors will gather feedback from NBA personnel over the coming weeks, but will maintain their collegiate eligibility, leaving open the possibility of returning to Duke,” the school said....
Every year, there are prospects who slip through the cracks on draft night, turning into steals for the franchise that selects them. Recent success stories like Nuggets’ Bones Hyland (2021), 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (2020), Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane (2020) and Warriors’ Jordan Poole (2019) were all taken outside of the top 20 in their respective drafts. And that’s not even mentioning sleeper superstars like Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green, both of whom fell to the second round in their draft classes....
MORE: Top 15 power fowards in the 2015-16 season | Draymond Green calls Kevin Durant an underrated trash talker The league’s move reflects an ongoing shift in all scheduling to allow more time between games. The NBA reduced the number of four-games-in-five-nights instances by 61 percent for the 2015-16 season. “Our focus was really on players’ rest and recuperation,” NBA VP of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said told ESPN in August, when the 2015-16 schedule was released....
Led by chief Marc Davis, the three-person crew also features veteran NBA officials, Tony Brothers and Josh Tiven. The trio of Brothers, Davis and Tiven have made a combined 25 NBA Finals appearances. Game 5 of the NBA Finals marks the 18th NBA Finals game that Davis has officiated in his career, while this will be Brothers’ 15th NBA Finals game and Tiven’s fourth NBA Finals game. Each referee has officiated one game earlier in this series....
Barnes, along with Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka, got ejected, and Blake Griffin of the Clippers received a technical foul for their parts in a scuffle with 6 seconds left in the second quarter of their game Wednesday night. MORE: Matt Barnes apologizes to teammates, coaches | Barnes gets ejected, sends out angry tweet Griffin was trying to put the ball up and his arms and Ibaka's became entangled. Barnes shoved Ibaka hard in the chest....
The free-agent point guard has reached an agreement with Golden State, according to multiple reports. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the contract is for three years and $16 million. NBA.com’s David Aldridge, who spoke with Livingston, offered more insight into why Livingston will leave the Nets for the Dubs. The 6-7 Livingston was the Nets’ starting point guard for stretches last season as Deron Williams struggled with injuries. Livingston, 28, averaged 8....
James has remained quiet throughout the season, insisting he will weigh all of his options when the time comes following the 2017-18 season. But it appears his list is shrinking. MORE: Why those LeBron-to-Philly rumors are getting louder The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor dropped a note in a piece about the Spurs revealing that James is down to four realistic options — and San Antonio didn’t make the cut: These teams make a great deal of sense, as they each have a certain appeal for James....
The two storied programs are almost an afterthought today. MORE: 2015 NBA All Star jerseys | Jimmy Butler will get max deal | Stephen Curry is criminally underpaid (They play Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET) Times are a’ changing, that’s for sure. Now, there’s a new era of young, talented teams that have taken over the league. These fresh faces of the NBA are creating dynamic and exciting matchups for fans....
Wilkins said that staff at Le Bilboquet Atlanta, a French bistro in the Buckhead district, had turned him away in a tweet that quickly went viral over the weekend. “In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack,” he wrote on Saturday....
Players complaining about questionable officiating in games isn’t anything new — Tim Duncan was famous for his reactions to fouls called against him — but this season, each side has claimed the other has been crossing the line more than ever. So far this season, LeBron James and Anthony Davis received their first career ejections, Shaun Livingston and a referee went forehead-to-forehead during an argument, and Draymond Green has gone so far as to say league should get “a whole new crop” of referees....
He shot within three feet of the rim four times (three makes), took four shots from the elbow (two from each side, making all four), popped one turnaround in the lane and attempted four 3-pointers, two from each wing (converting two). MORE: Warriors-Spurs Game 4 recap These are Durant’s heat zones. With a depleted Spurs defense lined up against the Warriors, it wasn’t surprising he had so little trouble getting himself set up in those spots....
King James busted a move to the pregame soundtrack Sunday night prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Cavaliers and Celtics. MORE: Celtics vs. Cavaliers Game 3 live score, updates Cleveland is at home looking to take a 3-0 series lead against a short-handed Boston squad that is without star guard Isaiah Thomas (hip).
After Dudley was ejected following his shove of Joel Embiid in the third quarter of the 76ers’ Game 4 win on Saturday, Joel Embiid was asked about Dudley and he wasn’t complimentary. “First of all, he’s a nobody,” Embiid told TNT. “And when opponents try to do stuff like that, that’s just to get us out of the game, I’m too valuable to my team, that’s why I didn’t react....
The Rockets topped the Warriors 126-121 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, leaving Golden State with a 2-1 lead. Houston was aggressive from the start and led for most of the contest. Every time the Warriors closed the gap, the Rockets seemed ready to pull away again. James Harden led the way for the home team by scoring 41 points in the contest. He got a valuable contribution from Eric Gordon, who tallied 30 points and made seven 3-pointers on the night....
The Warriors topped Portland 110-99 in a Game 3 win Saturday, extending their lead in the series to 3-0. Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s comeback win. The Trail Blazers can’t hold a lead Portland led by double-digits at the half for the second consecutive game, but blew its lead to the defending champs again. Last time the Trail Blazers’ blunder was at Oracle Arena, but home court advantage made no difference....
