Tag: Precious Achiuwa

NBA Rising Stars: Cade Cunningham named MVP to lead Team Barry to win

Cade Cunningham was named MVP of the NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Barry to the championship and tip off All-Star Weekend.

Detroit Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham on Friday was named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Barry to the championship and tip off All-Star Weekend from Cleveland, Ohio.

Cunningham recorded five points, including a huge 3-pointer late, three assists and two rebounds in the final game over Team Isiah. He scored a team-high 13 points, six assists and five rebounds to lead Team Barry in the semifinal round versus Team Payton.

Orlando Magic rookie Franz Wagner sent Team Barry to the win after hitting his first free throw to cross the 25-point threshold to win. The teams played to 50 points in the semifinal round and 25 points in the final to commemorate the 75th-anniversary season of the NBA.

Here is how each player and team fared in the competition.

NBA Rising Stars 2022: Player pool revealed for revamped game format

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the 28 players set to participate in the Rising Stars game during All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 18 as part of All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.

The showcase game will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games. Each game will be played to a final target score, meaning that a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of a running clock.

The semifinal games will be played to a final target score of 50 with the final game being played to 25, for a total of 75 points across the semifinal and final to celebrate the league’s 75th anniversary season.

NBA All-Star Game: Rookie players to earn All-Star selections

The pool of 28 players for the game consists of 12 first-year players, 12 second-year players and four players from the NBA G League Ignite. The rookies and sophomores were selected by assistant coaches and the Ignite players were chosen by G League head coaches.

The teams will be coached by members of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. The coaches will select their rosters in a Rising Stars draft with each team consisting of seven players, including one from the Ignite. The details of the coaches and draft will be announced at a later date.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Rockets stats: Armoni Brooks stands out in exhibition loss at Toronto

Houston had 28 turnovers in a 107-92 preseason loss at Toronto, but Armoni Brooks was a bright spot with 15 points on five 3-pointers.

With 28 team turnovers as a clear leading storyline, the young Rockets were outplayed throughout the game in Monday’s 107-92 preseason loss (box score) at Toronto. Led by 17 points apiece from bruising forwards Precious Achiuwa and OG Anunoby, the Raptors improved to 2-2 in exhibition play with the victory. Houston fell to 1-2.

The Rockets, however, weren’t devoid of any bright spots in Toronto. In just 21 minutes off the bench, second-year sharpshooter Armoni Brooks made a clear case for more playing time by scoring a team-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting (50%) from 3-point range.

Eric Gordon (sore left ankle) and Danuel House Jr. (personal reasons) did not play. Beyond Brooks, other statistical standouts included:

  • Christian Wood (13 points, 50% FG, 7 rebounds, 26 minutes)
  • Jae’Sean Tate (10 points, 71.4% FG, 4 rebounds, 21 minutes)
  • Alperen Sengun (10 points, 50% FG, 5 rebounds, 18 minutes)
  • Kevin Porter Jr. (12 points, 27.3% FG, 4 assists, 27 minutes)

Houston’s starting backcourt of Porter and rookie Jalen Green struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 3-of-11 combined (27.3%). Green scored just 5 points, easily his lowest of three exhibition games.

See below for extended highlights from Monday, and stick with Rockets Wire for continued postgame coverage. Houston will conclude its four-game exhibition slate with Friday’s matchup at San Antonio.

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Jimmy Butler ‘bummed’ to see Dragic, Achiuwa traded to Raptors

Butler acknowledged the trade to acquire Kyle Lowry from Toronto was a bit bittersweet for him.

Jimmy Butler on Saturday expressed his excitement to play with Kyle Lowry next season with the Miami Heat but also acknowledged the loss of Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa to the Toronto Raptors.

Dragic and Achiuwa were sent to the Raptors on Friday in a sign-and-trade for Lowry, who signed a three-year, $85 million deal. Dragic played the last seven seasons in Miami and was teammates with Butler for the past two, while Achiuwa joined the team last year.

The trade, as Butler said, was rather bittersweet.

