The top 20 highest paid players in the NBA all make at least $30 million.
It’s a great time to be a professional basketball player. If you were thinking of putting your kid in sports soon, definitely have them pick up a basketball.
We knew the league’s salary cap was blowing up a while ago, but I’m not sure anybody imagined it being like this. The NBA is flush with cash right now. The 20 highest paid players in the NBA will all make at least $30 million this season.
It’s not just the LeBron Jameses and Kevin Durants of the world either — there are legitimate non-All-Star players who are jumping into the NBA’s top tax bracket.
The Brooklyn Nets put forth a strong effort against the Miami Heat, but they were unable to seal the deal on Sunday.
The Brooklyn Nets had the chance to send Sunday’s game into overtime with the Miami Heat leading 109-106 and 11.3 seconds left on the clock. Spencer Dinwiddie — who had another big game — took the final shot, though his 3-point leaner wasn’t exactly an ideal look for the Nets in their final possession of Sunday’s loss.
Although this should’ve been a win for the Nets, based on the way they played for the majority of the game, their performance against the Heat was still a positive sign. Miami has struggled against teams .500 or better, and that was the case for them again in Brooklyn on Sunday — again, even though the Heat wound up with the win.
Jarrett Allen grabbed 12 boards, but he only took three shots and scored four points in the loss.
Taurean Prince had a rough shooting night and only scored nine points. He went 3-for-14 from the field, 2-for-9 from deep. He did block three shots and grabbed seven rebounds.
DeAndre Jordan scored 15 points and had eight rebounds. David Nwaba also provided some offense off the bench, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
The talent of the Miami Heat was too much for the young Golden State Warriors, but rookie Jordan Poole was able to put together one of his best performances of his young career.
The wins haven’t been there, but over the past handful of games, the Golden State Warriors have looked like a competent team. They’ve battled wire-to-wire against teams with far better talent, but against the Miami Heat, it was a different story.
The Heat showed why they’re one of the league’s best-looking teams to start the 2019-20 season. Jimmy Butler and rookie standout, Tyler Herro, whacked the Warriors from start to finish ending in a 122-105 post-Thanksgiving beatdown.
First Quarter
This game started and virtually ended in the first quarter for the Warriors. The Heat jumped out to a 20-point lead in the opening period on 16-for-21 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 beyond the arc.
Michigan product, Duncan Robinson, splashed four three-pointers good for 12 points in the first quarter. While Alec Burks added 10 for Golden State, the rest of the Warriors only combined for only 11 total points. Ontop of hot shooting to start the game, the Heat outrebounded Golden State 14-5 in the first quarter alone.
The Warriors played Miami fairly even in the second and third quarters. However, they could never overcome the opening punch before the Heat dropped the knockout blow in the fourth and final quarter.
Jordan Poole
The Warriors 2019 first-round draft pick, Jordan Poole, has had his early struggles widely documented, but the rookie took his step in the right direction after having one of his best shooting nights in South Beach.
Poole knocked down five three-pointers on six attempts— his best night beyond the arc in his career. Poole tied his NBA career-high with 20 points against Miami, but it wasn’t what was in the box score that was encouraging about Poole’s night.
For one of the first times in weeks, Poole looked confident on the court; he looked like he was having fun. Poole wasn’t forcing anything, using his ability to put the ball on the floor when needed, and even started throwing around a nice shot-fake. Most of Poole’s shots came in rhythm, which is something he’s struggled to find as a rookie.
The Warriors are coming off one of their best defensive performances of the season against the Chicago Bulls, only allowing 90 total points, but in Miami, the defensive unit was a problem.
Over Golden State’s recent stretch with Draymond Green back, and the arrival of Ky Bowman, the Warriors defense has improved, but their issues containing the pick-and-roll crept back up in South Beach.
Goran Dragic came off the bench and was unstoppable, running the pick-and-roll against the Warriors limited defense. Dragic scored 20-points off the bench and dropped five dimes.
The Heat didn’t do Golden State’s hobbled defense any favors, shooting over 50 percent from the field and three-point range.
Dragic stops on a dime and sets up the Tyler Herro corner trey! #HEATTwitter
Even after a 17-point loss, there’s still a positive feeling surrounding the Warriors as they could be getting back Kevon Looney, D’Angelo Russell and Jacob Evans III at some point during the team’s current road trip.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 61 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists as the Rockets routed Miami on Wednesday night.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 61 points and 15 rebounds as the Houston Rockets snapped a three-game losing streak with a 117-108 home win (box score) over Miami on Wednesday night.
