Tag: Mikal Bridges

The All-Underrated Team for the 2020-21 season

HoopsHype selects a starting five, along with a bench, for the 2020-21 season made up entirely of players we consider to be underrated.

With talk of which NBA players are the most underrated right making the rounds on social media this week, we thought it would be a good time to come up with our own All-Underrated Team for the 2020-21 season, both a starting five and an accompanying bench to go along with it.

In total, we picked 15 players at different positions who we believe still don’t get enough respect, be it from fans or the media at large.

Below, check out our All-Underrated Team for the 2020-21 NBA campaign.

Kevin Porter Jr. bounces back as Rockets threaten Devin Booker, Suns

Houston still lost the game, but they put up quite a fight at home versus a squad with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

The Phoenix Suns have the second-best record in the Western Conference and entered Monday’s game at Toyota Center coming off two days of rest. By contrast, the Houston Rockets have the second-worst mark in the West and had played the night before.

Nonetheless, the weary Rockets (13-37) showed some impressive fight against the heavily favored Suns (35-14). While Phoenix still won the game, 133-130 (box score), the rebuilding Rockets were extremely competitive and hung within one possession into the final seconds.

Second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. led the way for the Rockets with 20 points (50% FG), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and just three turnovers. A night earlier, Porter had one of his worst games of the 2020-21 season, scoring 12 points (33.3% FG) while turning the ball over eight times.

After Sunday’s loss, Porter tweeted that he had to improve, and the 20-year-old delivered on that promise less than 24 hours later.

Beyond Porter, rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate tallied 18 points (58.3% FG), 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, while frontcourt starters Christian Wood and Kelly Olynyk added 22 and 21 points, respectively. Off the bench, Sterling Brown and rookie forward KJ Martin scored 16 and 13, respectively, and the Rockets went +10 and +11 during their time on the floor.

The Suns were led by 36 points and 6 assists from All-Star guard Devin Booker, while big man DeAndre Ayton added 27 points. Ayton’s 11 rebounds were far superior to his counterparts on the Rockets, namely Wood (3) and Olynyk (4). Former Rockets star Chris Paul scored 19 points and dished out a game-high 11 assists, while Mikal Bridges added 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range (66.7%).

All in all, it was arguably a best-case scenario for Houston. For a team that clearly isn’t headed to the 2021 playoffs, they boosted their odds of gaining a high draft pick by losing another game. Yet, there were clear signs of progress shown versus one of the NBA’s best teams — and most notably, by key young building blocks such as Porter, Tate, and Martin.

See below for a compilation of highlights and postgame reaction. Houston returns to play Wednesday when the in-state rival Dallas Mavericks visit Toyota Center, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM_gdJd8TLk

Thunder vs. Suns: Point spread, betting odds, prediction (Jan. 27)

See betting odds for the Phoenix Suns and OKC Thunder game on Wednesday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Phoenix Suns and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

The game tips off at 8 p.m. and can be seen on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

The Thunder (7-9) ended their three-game losing streak with a 125-122 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. That 125 points was the third-most they’ve scored all season, and came without George Hill or Al Horford.

The Suns (8-7) lost two overtime games in a row to the Denver Nuggets. They’ve struggled in crunch time and will be without star Devin Booker, who was injured late in the first game against the Nuggets.

Betting lines updated on BetMGM after publication may not be reflected in this report. Confirm on the casino website before placing a bet.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Thunder +6.5
  • Moneyline: Thunder +200/Suns -250
  • Over-under: 217.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

How to watch: Thunder vs. Suns

Advice and prediction

This game will come down to Suns center Deandre Ayton. The box score doesn’t always totally show his impact. He’ll have some games where he has a strong double-double, but doesn’t play aggressive and doesn’t look very good. Then he’ll have other games with more muted stats but have an overall powerful impact.

His last four games have been both — great stats and looks great on the eye-test. The 7-footer will be up against Isaiah Roby. If Ayton can channel his dominant side, he would continue this breakout stretch. If that’s the case, Phoenix wins.

The Suns will be without Devin Booker, though. They took the Nuggets to double-overtime without him but, once foul trouble occurred with other players, fell apart due to depth issues. Oklahoma City’s best bet would be to try to force fouls and make the Suns go to the bench, a unit that hasn’t been very good lately.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely be matched against Mikal Bridges, a player Suns fans love similarly to how Thunder fans love Lu Dort, if that gives you any idea of his impact. Ayton’s able to guard bigs and wings out to the perimeter. Plus, the ultra-competitive Chris Paul would surely love to get a win against his former team.

I don’t love how the Thunder match up against Phoenix, and I wouldn’t bet on Oklahoma City, even with Booker’s absence — unless Suns collapse down the stretch like they have several times already this season. They’ve lost a few games due to poor closing minutes. I don’t think the Thunder will cover the spread, but I was very wrong the last two games.

