NHL Power Rankings: B/R Experts’ Week 11 Poll
December 19th, 2016 by Adrian Dater No comments »
Eleven weeks are in the books, and what a time it's been for fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets. We're nearly at the Christmas holiday, and there's nothing but good cheer for coach John Tortorella and his crew.
There's a long way to go still, but it looks like there will be springtime hockey in Ohio. The Blue Jackets moved to the tip top of the Bleacher Report NHL Power Rankings (which is the upper case name of a tremendous bar and grill in downtown Columbus; try the pot roast sandwich—you'll thank us).
The Blue Jackets took an eight-game winning streak to British Columbia on Sunday, then made it nine with an overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks. They haven't been just beating teams lately—they've been crushing them. They've allowed just 61 goals in their first 29 games, scoring 98.
Columbus is needing to win consistently just to keep up with the Eastern Conference's ...
Blake Griffin Injury: Clippers Star to Undergo Knee Surgery
December 18th, 2016 by Tyler Conway No comments »
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin will undergo "minor" surgery on his right knee in the next few days, reported Shams Charania of The Vertical on Sunday.
Dan Woike of the Orange County Register added Griffin will miss three to six weeks due to the injury.
Griffin scored 26 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists in the Clippers' 117-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
For the season, Griffin is averaging 21 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists through 25 games.
Injuries riddled Griffin's 2015-16 campaign. He suffered a torn quad on Christmas and a broken hand during a fight with a team employee that limited him to 35 regular-season games. Soreness in his quad caused him to bow out early in Game 4 of the Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers. He went on to miss Games 5 and 6.
With Chris Paul also suffering a broken hand ...
Damian Lillard Comments on Blazers After Loss vs. Warriors
December 18th, 2016 by Joseph Zucker No comments »
The 2016-17 season hasn't gone according to plan for the Portland Trail Blazers, and they reached a new low Saturday night, losing 135-90 to the Golden State Warriors.
After the game, point guard Damian Lillard didn't hold back with his criticism of the team's overall performance.
"Man, it's OK to turn the ball over, it's OK to make mistakes, but we have to play with some damn heart and compete out there," he said, per ESPN.com's Chris Haynes.
Lillard placed the blame on himself and his teammates rather than the coaching staff: "This isn't about what the coaches are doing, this is on us. We have to take responsibility for what's going on. This s--t is ridiculous. We've got the talent; we've just got to put it together consistently."
The Trail Blazers exceeded expectations in 2015-16, securing the fifth seed in the Western Conference and upsetting the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.
Buoyed by last ...
Nerlens Noel Benched by 76ers: Latest Comments and Reaction
December 18th, 2016 by Adam Wells No comments »
Nerlens Noel's vocal outburst about his playing time has led the Philadelphia 76ers to bench their young power forward for the time being.
Per Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, 76ers head coach Brett Brown announced prior to Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets that Noel would be out of the team's rotation "for the foreseeable future."
As for what Brown's plans are, Cooney noted the 76ers will use Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor as their starters, with Noel being used only in the event of foul trouble.
Noel has appeared in just two games for the 76ers so far this season. The team announced on Oct. 21 he would need minor surgery on his left knee, the same one he tore the ACL in while playing for Kentucky in 2013.
The 22-year-old made his season debut on Dec. 11 against the Detroit Pistons, playing 10 minutes in a 97-79 win. He sat out the Sixers' next game ...
Don’t Expect Hassan Whiteside to Join NBA’s Stretch-Center Revolution
December 18th, 2016 by Zach Buckley No comments »
MIAMI — Hassan Whiteside is no stranger to the NBA's stretch-center revolution.
With bigs following the leaguewide trend of letting it fly—16 centers have made double-digit threes on the season—the Miami Heat's 7-footer has seen the impact firsthand.
"I won't get as many blocks," Whiteside told Bleacher Report, "because I'm away from the paint."
One might assume, then, the 27-year-old could use that intel to expand his own offensive range and pull opposing shot-blockers away from the basket. To a small extent, he has, though his long-range forays have occurred away from the public eye.
