Stephen Curry Passes Dale Ellis for 15th All-Time on NBA’s 3-Pointers Made List
January 3rd, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has throttled up the NBA's all-time three-point leaderboard at record pace, and his ascent continued Monday night when he passed Dale Ellis to capture sole possession of 15th place on the esteemed list.
Curry made his move when he curled around a screen from Zaza Pachulia and drilled a three-pointer from the left wing during the Warriors' 127-119 win over the Denver Nuggets:
Curry entered Monday night tied with Ellis at No. 15 overall with 1,719 threes each, but the reigning NBA MVP broke the deadlock in short order.
All told, Curry finished the win with 22 points and five assists on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, including 3-of-9 from distance.
The catch-and-shoot maestro will now set his sights on bigger moves up the three-point leaderboard—and there should be another in store this week.
Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith sits at No. 14 overall on the sharpshooting list with ...
Monday NBA Roundup: Jimmy Butler Proving What We Knew About Bulls All Along
January 2nd, 2017 by Grant Hughes No comments »
Unconstrained by high-usage veterans or ball-dominant curmudgeons, Jimmy Butler led the Chicago Bulls to a 118-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
And throughout the transcendent performance, it was impossible to avoid a troubling thought: This is how it should have been all along.
Butler pumped in a season-high 52 points to go with 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block. He did it all, setting the high-energy tone with hustle plays on defense and bailing out an otherwise overwhelmed offense when it needed him.
One late-game sequence typified his impact.
Following a futile Chicago offensive possession terminated by a hopeless Nikola Mirotic heave as the shot clock sounded, Butler attacked, scored and drew the foul shot that tied the game. This from a guy who should have been (and was) utterly exhausted by then.
Asking Butler to do this—take as many shots as any other two Bulls combined, absorb the contact that ...
Jimmy Butler vs. Hornets: Stats, Highlights and Reaction
January 2nd, 2017 by Rob Goldberg No comments »
Jimmy Butler put together his best performance of the season as the Chicago Bulls earned a 118-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Butler reached the 50-point mark for the second time in his career, but his scoring was only part of an incredible all-around effort that also included 12 rebounds and six assists:
According to Jeff Mangurten of WLS 890, the 27-year-old put himself in impressive company with his scoring performance:
Butler was dealing in the first half, scoring 20 points in what was a highly competitive 58-57 battle. The Bulls' official Twitter account captured some of his best moments:
Chicago trailed by as many as eight points in the third quarter before battling back to an 85-82 deficit heading into the fourth.
After a back-and-forth battle leading into the final minutes, Butler eventually took over the game on both ends of the floor. J.A. Adande of ESPN noted the individual effort:
With ...
NBA Trade Deadline 2017: Every Team’s Biggest Need at the Start of the New Year
January 2nd, 2017 by Adam Fromal No comments »
Fire up the walkie-talkies and prepare the smoke signals.
It's trade season in the NBA, which means all lines of communication must remain open at all times.
General managers celebrate the new year by scouring the trade market, hoping against hope they find a bargain. By sending out feelers and praying opposing front offices evaluate talent quite differently, they want to make any deals that could upgrade their teams before the Feb. 23 deadline.
Some are looking to make splashy moves and shore up gaping holes. Others are looking for marginal improvements that put them in better position for the championship push.
But almost every squad has at least one need. Begin Slideshow
Kyrie Irving Injury: Cavaliers Star Out vs. Pelicans with Injured Hamstring
January 2nd, 2017 by Alec Nathan No comments »
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is dealing with hamstring tightness that will prevent him from suiting up Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.
Jordan McRae will reportedly assume Irving's place in the starting lineup.
Irving battled some left calf tightness toward the end of the preseason, but it wasn't serious, and he returned to the floor in time for the start of the regular season.
However, minor hamstring issues cropped up down the stretch during the Cavs' 124-118 win over the Boston Celtics on Dec. 29, and Irving proceeded to miss Cleveland's meeting with the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 31.
Twenty-nine appearances into the 2016-17 season, Irving is averaging 23.9 points and 6.0 assists on 48.1 percent shooting from the field and a career-best 42.0 percent shooting from three.
