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‘It was a little different, for sure’

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On Monday, Scottie Barnes came off the bench for the first time during the regular season in the Toronto Raptors’ 100-88 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year, the feeling was different.

“It was a little different, for sure. It was all right,” Barnes said after the win on how it felt to come off the bench. “I don’t know. It was all right I guess.”

Per a few NBA betting sites, the Raptors possess the 14th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. Check out which sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets.

The second-year Raptors star noticed some differences. “I don’t know,” continued Barnes. “I’m used to being out there to start off the game. But I guess it was just a little adjustment. I guess. I don’t know. It was just different I guess.”

Of course, the move came as no surprise to Barnes. “No. I knew it was happening,” responded the Florida State product. “It was just different.”

In 27 minutes played, Barnes finished his Monday night performance off the bench with 11 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three blocks. He finished 5-of-12 (41.7%) shooting from the floor.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes says “it was a little different” to come off the bench for the first time during the regular season

When asked if he was OK with a different starting lineup, Barnes replied, “Yeah, it’s whatever the scheme was, the game plan. It was fun.” At least Barnes seemed cool about it.

Through 17 appearances this season, the Raptors wing is averaging 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. He’s shooting 43.7% from the field and 34.8% behind the arc.

Barnes’ player efficiency rating (15.5) and true shooting percentage (50.4%) statistics are lower than his rookie-season numbers. However, the Raptors are utilizing Barnes in 21% of their plays with the forward on the court, which is a career-high usage percentage.

Furthermore, Toronto coach Nick Nurse is not the first to alter his starting five this season. Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue decided to bring former Raptors star Kawhi Leonard off the bench.

And Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers now leads his team’s second unit. Lakers coach Darvin Ham thought it was a necessary change. Although inconsistent, Westbrook is thriving in the sixth man role at this point of his 15-year playing career.

Through 18 appearances, Westbrook is averaging 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Plus, he’s shooting 40.6% from the field and 31.6% from three-point range. The forward has also recorded six double-doubles.

After one game, it’s difficult to say whether or not this is the right decision by Nurse. On Nov. 19, in the Raptors’ 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Scottie Barnes recorded a season-high 28 points in 46 minutes.

Though, the wing has logged just two 20-point games this season. This time last season as a starter, Barnes recorded 20-plus points in four contests.

During the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Barnes came off the bench in Game 4 of the Raptors’ 110-102 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He finished that game with six points, 11 rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes.





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Rockets Win 10th Straight, Eye 1st Playoff Appearance Since 2020

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The Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-126 in overtime on Wednesday night for their 10th straight win, as they continue to fight for their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

It’s the second-longest winning streak in the NBA this season, trailing only an 11-game run by the league-leading Boston Celtics. It’s also Houston’s longest win streak since the Rockets won 11 straight in March 2018.

“Oh, it was lit,” Jalen Green said after recording 37 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. “Everybody was happy, celebrating, screaming. We fought for that one. We worked hard. That’s how we should react after going 10-0. We’ll still keep going. We got what, 10 more games left?”

The Rockets (37-35) lucked out playing a dominant Thunder team without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was downgraded to out on OKC’s injury report due to a quadriceps contusion.

Houston remains only one game behind the No. 10-seeded Golden State Warriors (38-34) for the West’s final play-in spot. The No. 9-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (41-32) hold a 2.5-game lead on the Warriors as well.

“We’re going to get a play-in game,” Green said. “We’re going to keep going.”

Through 72 games (all starts) this season, Green is averaging 19.8 points, a career-high 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 31.6 minutes per game while shooting career bests of 42.7% from the floor and 80.8% at the foul line.

Houston Rockets are 25-19 against Western Conference opponents, still trail Golden State Warriors

However, the Rockets’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft has averaged 29.8 points over the 10 games, shooting 51% from the floor and 45.9% from 3-point range.

The team has gone 12-1 in March with Green playing lights out. He could become the first non-All-NBA player since Tobias Harris in November 2018 to win Western Conference Player of the Month.

Furthermore, Houston is 26-11 at home, 11-24 away, 9-5 against Southwest Division opponents, and 25-19 in conference play. The team has also won six straight on the road and six in a row versus West teams.

“I think it’s invaluable for our young guys to go through this,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “And obviously making the playoffs or play-in will be another step, but just going through what they are now and coming on the other side of .500 is huge for them.”

Rookie forward Amen Thompson finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday’s win, the first 25-point, 15-rebound game by a Houston player since Yao Ming in December 2022, per ESPN Stats & Information.

Jabari Smith Jr., 20, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, switched from power forward to center after breakout star Alperen Sengun suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain and a bone bruise in his knee against the Sacramento Kings on March 10.

