New York Knicks forward Julius Randle hasn’t played since Jan. 27 because of a dislocated shoulder, and, in his first public comments since the injury, the All-Star said Wednesday that surgery has not been ruled out.
“I mean, we’ll see,” Randle told reporters, via SNY. “There’s still, like, necessary steps, and it’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything, ultimately, and decide from there. But right now I’m just focused on trying to avoid that, obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”
Asked if he’d need surgery eventually, even if he were able to come back and play the rest of the season without it, Randle said, “I’ve heard many different opinions.”
Randle said that he knew his shoulder was dislocated as soon as it happened. While he’s been sidelined, he has been “diving into the film” with coach Tom Thibodeau, he said, in order to “see how I can get better and apply it when I’m able to really get out there on the court.”
Last week, SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the Knicks were optimistic about Randle’s progress and the chances of him being able to return this season without surgery.
“Every day I’m getting stronger, I’m getting better,” Randle said. “So just taking it a day at a time, just continuing to try to just stay locked in on what I have to do to continue just to get healthy. Not just physically but mentally as well.”
The Knicks are “taking it step by step” with Randle, Thibodeau told reporters Wednesday, via SNY.
“Right now, he’s preparing to come back to play,” Thibodeau said. “He’s putting a lot into it, he looks good, he’s got a great spirit about him, he’s working out twice a day. So all things are good right now.”
The previous day, Thibodeau told reporters that Randle is “meeting all the markers” and “moving around pretty good,” but hasn’t been cleared to practice yet.
This season, Randle has averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 46 games. He was named to his third All-Star team, but was unable to participate because of the injury.
New York lost four straight games and five of six entering the All-Star break, but it was extremely shorthanded during that stretch. The Knicks will still be without its entire starting frontcourt – OG Anunoby, Randle and Mitchell Robinson – when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, but forward Bojan Bogdanovic, center Isaiah Hartenstein and wing Donte DiVincenzo are all expected to return to the lineup.
On the season, New York is 33-22 and fourth in the East, with only a half-game lead on the fifth-place Sixers. The Knicks rank eighth in the NBA in offensive rating, ninth in offensive rating and sixth in net rating. With Jalen Brunson, DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Randle and Hartenstein on the court, they have outscored opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions, but that lineup has logged only 180 minutes in 10 games.
SAN FRANCISCO — Here it was. The moment we’d all been expecting, for better or for worse.
After weeks of abiding by the rules, biting his tongue and suppressing his urges, Draymond Green was met with a fork in the road as he and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic battled, both physically and verbally, for multiple trips down the court. Down one road was retaliation, aggression, intimidation — we know where that road leads, to a suspension even longer than the most recent one he served. Down the other road: inaction, humility, pacifism — the road most Golden State Warriors fans were probably hoping Green would take.
True to everything we know about the man, the basketball player and the competitor, Draymond Green chose to dismiss both paths, instead carving his own road right down the middle.
Green walked the proverbial line that the Warriors organization continually references when it comes to their emotional leader — getting in Nurkic’s face but not taking a swing. Dishing out trash talk without earning a technical (he would later receive one for arguing with the refs, not Nurkic). Going at the Suns center without taking himself or his team out of the game. It was a masterclass in what Green needs to be, both as a player and a leader, in order for Golden State to be successful.
“We did not want him to be Mr. Goody Two Shoes. We wanted him to be himself, but not go over the line,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of Green. “We want him to be on the officials, but not yell profanity at the official. That’s what he’s doing. He’s himself, but he’s not crossing the line.”
Green’s behavior is so important moving forward because of how essential he’s been to the Warriors’ recent resurgence. Since Kerr inserted Green as the starting center at the end of January, Golden State has gone 8-3 with a net rating of plus-8.6 — fourth in the NBA over that stretch.
The offense, dead in the water at times during the season, has been revitalized by Green’s energy and playmaking. It’s no coincidence that Stephen Curry’s best shooting stretch of the season has come with his longtime teammate alongside him. The synergy they’ve developed over 12 seasons is evident the second they step on the basketball court. Green ranks in the 94th percentile in offense including assists, according to Synergy Sports, and the eye test backs up the numbers with the way he orchestrates action and finds teammates.
Watch here as Green reads Curry’s off ball movement, dribbling toward him to create a passing angle before subtly blocking Vince Williams Jr.’s lane to defend Curry’s shot.
“Nobody understands how to get shooters shots better than Draymond Green,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “Whether it’s bullet passes to the corner playing the [dribble hand-off] game with these guys. … One of the best ever do it.”
The uncharacteristically slow Warriors pace to start the season has skyrocketed with Green at center. Prior to Jan. 27, Golden State played at a pace of 99.7 possessions per game — 13th in the league. Green has ratcheted that up to 102.4 (fifth in the NBA) over the last 11 games.
His presence has also unlocked the forward pairing of Andrew Wiggins and emerging star Jonathan Kuminga. On paper the Wiggins-Kuminga duo seems ideal, presenting long rangy defenders who can also score in a multitude of ways, but prior to Green’s return from suspension lineups featuring Wiggins and Kuminga had a catastrophic net rating of minus-25 in 171 minutes. In the 13 games since Green came back, when he’s on the floor with Wiggins and Kuminga the Warriors have a plus-18.3 net rating. It’s hard to overstate how crucial Green has been to allowing Golden State to play the way they want to play, with athleticism and force.
Defensively, Green’s work speaks for itself. His communication, positioning, verticality, switchability — those traits make him one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, so it’s no surprise that Golden State’s defense has gone from 24th to seventh since his return from suspension.
Put it all together, and the Warriors have a top-five offense and a top-five defense over the past 11 games — much closer to what Kerr expected than the mediocre start to the season. Chris Paul is on his way back, Klay Thompson thrived in his first game off the bench and rookie Brandin Podziemski has shined as a starter. All of those things help, but for Warriors to continue their momentum through the stretch run and into the playoffs, Green — because he’s so invaluable on the court — must continue to gracefully walk the line between passion and chaos.
In the past, Green has been able to do it — and the result is four titles. But the frequency of his indiscretions over the past couple of years has to at least have the Warriors questioning whether Green can be trusted to keep his cool when the next tussle presents itself.
“It’s been a delicate situation and he’s trying to figure that out and not let it spill over, because we can’t have that and he knows that — can’t afford to let it get out of control,” Curry said of Green. “But it fuels him because he lives for those moments … and you’ve seen that in the best of moments, for sure. So I want to encourage him to keep doing that.”
MILWAUKEE — I was standing in my kitchen chopping a pepper when a text came in from my sister. “Bucks guy got fired?” And that’s how I learned that the Adrian Griffin era had come to an end.
The move was at once stunning and unsurprising. As a rule, coaches don’t get fired when their team has the second-best record in the league. But then, the Bucks’ situation was unique and their success was in spite of Griffin and his sometimes baffling tactics, not because of him.
From training camp, when he butted heads with assistant coach Terry Stotts, who later resigned, it was clear Griffin struggled to get everyone on the same page. Just a few days into the regular season, the veterans held an intervention with him to get him to change the defense. During the In-Season Tournament, Bobby Portis challenged him in the locker room after the loss to the Pacers, and early in January, Giannis Antetokounmpo told the media “we have to be coached better.”
