Basketball
Jimmy Butler and the Heat gave Game 1 of the Finals tonight
Currently, Jimmy Butler is in his fourth season with the Miami Heat. In those four seasons, the Heat had now made the NBA Finals twice. Before that, the Heat had not made the Finals since LeBron James was on the team. The 33-year-old elevates Miami in the postseason and can carry the team. In an interview with ESPN, Jimmy Butler said ‘It’ll be the last jersey that I wear’ when talking about the Heat.
Nobody had the Miami Heat as their pick to win the Eastern Conference this season. The Heat barely escaped the play-in tournament and many picked them to lose in the first round. Jimmy Butler and the rest of his teammates have played as one cohesive unit. It’s allowed them to play past their potential and beat teams that are better than them on paper.
NBA betting sites have the Miami Heat at (+350) to win the 2023 NBA Finals. The Heat are only the second #8 seed in NBA postseason history to make the Finals.
“When I’m coming into the league, the Heat used to beat the Bulls all the time… Then you fast forward, and I’m playing with D Wade… Full circle, it’ll be the last jersey that I wear.”
– Jimmy Butler
(h/t @ClutchPointsApp)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 31, 2023
Jimmy Butler hints that he plans to retire as a member of the Miami Heat
In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Jimmy Butler spoke about a full-circle moment he’s had in the league. The six-time all-star began his career with the Chicago Bulls. Butler said that the Bulls used to lose to the Heat when he was first in the league.
That initially made him dislike the Heat. A few years down the line, Dwyane Wade was playing with Jimmy in Chicago, someone Butler has connections with. They both played their college basketball at Marquette. There’s even a picture of Butler sitting next to Wade after his last game played in the NBA.
A “passing the torch” moment when it may not have been expected. Now, Butler is with the Heat and has restored Miami’s postseason relevancy. The Heat have made the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four seasons. Butler has been Miami’s best player this postseason and he’ll truly have to carry the team if they want to beat the Nuggets.
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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