Finals MVP: Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91) of Toronto R. Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo (6'11''-G/F-94) of Milwaukee B. Most Improved Player: Pascal Siakam (6'9''-F-94) of Toronto R. Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams (6'1''-SG-86) of LA Clippers Rookie of the Year: Luka Doncic (6'7''-G-99) of Dallas M. Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert (7'1''-C-92) of Utah Jazz Sportsmanship Award: Mike Conley (6'1''-PG-87) of Memphis G. NBA Cares Community Assist Award: Bradley Beal (6'5''-SG-93) of Washington W. Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: Mike Conley (6'1''-PG-87) of Memphis G. Hustle Award: Marcus Smart (6'4''-G-94) of Boston C. Coach of the Year: Mike Budenholzer of Milwaukee B.
All-Defensive 2nd Team
PG: Jrue Holiday (6'4''-PG-90) of N.Orleans P.
G: Klay Thompson (6'7''-G-90) of Golden St.W.
C: Joel Embiid (7'0''-C-94) of Philadelphia 76ers
F: Draymond Green (6'7''-F-90) of Golden St.W.
F: Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91) of Toronto R.
Toronto Raptors are the first ever Canadian team to win the NBA championship. They upset Golden State at the Oracle Arena in Game 6 to clinch the trophy. Fred VanVleet (6'0''-PG-94, college: Wichita St.) scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Raptors rally to the historic title. Warriors were trailing by 3 points at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 28-22 charge of Raptors, which allowed them to win the game. They made 23-of-29 free shots (79.3 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was point guard Kyle Lowry (183-86, college: Villanova) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam (206-94, college: N.Mexico St.) chipped in a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Draymond Green (201-90, college: Michigan St.) who recorded a triple-double by scoring 11 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists and Bahamas-American guard Klay Thompson (201-90, college: WSU) added 30 points and 5 rebounds (went 10 for 10 at the free throw line !!!) respectively. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Warriors' coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Top scorers: Golden St.W.: K.Thompson 30+5reb, A.Iguodala 22+2reb+2ast, S.Curry 21+3reb+7ast, D.Cousins 12+5reb+2ast, D.Green 11+19reb+13ast, K.Looney 6+3reb+3ast Toronto R.: K.Lowry 26+7reb+10ast, P.Siakam 26+10reb+3ast, K.Leonard 22+6reb+3ast, F.VanVleet 22+2reb, S.Ibaka 15+3reb+2ast, M.Gasol 3+9reb+4ast
gschID: 728384
NBA All-Star Game 2019 Participants - Feb 13, 2019
Kevin Durant steals the show in Charlotte, wins second All-Star MVP - Feb 18, 2019
In Stephen Curry (6'3''-PG-88, college: Davidson)'s homecoming, Kevin Durant (6'9''-SF-88, college: Texas) stole the show. Durant scored a team-high 31 points for Team LeBron, helping to lead his team of All-Stars back from a 20-point deficit in a 178-164 win over Team Giannis and winning All-Star MVP for the second time in his career. Durant, who last won the award in 2012, shot 10-for-15 from the floor (6-for-9 from 3) as Team LeBron set a new All-Star record for most made 3s in a game with 35. "We just didn't want to lose," Durant told ESPN's Rachel Nichols after accepting the MVP trophy on the court after the game. "We know we had a lot of talent over there that can do multiple things. We just wanted to turn it up a bit on the defensive side. I think the group closed the third quarter really changed the game for us. It is fun being around such greatness. Seeing how these guys operate on the day to day. I'll miss my time here." He added 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks as LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84) improved to 2-0 as a captain since the NBA All-Star Game changed to a draft format last year. Durant paid off as James' No. 1 overall pick in the draft. "It's all sweet to me," Durant said when asked to compare the award to his other career accomplishments. "I mean, it's hard to rank. Everything's special. But it's cool to be out there with some of the best players to ever play the game, and to win an MVP here in front of my family and friends is pretty sweet. I just keep trying to rack them up, I guess." The 11-year veteran's trophy case is getting mighty crowded these days after taking home back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards for the Golden State Warriors' championships the last two years. Durant, who is not expected to opt in to the final year of his contract, worth $31.5 million, with the Warriors and instead test free agency this summer, was asked if there were any teammates in particular he enjoyed playing with on Team LeBron. Several of his teammates -- Kyrie Irving (6'3''-G-92, college: Duke), Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91, college: San Diego St.) and Klay Thompson (6'7''-G-90, college: Washington St.) -- are also expected to test free agency this summer. James' team, the Los Angeles Lakers, will have the salary cap space to sign a max free agent of Durant's caliber. "Every