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.

Hornets hire Charles Lee as new head coach

Charlotte Hornets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson announced today the team has hired Charles Lee as head coach. Lee, who brings 10 years of experience as an NBA assistant coach, will join the Hornets after concluding the NBA Playoffs with the Boston Celtics, where he has spent the 2023-24 season as the team’s top assistant.

“We are excited to welcome Charles Lee as the head coach of Charlotte Hornets,” said Peterson. “His high character and his ability to connect with players while also instilling a culture of accountability will serve us well as we construct a competitive team built for long-term success. Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience, has a tremendous work ethic and is a great communicator. He shares our vision for this organization, and I look forward to partnering with him in building something special here in the Carolinas. I can’t wait for our Hornets community to meet Charles, his wife Lindsey and his beautiful daughters, and feel Charles’ passion for the game and the intensity of his desire to win.”

Prior to his time in Boston, Lee served five seasons (2018-2023) as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, ascending to associate head coach and helping guide the team to the 2020-21 NBA championship. He started his NBA career as an assistant coach for four seasons (2014-2018) with the Atlanta Hawks. Throughout his 10 NBA seasons, Lee’s teams have accumulated a 510-291 (.637) regular-season record, reached the playoffs nine times, captured seven division titles and earned five Eastern Conference No. 1 seeds. In four of the last six seasons, his teams have finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA.

“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true,” said Lee. “I want to thank Rick Schnall, Gabe Plotkin and Jeff Peterson for the trust they are placing in me to lead this team. The Hornets have a talented young core of players and I’m excited about our future and what we can build here. There are few places as passionate about basketball as the Carolinas, and I look forward to coming to Charlotte and getting to work.”

Nikola Jokic wins 2023-24 NBA MVP award

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the recipient of the Michael Jordan Trophy as the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. Jokić has been named the Kia NBA MVP for the third time, having previously earned the honor in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

The nine-year NBA veteran from Serbia is the ninth player to win three or more MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), LeBron James (four), Larry Bird (three), Magic Johnson (three) and Moses Malone (three).

In the 2023-24 regular season, Jokić ranked 10th in the NBA in points, fourth in rebounds and third in assists per game. He became the second player in NBA history to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62).

Jokić finished second in the NBA in both double-doubles (68) and triple-doubles (25). He shot 58.3% from the field, the 10th-highest mark in the league.

Behind Jokić, the Nuggets (57-25) matched the franchise high for victories in a season and tied for the best record in the Western Conference.