“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved.”
Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram on Wednesday night to thank supporters for their thoughts and prayers and to share just how hard it has been for her and the Bryant family in the days since Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash last Sunday.
She also shared that they have created the MambaOnThree Fund to help the other families who lost loved ones in the tragedy.
It was the first time Vanessa Bryant had spoken publicly since that horrible day and she explained just how much the love and support has helped and how hard this continues to be for the family:
My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.
There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.
I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.
Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.
To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org.
To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.
Sunday was a devastating day for countless people as a helicopter crash in Southern California killed nine people, including NBA great Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
It was especially emotional for family and friends of Rick Fox, the former Los Angeles Laker who played seven seasons with Kobe. Fox was not on the helicopter, but speculation on Twitter had picked up steam to the point that Fox was rumored to have died in the crash as well.
Fox shared with the NBA on TNT crew this week that his phone started going crazy with friends and family calling to see if the rumor was true. “It shook a lot of people in my life,” Fox said.
Here’s the clip of Fox discussing the difficult day on NBA on TNT:
Few if any in sports history both embodied and embraced the mythology surrounding them quite like five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant did.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Few if any in sports history both embodied and embraced the mythology surrounding them quite like five-time NBA champion
Kobe Bryant did.
When the superstar basketball player tore his Achilles tendon, he reportedly became obsessed with the story of Achilles from the Trojan War. Bryant, a legendary warrior in his own right and in his daily mentality, was certainly mythological in each and every sense in his accomplishments during his time on this Earth.
Numerology, the belief that numbers have an almost supernatural impact on life, often plays a large role in myth. It is one of the reasons why teams retire certain numbers for their best players; the Lakers chose to retire Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 in December 2017.
Sources: Multiple NBA players have begun informally retiring Kobe Bryant’s jersey number(s) as a tribute — with Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie among them, changing from No. 8 to No. 26.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said that no one on his team will ever his numbers again.
With the sudden and tragic loss of Bryant earlier this week, some believe that the numbers should get similar treatment to what Jackie Robinson (No. 42) has in the MLB and what Wayne Gretzky (No. 99) has in the NHL with a league-wide mandate.
While no such decree has become official, several players in the NBA have taken matters into their own hands. Below are each of those to have made such a decision, which helps illustrate just how wide-spread his impact on the game was. We will continue to update this post as more news will become available.
In the days since Kobe Bryant’s shocking death in a California helicopter crash, athletes across the world have come forward to share their fond memories of Kobe.
But for many, Bryant’s personal impact extended beyond a bond with athletes and celebrities. He impacted regular people — even in brief interactions. That was no more evident than a recent Facebook post from Kristen O’Connor Hecht.
O’Connor Hecht is the wife of former Phoenix Suns director of corporate partnerships Tom Hecht (now with the Brewers). When Kristen worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, a cardiologist she worked with asked Kristen if her husband could see if the Lakers — ahead of a game in Phoenix — would sign a basketball for a terminally ill young fan who was named … Kobe.
As Kristen detailed in her post, young Kobe didn’t just get an autographed basketball, but Kobe Bryant himself had heard the story and made a surprise visit to the hospital. She shared that Bryant spent an hour with young Kobe and even offered pay for his treatment, but a heart defect made the young fan too ill for a transplant. The boy died the following week.
So I have a story…When we lived in Phoenix, frequently my and Tom’s paths would cross in our work. A pediatric cardiologist I worked with asked me if Tom could get an autographed something from the Lakers for a 5 year old dying patient who was named Kobe. He was from one of the reservations in Arizona where basketball is life. I called Tom at the Phoenix Suns making the request, believing that there would be virtually no way this would happen. The Lakers were coming to play the Suns later in the week.
A day later Tom called me and said, “He’ll do it!” I was thrilled and thought I’d bring the ball or whatever it was to work. Tom said, “No, he read your story and he wants to come and meet the little boy.” I was floored! So the next day, with the support of the Colangelo family, a limousine brought Kobe Bryant to my office. Under a cloak of secrecy – neither security or PR people were informed (I got in a little trouble for that but it was so worth it!) the three of us scrambled up a back staircase to this little boy’s room in cardiac ICU. For the better part of an hour they played basketball, passing it back and forth, with little Kobe, laughing, his sweet Mama smiling and laughing.