Additionally, the Rockets have finished dead last in the Western Conference the past three seasons.

During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Houston defeated the Thunder in seven games in their first-round series. Though, the club went on to lose in five games to the Lakers in the conference semifinals.





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Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. defends brother Jontay amid betting investigation

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Toronto’s Jontay Porter has missed his last two NBA games due to “personal reasons,” until insiders revealed on Monday that he was actually being investigated by the league for betting issues. This is why his brother Michael, who stars for the Nuggets, decided to speak out in his sibling’s support this Wednesday evening. The Denver player is convinced he would never do anything to jeopardise his career. 

The investigation is based on multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past months, especially gambling props from games on January 26 and then March 20. An NBA spokesperson then confirmed the news, revealing that the league is “looking into it.”

When asked about it, Porter Jr. explained that he doesn’t know more details than the press does, but guarantees his younger brother is innocent. “Jontay loves the game of basketball. I’ve known my brother my whole life. I know what type of dude he is and I know he’s excited to play basketball, and I highly doubt he would do anything to put that in jeopardy,” he said about the two-way Raptors player.

The six-foot-10 athlete has only started in 5 games this campaign, and is averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 contests so far. Jontay is yet to publicly addressed his situation, as he patiently waits for a resolution to return to defend the Toronto badge.

It might be obvious, but players and team employees in general aren’t allowed to bet on any NBA events, including prop bets. According to the league officials, participating in gambling are considered violations that could result in fines, suspensions and potential termination of contracts, among other consequences.

Nevertheless, Jontay’s older brother acknowledged that NBA athletes are very much aware on how their performances affect gamblers and these situations are only increasing in the league. “Yeah, especially the last few years you hear people in the crowd saying what they need you to score tonight or what they don’t want you to score.

“Every night you’re disappointing someone. You’re disappointing people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you’re disappointing people if you didn’t score enough. So, it’s a part of the game now,” Michael recognised.

The Nuggets forward admitted that betting is slowly becoming a “dangerous habit” surrounding the NBA world

Despite speaking out in support of his younger sibling, Michael Porter Jr. does recognise that the gambling world is growing closer everyday alongside professional sports and has become a temptation for many athletes. “I think that it’s obviously a dangerous habit. It’s a dangerous vice for people,” he explained.

“You know, the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I think that even though it is a thing, we as players just have to accept that,” the player added. “We get paid a lot of money to play this game, and I know these people, these fans, they want to make some money, as well. It’s definitely something that has kind of taken over the sporting world — I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

As Jontay has now missed the last two games for his club, his coach revealed that he only became aware of the investigation until this past Monday. “I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honesty from players,” Darko Rajaković shared. “Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before.”

The Serbian then revealed that he’s yet to discuss this issue with the rest of the locker room. “I don’t know their reaction,” he said. “I just know nobody wants those kind of situations to happen to anybody, to any team. We’ve just got to deal with it.”





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Rui Hachimura Records 103.6% Effective FG, 6th Highest All Time

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura posted an effective field goal percentage of 103.6%, the sixth highest in NBA history in a 30-point, 10-rebound game, in Wednesday night’s 136-124 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hachimura, 26, ended his outing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 35 minutes of action. He shot 11-of-14 (78.6%) from the floor, 7-of-8 (87.5%) from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 (75%) at the foul line.

The Lakers were coming off a thrilling 128-124 double-overtime victory in Milwaukee without LeBron James on Tuesday night. It was Los Angeles’ fifth straight win to pull within 2 1/2 games of the No. 6-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

James registered his fourth triple-double of the season with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists against Memphis. The four-time MVP has been impressed by Hachimura’s performances in the second half of the season.

Rui Hachimura is averaging career highs in effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage

“Very comfortable,” James said of Hachimura’s play since Hachimura became the starting small forward on Feb. 3. “He knows where his shots are coming from. He knows he’s going to be on the floor. And he knows he’s going to get minutes.

“Gives us another big body, another athletic wing out there. When we downsize, a night like tonight, we had to play small at times, me and him, we can switch some things and still be able to clean glass. So he’s been very key for our success since he got here.”

Through 59 games (30 starts) this season, Hachimura is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 26.2 minutes per game while shooting a career-best 53.3% from the field and 42.3% from deep.

His effective field goal percentage (60.5%), true shooting percentage (62.4%), and win shares (3.2) are all career highs. The forward’s 3-point shooting percentage ranks 13th in the NBA this season as well.

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ 138-122 win over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 14, he notched a career-high 36 points on 13-of-19 (68.4%) shooting from the floor, 6-of-8 (75%) outside the arc, and 4-of-5 (80%) at the free throw line.

His seven 3-pointers at Memphis were a career high.





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