Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Lakers announce partial schedule for 2024-25 preseason

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced three games for the team’s 2024-25 preseason schedule.

The preseason slate is highlighted by an Oct.15 contest in Las Vegas against the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena, the site of the purple and gold’s NBA Cup title last season. Tickets go on sale May 20.

In mid-October, the team will continue its tradition of bringing Lakers basketball to Las Vegas when it takes on Golden State Oct. 15 at T-Mobile Arena. The purple and gold own many proud moments in Sin City, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaking the then-NBA scoring record held by Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984, versus Utah. Legend Kobe Bryant was named the 2007 NBA All-Star Game MVP held in Las Vegas after leading the West Team to victory with a game-high 31 points.

Los Angeles will open the preseason with a pair of games in Greater Palm Springs at Acrisure Arena, hosting Minnesota Oct. 4 and Phoenix Oct. 6. The purple and gold boast a rich history in the Coachella Valley, the former home of Lakers training camp. Legends Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal left their mark on the Greater Palm Springs area when they suited up for Los Angeles in the 1997 preseason at the College of the Desert. The Lakers most recently hosted the Suns at a sold-out Acrisure Arena during the 2023 preseason. Tickets for this year’s contests in the Coachella Valley will go on sale May 20 as well.

Suns hire Mike Budenholzer as head coach

The Phoenix Suns last week named Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach.

“We’re excited to name Mike as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and bring him back to his home state of Arizona,” said Mat Ishbia, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. “Mike has proven himself to be among the most successful head coaches in the NBA. He is the right leader to take us to the next level and reach our championship goals.”

“Mike’s exceptional basketball acumen, championship pedigree and his standing as one of the NBA’s premier coaches will be invaluable as we compete for a championship,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager James Jones. “We’re confident that under his leadership our team will reach new levels of success.”

“I am honored to be named head coach of the Phoenix Suns, the team I grew up watching,” said Budenholzer. “I would like to thank Mat Ishbia, Josh Bartelstein and James Jones for the opportunity to lead this team. I’m grateful to have a talented roster of players who are ready to compete and play a style of basketball that will bring out the best in all of them, and bring them together as we compete for championships.”

Injury concern for Knicks iron man Josh Hart

Per the NY Post:

It is always surprising — even jarring — to see Josh Hart come out of a game, especially during the playoffs.

Asking out is something else entirely.

The Knicks’ iron man suffered an injury to his abdominal area Friday night in the first quarter of a series-tying 116-103 loss in Game 6 against the Pacers.

Hart, who already has played four complete games in the Knicks’ first 12 of the postseason, even appeared to motion to the bench to be removed nearly midway through the third quarter.

FULL ARTICLE

Pacers win at home, force a Game 7 with Knicks

Per the Indianapolis Star:

After a miserable performance in Game 5 put them on the brink of elimination, the Pacers dominated in all the areas they flopped on Tuesday, pounding the Knicks 116-103 in Game 6 on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tie the series 3-3 and force a Game 7.

The deciding game will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The winner plays the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals…

The Knicks decision to go small starting in Game 5 with Miles McBride inserted into the starting lineup and Josh Hart moved from small to power forward gave the Pacers an obvious size advantage in the frontcourt. They didn’t exploit it nearly as much as they intended to in Game 5, but it Game 6 they had a lot more opportunities and they took advantage.

FULL ARTICLE

Timberwolves win big, force a Game 7 with Nuggets

Per the Denver Post:

After an exchange of blowouts that has lasted six games, there’s no telling what could happen in the seventh.

Jamal Murray’s shooting efficiency reverted to Game 2 form, Michael Porter Jr. was held to single-digit scoring for a third consecutive game and the Nuggets were crushed, 115-70, by the Timberwolves in a potential close-out Game 6 on Thursday night. It set a new franchise low in playoff single-game scoring.

Anthony Edwards bounced back with 27 points and three steals. Jaden McDaniels supplied 21 points on 10 shots as Denver gave him the Aaron Gordon treatment, living with his shots. And the two Minnesota wings combined to quiet the Nuggets’ second and third options at the defensive end. Murray shot 4 for 18, totaling 10 points. Porter scored eight on 3-of-9 shooting.

