NBA rumors: De'Aaron Fox hits buzzer-beater game winner in Orlando
April 26, 2024 | 11:53 am EDT Update
Immanuel Quickley on Joel Embiid's foul on Mitchell Robinson: If that was anybody else, I don't know if he'd get the same call
NBA Central: “I ain’t trying to get fined…But if that was anybody else, I don’t know if he’d get the same call.” – Immanuel Quickley on if Joel Embiid’s flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson was dirty (Via @RunItBackFDTV ) pic.twitter.com/O9Ra2pahMo
Giannis Antetokounmpo out for Game 3 vs. Pacers, Khris Middleton questionable
Scott Agness: Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) is out for Game 3 tonight in Indy. And so is Chris Livingston (illness). Khris Middleton, who tweaked his right ankle, is questionable.
That is part of the reserve guard’s routine to stay ready. Because his reward, if he seizes the opportunity, is to break into a high-knee skip. That is how he celebrated one of his quick-strike three-pointers Thursday night, as part of an 11-point outing to pack some bench punch into a desperately needed 125-114 Sixers victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their first-round series. “I’m just that kind of whatever-you-need kind of guy,” Payne said. “Tonight we needed energy, and I brought it.”
Payne has immediately established himself as a certified Good Vibes Guy on this Sixers roster. He oozes the joy — and the appreciation — of a player who, before the 2020 NBA Bubble restart, was out of the league and viewed as a failed lottery draft pick. And the confidence of a player who was a backup point guard on an NBA Finals team with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. And the understanding that, “as humans, we feed off energy.” “Life too crazy to not have fun playing basketball,” Payne said. “So enjoy the time while I’m out there.”
He played only three minutes in the Sixers’ play-in victory over the Miami Heat, though earned unprompted praise from multiple teammates for burying a three-pointer during that brief stint. He then got three minutes in Game 1 against the Knicks, finishing with more fouls (two) than shot attempts (one) or points (zero). Then he expected to play in Game 2 with Tyrese Maxey battling an illness, but never got on the floor when the All-Star began charging toward a 35-point, 10-assist performance. “If I would have been down and mad, I probably wouldn’t be able to do what I did tonight,” Payne said. “That’s how the NBA goes. Your opportunity may not get called that night, even if you think it’s going to get called. “Next game, may get your opportunity, so got to stay locked in.”
ClutchPoints: “Find me anybody in the world that can coach this Lakers team to victory against this Denver Nuggets team…There’s no coach that can coach that to beat that team.” – Chandler Parsons 🗣️ (via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/1iBXF92Y7P
Boston Celtics: A true difference maker on and off the court 👏🏾 Congrats JB on being named 23rd on the @BostonMagazine 150 Most Influential Bostonians list. pic.twitter.com/H2db0I34uY
April 26, 2024 | 10:16 am EDT Update
LeBron James on being down 3-0 vs. Denver: 'You play until the wheels fall off'
James, who has a career of firsts, said the key to achieving the impossible and coming back from a 3-0 series deficit is focusing on one game at a time. “It’s one game at a time, at this point,” James said. “You lose, you go home. So we’re going come in with the mindset of, ‘Let’s get one.’ Force a Game 5 and then we go from there. So as long as you still have life, then you always have belief. I just think you play until the wheels fall off.”
Asked if the Lakers were overwhelmed by the Nuggets’ level of execution, James said, “You’d have to ask the individuals that question and see how they feel. It’s hard for me just to be like, ‘This is what I think that guy feels.’ … I can’t do that. I’m not a mind reader. I don’t know.” No one was able to ask Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell that question. After going scoreless in Game 3 on 0-for-7 shooting (0-for-6 from 3), he declined to speak to reporters after the game, according to a team spokesperson. “We’ve been — me and this guy [Davis] have been playing together for six years,” James continued. “We’ve been to the mountaintop. We’ve been close to the mountaintop. We’ve played a lot of games. We know what it takes to win. We know what it takes to win a championship and how damn near perfect you got to be. That’s not like something that’s so crazy to obtain.”
The Lakers are averaging just 102.3 points in the series. L.A. averaged 124.4 points in the 12 wins it had in its final 15 regular-season games plus the play-in tournament leading into the Denver series. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are staying on high alert. “I think every game is tougher and tougher,” Jokic said. “They were up 20 in Denver; they were up 12 today in the first half. I think it’s really hard to play against the same team over again. You can’t get bored with the style of the play or whatever. You just need to keep doing you, especially for us — because we won the last three — and just trust what we are doing and don’t get bored with success because it can go wrong really quick.”
