This was so far from actually hurting Valanciunas that Lyles was barely punished.
During the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, Kings forward Trey Lyles and Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas shared a tense moment.
As the Pelicans hustled back on defense in the second quarter of the game, Lyles and Valanciunas were visibly upset at one another. Lyles then threw what was nearly a punch toward the head of Valanciunas, but the strike did not connect.
The broadcasters described what they saw from Lyles as a “modified swing” toward the big man. Here is a video of what happened:
Later in the game, New Orleans wing Naji Marshall approached Lyles and may have shared his thoughts about the incident.
Overall, the refs seemingly allowed more of a playoff-like atmosphere during the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup to allow that type of physicality without an ejection.
Time to flex some games so we can all watch the Pacers more often.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Boston Celtics to advance to the semifinals of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.
Haliburton had the first triple-double of his career recording 26 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, zero turnovers and one steal. It’s worth noting that the rising star had not played a game on TNT before this victory, per ESPN.
After the dominant performance, the Pacers will move on to the semifinals of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. The next round of the tournament, which will be a combined broadcasting effort by ESPN and TNT, will give Haliburton and his teammates yet another chance to play on national TV.
Otherwise, the Pacers only have one other game scheduled on national TV this season: Jan. 30 against the Celtics on TNT.
But fans aren’t satisfied with just getting to see the Pacers, who now have the best offensive rating of all-time so far this season, in just those games. Many expressed a genuine interest in seeing the national TV schedule flexed as the season continues so they can watch Indiana more often.
The cup was designed by Tiffany & Co. in collaboration with artist Victor Solomon.
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Some standout performers have already separated themselves as potential MVP candidates during group play of the tournament. As we head into the quarterfinals, teams are one step closer to becoming the inaugural champions of the NBA Cup.
Here are some key details you should know about the actual trophy they will receive, per NBA.com:
The cup was designed by Tiffany & Co. in collaboration with artist Victor Solomon. It was crafted at the Tiffany hollowware workshop in Rhode Island.
The base of the cup has 30 openings in the net to represent all of the teams in the league.
The base has three tiers, which represent how many games each team must win during the knockout rounds to win the tournament.
Eight prongs flow into the channels of the ball, which symbolize the eight teams that made the knockout rounds of the tournament. These are inspired by the prongs of a diamond ring.
The trophy is 23 inches tall, which is a tribute to the inaugural year of the tournament.
The trophy is five inches wide because there were five teams in each group during the seeding games.
The trophy, which weighs 35 pounds, is coated in 24-karat gold vermeil and black ceramic. The weight represents the three groups of five teams in each conference during group play.
This is a beautiful trophy and the attention to detail is fascinating.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum is currently considered the favorite to take home the trophy. Based on play during the seeding games during group play, however, the best players to advance to the knockout rounds included Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Kevin Durant as well as Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox.
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton is an interesting choice as well if he is healthy. So, too, are Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Shootaround
HoopsHype
— Short Kings, rejoice! HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina ranked the greatest players in NBA history who are 6-foot-and-under.
— LeBron James coyly said the heated exchange that led to Ime Udoka’s ejection was about Thanksgiving. Prince Grimes has more.
This was a week to forget for Notre Dame’s NBA representation. Both players saw action in only one game apiece, albeit for very different reasons. Whatever the reason though, it had to be frustrating for Irish fans who want to track what program alumni are up to.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] played 15 minutes in the first half of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Nov. 28 road win over the Miami Heat. He scored seven points, his most in a game in almost two weeks. However, he left with an ankle injury and hasn’t seen any game action since. He missed the Bucks’ next two games and remains day-to-day, making his availability for the Bucks’ In-Season Tournament quarterfinal Tuesday unknown.
[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] remains on the outside looking in as far as the San Antonio Spurs’ location. He only could find a few minutes in garbage time of a Dec. 1 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, dishing out two assists.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to TMW. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you.
Let’s chat a bit about the NBA in-season tournament. I’ll admit when the idea was first announced last season, I was certainly one of the skeptics out there. The tournament seemed like a gimmick — a simple attempt at juicing up numbers in the middle of the NFL season.
But it’s worked perfectly through one month. On Tuesday the group play action wrapped up and now we’re on to the quarterfinals.
Here’s what we have:
East: Bucks (1) vs. Knicks (4), Pacers (2) vs. Celtics (3)
West: Lakers (1) vs. Suns (4), Kings (2) vs. Pelicans
I don’t think things could have shaken out any better for the league. It’s having its cake and eating it, too.
The purpose of this tournament was to get more eyeballs on the league’s up-and-coming stars in smaller markets. Mission accomplished. The next generation is all over this tournament. Tyrese Haliburton’s Indiana Pacers are the No. 1 seed in the East. Zion Williamson’s Pelicans will take on De’Aaron Fox’s Kings in the West. The point of this tournament was to get more eyeballs on stars in smaller markets. Mission accomplished there, too.
Meanwhile, the NBA has its bluebloods involved. The Lakers, Celtics and Knicks are all good simultaneously (for once!). The Lakers made their way into the tournament fairly easily. The Celtics and Knicks had to obliterate teams to make it happen on their end, but alas. Here they are. The cash cows for the NBA made it to the party.
Ultimately, we’ll have to see what the ratings look like behind this thing. But right now, it feels like the NBA has something cooking with this tournament.
Has it been a bit silly at times? Sure. Could the league raise the stakes a bit more? I think so. But there’s no doubt that the league has something cooking with the NBA Cup.
I can’t wait til this thing gets to Vegas.
