Category: NBA

How to Watch Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch Minnesota Timberwolves Live This Season

After a disappointing 2018-19 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are poised to make a run at a playoff spot in the Western Conference, which is more wide open than in years past. On the back of one of the most exciting young tandems in the entire league, the hopes and expectations in the Twin Cities are rapidly rising. 

Watch the Minnesota Timberwolves 2019-20 Season

Next game: vs. Phoenix Suns, Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET 

Local TV affiliate for the season: FOX Sports North

Streaming option for the season: fuboTV (watch for free)

Being a mid-market team in a league that functions on superstars teaming up is never easy. Free agents likely aren’t going to flock to your city. The solution? Draft well, trade well and build a solid foundation. That’s exactly what the Timberwolves have done through patience. It all starts with finding two young talents and developing them into emerging superstars. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins were both drafted by Minnesota, both took some time to mature and now both are entering the primes of their careers and looking ready for breakout years. 

Towns and Wiggins are both averaging above 25 points per game, which is tops for their young careers. It’s clear to see that they are the driving force behind the Wolves’ success. With a strong supporting cast that features Jeff Teague and Robert Covington, Minnesota has a chance to not only make the playoffs but advance past the first round, something it hasn’t done since 2004. Rebuilding is never easy, but it certainly appears that Minnesota is on the right track. With some luck and good decisions, this could be the start of something special. 

Timberwolves November 2019 Schedule

All times ET

Sat. Nov. 23 vs. Phoenix Suns, 5:00 PM

Mon. Nov. 25 @ Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 PM

Wed. Nov. 27 @ San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 PM

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Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Philadelphia 76ers (10-5) host the Miami Heat (11-3) Saturday at Wells Fargo Center with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Heat-76ers 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.

Heat at 76ers: Key injuries

Heat

  • SG Dion Waiters (suspension) out
  • PG Justise Winslow (concussion) out
  • SF Derrick Jones Jr. (hip) out

76ers

  • SG Josh Richardson (hip) questionable
  • SG Furkan Korkmaz (ankle) out

Heat at 76ers: 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 1:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Heat 105, 76ers 102

Moneyline (ML)

Both teams played Friday with the Heat beating the Chicago Bulls 116-108 on the road and the 76ers topping the San Antonio Spurs 115-104 at home. Miami has won five straight and Philadelphia is riding a three-game streak. The Sixers are 6-0 at home and outscore their opponents 110.1-106.3 overall. The Heat are 5-3 on the road and outscore the opposition 112.4-104.0 on the season.

The 76ers (-223) have the home-court advantage but the value lies with the HEAT (+180). Miami has the better offense and defense and enters the day on the longer winning streak. Take the money.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Heat to win outright returns a profit of $18 while the same wager on the 76ers would net $4.48.

Against the Spread (ATS)

The moneyline is much more appealing but the HEAT are still tempting enough on the spread of +4.5 (-106). Miami will need to either win outright or stay within four points in a loss for a $10 bet to return a profit of $9.43.

The Heat are 11-2-1 ATS overall and 5-2-1 on the road. The Sixers are 7-7-1 overall and just 3-3 at home. Miami covers by an average of seven points per game against Philly’s minus-0.8 margin. The Heat are 0-1-1 ATS on the second half of a back-to-back with the 76ers just 0-1, losing by 15 points to the Orlando Magic.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 212.5 (-115). Philly is 8-7 against the projected totals while topping the number by an average of just 0.3 points. Miami is 7-7 and falls an average of 2.5 points shy of the projection.

The two teams combine to average better than 222 points per game but their defenses allow just 210. The back-to-back situation for both sides will slow things down with starters likely to see fewer minutes.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NBA betting record: 39-39

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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LeBron James wasn’t happy with a concert outside team hotel messing up his nap

LeBron James would like the Grizzlies to turn the music down.

The Los Angeles Lakers play the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday night, and the team had to travel roughly 420 miles from Oklahoma City to Memphis after eking out a close win on the road on Friday.

LeBron James logged 36 minutes against the Thunder and finished the game with 23 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Upon arriving in Memphis, he was not at all impressed with the early concert going on just outside the FedExForum, which messed up his pre-game nap.

There were no fans outside enjoying the concert either, so the blaring music only served to disturb the Lakers players. Next season, the Lakers may want to pick a hotel that’s a bit further away from the arena.

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Nuggets mascot Rocky drops perfect deep ball from Peyton Manning

Imagine dropping a perfect pass from Peyton Manning.

NFL legend Peyton Manning was in attendance for Friday night’s Celtics-Nuggets game in Denver, and Nuggets mascot Rocky approached the former Broncos star in the fourth quarter to get an autograph. Manning signed Rocky’s football, and then signaled for the mascot to go long across the court to catch a pass.

Manning put his throw in a perfect spot, as expected, but Rocky couldn’t manage to haul the ball in with his oversized hands.

