Category: Longhorns in NBA

Four former Longhorns to compete in the NBA’s bubble playoffs

The NBA season will now turn to the playoffs down in Orlando. Four former Horns will be in action across the Eastern and Western Conference.

After eight games in the NBA bubble, their season will now turn to the playoffs down in Orlando, FL. Four former Longhorns will be in action across both the Eastern and Western Conference.

Starting in the East, Jarett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets, D.J. Augustin of the Orlando Magic, and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers will be vying for their first NBA championships.

Turner has become a star for the Pacers, averaging 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, he did miss Indiana’s finale against Miami, dealing with a wrist injury and being listed as day-to-day.

Brooklyn was supposed to feature two former Longhorns in Allen and Kevin Durant. An Achilles injury has sidelined Durant for the entire year and the duo will have to wait another year.

In the meantime, Allen has been averaging nearly a double-double, with 11.1 points and 9.6 points per game. He is the Nets’ second-leading rebounder, only behind DeAndre Jordan, who has 10.0 per game.

Finally in the East, Augustin has a tough mountain the climb against the one-seed Milwaukee Bucks. The point guard finished the regular season second on the Magic in assists, having 4.6 per game and adding 10.5 points per game.

Moving over to the West and Houston Rockets’ star P.J. Tucker. The 6-5 forward is shooting 35% from three this year, averaging 6.9 points per game. He has been a consistent player for head coach Mike Dantoni, playing 34.3 minutes per game. Houston will be playing the Oklahoma City Thunder.

All NBA playoff games can be found either on ABC, ESPN, NBATV, or TNT.

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WATCH: Jaxson Hayes’ monster dunk against the Washington Wizards

In the Pelicans’ game against the Washington Wizards on Friday night, former Longhorn Jaxson Hayes threw down a ferocious slam dunk.

If there is one thing that has been going right in the sports world, it is the NBA bubble. One of the most exciting young teams in Orlando has been the New Orleans Pelicans and their push towards the playoffs.

Former Texas Longhorn and rookie Jaxson Hayes has been apart of the youth in New Orleans, becoming a solid role player off the bench. His size and length, combined with his athleticism make him a threat around the entire court.

In the Pelicans’ game against the Washington Wizards on Friday night, Hayes threw down a ferocious slam dunk, something we are getting used to seeing.

With time winding down in the first quarter, Hayes ran a pick and roll with guard Frank Jackson. The 6’11 ex-Longhorn picked up the ball at the elbow, took a dribble, then caused havoc on the rim.

You can watch the dunk from all kinds of angles here:

Since the NBA’s restart, Hayes has been averaging 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.

As a team, the Pelicans are 2-3 in the bubble and are currently 2.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Hayes will have to continue to make impact plays for New Orleans to stay in Orlando.

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Texas ex LaMarcus Aldridge undergoes surgery, season over

When the 2019-20 NBA season resumes on July 31, the San Antonio Spurs will be without one of their top players.

When the 2019-20 NBA season resumes in late July, the San Antonio Spurs will be without one of their top players. Continue reading “Texas ex LaMarcus Aldridge undergoes surgery, season over”

With NBA set to return, should Kevin Durant?

The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a 22-team league restart plan in Orlando. Should Kevin Durant come back and play for the Nets?

On Thursday, the NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a 22-team league restart plan in Orlando, Florida according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The top eight teams from both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference will travel to Florida, plus the Portland Trailblazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Phoneix Suns, and the Washington Wizards.

Each team will play eight games to conclude the 2019-2020 regular season. From there on, a normal playoff schedule will be in place, with the top eight teams from each conference facing off.

Within the top eight teams of the Eastern Conference is the Brooklyn Nets. This offseason, Brooklyn signed two major free agents in former Duke star Kyrie Irving and former Longhorn Kevin Durant.

However, nobody has seen Durant in a Nets jersey yet, as he has been sidelined with a torn Achilles since Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. The original plan was to have him sit out the entire season and return for the 2020-2021 season.

Now, with a nearly four-month layoff due to COVID-19, should Kevin Durant return to the Nets and attempt to help them win a championship this season?

As thing stand, Brooklyn is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, sitting at a record of 30-34. They are six games behind the sixth-placed Philadelphia 76ers and six games ahead of the ninth-place Washington Wizards. The Nets are more or less a lock for the playoffs at this point.

Assuming all seeding remains the same after eight games, their first-round opponent would be the defending NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors.

Durant is not the only injured star for Brooklyn, as Kyrie Irving underwent season-ending shoulder surgery back in February. As of now, the Nets are without two players they are paying a combined $70 million.

If Irving was healthy and Brooklyn was seen as a competitive force throughout the season, Durant could have considered coming back for the playoffs.

Without the superstar point guard, there is no point in rushing back, especially as a 7-seed.  Assuming everything goes well, Durant should be able to be ready to go for the 2020-2021 NBA season.