"He shoots them in practice," swingman Josh Richardson said. "He hits them in practice sometimes. He doesn't shoot them when we're scrimmaging, but he'll mess around and shoot them."
The idea of that hobby becoming something more isn't entirely far-fetched.
While most know Whiteside for his above-the-rim antics at both ends, he's proved capable of burying jumpers. His 24 mid-range makes are tied for 12th among centers, ...
Russell Westbrook Becomes 6th NBA Player to Record 50 Career Triple-Doubles
December 18th, 2016 by Daily Facts No comments »
Fact: Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 22 assists and 11 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. He became the sixth player in NBA history with at least 50 career triple-doubles.
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 InsightsRead more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and More
December 18th, 2016 by Tim Daniels No comments »
Although the NBA trade market has been a little slow to develop this season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a flurry of activity once the first blockbuster is complete. Front offices are waiting for an aggressive team to set the market price for the top names available.
Exactly when that could happen is unclear. The rumor mill hasn't produced any talk where it seems like a high-profile deal is imminent. That said, the season is reaching a point where contenders will want to make moves as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors lead the conferences once again.
With that in mind, let's check out some of the latest buzz from around the league. We'll also analyze what the trade rumors could mean for the players and teams involved.
Rudy ...
Russell Westbrook vs. Suns: Stats, Highlights and Reaction
December 17th, 2016 by Adam Wells No comments »
After a three-game drought with no triple-doubles, Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook returned with a vengeance on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns by recording the 50th triple-double of his career in a 114-101 victory.
Per NBA Stats on Twitter, Westbrook is the sixth player in league history with at least 50 career triple-doubles.
SportsCenter noted Westbrook needed the third-fewest games to record 50 career triple-doubles:
That is just the tip of the iceberg for what Westbrook accomplished with his latest triple-double. Per Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript, Oklahoma City's All-Star recorded the NBA's first triple-double with at least 20 points and 20 assists since 1998 when Rod Strickland did it for the Washington Wizards.
ESPN's Royce Young pointed out Westbrook finished four points shy of joining an exclusive group that includes just two players:
Westbrook's previous career high for assists in a game was 19, a mark he surpassed with this feed to Steven ...
Updated 2016-17 Win-Loss Projections for Every NBA Team
December 17th, 2016 by Adam Fromal No comments »
That look of consternation LeBron James is displaying in the above picture? Some of you might want to reserve that same stare for us, because we can't possibly pick every NBA team to make the playoffs.
More than a few fanbases will be unhappy.
Though clear delineation has developed between the Western Conference's haves and have-nots, the Eastern Conference's playoff picture is a muddled mess. Ten teams seem to have significant shots at playing more than 82 games, and that number could grow if a few lackluster units get their acts together.
The gap between the West's Nos. 8 and 9 is a meager six games in our predictions—the same separation that exists between the East's Nos. 3 and 9.
We're arriving at these educated guesses by looking at everything that's happened in 2016-17, including the teams' paces and how they're playing, per the FATS model provided by NBA Math. Large disparities exist for some ...
Longtime San Antonio Spurs Reporter Reflects on Tim Duncan’s Career
December 17th, 2016 by Mike Monroe No comments »
On Halloween night in 1997 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, I had a courtside seat for the beginning of the Tim Duncan era. Little did I know that despite leaving childhood almost four decades earlier, I was in store for a treat that lasted most of the next 20 years.
At the time, I was on the Denver Nuggets beat for the Denver Post, years before I moved to the San Antonio Express-News in February 2004. That required me to focus on Denver's rookie point guard, Bobby Jackson, and two other 1997 first-round picks on the Nuggets roster: Tony Battie (No. 5) and Danny Fortson (No. 10, traded to Denver from Milwaukee).
Long-suffering Nuggets fans were anxious to see how they would handle their first games for a team that had won only 21 games the previous season.
The San Antonio Spurs scored the first of their 56 regular-season wins, 107-96, but Jackson became one ...