Several autographed items were left and many photos were taken. The machines keeping him alive were dinging, whirring and alarming and his doc was just grinning from ear to ear, as Tom and I stood nervously watching this unbelievable scene unfold before us. As we got back in the limo, Kobe turned to me and said, “Kristen, what can I do to help? Is it a financial thing? Because I can take care of that.” It wasn’t. (The little boy had a heart defect and was too ill for a transplant.) I was floored. I was floored not only by his sincerity and offer of generosity, but the kindness and warmth he displayed.
Little Kobe passed away the following week. About three weeks later I got a letter from Little Kobe’s mom describing the power in those moments. She said those were the most joyful moments of his entire life. The photos were the only photos she had of him smiling. According to Kobe Bryant’s PR people he did this everywhere but the deal was – no PR. From that day on he has been my hero and when people would tell me they didn’t like him, I would say, “Let me tell you a story…”. May God shine eternal light upon your soul, Kobe.
Few if any in sports history both embodied and embraced the mythology surrounding them quite like five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant did.
Few if any in sports history both embodied and embraced the mythology surrounding them quite like five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant did. When the superstar basketball player tore his Achilles tendon, he reportedly became obsessed with the story of Achilles from the Trojan War. Bryant, a legendary warrior in his own right and in his daily mentality, was certainly mythological in each and every sense in his accomplishments during his time on this Earth.
Numerology, the belief that numbers have an almost supernatural impact on life, often plays a large role in myth. It is one of the reasons why teams retire certain numbers for their best players; the Lakers chose to retire Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 in December 2017.
Sources: Multiple NBA players have begun informally retiring Kobe Bryant’s jersey number(s) as a tribute — with Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie among them, changing from No. 8 to No. 26.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said that no one on his team will ever his numbers again.
With the sudden and tragic loss of Bryant earlier this week, some believe that the numbers should get similar treatment to what Jackie Robinson (No. 42) has in the MLB and what Wayne Gretzky (No. 99) has in the NHL with a league-wide mandate.
While no such decree has become official, several players in the NBA have taken matters into their own hands. Below are each of those to have made such a decision, which helps illustrate just how wide-spread his impact on the game was. We will continue to update this post as more news will become available.
SPENCER DINWIDDIE, BROOKLYN NETS
(Photo by Zhong Zhi/Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to No. 26
Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie grew up in Los Angeles, Calif. and has spoken about his deep love for Bryant. Before switching to his own brand of sneakers (K8IROS), he wore the Kobe AD Mid shoes when he played.
The defending winner of the All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge recently spoke about why he changed his number as well as his recent experience chatting with Bryant in Brooklyn (via NBA.com):
“He was everything to a lot of kids and I was one of them … “I met Kobe several times, exchange pleasantries and text messages and things and, maybe this is a little bit over-exaggerated but I felt like this was the first time he was looking at me as the basketball player Spencer, you know what I mean? Briefly, told you guys how much he meant to all the people where I’m from and for him to tell me that in his book I’m an All-Star and stuff like that, talk about a popularity contest before and you don’t win things like that when you’re me, so for him to say that, I didn’t need to be selected anymore, because I was an All-Star, you feel me, it’s not just like my family, it was the guy.”
When The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that several players around the league would change their jersey number, Dinwiddie’s was the first and only name listed.
Dinwiddie has offered to pay for the first 260 people who want their apparel switched from No. 8 to No. 26 as a bit of a thank you for the support.
TERRENCE ROSS, ORLANDO MAGIC
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Change: No. 8 to No. 31
While he went to high school in Portland, Ore., Ross was born in Long Beach, Calif. near Los Angeles.
