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Sigh of relief for OKC as Russell Westbrook avoids suspension, gets away with US$10,000 fine
LOOKING to prevent an early exit from the playoffs, Oklahoma City dodged further trouble as Russell Westbrook avoided suspension for an incident with Utah’s Rudy Gobert, only getting slapped a US$10,000 fine on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time). Westbrook was set to enter the match during a stoppage in the fourth quarter of Game Four on Monday when he made contact with Gobert, who was fouled by Raymond Felton apparently in the groin area and was walking to the bench along with other players after struggling to get up from the hit. The fourth-seeded Thunder went on to lose the match to fall 1-3 behind the No. Jazz in the Western Conference first round. Observers believe the incident would have merited a suspension as Westbrook, without being waved on by the game officials, looked to have entered the playing court to get involved in an altercation. Westbrook gave Gobert a slap in the arm. The former MVP was assessed a post-game technical foul and will be available for Game Five. The penalty was announced on Tuesday by NBA Executive Vice President for Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe.
Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis could miss entire 2018-19 season, James Dolan says
The Knicks missed out on the playoffs this season, and to make matters worse, watched as star forward Kristaps Porzingis finished the season injured after sustaining a torn left ACL in February. Porzingis was enjoying a breakout season that had some fans chanting "MVP" as he helped the struggling Knicks remain relevant early in the season. But Porzingis' injury ended any hope for a Knicks return to the playoffs, with the team finishing the season at 29-53. Team owner James Dolan said Thursday (AEST) that he's heard a myriad of different timetables for Porzingis' return to the court, with one of them being especially troubling for Knicks fans. “I’ve been told everything from December to him being out for the season, so I don’t know what to expect on that,” Dolan said, via the New York Post . “But we can’t just sit on our ass while he’s away. We need to develop a team and then integrate him into it when he comes back.” While Dolan seemed flippant about Porzingis' return date, he acknowledged that the 7-3 forward remains an important member of the organisation. "I think we have a great player in Porzingis," Dolan said. "We just have to build around him.” Porzingis averaged 22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season, while also displaying a more aggressive approach on defense. Although the knee could be an issue moving forward, Porzingis said over the weekend that he won't require offseason surgery on the elbow that has troubled him.
Warriors Surely Want To Re-Sign Kevin Durant But Must Contend With His Age
The Golden State Warriors begin their title defense on Saturday afternoon, and a key player in that defense is obviously Kevin Durant. For the next few weeks, Durant will have a great deal of impact on the Warriors' chances to repeat. But when the Warriors' postseason run finally ends, Durant's contract with the team will also expire. Although Durant is opting out of his contract, reports indicate he clearly intends to return to the Warriors in 2018-19. The issue facing the Warriors is how exactly to bring Durant back to the team. Chis Haynes at ESPN has laid out three possible contract options. Before we get to these three options, let's briefly review what Durant has done so far in his career. Fans of the NBA know that Durant was Rookie of the Year in 2008, the league MVP in 2014, led the NBA in scoring four times, played in nine consecutive All-Star games, and was the MVP of the NBA Finals in 2017. Beyond the accolades, though, Durant has produced a great deal of money for his NBA employers. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement caps the salaries of the very best players in the game. Because of this, the very best players can be worth far more revenue than they are paid in salaries. In other words, an economist would say the very best players tend to be exploited (i.e., their economic value is more than their wage). The approach taken to determine Durant's economic value was detailed at Forbes in January. Briefly, the NBA currently shares about half its revenue with its players. According to Forbes, NBA teams generated $7.4 billion in revenue in 2016-17. Therefore, NBA players received about $3.7 billion in revenue. If we assume players are primarily paid to produce regular-season wins (salaries are for the regular season), then each of the 1,230 regular-season wins in 2016-17 was worth $2.995 million. According to BoxScoreGeeks, Durant produced 13.4 wins in 2016-17. Given the value of a win, one could argue Durant was worth $40.1 million. His pay, though, was only $26.5 million. Therefore, Durant was underpaid by $13.6 million. Thus far he has produced about 130 wins in his