Category: Basketball

REPORT: Game 4 Return Set As ‘Realistic Target’ For Ben Simmons’ Return

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Game 4 of the Nets-Celtics first-round series has been set as Ben Simmons’ “realistic target” for returning to an NBA court.

If Simmons does indeed play next Monday, it will also be Simmons’ Nets debut and first game since the Philadephia 76ers Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in last year’s semifinals.

Simmons hasn’t played due to a holdout he had with Sixers management, a battle with mental health, and a lower back injury he’s been dealing with since being traded from Philly at the trade deadline. The announcement of Simmon’s impending return follows the news that he was cleared for contact after playing some 4-on-4 drills on Monday



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‘Different’ Jimmy Butler Drops 45 to Lead Miami to 115-105 Win

Jimmy Butler’s game has come a long way since he led the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals against the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. The image of him dead tired and leaning over a baseline barricade will perhaps be the signature image of Butler’s career whenever he decides to hang it up and call it a career.

Last season, the Heat could not recreate that magic from their Orlando Bubble and fell to the eventual champion Miluwake Bucks in a first-round sweep. The playoff failure led to the Miami office bringing in Kyle Lowry to relieve Butler of playmaking duties. That change led to the Heat earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after going 53-29 in the regular season.

Since he doesn’t have to be as ball-dominant as he was during the bubble, Butler has been able to focus more on getting buckets, which led to Butler being able to score 45 points in a 115-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks to grab a 2-0 lead as the first-round series shifts to Atlanta. A personal 7-0 run punctuated the primetime performance in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to increase Miami’s lead from three to 10 to cement the Heat’s win.

“I am a different player now than I was then,” Butler said per ESPN. “I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organization, win. That’s why they brought me here.”

Butler’s big-time outing arrived on the strength of some hot shooting. Butler finished the game shooting 15-25 from the field, 11-12 from the free-throw line, and hit 4-7 three-pointers as well. During the regular season, Butler shot 23.3 percent on triples; Jimmy G. Buckets is a career 32.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Erik Spoelstra, head coach of Miami, said that Butler’s shooting from outside reminded him of the exploits of franchise legends Dwyane Wade. Wade, James, and Butler are the only Heat players to finish a playoff game with 40-points three times.

“It actually is a good comparison because if you get in those pressure moments and the moments of truth, if you’re on the other side, would you ever want to just give Dwyane Wade an open 3? You would not,” Spoelstra said. “Because he’s a killer. He’s going to seize that moment. And Jimmy has a lot of those same qualities. You can say whatever the percentage is — throw those all out when it becomes about winning. He’ll find a way to kill you.”

The Heat-Hawks first-round series resumes on Friday in Atlanta.



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Warriors & Suns most expensive, Celtics-Nets on the rise

On the secondary market, the most expensive teams for the 2022 NBA playoffs are the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The Warriors’ home secondary market average list price for the 1st round is $956, while the Suns’ average is $676. The Boston Celtics ($646), Brooklyn Nets ($624), and Miami Heat ($616) are the only other teams with average prices north of $600, and round out the top 5. 

Prices for the Celtics and Nets are also each up significantly since game one, with Celtics ticket prices rising 8% and Nets tickets rising 31%.

The reigning NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks highlights the teams at the bottom of the list. With an average price of $306, Bucks tickets for the 1st round are the third cheapest in the league. Other teams in the bottom five include the New Orleans Pelicans ($330), the Utah Jazz ($321), the Denver Nuggets ($302), and the Minnesota Timberwolves ($282).

With the Warriors home average driving up the overall series average, the most expensive series is unsurprisingly the Warriors vs Nuggets. That is only one of two opening round series with an average price above $600. 

The other series with an average list price of $600+ is the Celtics and Nets series, which is number two on the list with an average price of $636. Prices for the series are also on the rise, and have gone up 17% since game 1. If that trend continues, prices could surpass $700. 

The Suns vs Pelicans ($527) and Heat vs Hawks ($513) round out the top half of the list. 

