Tag: NBA Playoffs

Former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo tallies 8 points vs. Pacers in Game 5

Donte DiVincenzo and the Knicks are just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After two straight losses in Indiana, former Golden State Warrior guard turned New York Knicks wing Donte DiVincenzo returned to the Big Apple on Tuesday for a highly anticipated Game 5 in front of a fiery crowd.

In Game 5, DiVincenzo recorded eight points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field with seven boards, four assists, three steals and a block in 30 minutes against the Indiana Pacers. DiVincenzo wasn’t able to knock down a 3, shooting 0-for-6 from deep in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

The interactions between DiVincenzo and Indiana center Myles Turner turned chippy in the third quarter. Following a big dunk by DiVincenzo, the pair had a heated exchange and had to be separated on the other end of the court.

Via @NBA_NewYork on X:

Despite DiVincenzo’s cold shooting night, the Knicks cruised to a dominant 121-91 win over the Pacers behind a fiery effort from Jalen Brunson. The Knicks All-Star point guard notched 44 points on 18-of-35 shooting from the file to go along with seven assists and four rebounds in 43 minutes.

Watch highlights from Game 5 via YouTube:

Through the first three games of the series, DiVincenzo tallied 25 or more points, including a playoff career-high 35-point outburst in Game 3. However, DiVincenzo has been quiet over the last two games, scoring in single figures against the Pacers.

DiVincenzo and the Knicks will be back on the court for Game 6 with a chance to close out the Pacers and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

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Charles Barkley was so annoyed at the possibility Michael Malone included him on his Nuggets diss track

Charles Barkley has a bone to pick with Michael Malone.

The Denver Nuggets looked completely dead in the water just over a week ago. An embarrassing Game 2 beatdown at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves had folks like Charles Barkley proclaiming Denver would get swept.

Well, heading into Tuesday night’s pivotal Game 5, the series is now tied at 2-2 after Denver took both road games in Minneapolis. And it sure seems like a diss track that Nuggets head coach Michael Malone pieced together really resonated with his team. Any time you feature prominent NBA media personalities doubting your players in public, it’s bound to strike a chord.

Upon realizing that Malone might have actually featured Barkley in said video, the TNT analyst was not happy that his own words and opinion were potentially put on blast by the Nuggets:

To be fair to Barkley, he does make a point.

He, like other TV analysts, mostly diagnoses what information he has. If he’s on the postgame show of a matchup featuring a blowout, he’s probably going to reasonably hedge toward the team that won by many points. And vice versa. He can only operate in the context of the actual games. That doesn’t mean he has to have the strongest possible take or opinion rooted in emotion and the heat of the moment.

But that is, ultimately, what he’s paid to do — give an opinion.

That said, I’m not sure why Barkley seemed so annoyed by this Nuggets diss track possibility. He’s one of the most famous figures in basketball media, period. Everyone’s been taking clips of things he said — right and wrong — for years. What makes Denver using a motivational clip he’ll likely never see any different from all of his other opinions having the spotlight on them?

It’s honestly a fascinating conversation about the nature of sports television, but it’s still not that big of a deal.

Aaron Gordon credited Nikola Jokic’s selfless leadership for helping create his monster Game 4

“If a 3-time MVP can do it, I can do it, too.”

The Denver Nuggets looked dead in the water, sitting in a disastrous 2-0 series hole after losing both of their first two home games against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic on their side, the reigning NBA champions are never truly out of it.

They just have to bring their best punch and follow their leader’s example.

Arguably, no one on the Nuggets roster walks in lockstep better with Jokic than his frontcourt teammate, Aaron Gordon. This was evident during the Nuggets duo’s marvelous Game 4 performance to tie the series.

READ MORE: Jamal Murray and Kevin Harlan had a great moment after a halfcourt buzzer-beater

While Jokic was busy scoring at will (35 points on 15-of-26 shooting) on Sunday night, Gordon seamlessly transitioned to a “point forward” role. He made all the little hustle plays, scored from all over the floor, and created for his teammates just like Jokic would as Denver’s backup center. A monster 27-point, seven-rebound, six-assist effort where Gordon shot 91 percent from the field (11-of-12) almost doesn’t do his tremendous performance justice.

