The Los Angeles Clippers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 114-101 in Game 6 on Friday night, ending their season short of the lofty goals set before them.
With his team out of the playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers sporting one of the most sought-after coaching openings in the NBA, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was forced to address his future in the wake of Friday’s loss. Lue has been reported as one of the Lakers’ top targets, while a separate report indicated that the Clippers are very interested in retaining him.
As for Lue, he’d prefer to stick around with the Clippers.
“I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place,” Lue said in the wake of his team’s 114-101 loss. “Mr. Ballmer, Lawrence [Frank], Mark [Hughes] and Trent [Redden] have all been great to me. This is where I want to be. Hopefully they feel the same way.”
Clippers coach Ty Lue on his future: “I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place. Mr. Ballmer, Lawrence (Frank), Mark (Hughes), and Trent (Redden) have all been great to me. This is where I want to be. Hopefully, they feel the same way.” pic.twitter.com/4OC6FsYzNN
Time will tell whether or not Lue will ultimately remain with the Clippers, who enter the offseason with plenty of roster questions ahead of next season. What happens with James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and ultimately Lue, will determine whether or not the Clippers remain competitive next season.
Doris Burke will make history on Thursday night as she becomes the first woman to serve as a game analyst on television during a major men's professional championship event when she's on the call for the 2024 NBA Finals.
Ahead of her Finals debut, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James shared some heartwarming words of encouragement and appreciation for the renowned analyst.
"Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us! You’re a [goat emoji]!" wrote James on X, formerly Twitter, ahead of tipoff of Game 1 on Thursday evening.
Important moment for our sport tonight. Love and respect to DB and everything she does to elevate all of us! You’re a 🐐! 🙏🏾🤎🫡 https://t.co/eckUkkP2Bk
Burke will be on ABC/ESPN's lead broadcast team for each game of the NBA Finals series between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, joining the likes of Mike Breen and JJ Redick in one of the most coveted seats in the business.
James was overjoyed to see Burke get an opportunity and continue to pave the way for women in sports, and he congratulated her on social media.
During a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," Burke spoke on the importance of the opportunity for herself and all women in sports.
"I’ll be honest with you, it’s meaningful," she said. "There’s no doubt that that sentiment hasn’t dawned on me. Obviously, what could be better for me if in some way this assignment helps women in some way? There could be nothing more meaningful."
Burke has been a full-time NBA analyst since 2017, having previously been ESPN's top sideline reporter. She called the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio in 2020, becoming the first woman to do so, and continues to blaze trails with her latest achievement during this year's championship.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is crucial for the Dallas Mavericks, as a loss would all be seal their fate against the Boston Celtics in this series.
Trailing 2-0, Dallas is looking to avoid the dreaded 3-0 series deficit -- something no team has ever come back from in a seven-game series in the history of the league.
On the bright side for Dallas, oddsmakers have favored Luka Doncic and company at home in Game 3.
The spread in Game 3 has moved since Kristaps Porzingis was diagnosed with a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon on Tuesday.
Porzingis is officially questionable for Game 3, and oddsmakers have moved Dallas from -2 to -2.5 in this game since the Porzingis injury was announced.
Boston has fared well without Porzingis this postseason, but he clearly makes the Celtics a better team, especially after dropping 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in Game 1.
Can Dallas pick up a win at home to keep its chances to win the Finals alive?
Boston Celtics on the Road
Boston has dominated on the road in the playoffs, going 6-0 straight up against the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. Can it stay perfect against the Mavericks?
The C's are 22-22-3 against the spread on the road in the 2023-24 season overall, so their playoff performance has been even better.
Boston Celtics as Underdogs
This is just the fourth time this season that the Celtics are underdogs, and it's the first time in five months that they have been in this spot.
Boston is 1-2 against the spread as an underdog in the 2023-24 season. All of those games have come on the road.
Dallas Mavericks at Home
So far this season, Dallas is 25-24 against the spread at home, but that number is slightly better as a home favorite.
The Mavs are 19-17 against the spread as home favorites, although they have lost games at home in every series so far this postseason.
Teams Down 0-2 in Game 3
Dallas is down 0-2 in this series, but there is an interesting trend dating back to 2005 for these teams entering Game 3.
NBA teams down 0-2 at home since 2005:
• 91-47-1 first half ATS • 66-70-3 full game ATS
The first half trend has been even lately though, going just 13-14-1 1H ATS since 2020-21 (3-4 this year) pic.twitter.com/ecnq7LaJoo
However, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA against the spread in the first half this season, so bettors may want to be careful about having to lay points with Dallas, who is a slight favorite, in Game 3.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Just about 90 minutes before the opening tipoff of Game 5, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch made sure to point out an issue he has with the Dallas Mavericks and the officials working the Western Conference finals.
Finch was asked by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski what he would like to see Anthony Edwards do better while guarding Mavericks star Luka Dončić in Game 5.
"He does a better job getting through all those illegal screens they set for Luka," Finch said.
"With Ant, what do you hope that he does well to at least make it a little bit hard on Luka?"
"He does a better job getting through all those illegal screens they set for Luka." - Chris Finchpic.twitter.com/iSDZUsjRPY
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who was named to the All-NBA Defensive second team this season, primarily handled the matchup against Dončić over the first three games of the series. But the Wolves swapped the assignment in Game 4, switching McDaniels over to Kyrie Irving and putting Edwards on Dončić.
Dončić averaged 32.7 points over the first three games of the series and scored 28 in Game 4, but Edwards had noticeably more energy on the offensive end while not having to chase Irving around on defense.
Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Mavericks is set to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday at Target Center.