Houston’s victory avenges an embarrassing 29-point loss to the same opponent earlier this month. The game wasn’t as close as the final score might make it appear, since the Heat outscored the Rockets by 40-26 in the fourth quarter after the result had effectively been decided.
Harden led the Rockets with 34 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes, headlined by a 7-of-17 showing (41.2%) from behind the three-point arc.
Meanwhile, Westbrook had 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting (52.4%) in one of his most efficient nights with the Rockets to date, along with nine rebounds and seven assists in his 36 minutes.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook tonight: 61 points 15 rebounds 12 assists 3 steals 20-43 shooting
This is a solid win. The Rockets should feel good. Much needed to end the three-game skid.
The Heat (12-5) were without four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler due to an illness, while the Rockets (12-6) were missing starting center and rebounding sensation Clint Capela for the same reason.
[lawrence-related id=18753,18630]
In Capela’s absence, second-year prospect Gary Clark was a revelation. After playing just nine minutes combined (largely late minutes in blowouts) over the season’s first 17 games, Clark tallied 12 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench Wednesday.
D'Antoni says Clark will have the opportunity to make the rotation:
"Gary has the possibility. He's got all kinds of talent. I'm hoping he grabs some [playing] time and keeps [it]." https://t.co/4pyM1FGFsL
Known for his defense and hustle, the 6-foot-6 forward — who can also play center in smaller lineups — played all 12 minutes of the second quarter. In that time, Houston built its lead from four points to 24 points.
Gary Clark was great at both ends! Played the entire 2nd quarter and was a +20 in those 12 minutes
Danuel House Jr. had key contributions with impressive defense and a career-high 23 points, including four three-pointers.
Rockets end their three game skid, with a 117-108 victory over Miami. Danuel House Jr. finishes with a career-high 23 points and gets to celebrate Thanksgiving at home in Houston for the first time in his professional career – CG
With Capela out, the Heat were led by starting center Bam Adabayo, who posted 17 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in 40 minutes.
The Rockets will take Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day off entirely before returning to practice Friday. Their next game comes Saturday at home versus Atlanta, in what will be the debut of their new City uniforms and the “Space City Saturdays” theme for the remainder of the season.
After listing Clint Capela (illness) as questionable, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed pregame that his big man would sit out.
Houston Rockets center Clint Capela will miss Wednesday night’s home game versus Miami due to an illness, head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed during his pregame media session at Toyota Center.
The Rockets had previously listed the 6-foot-10 big man as questionable for the game during an update on Tuesday, citing illness.
It’s a major absence for the Rockets (11-6) against the Heat (11-4), who defeated Houston by 29 points earlier this month. The challenge could be made slightly easier, though, since Miami is likely to be without All-Star forward Jimmy Butler — who is dealing with an illness of his own.
With Capela out, the Rockets will start veteran center Tyson Chandler in his place — just as they did on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, when Capela missed a pair of games with a suspected concussion. Third-year big Isaiah Hartenstein is likely to assume Chandler’s usual backup role.
Clint Capela is OUT tonight vs. Miami (illness), per Coach D’Antoni. Tyson Chandler will start.
The Rockets did win both of their prior games without Capela, and Hartenstein was impressive with 16 rebounds in 30 minutes at Minnesota. However, the Heat clearly represent a superior opponent relative to earlier victories over the Pacers and Timberwolves.
After Wednesday’s game, the Rockets don’t play again until Saturday night versus Atlanta — which should offer Capela ample time to recover.
The 25-year-old Capela is averaging 14.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game this season, and he’s on a historic rebounding run with at least 19 boards in seven consecutive games.
Prior to Capela’s current streak, the only NBA player to have at least 19 rebounds in seven straight games was rebounding legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, who last did it in the 1994-95 season.
The only player in Rockets franchise history to have posted averages of at least 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks per game in a single season was Hakeem Olajuwon, who did it 30 years ago in the 1989-90 season.
Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Jimmy Butler insinuates a few Sixers did not work as hard.
The Jimmy Butler drama continues for the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite him leaving for the Miami Heat back in June in free agency that netted the Sixers Josh Richardson in a sign-and-trade, there have been little things that continue to pop up.
Now, there is something new he said about the Sixers.