Nikola Jokic’s 22 points weren’t enough to overcome the lack of supporting offense. He registered only two assists, matching a season low (at Minnesota in March).

FULL ARTICLE

Tyrese Maxey wins 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy for winning the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award. Maxey has earned the honor for the first time and becomes the second player to win the award with the 76ers, joining Eric Snow (1999-00).

Presented annually since the 1995-96 season, the NBA Sportsmanship Award honors a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. The trophy is named for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion Joe Dumars, who won the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award and played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons.

Each NBA team nominated one of its players for the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award. From the list of 30 team nominees, a panel of league executives selected one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions. Current NBA players selected the winner from the list of six finalists.

A four-year NBA veteran, Maxey won the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award and earned his first NBA All-Star selection for his performance in the 2023-24 regular season.

Mavericks take 3-2 series lead on Thunder

Per the Dallas Morning News:

Sprained right knee. Sore left ankle and Achilles. Stiff back.

The accumulation of injuries clearly has taken a toll on Luka Doncic during this second-round series, but Wednesday night he conquered the pain, and Oklahoma City, by summoning Luka Magic in the Mavericks’ 104-92 Game 5 victory in Paycom Center.

“The old Luka, with a smile on my face,” as Doncic put it.

Was it vintage Playoff Luka? No, but he was plenty overpowering, with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Dallas took a 3-2 series lead over the No. 1 seed Thunder and moved within one victory of its second Western Conference finals berth in three seasons.

Not coincidentally, care to guess when and where and in what situation Doncic’s other dominant performance was since these injuries mounted? It was Game 5 of the first round, when he had 35 points and 10 assists in Los Angeles in a 30-point Dallas victory that broke a 2-2 series tie.

FULL ARTICLE

Celtics advance to 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Per the Boston Herald:

The Celtics withstood a spirited effort by an injury-ravaged Cavaliers squad Wednesday night to book their third straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston won 113-98 at TD Garden to eliminate Cleveland in five games.

Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals to lead the top-seeded Celtics, but he wasn’t the one hearing “MVP” chants as the game wound down.

That honor went to Al Horford, who posted a stat line never before seen in NBA postseason history.

Making his sixth consecutive start in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis, the 37-year-old big man racked up 22 points, six 3-pointers, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.

Before Wednesday, no NBA player ever had recorded 20-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, three-plus blocks and five-plus made threes in a playoff game. Seven of Horford’s rebounds were on the offensive glass; Cleveland as a team had six offensive rebounds.

FULL ARTICLE

Cavs eliminated from playoffs in second round by Celtics

Per the News Herald:

If the NBA handed out a participation trophy, the Cavaliers would have earned a gigantic one for the effort they showed while losing Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. But it doesn’t work that way when the participants are being paid millions upon millions of dollars.

The Cavs, playing without Donovan Mitchell (calf strain), Jarret Allen (rib injury) and Caris LeVert (knee injury), did not bow to the superior Celtics in Game 5 on May 15 in TD Garden. But in the end the home team prevailed, 113-98, to move on to the conference finals.

Mitchell also missed Game 4 with his calf injury. Allen missed all five games of the semifinals after missing the last three games of the Orlando series, which the Cavs won in seven games. The Cavs lost Game 4 to Boston, 109-102, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Once all the “Our guys never quit” talk subsides, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman will have some important decisions to make. Or maybe they will be made by Altman’s boss — Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

FULL ARTICLE

Atlanta Hawks win 2024 NBA Draft Lottery

The Atlanta Hawks secured the first overall pick at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, which was conducted earlier today in Chicago. The first pick in this year’s draft is Atlanta’s own.

Entering today’s lottery, the Hawks held a 3% chance of receiving the top overall pick in this year’s draft. It’s just the second time in Atlanta history the club owns the first overall pick, as the Hawks selected David Thompson with the first pick in the 1975 NBA Draft.

The 2024 NBA Draft will mark the 78th year of the event.

New this year, the NBA Draft will expand to a two-night format. The first round will take place on Wednesday, June 26 at the Barclays Center, while the second round will take place at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios on Thursday, June 27.

The first round will continue to have five minutes between draft picks and the second round will increase to four minutes from two minutes.