Speaking of Vegas …
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Adam Silver has made it clear that the NBA wants to bring a team to Las Vegas. It feels more like a matter of “when” and not “if” at this point. Mark Cuban’s recent move might lay a path down to making that “when” sooner rather than later.
The NBA may have just found its path to getting a team to the city. It might just come at the expense of another franchise.
Cuban is reportedly selling his majority stake in the Mavericks but keeping control of the team’s basketball operations. My colleague Bryan Kalbrosky has more here.
“The news was first reported by league insider Marc Stein, who added that Cuban would “continue to retain operational control” of the Mavericks. The longtime majority shareholder will reportedly sell ownership of the franchise to the Adelson family, per reports.
Shams Charania noted that based on the sale, the valuation of the franchise is now $3.5 billion. Charania added that this is “one of the most unique setups” in league history because Cuban will retain his shares in the organization and he will also maintain “full control and final say” when it comes to basketball operations.”
Cuban is still there with the Mavericks and controls basketball operations. I don’t know if he’d ever allow the team to move without a fight. The team has been there for 43 years. Cuban has owned it for 23 years and built it into one of the league’s most notable franchises. Just upending that would be tough.
Plus, I don’t even know if that’s something the NBA would actually want — especially not after the debacle with the SuperSonics.
But the dots are connecting here. There’s no disputing that. Hopefully, Mavericks fans, this is nothing to worry about.
How in the world is Bobby Petrino back?
Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports
I know the College Football Playoff rankings were announced on Tuesday, but the biggest story in college football yesterday had to be Bobby Petrino somehow going back to Arkansas … as an offensive coordinator.
“This comes after more than a decade after Arkansas fired Petrino. Yes, remember this? The school fired the former head coach in 2012 for hiring the woman he was having an affair with and trying to hide the fact multiple times from Arkansas leadership.
Former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long excoriated Petrino at the time of his April 2012 firing, per a report from ESPN at the time.”
College football gets wacky. SUPER wacky, sometimes. But this? Man, this goes beyond that. This falls squarely into the “I can’t believe somebody thought this was a good idea” territory. It’s hilarious.
Welcome back, Bobby Petrino. I guess.
Quick hits: This extremely weird Corey Perry story … NFL quarterback rankings … and more
Charles Barkley had some thoughts about Jordan Clarkson’s seafaring outfit and captain’s hat.
Ahead of the Utah Jazz taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the group stage of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Tuesday night, guard Jordan Clarkson showed up to the game in a very interesting outfit.
Clarkson sported what looked like a captain’s hat and coat like he was about to set off to sea for an adventure, and former NBA star Charles Barkley wasn’t about to let Clarkson slide for his fashion choice without a little trolling.
On the pregame coverage for NBA on TNT, Barkley joked about Clarkson’s outfit, rhetorically asking him if he knew Halloween had already come and gone.
“What the hell is that? Halloween was two weeks ago!”
Ouch! Clarkson’s seafaring hat and outfit was a bold choice for the pregame attire, and Barkley didn’t miss the opportunity to get in a very funny roast.
Maybe Clarkson’s captain’s hat would inspire a great performance on the court? If it did, perhaps Barkley would give him credit for his outfit.
One of these players played a lot and did a lot. The other didn’t really play.
For once, [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] didn’t have to wait until the end of a blowout loss to enter a game. Still, his lone action over the past week came during the first half of the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA In-Season Tournament defeat Nov. 17 to the Sacramento Kings. All he registered in less than four minutes of action was one personal foul.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] had a terrific week, scoring in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season. He had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the Milwaukee Bucks’ blowout In-Season Tournament win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 17. The next night was his best game of the season as he finished with 16 points, five boards, three assists and two steals as the Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks.
For the week, Connaughton averaged 9.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game while shooting 44.4% from the floor and making nine of his 12 field goals from 3-point range.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Here’s where the Brooklyn Nets stand in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament after the games that were played on Nov. 14.
The Brooklyn Nets are now 2-1 in the inaugural season of the NBA‘s In-Season Tournament after beating the Orlando Magic 124-104 on Tuesday. Brooklyn is now 6-5 on the season despite dealing with significant injuries to multiple players in the starting lineup that the team is depending on for the success of the franchise.
Within the Nets’ bracket, East Group C, Brooklyn is in second place due to the fact that the first place team, the Boston Celtics, are 1-0 and therefore, have the best winning percentage in the group. It’s still early since the other teams in Brooklyn’s group, the Celtics, Chicago Bulls (0-1), Magic (0-1), and the Toronto Raptors (0-0), each have at least three games left in their In-Season Tournament slate with Toronto still having four games to go.
The good news for the Nets is that while it’s still left to be seen if they can have the best record in the group, they can still make it to the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament by having the best record of any team that didn’t win its group. Brooklyn has the Raptors left on its In-Season Tournament slate and has a +8 point differential, fourth-most in the East.
Somehow, Victor Wembanyama got his first-ever tech for bouncing a ball too hard.
San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama had to learn the hard way on Tuesday night that with great wingspan comes great bounce…ability.
While playing in the first night of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, Wembanyama accidentally bounced the basketball too hard during a stoppage in play and picked up his first-ever technical foul.
Yes, seriously, Wembanyama got his first tech over accidentally bouncing the ball too hard. You could see that he was surprised how high the ball went into the air after he made a defensive block and just dribbled it hard once the play was over.
The ref here really did not need to give Wembanyama a tech for accidentally bouncing a ball too hard. What are we even doing here, people?
Wembanyama will probably measure his bounces a bit more after this very strange moment, one that we’re not sure will ever really make sense as being the Spurs rookie’s first-ever technical foul.
