Ranking the Best Players to Never Start an NBA All-Star Game
January 19th, 2017 by Josh Martin No comments »
The annual talk of NBA All-Star starter snubs is complicated enough as is, but this year's discussion could be tougher to suss out than ever before.
No longer will starting nods be doled out by the fans alone, which had been the case since 1975. Instead, those votes will count for 50 percent of the process, with players and media accounting for another 25 percent apiece. That split has made selecting starters for the Eastern and Western Conference squads juuust a bit more byzantine, which figures to trickle down into a more convoluted debate over who should (and shouldn't) have been picked and why they weren't (or were).
Any deserving players who get left out would hardly be the first. Comb through the annals of All-Star history, and you'll find a heftier helping of Hall of Famers and comparable talents who never got the kind of love at the ballot box that ...
Joel Embiid: 1st 76er Since Iverson to Have 20-Plus Points in 10 Straight Games
January 19th, 2017 by Daily Facts No comments »
Fact: Joel Embiid had 26 points in the Philadelphia 76ers' 94-89 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his 10th consecutive game with at least 20 points. Embiid is the first 76er since Allen Iverson to score 20 or more points in at least 10 straight games of a single season (2006-07, 15 games).
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Russell Westbrook Comments on Zaza Pachulia’s Hard Foul After Loss vs. Warriors
January 19th, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
Things got physical between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.
During the second quarter of the Thunder's 121-100 loss, Warriors center Zaza Pachulia was whistled for a flagrant foul when he turned an attempt to trap a ball screen into a high-speed collision with Westbrook near midcourt.
As it turns out, Westbrook was not pleased with the way Pachulia knocked him to the floor or the manner in which he stared him down after the initial contact was made.
"I'm going to get his ass back, straight up," Westbrook said after the game, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding. "I don't play that game."
ESPN.com's Royce Young provided video of Westbrook's complete remarks:
"I don't know what his point was. I don't know what he was trying to prove," Thunder shooting guard Victor Oladipo said, according to The Oklahoman's Brett Dawson. "But I bet he doesn't do ...
Wednesday NBA Roundup: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry Perfecting 1-2 Punch
January 19th, 2017 by Grant Hughes No comments »
This had to be what Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors had in mind when they added Kevin Durant over the summer.
It's taken half a season to reach this point—and head coach Steve Kerr still constantly uses the word "process" and various synonyms to describe it—but the Warriors' harmonious 121-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at Oracle Arena showed that two superstars could seamlessly coexist, that they could be great together rather than at one another's expense.
Durant caught fire for 40 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on just 16 attempts from the field, taking shots in the flow of the offense and almost never stopping the ball in isolation. Curry, meanwhile, finished with 24 points and took three more shots than KD on the night.
Most importantly, Curry was aggressive, creative and even a little loose with some of his decisions.
He showed off on the ...
Thunder vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
January 19th, 2017 by Scott Polacek No comments »
The Golden State Warriors were better than the Oklahoma City Thunder when Kevin Durant was on the latter team. They are certainly better now that No. 35 is in the Bay Area.
Durant and the Warriors overwhelmed the Thunder in the second half of Wednesday's game at Oracle Arena on the way to a 121-100 victory. Golden State handled Oklahoma City 122-96 in the first matchup this season and owns a five-game winning streak in the series after last year's Western Conference Finals showdown.
The Warriors moved to 36-6 and 20-3 at home thanks largely to a 37-22 third quarter, while Oklahoma City dropped to 1-3 in its last four games and 25-19 overall.
Durant led the way against his former teammates with 40 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on 13-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. He finished plus-31, per ESPN.com, and was unstoppable whenever he ...
David West Injury: Updates on Warriors Forward’s Thumb and Return
January 19th, 2017 by Joe Pantorno No comments »
Golden State Warriors forward David West suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left thumb on Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Warriors PR on Twitter.
Continue for updates.