The Bucks have a short window to maximize the Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing, and Griffin wasn’t going to be the coach to do that. A midseason change is a bold move, but the Bucks were willing to take the risk rather than potentially let this season go to waste.
The Doc is in Almost immediately, it became apparent that the Bucks wanted to hire Doc Rivers to replace Griffin. Convincing him to come out of retirement and sorting out the details of a contract was going to take time, however, and no one knew exactly when the process would be complete.
The fallout from Griffin’s sudden ousting and the mystery surrounding the expected Rivers appointment set the stage for a whirlwind week. While all of the off-court drama was swirling about, the Bucks were set to play three games in four nights at home against strong competition.
Up first were the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, who a week earlier had embarrassed the Bucks by 40 in front of their new co-owner, Jimmy Haslem. Before the rematch in Milwaukee on Jan. 24, just 24 hours after Griffin had been let go, general manager Jon Horst took the podium during what is usually the pre-game press conference for the head coach.
He acknowledged what everyone else had been seeing: despite their place in the standings, the Bucks’ defense was a disaster and they didn’t look like a championship team. The front office wanted someone more experienced, who could tighten things up and get the necessary buy-in from the players. Rivers fit the bill.
Until he was ready to take over, the Bucks handed the reins to Joe Prunty. Unknown to most fans, Prunty is the type of NBA lifer that makes the league tick. Straightforward, hard-working and carrying a true passion for the game, he’s beloved by players and the media. This was to be Prunty’s second stint as interim head coach with the Bucks, and his return to the role was a real treat for those of us who have been covering the team since his last spell in charge in 2018.
The entire Bucks roster put on a dance routine that night, then went out and cruised to a win behind another triple-double from Antetokounmpo. Even Prunty was on his A-game, giving us a classic digression during his post-game interview in which he started naming off the entire Cavaliers coaching staff.
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/mF2Xx0SWRC
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 25, 2024 Two nights later on Jan. 26, the Bucks were set to face the Cavaliers again, still without a permanent resolution to their coaching situation.
Prior to that game, I swung open the doors separating the media workroom and media dining room at Fiserv Forum and was greeted by Rumble the Bison, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s mascot, filming a TikTok. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the sudden appearance of Jazz Bear, but I thought for a moment I had lost my mind.
Thankfully, I hadn’t. Those two were in town to celebrate Bucks mascot Bango’s birthday, and his party looked like it was going to be the most entertaining aspect of the night, as the Cavs controlled the second half. Then, with just a few minutes remaining, a press release hit the inbox of every media member: Doc Rivers had officially been hired as the 18th head coach in franchise history.
Suddenly, the result was irrelevant. While Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton all left without speaking to the media, other players did talk. They revealed that Rivers had actually met with the team earlier that day at shootaround. His first message, according to Pat Connaughton, was “teams should be a little bit more afraid to play us.” Across the board, there was excitement about playing for Rivers and the wealth of knowledge he brought.
Fourteen hours later, everyone crowded into the press conference room at Fiserv Forum to hear from Rivers and Horst, while Marquette, Rivers’ alma mater, prepared to play Seton Hall in the background. All in attendance were in a great mood as Rivers cracked jokes and explained why he was willing to come out of his recent retirement to take the job.
“I mean, c’mon. You know the answer,” Rivers said. “Giannis, Dame. Really, that’s the answer. Like, you look at their team. You know, I don’t ever know the list, right? What is it, eight teams that have a legitimate shot? And I don’t know if it’s that high, but the Bucks are one of them, right?”
Of course, Rivers was always going to “win” the press conference. His genial nature and sense of humor are a reporter’s dream. The real challenge was going to be winning on the court after arriving midseason.
“I’ve never done this. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Rivers said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”
Later that night, the Bucks were scheduled to take on the Pelicans, but though Rivers was now officially the team’s head coach, he was not ready to actually coach. Instead, Prunty got one last ride, and delivered a comfortable win over the Pelicans. And when Naji Marshall missed two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter, he provided free chicken to every fan — and a star player who wanted in on the action.
Giannis scanning the QR code to get his free wings after the Pelicans miss two free throws pic.twitter.com/J2ZTQxCmLB
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 28, 2024 Unfortunately, Antetokounmpo missed out. “I didn’t get my chicken. I wasn’t fast enough, I couldn’t get the barcode,” he lamented in the locker room afterward.
In the span of five days, the Bucks fired one coach, hired another, held two press conferences and played three games. At long last, everyone had a chance to relax — but not for long.
The most encouraging 1-4 road trip ever Two days after plunging head-first back into the coaching world, Rivers was on the sideline in Denver for a matchup with the defending champion Nuggets. A five-game West Coast road trip was not an ideal way to begin his tenure.
The Bucks lost that first game in competitive fashion, then fell to the lowly Trail Blazers in Damian Lillard’s return to Portland, came back from a 25-point deficit to stun the Dallas Mavericks, collapsed in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz and never had much of a chance versus the Phoenix Suns in a game they played the majority of without three starters.
On paper, the trip was a disaster. When it began, the Bucks were 32-14, all alone in second place in the Eastern Conference and three games behind the Boston Celtics. Nine days later, they were 33-18, tied for third with the Cavaliers and six games back of the Celtics.
And yet, the vibes were tremendous.
“I feel like, from practice, because we’re adding stuff and everybody’s excited and everybody sees what we’re trying to accomplish here and, they’re excited for the things that we can do as a team and how better we can get,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Jazz.
“And like in practice, people are going faster and running up and down. And obviously, you know, having a new coaching staff you gotta kind of show what you’re made of and what you can do. In shootarounds, guys are more aggressive, shoot more, cut more, play harder. We have a longer shootaround because we’re adding stuff, and then you go to the game and you’re kind of a little bit gassed, I’m not going to lie.
“But, at the end of the day, you find that happy balance. Right now, it doesn’t matter and I hope everybody in this locker room feels the same way that I feel. It does not matter. There’s so many things that we’re doing right now that we are getting better. And the moment everything clicks and our legs are there and our minds are there and guys are healthy and everybody is locked in, I think it’s going to go very well. I really do believe.
“It’s a very, very hard, schedule, but when everything settles down, we are going to be very, very fine. I really do believe. I believe we are trending towards the right direction.”
Hello, Patrick Beverley; goodbye, Robin Lopez Shortly before the trade deadline on Feb. 8, Patrick Beverley broke some news on a live episode of his podcast: he was being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Bucks. Thirty-six hours later, after finishing with six points and four assists in a 36-point win over the Charlotte Hornets, Beverley ended his on-court interview by urging fans inside Fiserv Forum to subscribe to said pod.
If Beverley’s desire to play immediately — he sent a tweet begging Cam Payne to take his physical so the trade could be completed in time for the game against the Hornets — and his hard-working, defensive-minded style wasn’t enough to endear him to Bucks fans, he then showed up to his postgame interview drinking a Miller Lite.
Robin Lopez, who was also traded at the deadline, took the opposite approach. He logged on to Twitter and fired off a series of self-deferential jokes, including a wish that he’d have his jersey retired by the Sacramento Kings, who waived him immediately once the trade with the Bucks went through.