The Orlando wing spoke about his memories of Bryant during a recent interview (via The Guardian):
“It was my rookie year. We played him in L.A. I didn’t play that game but it was kind of like a front seat to the Lakers show. He killed us, he killed us bad. He hit a couple threes in clutch moments, he dunked to take it into overtime so I was like, “This is like vintage Kobe. And I remember my mom was sitting courtside and she was looking me the whole time, like, ‘This is bad for ‘y’all’. But it was fun, I enjoyed it.”
Ross, who had only just switched to No. 8 before this season began, will once again sport No. 31 on the court.
After leaving his sneaker deal with Li-Ning in China, he started wearing the Nike Kobe AD Mid sneakers.
ZHAIRE SMITH, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to No. 5
Philadelphia 76ers wing Zhaire Smith was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He recently told reporters that he wanted to wear No. 2 while in the NBA because that is what he wore at Texas Tech, though that was retired by the Sixers to honor Moses Malone.
Instead, he confirmed that he chose No. 8 because that was what Bryant wore in the NBA. Smith said he used some of the wild stories about Bryant’s work ethic to inspire him (via NBC Sports):
“I think I heard one of his stories where he was in the gym since 6 a.m., went home, came back. I tried to do that for one day but my body was dead, so I never did that again.”
He wore No. 7 in his first game after Bryant’s death but will switch to No. 5 for the remainder of the season.
Smith had a custom jersey that had the Philadelphia 76ers name on the front with the last name “Bryant” and the No. 8 sported on the back. He said that he will one day use that as the centerpiece of his man cave.
JAHLIL OKAFOR, NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to TBD
New Orleans Pelicans big man Jahlil Okafor will reportedly no longer wear No. 8 but has not yet decided what the new number will be. Okafor wore No. 22 in high school and No. 15 when he played at Duke. He also wore No. 4 during his brief tenure with the Nets. While he is a big man, he has rocked the Nike Kobe AD NXT 360 kicks on the court.
MOE HARKLESS, LA CLIPPERS
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to No. 11
The Clippers forward is one of Bryant’s many superfans across the league. He once slept in a locker room “to see Kobe practice” and has worn Bryant’s line of sneakers for several seasons. When he was drafted, he told reporters that he was looking forward to guarding Bryant.
QUINN COOK, LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Change: No. 2 to No. 28
The guard has said that his late father Ted Cook, who passed away when Quinn was just fourteen years old, was the biggest Lakers fan he had ever met.
“I can tell you every Laker thing since I’ve been living. I watched every game, every playoffs every championship, so like I was telling my brother last night, it’s still surreal coming in here and you see all these legendary numbers, you see all the trophies, you see the years that they won it and it’s just more motivation to try and get one this year.”
Cook did not wear No. 8 or No. 24 but told Shams Charania that he no longer felt comfortable wearing his number because of its ties to Bryant’s daughter, who also perished in the terrible crash. He said that “it’s hers” and should be retired.
The former NCAA (2015) and NBA (2018) champion was spotted mourning the loss of Bryant outside Staples Center earlier this week.
MARKIEFF MORRIS, DETROIT PISTONS
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to No. 88
Last year, Morris tweeted that Bryant deserved a spot as one of the “Top 3” players of all-time. He has previously sported the Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Protro shoes on the court. During his first NBA game after the terrible tragedy that involved Bryant, Morris wrote “Mamba Forever” and “RIP 8/24” on his Nike sneakers.
ALEC BURKS, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Change: No. 8 to No. 20
Back in 2014, NBA wing Alec Burks completed a nasty behind-the-back crossover when guarded by Bryant. To this day, it has been one of the most memorable moments of his career. Burks will tribute Bryant by changing his number from No. 8 to No. 20.
NOTE: This story will be updated as more players make the decision to change their jersey number.
Previewing Wednesday’s Memphis Grizzlies at New York Knicks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and best bets.
