Basketball
Nikola Jokic Out-Duels Giannis, Pulls Ahead in MVP Race –
The Denver Nuggets and the Milwaukee Bucks faced off in what could be the NBA Finals matchup of this season. It was one of the more physical games as multiple technical fouls were assessed on both teams throughout the game. It was also a clash of the number one seeds from both conferences. The two MVP candidates both had themselves a night. Nikola Jokic came away victorious, but Giannis Antetokounmpo also shined, especially in the first half of the game. After this impressive win for the Denver Nuggets, it is easy to see why many are saying that the Serbian sensation is once again at the forefront of the MVP race.
Nikola Jokic Shows Why He is the Reigning MVP in Win Over Milwaukee
Nikola Jokic vs the Milwaukee Bucks
Jokic started off the game ready to send a message. He hit the first jump-shot of the game with a mid-range shot over Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Brook Lopez. Jokic was physical with Lopez all night as he got the Bucks’ center into foul trouble and posted him up multiple times. For once, the Joker’s willingness to bang in the paint payed off as he attempted 11 free-throws and converted 10 of them. Despite being down at the half, Jokic came out in the second half helping the team set the tone as they seized the momentum.
On the night, the Joker tallied 31 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. Not to mention, he also shot 50.0 percent from the field and also had a box plus/minus of +19, the second-highest total on the team behind Michael Porter Jr. who had a box plus/minus of +21. Many have been claiming Jokic has been slipping in the MVP race as of late. However, tonight certainly elevated him back to the top of the conversation. Per FanDuel, the Joker still has +270 odds to take home this year’s MVP award.
Denver’s Impressive Second Half
The Denver Nuggets finally matched Milwaukee’s aggressiveness in the second half. It paid off for them as they started to get to the line more and more. The Bucks also started get more and more frustrated resulting in more technical fouls being called on them. One must remember that the Bucks were also a bit fatigued considering they were on the end of a back-to-back. In the second half, Denver outscored Milwaukee 34-19 in the third quarter and the Nuggets’ second unit was a positive for the first time in weeks. All in all, this was arguably the Nuggets’ best win of the season.
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Basketball
Brandon Miller hit career-high seven 3s, tied Hornets’ rookie record
Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller made a career-high seven 3-pointers, tying the franchise rookie record for most in a single game, during Wednesday night’s 118-111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 6-foot-9 wing recorded 31 points, six rebounds, one assist, and a block in 35 minutes of action. He also finished 11-of-19 (57.9%) shooting from the field and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range.
.@brandmillerr has made seven threes tonight to:
✅ set a new career high
✅ tie franchise rookie record for a single game pic.twitter.com/cqCrueD2H0— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 28, 2024
“I wasn’t aware, I was just happy that we got the win,” Miller replied when asked if he knew about tying the Hornets’ rookie record. “With being on a losing streak, I think a win like this can start something great and we’ll try to build off this.”
Miller drained a dagger 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to secure a seven-point lead and help Charlotte snap its five-game losing streak. It was his third 30-point game of his NBA career.
Brandon Miller became the third-fastest Charlotte Hornets rookie to reach 1,000 career points
“He was big,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Charlotte’s No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft. “He made big plays, and he got going in the second half. Another really good performance.”
Earlier this month, Miller scored his 1,000th career point in his 60th career game against the Phoenix Suns on March 15. He became the third-fastest Hornets rookie to reach the mark behind only Alonzo Mourning (53 games) and Larry Johnson (55 games).
Through 65 games (59 starts) of his rookie season, Miller is averaging 17 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.4 3-pointers, and 32 minutes per game while shooting 43.6% from the floor, 36.8% from deep, and 81.7% at the line.
.@hornets guard/forward @brandmillerr has reached 1,000 career points in his 60th career game. He is the third-fastest Hornets rookie to reach 1,000 career points behind only Alonzo Mourning (53 games) and Larry Johnson (55 games).#LetsFly35
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) March 16, 2024
Additionally, Miller is set to become the 11th rookie in NBA history to average at least 15 points and two 3-pointers per game in a season.
Miller would join Allen Iverson (23.5 PPG, 2 3P), Stephen Curry (17.5 PPG, 2.1 3P), Damian Lillard (19 PPG, 2.3 3P), Lauri Markkanen (15.2 PPG, 2.1 3P), Kyle Kuzma (16.1 PPG, 2.1 3P), Donovan Mitchell (20.5 PPG, 2.4 3P), Luka Doncic (21.2 PPG, 2.3 3P), Kendrick Nunn (15.3 PPG, 2.0 3P), Anthony Edwards (19.3 PPG, 2.4 3P), and Jalen Green (17.3 PPG, 2.3 3P).
The Hornets host the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
Basketball
Victor Wembanyama 2nd NBA rookie with 300+ combined stls, blks
San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama is the first NBA rookie to record 300 or more combined blocks and steals in a season since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992-93.
Wembanyama, 20, has amassed 222 blocks and 79 steals through 64 games, totaling 301. O’Neal logged 286 blocks and 60 steals in 81 games, combining for 346 in his rookie season.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Sportsbooks are still showing great odds for Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren.