Back in October, head coach Tyronn Lue compared Irving to former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, according to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding:
Offensively, he has the ...
Winter Classic 2017: Score and Twitter Reaction for Blackhawks vs. Blues
January 2nd, 2017 by Joe Pantorno No comments »
Two third-period goals from Vladimir Tarasenko lifted the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win over the rival Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic from Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tarasenko's heroics broke a 1-1 deadlock, headlined a three-goal final period and added an outdoor chapter to one of the fiercest rivalries in NHL history.
Not only did the players have to contend with a different setting and more than 46,000 fans, but they had to deal with inclement weather that included rain throughout the day. It provided a new dimension to the ice, which was quickly put on display when the puck dropped.
Just 1:02 into the game, a shot from the point by Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny bounced about 10 feet in front of Blues goalie Jake Allen, took an odd hop and found a way past the netminder to give Chicago an early lead. Here's ...
Winter Classic 2017: Live Score, Updates, Analysis for Blackhawks vs. Blues
January 2nd, 2017 by Carol Schram No comments »
The St. Louis Blues delighted their sellout crowd of 46,556 at Busch Stadium with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Monday's 2017 NHL Winter Classic.
Weather concerns for the outdoor game, the first-ever in St. Louis, proved to be overblown. Fog and light rain hampered the early proceedings, but the ice conditions were excellent and set the stage for a well-played game between two long-time rivals.
The Blackhawks opened the scoring just 1:02 into the first period when Michal Kempny's point shot beat Blues netminder Jake Allen. St. Louis tied the game at the 7:45 mark of the second period on Patrik Berglund's sixth of the season, then Vladimir Tarasenko blew the game open in the late stages of the third with his 17th and 18th goals of the season.
Alexander Steen added an empty-netter with Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford on the bench for the extra late-game attacker.
The win starts off ...
NHL Teams Most Likely to Improve in 2017
January 2nd, 2017 by Lyle Richardson No comments »
Entering 2017, several NHL teams are in need of improvement. Potential playoff contenders, such as the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning, find themselves outside the postseason bracket.
Some, such as the Boston Bruins, are barely clinging to a playoff berth. Others, such as the Winnipeg Jets, hope to vault into the postseason picture.
This slideshow lists eight NHL teams most likely to improve over the remainder of 2016-17. We'll examine their current record, position in the standings, problem areas and why they'll overcome them.
You can express your views on this topic in the comments section below. Begin Slideshow
Sunday NBA Roundup: Can We Trust Atlanta Hawks’ Recent Success?
January 2nd, 2017 by Dan Favale No comments »
Just when it seems like a good idea to pass judgment on the Atlanta Hawks, they make us question everything we think we know.
Sunday night offered a perfect portrait of this controlled chaos.
It began with ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst reporting that Atlanta is open to trading soon-to-be free agents Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha. It ended with the Hawks squeezing out a gutsy 114-112 overtime victory against the San Antonio Spurs, owners of the NBA's second-best record.
Now, like we did when they began the season 9-2, and as we did yet again when they dropped 10 of 11 contests, we're once more left to wonder: Who in the mother-loving heck are these Hawks?
It's tempting to buy back into their Eastern Conference threat level given recent success. They have won three straight and eight of their last 12. During this stretch, the Hawks are pumping in 107.2 points ...
Thabo Sefolosha Trade Rumors: Latest News, Speculation Surrounding Hawks Forward
January 1st, 2017 by Rob Goldberg No comments »
The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly considering trading some of their key players, including Thabo Sefolosha.
Continue for updates.
Hawks Fielding Offers for Sefolosha
Sunday, Jan. 1
Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported the team is talking calls for Sefolosha as well as Kyle Korver and All-Star Paul Millsap.
The wing, who initially came to the Hawks in a sign-and-trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is set to be a free agent at the end of the season.
While the Hawks are still competitive, with a 17-16 record entering Sunday, they are a long way from the team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago. With Jeff Teague and Al Horford already gone, it appears the team is ready to rebuild behind point guard Dennis Schroder.
The organization is also hoping to get some value in return for its impending free agents, something it didn't get for Horford.
Sefolosha could be a useful player ...