one of them," Durant said, not offering any clues. "I think every one of these guys, you can relate to them on a different level. A lot of these guys come from the same background and same circumstances, so you relate to them on a different level. All our skills match with each other. So you've got guys that can play four positions out there. So you don't mind sitting in the corner waiting for the ball to come to you for a 3. "So you don't really have to do too much when you're playing with so many great players. You can do what you're just best at." Durant went 4-for-4 from the field (3-for-3 from 3) in the fourth quarter as Team LeBron pulled away. At halftime, with Team LeBron trailing by 13 points, James asked coach Mike Malone if he and his teammates could leave the locker room to see rapper J. Cole perform his halftime set out on the court. "I said, listen, I'll let you go watch the concert if you promise to get your ass back in transition," Malone said. "LeBron made my words known, they watched the concert, and they came out and played great." Team LeBron allowed 69 points in the second half after giving up 95 points in the first two quarters. "Coach Malone said the record [for points allowed] is 194, and we don't want to get that put on us," Durant said, revealing another motivation tactic of the Denver Nuggets' coach. "So I think guys just buckled down and wanted to win after a while." Curry, who played for Team Giannis, scored 17 points on 6-for-23 shooting (4-for-17 from 3), adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Damian Lillard (6'3''-PG-90, college: Weber St.), who scored nine of his 18 points in the third quarter to aid in the comeback alongside Durant, was asked to assess Durant's performance considering how much he has been in the news this season -- from commenting that stars didn't want to play alongside James to sniping at a reporter for speculating he could join the New York Knicks this summer. "I don't think the news had anything to do with it," Lillard said. "I think we all know the kind of player he is. Down the stretch of this game, he's hitting big shot after big shot. I think that's the most important thing. We know he's a very, very high-level basketball player, and from being around him, you see that he's just a regular dude. He comes off pretty genuine to me. "So I think you hear people saying stuff about he's sensitive and all those types of things, but you also want a genuine person. So I think people got to choose. But that's the way he comes off to me when I've been around him." Courtesy of: espn.com
Hamidou Diallo wins NBA Slam Dunk Contest - Feb 17, 2019
It was a day of winning for the University of Kentucky Athletics program. The softball and baseball teams got road wins, and the basketball team dominated the No. 1 team in the country at Rupp Arena. However, it wasn't just current Kentucky Wildcats athletes getting big-time wins. Former Kentucky basketball guard and now Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Hamidou Diallo (6'6''-F/G-98, college: Kentucky) won the 2019 NBA slam dunk contest Saturday night defeating Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (6'3''-G-97, college: NC State) Jr, Hornets forward Miles Bridges (6'7''-G/F-98, college: Michigan St.) and Hawks forward John Collins (6'10''-PF-97, college: Wake Forest). Diallo put together a show for the Charlotte crowd that included a dunk over all-time great and seven-footer Shaquille O'Neal. Diallo joins Kenny Walker (1989) as the only two players from Kentucky to win the dunk contest. As a rookie, Diallo has averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while playing 11.4 minutes for the playoff-bound Thunder. While many argued he needed another year of college, it's clear now he made the right call to go pro. Diallo's slam dunk contest victory capped what was a perfect day to be a Wildcat. Courtesy of: aseaofblue.com
Nets' Joe Harris shocks Warriors' Stephen Curry for 3-point title - Feb 17, 2019
Stephen Curry (6'3''-PG-88, college: Davidson)'s storybook 3-point contest dream ended Saturday night at the hands of Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris (6'6''-G-91, college: Virginia). Harris, who came into the weekend shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from 3-point land, stunned a capacity crowd in Curry's hometown of Charlotte, by knocking down 26 points in the final round, beating Curry's score of 24. "Obviously it's incredible," Harris said. "Steph is the greatest shooter of all time. Again, shooting off of the rack for a minute is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry. I don't want anybody to get it twisted at all. He's come in and won this thing [in 2015] and lost. He's participated a number of different times. So for me to come in my first time and to win obviously is quite a surreal experience." The 27-year-old set the tone as the first shooter of the night, knocking down 25 points in the first round, including all five of his shots in the moneyball rack in the left corner. "I think I was lucky to be the first guy to shoot," Harris