Oklahoma City Thunder overturn sizeable deficit to beat Los Angeles Lakers
Heat pull away to beat Nets 106-93
Bam Adebayo had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 106-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
Jimmy Butler added 17 points for Miami (3-1). P.J. Tucker finished with 15, and Tyler Herro and Dewayne Dedmon each contributed 14.
A preseason favorite to win the NBA championship, Brooklyn has alternated losses and wins through the first five games of the season and dropped to 2-3. Kevin Durant finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
”I like how we’re playing defense the last couple games,” Durant said. ”I like where our defense is trending. … I feel like we’re generating good shots. We’re just (not) knocking them down. If we continue to generate good shots we’ll put ourselves in good position.”
Joe Harris contributed 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting, including 5 for 11 from 3-point range. With his third 3-pointer of the game, Harris passed Jason Kidd as the franchise’s career leader in made 3-pointers.
James Harden had 14 points and Bruce Brown chipped in with 12.
The first of four regular-season matchups between the Eastern Conference rivals was a contrast in styles, the flashy, up-tempo, high-scoring Nets against a physical Heat squad.
Despite forcing the Nets to play a possession-by-possession game for much of the first half, the Heat trailed 51-49 at the half. Miami had outscored Brooklyn in the paint (30-20), had more second-chance points (15-2), and had a decided edge in rebounds (35-25).
”We have a bunch of like-minded guys,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”(That’s) the way those guys are hard-wired.”
What the Heat did not have, though, was the tandem of Durant and Harden, who combined for 25 of Brooklyn’s 51 points in the half. Durant also grabbed eight rebounds while Harden added three boards and three assists.
Miami stayed with its approach and it paid dividends in the third quarter, as the Heat outscored the Nets 32-23 and took an 81-74 lead into the fourth. The Heat extended their lead to 88-77 before Brooklyn used a 7-2 spurt to …
Damian Lillard Continues His Struggles, LA Clippers Defeat Portland Trail Blazers 116-86
After suffering two tough losses to begin the season, the LA Clippers have gotten their first win, blowing out the Portland Trail Blazers 116-86 on Monday night. The team was backed by a special shooting performance from Luke Kennard, and when combined with the team’s stellar defense, it was enough to get a blowout win.
Coming into this matchup against the Blazers, there was some concern surrounding the Clippers’ ability to defend Portland’s perimeter attack. The team had struggled in their first two games containing dynamic guard play, and the Blazers have no shortage of it. Despite this concern, Damian Lillard never really got going.
The Clippers took a 56-42 lead into halftime, and that point, Lillard had just 8 points on 3/8 shooting and 0/5 from deep. His co-star CJ McCollum was able to get a little bit more freedom in that first half, pouring in 16 points on 6/14 shooting; however, the Clippers were likely content with the way they defended that duo through 24 minutes.
Fortunately for the Clippers, the 2nd half was more of the same. Lillard finished with just 12 points on 4/15 from the field and 0/8 from deep, while McCollum ended with 20 points on 7/16 shooting. Ty Lue’s ability to effectively show those two guards different looks was successful all night. Eric Bledsoe, Nicolas Batum, Terance Mann, and Justise Winslow all took turns defending Portland’s backcourt duo, and each did a solid job.
As a team, the Clippers forced 30 turnovers which is just the 8th time in franchise history such a mark has been achieved, and the first time since 1996 that the clip was reached. Of the 30 turnovers, 21 were steals, which was the 2nd most in a game in franchise history. A combination of solid defense and sloppy offense from Portland created some historic defensive numbers for the Clippers.
Offensively for the Clippers, it was the Luke Kennard show. As the team wants him to do, Kennard was hunting shots. They tend to go in when he does …
Bucks begin title defense with 127-104 victory over Nets
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t let the celebration of the franchise’s first NBA championship in half a century distract them as they opened their title defense.