The Memphis Grizzlies (23-24) visit the New York Knicks (13-35) at the World’s Most Famous Arena—Madison Square Garden—for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip-off Wednesday. We analyze Grizzlies-Knicks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Grizzlies at Knicks: Key injuries
Grizzlies
SF Jae Crowder (knee) questionable
PF De’Anthony Melton (hand) questionable
SG Grayson Allen (hip) out
PF Bruno Caboclo (knee) out
SF Andre Iguodala (personal) out
Knicks
SF RJ Barrett (ankle) out
Grizzlies at Knicks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Grizzles-Knicks is the second game of a back-to-back for both teams. Memphis beat the Denver Nuggets 104-96 and the Knicks squandered a 13-point lead in a 97-92 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday. The Grizzlies have performed much better than the Knicks with zero rest days—Memphis is 4-2 with a 2-point margin of victory and New York is 1-5 with a minus-18.7 margin of victory in such situations. Team basketball is the key to the Grizzlies’ success as they have four starters above 15 points per game, are ranked third in passes made and first in assists per game.
It would be a massive letdown for the Grizzlies to lose against the lowly Knicks given their recent hot streak and a win in this game would make them .500 for the first time this season. Memphis is currently on a three-game winning streak and has won 10 of their last 12 games whereas the Knicks are just 4-11 in January. Also, New York struggles against fast-paced teams and Memphis is ranked fifth in the NBA in Pace. Against top-10 ranked teams in Pace, the Knicks are 4-10 losing, on average, 116-109.
HAMMER GRIZZLIES (-143) on the moneyline.
New to sports betting? Bet $143 on the Grizzlies to earn a $100 profit if they win outright.
I lean toward the Grizzlies (-2.5, -115) but officially, we will PASS on an against the spreadwager in Grizzlies-Knicks. There isn’t much benefit to betting the Grizzlies line if you’re laying -115, so dump your NBA betting allowance on the Grizzlies on the moneyline.
TAKE OVER 224.5 (+105) in Grizzlies-Knicks. We are on the Grizzlies to win outright so logic says the game will most likely be played at their tempo. Memphis has an Over/Under record of 5-1 with zero days off. Of course, we expect the Grizzlies to put up points going against a New York team ranked 24th by defensive rating and 30th in opponent 3-point percentage. The Knicks offense should be able to get buckets against a Grizzlies defense giving up 115.4 points per game. As stated above, the average score of Knicks games when going against top-10 paced teams is 225.
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Previewing Wednesday’s Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Houston Rockets (29-17) will take on the Portland Trail Blazers (20-27) in a Western Conference matchup Wednesday at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. E.T. We analyze the Rockets-Trail Blazers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.
Rockets at Trail Blazers: Key injuries
Rockets
SG James Harden (thigh) questionable
C Clint Capela (heel) questionable
SF Gerald Green (foot) out
C Nene Hilario (groin) out
Trail Blazers
SG Rodney Hood (Achilles) out
C Jusuf Nurkic (knee) out
PF Skal Labissiere (knee) out
PF Zach Collins (shoulder) out
Rockets at Trail Blazers: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The ROCKETS (-128) are the favorites over the Trail Blazers (+105) on the road for Wednesday night’s contest. After a big losing streak, the Rockets have bounced back some, winning three of their last four games. With Portland being just an average home team (11-11), expect the Rockets to emerge victorious as they should Harden should be back in the lineup.
The ROCKETS (-1.5, -115) are favored by less than a full basket. Portland has been atrocious against the spread at home as of late, failing to cover in seven of its last eight games. What is even worse is the fact the Blazers have failed to cover in nine of their last 10 games against a Western Conference opponent. While both teams have their flaws, expect the Rockets to cover this small spread Wednesday despite being on the road.
The total for this Western Conference matchup is set at 236.5, which feels about right for a game between the Rockets and Trail Blazers. Both teams are among the best offenses in the NBA and each lacks the ability to stop opponents. With Harden back into the lineup, look for this game to be a high-scoring contest with the OVER 236.5 (-115) hitting in Portland.
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A look at who’s making the switch or considering it.
The tributes to Kobe Bryant and his daughter continue to pour in, with NBA players speaking about Sunday’s tragedy on the air, on social media and more.
Those who wear No. 8 or 24 — both numbers that Bryant wore in his incredible career with the Los Angeles Lakers — have started thinking about whether they want to keep them to remember Bryant, or change them to honor the late superstar. It began on Tuesday with Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie changing No. 8 to 26.
