Category: NBA

Jazz Have Jaw-Dropping Asking Price for Potential Lauri Markkanen Trade, per Report
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Jazz Have Jaw-Dropping Asking Price for Potential Lauri Markkanen Trade, per Report

The fact that forward Lauri Markkanen has raised his stock as a player in two seasons with the Utah Jazz is beyond debate.

Since coming over to the Jazz in the Cleveland Cavaliers' trade for guard Donovan Mitchell, Markkanen has raised his career scoring average by nearly three full points per game. In 2023, the Vantaa, Finland native made an All-Star team and was voted the league's Most Improved Player.

Precisely how much Markkanen has improved in the eyes of the league appears set to be tested this summer.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Utah would want a king's ransom for its star in a hypothetical trade.

“Markkanen’s value to the Jazz is so great that it’s going to take an offer that is probably not going to come to pry him from the Jazz," Jones wrote Friday. "Something like four or five first-round picks, and a star-level talent coming over.”

Essentially, per Jones, the Jazz are looking for an offer similar to what they commanded for Mitchell—three players, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps. It's cleat that team executive Danny Ainge is looking to continue to accumulate capital to accelerate the franchise's rebuild.

Markkanen will turn 27 on May 22—whether he is deemed young enough (and good enough) to tempt teams to acquire him at a sky-high asking price remains to be seen.

Lauri Markkanen, NBA, Utah Jazz
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ESPN Analysts Call for NBA to Suspend Jamal Murray for Dangerous Game 2 Move
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

ESPN Analysts Call for NBA to Suspend Jamal Murray for Dangerous Game 2 Move

Jamal Murray was not happy during the Denver Nuggets' blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. During a contentious second quarter, Murray threw a heat pack on the floor in the middle of action. On Tuesday morning's edition of Get Up, Jay Williams and Tim Legler both agreed that Murray should earn a suspension.

Williams called the move immature and Legler pointed out how bad the injury could have been if Karl-Anthony Towns had stepped on it. Not to mention the fact that one of Murray's own teammates could have slipped on the heat pack and been injured as well, which makes it extra reckless.

To make matters worse, Murray was also caught throwing a towel that landed harmlessly at a referee's feet moments earlier. When you add the two throws together it makes you wonder if he wasn't just throwing stuff on the court, but actually throwing things at the referee. Whatever his intentions were, he was throwing a fit.

Murray somehow lucked out because none of the referees saw what happened, which Timberwolves coach Chris Finch mentioned while calling out Murray for the dangerous act during this postgame press conference.

"It's inexcusable and dangerous," Finch said. "And I'm sure it was just a mistake and an oversight. I'm sure there was nothing intentional by the officiating at all. But certainly can't allow that to happen."

The thing is, if a fan threw something on the floor, he would be ejected. It wouldn't matter if the referees saw it. But when you consider what Mike Malone got away with earlier in the game when he was screaming in the face of Dedric Taylor, you have to wonder if they actually would have done anything to Murray if they watched him throw the heat pack.

Dewayne Dedmond was ejected from a game last season for throwing a massage gun onto the court during a game. Dedmond was throwing a tantrum on the bench after an argument with Erik Spoelstra. Since he was thrown out of the game, he had already been punished by the league when the Heat suspended him a game without pay. In Murray's case, he should have been ejected, but he wasn't even given a single technical.

A suspension seems like a no-brainer for the NBA here. Murray not getting so much as a technical foul for throwing multiple things — with one of those objects going on the floor in the middle of action — seems like a bad precedent to set. The way these two teams are playing right now, it doesn't even seem it would have any affect on the outcome of the series. The officials didn't do anything about this during the game so it's the league's duty now.

Denver Nuggets, ESPN, Jamal Murray, Jay Williams, Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, Tim Legler
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Michael Malone Delivers Brutally Honest Review of Nuggets' Humbling Game 2 Defeat
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Michael Malone Delivers Brutally Honest Review of Nuggets’ Humbling Game 2 Defeat

The Denver Nuggets were absolutely hammered by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, losing Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series 106-80. After the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave a brutal assessment of where his team stood.

Malone did not sound happy when addressing his team's loss. He said, "They kicked our a--. Yeah, it got away from us. It's going to be a challenge. The body language is not where I think it needs to be. We just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans." Malone continued, "You feel embarrassed. You feel exposed. What are you going to do about it."