After the game, Gordon was asked where he learned to be so selfless while wearing many hats for the Nuggets. With Jokic standing just behind him, off to the side, Gordon profoundly explained that he simply follows the league MVP’s example, and everything generally takes care of itself:

Hoo boy, that’s a powerful quote about team basketball right there.

Here’s Gordon’s thoughts on Jokic’s selflessness rubbing off on him (and the rest of the Nuggets):

“That guy, man [nods toward Jokic standing behind him], that’s where I learned to be selfless,” Gordon said. “I learned it from him, man. He’s the best basketball player in the world, three-time MVP, and he’s the most selfless, humble dude that you’ll ever meet. If a three-time MVP can do it, I can do it, too.”

That sentiment right there encapsulates Nuggets under Jokic’s leadership.

Jokic is not a rah-rah guy. He almost always has an even-keeled approach and reaction to everything. But he still leads by example. And his preferred way of playing basketball is getting his teammates involved while essentially telling everyone to follow the leader. Jokic may as well be the definition of making his teammates better.

When you’re a talented player like Gordon, it’s hard not to see Jokic’s approach and try to emulate him. That selfless mentality really is contagious.

Anthony Edwards clarified what he told Jamal Murray in awkward post-game conversation

Jamal Murray didn’t even say anything back!

After falling behind 2-0 in the series by losing both of their first two home games, the Denver Nuggets responded like the reigning champions. They went into a tough Minneapolis road environment in Games 3 and 4 and won both, tying up what sure feels like a budding classic second-round playoff series with the rival Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s also starting to become clear that a healthy heat of competition is simmering. Look no further than Anthony Edwards’ interaction with Jamal Murray after Denver’s Game 4 victory.

READ MORE: Jamal Murray and Kevin Harlan had a special moment after a half-court buzzer-beater

The Timberwolves star was seen clapping his hands at Murray while saying something before denying the Nuggets star a simple handshake. In his postgame press conference, Edwards clarified what happened:

So, in effect, Edwards encouraged Murray to keep talking trash and keep the competitive spirit up. We love that. This is professional sports! The athletes shouldn’t necessarily like each other between the lines. However, it’s unclear whether Murray actually said anything to Edwards in their postgame exchange. It might have been earlier in the game, if anything.

In fact, in their postgame interaction specifically, Murray appears to walk past Edwards with a nonverbal greeting, which is what the Timberwolves guard said happened.

If Edwards is somehow creating motivation for himself out of whatever this is, then this Nuggets-Timberwolves battle just got potentially a lot spicier.

Mike Krzyzewski urges NBA fans comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan to ‘slow down’

Coach K, the five-time national champion, urged NBA fans to give 22-year-old Anthony Edwards time before the Michael Jordan comparisons take off.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is doing some incomprehensible things this postseason.

The fourth-year guard averaged 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists during a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns before scoring 43 points in an opening win over defending champion Denver and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. At just 22 years old, the burgeoning star had two 40-point games and four 30-point games in his first five postseason performances this season.

Edwards’ play style and flashiness earn him comparisons to six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. In an interview with CBS Sports on Sunday, however, legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told NBA fans to pace themselves.

“People should just slow down comparisons,” Krzyzewski said. “Jordan is as good as anyone who has ever played…We are in a climate in which people want to give lists and comparisons. When you do it over a period of time is when you show just how great a player you are. I think Anthony Edwards will do that, but let’s give him some time to do it.”

Krzyzewski coached against Jordan back when he played for North Carolina, and the two joined forces on the 1992 Olympic team.

Dereck Lively II literally turned the Thunder’s intentional foul strategy into a hilarious game of tag

The Thunder were so desperate they had the Mavs literally playing tag.

So far, it’s been tough sledding for the Oklahoma City Thunder defense in its second-round series with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have such a significant size advantage that, at times, they’ve resorted to almost bullying an undersized Thunder front line.

During Saturday afternoon’s Game 3, we saw the likely end stage of the Thunder’s struggles here. Since they don’t have the personnel to match Dallas in the post and on the glass, they started intentionally fouling the Mavericks’ worst free-throw shooters instead of trying to play actual defense at the end of the game.

