Category: NBA

Victor Oladipo keeps denying he’s on ‘The Masked Singer’ … but all signs point to it

Seriously, it’s got to be Oladipo … right?

We were over this like two months ago: every single sign has pointed to and will continue to point to Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo being the Thingamajig on The Masked Singer.

A reminder: per the initial clues, he wears No. 4, used to play for the Orlando Magic and has one of the best singing voices of any athlete in pro sports.

Since then, however, Thingamjig has continued to sing his heart out and hasn’t been revealed. And Oladipo — who is working his way back to the Pacers from a knee injury — keeps denying it.

Here’s one from a Pacers broadcast in October:

And he said it again the other day: “I keep getting that stuff, too, can y’all please stop @ing me? … I don’t even know what that is. Look at me, why would I hide my face, anyway?

Mhmmm. That’s EXACTLY what someone who was on The Masked Singer would say!

The clues since his first appearance have included more magic references and not “(running) with Bulls” (!):

Anyway, here’s more of someone who is likely Oladipo performing some beautiful tunes:

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Nets-Nuggets odds: Denver favored heavily at home

Previewing Thursday’s Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks

The Brooklyn Nets (4-6) roll into the Mile High City to take on the high-flying Denver Nuggets (7-3) Thursday at Pepsi Center at 10:30 p.m. ET.

We analyze the Nets-Nuggets 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.

Nets-Nuggets: Key injuries

Nets: PG Kyrie Irving (shoulder) is listed as questionable, suffering from a right shoulder impingement. SG Caris LeVert (thumb) will be sidelined until early December.

Nuggets: SF Jerami Grant (finger) is expected to be in the lineup, while SG Malik Beasley (illness) is under the weather and much less certain.

Nets-Nuggets: 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 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Nuggets 111, Nets 99

Moneyline (ML)

PASS. The Nuggets (-455) are expensive on the moneyline whether or not Irving is able to play. It’s a good idea to avoid this line completely.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered that Denver wins profits $0.22 if the Nuggets prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $2.20, $20 to win $4.40, $45.50 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Take the NUGGETS (-9, –110) regardless if Kyrie plays or not. Keep in mind you’ll be going against all of the series trends, as the Nets (+9, -110) are 5-1 ATS in the past six trips to Denver, 9-2 ATS in the past 11 meetings, and the underdog is 6-2 ATS in the past eight in this series.

However, those series trends are all when the Nets did not have Irving in their backcourt. Of course, that might also be the case Thursday might, too.

Over/under (O/U)

With Irving’s availability in doubt, question, the O/U is off the board as of this publishing.

However, if the line is posted, the UNDER (whatever it is) the play regardless of Irving’s status, as Denver’s recent trends drive this pick. The under is 4-1 ATS in the past five overall for the Nuggets, while going 11-2 in their past 13 against Eastern Conference foes and 18-7 ATS in the past 25 at home.

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

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI 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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Mavericks-Knicks odds: Dallas handily favored in New York

Previewing Thursday’s Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The New York Knicks (2-9) face the Dallas Mavericks (6-4) Thursday night just after 8 pm ET at Madison Square Garden. We analyze the Knicks-Mavericks sports betting 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.

Mavericks at Knicks: Key injuries

Knicks

  • Mitchell Robinson (concussion) questionable.
  • Reggie Bullock (back) out.
  • Elfrid Payton (hamstring) still out.

Mavericks 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 9:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Mavericks 109, Knicks 104

Moneyline (ML)

The MAVERICKS (-295) are 6-4 on the moneyline, while the Knicks (+230) are just 2-9. Dallas is 4-1 straight up on the road. The Knicks are 1-3 at home on the season.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Mavericks to win outright returns a profit of just $3.39.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Mavericks are 6.5-point favorites at -121.

Dallas has lost two of its last three games but is facing the 30th-place team in the NBA. New York is 5-6 ATS which is better than Dallas’ 4-6 mark. New York has failed to cover by 5.0 points per game. This is one to AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is set at 216.5. It seems like a somewhat high number and Dallas and New York could struggle a little bit offensively in this game. The Knicks have dropped under 100 points per game which is even more telling.

New York beat Dallas in the first matchup 106-102 on November 8th.

Take the UNDER (+105).

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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An Andre Iguodala trade could change everything in the NBA

Could it happen soon?

The man who could decide an NBA title is sitting at home.

Andre Iguodala, the X-factor in all those Golden State Warriors championships, was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies this past summer to help the mostly capped-out Dubs acquire D’Angelo Russell.

Since then, he hasn’t played a minute for the rebuilding Griz as he waits for Memphis to either find him a new home via a trade or a buyout. No matter what route he ends up taking to a new team, the truth is this: he may swing the balance of power in an NBA without one clear front-runner, where — as of Thursday — nearly half the league is above .500.