In his first game since scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 NBA Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns, Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bucks to a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
”We’re part of history,” Antetokounmpo said. ”I’m excited. But now it’s over with. We’ve got to focus on building good habits, keep moving forward and keep playing good basketball and hopefully we can repeat this again this year, next year and all the years that we’re going to be here down the road.”
Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton each added 20 points to help the Bucks withstand the loss of Jrue Holiday, who sat out the second half with a bruised right heel after scoring 12 points. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said MRI results on Holiday were encouraging.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Patty Mills scored 21 points and shot 7 of 7 from 3-point range. James Harden added 20 points.
”We weren’t very good,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said. ”If you’re not playing at a high level against the champs, you’re not going to win.”
The Nets were missing star guard Kyrie Irving, who isn’t with the team due to his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
A New York mandate requires professional athletes on local teams to be vaccinated to practice or play in public venues. Rather than using Irving exclusively in road games, the Nets decided he wouldn’t play or practice with them at all until he could be a full participant.
After receiving their rings, raising a banner and watching a highlight video of their first NBA championship since 1971, the Bucks defeated the team that nearly eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs. Antetokounmpo acknowledged that he teared up a little bit during the pregame …
Curry, Warriors stun James, Lakers 121-114 in opener
Opening night in Hollywood went well for three quarters for Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
But it was a flop for their new supporting cast, including L.A. native and former league MVP Russell Westbrook.
Curry, a two-time MVP, had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Warriors, who rallied from 10 points down to stun the Lakers 121-114 in a season opener Tuesday night.
The Lakers went cold in the fourth quarter, and surrendered the lead halfway through the period.
James had 34 points and 11 rebounds, while Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds. No other Lakers scored in double figures.
”Those two guys were spectacular,” coach Frank Vogel said. ”We’re going to be pretty good if we get those type of performances. We just have to be better defensively. This is a team that is all new to each other, so everybody’s finding their way a little bit.”
Wesbrook shot just 4 for 13 for eight points in his Lakers debut.
”Him more than anybody, it’s going to be an adjustment period,” Vogel said. ”He’s coming into our culture, our system, he’s the new guy, he’s got to find his way. It’s difficult, when you’re used to being the guy that has the ball most nights, to be able to play off others like LeBron and A.D. It’s just a little bit different for him. He’s going to be great for us but it’s going to be an adjustment period.”
James and Davis said they helped console Westbrook afterward.
”I told Russ to go home and watch a comedy,” James said. ”Put a smile on his face. Don’t be so hard on himself.”
The Lakers had an 84-74 lead late in the third quarter after a jumper by Kent Bazemore, but the Warriors slowly closed the gap.
”We didn’t finish quarters well the whole night,” Vogel said. ”We gave up a 38-point fourth quarter. If you do that you’re going to lose most nights. …
Five ‘Nigerians’ who won medals for other countries
There is hardly any top sporting competition in the world that Nigerian names don’t pop up even if the Green and White flag of the country is conspicuously absent.
From the American Super Bowl to the NBA and even the recent Euro 2020, participants with Nigerian lineage are always present.
The situation was not any different at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics even though Team Nigeria was actually on parade in Japan – returning home with two medals.
The 27-year old was part of the all-conquering Italian Men’s 4x100m quartet that stormed to gold in Tokyo.
Though Desalu is of Nigerian origin, he was born and raised in Italy and acquired full Italian citizenship in 2012.
“I have never been to Nigeria and, right now [2019], I don’t feel the need to go. I don’t even know the national anthem of Nigeria. My roots are in Africa and I don’t ignore them but I consider myself deeply Italian,” Eseosa said.
While Desalu is celebrating his gold for Italy, Nigeria failed to qualify for the men’s 4x100m event in Tokyo despite pushing hard after failing to attend the World Relays where they could have gotten a ticket more easily.
Ujah Chindu
Competing in his second Olympic Games for Great Britain after his debut in Rio, Ujah narrowly missed out on the 4x100m gold but would be pleased with the silver nonetheless.