career, and these wins — given the estimated value of a win for each season following the same approach — have been worth about $279.2 million. Durant, though, has been paid only $160.2 million for these efforts. So the two franchises that have employed Durant have received about $119 million more from Durant than he has been paid. All of that means Durant has been exploited in his career. And again, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement is designed to make that happen. So we might believe that, given all he has done for his NBA employers, Durant definitely deserves a large contract. Unfortunately for Durant, there is one problem with this approach. The Warriors aren't going to pay Durant for all he has done so far; they are primarily paying him for what he will do going forward. In other words, Durant's being underpaid to date doesn't necessarily mean the
Alab Pilipinas sweeps Saigon Heat to seal ABL semis duel vs Hong Kong Eastern
HO CHI MINH CITY – San Miguel Alab Pilipinas barged into Vietnam and extinguished the fire out of Saigon Heat, 96-85, to book its ticket to the Asean Basketball League semifinals on Saturday at the CIS Arena.Not even the hostile crowd and some questionable calls in the second half could stop the visiting side from continuing its mastery over Saigon, as they led by as many as 15 points in the second half after a tightly contested battle in the first two periods.Playing a top heavy squad in Saigon, the biggest difference turned out to be the locals for Alab with Lawrence Domingo leading the attack.The 6-foot-5 Domingo came off the bench to score 21 points on an ultra-efficient 9-10 shooting coupled with his energy down low and on the defensive end.Renaldo Balkman also finished with 21 points while adding 12 rebounds as Justin Brownlee finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.The Philippines will now take on Christian Standhardinger and the Hong Kong Eastern team on Wednesday in their maiden semifinals appearance.Getting a big boost from their home crowd, the Heat looked confident at the beginning, keeping in step with the third-seeded Alab and even taking the lead early in the second quarter.The game was last tied at 40 with less than four minutes to go in the second quarter, but back-to-back dunks by Domingo and Brownlee pumped life into Alab Pilipinas heading into the break.They never looked back since.Domingo and Brownlee continued to make damage for Alab in the third before the returning Josh Urbiztondo made his presence felt by hitting two three pointers early in the fourth to douse cold water on every Saigon attempt at a comeback.Pao Javelona also had a solid outing for the Philippines as he finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists while Ray Parks shrugged off a bad shooting night to finish with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block.Akeem Scott led the Heat with 22 points whie Maxie Esho chipped in 20.Fil-American Mikey Williams was held to just six points on 2-6 shooting.
Kings score 9 in 1st, rally to beat Bulls 104-98
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Two days after getting heated with his players didn't work, Sacramento coach Dave Joerger tried a softer, gentler approach and got the results he wanted.If only it had been that easy for the Kings all season.Bogdan Bogdanovic made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining and Sacramento overcame a dismal start with a strong finish to beat the Chicago Bulls 104-98 on Monday night.The Kings scored just nine points in the first quarter, trailed by as many as 21 and were down by seven with 10 minutes left before rallying to complete Sacramento's first season sweep of the Bulls since 2006-07."I did a fair bit of screaming Saturday night trying to get us to play and I couldn't," Joerger said, referring to a 106-99 loss to Dallas. "If you start doing on that on a nightly basis and they'll not hear you. So I was trying to be very positive."After Zach LaVine's follow shot tied it at 93 with less than 4 minutes left, Sacramento's Buddy Hield and Chicago's Bobby Portis exchanged 3-pointers. Bogdanovic then hit the go-ahead bucket for the Kings on an uncontested shot beyond the arc.Willie Cauley-Stein added an emphatic dunk but was called for goaltending on a shot by LaVine that cut the Kings' lead to 101-98. George Hill added three free throws over the final 11.4 seconds.Bogdanovic had 15 points, Hill scored 14 and Garrett Temple added 12 for Sacramento. The Kings became the second team this season to win after scoring nine or fewer in the first quarter. Miami beat the Bulls on Nov. 26 after being held to seven in the opening period."We didn't drive into the paint as much in the second half, and we started making shots," Bogdanovic said.LaVine scored 27 points and Justin Holiday had 20 for Chicago. The Bulls, who lost center Robin Lopez to an ejection in the first half, have dropped seven straight.Chicago was already playing without Lauri Markkanen, who missed his third straight game due to the birth of his