Category: Basketball

Back 2 back.

After a whirlwind matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty that went down to the wire, Vegas are the reigning champs yet again.

Considering the game just ended, here’s a quick recap:

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HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAJAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BACK TO BACK HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAAA

— A’ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) October 19, 2023

Nah, but in all seriousness, what a game. The final score? 70-69. With a title on the line, the entire Aces roster delivered: from their point gawd Chelsea Gray leading from the sidelines to A’ja Wilson’s pure dominance to the People’s Champ, Sydney Colson with the crazyyyy behind-the-back pass AND delivering the greatest post-game speech.

We won’t say we told you so, but…

Congrats to the M’VPeriodt A’ja Wilson, the Point Gawd Chelsea Gray, Sydney Colson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Kiah Stokes, Alysha Clark, Cayla George, Kierstan Bell, Alaina Coates, Candace Parker and head coach Becky Hammon and the entire Aces staff on a historic win. Champs.

Go follow @wslam to keep up with all of the postgame celebrations and more.

ESPN and TNT are reportedly exploring media rights deals with the NBA that involve smaller packages of games per season, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal.

This arrangement would enable the league’s main long-term partners to continue with more budget-friendly annual commitments, while simultaneously providing the NBA the opportunity to craft a package tailored for a streaming service.

Notably, Amazon and Apple have already shown interest in bidding for a package with the NBA.

“They’re benefitting from the fact that there are new entrants who look to want to play,” said Jonathan Miller, former NBA executive and chief executive of Integrated Media, which specializes in digital media investments.

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ESPN, TNT Considering NBA Media Rights Deals With Fewer Games Per Season https://t.co/M32YDEYg2A

— RealGM (@RealGM) October 18, 2023

Valencia maintains its perfect record in the 2023-24 EuroLeague, securing a 75-66 home victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv. A robust defensive effort and a crucial 14-0 run in the third quarter played a significant role.

Damien Inglis (11 points), Victor Claver (10 points, seven rebounds), and Brandon Davies (10 points) all reached double figures, accounting for the final 14 points in the last 3:44 minutes.

Stefan Jovic chipped in with seven points and six assists.

“Summer was good for me to come back with good confidence,” Claver said, regarding his World Cup run with Spain.

“I got more acquainted with the coach and what he wants from me. Trying to understand what he wants and trying to be a leader for my teammates on the floor. But everybody is involved.”

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Valencia still undefeated after victory over Maccabi #EuroLeaguehttps://t.co/0IvEA9PFJK

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 18, 2023

Free agent Louis King is signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The deal was confirmed by King’s agent, George Langberg of GSL Sports Group.

The 24-year-old combo forward had a short stint in the NBA last season, playing a single game with the Sixers after securing a two-way contract in late December.

His primary action was in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats, where he posted impressive averages of 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 32 regular season games.

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Lakers Signing Louis King https://t.co/Ab3p7OHxb0 pic.twitter.com/8Iodcf2q3w

— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) October 18, 2023

It ain’t over until it’s over. Just when the Las Vegas Aces had all the momentum and a series lead in Game 3, New York shifted the energy and secured the win to keep them in the Finals.

As we get ready to watch yet another showdown, let’s take it back to what went down on Sunday. Here’s a quick recap to get you hyped before tip-off.

Key Moments From Game 3

A’ja Wilson Rocks All-Black Fit in the Tunnel…Then Drops a Double-Double

It’s okay, we’re all thinking it. No one was gonna try to mess with A’ja Wilson anyways, and especially not after she rocked the all-black fit before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. The black Air Force 1’s sent a message: she and the Aces are really ’bout it as they look to solidify another ring.

Despite the loss, Wilson finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 points.

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France Shows Support for Marine Johannès

France has a true “famille de basket-ball,” which in English translates to, “basketball family.” Early in the WNBA Finals, Liberty wing Marine Johannès showed her support for Victor Wembanyama after he won France’s Player of the Year. Tony Parker, and Wembenyama himself returned the favor this weekend. Parker pulled up to Game 3 to chat with the Liberty sharp-shooter in person while Wemby showed his love ahead of his pre-season game by rockin’ a No. 23 Liberty jersey. Game respecting game.

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Electric Environment at Barclays

Liberty fans did their thang supporting the hometown team on Sunday, and so did former hoop stars and celebrities alike. There was too many to count: Dawn Staley, who surprised Jason Sudeikis who plays Ted Lasso, Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, and four Liberty Ring of Honor members, including Vickie Johnson, Crystal Robinson, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Sue Wicks. If you want to count Becky Hammon, and Rebecca Lobo, six out of the seven were in attendance.

New York showed up for Game 3. We cannot wait to see what is in store for Wednesday night.

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Jonquel Jones GOES OFF

The 2021 WNBA MVP has that DAWGG in her. Jones said, “No, no, no, not today” more than just once. She had three rejections in total, including one where she threw what looked like an easy layup into the court-side seats.

Not only did she host the block party in Brooklyn, Jones was out here doing it all: snatching rebounds, dishing dimes to Betnijah Laney. JJ was in her bag and delivered in the must-win game.