Ujah’s father was an engineer who moved from Nigeria to England as a boy. The sprinter admits it was difficult convincing his father that a career in athletics was the right choice for him.
“I used to play football for my local club and was pretty good. Dad was not too impressed about football and he didn’t like the idea of me going pro. When I was doing athletics he thought it was just a hobby, and I set my heart on showing him that it wasn’t just a little thing on the side.
“He got a letter in the post when I was 17 saying I’d been selected for the …
Kevin Durant leads U.S. to fourth straight gold medal
The United States men’s basketball team has won the gold medal after defeating France, 87-82, avenging the loss Team USA suffered in the opening game of group play. It is the fourth straight Olympic gold for the Americans.
As he has been for the majority of the tournament, Kevin Durant was spectacular for Team USA as he finished the win with 29 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Jayson Tatum stepped up to provide Durant with the most help on the offensive end, finishing with 19 points to join Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday as double-digit scorers as the guards finished the game with 11 points apiece.
Javale McGee and Mum Pamela McGee become the first ever Mum and Son to win an Olympic Gold Medal in History.
Middleton and Jrue Holiday joined an elite class to have won a Championship and Olympic Gold in the same year
- Kyrie Irving (2016)
- Lebron James (2012)
- Scottie Pippen (1996)(1992)
- Michael Jordan (1992)
For France, Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier led the charge finishing with 16 each, but in the end it wasn’t enough for France to win the gold as the Americans overcame another slow start to win the tournament.…
Olympics Update : USA into basketball final
The USA found themselves 15 points down in the first half against Australia in their Olympic basketball semi-final tie, but Kevin Durant stepped up once again with 23 points to lead his country into the gold medal game.
…
Blockbuster Lakers Russell Westbrook Trade
So what happened? Should we be surprised by the quick about-face?
And what happens next, specifically for the Lakers, who add a third star to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis but lose valuable depth in doing so?
Per NBA sources, the Lakers went into the offseason with a clear Plan A: unrealistic hopes of landing a Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal. Plan B was Chris Paul (but then the Phoenix Suns advanced to the NBA Finals) and Westbrook. Hield was always Plan C.
Over the past few weeks, the Lakers pursued Westbrook and Hield in parallel conversations with the Wizards and Sacramento Kings. As the draft neared, the Wizards seemed content to wait on big decisions with Beal and Westbrook.
That pushed Hield to the forefront. But even as the possibility of a deal built around Kyle Kuzma and Harrell began to form, the Lakers kept the door open to a Westbrook deal.
Westbrook asserted his voice into the conversation, and per an NBA source, the Wizards pivoted. Just like that, the pieces the Kings liked for Hield were no longer available.
With Westbrook, the Lakers will have $120.8 million going to just three players next season in James, Davis and Westbrook. The salary cap projects to be $112.4 million, so the franchise is sure to climb above the $136.6 million tax line.
Because of several factors (the Lakers’ current hard cap, Kuzma’s extension starting Aug. 2), L.A. cannot execute the deal until after the moratorium on Aug. 6. Based on the reported details, the Lakers will have just five players with Gasol and McKinnie.
Look for the Lakers to keep as many free agents as possible, including Caruso, Horton-Tucker, Wes Matthews, Markieff Morris, Jared Dudley and possibly Ben McLemore. Schroder may leave in free agency, but a sign-and-trade would help the Lakers bring back additional talent to flesh out the roster.