child, and Kris Dunn. Markkanen was scheduled to join the Bulls in Sacramento but his flight was cancelled due to weather in Chicago."Best start we had in a long time," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "But then they ramped up the pressure on us in the second half and really bothered us."The Bulls led 28-9 after the first quarter while limiting the Kings to a season low for scoring in any period this season. The Kings were booed off the court after making only four shots.Sacramento turned things around after that, scoring 32 in the second, 36 in the third and 27 in the fourth.TIP-INSBulls: Holiday had 11 points with three 3-pointers in the first quarter. . Coach Fred Hoiberg said Dunn is feeling better and is making progress from the concussion he suffered against Golden State on Jan. 17.Kings: Rookie De'Aaron Fox limped off the court after scoring as part of Sacramento's 19-6 run in the third. ... Frank Mason continues to make progress from the partial tear in his right plantar fascia but the team said it plans to keep him ou
Kent Bazemore hits triple in dying moments to lift Hawks over Knicks
NEW YORK — It was a bull's-eye for Kent Bazemore.Bazemore hit a 3-pointer with 6.7seconds left that put the Atlanta Hawks ahead on Sunday (Monday, Manila time) in a 99-96 win over the New York Knicks."It's just a catch-and-shoot situation," Bazemore said."We work on plays all the time in practice where we have a guy who drives and kicks it out to somebody in the corner.It's just a synergy and rhythm thing." "I read a book called the 'Zen in the Art of Archery.'It talks about just let it go.Let it go and let the energy of the world take care of the rest," he said.The Hawks rallied from a 93-87 deficit in the final 2:16.Bazemore was wide open in the left corner and hit for a 98-96 lead.Tim Hardaway Jr.then stepped on the line trying to inbound, giving the ball back to Atlanta.After Dewayne Dedmon made one of two foul shots, Hardaway missed a potential tying 3-pointer."We don't know how to finish games.We don't know how to win games at the end," Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis said."We didn't close out the game strong again and another loss." Bazemore led the Hawks with 19 points.Mike Muscala scored 15 and Taurean Prince had 13.Dedmon finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Dennis Schroeder added 10 points for Atlanta.Porzingis scored 22 for the Knicks.Trey Burke added 14, Jarrett Jack and Kyle O'Quinn each scored 11, and Enes Kanter finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.Muscala hit a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left to pull the Hawks within one.O'Quinn missed a shot on the Knicks' next possession and Bazemore followed with his go-ahead basket."A great win on the road," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said."We got the stops late.We always talk about it being 48 minutes.Today it took all 48." Hawks: Atlanta has nine players on the 17-man roster with one year or less of NBA experience.Only Marco Belinelli (10), Ersan Ilyasova (9) and Luke Babbitt (7) have played more than five years in the league.Knicks: New York was attempting to win its 100th home game in its all-time series vs.the Hawks.They are now 99-68 at home, but trail the all-time series 195-175. .Porzingis has recorded a block in a career-high 22 straight games, which is the longest current streak in the NBA.Bazemore was awarded three free throws with 2:49 left in game.When he missed the second one, the Knicks rebounded and play continued.Hardaway got a dunk and was fouled, but the refs realized they hadn't given Bazemore his third shot.The officials went back in time, nullified the basket and gave Bazemore another free throw, which he made.The Knicks subsequently scored on their next possession.Despite the loss, the Knicks have fared well playing on Super Bowl Sunday, having won eight of their last 12 and going 11-7 overall on the NFL's biggest day.The Hawks did not commit a personal foul in the first quarter, though they still trailed 22-21 after the first 12 minutes.Malcolm Delaney was the first Atlanta player to be called for a foul.That happened with 8:43 left in the second quarter.O
James Harden, Mike D'Antoni blast 'perplexing' All-Star snub on Chris Paul
DALLAS — James Harden is an All-Star for the sixth straight season.New Houston teammate Chris Paul will miss the February party for the second year in a row following nine consecutive appearances for the Western Conference.The Rockets aren't exactly pleased about the Paul part."He averages what 19 (points) and nine assists?" Harden asked after getting 25 points and 13 assists in a 104-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night."What are we rewarding? We're winning and he's putting up the numbers, there's no question."Obviously, we have a lot of depth on this team, but I'm not doing it out there by myself.He's controlling the games as well." Paul scored 12 points with seven rebounds and four assists as the Rockets beat their Texas rivals for the sixth