Butler had a sitdown interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Vincent Goodwill where he opened up on a lot of things and one of those was what happened with the Sixers that bothered him and one of those was the topic of work ethic. Butler told Goodwill when asked if the other Sixers understood the opportunity in 2019:
No, but everybody don’t do that. Everybody don’t work like that. That’s just what it is. I learned that over the years and is there something wrong with that? No, there is not. There’s not.
Goodwill then asked why would a player not play for a championship and understand the opportunity and Butler then responded with:
Is everybody playing this game for a championship? The money, the cars, the fame, there are so many other things that other people can play this game for.
Butler did not mention any players specifically so it’s tough to really pinpoint what went down in Philadelphia. Butler continues to be really vague about what really happened and coach Brown wants nothing to do with it either as he plainly wished him well.
The Sixers beat up on Butler and the Heat in their first matchup on Saturday and the Heat make their second and final trip to The City of Brotherly Love on December 18. [lawrence-related id=20119,20110,20103]
In a new interview, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler identified Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the NBA’s most unstoppable player.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler believes Houston Rockets guard James Harden is currently the NBA’s most unstoppable player.
In a new video segment with The Players Tribune published Tuesday, here’s what what the 30-year-old Butler said when asked by the interviewer to identify the most unstoppable current player in the league:
The guy is averaging 39-and-a-half points. In the streets, that’s 40. That’s James Harden. I mean, he’s a lefty. You want a mid-range pull-up, you want a floater, you want a layup, you want a dunk, you want a free throw.
He’s legendary for his step-back. You can say that it’s a travel, you can say it’s not a travel. Ref doesn’t call it, so I’m all for it. Find a way to stop it, travel or not.
Butler was a free agent this offseason, and the Rockets initially sought to pair him with Harden. But the 6-foot-8 forward — and a native of Tomball, Texas, located just outside Houston — spurned his childhood team for Miami, where he’s averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 assists per game.
Butler and the Heat (11-4) visit Harden and the Rockets (11-6) at Houston’s Toyota Center on Wednesday night, though it’s still unclear if the four-time All-Star will actually play. He’s currently listed as questionable with an illness, as is Rockets center Clint Capela.
Jimmy Butler, however, isn't feeling well, so he's questionable for tomorrow.
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 our 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:
Leonard hasn’t been super effective in the three games that he’s played since returning from a left knee contusion. The Clippers managed to win all three contests (over the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans), but Leonard seems a bit limited. Sure, Kawhi at 70-80 percent is better than most players at 100 percent, but we dropped him down our rankings a bit as he gets back to full strength. It’s worth noting that Leonard has been much less efficient than usual this season, which is something that the 28-year-old will surely work on. He’s shooting just 43.5 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three-point range – both of which would easily be career-lows for Leonard. He’s only appeared in 12 games, though, so perhaps it’s just a small sample size. Fortunately for the Clippers (and basketball fans in general), Leonard and Paul George are finally playing together and it’s been fun to watch. So far, L.A. is undefeated when they have their two stars in the lineup at the same time.
Monday’s game against the Chicago Bulls was a perfect example of how adding Carmelo Anthony may help the Blazers win some additional games this season. Lillard scored just 13 points on 40.0 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent from three, but Portland still won because Anthony had 25 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and 57.1 percent from three. Lillard has been outstanding for the Blazers this year, but one player can only do so much. If Anthony continues to score this efficiently, it’ll be difficult for defenses to shut down Carmelo, Lillard and CJ McCollum. Lillard recently missed a game due to back spasms (insert joke about Dame carrying the Blazers on his back) and the point guard said that the issue is going to linger for a bit, so that may be why he’s struggling as of late. On the season, Lillard ranks fifth in Offensive Box Plus/Minus (6.9), seventh in Win Shares (2.4), seventh in Value Over Replacement Player (1.1) and 10th in Player Efficiency Rating (25.0).
This is Butler’s first time cracking our MVP rankings this season, but he’s been playing well all year for the Heat. Butler’s decision to leave the Philadelphia 76ers for Miami was one of the biggest surprises of this past offseason, but the 30-year-old forward has fit in perfectly with the Heat’s culture. With Butler leading the way on the perimeter, Miami currently has the second-best defense in the NBA (allowing just 100 points per 100 possessions). This has helped the Heat get off to a 12-4 start, which is the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Over the weekend, Butler returned to Philadelphia to face off against the Sixers for the first time since his departure and while he would’ve loved to have a monster showing and get the win, he finished with just 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 30.8 percent from the field (including 0-2 from three) in a losing effort. Still, Butler is having a strong campaign and he has the Heat near the top of the East, which is why he’s in our Top 10 this week.