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An NBA team composed of only Texas Longhorns

What would an NBA team look like if it was only composed of former Texas Longhorns currently in the NBA? Here is our starting five.

Recently Longhorns Wire released their all NFL offensive and defensive teams using only Longhorns currently in the NFL. The offensive teams and defensive posts can be found using the links below.

Continue reading “An NBA team composed of only Texas Longhorns”

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

Kevin Durant on Michael Jordan: Would fit in as best player in the league

Kevin Durant had his say on the Michael Jordan in modern NBA debate, saying Jordan “would fit in as the best player in the league.”

ESPN aired ‘The Last Dance’ on Sunday, showcasing the final season of the Chicago Bulls’ 1990s dynasty. With the main focus of the documentary being Michael Jordan and his greatness, the movie has once again sparked a debate about his playing ability in the modern NBA.

While much of the argument is centered around which player is the greatest of all time between Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, the former Bull still has his doubters about playing in the league today.

Former Texas superstar Kevin Durant had his take on the situation, saying Jordan “would fit in as the best player in the league.”

Durant added, “he can adapt his game to anything.”

Jordan never faced the Longhorns during his three seasons at North Carolina. Winning one NCAA title during his freshman season, many never knew exactly how great he would become.

To have Durant, considered a top player in today’s NBA, provide such strong comments about Jordan shows how much of an influence he has on players today. Durant himself has been through the challenge of winning championships, as he already has three to his name.

A debate which will go on for years to come, but if Durant thinks Jordan could do it today, it would be scary to think about how much more dominant MJ could become.

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WATCH: New Orleans Pelicans Release Video Of Jaxson Hayes’ Dunks

To celebrate his great rookie season, the Pelicans put out a video showing Hayes’ best dunks of the season. You can watch it here:

The NBA was at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, being the first of many sporting leagues to cancel their season. Before the issue became prevalent in the association though, Jaxson Hayes was enjoying a stellar rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Being drafted 10th overall in the 2019 Draft, Hayes had been playing with five other rookies, including Zion Williamson. On average, he was playing 17 minutes a game and putting up good numbers.

Scoring 7.5 points, securing four rebounds, and blocking nearly one shot per game, Hayes was a presence in the paint on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

To celebrate his great rookie season, the Pelicans’ Twitter account put out a video showing Hayes’ best dunks of the season. You can watch it here:

The young center played in 56 of New Orleans’ 64 games this season. When the NBA does return to either finish up the 2019-2020 season or to start new in 2020-2021, Hayes will continue to be a key piece for a young Pelicans squad.

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Spurs to Give Away Former Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge Bobblehead

The Spurs will be giving away a bobblehead of former UT star LaMarcus Aldridge. He will be flashing the famous “Hook em” hand sign.

The San Antonio Spurs will be giving away a bobblehead of former Longhorn star LaMarcus Aldridge. Not only will he be in his usual No. 12 and holding a basketball, but he will be flashing the famous “Hook em” hand sign, synonymous with the University of Texas.

The first 10,000 fans that show up to Wednesday’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks will be able to get the collecter’s item. However, Aldridge is not expected to play tonight as he is dealing with a sore right shoulder.

When he has seen the court this season, Aldridge has been one of the best players for the Spurs. Averaging 18.8 points per game, he is only behind DeMar DeRozan in team scoring. He is leading the team in rebounds with 7.5 per game while also adding 2.4 blocks and 1.6 blocks per game.

Only three games out of the eight seed in the Western Conference, Aldridge will be a huge part towards the Spurs’ push to making the playoff for the 23rd season in a row.

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Former Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge Leads Spurs To End Skid

Former Texas Longhorns basketball player LaMarcus Aldridge has big fourth quarter to help end the Spurs losing streak.

Basketball in San Antonio hasn’t lived up to expectations as of late. The Spurs headed to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night on a five-game losing streak. Hoping to stop the bleeding prior to the NBA’s All-Star Break it was former Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge who rose to the challenge.

The Spurs got off to a hot start outscoring the Thunder 25-14 in the opening quarter. Aldridge scored six of his 25 points in the first, he finished with a team high 25 points against the Thunder. They were able to weather the storm during the middle two quarters where OKC was able to outscore the Spurs 63-54 to close the gap to just two points.

The Thunder were able to tie the game up at 79 early in the fourth quarter thanks to a Hamidou Diallo basket with 11:46 to go in the game. It was the closest they had been all game since early on the first quarter. Thanks to Aldridge and Dejounte Murray, the Spurs were able to shut the door on a comeback victory.

Aldridge scored 12 of his 25 in the fourth quarter to go along with his 14 rebounds. That marked LA’s 14th double-double on the season for the Spurs. Murray also matched Aldridge with 12 in the fourth to give the Spurs the 114-106 victory.