The rumors and reports have connected him to the Los Angeles Lakers, which would make so much sense for veteran forward. His former agent is Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ GM. They don’t necessarily have the best option at small forward off the bench since Kyle Kuzma is more of a stretch power forward.

But fit isn’t the issue — Iggy is still a veteran leader who might have faded offensively in recent years but who is still a force defensively and whose numbers get better in the postseason (he was a one steal, one block, one three player in last year’s Warriors run).

The funny thing to me is I’d actually want Iguodala if I was a West team trying to get by the Lakers — he’s been known to D up LeBron James pretty well in the past. I’d love to see Iguodala in the Nuggets’ rotation despite their glut of small forwards. Just for laughs, I want the Clippers to grab him just to add to their already-nightmarish defense. And what about an East contender? Imagine having to face the Bucks with Khris Middleton and then see Iguodala heading toward the scorer’s table? A reunion with the 76ers would get the fan base pumped.

Here’s the problem with a trade — will a contender deal what might be a high price (a first-rounder?) for a player past his prime? The other: he’s owed $17.1 million this year, so the team that would trade for him would need to make the move work under the salary cap, something tricky if a contender has a stacked rotation it doesn’t want to dismantle for one player.

That all looks to me like a player who’s going to be sitting through the NBA trade deadline in February, receive a buyout and find himself on a roster soon after.

And that might be the move that pushes someone over the top in the postseason.

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Bulls-Bucks odds: Milwaukee favored big despite no Middleton

Previewing Thursday’s Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks

The Chicago Bulls (4-7) head up north to battle the Milwaukee Bucks (7-3) Thursday at Fiserv Forum at 8 p.m. ET.

We analyze the Bulls-Bucks 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.

Bulls-Bucks: Key injuries

Bulls: PF Cristiano Felicio (wrist) will be sidelined until early January, while SF Otto Porter Jr. (foot) is out indefinitely.

Bucks: SG Kyle Korver (head) is considered questionable for Thursday’s game, while SF Khris Middleton (thigh) will be out until early December.

Bulls-Bucks: 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 9:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bucks 110, Bulls 103

Moneyline (ML)

PASS. The Bucks (-770) are overwhelming favorites for this one, and while they’re expected to win, it will be interesting to see how they adjust to life without Middleton for a few weeks. The Bulls (+525) look to spring the upset, but they still have to contend with defending MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that’s no easy feat.

New to sports betting? Every $1 wagered that Milwaukee wins profits $0.13 if the Bucks prevail. (Ex: Bet $10 to win $1.30, $20 to win $2.60, $77 to win $10).

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

I am ‘bullish’ on the visiting BULLS (+12.5, –125), who are 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to Cream City. The road team is also 10-1 ATS in the past 11 meetings in this series, a trend also pointing to Chicago.

The Bulls are just 2-5 ATS in the past seven on the road, and they’re 1-8 ATS in the past nine Central Division battles. The Bucks are 3-9 ATS in the past 12 when allowing 100 points or more in their previous game. And, remember the Middleton factor.

Over/under (O/U)

The UNDER 232.5 (-115) is worth a look, going 4-1 in Chicago’s past five road outings, and seven of their past 10 Central Division battles. The under is 7-0 in Milwaukee’s past seven when working on three or more days of rest, too.

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

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI 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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The HoopsHype Daily: From multiple angles, the Rockets and Clippers gave us the funniest game of the year

The Rockets/Clippers rivalry, best known for the post-game tunnel fight a few seasons back, added yet another chapter to their book.

A BOLD PREDICTION: James Harden spoke to Stephen A. Smith prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers and predicted the Rockets were going to win the title this season. The league MVP looks confident in his team’s chances (to say the least), and he’s backing it up with his play in a big way. Houston won their fifth game in a row last night, with Harden accounting for a tidy 47 points, bumping up his scoring average for the season to 38.2 points per contest. If Harden is able to keep up that insane point-per-game mark, it’d be the highest scoring average for a full season since 1962-63, when Wilt Chamberlain averaged 44.8 points for the then-San Francisco Warriors.

🥊 After the game, Russell Westbrook had an interesting comment about longtime rival point guard Patrick Beverley, telling the media that Beverley has them fooled about his defensive prowess, and that he just runs around doing nothing during games. Hilarious.

RIVERS-ON-RIVERS CRIME: Apparently we can’t have a Rockets/Clippers game without a whole bunch of petty drama, because on top of the Westbrook-Beverley stuff, there was also a great moment late in the game when Austin Rivers, who plays for Houston, was lobbying to get his father, Clips head coach Doc Rivers, ejected from the game. It worked, too.

😂 The younger Rivers went on Twitter after the game and said Thanksgiving is about to be awkward.