Robin Lopez reading a book at Bucks game after they traded him today 😂 pic.twitter.com/3WFHYezvBH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 9, 2024 He was in the building when the shorthanded Bucks were crushed by the Minnesota Timberwolves the night of the deadline, but didn’t seem to have much interest in the game. Instead, he sat courtside in a Groucho Marx t-shirt reading Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s by Patrick McGilligan. It was a fitting end to his second tour with the Bucks considering he began the season by killing time at media day with a biography of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
The Bucks are back… With a few minutes remaining in the Bucks’ win over the Hornets, Thanasis Antetokounmpo sized up JT Thor, hit him with a “Shammgod” and a “Smitty,” then finished at the rim, sending the Bucks’ bench into euphoria. That’s all you need to know about that game.
Go to work, Thanasis! pic.twitter.com/vxcKBE8Yv4
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 10, 2024 The Bucks’ stress-free win in a rematch with the Nuggets a few nights later was much more impressive. By the second half of that game, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had been shut down, and I was sitting up in the nosebleeds with my parents and sister, who had come to watch Nikola Jokic.
Yes, the Nuggets had missed a bunch of open shots that night, but it was the second game in a row that the Bucks had held an opponent under 100 points. Finally, the results were matching the internal progress the Bucks had been touting in the first few weeks under Rivers, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
“Our intensity, we were flying around, we were into bodies, we’re running guys off of shots, we’re pulled in,” Rivers said. “A lot of deflections, that’s a thing that’s rose over the last four games. You can see the deflections rising, which means we’re actually close to a guy and guarding him, playing more physical, and that’s what we have to do.”
…Or maybe not Everything was set up for the Bucks following the Nuggets win. Their final two games prior to the All-Star break were against a Miami Heat squad missing Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson, and the Memphis Grizzlies’ “C” team. Take care of business and you could ride a four-game winning streak into the hiatus.
Or, you could drop both games and revert back to square one, which is what the Bucks did. The loss to the Heat was one thing, considering it was the second night of a back-to-back and Miami went 2023 playoffs mode from 3, but stumbling against the Grizzlies was inexplicable.
Doc Rivers summed it up by saying “we had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo.”
Antetokounmpo was more expressive, and his utterances carried the same exasperation as the ones he was making regularly prior to Griffin’s firing.
“There’s so many things that we have to do in order for us to be better,” Antetokounmpo said. “And it starts with, we have to want it. We have to want it. We have to want it. Like, what can I — what else should I say? Do we want it? Do we really want to win? Do we want to win?
“We have to want it, man,” Antetokounmpo continued. “Like enough with the talking. Enough with the, ‘our shit-don’t-stink’ mentality. Do we really want it? Are we putting in the work? Are we going to put in the effort? Are we going to fight for what we think that we deserve or what our goals are trying to accomplish? That is the most important thing.
“Guys are tired, that’s an excuse. New coach, excuse. New system, excuse. New defense, excuse. All of it, it’s excuse. At the end of the day, you’re going to go out there and try to play basketball, try to compete and they competed harder than us today. They competed harder than us two days ago. We are not on track of what we are trying to do and I feel like the team feels it. The team feels it. I feel it.”
Hey now, you’re an All-Star MVP The Bucks’ win over the Mavericks on Feb. 3 meant they maintained second place in the Eastern Conference by the cut-off date to determine All-Star Game coaching honors. With Boston’s Joe Mazzulla ineligible because he could not perform the duties two years in a row, that meant Rivers would be on the bench for the East squad in Indianapolis despite having the Bucks job for less than a month.
Rivers, to his credit, called the situation “hilariously bad” and said he would give his All-Star ring and bonus to Griffin. Nevertheless, he would be in Indy with the rest of the coaching staff, Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Malik Beasley (who was in the 3-point Contest).
As the only team with multiple starters in the All-Star Game — Antetokounmpo and Lillard were the first pair of Bucks teammates to pull off that feat since Bob Dandridge and Brian Winters in 1976 — and multiple contestants in the 3-Point Contest, the Bucks were already set to be front and center during the annual showcase. And that was before Lillard made history by becoming the first player to win the 3-Point Contest and All-Star MVP in the same weekend.
“I did come into the weekend, when I knew I was going to do the 3-Point, I was like I’m going to try to win,” Lillard said, after draining a pair of halfcourt shots en route to 39 points, and getting booed by the Pacers fans during the MVP trophy presentation. “I’m not going to be casual and cool about it. I’m going to try to win again. And I’m going to come into the All-Star Game, my first start, I know I’m going to be on the floor a lot. I’m a vet in the game at this point. Why not go and try to get an MVP?”
This has been a frustrating and inconsistent season for Lillard based on his sky-high standards. Could a historic All-Star Weekend be what gets him back on track? Perhaps, perhaps not. But a major confidence boost certainly doesn’t hurt.
What’s up, Doc? The All-Star break was not all excitement and positivity for the Bucks, thanks to comments Rivers made during his press conference in Indianapolis, and then later during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio’s The Starting Lineup with Frank Isola and Ryan McDonough.
Here’s Rivers during the NBA’s All-Star Media Day:
“Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision. I even told them that: ‘Can we wait ’til All-Star break?’ You know, it would have been a lot nicer, Rivers said.
“The end game is what we’re playing for. And the organization felt strongly that a change needed to be made defensively and things like that, and that’s what we’re doing. The problem is, while you’re doing that, you’re in the middle of the season on the toughest trip. I’ve been in Milwaukee [for] four days. I’ve had the job for three weeks.”
Though not incorrect, many viewed those remarks as a series of excuses for why the team is 3-7 record since he took over. So much so that they sparked a multi-day media frenzy that led to a war of words between JJ Redick, Beverley and Rivers’ son, Austin.
That saga also overshadowed what he told Isola and McDonough.
“I’ll be honest, I told our owners when they called, ‘I don’t understand why you’re doing this,'” Rivers said of his first conversations with the Bucks. “One of the things they said to me was, ‘Well it doesn’t matter, we’ve done it now and we want you.’ So that was a tough one, that’s where you have the hesitation.”
The Bucks’ poor record and slide down the standings since Rivers took over is disappointing, but at least somewhat explainable. His press tour, on the other hand, is not. In recent days he has called out his players and questioned his front office and ownership. He was brought in to steady the ship, but has done exactly the opposite.
We’ve seen a handful of rookies have significant impacts on their respective teams as we hit the midway mark of the 2023-24 NBA season. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are the obvious first two names that come to mind. But one guy who should also be top of mind is Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II. I wrote earlier this week about how Lively is quickly becoming one of the Mavericks’ most important players, so much so that when he’s on the bench Dallas’ defense falls completely flat.
That might not be saying much given the fact that the Mavs rank toward the bottom of the league in that category, but when Lively’s on the floor Dallas operates like a near top-10 defense. That’s a stark difference, and while he’s still raw in his skillset, primarily limiting fouls and staying in front of faster guys when he’s switched onto them, he’s playing at a level that makes the Mavericks need him on a nightly basis.