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The NBA is reportedly considering major schedule changes, and many fans aren’t sold

The NBA could shorten its regular season and create an in-season tournament by 2021-22, according to an ESPN report.

The NBA is considering massive changes to its schedule in upcoming years, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. The league is discussing a reduction of regular season games, the creation of an in-season tournament, and a change in playoff seeding, with a potential vote on the changes coming in April. According to the report, if the changes are approved, they could be installed for the 2021-22 season.

Via ESPN:

“In proposals that include the adoption of in-season tournaments and a postseason play-in, the traditional regular-season schedule would be reduced from 82 games — with most teams scheduled to play 78 or 79 games. There’s a small possibility of a team playing a maximum of 83 games based on possible tournament and play-in scenarios, league sources said. For the in-season tournament, the NBA is focused on 30-team participation that begins with a divisional group stage of scheduled regular-season games.”

There has been a push for revised playoff seeding for years, and by reseeding teams for the conference finals, the NBA could increase the chance that the two best teams in the league meet in the Finals, regardless of conference.

The other proposed changes are more polarizing. It’s likely that the NBA could land huge sponsorship deals for their in-season tournament that would offset the financial losses of a shorter regular season, but it remains to be seen whether fans and players will actively care about a mid-season tournament that has zero real stakes, or whether a minor reduction in total games will solve the NBA’s load management issue.

ESPN reports that Silver’s push for the in-season tournament is inspired by the success of similar tournaments in European soccer – but the proposed NBA tournament doesn’t have the same selling points as the Champions League or FA Cup. The draw of those tournaments is that teams from a given league face off against teams they wouldn’t normally play in their regular season, and in the case of the Champions League, you see the best teams in the world facing off in dream matchups.

The NBA is a closed league, though. Is another Rockets vs. Celtics, or Lakers vs. Bucks matchup in the middle of the year really that compelling? As noted by ESPN, teams that make a deep run in the tournament risk increasing their workload in a given year than the normal 82-game schedule would demand.

Even in Adam Silver’s apparent dream scenario where the in-season tournament becomes incredibly prestigious and every team buys in, the creation of such an event risks exacerbating load management, as teams could work to keep players fresh for the tournament, before repeating the same process leading up to the playoffs.

A reduction of just four games also doesn’t seem likely to keep that have bought into load management strategy from regularly resting. Kawhi Leonard missed 22 of 82 regular-season games last season. Would that number drop significantly with four-fewer regular season games? Fans reacted to the report on social media, and many don’t believe that the NBA needs to mess with a system that isn’t broken.

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San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The San Antonio Spurs (5-11) face the New York Knicks (4-11) Saturday night with tip-off coming just after 7:30 pm ET at Madison Square Garden. We analyze the Spurs-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.

Spurs at Knicks: Key injuries

Spurs

  • PG Derrick White (foot) out

Knicks

  • PG Elfrid Payton (hamstring) out

Spurs 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 10:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Knicks 107, Spurs 104

Moneyline (ML)

The Spurs have lost nine of their last 10 games while the Knicks have lost seven of their last 10. At least, New York has played a bit better at home while San Antonio has had trouble in the fourth quarter of almost every game during this bad spell. The Spurs have lost eight straight games during their current run.

Our pick is with the KNICKS (+110).

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on New York returns a profit of $11.00 with an outright win.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Neither team has covered spreads well this year, but New York is 3-4 against the spread at home. San Antonio is 2-6 ATS on the road while falling nearly four points below the cover line.

This makes the choice somewhat easier. Back NEW YORK (+1.5, -105). The Knicks can win this outright in a close game.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is set at 220.5. The Knicks average just 101.9 points for per game, with the Spurs averaging 112.9 points per game. It could get dicey but the UNDER (-125) is the better play.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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NBA players tweet prayers for Kemba Walker after scary injury

Kemba Walker was taken off the floor on a stretcher after a scary collision on Friday night.

Boston Celtics star Kemba Walker was taken off the court on a stretcher in the second quarter of Friday’s game against the Nuggets after colliding with teammate Semi Ojeleye and falling to the floor. Walker was chasing the ball and had his head down, and ran directly into the torso of Ojeleye, hitting his teammate with the top of his head. Walker collapsed to the floor and was eventually strapped to a backboard.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that it is believed that Walker did not suffer a serious injury. The Celtics labeled the injury “concussion-like symptoms.”

NBA players and fans alike wished Walker well on social media as soon as he went down.

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Luka Mania is here, and it’s completely justified

Welcome to the Luka Doncic Era.

The hype around the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic has reached a fever pitch just a few games into the 2019-20 season, and as the headline above says, it’s justified.

His numbers — nearly a triple-double per game while scoring (as of Friday afternoon) nearly 30 points per game to go along with 1.4 steals per game — are beyond elite, especially for a 20-year-old. They’re backed up by an array of shots from everywhere on the court. He single-handedly humiliated the Warriors in one quarter.