Obviously, excited and happy about it. (I’m) kinda bummed we had to give up the guys we had to give up. A lot of love for those guys, Goran and Precious, obviously, but I’m excited to get started. (Kyle) let me know what was going on and couldn’t wait to get to work. I’m talking to him about our friendship, our kids and all of that first, and basketball always seems to find its way in there. I’m glad I got my guy here with me.

The addition of Lowry should give the Heat a proven winner and a player capable of doing the dirty work on the court, something Miami covets each year. On the other side, Toronto managed to flip Lowry for two players instead of potentially losing him for nothing.

Butler certainly appeared to be a bit sad about losing Dragic and Achiuwa, but the five-time All-Star knows Lowry can help Miami make a deep playoff run and perhaps return to the NBA Finals.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Raptors acquire Goran Dragic, Precious Achiuwa for Kyle Lowry

The Raptors on Friday announced they officially acquired Dragic and Achiuwa from the Heat in a sign-and-trade for Lowry.

On Friday, the Toronto Raptors announced that they have officially acquired Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa from the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry.

The news of the potential trade surfaced this week prior to the start of free agency on Monday as the Heat were expected to become the front-runners to land Lowry. The Heat were said to be offering Dragic, Achiuwa and, potentially, draft assets but no picks were included in the deal.

Lowry was reportedly seeking $30 million annually over multiple years on his next contract. He reportedly signed a three-year, $85 million contract with the Heat on Friday with the signing becoming official as the trade was announced by the two teams.

The inclusion of Achiuwa in the deal gives the Raptors a promising young player they can add to their core. Achiuwa, who was the 20th overall pick last year, averaged five points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game last season.

Toronto is expected to trade Dragic after officially acquiring him with the Dallas Mavericks emerging as one of his preferred destinations. They would likely be seeking a young player or future draft assets in a potential trade with Dallas or another team.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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NBA free agency: Projected starting lineup for Heat with Kyle Lowry

Among big-name players who were most likely to leave their team in NBA free agency, Kyle Lowry was arguably the most impactful available.

Among big-name players who were most likely to leave their team in NBA free agency, Kyle Lowry was arguably the most impactful available.

The six-time All-Star joins a core highlighted by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro that won the Eastern Conference title in 2020.

Lowry, who helped lead the Toronto Raptors to the organization’s first title back in 2019, joins Miami via sign-and-trade and can be the sparkplug that can help the Heat potentially return to the NBA Finals once more.

Based on what we know so far, this is the projected starting lineup for the Heat next season:

Report: Heat offering Precious Achiuwa in trade scenarios for Kyle Lowry

Miami is prepared to offer Toronto a sign-and-trade package that includes Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa once free agency opens.

Once NBA teams can begin negotiating with prospective free agents on Monday, the Miami Heat are expected to become the front-runners to land Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Heat are prepared to offer the Raptors a sign-and-trade package that includes Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa for Lowry after free agency opens at 6 p.m. EDT. The Heat could also include future draft assets, as well.

Lowry is reportedly seeking $30 million annually over multiple years on his next contract. He has long been open to the idea of joining Jimmy Butler in Miami and has apparently held the organization in high regard recently.

Lowry has long been intrigued with joining Heat star Jimmy Butler and the Miami organization, and now Miami has maneuvered to have two key elements of a possible sign-and-trade package — guard Goran Dragic and forward Precious Achiuwa — to offer the Raptors once talks can ensue at 6 p.m. ET Monday, sources said.

Miami picked up its $19.4 million team option on Dragic’s contract on Sunday, paving the way for the team to use it in trade negotiations. The Raptors could eventually flip Dragic to another team after acquiring him from the Heat.

The inclusion of Achiuwa in the potential deal would give the Raptors a promising young player they can add to their core. Achiuwa, who was the 20th overall pick last year, averaged five points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game last season.

Achiuwa averaged eight points and 4.7 rebounds with Nigeria in the Tokyo Olympics.

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With Lowry expected to test free agency, the Raptors are motivated to find a trade for him to avoid losing him for nothing. The trade with Miami could net them a promising young player in Achiuwa and a player in Dragic that they can flip again for future assets or players.