You could argue that the Mavericks’s defensive capabilities shouldn’t rest on a 19-year-old rookie, but that’s the case right now. When you watch him on the court he’s always communicating on defense, anchoring down in the middle and hunting rebounds on both ends of the floor. He won’t get as much attention as others in his class because his counting stats are limited most nights, but his impact transcends how many points he’s scoring every night.
Now let’s move on to this week’s rankings. Keep in mind that these rankings will reflect a rookie’s performance on a week-to-week basis only, not the collective season. These aren’t Rookie of the Year standings, but rather a reflection on what the player has done over the past week. With that straightened out, here is a look at the top five performers from the NBA’s freshman class:
The current stretch Victor Wembanyama is going through is kind of absurd. If you haven’t been watching, you should really tune in to a game. Not because the Spurs are winning, because those are very few and far between, but because of Wembanyama’s complete control of a game. In the last 10 games he’s averaging 24.1 points on 54.1% shooting from the floor. That efficiency is a stark improvement from how he started the season, which was to be expected but doesn’t make it any less impressive.
It’s been really cool to watch Wemby slowly come to the realization that he’s basically unguardable, and you see that as he gets more creative with the ball. He’s catching a lot of lobs, sure, but his confidence is growing in his ability to put the ball on the deck and show his handle off a bit. Like he did here against the Hawks:
It’s mesmerizing to watch someone of his size have such control of the ball, because we’ve truly never seen anyone with his frame do this stuff. And even in a traditional post-up, he covers so much space that when someone does do a good job of fronting him, he takes one ginormous step and he’s already laying the ball into the rim.
It’s been a rough couple weeks for the Grizzlies. Ja Morant needs shoulder surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, Marcus Smart is expected to be sidelined for six weeks with a finger injury and Desmond Bane is also now out for six weeks with an ankle sprain. It’s only January and Memphis may consider waving the while flag on the season. With all those injuries that means it opens up opportunity for younger players to get a shot to show what they’ve got.
That’s where GG Jackson comes in. Jackson’s the youngest player in the NBA at 19 years and 31 days old, and through Dec. 17 he was averaging a total of 4.6 minutes over four games. Until Jan. 11 he was spending more time in the G League, where he was averaging 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and two assists. Then he got his first major minutes on Jan. 12 against the Knicks, where Jackson showed out with 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks and an assist. The very next day he outdid himself with 23 points, six boards, two assists and two blocks to help the incredibly shorthanded Grizzlies beat a free-falling Warriors team.
Jackson did most of his damage 3-point territory, where he went 5 of 8 from deep, and given his dominant performances this week — and Memphis lengthy injury list — we should all get used to seeing Jackson more often this season.
Jaime Jaquez missed two games recently, but despite that he still managed to put together a solid week worthy of making this list. You could also tell in the Heat’s loss to the Raptors on Wednesday that they missed Jaquez’s creation and scoring. Jaquez has really stepped up in Jimmy Butler’s absence, and the reason he’s been such a valuable asset for the Heat is that he can fit into whatever mold you need him to. He’s not just a spot-up shooter, or a guy who moves well without the ball and thrives off well-timed cuts to the basket. He can also create for himself.
He showed that against the Magic, especially in the second quarter where he scored 12 of his 19 points. With Chuma Okeke guarding him, Jaquez backed him down, spun and got an easy layup.
On the very next possession Jaquez — on the exact same play — did the same thing to Cole Anthony, who did his best to keep him from scoring. But Jaquez bumped and spun and eventually found himself with another two points.
The Heat have to hope he won’t miss a ton of time, because he’s proven to be an incredibly valuable piece in this rotation.
Jordan Hawkins single-handily beat the Mavericks this week. OK maybe not by himself, the six other Pelicans players who scored in double digits certainly helped, but the rookie did rack up 34 points, a season high for him on a ridiculous 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Dallas didn’t have an answer for Hawkins all night, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said as much after Hawkins stunning performance.
“He was good — he’s been good,” Kidd said. “He shoots the ball. He got going there in the third [quarter]. We lost him a couple times. When you’re comfortable, you’re going to make shots and he was comfortable tonight.”
That’s understating what Hawkins did honestly, because he was cooking the Mavericks even when they did get a hand in his face.
Duop Reath has become the starting center in Deandre Ayton’s absence, and his floor spacing has been great for the Blazers, especially for Scoot Henderson who will benefit greatly from Reath’s ability to stretch the floor out to the 3-point line. It’s completely different from what Ayton offers, and Reath has really thrived with the bigger opportunity. He can fill it up from outside, but he can also get down in the post and go to work, both of which he did against the Suns, a game where he had 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor. He followed that up with another 17-point performance this week against the Nets, where he knocked down 3s, fought for putback layups and dunks and moved incredibly well without the ball to make himself open for scoring opportunities.
The Toronto Raptors already made one major trade this season when they dealt OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks for a package built around RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, and on Wednesday they made their second significant move of the season. Two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam is headed to the Indiana Pacers in a deal built around three first-round picks. Here is the trade in its entirety:
Pacers receive: Pascal Siakam, 2024 second-round pick (via Pelicans) Raptors receive: Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 first-round pick (via Pacers), 2024 first-round pick (lesser of picks from Jazz/Clippers/Rockets/Thunder) and 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers, protected 1-4) Pelicans receive: Cash considerations The Raptors and Pacers have been sensible trade partners for quite some time. Indiana has had a desperate need at forward for several years, and with all of their first-round picks at their disposal, they had the capacity to make the Raptors a bigger offer than other suitors like the Warriors, Mavericks, Kings and Hawks, who all owe at least one pick to other teams. As such, both the Pacers and Raptors grade reasonably well in the deal.
Raptors: B Let’s start with the obvious hang-up here: the Raptors didn’t get the sort of premium asset they netted with Quickley in the Anunoby deal. It seems fairly clear at this point that such an asset was not available to them. That makes sense. Siakam is an impending free agent. He had a significant degree of control over his destination as a result, and no team was going to give up a cornerstone young player for a 29-year-old who doesn’t make 3’s and could walk after the season. All things considered, the Raptors did all right from a volume perspective.
The 2024 pick they got from Indiana is currently slated to fall somewhere between 17th and 19th, depending on tiebreakers. The pick coming from Oklahoma City is a bit less enticing—currently slated for 27th, and because of the heavy protections on it, it almost certainly won’t get much better. Indiana’s 2026 pick will likely fall somewhere between those two slots. With Tyrese Haliburton in place, the Pacers should be reasonably competitive so long as he stays healthy. Essentially, this means the Raptors are getting three mid-to-late first-rounders.
Fortunately, the Raptors have drafted exceedingly well in that range under Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster. Between 2015 and 2017, they landed Delon Wright at No. 20, Siakam at No. 27 and Anunoby at No. 23. Their recent draft history isn’t as strong, but their only late first-round pick in that window was No. 29 Malachi Flynn in 2020. Overall, their track record in that area of the draft is strong enough to suggest they’ll at least hit on one of those picks. More pressingly, they’ve increased their chances of having another first-rounder, and a far higher one at that.