said. "Because I was able to get kind of warm beforehand, and you don't really have a ton of anxiety because you can't have time to think about it. You're going right into it, right into shooting." Despite Harris' strong effort at the beginning, it was Curry who electrified the crowd in the first round, scoring a high of 27 points, including knocking down all five shots in his own moneyball rack in the right corner. He received a loud ovation after the performance as he excitedly made his way back to the bench. After Harris put up 26 to start the final round, Sacramento Kings swingman Buddy Hield (6'4''-G-93, college: Oklahoma) managed just 19, clearing the way for Curry to win it at the end. Curry started strong, knocking down nine of his first 10 shots, but he cooled off in the middle two racks, missing four of his next 10 attempts. When he failed to hit his third attempt in the final moneyball rack, the contest was over. Curry, who won the event in 2015, initially said this was "most likely" the final time he would participate in the event, but then finished up by saying he didn't know if he would come back toward the end of his career like Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki (7'0''-F-78) did Saturday night. Nowitzki finished with 17 points and did not advance. The big storyline coming into the event was that Curry, and his brother, Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry (6'1''-PG-90, college: Duke), had a bet in which the loser had to pay for the winner's game tickets for family members each time they played for the rest of their careers. Seth finished with 16 points and did not qualify for the final round. After it was over, Curry said he wasn't sure he if would collect on the bet since neither he nor Seth won the contest. But when reminded by reporters that he had previously said the highest score between the two won the bet, he relented. "A bet's a bet," Stephen said. "He shook on it." Prior to the contest, Stephen and Seth's father, Dell, admitted he was rooting for Seth to win since Stephen had captured the contest in 2015. Dell, who played for the Charlotte Hornets for 10 years, participated in his own contest before the event, taking part in a joint one-minute round for charity alongside former shooting greats Ray Allen, Mark Price and Glen Rice. It was a moment that will not be soon forgotten for the Curry family. "Honestly, I didn't think about it when I was out there," Stephen said of the bet. "It was just, I was watching him, just smiling ear to ear, wishing every shot went in. I'm sure he was doing the same for me -- maybe he wasn't if he was trying to win the bet. But it was just-- and seeing my dad behind the bench and the whole family up in the crowd was cool. So I will remember this for a long time." Despite Stephen's best efforts to win at home, Harris ended the night with his own memory of a lifetime. "I've said it a lot this weekend that a lot of guys in this league have got a unique path," Harris said. "It sometimes takes guys longer than others. Some guys come in right away and are able to contribute. But I think you look at the makeup of our Brooklyn Nets team, and it's a lot of guys that were sort of cast off and had a second opportunity. I personally was one of those guys, and I got lucky going into a situation, going to a Nets organization that had such a strong value and emphasis on culture, skill development, and I'm sort of a byproduct of that system." Courtesy of: espn.com
Celtics' Jason Tatum wins Skills Challenge on half-court heave - Feb 17, 2019
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (6'8''-F-98, college: Duke) guaranteed a victory in Saturday night's NBA Skills Challenge competition during NBA All-Star Weekend media day on Saturday morning. As confident as he was, he sure made it as dramatic as possible. He came from behind to dispatch Kyle Kuzma (6'9''-F-95, college: Utah) and Nikola Jokic (6'10''-C-95, agency: BeoBasket) to make the final round. But to beat Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young, he needed a little something extra. Young seemed poised to win, attempting his would-be challenge-winning three-pointer as Tatum crossed halfcourt. 'The previous two rounds, the guy was ahead of me, (and I) figured I'd let him get a shot attempt so I could get closer to the three-point line,' Tatum said. 'I didn't want to give Trae a chance.' Tatum launched a near-halfcourt shot as Young released his, earning the title when his ball darted through the nylon. 'I honestly didn't know I was going to hit the shot, but I had to give myself a chance, throw it up there, and it worked out for the best,' Tatum said. Young had knocked out two of the challenge's most exciting players in Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (6'4''-G-97, college: Kentucky) and Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Doncic (6'7''-G-99). But he was no match for a little Celtic luck. 'I just saw he was getting close, about to shoot it,' Tatum said. 