Siakam has emerged as an elite scorer this season, while continuing to play the strong defense that we’ve seen from him in the past. At the moment, Siakam is ranked ninth among all players in Defensive Win Shares (0.9), 16th in Win Shares (1.8) and 18th in Value Over Replacement Player (.7). Interestingly, Siakam’s stats (25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.3 threes, 0.8 steals, 47.4 FG%, 37.4 3P%) are actually very similar to the numbers of his former teammate Kawhi Leonard (25.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 threes, 2.1 steals, 43.5 FG%, 30.0 3P%). Everyone expected the 25-year-old to take on a bigger role this season and show some progress in Leonard’s absence, but this kind of leap is just incredible. He’s becoming one of the game’s elite two-way players and he seems poised for superstardom. Not bad for someone who didn’t play organized basketball for the first time until he was nearly 18 years old!
Towns continues to shoot the ball extremely well, making 44.4 percent of his three-pointers on 9.0 attempts per game. He’s more than doubled his number of three-pointers per game this season, which has made him an even scarier offensive weapon for Minnesota. Believe it or not, Towns’ 57 three-pointers is third-best in the NBA behind only James Harden (79) and Devonte’ Graham (60). The 24-year-old’s game perfectly fits in the modern NBA. Between Towns’ strong play and Andrew Wiggins’drastic improvement, it’s possible that the Wolves could shock everyone and sneak into the playoffs for just the second time in 16 years. After winning three-straight games (including an impressive victory over the Miami Heat), Minnesota has the seventh-best record in the Western Conference at 9-8.
The Lakers’ roster features 11 new players (including Davis), but you’d never know it from watching this team play. Rather than struggling out of the gate as they try to develop chemistry and get everyone on the same page, L.A. opened their season by winning 15 of their first 17 games. Davis and LeBron James have been a terrific one-two punch out of the gate, bringing the best out of each other. Davis may not be posting the jaw-dropping stat lines we got used to seeing from him with the New Orleans Pelicans, but that’s because he has a better supporting cast now and the Lakers aren’t asking him to carry the team on his own. Still, he’s been a dominant rim protector (leading the league in blocks) and he’s capable of scoring from anywhere on the court (averaging a career-high 1.2 threes per game). It may be tough for Davis to win MVP because he’s playing alongside James (and vice versa, perhaps), but there’s no question that he’s having a terrific season. It’ll be interesting to see how this Lakers team looks at midseason once they’re even more cohesive (and once their schedule gets a bit more difficult).
Last week, we praised Harden’s offensive output and moved him up our rankings because the Rockets held the second-best record in the league and were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. Unfortunately, Houston went on to drop their next three games to tough teams (the Denver Nuggets, L.A. Clippers and Dallas Mavericks). Harden continues to score at will, despite constantly being double-teamed by opponents. He recently voiced his displeasure with the constant double-teaming, telling reporters: “The whole season, they’re running doubles teams at me. I’ve never seen that in an NBA game where you’ve got really good defenders and someone else running at the top of the key. Y’all let me know the last time you’ve seen that.” He uses this to his advantage at times, drawing contact from both defenders and getting to the foul line (which he’s doing more often than anyone since prime Wilt Chamberlain). With the Rockets’ current losing streak, Harden dropped one spot this week, but there’s no question that he’ll be in the mix for this award come the end of the season as long as he stays healthy.
The Bucks have now won 13 of their last 14 games (including eight-straight), climbing to No. 1 in the Eastern Conference standings. Not only have they lost just one game in the month of November, they’re winning convincingly – as evidenced by their +9.3 average point differential, the highest in the NBA. That’s in large part due to Antetokounmpo, who continues to dominate on both ends of the floor. On Monday, he had perhaps his best outing of the season in a win over the Utah Jazz, finishing with 50 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 threes, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. The Jazz entered the game with the NBA’s top-ranked defense (allowing just 99.3 points per 100 possessions), yet Giannis did whatever he wanted against them. Antetokounmpo became just the second player in NBA history to hit all of those statistical marks in a single game, joining Michael Jordan (who did it against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989-90).