Toronto owes its 2024 first-round pick to San Antonio, but it’s top-six protected. Right now, the 15-25 Raptors are tied with the Grizzlies for the No. 6 slot in the lottery. The injuries Memphis has endured suggest that the Grizzlies are likelier to finish in that No. 6 slot than the Raptors, but by moving Siakam, the Raptors have taken enough of a step back that finishing in sixth is at least somewhat feasible. Even if they land at No. 7, a bit of lottery luck isn’t out of the question. After all, they moved up to No. 4 from the No. 7 slot in 2021 and landed Scottie Barnes.
And as matching salary goes, the Raptors could have done far worse than Bruce Brown. His $22 million salary is obviously a bit extreme for his production, but his team-option for next season gives the Raptors the choice to either get off of his salary entirely next season or work with him on a longer-term extension at a lower figure. They could even conceivably flip him at the deadline for a couple of second-round picks to another team with a big expiring deal. All in all, that makes this a decent return for Toronto. They didn’t get a headliner in the deal, but they get three bites at the apple late in the first round without taking on any negative long-term salary.
Pacers: B The Pacers had two critical needs coming into the trade deadline. The first was simply a natural forward. Aaron Nesmith (6-foot-5), Bennedict Mathurin (6-foot-5) and Buddy Hield (6-foot-4) have all played more than half of their minutes at forward this season, according to Basketball-Reference, despite being undersized for the position simply due to Indiana’s roster construction. The second major need here was a No. 2 scorer. Eight Pacers average in double figures this season, but No. 2 scorer Myles Turner scores just 17.2 points per game. Championship contenders simply have more reliable secondary scorers.
Siakam obviously checks both boxes, and Indiana is uniquely positioned to maximize him. The Pacers rank seventh in 3-point attempts, 11th in 3-point percentage and second in pace. They have the spacing to mitigate his poor shooting and play so fast that he’ll spend less time off of the ball in half-court settings than he would anywhere else. Siakam is not exactly the defensive stopper the Pacers hoped they were getting when they signed Brown, and he isn’t even where he was a few years ago when he got All-Defense votes, but he’ll immediately become one of the best defenders on the team. That’s pretty significant for Indiana’s No. 26-ranked defense. On the court, this is a good fit. It’s going to make a good team better.
The bigger questions here relate to opportunity cost. From a pick perspective, that’s small but possibly significant. By sending out two picks in 2024, Indiana’s only Stepien Rule issues will come through the 2026 pick they’ll owe Toronto after this. Owing a future pick limits the number of picks you can trade down the line, and with Haliburton in place, there will be other big-name players down the line that are interested in playing for the Pacers. Indiana could simply wait out that obligation and prepare to have a full complement of tradable picks starting in the summer of 2026, but things change fast in the NBA, and the Pacers aren’t an especially aggressive organization. It’s fair to assume for the time being that the Pacers have assembled the majority of the team that they plan to field for the next few years. Is this core championship-caliber? It’s hard to say at this stage. How good will Mathurin be? Will any of the other youngsters pop? How much longer will Siakam’s prime last?
The financial implications here are meaningful as well. Before this trade, the Pacers had roughly $100 million committed to nine players for next season against a projected $142 million cap. Assuming they were willing to let go of their own free agents, that would have positioned them for max cap space in free agency. In theory, they could have tried to sign Siakam outright over the summer. Getting him now allows Indiana a bit more flexibility in keeping role players like Hield, Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell if they choose, but most teams would choose the three first-round picks over those players. Of course, Indianapolis has never exactly been a destination city in free agency, so the Pacers may not have been prepared to take that risk. Had he been traded to another contender, he almost certainly would have re-signed there.
Now he’ll likely remain in Indiana on a new deal that approaches his max. The Pacers won’t have much leverage here. Philadelphia is still slated for max cap space over the summer, and Detroit, another team with previous reported interest, just cleared extra cap space by trading Marvin Bagley. He will have other big offers if he actually does reach free agency. The Pacers are going to have to pay up to keep him. How will that deal age? It’s hard to say, but a four-year pact would cover Siakam’s age 30-33 seasons. That’s a scary proposition for a scorer that doesn’t make 3’s.
Ultimately the deal accomplishes what the Pacers wanted to accomplish. They are a better team today than they were yesterday. The cap space they’re sacrificing by going in for Siakam now probably couldn’t have been spent in better ways when you consider how weak this summer’s projected free-agent class will be, and they’re only slightly encumbered from a draft pick perspective by making this deal. But there are risks built into this trade that prevent the Pacers from getting an “A” for their efforts. It’s a smart risk, but a risk nonetheless.
Pelicans: B Before the season began, we ranked the 10 players in the NBA likeliest to be traded this season. We’ve now seen four of those players moved before the deadline: Siakam, James Harden, P.J. Tucker and our surprise No. 1 pick, Kira Lewis Jr. Why was Lewis such an obvious trade candidate? Because the Pelicans entered the season roughly $3 million above the luxury tax line and Lewis makes roughly $5.7 million. He was their only way of getting below the line without touching their rotation, and doing so was necessary considering how expensive this team could get in the coming years. The Pelicans needed to duck below the tax line and they did so for a single second-round pick. That’s a good, simple piece of business.
NBA players have missed games for plenty of unusual reasons. Former Sacramento Kings forward Lionel Simmons once hurt his wrist and missed two games because he played too much Game Boy. Dennis Rodman infamously missed time in the middle of the 1998 season because he wanted to take an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. On Wednesday, we added another unusual absence to the list. Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton missed his game against the Brooklyn Nets because of ice.
Yes, ice. Frozen water. Portland has been dealing with brutally cold weather for most of the past week. There is currently a giant sheet of ice leading out of Ayton’s neighborhood. Ayton has missed the past 11 games due to injury, and during his pre-game press conference, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups explained that while Ayton was healthy enough to play, he hadn’t yet arrived at the arena. Casey Holdahl reported that Ayton spent hours trying to find a way to combat the ice, but could not find a solution that would get him to the arena. So he sat out.
The Blazers ultimately started Duop Reath in Ayton’s place, as they have done for the past six games while Ayton has been injured, and it ultimately worked out for them. The Blazers overcame an 11-point deficit to win in the closing seconds thanks to an Anfernee Simons runner. Even if they’d lost, the stakes of the game were fortunately somewhat minimal for the Blazers. At 10-29 entering the game, the Blazers aren’t exactly in the thick of the playoff race, so the absence of their starting center wouldn’t have meant much in the grand scheme of things. If anything, this incident could help the Blazers plan for future ice-related issues.
CBS Sports HQ Newsletter We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have always been big-game hunters when it comes to upgrading their roster, and while they’ve already been linked to big names like Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin is reporting that they’re also looking for point guard help at a more reasonable price. Two names he reported the Lakers have interest in are Washington Wizards guard Tyus Jones and Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton.
Sexton has thrived since the Jazz inserted him into the starting lineup on Dec. 13. He is averaging nearly 22 points per game as the Jazz have gone on a 15-4 run since then. Of course, as the Lakers saw last season, the Jazz are perfectly willing to break up a successful roster during the season if it fits their long-term goals. If Utah doesn’t view Sexton as a long-term fit and the Lakers are willing to pay the right price, Danny Ainge will likely at least listen. Promising rookie guard Keyonte George may deem Sexton redundant as a long-term fit in Utah.