The team will have about $5.9 million to spend via the taxpayer mid-level exception. They could try to re-sign Andre Drummond, but that may not be …
NBA 2021 Draft list ( First Round Picks )
- 1 (1)
Cade Cunningham Oklahoma State - 2 (2)
Jalen Green USA - 3 (3)
Evan Mobley USC - 4 (4)
Scottie Barnes Florida State - 5 (5)
Jalen Suggs Gonzaga - 6 (6)
Josh Giddey Australia - 7 (7)
Jonathan Kuminga Congo - 8 (8)
Franz Wagner Michigan
- 9 (9)
Davion Mitchell Baylor - 10 (10)
Ziaire Williams Stanford - 11 (11)
James Bouknight UConn - 12 (12)
Joshua Primo Alabama - 13 (13)
Chris Duarte Oregon - 14 (14)
Moses Moody Arkansas
- 15 (15)
Corey Kispert Gonzaga - 16 (16)
Alperen Sengun Turkey
- 17 (17)
Trey Murphy III Virginia - 18 (18)
Tre Mann Florida
- 19 (19)
Kai Jones Texas - 20 (20)
Jalen Johnson Duke - 21 (21)
Keon Johnson Tennessee
- 22 (22)
Isaiah Jackson Kentucky - 23 (23)
Usman Garuba Spain
- 24 (24)
Josh Christopher Arizona State
- 25 (25)
Quentin Grimes Houston - 26 (26)
Nah’Shon Hyland VCU - 27 (27)
Cameron Thomas LSU - 28 (28)
Jaden Springer Tennessee - 29 (29)
Day’Ron Sharpe North Carolina - 30 (30)
Santi Aldama Loyola (MD)
NBA 2021 Draft
The Detroit Pistons are in pole position to pick up hot prospect Cade Cunningham as the NBA 2021 Draft gets underway on Thursday night in New York.
One of the most anticipated nights of the basketball calendar will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – the home of the Brooklyn Nets.
As always, the best young players are up for grabs as they bid to play their first seasons in the
Spanish interest comes in the form of Usman Garuba – who is hoping to be in the first 15 picked – and Santi Aldama.
A total of 60 players will feature in the draft, with 30 in the first round and 30 in the second.
The first four picks of the first round were determined by a lottery, with the rest decided by the team’s performances last season – with the worse teams getting the earlier picks.
The event is back to taking place in person, having been conducted virtually last year due to the coronavirus.
The picks are expected to begin at around 02:00 CET on Friday morning (20:00 ET).
2021 NBA Draft order
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Toronto Raptors
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors
- Orlando Magic
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Indiana Pacers
- Golden State Warriors
- Washington Wizards
- Boston Celtics
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- New York Knicks
- Atlanta Hawks
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Houston Rockets
- Houston Rockets
- LA Clippers
- Denver Nuggets
- Brooklyn Nets
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Utah Jazz
Going into the 2021 draft at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, here is the list of college basketball teams with the most NBA first-round draft picks.
- Kentucky – 54
- North Carolina – 52
- Duke – 48
- UCLA – 39
- Kansas – 33
- Michigan – 27
- Indiana – 26
- Arizona – 24
- Louisville – 24
- Syracuse – 24
- Ohio State – 23
- Michigan State – 21
- Notre Dame – 20
- Connecticut – 20
- Maryland – 20
- Georgia Tech – 19
- Texas
The Olympic Games’ medal table after day four
- Japan: 13 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze, 22 total
- China: 12 gold, 6 silver, 9 bronze, 27 total
- USA: 11 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze, 31 total
- Russian Olympic Committee: 7 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze, 23 total
- Australia: 6 gold, 1 silver, 9 bronze, 16 total
- Great Britain: 5 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze, 16 total
- South Korea: 4 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze, 11 total
- Germany: 3 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze, 10 total
- France: 3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze, 8 total
- Netherlands: 2 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze, 11 total
- Canada: 2 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze, 9 total
- Hungary: 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
- Slovenia: 2 gold 1 silver, 1 bronze, 4 total
- Kosovo: 2 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
- Italy: 1 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze, 15 total
- Switzerland: 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze, 6 total
- Chinese Taipei: 1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze, 6 total
- Brazil: 1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 5 total
- Georgia: 1 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze, 3 total
- Romania: 1 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze, 3 total
- Serbia: 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze, 4 total
- Austria: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
- Hong Kong: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
- Tunisia: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, 2 total
- Croatia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
- Estonia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
- Uzbekistan: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze, 2 total
- Bermuda: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Ecuador: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Fiji: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Iran: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Latvia: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Norway: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Philippines: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Thailand: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze, 1 total
- Spain: 0 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
- New Zealand: 0 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, 3 total
Luka Doncic and Slovenia too much for Japan, win 116-81 to move to 2-0
Hachimura did whatever he could. Blocking shots, hitting tough jumpers, logging big minutes, the best player on Japan’s roster simply held nothing back with hopes of giving his country its first Olympic men’s basketball win in 45 years. Problem was, the other side had Luka Doncic.