The Mavericks were expected to be good this year, but this good? Nope. At 9-5 in the crowded West, Doncic deserves early MVP votes even with the Greek Freak and James Harden playing at elite levels.

That’s just one of the topics we cover in this week’s NBA 4-Point Play. Click above to hear thoughts on LeBron James playing defense and why the Spurs need to be broken up.

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Celtics’ Marcus Smart thriving as a defender when switching onto bigs

Boston Celtics wing Marcus Smart, despite standing at just 6-foot-4, has done a phenomenal job defenders players much larger than he is.

Boston Celtics wing Marcus Smart, despite standing at just 6-foot-4, has done a phenomenal job defending players much larger than he is.

The 25-year-old made All-Defensive 1st Team last season but has taken another leap forward with a bigger role this year. His ability to switch on to centers has been a focal point of Boston’s defensive identity and something that allows coach Brad Stevens to use his five-man lineups in a different way than almost any other team in the league.

We looked at all of the opponents that Smart has guarded so far this season, then isolated just the players who are classified as big men by Cleaning the Glass.

Based on this research of 146 possessions, Smart has allowed just 16.3 points per 70 possessions. These players are shooting 36.7 percent from the floor on 30 attempts.

For example, look at when Dallas Mavericks’ Kristaps Porzingis attempted three post-up attempts against Smart on November 12. The 7-foot-3 big was not able to convert any, however, despite the ridiculous size mismatch.

The largest workload came when he guarded Kevin Love for a total of 31.1 possessions during the game Boston played against Cleveland on November 5.

While Smart was guarding Love during the third quarter, the five-time All-Star was left completely flabbergasted to the point where he was forced to take an undeniably bad pass.

Smart, however, tipped the ball and forced a turnover that Robert Williams was able to recover. The guard leads his team with 2.8 deflections per game so far this season. Last season, he recorded more total deflections (228) than all but just one player in the Eastern Conference.

But even more impressive was when the Celtics played the Bucks early in the season on October 30.

Smart matched up against the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for 16.9 possessions. The superstar scored just five points and managed only two attempts from the floor. That means Smart held the Milwaukee sensation to less than half of the field goal attempts Antetokounmpo has taken against all other defenders.

Antetokounmpo had three turnovers, was impacted by his defensive presence all game and he even ended up tumbling to the floor amidst a brief scrap with Smart.

Here is what the scrappy defender said after the game, which was a rematch of the Eastern Conference Semifinals (via NBC Sports):

“Every time I’m boxing him out, he’s trying to throw me out the way. It lets me know he’s frustrated, I’m getting to him, especially when he’s not getting to the ball, or he’s not getting to the rim, or he’s not getting the shots that he usually gets.”

Smart also forced New York Knicks star Julius Randle into a frenzy and picked his pocket on the perimeter, creating a transition opportunity for the Celtics.

Other notable matchups against bigs for Smart include his strong showing against Dario Saric. The Phoenix Suns starter took four shots (including a three-pointer) when guarded by Smart but missed all of them.

Another highlight was when the 6-foot-4 wing was able to record a block over 6-foot-11 big man Moritz Wagner in a game against the Washington Wizards.

Smart offers Boston a grittiness that Stevens can trust against and he has played a crucial role in their hot start and placement atop the standings in the East.

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Celtics’ Danny Ainge is the master of trades in the NBA

There is no exact science to measuring the success of an NBA executive, though re-evaluating trades is common practice by basketball media.

There is no exact science to measuring the success of an NBA executive, though re-evaluating trades is common practice by basketball media.

As part of this, we looked at how many All-Stars seasons the traded players have had after the deal. The executive who did the best in this mark is Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and it’s not even close.

Ainge has had 16 seasons of All-Star campaigns from players he has traded for during his tenure with the Celtics. Perhaps most notable is that he landed Kevin Garnett (who was an All-Star five times with Boston) without giving up any in return. Ray Allen also made three All-Star teams and the Celtics surrendered none in return.

Even more impressive: none of the players he has traded has ever made an All-Star team after leaving the franchise. That also includes offering Isaiah Thomas (who made an All-Star team with Boston but has not since) in a deal for superstar guard Kyrie Irving.

The only other active executive in the NBA who has netted more than two All-Star seasons without giving up any is Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey – who acquired Chris Paul while he was working for the Clippers.

Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey has given up five All-Star seasons in exchange for seven. His trades have clearly been the most high-risk, high-reward of the executives around the league.

This study also looks at folks who were formerly executives for other teams (e.g. Mitch Kupchak with the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Charlotte Hornets) before arriving at their current destination.

Overall, the basketball exec who fared the worst in this research was Sam Presti. This is mostly from trading James Harden, who has been an All-Star seven years in a row since getting moved to the Rockets. It also includes two All-Star nods from Victor Oladipo, who was acquired in exchange for Paul George.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

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