Jones and the Wizards haven’t been nearly as successful. At 7-32, the Wizards are all but out of the playoff race less than halfway into the season, and as such, all of their veteran players are likely available. That is especially true of Jones, who is on an expiring contract. Though not a pure scorer like Sexton, Jones was one of the NBA’s best backup point guards for years with the Memphis Grizzlies, and would give the Lakers an all-around floor general.
Point guard has been a tricky position for the Lakers this season. They paid D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent this offseason expecting the three of them to serve as their supplementary ball-handlers alongside LeBron James. Vincent has been hurt for most of the campaign, and both Russell and Reaves have been benched at various points this season, though both are currently back in the starting lineup. The Lakers currently rank 22nd in offense and they score 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when James sits, so adding offense in some form will be critical.
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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
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The Pacers are making their intentions clear: They’re going for it, and they’re bringing in whomever they feel can help them get to the mountaintop. Two-time All-NBA selection and two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam is headed to Indiana in a three-team deal.
Pacers receive: Pascal Siakam, 2024 second-round pick (via Pelicans) Raptors receive: Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 first-round pick (via Pacers), 2024 first-round pick (lesser of picks from Jazz/Clippers/Rockets/Thunder) and 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers, protected 1-4) Pelicans receive: Cash considerations Siakam, an impending free agent, is expected to work on an extension with Indiana, a key part of what makes him so valuable to his new team. The 29-year-old forward is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 52.2% from the floor this season.
I like this trade for both major parties involved considering their respective goals. Let’s start with the Pacers, who are taking a big swing and getting a really good player to pair with Tyrese Haliburton. They earned a “B” in Sam Quinn’s trade grades.
Quinn: “The Pacers had two critical needs coming into the trade deadline. The first was simply a natural forward. … The second major need here was a No. 2 scorer. … Siakam obviously checks both boxes, and Indiana is uniquely positioned to maximize him. The Pacers rank seventh in 3-point attempts, 11th in 3-point percentage and second in pace. They have the spacing to mitigate his poor shooting and play so fast that he’ll spend less time off of the ball in half-court settings than he would anywhere else. … He’ll immediately become one of the best defenders on the team.” Toronto, meanwhile, swings its second big trade of the past three weeks after sending OG Anunoby to the Knicks in late December. Combining those moves, the Raptors have acquired two young potential franchise cornerstones (Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett) and significant draft capital. Sam also gave Toronto a “B.”
Quinn: “The 2024 pick they got from Indiana is currently slated to fall somewhere between 17th and 19th, depending on tiebreakers. The pick coming from Oklahoma City is a bit less enticing — currently slated for 27th, and because of the heavy protections on it, it almost certainly won’t get much better. Indiana’s 2026 pick will likely fall somewhere between those two slots. … Fortunately, the Raptors have drafted exceedingly well in that range under Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster. Between 2015 and 2017, they landed Delon Wright at No. 20, Siakam at No. 27 and Anunoby at No. 23.” 😁 Honorable mentions Did a dog peeing on their court inspire the Suns’ comeback against the Kings? Dejounte Murray at the buzzer! Tyus Jones and Collin Sexton are reportedly on the Lakers’ trade radar. Rory McIlroy wants a “Champions League” for golf. Garrett Podell on Aaron Jones is a must-read. This was a great look at Dereck Lively II by Jasmyn Wimbish. South Alabama is expected to promote Major Applewhite to head coach. 😬 Not so honorable mentions Buffalo is bracing for more snow ahead of Chiefs-Bills. The Browns fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and two other assistants. C.J. Gardner-Johnson took shots at Baker Mayfield. Deandre Ayton didn’t play last night because icy roads prevented him from getting to the arena. The SEC reprimanded Nate Oats for pushing Missouri player Aidan Shaw. The ACC reprimanded DJ Horne for flicking the double birds. College basketball! TCU women’s basketball had to forfeit two games due to a lack of players and is holding open tryouts. The ACC and Florida State are at odds. 🏈 Cowboys retain Mike McCarthy as head coach untitled-design-2024-01-18t001829-703.png Getty Images Fool me one time, shame on you. Fool me two times, shame on me. Fool me three times? Well, Jerry Jones will give you one more chance. After three consecutive disappointing playoff exits, Mike McCarthy will return to the Cowboys for the final year of his contract.
After going 6-10 in his first year with Dallas (marred by a Dak Precott injury), McCarthy has reeled off three consecutive 12-5 seasons, and only the Chiefs have a better record over that span. At 62-45 overall, McCarthy has the best record of any coach in franchise history. That’s the good news.
The bad news is each of those last three seasons has ended with a thud, ranging from heartbreaking to humiliating.
Two years ago, the Cowboys fell at home, 23-17, to the 49ers when they failed to get one final play off after calling a Prescott run with no timeouts that made no sense in the first place. Last year, the Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers in the wild-card round (ending Tom Brady’s career) but again fell to the 49ers, this time 19-12. This year, it was the defense’s turn to no-show as the Packers came to Dallas and won, 48-32, a final score that was generous to the hosts considering they trailed by 32. Bryan DeArdo ranked it the Cowboys’ worst loss in their 13 postseason trips since their last Super Bowl, and Jerry Jones called it the “most painful.” Thirteen straight playoff trips without even a conference title game appearance is the longest in NFL history. Is McCarthy the guy to end the Cowboys’ postseason woes? I don’t think McCarthy is a bad coach. I also don’t think he’s a great one. Jared Dubin had McCarthy and staff eighth on his postseason rankings, and that seems about right. The disconnect between regular-season success and postseason failure is hard to explain, but it’s McCarthy’s turn again — probably his last one in Dallas if he fails — to fix it.
🏈 Biggest questions remaining for playoff teams untitled-design-2024-01-18t002513-199.png Getty Images We’re down to eight playoff teams, and it’s an excellent eight. From star quarterbacks in their first postseason (CJ Stroud, Jordan Love) to playoff fixtures (Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen) to everyone in between (maybe-star Brock Purdy, Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield) it’s a really fun group at the game’s most important position … and well beyond that.
We often debate which squad is the best team and how said squad will stack up, and Bryan DeArdo ranked the remaining teams 1-8, in fact.
But what about the questions? The issues that keep coaches and fans up at night? Cody Benjamin tackled the biggest questions for each team left, and there’s a lot on the line for the AFC’s No. 1 seed and its quarterback.
Benjamin: “Baltimore Ravens: Can Lamar get over the hump? — Past playoff games may not directly affect Jackson going into their Divisional Round matchup with Houston, but just like Prescott in Dallas, he’s still got big-stage boxes to check, entering with a 1-3 record as a playoff starter. He’s been more efficient as a passer and decision-maker in Todd Monken’s system, but now it’s time to deliver in a must-win scenario.” I’m a big believer in Baltimore, and Monken’s system that Cody mentioned — and Jackson in it — are huge reasons why. So is the defense. And the special teams. And John Harbaugh. Yeah, it’s a really good team.
🏀 Warriors assistant Dejan Milojevic dies after heart attack untitled-design-2024-01-18t002950-760.png Getty Images Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack. Milojevic had been hospitalized Tuesday night following a medical emergency at a team dinner in Utah. He was 46 years old.