straight time.The streak started with a four-game sweep last season.Houston won its fourth straight game and seventh in the past nine.After missing the first 14 games with a left knee injury, Paul later sat another three with a left abductor strain.But the Rockets are 24-5 in games he has played, and won his first 15 starts.He is averaging 18.8points, 8.8assists, 5.9rebounds and 1.9steals per game."People that should be watching games don't watch the games and see how important a guy is," coach Mike D'Antoni said before the game."It's perplexing." Wesley Matthews matched a pair of season highs with 29 points and seven 3-pointers for the Mavericks, who lost for the seventh time in 10 games since a season-best four-game winning streak that helped lift them out of last place in the West.Trevor Ariza had 23 points and Eric Gordon scored 17 on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.Southwest Division-leading Houston was up and down from beyond the arc, going 10 of 14 in the first quarter and 2 of 15 in the second.The Rockets finished two shy of their season high in 3s, going 21 of 51.Harden shot 6 of 10 and Ariza was 5 of 14, missing his last four.Chris Paul went 3 of 8."It was a tough game and we were playing from behind," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said."We got up 3-0 and things look pretty promising at the moment and then it was just like boom, boom, boom." Ariza, who combined with Harden and Chris Paul to go 9 of 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter, was suspended two games for entering the Clippers' locker room after a feisty game in Paul's first game against his former team since the offseason trade that sent him to Houston.Clint Capela had 16 points and 13 rebounds.That included an alley-oop dunk on a pass from near midcourt by Harden in the fourth quarter, when the Rockets took their biggest lead at 20 after a 15-point edge in the first 6 minutes was cut to six at halftime.Rockets: Capela extended a career best with his 11th straight double-digit scoring game, and the Rockets improved to 16-2 when he scores at least 15. .Houston was just 11 of 23 on free throws, in part because Harden, an 87 percent free-throw shooter, matched his season low with two attempts.Mavericks: G Yogi Ferrell
Eric Gordon leads hot-shooting Rockets romp over skidding Timberwolves as Harden rusty in return
James Harden returned to the Rockets' lineup after missing seven games with a left hamstring strain and finished with 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting, and added seven assists, two steals and two blocks in 26 minutes.Houston went 4-3 in his absence.Chris Paul had 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Clint Capela added 20 points for the Rockets.Houston has won 15 of the past 17 meetings with Minnesota, including a 10-game winning streak at home.Gordon closed out a big third quarter by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off the glass from a step behind the half-court line.After hitting the shot under heavy pressure from Andrew Wiggins, Gordon gave a high-five to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who was sitting courtside near the shot.Gordon's 3-pointer helped the Rockets finish the third quarter on a 16-4 run to take an 89-70 lead into the fourth with their largest advantage of the game.Gordon made 11 of 19 shots, including 7 of 13 from 3, and fell just short of his season-high 33 points against Utah on Dec.18.With Rockets small forward Trevor Ariza sitting out the first part of a two-game suspension for a postgame locker room incident on Monday night in Los Angeles, Luc Mbah a Moute started in Ariza's place, scoring 14 points in 32 minutes.Along with Ariza, reserve guard Gerald Green was also serving the first of a two-game suspension for the altercation with the Clippers.Jimmy Butler led Minnesota with 23 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 16 rebounds and five blocks.It was Butler's first trip back to his hometown near his native Tomball since joining Minnesota.Wiggins finished with 16 points.The Timberwolves struggled to contain Houston's 3-point shooting.The Rockets hit 17 of 39 from beyond the arc (43.6percent), improving to 24-4 when making at least 15 3s.Minnesota has lost back-to-back games following a five-game winning streak.Houston led Minnesota 26-17 at the end of the first and extended the lead to 63-50 at halftime, thanks in large part to closing out the second quarter on a 17-7 run in the final three minutes.Timberwolves: Towns fell one block shy of his career high, which he has accomplished three times. .Former Rockets PG Aaron Brooks and C Cole Aldrich did not play in the game.Rockets: Rockets rookie center Zhou Qi entered the game questionable with a right elbow injury and did not play in the game despite participating in pregame warmups.Second-year players Troy Williams (right knee MCL sprain) and Chinanu Onuaku (sinus surgery) also did not play after entering with a questionable status.
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