West Will Be Re-Evaluated in 2 Weeks
Thursday, Jan. 19
In his first season with the Warriors, West has already been banged up because of a hip pointer, which further diminished his time on the court as Draymond Green's backup.
A two-time All-Star, West is in the midst of his least productive season since his 2003-04 rookie campaign, as he's averaged 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 11.5 minutes per game.
However, his role isn't integral, given Golden State's core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Green.
The 36-year-old West joined the team as a security blanket after Golden State lost Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut during the summer.
With West sidelined, the Warriors will turn to Kevon Looney and James Michael McAdoo ...
Rudy Gay Injury: Updates on Kings Star’s Achilles and Return
January 19th, 2017 by Joe Pantorno No comments »
Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during the third quarter of Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers, the team announced.
Continue for updates.
Gay Scheduled to Undergo MRI
Thursday, Jan. 19
According to The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears, Thursday's MRI is expected to confirm the initial diagnosis.
The news comes as a gut-punch for Gay, who is in the midst of a fine season. Prior to Wednesday's game, he was averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 45 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent shooting from three.
The injury could also have serious financial ramifications for Gay and the Kings.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Gay was expected to decline his $14.2 million player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent. But now that he's suffered a major setback, the situation has grown more complicated.
So long as Gay is sidelined, Sacramento's offense will take a ...
Bucks vs. Rockets: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
January 18th, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
The Houston Rockets have been in a minor funk, but they shook off some woes when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 111-92 at Toyota Center on Wednesday night.
The win was fueled by a barrage of late three-pointers from James Harden and Eric Gordon, who combined to pave the way and help the Rockets improve to 33-12 a night after looking flat in a loss to the Miami Heat.
As has become expected, Harden led the Rockets in the scoring column with 38 points on 14-of-25 shooting to go with eight assists and six rebounds.
His big fourth-quarter threes allowed the Rockets to pull away:
Gordon added 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting (7-of-17 from three), which was a welcome sight after he shot 3-of-17 against the Heat. The Sixth Man of the Year front-runner also had an outrageous plus-38 rating in 32 minutes off the bench.
The Bucks were paced by 32 points, 11 rebounds ...
Knicks vs. Celtics: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
January 18th, 2017 by Tyler Conway No comments »
Playing the red-hot Boston Celtics without Kristaps Porzingis, Joakim Noah and Lance Thomas, it would have been understandable—and expected at this point—if the New York Knicks phoned things in.
A few unsung heroes had other plans.
The Knicks got 55 points from their bench, including 17 from Willy Hernangomez, as they held on for a 117-106 win Wednesday in Boston.
Derrick Rose led all Knicks with 30 points in perhaps his best performance since joining the team. Rose added 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals and knocked down 13 of his 24 shots. It's just the second time the former MVP has hit the 30-point barrier since joining the team. The NBA provided a highlight from a vintage Rose layup:
Still, it was team's non-stars who took their extra playing time and shined. Mindaugas Kuzminskas, starting in place of Porzingis, scored 17 points and carried the offense for stretches in the first ...
Is Jonathan Toews’ Slump a Long-Term Concern for Chicago Blackhawks?
January 18th, 2017 by Adrian Dater No comments »
DENVER — Jonathan Toews lay contorted in the middle of the Chicago Blackhawks' dressing room Tuesday morning, doing yoga-like stretches to loosen up his lower back. At one point, he employed the use of a pulsating, lower-lumbar roller, using it as a fulcrum to stretch the muscles out even more.
The Blackhawks' decorated captain is still a young man, at 28, but, well, hockey is not easy on the body. Toews missed nine games in late November and early December with a back injury but told reporters Tuesday the back is "real good, actually." A bad back would be a convenient, and likely a legitimate, excuse for Toews' offensive statistical output being the lowest of his 10-year career. But the three-time Stanley Cup champion refuses to go there, which is exactly what you'd expect from probably still the best leader in hockey.
"Just gotta keep workin'," said Toews, who has seven goals and 22 ...