This is a running list of players who have either changed their numbers, are considering a switch or who are keeping them, starting with Dinwiddie. We’ll keep updating this post as we hear more.
The guard doesn’t wear 8 or 24, but he’s making a switch to honor both Bryant and his daughter with 28.
Lakers guard Quinn Cook is changing his number from No. 2 to No. 28 to honor Gianna Bryant, combining Gigi's No. 2 and Kobe's No. 8, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium.
Golden State Warriors guard Alec Burks has worn jersey No. 8, but will switch to No. 20 to honor the tragic death of Kobe Bryant who wore No. 8 and No. 24, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
He’s still deciding whether he wants to switch out of his No. 8
Kemba Walker shares he's thinking of retiring No. 8 in honor of Kobe but he also sees how he can also honor him by keeping the number pic.twitter.com/CC408lm2ZN
Sources: Orlando’s Terrence Ross has changed his jersey number from No. 8 to No. 31 in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, who wore Nos. 8 and 24. League evaluating this case-by-case. https://t.co/go557WBieX
Smith, who wore No. 8 because it was Bryant’s first number, said Tuesday that he’ll wear No. 5 going forward. Smith wore a No. 7 jersey against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday because the team didn’t have time to get a No. 5 jersey ready.
Jahlil Okafor, New Orleans Pelicans
From that same ESPN report:
Okafor, who also wears No. 8, said Tuesday that he is working to switch his jersey number. He said he hopes to have a new number figured out by the end of the night.
Alize Johnson, Indiana Pacers
He says he’s going to continue to wear No. 24 unless he’s asked to change.
I wear 24 because Kobe was a role model growing up. I plan to continue to wear 24 as a tribute of the great respect I will always have for him. No one has asked me to change but if I’m asked I will without hesitation https://t.co/oY5Xo44zQA
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives our Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Which stars have stood out thus far?
Each week, HoopsHype’s staff gives the Top 10 candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award. This list highlights stars who are in the mix for the 2019-20 MVP award due to their impressive play.
Which stars have stood out? Here are our latest MVP rankings:
Over the past few weeks, Ben Simmons‘ play has sky-rocketed for the Philadelphia 76ers, as he led the team to a 6-3 record over that stretch, including a double-digit win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. In those nine outings, Simmons averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.3 steals per contest, showing a ridiculous level of dominance of both ends of the floor. Of course, the difference with Simmons’ opportunities recently has been the absence of Joel Embiid, who has been nursing a hand injury, so that only continues to raise questions about their potential as a duo. Regardless, it was an extremely impressive run for Simmons, one that shows how absurd his ceiling truly is.
Only five players this season can boast a 20/6/6 stat line; four of them will find themselves on this ranking, including Jimmy Butler, while the fifth is Russell Westbrook, a stat-stuffing machine. So Butler’s marks in 2019-20, even despite the porous shooting (particularly from three), have been elite. And it must also be noted that they’re far from empty, as the Miami Heat are an eyebrow-raising 10.3 points per 100 possessions better with Butler on the floor this year. The 30-year-old forward has been a two-way beast all year long, and he’s not looking like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
No. 5 in the NBA in scoring average and No. 6 in nightly assists, Damian Lillard has been the difference between the Portland Trail Blazers being within shouting distance of the West’s eighth seed this year and fighting for the top pick of the 2020 draft. He’s been performing at an outstanding level while his team has struggled without Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum (for a stretch). Lillard is a lock to earn All-Star honors when the reserves are chosen by coaches soon.
Nikola Jokic’s hot stretch of play has continued recently, with the star center averaging 23.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists over his last six games, leading his Denver Nuggets to a 4-2 record over that stretch. Despite his slow start to 2019-20, Jokic ranks fifth in Value Over Replacement on the season, sixth in Box Plus/Minus and ninth in Win Shares, which just goes to show how well he’s been playing for a couple of months now. Jokic has led the Nuggets to the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed and a Top-10 ranking in Net Rating.