Milojevic had been on the Warriors’ staff since 2021, helping the franchise win the 2022 NBA title. Prior to his time in the NBA, Milojevic coached in his native Serbia — where he coached and mentored a young Nikola Jokic — and in Montenegro. As part of a statement, Steve Kerr said, “In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy.” Adam Silver also released a statement. The Warriors’ game Wednesday against the Jazz was postponed, and games that were played around the league held a pregame moment of silence. Golden State hosts the Mavericks tomorrow.
📺 What we’re watching Thursday 🏀 Bulls at Raptors, 7:30 p.m. on TNT 🏀 No. 14 Virginia Tech at Duke (W), 8 p.m. on ACC Network 🏀 No. 10 LSU at Alabama (W), 9 p.m. on SEC Network 🏀 Grizzlies at Timberwolves, 10 p.m. on TNT
We’ve got another exciting Northwest Division matchup on Thursday’s NBA schedule as the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to tip at 9 p.m. ET at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Utah is 22-20 overall and 15-5 at home, while Oklahoma City is 27-13 overall and 11-8 on the road. It’s been a divisional rivalry that the Thunder have dominated of late, winning and covering the spread in their last four head-to-head matchups with the Jazz.
This season, both teams have been remarkably profitable against the number, with the Thunder going 26-13-1 against the spread and the Jazz going 26-16. For Thursday, Oklahoma City is favored by 3.5 points on the road in the latest Jazz vs. Thunder odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 244 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Jazz picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Oklahoma City vs. Utah. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Thunder vs. Jazz:
Jazz vs. Thunder spread: Jazz +3.5 Jazz vs. Thunder over/under: 244 points Jazz vs. Thunder money line: Jazz: +132, Thunder: -156 Jazz vs. Thunder picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Jazz The Jazz extended their winning streak to six with a 132-105 win over the Pacers on Monday. Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen were among the main playmakers for the Jazz, as the former scored 30 points to go along with five assists, and the latter dropped a double-double on 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Utah has won 12 of its last 14 games entering Thursday night, and Markkanen has been a driving force in that success. He’s averaging 25.0 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 51.7% from the floor and 42.2% from the 3-point line during that span. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Thunder The Thunder have been a dominant force so far, but they’re in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 128-117 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday for their second loss in a row. Jalen Williams had a team-high 25 points and seven assists in the loss but Oklahoma City couldn’t stop a torrid shooting night for Los Angeles, which shot 54.0% from the floor and went 20-for-43 from the 3-point line.
Williams is averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game this season while shooting 45.0% from the 3-point line and 54.8% from the floor. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and rookie Chet Holmgren have helped provide supplemental scoring outside of All-Star guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info The Thunder will be relying on another big game from Gilgeous-Alexander to pull off a win. For the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31 points, 6.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Jazz are 16-4 against the spread in their last 20 games when at home. The Jazz are 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 games as a home dog. The Thunder are 5-6 against the spread in their last 11 games when the spread was between -5 to -2. How to make Jazz vs. Thunder picks The model has simulated Jazz vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.We’ve got another exciting Northwest Division matchup on Thursday’s NBA schedule as the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to tip at 9 p.m. ET at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Utah is 22-20 overall and 15-5 at home, while Oklahoma City is 27-13 overall and 11-8 on the road. It’s been a divisional rivalry that the Thunder have dominated of late, winning and covering the spread in their last four head-to-head matchups with the Jazz.
This season, both teams have been remarkably profitable against the number, with the Thunder going 26-13-1 against the spread and the Jazz going 26-16. For Thursday, Oklahoma City is favored by 3.5 points on the road in the latest Jazz vs. Thunder odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 244 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Jazz picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Oklahoma City vs. Utah. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Thunder vs. Jazz:
Jazz vs. Thunder spread: Jazz +3.5 Jazz vs. Thunder over/under: 244 points Jazz vs. Thunder money line: Jazz: +132, Thunder: -156 Jazz vs. Thunder picks: See picks at SportsLine What you need to know about the Jazz The Jazz extended their winning streak to six with a 132-105 win over the Pacers on Monday. Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen were among the main playmakers for the Jazz, as the former scored 30 points to go along with five assists, and the latter dropped a double-double on 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Utah has won 12 of its last 14 games entering Thursday night, and Markkanen has been a driving force in that success. He’s averaging 25.0 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 51.7% from the floor and 42.2% from the 3-point line during that span. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Thunder The Thunder have been a dominant force so far, but they’re in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 128-117 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday for their second loss in a row. Jalen Williams had a team-high 25 points and seven assists in the loss but Oklahoma City couldn’t stop a torrid shooting night for Los Angeles, which shot 54.0% from the floor and went 20-for-43 from the 3-point line.
Williams is averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game this season while shooting 45.0% from the 3-point line and 54.8% from the floor. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and rookie Chet Holmgren have helped provide supplemental scoring outside of All-Star guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info The Thunder will be relying on another big game from Gilgeous-Alexander to pull off a win. For the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31 points, 6.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Jazz are 16-4 against the spread in their last 20 games when at home. The Jazz are 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 games as a home dog. The Thunder are 5-6 against the spread in their last 11 games when the spread was between -5 to -2. How to make Jazz vs. Thunder picks The model has simulated Jazz vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The United States Football League is returning for its second season this year after an exciting and impressive debut during which the Birmingham Stallions were crowned champions.
Last season, the USFL Draft was primarily used to build the entire league, which is why you saw mainly experienced guys with various professional experiences filter their way to the USFL in season one.
This year, the USFL took a proactive approach with its roster construction and held a College Draft, which essentially is a futures draft of prospects who are in the current 2023 draft class. What makes this unique is that the league is focusing on primarily the players who would be considered Day 3-to-UDFA in the 2023 NFL Draft for this draft.
If a player doesn’t get drafted or ends up getting cut from an NFL roster this season or in the future, they will revert to the roster of the USFL team that selected them.
This year’s inaugural USFL College Draft was 10-rounds long with 80 selections. Let’s see who stood out amongst the newly drafted USFL prospects.
Birmingham Stallions Grade: A Round 1: Kadeem Telfort, OT, UAB Round 2: Quinton Barrow, OT, Grand Valley State Round 3: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville Round 4: Derius Davis, WR, TCU Round 5: Zeke Vandenburgh, DE, Illinois State Round 6: Colby Sorsdal, OT, William & Mary Round 7: Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte Round 8: Mark Evans II, OL, Arkansas Pine-Bluff Round 9: BJ Thompson, DE, Stephen F. Austin Round 10: Starling Thomas, DB, UAB The Stallions did a really good job in attacking the small-college prospects, landing really good point of attack players in both OL Colby Sorsdal and Mark Evans II, as well as DE Zeke Vandenburg from Illinois State.
What I liked most QB Malik Cunningham: 6-0 187, Louisville
Landing a true dual-threat like Cunningham just enhances the Stallions offense. Last season, they were markedly better when QB J’Mar Smith took over the job, but he’s still unclear if he is going to return to the league, so the Stallions had to look toward the future with the fleet-footed, deep ball throwing Cunningham. I caught up with him back in January after one of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practices.