Historically speaking, the Warriors and Suns both have the highest-priced 1st Round tickets for any season that did not have reduced capacity. Last year, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets both had average opening round prices above $1,000. This was due to having reduced capacity for their first two home games. The only other team in a non-reduced capacity year on the top 5 is the 2019 Brooklyn Nets, who had an average price of $674. 



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Monty Williams Sounds Off On How Devin Booker’s Exit Impacted the Suns

The Phoenix Suns fell short to the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114 in Game 2 of their first-round series. Now with the playoff series tied 1-1, the Suns are uncertain about the return of Devin Booker.

After a stellar 31-point first half, Booker exited the game with right hamstring tightness in the third quarter while Phoenix trailed 77-74.

During a press conference, Suns Coach Monty Williams told reporters that the injury happened as he was tracking Jaxson Hayes down on defense.

“It happened on a play during transition, and that’s where I think it happened,” Williams said. “Other than that, we don’t have much say about it, but it is a hamstring injury.

Booker missed multiple games early in the season with a hamstring injury. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he returned to the sidelines in his warmup suit and did not re-enter the game.

Without its leading scorer, the Suns took an early lead in the fourth quarter; however, big shots from Pelicans stars CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram caused Phoenix to struggle defensively without Booker on the floor.

Williams told the press that the transition defense was the most significant difference once Booker was ruled out in the fourth quarter.

“Transition defense, it was probably for us the worst we ever looked in transition defense since I been here. For that to happen in a playoff was a bit unsettling for everyone. Our guys have to understand this team is going to play hard, as we seen in the third quarter. We missed a shot, and they were taking off, so that was a bit deflating, and they got hot from three. The transition defensive balance was not there at any level for us tonight.”

Game 3 will be played Friday, April 22, in New Orleans.



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Nick Smith Jr is Ready to Lead Arkansas Back to the Glory Days of the ’90s

As the highest-rated hoops recruit to attend Arkansas in almost 20 years, Nick Smith Jr decided to stay local for college with the goal of bringing the Razorbacks program back to the glory days of the ’90s. He definitely has the game and swag to pull it off.

As Nick Smith Jr approached the stretch run of his senior season, he faced a dilemma familiar to many elite high school hoopers. He was eager to get to the next level, to test himself in college and move one step closer to a potential pro career. At the same time, there was a short-term goal that dominated his thoughts.

“I’ve been in high school four years,” Smith says, “and I ain’t got no championships.”

Smith was focused on changing that in early March, when he led his North Little Rock HS squad into the Arkansas state playoffs. The Charging Wildcats are the defending 6A state champs, but Smith wasn’t part of the team that lifted the state banner last spring (more on that in a second). Needless to say, the fact that one of the best players in the country joined the best program in the state made North Little Rock big favorites coming into 2022.

But when we spoke in late February, Smith wasn’t taking any of it—his team’s state title hopes, or his own place in the Class of ’22 rankings—for granted. That’s not how he got here in the first place.

A 6-5, 185-pound guard, Smith was viewed as a top-40 recruit up until his junior year, but probably not the guy who could turn a decent program into a national title contender. After transferring last summer from Sylvan Hills HS, Smith spent his senior season correcting that perception, rising into a consensus top-10 spot in the rankings, and even making his case for being as good as anyone in the class.

“Me, growing up, I’ve always kind of been the underdog,” Smith says. “But even when I was, like, 40s or 50s in the rankings, I always had the level of respect from other guys in my class. They knew who I was. I was really doing the same things that I’m doing now, but obviously I’ve gotten a lot better. Now that other people see it, I’m just keeping true to myself, keeping that chip on my shoulder.”

Motivation can come from a lot of places—Smith talks about his younger brother and sister, both hoopers, and setting a positive example for them on and off the court—but that “underdog” motivation might be getting harder to come by as more and more people recognize his place in the top tier of his class. He’s already shown he can lead a loaded team, as his North Little Rock roster includes top-20 prospect Kel’el Ware, a skilled 7-footer who is committed to Oregon. Smith himself isn’t traveling quite so far for college. Last fall, he announced his plan to rep his home state by committing to Arkansas, where he’ll lead a top-10 recruiting class that includes four other top-100 signees, including top-20 wing Jordan Walsh.