Despite all the hoopla regarding load management, Kawhi Leonard has continued to perform like one of the very best players in the league this season, ranking seventh in nightly scoring and fifth in steals. Leonard’s also continuing to show the frightening ability to keep improving elements of his game, with this season the betterment coming to his playmaking, where he’s shattering career marks in assist average (5.2, when his previous career-high was 3.5) and assist rate (28.1 percent, when his previous career-best was 18.9). Leonard’s become the complete package on offense, and that, plus his already elite defense, has turned him into an even bigger monster of a player.
First-time All-Star Luka Doncic has maintained a steady-but-excellent level of play recently for the Dallas Mavericks, without any super memorable performances but without hitting a nadir, either. Doncic became the youngest European player ever to be named an All-Star last week, and the youngest All-Star starter since LeBron James, decent honors for the 20-year-old Slovenian, who is going to amass many more before it’s all said and done.
A complete beast on both ends of the floor, Anthony Davis ranks 11th in scoring this year and third in blocks, all while shooting nearly 87 percent from the foul stripe, an insane rate for a big man attempting over eight free throws per game. It’s that touch at the line along with the frequency that helps make Davis such a dominant, efficient scorer despite his struggles as a three-point shooter, where he’s sinking just 30.4 percent of his opportunities. Either way, Davis, arguably the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year, has been one of the league’s most dominant players this season.
Over the weekend, LeBron James passed the unforgettable Kobe Bryant for No. 3 in the league’s all-time scoring list, and spoke to the Black Mamba over the phone in the locker room one last time before the unthinkable tragedy that occurred the following morning.
Now, James is taking it upon himself to carry on Bryant’s legacy, as he mentioned in this poignant Instagram post…
Prior to getting rest over the past week to nurse an injured thigh, James Harden’s play had taken a huge dip, with the former league MVP averaging just 23.0 points and 6.0 assists over his previous five games before the injury, on brutal 33.3/13.6/85.0 shooting splits. Perhaps the rest will allow Harden to find his previous form, where it looked like he could get close to averaging 40 points nightly, because if play does continue to regress, the Houston Rockets will be in serious trouble come playoff time.
The Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo is posting a legitimately unbelievable campaign, as the Milwaukee Bucks forward has a chance to become just the fourth player in league history to post a 29.9/12.0/5.0 stat line, along with Wilt Chamberlain (who did it twice), Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor. That’s pretty decent company to be in for Antetokounmpo, who would be joining the ranks alongside three Hall-of-Famers. Then again, if Antetokounmpo continues to perform at this level for another few years, there’s little doubt he’ll be joining those players in the Hall of Fame one day, too.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
Previewing Wednesday’s Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (28-20) and Sacramento Kings (17-29) will do battle Wednesday at Golden 1 Center at 10 p.m. ET. We analyze the Thunder-Kings odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.
Thunder at Kings: Key injuries
Thunder
SG Terrance Ferguson (personal) out
SF Abdel Nader (ankle) questionable
SG Andre Roberson (knee) out
Kings
PF Marvin Bagley III (foot) out
PF Richaun Holmes (shoulder) out
Thunder at Kings: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The KINGS (+125) are coming off a historic victory last time out in the Twin Cities. They rallied from a 17-point deficit with just 2:49 remaining in the fourth quarter before forcing overtime and winning in the extra session. They’ll be looking to build upon that momentum against the Thunder (-154), who were dumped 107-97 Monday night.
The KINGS (+2.5, -106) are near even money with one bucket of insurance in the event of a loss. While the Thunder (-2.5, -115) are 20-7 ATS in the past 27 games on the road, they’re just 2-7 ATS in the past nine meetings against the Kings. Even though Sacto is just 2-10-1 ATS in the past 13 games at home, they’ll build off of that momentum from last time out for a nice straight-up win.
All trends point overwhelming to an OVER 220.5 (-115) play.
The Over is 7-3 in OKC’s past 10 games overall, and 6-2 in their past eight following a straight-up loss. The Over is 7-1 in Sacto’s past eight games overall, 5-1 in the past six at home and 7-3 in the past 10 following a cover last time out. The Over is also 7-2 in the past nine meetings in California’s capital city, too.
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