The start of free agency is always a frenzy in the NBA and this year should prove to be no different with Miami and Toronto expected to get things kicked off quickly.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Precious Achiuwa, Nigeria suffer tough loss to Germany in Olympics

Jordan Nwora produced a game-high 33 points but the effort was not enough as Nigeria lost to Germany, falling to 0-2 in Tokyo.

Jordan Nwora produced a game-high 33 points, Miye Oni added 15 points but the effort was not enough as Nigeria was unable to top Germany, falling to 0-2 in the Tokyo Olympics.

Precious Achiuwa registered nine points, two rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal during the 99-92 loss, which tipped off at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9 p.m. Tuesday EDT). He battled foul trouble throughout the contest and finished with 16 minutes of playing time.

Nigeria trailed by 10 points early in the first half, but rallied back to tie the contest up at 50 points apiece at the intermission. They opened up the third quarter on a run, taking a 14-point lead midway through the period, but allowed Germany back into the contest for good.

Germany, who was led with 19 points by Johannes Voightmann and 17 points from Mo Wagner, outscored Nigeria 25-18 in the final frame to improve to 1-1 in Group B.

The loss to Germany comes after Nigeria was defeated 84-67 by Australia in its opener on Sunday. Obi Emegano paced Nigeria with 12 points while Josh Okogie had 11 points and Achiuwa chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.

After losing its first two contests, Nigeria faces long odds to advance out of Group B into the quarterfinals. They will wrap up preliminary play on Saturday (12:40 a.m. EDT) against Italy in a matchup that could prove to be meaningless for Achiuwa & Co.

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The men’s basketball quarterfinals in the Olympics will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two best third-place teams.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Precious Achiuwa, Nigeria drop opening game to Australia in Olympics

Patty Mills scored a game-high 25 points to lead Australia to the 84-67 victory over Nigeria.

Precious Achiuwa and Nigeria dropped their opening game in the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday to Australia as Patty Mills scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Boomers to the 84-67 victory.

Nigeria was paced with 12 points by Obi Emegano while Josh Okogie had 11 points and Achiuwa chipped in 10 points. He finished with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot on 4-of-9 shooting from the field.

The first half between the two teams proved to be very competitive with Nigeria trailing by just three points at halftime. The contest remained close in the third quarter before Australia pulled away in the final period, outscoring Nigeria 26-15.

The loss dropped Nigeria to the bottom of the standings in Group B. They will return to action on Wednesday versus Germany, essentially a must-win game to maintain ground and remain in contention for the quarterfinals set to begin on Aug. 3.

Achiuwa is one of eight active NBA players to make the final roster for Nigeria. He offers the team a strong presence inside and often does the dirty work on the court, something head coach Mike Brown said was similar to how Draymond Green plays.

While Nigeria lost, the group can bounce back on Wednesday versus Germany, which lost to Italy on Sunday. A loss to the Germans will likely end any hope of advancing out of Group B to the quarterfinals.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Heat center Precious Achiuwa named to Nigerian final Olympic roster

Heat center Precious Achiuwa on Monday was among the players named to the Nigerian 12-man final roster for the Tokyo Olympics.

Miami Heat center Precious Achiuwa on Monday was among the players named to the Nigerian 12-man final roster for the Tokyo Olympics, the team announced.

Achiuwa, who was born in Port Harcourt, was among nearly 50 players in contention to play for Nigeria at the start of training camp. He eventually played during their three-game exhibition schedule from Las Vegas, Nevada, and emerged as a key player for the team.

The 21-year-old helped Nigeria to a 2-1 record during its exhibition slate, including an upset win over the United States on July 10. He hauled in a key rebound late during that contest to seal the win, while he also had a highlight-reel block on Kevin Durant.

Achiuwa is one of eight active NBA players to make the final roster for Nigeria. He offers the team a strong presence inside and often does the dirty work on the court, something head coach Mike Brown said was similar to how Draymond Green plays.

Nigeria qualified for the Olympics by being the top African country in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They have been placed into Group B during preliminary play at the Olympics, and will begin with Australia on July 25.

Italy and Germany are also paired with Nigeria and Australia in Group B.

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The quarterfinals of the men’s basketball tournament will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two third-place teams with the best records. The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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