NEW SIGNING: On Wednesday, the Nets announced the signing of swingman Iman Shumpert. Shumpert averaged 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds last season, and will provide Brooklyn with experienced depth on the wing.

ICE COLD: Tobias Harris has missed his last 23 three-point attempts, dating back to Nov. 4, a 10-day stretch. He’s 8-for-30 from the floor overall over his last two outings for Philadelphia.

😬 Needless to say, the Sixers are going to need a whole lot more from the guy they made the 13th-highest paid player league-wide this season.

HOT AND FRESH INTERVIEW: Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu spoke with HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy about life as a top recruit, his departure from Portland and the new vibe in Orlando. Safe to say he appreciates the warmer weather.

BACK TO THE EAST? Per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Orlando has expressed interest in Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan. We take a look at his potential fit there.

A NOT-SO-PLEASANT RETURN: Tonight, Kristaps Porzingis returns to play in the Big Apple for the first time since his very public trade request a few years ago. He spoke to SNY about the trade request, Knicks fans and basketball in New York City general. He’s going to be a fun one to watch as he continues to develop.

HE CALLED GAME: One of the early frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant, hit a nasty game-winning layup last night against Charlotte.

KUZMA BREAKDOWN: If Kyle Kuzma is going to be the third star the Lakers need, he’s going to need to improve his shot selection this season, writes HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky.

LIKE A NEW FERRARI: Chris Bosh spoke to ESPN yesterday and compared playing with LeBron James to buying a new Ferrari. The Lakers improved to 9-2 last night, the league’s second-best record, so it seems Mr. Bosh is onto something with his comparison.

GREAT TEAMMATE: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope catches a lot of heat from Lakers fans on social media due to his poor play (he’s shooting 36.2 percent from the floor this season). Well, Dwight Howard isn’t having it anymore. Howard went on Instagram to defend his teammate, and then expounded on the defense of KCP with the media after the game.

NBA AND SPORTS BETTING: ESPN spoke to various NBA owners to discuss the impact of Adam Silver’s ground-breaking sports better op-ed from five years ago.

CLEAR MIND, NEW PLAYER: After a disappointing sophomore season, Jaylen Brown is thus far having the best year of his career, averaging 19.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The difference? Brown learned how to handle the anxiety and self-doubt he was dealing with last season, which became especially noticeable when he lost his starting job in November.

BACKLASH HITS 2K LEAGUE TEAM: An NBA 2K League team representing the Milwaukee Bucks is catching flak for holding a graphic design contest – one looking for a new header image for the team’s official twitter account – without a cash prize. When asked for some financial compensation for the artist’s work, Bucks Gaming replied telling the person to “get a job.” Not a great look there.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

📧 You can get this in your email inbox every morning. Just need to subscribe here.

The stats proved Russell Westbrook’s criticism of Patrick Beverley wrong

Oops.

The Houston Rockets made a statement on Wednesday night by taking down the Los Angeles Clippers (who might be getting Paul George back soon) 102-93.

After the contest, Russell Westbrook took a shot at Patrick Beverley, who he has some history with over the years.

“Pat Bev trick y’all, man, like he playing defense,” Westbrook told reporters after the contest, “He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.”

He pointed out that his Rockets teammate James Harden scored 47 points, which is all fine and convenient when you look at the box score.

But how many times was Beverley the one defending Harden?

There’s an answer for that and it proves Westbrook wrong:

What did Beverley say when he was informed about Westbrook’s comments? From ESPN:

“Don’t start that, don’t start that,” Beverley told ESPN as he exited the Clippers’ locker room. “I don’t care about that.”

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Austin Rivers begged the refs to call a T on his dad and loved it when they did

What a father/son moment in Houston!

Well, this was awkward. And also highly amusing.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers was throwing a fit in the final minutes of his team’s loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night when his son, Houston guard Austin Rivers, stepped in and begged the refs to call a technical on his dad.

Now that is just cold.

But then refs did just that and ejected Doc Rivers from the game, which Austin Rivers, who was traded from the Clippers by his dad during the offseason, seemed to really love it.

Check out this special moment between a father and his son:

Austin Rivers then said after that it made his night:

And he acknowledged that the holidays might be a little rough:

This league!

Twitter loved it:

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How to Watch Houston Rockets, NBA Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch Houston Rockets Live Online.

Boasting a perennial MVP candidate and one of the most exciting offenses in the NBA, the Houston Rockets come into every season with high expectations. But with the acquisition of one of the game’s most exciting players in the offseason, the expectations surrounding the Rockets may be higher than ever. Can James Harden and Russell Westbrook bring the Rockets to new heights during the 2019-2020 season?