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Joan Jett Loves Rock and Roll, and the Liberty

It was a win or go home situation for the New York Liberty, and long-time Liberty fan and rock legend Joan Jett was there to see it all. There was no voodoo doll this time, but her presence was all that was needed to help turn the luck into New York’s favor. Will she be at Game 4?

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Stewie Blocks A’ja and Kelsey in the Span of a Minute

Breanna Stewart was named to the All-Defensive First Team for a reason. Late in the third quarter with Vegas fighting to get back into the contest, Wilson attempted an elite mid-range fadeaway, but Stewie had other plans. Go watch the clip and then play it back. DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE JUST DID?

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New York Becomes Scorching Hot From Deep to Secure the W

Did you think New York was going to miss that many open shots again? Nah, everyone on one. In the last six minutes of the contest, the Liberty dropped five shots from beyond the arc from five different players. Clutch.

Ruby Steals the Show at Post-Game Presser

Stewie’s daughter Ruby was at it again following Game 3 with arguably the best moment of Sunday. The highlight was when Stewie, Sandy Brondello, and Jones were trying to answer post-game questions. Ruby was on the side continuously walking up and down the stairs to the stage. She was a straight up mood.

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Photos via Getty Images

AS Monaco clinched their first EuroLeague victory of the season with an 82–76 win over Crvena Zvezda, led by Mike James’ impressive performance of 18 points and 11 assists.

A key moment was James’ assist to Alpha Diallo, who hit a crucial three-pointer for a 72–79 lead with 54 seconds remaining.

Donatas Motiejunas sealed the win with a fast-break score, securing a 74–81 victory after Zvezda had narrowed the margin to five.

Kemba Walker, a four-time NBA All-Star guard, made his debut for Monaco, contributing two points from free throws in a 10:19-minute appearance off the bench.

However, he had a tough time from the field, going 0-3 in shooting.

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Mike James leads Monaco past Zvezda for first EuroLeague winhttps://t.co/j5paFqlmzc

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 18, 2023

The Brooklyn Nets star guard Ben Simmons is aware of the criticism from Australian fans regarding his absence from the national team.

However, he also recognizes that these same fans understand the crucial role he plays in the team’s pursuit of a medal in international competitions.

“People are like, ‘Well you’re not Australian if you don’t want to play’, and all this stuff that comes with it. And I just laugh. I’m like, Alright. And I want my team to succeed all the time. So it’s just interesting seeing that go on and then when we get knocked out, people are like, ‘Okay, we do need him’,” Simmons said.

“I’m like, Yeah, it would be nice to have me there because I’m one of the best players that’s come out of the country. So I love that respect, but at the same time it’s [about the] Olympics for me. That’s what I think about.

“Let’s get through the season healthy and play in the Olympics. That’s just going to be insane for me. I’m going for a medal, but just having that experience and to be able to represent my country, there’s probably nothing better than that.”

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Ben Simmons Reaffirms Desire To Play In Olympics For Australia https://t.co/jRnSQwo1IK

— RealGM (@RealGM) October 18, 2023

In a recent preseason matchup, tensions ran high between players as 76ers point guard Patrick Beverley was ejected following an altercation with Nets point guard Ben Simmons.

Beverley didn’t hold back in discussing the incident on a new episode of the Pat Bev Pod. His annoyance was directed at how Simmons treated Sixers rookie Filip Petrusev during the game.

“First off, Ben Simmons is a hell of a talent. It’s good seeing him back out there. He looks strong. He impacted the game yesterday,” Beverley said. “So when it comes to basketball, I don’t have a problem with Ben Simmons.

“But when it comes to… he was chirping at one of our rookies. Like, come on. Filip with an ‘F.’ You know what I’m saying? You’re chirping at that guy, fouling him hard. I’ve been talking to you all game, you ain’t saying nothing to me. Tobias [Harris] cooking your ass, you really ain’t saying nothing. You got 8 turnovers.

“Our rookie… Nah, you don’t get no… Talk to me, I’ve been talking to you all game anyway. Talk to me… His swag be too high. Sometimes guys be swagged too high for not having done a lot. That’s what I don’t like.”

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner thinks that rookie Ben Sheppard has already set the tone that he’s a polished young player (averaging 11.7 PPG/3.7 RPG/2.7 APG/39.4% FG/36.0% 3-PT in three preseason games).

(via Indiana Pacers):

“Ben Sheppard’s obviously the big surprise I would say. I thought he was going to be someone that would come in and try to earn some minutes; but he’s kind of just kicked the door down, man. He’s hitting shots. He defends well. He has good energy. He doesn’t try to do too much. I like where he is right now, and I think he obviously can get better as he goes.”

Orlando Magic shooting guard Gary Harris recently gave his thoughts on what he’s seen from rookie Jett Howard.

(via Orlando Magic):

Reporter: “What has stood out to you about Jett as a shooter?”

Harris: “He’s not shy, he wants to shoot it. Just to see that, how he hunts for his shots, how he’s looking to be in the right spot. Jett asks a lot of questions. He’s attentive. He’s one of the first dudes in here to work out, one of the last dudes to leave. So just to see him be such a pro at such a young age gives volumes to the player he is and the player that he’s going to be.”