The Dallas Mavericks star had another impressive performance with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes, Zoran Dragic scored 24 points and Slovenia remained unbeaten in its Olympic debut by beating Japan 116-81 in the Tokyo Games on Thursday.
“It’s not only Luka,” Hachmura said. “They have a lot of guys who can hoop. … They’re a great team. They beat us.” Vlatko Cancar added 16 for Slovenia, which has won its two games in Saitama by a combined 53 points. Slovenia outrebounded Japan 54-33 and had 27 assists to Japan’s 15.
“It was a great game for us,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said. “I think we showed our power. We played really together as a team. To have 27 assists and 54 rebounds, it says something about this team and I’m really proud of them.”
Hachimura finished with 34 points and seven rebounds. Yuta Watanabe added 17 for Japan. “Congratulations to Slovenia,” Japan coach Julio Lamas said. “They played better than us, all the game. … They are a very good team, very complete team with one amazing player.”
The Hachimura vs. Doncic matchup got off to a flying start, both players finishing the first quarter with 13 points and Slovenia taking a 29-23 lead after the opening 10 minutes. The margin was up to 53-41 at the half, and Japan still seemed to have a shot early in the fourth down by only 14. And then Doncic returned, ending whatever hope the hosts had.
Doncic who declined to stop for questions after the game, didn’t play in the final 5:30 of the third quarter. He grabbed a seat at the end of the Slovenia bench, draped towels over his shoulder and lap and kept …
Milwaukee Bucks win first NBA championship since 1971 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legendary MVP showing
The Milwaukee Bucks were fairly quick champions after their inception. The team was founded in 1968, won a coin flip (ironically against the Phoenix Suns) for the right to draft Lew Alcindor a year later, and in 1971, they captured the franchise’s first championship. With their star big man in place, Milwaukee seemed likely to continue adding rings to its collection for years to come. That’s not how it happened.
Alcindor, who by then had changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, asked to be traded and ultimately landed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief came up short. Ray Allen and Sam Cassell came up short. The Bucks had the No. 1 pick three more times after landing Alcindor, but passed on Bernard King in 1977, Jason Kidd in 1994 and Chris Paul in 2005. Their 2013 selection of a young forward from Greece looked like an afterthought for a team that could never quite make it over the hump.
But that unassuming young forward grew into an MVP. So dominant was Giannis Antetokounmpo that fans began to worry that, like Abdul-Jabbar before him, he would seek out greener pastures. But before the 2020-21 season, Antetokounmpo signed a five-year extension with the Bucks that signaled a commitment. He didn’t just want to win the championship. He wanted to win it in Milwaukee.
That dream became a reality on Tuesday as the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years as the Greek Freak made history with 50 points in a 105-98 Game 6 win, arguably one of the most historic performances we’ve seen in a clinching game. They defeated that very Suns team they flipped for Alcindor with decades earlier thanks to another strong outing from Antetokounmpo. That he got to win the title in front of his home fans in Milwaukee was the icing on the cake for a player who has become synonymous with the city he plays in.
Antetokounmpo grew up poor in Greece, and his acclimation to the United States was on full
US women basketball team beat Nigeria’s D’Tigress
The Nigerian national women basketball team, D’Tigress. on Sunday could not hold their own against their US counterparts as they lost 62-93 in a friendly in Las Vegas.