RELATED: What happened in that weird Mavericks press conference with NSFW noises

This put usual 71-percent shooter Dereck Lively II in the Thunder’s crosshairs. It came to a point where he started literally playing tag with Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren so the Mavericks could try to run normal offense.

The results are hilarious:

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a high-level NBA player turn an intentional foul strategy into a de facto game of tag.

But I guess I can see why Dallas has a 2-1 series lead now.

Bless the Thunder for essentially waving the white flag on defense, and bless Lively for having the self-awareness to hilariously run away like this. Both factors have given us a terrific gift.

Michael Malone made a diss track of his own team and the Nuggets responded perfectly

Everyone’s making diss tracks these days.

Move over Kendrick Lamar and Drake (and, I guess, Shaquille O’Neal and Shannon Sharpe?) The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets had a beef to settle with … themselves.

After a dominating 117-90 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, head coach Michael Malone revealed he had pieced together an edited video of every major media personality counting the Nuggets out. Seemingly everyone who stuck a fork in them after losing the first two games of their second-round series at home was involved. (I’d imagine a certain MVP moment with Nikola Jokic might have played a role, too.)

Malone didn’t personally send the video to his team; he had backup center DeAndre Jordan do it, who relayed the unofficial diss track to the rest of the Nuggets in a team group text.

The Nuggets — spurred by Jokic and a fiery Jamal Murray — obviously responded quite well to the video. We now have a real series again, folks:

 

What a stroke of genius. It’s not often you see head coaches start beefs with their own team, let alone make diss tracks of them. Truly flipping coaching tactics on their head.

In all seriousness, the Nuggets clearly needed a little jolt, a little “you still belong here,” a little “remember who you are,” a little “no one respects you right now.” Making an unofficial diss track of everyone on TV doubting them led to arguably the most complete wire-to-wire performance of the defending champions’ season.

Suffice it to say: Malone knew what he was doing.

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers Game 3 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers meet for Game 3 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 2nd-round series Saturday. The series is tied 1-1. Tip-off from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Celtics vs. Cavaliers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

The Celtics are unbeaten in the playoffs — unless we’re talking about Game 2’s. Boston lost to the Miami Heat 111-101 in Game 2 at home as a 14-point favorite in the 1st round, and it lost 118-94 in Game 2 at home as a 13-point favorite to Cleveland in this round Thursday. Boston is 5-0 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in all of its other games in these playoffs.

Cleveland improved from 41.1% FG shooting in Game 1, to 54.7% from the field in Game 2. The Cavs were just 26.2% (11-of-42) from behind the 3-point line in Game 1 but was 46.4% (13-of-28) from downtown in Game 2.

The Cavs’ Game 2 win is even more impressive since the Celtics turned it over just 7 times. Cleveland did finish with a surprising 44-to-31 edge in the rebound department.

Also impressive for the Cavaliers — and surprising to most — was that C Jarrett Allen sat out with a right rib contusion. SG Donovan Mitchell was tremendous in Game 2, going for 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 5 3-pointers. PF Evan Mobley was good for the only double-double in Game 2, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in 33 minutes. Allen will sit again in Game 3.

Celtics at Cavaliers odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:20 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Celtics -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Cavaliers +275 (bet $100 to win $275)
  • Against the spread: Celtics -7.5 (-115) | Cavaliers +7.5 (-105)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 210.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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Celtics at Cavaliers key injuries

Celtics

  • C Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out

Cavaliers

  • C Jarrett Allen (ribs) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Celtics at Cavaliers picks and predictions

Prediction

Celtics 114, Cavaliers 103

Moneyline

The Celtics (-350) will cost 3½ times your potential return as Boston looks to reign down fire on the Cavaliers (+275) after the Game 2 loss on its home court.

After an embarrassing loss in Game 2 in the 1st round to the Heat as a double-digit favorite, Boston went down to Miami and rolled 104-84 as a 9.5-point road favorite in Game 3. Look for history to repeat itself.

PASS.

Against the spread

The CELTICS -7.5 (-115) are a strong play as they look to bounce back in Game 3.

After a straight-up loss as a double-digit favorite, Boston is 3-1 SU/ATS in 4 instances this season, including the 20-point win in Miami in Game 3.

Despite the win and cover in Game 2, Cleveland is still just 2-5 ATS in the past 7 outings.