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

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

Interesting NBA teams you should add to your League Pass watch list

With the start of the 2020-21 NBA season upon us, there are several teams that look quite a bit different than when we last saw them.

Especially while watching the teams that were good last season, it can be an overwhelming experience to track the year-over-year roster changes for teams that restructured. Of course, most fans are going to pay close attention to the teams that are favored to win the championship.

But as you decide what games to watch if you subscribe to NBA League Pass, you should seriously consider tuning in to these teams that may not have been on your radar last season.

Former Suns GM explains how Zhaire Smith trade happened with Sixers

Former Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough explains what went down with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Zhaire Smith deal.

The Philadelphia 76ers were in an interesting spot when they entered the 2018 NBA Draft. They were just coming off their first playoff appearance in six years and they were looking to build off the momentum and goodwill they just created within the fan base.

The team held the 10th pick in the draft and they had selected a local favorite in Villanova’s Mikal Bridges. It seemed like a perfect fit. His skillset would work out well next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and on top of that, his mom worked for the team. It was a great fit all-around.

However, the Phoenix Suns really wanted Bridges on their roster, and their general manager, Ryan McDonough, worked out a trade with the Sixers to send the 16th pick and a future pick to Philadelphia for Bridges. That pick turned out to be Zhaire Smith who has played a grand total of 13 games in two seasons.

McDonough joined The Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast to explain just what went down on draft night in 2018:

So we were looking to get up and we had a couple guys targeted, Mikal Bridges was one of them. So I called the Sixers and said hey, are you guys interested in trading the pick? They said no no no it basically and didn’t say no, they said, Wait, which teams do. They want to see who’s available because if their guy’s not there, they’re more likely to trade off this guy that they like. So I called the Sixers when I think the ninth pick had just been announced. I said okay you guys open they said no there’s a guy we’d like we you know we’re gonna take him. I said okay, who is it? They said Mikal Bridges from Villanova. I said well, it makes sense.

McDonough then dropped a key piece of information about the future pick that the Sixers had also acquired from Phoenix:

Now we’re gonna act like we’re picking 16, but call us back as we get closer to 16. If you want to do a deal or discuss a deal. We’ll give you something good to get Bridges and you can have the 16th pick. So sure enough it was probably around 15. The phone rings we don’t know who it is, obviously, but Zhaire Smith was still on the board. So pick 15 comes and goes. And like even on the clock is being negotiated pick 16, and I give him credit they drove up, you know, a hard line. This is not you know any reporting guys this is just my interpretation. I think they really wanted what they got the 2021 unprotected Miami first round pick to then try to repackage that for Kawhi Leonard, I think that was the play.

Looking back at the trade, the Sixers should have kept Bridges as he has had a solid career for the Suns, but the 2021 pick was too valuable of an asset at the time. Unfortunately, the Sixers could not turn that pick into a potential Leonard trade, but that is the way the business goes sometimes. [lawrence-related id=38468,38459,38456]

Draft Rewind: Sixers make a trade to acquire Zhaire Smith in 2018

We take a look back at the Zhaire Smith pick for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA Draft.

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The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2018 NBA Draft looking to continue to complement the star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid after the stars led the Sixers to their first playoff appearance since 2012.

The vibes around the franchise were good as they had just reached the semifinals as a young group and they had the 10th pick in the draft. They then selected Villanova prospect Mikal Bridges with the pick before trading him to the Phoenix Suns for a bouncy athlete in Zhaire Smith who was selected 16th.

There was hope that Smith would provide some good wing play off the bench, however, he suffered a Jones fracture before the season even began and he then had an allergic reaction in December of his rookie season and it limited him to only six games. It is amazing he even played in his rookie season due to the effect the reaction had on his body.

He averaged 6.7 points in his rookie season and he did show off an ability to defend at an adept level out on the perimeter. He showed off some of the hope that the team had in him when they made the trade to acquire him.

However, the Sixers then selected Matisse Thybulle in the 2019 draft, and his quick rise pushed Smith down to the G League and he spent the majority of his second season with the Delaware Blue Coats. He only played in seven games in the 2019-20 season averaging 1.1 points and he then suffered another injury right before the season restart in Orlando that caused him to miss the time in the bubble.

As for Bridges, he has turned into a legitimate 3-and-D player for the Suns and he shot 36.1% from deep while averaging 9.1 points and playing 82 games as a rookie and 73 as a sophomore. At the time, the trade looked like it could pay dividends for Philadelphia, but hindsight is always 20-20 and the trade continues to look more and more like a mistake. [lawrence-related id=37703,37700,37697]

Rookie Eric Paschall helps get Suns’ Mikal Bridges trending on Twitter

Eric Paschall chimed in on social media to help push his former Villanova teammate’s name to trending levels on Twitter.