The defending NBA champs have their backs against the wall. They have opened the series with two home losses and things will now shift back to Minneapolis and the Timberwolves have all the momentum. Malone was right to feel embarrassed and uneasy.

Denver didn't get what it needed from its stars in Game 2. Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 16 rebounds and eight asists but was 5-for-13 from the field. Jamal Murray struggled mightily and finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and was 3-of-18 from the field.

On the other side of things, the Timberwolves got everything they needed from their big stars. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while going 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. Anthony Edwards continued his breakout postseason, scored 27 points, adding seven assists and finishing an efficient 11-for-17 from the field.

Malone and the Nuggets will need to find an answer quickly to turn things around or they'll become the sixth consecutive defending champion that failed to reach the NBA Finals.

Denver Nuggets, Michael Malone, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA
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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Wins 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Wins 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama enjoyed a tremendous first season in the NBA after being selected with the No. 1 pick back in June's NBA draft.

Now, the 20-year-old has been awarded for his standout play, taking home this year's NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

Wembanyama received all 99 first-place votes for the award, making him a unanimous selection for the Rookie of the Year. The Frenchman becomes the first unanimous Rookie of the Year winner since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-16, and the sixth all-time.

During his rookie campaign, Wembanyama made league history by becoming the first player to ever record 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks and 100 threes in a single season. He posted season averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a league-high 3.6 blocks per game. His 3.6 blocks per game were the most by a player in a single season since Hassan Whiteside averaged 3.7 blocks in 2015-'16.

Wembanyama joins Tim Duncan and David Robinson as the only players in Spurs' franchise history to win Rookie of the Year.

Finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting was Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, who received 98 of 99 second-place votes, followed by Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski and Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II.

NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama
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NBA World All Made the Same Joke Over Ben Simmons' Met Gala Outfit
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA World All Made the Same Joke Over Ben Simmons’ Met Gala Outfit

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons wowed attendees and media on the Met Gala carpet on Monday night, but NBA fans instantly began making the same joke about the player's outfit.

Simmons wore a Thom Browne piece, which appeared to be a black suit with sequins and plaid design near the top. He wore an overcoat mimicking the same pattern as the suit.

But the part of the look that fans joked about was Simmons's bag, which was a briefcase with a giant clock shown on it.

Notably, Simmons has missed a lot of time during his NBA career thus far due to various injuries and mental health issues. Many fans consider him a bust of sorts as he was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft.

Because of this, fans all started tweeting jabs at him regarding his missed "time" and very little time on the "clock" in his NBA career. Take a look at some of the responses.

Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets, NBA
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Jalen Brunson Gets NYC Nike Billboard With Spot-on Message
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Jalen Brunson Gets NYC Nike Billboard With Spot-on Message

The New York Knicks are preparing for an Eastern Conference semifinals tilt against the Indiana Pacers, with the series getting underway on Monday. Ahead of Game 1, a new Nike billboard featuring star guard Jalen Brunson was plastered in the middle of New York City.

The billboard, which pictured Brunson from behind with one arm in the air, had a short but sweet message written above the Nike logo.

"Don't sleep."

It's a fitting message for the once underrated guard who has found an NBA home in "The City That Never Sleeps."

Despite an excellent college career, in which he won a national championship at Villanova, Brunson fell into the second round during the 2018 NBA draft. After four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, the team who drafted him, Brunson was offered a contract vastly below market value, which he declined before signing with the Knicks.

Being slept on is nothing new to Brunson, who, coming off his first-ever All-Star campaign, just became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to score 37 or more points in four consecutive playoff games.

With Games 1 and 2 set to be played at Madison Square Garden, Nike capitalized on a prime opportunity to recognize Brunson's postseason dominance with the remarkable billboard right in the heart of the city.

Jalen Brunson, NBA, NBA Playoffs, New York Knicks
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NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals

The first round of the 2024 NBA postseason had some great matchups, and things will only get better from here on out. Saturday marked the start of the second round of the playoffs, when true contenders battle against one another in an effort to reach the final four of their conference. Iron sharpens iron, after all, and this year's slate of Round 2 contests look pretty great across the board.

Fewer games means fewer overlapping broadcast times, too. After two weeks with up to three NBA games on every night, we're more or less back to the standard of an Eastern Conference tip-off around 7 p.m. ET and a Western Conference tip-off around 10 p.m. ET.

For your viewing habit purposes, here is the full schedule for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, organized by series.