Watch the Houston Rockets 2019-20 Season

Next game: vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. ET 

Local TV affiliate for the season: AT&T SportsNet Southwest

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

One of the biggest moves of the summer in the NBA was the decision by the Rockets to trade point guard Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder and to bring in Westbrook. The move reunited Harden and Westbrook, who helped bring the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012. That was before either player had reached his current status and become a league MVP. The question now is whether or not the two stars can coexist well enough to bring Houston a championship.

Outside of Harden and Westbrook, the rest of the Rockets roster will need to play at a high level on both sides of the court. Shooters like Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson knocking down shots will force defenses not to put too much of their attention on Harden and Westbrook, both of whom are at their best when they have room to operate and get to the basket against overmatched defenders. With offensive expert Mike D’Antoni at the helm, expect the team to find ways to space the floor and get open shots for the supporting cast.

Rockets November 2019 Schedule (All Times ET)

Wed. Nov. 13 vs. Clippers, 7:30 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 15 vs. Pacers, 8:00 p.m.

Sat. Nov 16 @ Timberwolves, 8:00 p.m.

Mon. Nov. 18 vs. Trail Blazers, 8:00 p.m.

Wed. Nov. 20 @ Nuggets, 9:00 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 22 @ Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Sun. Nov 24 vs. Mavericks, 3:30 p.m.

Wed. Nov 27 vs. Heat, 8:00 p.m.

Sat. Nov. 30 vs. Hawks, 8:00 p.m.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

The 7 most unreal shots of Trae Young’s NBA career

TRAE YOUNG HIVE STAND UP.

Hey, listen. Just going to drop off a fair warning right now. If you AREN’T a member of the Trae Young hive, stop reading right here.

Okay, great. Now that all six of those folks are out of here, the rest of us can have a good time. Because our hardwood lord and savior Rayford Trae Young is straight up making folks look SILLY right now.

He’s literally the ONLY player in NBA history to average at least 28 points and eight assists per game while shooting 40% from deep. It’s just year two.

People thought the Hawks made a mistake trading down to get him. He’s proven those doubters wrong with every moon-ball 3-pointer he’s hit and every no-look pass he’s dished.  It’s almost like he’s still running around the Big XII.

Young isn’t new to this, he’s true to this. All the wacky shots and deep threes we seeing this year come natural to him. Here’s a look at the seven wildest shots he’s hit so far in his short career.

7. Trae points to the spot

The best thing about Young when he catches fire is that he knows exactly what he is doing to you. Every deep, ridiculous three is a punch to the gut. Here he just added a bit more sauce to it by pointing to where he shot from after dropping a bomb in Lonzo Ball’s eye.

Tell you what — Ball is a better man than me. Adults should never fight, but after that? I’m sorry. We gotta scrap.

6. Jonathan Issac almost blocked this

Fam. How was this shot not blocked? Dude is a magician. He has to be. This doesn’t make sense. Jonathan Issac was right there on Young’s back. Even altered his form. Didn’t matter. Swish. Just too good to be stopped.

5. From the Logo to start the season

Make some room for Trae, Damian Lillard. He isn’t the only one hitting shots from the logo these days. Young is doing it, too, and in the first game of the season. Remember that slow start he got off to last year? This shot was a message — that ain’t happening again.

4. The Nutmeg against the Nuggets

Nah. This isn’t right. That man has a family. Poor Will Barton. He’s now cursed forever, doomed to live on a never ending loop of this highlight on YouTube until the end of days.

His children’s children’s children will be able to watch this highlight of Young treating him like a run-of-the-mill hooper playing at the local rec center. Imagining such a life gives me chills, man.

3. Over Kris Dunn to take the lead

This was a moment for Young last season. Take a second to think about what’s going on here. This is a rookie pulling up for a potential game winning three with a defender in his face and seven seconds left on the clock. Appreciate that. We don’t see it often.

I remember watching this one live. This was definitely me:

The Bulls ended up winning after four overtimes (!!!) but whatever. Don’t care. Trae Young won.

2. A putback to put the Bucks away

This is the only play here that isn’t a jumper, but I can certainly assure that it definitely belongs because I still don’t know how a 6’1 guard got to that ball. It’s a right place, right time thing, which seems to happen a lot for Young these days.

1. Calling bank FTW against the Magic

Markelle Fultz didn’t deserve this. The Magic didn’t deserve this. But Young absolutely gave it to them anyway. I don’t know if he called bank but, in the words of the immortal Paul Pierce, he certainly called game.

He’s not Steph Curry. He’s not Steve Nash. Atlanta’s point guard is one of a kind and these plays prove it. He makes the unimaginable seem routine and he makes the routine seem pedestrian. It’s just his second year, so there’s plenty more to come over the next decade.

My soul is ready. I’m so excited I can’t even spell.

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