With an undefeated record since stepping inside the Disney World campus, The Phoenix Suns have grown into the Orlando Bubble’s lead story. As the Suns make a late push for the postseason, Mikal Bridges has stamped a bevy of breakout performances.

During the Suns’ seven-game winning streak, Bridges is averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

After dropping 18 points with five 3-pointers and six boards in Phoenix’s win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, thousands of accounts flooded social media to help get the former first-round pick’s name trending on Twitter.

Via @Suns on Twitter:

Bridges’ former Villanova teammates chimed in to help push his name to trending levels. Early on Tuesday morning, Eric Paschall added to the Bridges social media movement.

Via @epaschall on Twitter:

After seeing his name trend across social media, Bridges reacted with a set of laughing emojis.

Via @mikal_bridges on Twitter:

Following his noted night on Twitter, Bridges recorded his scoring high inside the Orlando Bubble. On their way to victory against the playoff-bound Philadelphia 76ers, the 23-year-old tallied 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting with two boards, two steals and two blocked shots.

With chances of a spot in the postseason still on the table, Bridges, Devin Booker and the Suns will suit up against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks for their final game in the seeding round.

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Suns’ Mikal Bridges rooting for Sixers to beat Blazers for their hopes

Phoenix Suns guard Mikal Bridges is actively rooting for the Philadelphia 76ers to beat the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of making a lot of huge changes to their lineup after losing Ben Simmons so they have a lot of stuff to work through while also trying to win some games.

On Sunday, they take on a Portland Trail Blazers team that is still trying to at least clinch a spot in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. The Blazers are battling amongst a handful of teams inside the bubble and one of those teams is the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns were considered longshots to make any noise inside the bubble, but they are proving people wrong as they are currently 5-0 in Orlando and are right there with the Blazers. This is leading Suns guard Mikal Bridges to root for the Sixers to knock off Portland to give them even more of a shot.

Bridges, of course, was selected by the Sixers in the 2018 NBA Draft before being sent to the Suns in exchange for Zhaire Smith. The Sixers can now help the young man out of Villanova and his team if they can get a win on Sunday. [lawrence-related id=36558,36542,36534]

2018 NBA re-draft: Sixers select Mikal Bridges and keep him this time

In a re-draft from 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers select Mikal Bridges, and this time, they keep him.

The 2018 NBA Draft was a bit of a disappointment for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers. The team had just come off the first playoff appearance of the Process era and they were hoping to add another contributor to their young core.

The team held the 10th pick in the draft and they selected Villanova product Mikal Bridges who was a local kid and his mother worked for the Sixers. IT was the perfect feel-good story for all of the right reasons. Then, it wasn’t.

Philadelphia ended up sending Bridges to the Phoenix Suns for the 16th pick which turned out to be Zhaire Smith so all of the good feelings went out the window. Since then, Smith has been hit with a ton of adversity such as injuries and a drastic position change from power forward in college to shooting guard in the NBA and it has been tough sledding for him.

In a re-draft done by Bleacher Report, the Sixers keep Bridges this time around:

No, this isn’t about correcting what should have been the best feel-good story of the draft. It’s an acknowledgment that Mikal Bridges’ three-and-D skills were properly valued the first time around.

The 23-year-old may not flash star potential, but he’s solid in most spots. He hiked up all his shooting rates this season (51.6/35.2/84.8), and defensive real plus-minus views him as the 15th-best stopper at his position. He contributes to winning.

Bridges would be a good fit on this current Sixers team who are in obvious need of shooting, but one cannot change the past. Smith still has the potential to be a good player and he had a strong end to the G League season before the rest of it was canceled due to the current coronavirus pandemic the world is dealing with at the moment.  [lawrence-related id=31121,31113,31105]

Mikal Bridges trashes Matisse Thybulle’s lack of 2K skills after his win

Phoenix Suns guard Mikal Bridges calls out Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle’s 2K skills.

With the regularly scheduled matchup of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns postponed Friday due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the two teams decided to settle the game on the sticks.

Sixers rookie Matisse Thybulle and Suns guard Mikal Bridges played the game on NBA2K20 and they live-streamed it on twitch. Bridges got the best of Thybulle and he came away with a win for his Suns 75-64 and he exposed Thybulle as a bad 2K player.

Thybulle’s avatar on the game finished with a plus-minus of minus-17 and he had two turnovers while Bridges scored 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting playing as himself. Due to that fact, Bridges had to remind Thybulle that he is not very good at the game.

Thybulle responded that he has to get back in the gym to get better at shooting. Of course, he will do so with nobody in the gym with him to practice social distancing.

Maybe the two of them will have a rematch at some point so Thybulle can get a second chance. [lawrence-related id=28389,28383,28374]