'So I thought I'd better at least - if I'm going to lose, I'd better at least get a shot attempt up. Let me throw this up real quick. I thought I'd at least knock his ball out of the way so I can get a chance to shoot it.' His Skills Challenge victory came one night after he dropped 30 points in the Rising Stars game. The second-year player nicknamed 'Taco Jay' plans to call Taco Bell, which sponsored the Skills Challenge, and try to parlay his newest trophy into a sponsorship of his own. And even though he won't get to keep his trophy - his mom, who he said 'steals' all his trophies and Duke jerseys, will get it - he'll head back to Boston satisfied. 'It's been a great weekend, a lot better than last year,' he said. 'I played well yesterday. We won, so that was good. We lost last year. And I got an opportunity to participate in Saturday night this year, which I didn't last year. I get to leave with some hardware. 'So it was a successful weekend.' Courtesy of: charlotteobserver.com
Kuzma wins MVP, US tops World in Rising Stars 161-144 - Feb 16, 2019
When the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers' Kyle Kuzma (6'9''-F-95, college: Utah), Philadelphia's Ben Simmons (6'10''-F-96, college: LSU) and Boston's Jayson Tatum (6'8''-F-98, college: Duke) get to the NBA All-Star Game and partake in what's become the preferred run-and-fun style where defense is discouraged at virtually all costs, this much is clear. They'll be ready. Dunks, layups, 3-pointers and little else. That was the playsheet for the Rising Stars game Friday night, one where Kuzma led all scorers with 35 points on the way to MVP honors and the U.S. team defeated the World squad 161-144 on the floor that the All-Stars will be using on Sunday night. Tatum added 30 points for the U.S. The teams combined for 37 3-pointers, 55 dunks and shot a combined 12 free throws. "Last year, the World team kicked our butts," Kuzma said. "They came in here and beat us by 30. A lot of us kind of remembered that." It was 31, actually - 155-124, not that it matters. Tatum added 30 points in the game for first- and second-year players that was known for years as the Rookie Game. Atlanta's Trae Young (6'2''-G-98, college: Oklahoma) finished with 25 points and 10 assists, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox (6'4''-G-97, college: Kentucky) had 15 assists and Utah's Donovan Mitchell (6'3''-G-96, college: Louisville) added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Everyone looked happy afterward. The U.S. squad had a bit more reason to look that way. "There's a $25,000 bonus for winning the game," Kuzma said. "So that's good." Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points on 14 for 17s hooting. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic (6'7''-G-99) had 13 points and nine assists. Both teams shot 55 percent. The difference was on 3s - the U.S. was 21 for 51, while the World was 16 for 52. The mood from the outset was predictably light, even including the pregame speeches from U.S. coach Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics and World coach Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. "I want us to share the ball and not one guy dribble it 20 times and hoist something up - like Luka does with the Mavs," Nowitzki said, laughing a bit at his own joke. Irving's message was succinct. "Just have some fun," Irving said. "It's OK to compete." Doncic talked Phoenix's DeAndre Ayton (7'1''-C-98, college: Arizona) out of taking the opening tap for the World team, with the young Mavs star jumping against Fox instead of having either center handle the honors. Young was throwing an alley-oop lob to Atlanta teammate John Collins (6'10''-PF-97, college: Wake Forest) for a 360-degree dunk in one possession, then crossing over Josh Okogie (6'4''-G-98, college: Georgia Tech) in almost comical fashion on the next. "We gotta play some defense," Mitchell implored teammates at one point. It was unclear if anyone ever actually listened to his plea. There was one foul called in the entire first half, Markkanen getting whistled for it with 4:13 remaining until halftime. The first half saw 25 dunks and 20 3-pointers in 20 minutes - the sides played 10-minute quarters. Late in the half, Collins flashed a crossover dribble, then underhand-tossed a pass off the backboard to himself for a dunk that had players on both sides reacting in mock disbelief. Courtesy of: usatoday.com
Search
InStat FREE TRIAL
Your promo code is eurobasket Click for FREE TRIAL to InStat
XuQsR
-
Stephen Curry (6'3''-PG-88)
of Golden State
Warriors
Joel Embiid (7'0''-C-94)
of Philadelphia
76ers
Nikola Jokic (6'10''-C-95)
of Denver
Nuggets
Nikola Vucevic (7'0''-C-90)
of Orlando Magic
Dirk Nowitzki (7'0''-F-78)
of Dallas
Mavericks
O.G. Anunoby (6'7''-F-97)
of Toronto
Raptors
DeAndre Ayton (7'1''-C-98)
of Phoenix Suns
Luka Doncic (6'7''-G-99)
of Dallas
Mavericks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6'6''-PG-98)
of Los Angeles
Clippers
Rodions Kurucs (6'9''-SF-98)
of Brooklyn Nets
Lauri Markkanen (7'1''-PF-97)
of Chicago Bulls
Josh Okogie (6'4''-G-98)
of Minnesota
Timberwolves
-
Ben Simmons (6'10''-F-96)
of Philadelphia
76ers
-
-