In the game arranged to prepare both sides for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Americans were totally dominant of the D’Tigress.
The Nigerian side were restricted to just 30.6 per cent shooting during the game, while their foes shot 53.8 per cent overall.
The American side also outscored Nigeria in all four quarters of the game, though only by one point in the third quarter.
Atonye Nyingifa led the scoring charts for Nigeria with nine points, while center Elizabeth Williams scored four points.
Both teams will meet again very soon in the group stage of the Olympics in Tokyo on July 27.…
Milwaukee win Game 4 to even up finals series
The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns treated fans to the most exciting matchup of the NBA Finals to this point in Game 4 as the Bucks ultimately came out on top with a 109-103 hard-fought win at Fiserv Forum Wednesday night .
Devin Booker was phenomenal for the Suns as he finished with a game-high 42 points and made NBA history along the way as well. He was also involved in one of the most controversial plays of the night as he appeared to foul Jrue Holiday late in the fourth quarter, a foul that would have been his sixth of the game, which the officials seemingly disregarded. In the end, Booker’s offensive explosion wasn’t enough to overcome the Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 66 points to lead the charge for Milwaukee and, ultimately, help them even this series.
With the win, the Bucks carry all the momentum into Game 5 in Phoenix on Saturday night as this is now, essentially, a best-of-three series. Here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s Game 4 win.
1. An all-time duel
Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Jerry West and John Havlicek. Khris Middleton and Devin Booker. Those are the four sets of opposing players in NBA history to both score 40 points in an NBA Finals games. The first six were all obvious Hall of Famers. If the game they played tonight is any indication, Middleton and Booker are headed down that same path.
Neither was particularly impressive in a first quarter that included only 43 total points. They then combined for 21 in the second before Booker erupted for a staggering 18 in the third without missing a shot. At that point, it looked as if the night belonged to him. Middleton had other ideas. With Booker relegated to the bench due to foul trouble, Middleton scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. When Phoenix’s incredible defense took away all of their team-based actions, Middleton stepped into pick-and-roll jumpers that could not be denied. He …
Best Brothers, Sisters and Twins in Sports
1. Manning Brothers
Peyton Manning, QB, Retired (45)
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants (41)
Archie and Olivia’s boys — you know, Cooper’s younger brothers — are still the standard. Both Peyton and Eli are former No. 1 overall picks, Super Bowl MVPs and Saturday Night Live hosts.
2. Williams Sisters
Venus Williams, Tennis (41)
Serena Williams, Tennis (39)
Everyone thought Richard was the craziest cook in Compton, Calif., when he was training Venus and Serena. Everyone still thinks he’s a loon, but his unorthodox style resulted in a pair of champions.
3. Gasol Hermanos
Pau Gasol, C, Barcelona (41)
Marc Gasol, C, Los Angeles Lakers (36)
The Spanish 7-footers were traded for each other back when Pau was an All-Star and Marc was his baby-fatted kid brother. Times have changed. Pau is on the trade block and Marc is the All-Star.
24. Curry Brothers
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors (33)
Seth Curry, G, 76ers (31)
Dell’s sons inherited their old man’s 3-point stroke but mom Sonya is the real star.
5. Staal Brothers
Eric Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes (35)
Marc Staal, D, New York Rangers (35)
Jordan Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes (33)
Jared Staal, RW, Charlotte Checkers (31)
Quantity outweighs quality with these Thunder Bay, Ontario, thunder-stick clappers.
…
Nigeria Beat Argentina in exhibition game 94-71 two days after beating Team USA
Nigeria continues to tear things up on the hardwood ahead of the Summer Olympics.
Led by former NBA head coach Mike Brown, Nigeria followed up its 90-87 upset of Team USA with a 94-71 demolition against Argentina, the world’s No. 4 side. That’s two massive wins for D’Tigers as they ramp up ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. And they’re not just hitting shots on the court.