NBA Playoff Schedule for Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

• Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Saturday, May 11 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

(2) New York Knicks v. (3) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks, Monday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, Wednesday, May 8 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Tuesday, May 7 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Thursday, May 9 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 11 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 p.m. ET)

(2) Denver Nuggets v. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves

• Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Monday, May 6 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 10 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Key Dates for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Aside from the all the above, the NBA postseason generally has a few key dates.

The first have already passed in the form of the play-in tournament, as well as the start of the first round. The Nuggets and Timberwolves kicked off the second round on Saturday, May 4. Below are several other key dates to look forward to.

• Conference Finals start dates: May 19-22, depending on the length of the second-round series.
• NBA Finals start date: Thursday, June 6 will be Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Sunday, June 9 will be Game 2. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday, June 12. Friday, June 14 will be Game 4.

First Round Results

Below are the full results for the first round of this year's postseason.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics def. (8) Miami Heat in 5 games

(2) New York Knicks def. (7) Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers def. (5) Orlando Magic in 7 games

(6) Indiana Pacers def. (3) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def. (8) New Orleans Pelicans in 4 games

(2) Denver Nuggets def. (7) Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves def. (6) Phoenix Suns in 4 games

(5) Dallas Mavericks def. (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games

And that's everything you need to know about the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Enjoy watching!

Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Heat's Pat Riley Had Blunt Message for Jimmy Butler About Trolling Celtics
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Heat’s Pat Riley Had Blunt Message for Jimmy Butler About Trolling Celtics

Pat Riley isn't thrilled with Jimmy Butler's public comments about the Boston Celtics.

Butler missed the first round of the NBA playoffs while dealing with an MCL injury, and his Miami Heat were outclassed by the Celtics. Miami was ousted in five games while playing without their six-time All-Star forward. Over the weekend, Butler said, "If I was playing, Boston would be at home." Riley was not happy.

On Monday, the Heat president said Butler should keep his mouth shut because he wasn't on the court. Video is below.

Riley certainly seems annoyed with Butler, but reading too deeply into those comments may be taking things too far. That said, he also claimed the Heat wouldn't just give Butler a new max contract extension if the star asked for it and would instead consider if he was going to be available every night.

Butler is owed $48.8 million for the 2024-25 season, then holds a $52.4 million player option for the the 2025-26 season. He'll be 35 at the start of next season and his numbers declined across the board during the 2023-24 campaign. He finished the season averaging 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.0 minutes over 60 games.

The Heat and Butler need to get on the same page about the team's future. Having their star publicly trolling rival teams after washing out of the playoffs likely isn't helping that relationship.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat, NBA, Pat Riley
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Klay Thompson Linked to Orlando Magic Ahead of Free Agency
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Klay Thompson Linked to Orlando Magic Ahead of Free Agency

Klay Thompson is coming off arguably the worst season of his NBA career, but he's still expected to get plenty of interest once he hits free agency this offseason. On Monday, the basketball world got the first hints of that interest.

Shams Charania reported for The Athletic that Thompson and the Orlando Magic are showing "mutual interest" as the offseason rapidly approaches. The Magic were eliminated from the NBA playoffs on Sunday by the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Thompson's season ended in the play-in tournament at the hands of the Sacramento Kings.

Thompson and the Magic have made sense as a pairing for a while now. The former All-NBA shooting guard is no longer the player he was and regularly hurt the Golden State Warriors' chances to win throughout the 2023-'24 season. However, even in a down year by his standards, Thompson still shot 38.7% from three point range on 9.0 attempts per game.

That level of shooting would transform Orlando's offense. The only Magic player anywhere near Thompson's accuracy and attempts per game last season was Jalen Suggs, who made 39.7% of his 5.1 three point tries per game. The organization's two stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, both shot below 34 percent from beyond the arc. The fact that the Magic managed to take the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the opening round of this year's postseason despite shooting 30.9% from three as a team throughout the series is, frankly, pretty remarkable.

The fit makes perfect sense. The question, of course, is whether Thompson would really leave the Warriors. He made $43.2 million this past season and will struggle to find any team willing to pay him that much going forward. From the sounds of reports like Charania's, teams like Orlando will be willing to pay more than Golden State in order to steal Thompson away from the only team he's ever known.

The choice, then, will likely come down to whether Thompson wants to stay in the Bay or get paid. As noted above the Magic will have oodles of cap space to utilize and could pay the four-time NBA champion quite a bit. Probably more than what his output calls for, but still worth it because the Magic need shooting and veteran leadership more than anything. But sometimes no amount of money can pry a player from his longtime home. Thompson may flirt with other teams in free agency in order to secure some leverage over the Warriors.