Over/Under

OVER 210.5 (-115) is worth a look in Game 3.

The Over has cashed in 2 of the past 3 games for the Celtics, going for 118 or more points on offense in those pair of Over results.

The Over cashed in the final 2 home games of the series against the Orlando Magic, while cashing in 10 of the past 13 outings at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse dating back to March 8.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo scores 28 points in Knicks Game 2 win vs. Pacers

The former Warriors guard tallied 28 points in the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Pacers on Wednesday night.

A former member of the Golden State Warriors has been at the center of the New York Knicks’ run through the postseason. When the Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the ex-Golden State guard helped with a 28-point outburst.

Donte DiVincenzo continued his impressive playoff campaign with 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with six boards, four assists and a steal in 44 minutes against the Pacers. DiVincenzo caught fire from beyond the arc, drilling a game-high six 3-pointers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Via @NBA on X:

Behind 28 points from DiVincenzo, 28 points from OG Annunoby and 29 points from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks took a commanding 2-0 lead in the series with a 130-121 win over the Pacers in Game 2.

On Friday, the series will shift to Indiana for Game 3.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics Game 2 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Thursday’s Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics odds and lines, with NBA expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics meet for Game 2 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 2nd-round series Thursday. The Celtics lead the series 1-0. Tip-off from TD Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cavaliers vs. Celtics odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

The Cavaliers advanced past the Orlando Magic in 7 games, but Cleveland has been terrible on the road in this postseason. The Cavs lost 120-95 in the opener in Game 1 at TD Garden, and Cleveland has lost 3 of its 4 playoff games on the road by at least 23 points, including a franchise-worst 38-point loss in Game 3 of the Orlando series. It is also 0-4 against the spread (ATS) in those games, and 1-5 ATS in the past 6 playoff games.

While Cleveland was shooting just 41.1% from the field in Game 1, including a dismal 26.2% (11-of-42) from behind the arc, Boston was a solid 48.9% from the floor, and 39.1% (18-of-46) from downtown. The good news for the Cavs is that they turned it over only 5 times, but the C’s held a plus-17 rebounding margin at 55-to-38.

Boston has won 4 in a row against Cleveland at TD Garden, and it has covered the past 2. The Over (211) in Game 1 snapped a 2-game run to the Under, but the Over is 6-2 in the previous 8 meetings.

Cavaliers at Celtics odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:28 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Cavaliers +600 (bet $100 to win $600) | Celtics -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100)
  • Against the spread: Cavaliers +13.5 (-110) | Celtics -13.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 212.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

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Cavaliers at Celtics key injuries

Cavaliers

  • C Jarrett Allen (ribs) questionable

Celtics

  • F Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Cavaliers at Celtics picks and predictions

Prediction

Celtics 119, Cavaliers 103

Moneyline

The Celtics (-1000) will cost you a cool 10 times your potential return, which is never worth it, whether betting a heavy favorite straight up, or as part of a multi-team parlay. Including the C’s in a parlay sucks all of the value out of the ticket.

As bad as the Cavaliers (+600) have been on the road, you can’t risk $100 for every $10 won. That’s way too much risk for not nearly enough reward.

PASS.

Against the spread

The CELTICS -13.5 (-110) are laying a giant number, but the way the Cavaliers +13.5 (-110) have performed on the road in this postseason, it actually might not be high enough.

Cleveland has lost 3 of its 4 playoff games on the road by at least 23 points, and while it took great care of the basketball in Game 1, it was still trampled. The Cavs shot poorly, they were outrebounded greatly, and Cleveland struggled at the free-throw line, too.

While the Cavs had lost the 2 meetings in regular season at TD Garden by an average of just 8.0 PPG, they were waylaid in Game 1 by 25.

Over/Under

OVER 212.5 (-105) is a high number, but it’s worth a play in Game 2.

The books have bumped up the total significantly from Game 1, by 2 total buckets, but that might not be enough.

Cleveland has allowed 114.0 PPG in 4 road postseason games, including 120+ points in 2 of those outings. Cleveland’s offense has produced 97 or fewer points in 6 of 8 playoff outings so far, so that’s the risk. But the C’s had their way in Game 1, and it’s hard to believe things are going to change defensively for J.B. Bickerstaff’s crew in Game 2.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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