Jahlil Okafor led Nigeria with 15 points while Josh Okogie and Chimezie Metu had 10 each. Nigeria limited Argentina to 35.9 percent shooting from the floor while hitting 48.1 percent of its own shots. D’Tigers didn’t make an insane amount of triples this time around, but did well enough in other areas to win in a rout.
Many pundits and fans were blasting Team USA for losing to Nigeria, but it’s becoming clear D’Tigers are no pushovers. A 23-point win over Argentina shows Nigeria has the talent and coaching to make noise in the upcoming Olympics. Keep an eye on this group going forward.…
Giannis Antetokounmpo goes for 40-10 again, Milwaukee rolls in Game 3
We have ourselves a series. After dropping the first two games in Phoenix, the Milwaukee Bucks pulled out a much-needed 120-110 win over the Suns in Game 3 at Fiserv Forum Sunday night. With the victory, the Bucks now trail 2-1 in the NBA Finals, which is much more manageable than 3-0 — a deficit that’s proven to be historically unsurmountable.
As they have been throughout the postseason, the Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 40-plus points for the second consecutive game. In all, Antetokounmpo finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of action. It was an extremely impressive performance from the two-time MVP, but he also had his fair share of help. Jrue Holiday had 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Khris Middleton added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists of his own. Chris Paul led the way for Phoenix with 19 points and nine assists, and DeAndre Ayton added 18 points and nine rebounds, but ultimately their production wasn’t enough.
The win was a big one for the Bucks, and the loss was obviously disappointing for a Suns team that controlled the first two games of the series. Still, neither team can afford to dwell on it for too long as they have to prepare for Game 4 on Wednesday night. Here are four key takeaways from Milwaukee’s win over Phoenix in Game 3.
1. Giannis made some NBA history
Not only did Giannis Antetokounmpo propel the Bucks to a Game 3 win, but he also made some serious NBA history in the process. By finishing with 41 points and 13 rebounds, Antetokounmpo became just the second player ever to record 40-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in consecutive NBA Finals games. The only other player to do it was Shaquille O’Neal.
Antetokounmpo did a lot of his damage from the paint in Game 3. In fact, the 24 points that he scored in the paint tied the record for the most in a Finals game over the last …
Chris Paul, Phoenix sink Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee in Game 1
The Phoenix Suns are three wins away from a championship after a strong Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. The two sides were close for most of the first half before Phoenix pushed the lead as high as 20 in the third quarter. A furious Bucks comeback cut it back down to seven in the fourth quarter, but the Suns just would not be denied. They took Milwaukee’s punch and countered with several of their own, ultimately winning Game 1, 118-105.
Chris Paul led the way with yet another stellar postseason outing. He scored 32 points to lead the Suns, but Devin Booker wasn’t far behind with 27 of his own. Throw in Deandre Ayton’s 22-point, 19-rebound Finals debut and 20 combined bench points for Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson and it was a complete team win for the Suns. Khris Middleton stood up to Phoenix’s star guards with 29 points of his own, but a still-recovering Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t quite match his typical MVP production. He scored 20 to go along with 17 rebounds in the loss, but played only 35 minutes and couldn’t be as aggressive in the paint as he usually is with 11 field goal attempts in the game.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals will be played on Thursday. A win in that game would take the Suns within two wins of the title, while a Milwaukee win would even up the series and give the Bucks home-court advantage. After the Game 1 we just watched, though, Milwaukee is going to need to make some serious adjustments to make that happen. For now, here are the biggest takeaways from Game 1.
Giannis looked decent, but not 100 percent
Physically, Giannis looked mostly like Giannis in Game 1 of the Finals. He caught a lob on the game’s opening play (though it was called off due to a foul). He overpowered Deandre Ayton in the post. If you squinted, you’d see the outline of the two-time MVP. Even in defeat, he …