Smith understands that he and his classmates have Razorback fans dreaming of the program’s success in the ’90s. He sees it not as pressure, but as opportunity.

“I’m super excited, for the simple fact that me and Jordan and the other guys have made a commitment not only to the school, but to one another,” he says. “Me and Jordan are already like brothers, and we’re just trying to come in and win. I feel like Coach [Eric] Musselman is going to put the right pieces around us.”

Smith knows that as the goals get bigger, so will the expectations. And he’s ready. “I work on my game constantly, getting ready for the next level—keeping my jumpshot ready, and staying in the weight room, because I know the next level is more physical,” he says. “And I feel like my mental aspect is more ready than a lot of people. Me and Coach Musselman talk every day, I try to pick his brain. I try to pick everybody’s brains.”

Ultimately, Smith says, there’s one reason he knows he’ll be ready for whatever comes next.

“I have higher expectations for myself than anybody else has for me.”

Portraits by Sara Reeves.



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Memphis Grizzlies Even Series With A Ja Morant Family Affair

When the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday, Ja Morant believed that the team beat themselves, allowing 130 points.

Although he scored 32 points, Morant was unhappy with his overall performance and on Instagram posted a captionless picture that featured a clip from the Last Dance where Michael Jordan spoke about can trash when they’re in the lead.

The All-Star point guard had the best total floor game of his playoff career, leading Memphis to a 124-96 blowout. Despite only scoring 23 points in the game, he made his teammates better and controlled the game with a near triple-double adding nine rebounds and 10 assists. His playmaking opened up the offense and allowed seven Grizzlies players to score in the double figures.

While Morant was working his magic with his teammates on the floor evening the series, his family became one of the more fun storylines of the NBA playoffs. His father has collaborated with Karl Anthony Towns’ father to add a fun trash-talking element to the series that started at the end of Game 1.

For the first time in the series, Morant’s daughter, Kaari, has become a viral sensation after cameras panned her enjoying her dad’s latest exploits on the court.

Once his post-game on-court interview concluded, Morant motioned his daughter to join him as he carried her on his shoulders to walk back to her grandfather.

As the series shifts to Minnesota, Morant’s family has brought an up and personal visual of total family support for a superstar we haven’t since Stephen Curry rose to prominence during the 2014 playoffs. Something that impressed ESPN analyst Jalen Rose to the utmost earlier this week.

The pivotal Game 3 matchup is on Thursday, where the winner will go up 2-1 in their first-round matchup.



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Joel Embiid Sounds Off On Late-Game Exchange With Nick Nurse

As the closing seconds of the 76ers’ 112-97 Game 2 dub over the Raptors ticked off the game clock, MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid and Nick Nurse, the Toronto Raptors head coach, were engaged in some jaw jacking. Although no animosity was apparent, the two adversaries weren’t necessarily friendly either.

The conversation seemed to happen based on the disparity of free throws between the adversaries. The Sixers shot 30 free throws while the Raptors shot 12. Embiid (31 points and 11 rebounds) himself knocked down 12-14 of his freebies, James Harden (14 points, six rebounds, and six assists) went 7-8, while the Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam (20 points and 10 rebounds) seven free throw attempts.

When asked about the exchange with Nurse, Embiid showed his gamesmanship but kept it somewhat respectful.

“He’s a great coach,” Embiid said of Nurse. “Obviously, what he’s been able to accomplish, and [I’ve] always been a big fan. But, I told him, respectfully, I told him to stop bitching about calls because I saw what he said last game.” 

Embiid firing back at Nurse stems from what the head coach of Toronto said after the Sixers’ Game 1 win. Nurse felt that Embiid was benefiting from some calls and non-calls.

“I don’t care if you’re 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds; if you beat him to the spot and he runs you over, it’s a foul,” Nurse said of Embiid on Saturday night. “I thought he threw three or four elbows to the face. He got called for one. We’re going to stand in there. — If we’re legal defensively, then we gotta have them call it, or we don’t have a chance. Period. Nobody can guard that guy if they’re just gonna let him run you over time and time again. We’re gonna stand in there, and we’ll see.” 