Recently, a courtside fan captured a funny interaction between James and a referee, with James saying, “I know you’ve been reading and they’re saying that I haven’t been playing defense these last couple of years, but it’s a new year!” Well, this season, it seems that James’ main focuses are defending and facilitating. His much-improved defense is perhaps the starkest difference between 2018-19 and this year. James ranks fifth in the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (+1.0) and 20th in Defensive Rating (101.9), and his effort on that end of the floor has been significantly better. Perhaps Anthony Davis deserves credit for this, as he’s been saying since the offseason that he was going to hold LeBron accountable and push him to play at an All-Defensive-Team level like he’s capable of doing. After Monday’s games, the Lakers actually have the best defense in the NBA (allowing just 99.7 points per 100 possessions). As for LeBron’s playmaking, he leads the league in assists per game (10.8) and assist percentage (50.7) by wide margins. In fact, he’s been involved in 49.0 percent of the Lakers’ points, which is easily the highest percentage among all NBA players this season. Los Angeles has won eight-straight and sit at 15-2, which is the NBA’s best record.
Early in the season, people were praising Doncic’s game while wondering when the sophomore would come back down to the Earth. Well, rather than regressing, Luka has only gotten better and he’s even closer to averaging 30-10-10. Doncic currently leads all NBA players in Win Shares (3.6), Box Plus/Minus (14.2), Value Over Replacement Player (2.2) and Player Efficiency Rating (33.3). In fact, his 33.3 PER puts him on pace for the best single-season efficiency rating of all-time. He makes the game look incredibly easy, destroying teams offensively. Not only does he have the league’s second-best scoring average (30.6), he ranks second in the NBA in assists per game (9.8) and assist percentage (48.9), showing just how many buckets he’s creating for himself and others. Doncic secured this week’s top spot after delivering an MVP-like performance in Dallas’ win over James Harden and the Houston Rockets, finishing with 41 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 steals and 1 block. And his production is translating into victories for the Mavs, as they’ve now won five-straight games. Dallas is 11-5, which is the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Right now, Doncic may be the frontrunner for the Most Valuable Player award and the Most Improved Player award.
The Sixers thumped Jimmy Butler and the Heat Saturday, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t like an opportunity to play them in the playoffs.
Former Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Jimmy Butler made his return to Philadelphia Saturday night, where he was greeted with boos from the fans and a thorough beating from his former team.
The Sixers dismantled the Miami Heat, never trailing in a 113-86 win. Josh Richardson, who came to the Sixers in a move that helped facilitate Butler’s move to Miami, tormented his former team, torching the Heat with 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting. Miami trailed 28-13 after the first quarter and never threatened the Sixers.
For his part, Butler seemed unmoved by the night’s events despite posting a lackluster stat line of 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was also a game worst -31. Still, Butler told reporters after the game that he didn’t hear the boos. He also was asked about a potential playoff matchup with the Sixers and Butler responded “I hope so.”
When asked if he thought the #heat could potentially meet the #sixers In the playoffs Jimmy Butler said “I hope so.”
It’s not a particularly surprising answer from Butler. Naturally, he’s not going to put an excessive amount of weight on a November NBA game and as a competitor would love the opportunity to get revenge when the stakes are raised.
Still, it’s hard to believe the Heat don’t feel like they’ve seen enough of the Sixers for a while after what transpired Saturday night. At any rate, a playoff matchup between the teams would certainly be interesting. We’ll also get three more opportunities to see these teams play during the regular season, with the next coming on December 18. [lawrence-related id=19957,19949,19941,19933]
Jimmy Butler left the 76ers this summer after being traded there last season and playing 55 games with the team.
In his time there, he hit three game winning shots, was their second leading scorer in the postseason averaging 19.4 points per game and was their lead ball handler when things got tight in the fourth quarter down the stretch.
All that still gets you booed in Philadelphia.
Butler returned to the Wells Fargo Center with the Miami Heat for a matchup against the Sixers tonight and, when he was introduced as part of the Heat’s starting lineup, the crowd booed him to no end.
Butler’s time in Philadelphia was mostly positive after a bit of a rough start and they were just one game away from the Conference Finals and could’ve made it had the ball bounced the wrong way on Kawhi Leonard’s last jumper that sealed the deal against them.
Butler’s decision looks just fine right now. The Heat are sitting at 11-3 in the Eastern Conference and are just a half game back on the MIlwaukee Bucks for first place. On the other hand, the Sixers are sitting at 5th in the conference with a 10-5 record and are 1.5 games back on Butler’s Heat.
Maybe that gives them even more reason to boo despite the great run Butler had in Philly. What the Sixers had going with Butler was great while it lasted, but that doesn’t matter to Sixers fans.
You’re either with them or you’re against them. As wild as that sounds, you’ve got to respect it.