Victor Wembanyama (221 blocks, 79 steals) becomes the first Rookie to eclipse 300+ combined blocks & steals in a season since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992-93 with 346. pic.twitter.com/ELhjcpP0Hc
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) March 28, 2024
In San Antonio’s 118-111 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, Wembanyama posted 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five blocks in 30 minutes of action.
It was his 21st game with five or more blocks, the most by an NBA player before age 21. O’Neal ranks second on the all-time list with 19 games, followed by Anthony Davis (14), Josh Smith (13), and Kevin Garnett (10).
The 7-foot-4 big man also finished 7-of-15 (46.7%) shooting from the floor, 1-of-4 (25%) beyond the arc, and 4-of-7 (57.1%) at the foul line.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama leads NBA in blocks, recorded a career-high 10 blocks
Through 63 games (all starts), San Antonio’s No. 1 pick in last year’s draft is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, an NBA-leading 3.4 blocks, 1.3 steals, and 29 minutes per game.
Wemby also leads the league with 217 blocks. He ranks 10th in total rebounds (662), eighth in defensive rebounds (519), 20th in steals, third in defensive box plus/minus (3.0), second in defensive rating (106.7), and sixth in usage percentage (31.8%).
Moreover, in San Antonio’s 122-99 loss against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 12, Wemby notched 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a career-high 10 blocks in 28 minutes played.
denied and destroyed!! 👽🛸@wemby | #PorVida | @Spurs | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/ERTJeyWTHZ
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) March 28, 2024
He became the fifth NBA player since 1990 to register a triple-double with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a single game.
It was also the first triple-double with blocks since Clint Capela had 13 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 blocks for the Atlanta Hawks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 22, 2021.
NBA sportsbooks show Wembanyama with second-best odds to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is the front-runner with 10 games left of the regular season.
Basketball
Draymond Green’s first-quarter ejection among fastest in the past decade
Draymond Green is at it again and has now received his fourth ejection of the campaign. It seems that no matter how much his team has asked him to control his emotions on the NBA floor, he finds a way to impact the game negatively with his low tolerance and aggressive nature.
This time around, he was thrown out of the match with less than four minutes played on the clock into Golden State‘s clash against Orlando on Wednesday night. It was the forward’s first ejection since his 16-game suspension, which was a special punishment made by the NBA after he hit rival Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
With 8:24 still on the first quarter’s clock, the four-time champ started to argue with referee Ron Acosta after a foul was called on Andrew Wiggins. “It’s unfortunate. He deserved it,” his coach Steve Kerr said after beating the Magic 101-93. “And he’ll bounce back.”
Draymond was called for two technical fouls in a matter of seconds, and earned his ejection. “After a prolonged diatribe, Green directed egregious profane language towards a game official,” explained crew chief Mitchell Irvin, who then said this had nothing to do with the player’s history of misconduct.
Just as the veteran was seen walking to the locker room, his teammate Stephen Curry was visibly frustrated at the situation. Once the contest was over, he recognised how badly they need him on the floor. “We need him. He knows that. We all know that, so whatever it takes to keep him on the floor, for him to be available, that’s what’s got to happen, especially at this time of year,” he said. “I’ve talked to him plenty of times about it, even tonight, and I’ll continue to talk to him as a teammate and a friend.”
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old praised his team for the way they handled themselves on the court and conquered the game. “But it was a beautiful team effort to respond the way we did,” Curry expressed. “We went and took it, and that’s a good sign for us.”
Green didn’t attend the press after the match, but did share his excitement on social media by showing appreciation to his squad. “Great DUB!! Appreciate my dawgs holding it down! On to the next one! BOUNCE BACK!” he wrote on X.
Forward Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors in Draymond’s absence and was recognised by his locker room
Despite Green’s on-court antics earning him an ejection, Andrew Wiggins stayed calm and inspired his team to victory. Just in the first half, the forward dropped 13 points. By the end of the contest, he earned a team-high 23 points, plus 6 rebounds and two blocks over 35 minutes of play.
“Just trying to stay aggressive, trying to do whatever I can to get over the hump and get this win,” he told the press after the win. “We’re desperate. We need every win we can get.”
.@legsespn reacts to Draymond Green being ejected less than four minutes into Warriors-Magic.
“The only word that popped in my head is selfish. This is a selfish move to do this to your team when they desperately have to have you.” pic.twitter.com/Y7Fch9myPr
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 28, 2024
“He won us the game tonight – plain and simple,” Curry added. “I’m just proud of the way he took that challenge on, that he was assertive and aggressive. Whether he makes or misses shots, I could (not) care less. It’s just the ability for him to just be aggressive and take the shots that he knows he can take, put the pressure on the room, he’s knocking down 3s. Like everything. He had the whole bag working tonight.”
Their coach acknowledged how Golden State came back from a difficult situation. “It was a gutsy effort in tough circumstances, back-to-back, losing Draymond early” coach Steve Kerr shared. “And the guys just competed for 48 (minutes). Obviously, we need every game we could get right now so that’s why everybody was pretty emotional.”
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