Over the two games the 76ers and Raptors played, Embiid has shot 25 free throws. The Raptors don’t have another big man with similar size and strength to compete down low with Embiid. As the leader of the Raptors, Nurse, and any other coach in the playoffs, will always attempt to lobby with the refs to watch for specific calls or for the zebras to be wary of certain moves and situations.

“If you’re going to triple-team somebody all game, they are bound to get to the free-throw line, or if you’re going to push them off and try to hold them and all that stuff, they’re bound to get to the free-throw line,” Embiid said after Game 2. “So I feel like every foul was legit and probably [there] should have been more, honestly.” 

The series shifts back to Toronto for Game 3 and 4 on Wednesday.



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Nets Announce Ben Simmons Has Been Cleared For Contact

According to Coach Steve Nash, embattled All-Star Ben Simmons has been cleared for contact.

Simmons and the Nets hope for his return to the lineup by Game 4-6 in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics. Simmons hasn’t played at all this season due to a conflict with the 76ers, a mental health battle, and a lower back injury that has bothered him since midway through March.

Nash also revealed that Simmons played in some 4-on-4 drills and that he “came through it well” afterward.

Game 2 of the Celtics-Nets series takes place tomorrow in TD Garden.



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Hawks Say Clint Capela Will Be Re-Evaluated On Friday

The Hawks were in need of some good news after losing Game 1 of their playoff series against the Heat, 115-91, on Saturday. The Hawks had trouble with Miami in Game 1 partly because of their lack of size after Clint Capela went down with a hyperextended knee during the Play-In Tournament.

The Hawks initially believed Capela would be out for at least a week before getting his knee examined again, which would happen when the series shifts to Atlanta in Games 3 and 4. However, the Hawks received the excellent news that Capela’s MRI was clean and showed no further damage to his knee.

The good news kept rolling after Travis Schlenk, general manager of the Hawks, revealed that Capela “restarted strength exercises and will be re-evaluated on Friday” when he appeared on 92.9 FM The Game.

Capela’s return could swing the pendulum towards Atlanta with his ability to patrol the paint on both ends of the court. The Swiss center finished the regular season, averaging 11.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.



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Warriors Unlock Next Level With Small Ball Lineup Featuring Jordan Poole| SLAM

The Golden State Warriors changed this era of offensive basketball with their many versions of small-ball lineups. During their five-year NBA Finals run that netted three championships, their small lineup was the envy of many NBA coaches and general managers who desperately tried to copy their schemes.

After a couple of seasons riddled with injuries and player development, the Warriors started their first playoff run in three years with a newer, more exciting version and have added another shooter to the mix.

The Denver Nuggets have had no answers to defending the Warriors when Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and the newest addition, Jordan Poole, have shared the floor. Golden State has gone for momentum-stealing runs in the first two games that have changed momentum or put the game out of reach.

This combination played only five minutes together in Game 1, but they outscored Denver by 14 points to shift the momentum sparking their 123-107 win. In Game 2, they played another five minutes, which led them to move the momentum to their side going into the second half.

After falling behind 43-31 in the second quarter, the Warriors erased that deficit by halftime with runs of 16-0 and 23-4 late to take a 57-51 lead at the break. The trend is not lost on Thompson, who forecasted this type of performance after Game 1.

“It’s a scary sight when we really get going,” Thompson said. “This is really only our first time really playing together.”

The story of this series so far has been Jordan Poole. Poole had yet another strong performance after a historic performance in Game 1, scoring 29 points while putting on another dazzling display that had the Chase Center crowd rocking!

While the running joke around the team is will Curry ever get back in the starting lineup, SC30 was very impressed with Poole’s play to start the playoffs.

“He doesn’t lack confidence,” Curry said per ESPN. “That play embodied it. Because you just have the creativity and confidence in yourself to make that play. You don’t second-guess yourself. You kind of live with the results, and we’ve done it for years, and he’s stepping into that now. It’s fun to see.”

Game 3 of this, the Warriors-Nuggets series shifts to Denver on Thursday.



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