Miami Heat Have Silver Linings to Find During Midseason’s Dark Days
January 5th, 2017 by Zach Buckley No comments »
MIAMI — The Heat are living the painful life of NBA rebuilders.
Medical maladies have stripped them of their best player (Chris Bosh) and their most prized prospect (Justise Winslow). An exodus of elite talent—first LeBron James in 2014, then Dwyane Wade this past summer—has left this transitional organization clinging to future hopes while laboring through a present composed of good-not-great leaders, still-developing prospects and roster-filling vagabonds.
But neither lowered expectations nor draft lottery hopes can mask the ugliness of their descent. They own the league's third-lowest winning percentage (.297), a bottom-third net efficiency (minus-3.2) and more losing streaks of at least five games (three) than they suffered over the previous eight seasons combined (two).
Yet, this isn't a wasted campaign. By looking beyond the mountain of losses, one can find some relief to cushion the on-court agony.
Fast-Tracking Development
Miami's primary objective is the maturation of its core four: Winslow, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson. ...
Overshadowed by Russell Westbrook’s Brilliance, Steven Adams Has Emerged for OKC
January 5th, 2017 by Jon Hamm No comments »
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, 123-112. Once again, Russell Westbrook packed the stat sheet with 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
It's a season-long phenomenon that tends to overshadow the efforts of his teammates on a nightly basis, especially center Steven Adams.
Westbrook has understandably attracted most of the attention for his gaudy numbers this season. But while he's continued his statistical onslaught on the league, Steven Adams has quietly established himself as the team's next-most important player.
Adams scored 18 points and collected 12 rebounds against the Hornets. This came on the heels of a 20-point, eight-rebound, three-block performance in Milwaukee. He's posted four 20-plus-point games this season, and he didn't have a single one before that.
The evolution of Adams as a player is as drastic as the changes to his physical appearance.
He entered the NBA as a baby-faced backup whose primary task ...
Years of Polishing Have Made Rudy Gobert an Elite NBA Center
January 5th, 2017 by Yaron Weitzman No comments »
NEW YORK — Rudy Gobert will tell you he's the NBA's best center right now. His coach won't disagree.
But before he became an All-Star hopeful and the literal center of one of the league's sneaky contenders, Gobert was just a 21-year-old French kid trying to learn the NBA. He played in 45 games as a rookie—barely more than half the year—and had to find other ways to progress.
Defense came easy. His skyscraper height (7'1") and Mr. Fantastic-like reach (7'8 ½", the longest wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine) make him impossible to shoot over. His bouncy feet make him hard to circumvent.
But Gobert just couldn't figure out how to harness all those tools into a steady offensive game. He'd bail out of screens too early or flash to the paint too late. His rail-thin frame prevented him from maintaining strong position in the paint. His wretched foul shooting (under 60 percent for his ...
Brooklyn Nets’ Top Trade Chip Holding Up His End of Bargain
January 5th, 2017 by Dan Favale No comments »
BROOKLYN, New York — It's the morning of the Brooklyn Nets' home-court date with the Golden State Warriors. Brook Lopez is practicing three-pointers—looks he seldom attempted during games before this season.
He becomes visibly and vocally frustrated that more of his shots aren't finding the net.
That night, facing a Golden State squad that entered with the NBA's second-best defense, Lopez detonates for 23 points in the first half. He buries three of his seven long-range missiles and helps Brooklyn build a 16-point lead that would evaporate by the end of the third quarter.
Jump ahead to the Nets' Dec. 26 meeting with the Charlotte Hornets. Lopez catches the ball a few feet outside the paint, inside two minutes to play, with the game tied. He burns a couple of ticks backing down Cody Zeller.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist cheats about three steps off Sean Kilpatrick and toward the post. That's all Lopez needs; he wafts a ...
Golden State Is Now 9-0 This Season When Stephen Curry Scores 30 or More Points
January 5th, 2017 by Daily Facts No comments »
Fact: Stephen Curry scored 35 points in the Warriors’ 125-117 win over the Blazers on Wednesday night. Golden State is now 9-0 this season when he scores 30 or more points.
Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Facts of the day, presented by Coors Light.
Source: B/R Insights
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15 Storylines That Will Define the Rest of the 2016-17 NBA Season
January 5th, 2017 by Josh Martin No comments »
Try as many might to leave 2016 in the rearview, the NBA doesn't wipe its slate completely clean.
The nearly half-season that came and went before the calendar flipped set the stage for what's to come in 2017.
On Christmas Day, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors gave us a glimpse of what looks to be another star-studded showdown in the Finals. Russell Westbrook and James Harden were among those who blew the MVP race wide open, with several young studs rising up as more than just dark horses. The new collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league could shift the business of basketball before it takes effect over the summer.
Those are just a few of the big items that emerged from the year that was and figure to factor into the year ahead.
The next few months may look like another inexorable march to Cavaliers-Warriors III for the Larry ...
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Odds, Analysis, NBA Pick
January 5th, 2017 by OddsShark.com No comments »
The Los Angeles Lakers (13-25) will try to win their second straight game after losing seven of eight and take advantage of the tired Portland Trail Blazers (15-22) on Thursday as small road underdogs.
The Lakers also have just three wins in their last 18 games, although they have managed to cover the spread in six of their past 10 outings.
Point spread: The Trail Blazers opened as 3.5-point favorites; the total is at 215, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
NBA pick, via OddsShark computer: 103-100 Trail Blazers (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Lakers can cover the spread
Los Angeles is coming off a 116-102 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies ...
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets Betting Odds, Analysis, NBA Pick
January 5th, 2017 by OddsShark.com No comments »
The Oklahoma City Thunder (21-15) will try to bounce back from a loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the second game of a back-to-back set when they visit the Houston Rockets (27-9) on Thursday as big road underdogs.
The Thunder complete a three-game road trip in Houston after going 0-2 straight up and against the spread in the first two outings.
Point spread: The Rockets opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total is at 225, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).
NBA pick, via OddsShark computer: 116-108 Rockets (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Thunder can cover the spread
Oklahoma City has lost three in a row just twice this season, dropping as many as four consecutive games only once. The ...
Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
January 5th, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
The Golden State Warriors (31-5) figured to cruise past the Portland Trail Blazers with Damian Lillard (ankle) out for a fifth straight game Wednesday night, but that wasn't the case, as the defending Western Conference champions were forced to match the Blazers shot-for-shot in a 125-117 shootout win at Oracle Arena.
Golden State's winning streak stretched to four games, while the Blazers (15-22) have now lost eight of their last 10 dating back to Dec. 15.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry led the charge with 35 points on 12-of-25 shooting (5-of-13 from three), five assists and seven rebounds, and the effort marked the first time that he eclipsed the 30-point mark in a game since Dec. 13 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Warriors have been unbeatable over their past 25 games when Curry tops 30 points:
Kevin Durant—who finished a team-best plus-22 in 37 minutes—added 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go with five boards and three blocks.
And as ...
Wednesday NBA Roundup: Giannis Antetokounmpo Is a Different Kind of Superstar
January 4th, 2017 by Grant Hughes No comments »
Giannis Antetokounmpo snapped a streak of seven straight games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists Wednesday, but he's probably cool with that.
All he has left now is a game-winner in Madison Square Garden to sink the New York Knicks, 105-104, not to mention (clears throat):
The cover of Sports Illustrated this week
A surefire All-Star berth
The highest player efficiency rating by a 22-year-old in the three-point era
A still-intact streak of 13 straight games with at least 20 points
Our hearts, minds and souls
The nastiest step-back jumper on record
And maybe we need to start there, with physical mechanics that do not compute. As much as anything else, Antetokounmpo's breakout season has been defined by nightly exhibitions like this—not necessarily the 27 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, but the highlights. Routinely and without fail, he turns in two or three plays that aren't just impressive.
They're unprecedented.
Full-court forays in four dribbles. Eurosteps that cover huge swaths of the ...