Free agency will not begin until July so there is plenty of time for things to change. But with the season over this feels like the first sign we've gotten that Thompson might truly leave the Warriors for a team like the Magic. Weird to imagine.

Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson, NBA, Orlando Magic
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SI:AM | Donovan Mitchell Saved the Cavs in Game 7
6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

SI:AM | Donovan Mitchell Saved the Cavs in Game 7

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m not surprised Tom Brady didn’t love all the jokes at his Netflix roast. 

In today’s SI:AM: 
🏀 Cavs win Game 7
🏒 Stars win Game 7
🐎 Mystik Dan wins by a hair

He always steps up in the playoffs

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded a king’s ransom for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, it was with games like Sunday’s Game 7 against the Orlando Magic in mind. 

Few players in the NBA can score in bunches like Mitchell can. Since he entered the league in 2017, only eight players have had more 40-point games (regular season and postseason) than Mitchell. He has had 32 40-point games in that span, more than LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis. The unfortunate thing for Mitchell is that his elite scoring ability has never translated to team success. In five seasons with the Utah Jazz, his teams never advanced farther than the second round of the playoffs. In his first season in Cleveland last year, the Cavs got bounced in the first round in five games by the New York Knicks. 

But Mitchell stepped up again with two memorable performances in the series against the Magic. In Game 6, he dropped 50 points on 22-of-36 shooting. Yes, the Cavs lost the game, 103–96, but Mitchell’s big game was the only reason it was close. Cleveland got out-rebounded 48–38 and took just 10 free throws as a team, compared to 26 for Orlando. It wouldn’t have been close if Mitchell hadn’t gone off. 

The Magic’s win at home in Game 6 forced a Game 7 in Cleveland, and at halftime it looked like Mitchell’s team was destined for another early postseason exit. The Cavs trailed by as many as 18 in the first half as their offense fell completely flat. Cleveland shot 35% from the field as a team, including a dismal 2-for-11 from three. And Mitchell struggled just as badly as the rest of his teammates in the first half, hitting just three of his 13 shots, although he did go 9-for-10 from the line. 

But after halftime, the tide turned. Mitchell erupted for 17 points in the third quarter on 7-of-9 shooting and out-scored the Magic (15 points) all by himself. Max Strus, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the third quarter. 

The big quarter from Mitchell and Strus (who accounted for 28 of Cleveland’s 33 points) turned a 10-point Cavs deficit into an eight-point lead. The Cavs never looked back and maintained their lead for the rest of the game, eventually winning 106–94. 

Mitchell finished with 39 points, giving him 89 points combined in the last two games of the series. That’s the second most ever in Games 6 and 7 of a playoff series, according to ESPN, trailing only the 90 scored by Allen Iverson in the 2001 Eastern Conference finals. The win also marked Cleveland’s first playoff series victory without LeBron James since 1993. 

“I’m tired of losing in the first round,” Mitchell said after the game. “You work too hard. We work too hard. That was my mindset ... for me, just be in attack mode. I’m battling through what I’m battling through, but I could battle through it and figure it out, or rehab it for the next three or four months. That’s where I'm at mentally.”

Mitchell may be tired of losing in the first round, but he’ll be a longshot to advance past the second round for the first time in his career. The Cavs’ win over the Magic set up a second-round matchup against the mighty Boston Celtics, the best team in the regular season by a wide margin. Cleveland will have a better chance of pulling off the upset if it is able to get center Jarrett Allen back on the floor. He’s missed the last three games with bruised ribs. Allen is an elite defender and rebounder who will be sorely missed if he isn’t able to go against Boston. The silver lining is that his absence on the interior won’t be felt as significantly if Celtics center Kristaps Porziņģis isn’t able to return from his calf injury. Regardless of whether Allen plays, though, the Cavs need Mitchell to keep up his historic scoring pace. 

The best of Sports Illustrated

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday: 
5. Jonny DeLuca’s walk-off hit for the Rays. 
4. Shohei Ohtani’s 10th home run of the season, which traveled a whopping 464 feet. 
3. Cole Anthony’s block at the rim on Darius Garland. 
2. Radek Faksa’s goal early in the third period that proved to be the game-winner for the Stars in Game 7. 
1. The Rangers’ crisp passing on Mika Zibanejad’s power-play goal. 

Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, NBA, NBA Playoffs
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