The higher seed came out on top in each of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in games on Tuesday, but the two lower seeds pulled off upsets in the No. 9 vs. 10 contests on Wednesday, setting up a pair of No. 8 vs. 10 matchups on Friday to determine the final playoff teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences. In the East, the No. 10 Heat will visit the No. 8 Hawks in a second … [Read more...] about Poll: Who Will Win Friday’s Play-In Games?
Luka Doncic Discusses Mavs’ Harrison, Conditioning Criticism, More
Roughly two-and-a-half months removed from the trade that sent him from Dallas to Los Angeles, Luka Doncic sat down with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link) ahead of the Lakers‘ first-round playoff series with Minnesota and said he still hasn’t talked to Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison since the deal. Speaking to select Dallas-based media earlier this week for the … [Read more...] about Luka Doncic Discusses Mavs’ Harrison, Conditioning Criticism, More
Mavs GM Harrison On Doncic Trade, Fan Reaction, More
At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison discussed the shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic as well as the overwhelmingly negative reaction to it from fans, who have been chanting “fire Nico” since the deal was completed. “I did know Luka was important to the Mavs’ fan base,” Harrison said, per RealGM. “I didn’t quite know to what … [Read more...] about Mavs GM Harrison On Doncic Trade, Fan Reaction, More
Contract Details: Lawson, Castleton, Williams, Davis, Davison, Payton
The Raptors dipped into their mid-level exception to give A.J. Lawson and Colin Castleton rest-of-season salaries of $100K apiece when they signed standard multiyear contracts during the final week of the regular season, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Had Toronto simply signed the duo to minimum-salary deals, Lawson would’ve received about $24K at the end of this season, while … [Read more...] about Contract Details: Lawson, Castleton, Williams, Davis, Davison, Payton
And-Ones: Gambling, Doncic, Thompsons, DPOY, More
As part of their anonymous poll of 158 NBA players, the full results of which can be viewed here, Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic got several interesting responses about the league’s gambling partnerships and the impact they’ve had. Of The Athletic’s poll respondents, 46% felt the partnerships were bad for the NBA, while 34% said they were good — the remaining 20% … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Gambling, Doncic, Thompsons, DPOY, More