OT Quinton Barrow: 6-5 322, Grand Valley State
Barrow more than held his own at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, and he will give the Stallions a significant presence up front. He is a prospect who is equally as good in pass pro as he is in the run game, and coming out of a system similar to what he’ll see here with the Stallions, the learning curve is much shorter and puts him into the “plug-and-play” territory.
EDGE BJ Thompson: 6-5 238, Stephen F. Austin
Thompson was the talk of East-West Shrine Bowl week because of the tremendous athleticism he possessed. That was practice; in the game, he finished with two QB sacks and a couple of pressures. When I tell you he is equally as athletic going backwards as he is going forward, the Stallions will have themselves a guy who could potentially be defensive player of the year when it is all said and done.
Houston Gamblers Grade: B Round 1: Chase Brice, QB, Appalachian State Round 2: Justin Ford, DB, Montana Round 3: Joseph Fisher, G, Shepherd Round 4: Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State Round 5: Jeffery Johnson, DT, Oklahoma Round 6: Keenan Isaac, DB, Alabama State Round 7: Alex Jensen, OT, South Dakota Round 8: Brady Russell, TE, Colorado Round 9: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State Round 10: Colby Reeder, LB, Iowa State If you remember last season, the Gamblers, under then head coach Kevin Sumlin, just couldn’t finish games. Mainly because they got worn down toward the backend of contests. Newly hired coach Curtis Johnson wanted to put an emphasis on improving the talent on defense, especially at linebacker with Colby Reeder out of Iowa State, to help eradicate that issue heading into 2023.
What I liked most DB Keenan Issac: 6-2 188, Alabama State
Issac was one of the stars of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, showcasing the length and athleticism to make things difficult for receivers and quarterbacks as well. Because of the two aforementioned elite traits he has, he’s able to shrink space between he and the football, while also being able to close potentially open windows for the quarterback in the passing game.
DB Justin Ford: 6-0 190, Montana
Ford has really good size and man-to-man skills. This was on display in every game at Montana, where he was matched up against a team’s No. 1 wideout. Also, down at the Hula Bowl, I got an up close and personal look at the matchup skills and athleticism he brings to the table. He’s got the right amount of aggressiveness and patience to make him a top-tier cover guy for the Gamblers.
Memphis Showboats Grade: B+ Round 1: Mason Brooks, OT, Ole Miss Round 2: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State Round 3: Brevin Allen, DE, Campbell Round 4: Benny Sapp III, DB, Northern Iowa Round 5: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA Round 6: Jerome Carvin, OL, Tennessee Round 7: Nehemiah Shelton, CB, San Jose State Round 8: Trea Shropshire, WR, UAB Round 9: Silas Dzansi, OL, Virginia Tech Round 10: Antonio Fletcher, S, Southern Illinois From the looks of it, the Showboats wanted to spotlight athleticism more than anything. That’s evident by the selections of Benny Sapp III, Trea Shropshire and Nehemiah Shelton. Needless to say, there’s an influx of talent and athleticism coming to Memphis in its inaugural season.
What I liked most DE Brevin Allen: 6-3 262, Campbell
Allen had a great week of work at the East-West Shrine Bowl, coming off of a stellar career with the Camels. What is impressive is his heavy hands combined with his ball get off. He gets up on the offensive lineman so quickly and into his chest with those hands, and is able to get significant knockback. Camels coach Mike Minter did a fantastic job with his development.
TE Michael Ezeike: 6-5 245, UCLA
At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Ezeike was showcasing wide receiver-like skills from the tight end position, so it is no surprise the Showboats snagged a potential matchup nightmare at the position. He spoke with us post-practice about his versatility.The United States Football League is returning for its second season this year after an exciting and impressive debut during which the Birmingham Stallions were crowned champions.
Last season, the USFL Draft was primarily used to build the entire league, which is why you saw mainly experienced guys with various professional experiences filter their way to the USFL in season one.
This year, the USFL took a proactive approach with its roster construction and held a College Draft, which essentially is a futures draft of prospects who are in the current 2023 draft class. What makes this unique is that the league is focusing on primarily the players who would be considered Day 3-to-UDFA in the 2023 NFL Draft for this draft.
If a player doesn’t get drafted or ends up getting cut from an NFL roster this season or in the future, they will revert to the roster of the USFL team that selected them.
This year’s inaugural USFL College Draft was 10-rounds long with 80 selections. Let’s see who stood out amongst the newly drafted USFL prospects.
Birmingham Stallions Grade: A Round 1: Kadeem Telfort, OT, UAB Round 2: Quinton Barrow, OT, Grand Valley State Round 3: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville Round 4: Derius Davis, WR, TCU Round 5: Zeke Vandenburgh, DE, Illinois State Round 6: Colby Sorsdal, OT, William & Mary Round 7: Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte Round 8: Mark Evans II, OL, Arkansas Pine-Bluff Round 9: BJ Thompson, DE, Stephen F. Austin Round 10: Starling Thomas, DB, UAB The Stallions did a really good job in attacking the small-college prospects, landing really good point of attack players in both OL Colby Sorsdal and Mark Evans II, as well as DE Zeke Vandenburg from Illinois State.
What I liked most QB Malik Cunningham: 6-0 187, Louisville
Landing a true dual-threat like Cunningham just enhances the Stallions offense. Last season, they were markedly better when QB J’Mar Smith took over the job, but he’s still unclear if he is going to return to the league, so the Stallions had to look toward the future with the fleet-footed, deep ball throwing Cunningham. I caught up with him back in January after one of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practices.
OT Quinton Barrow: 6-5 322, Grand Valley State
Barrow more than held his own at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, and he will give the Stallions a significant presence up front. He is a prospect who is equally as good in pass pro as he is in the run game, and coming out of a system similar to what he’ll see here with the Stallions, the learning curve is much shorter and puts him into the “plug-and-play” territory.
EDGE BJ Thompson: 6-5 238, Stephen F. Austin
Thompson was the talk of East-West Shrine Bowl week because of the tremendous athleticism he possessed. That was practice; in the game, he finished with two QB sacks and a couple of pressures. When I tell you he is equally as athletic going backwards as he is going forward, the Stallions will have themselves a guy who could potentially be defensive player of the year when it is all said and done.
Houston Gamblers Grade: B Round 1: Chase Brice, QB, Appalachian State Round 2: Justin Ford, DB, Montana Round 3: Joseph Fisher, G, Shepherd Round 4: Scott Matlock, DT, Boise State Round 5: Jeffery Johnson, DT, Oklahoma Round 6: Keenan Isaac, DB, Alabama State Round 7: Alex Jensen, OT, South Dakota Round 8: Brady Russell, TE, Colorado Round 9: Jason Taylor II, S, Oklahoma State Round 10: Colby Reeder, LB, Iowa State If you remember last season, the Gamblers, under then head coach Kevin Sumlin, just couldn’t finish games. Mainly because they got worn down toward the backend of contests. Newly hired coach Curtis Johnson wanted to put an emphasis on improving the talent on defense, especially at linebacker with Colby Reeder out of Iowa State, to help eradicate that issue heading into 2023.
What I liked most DB Keenan Issac: 6-2 188, Alabama State
Issac was one of the stars of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, showcasing the length and athleticism to make things difficult for receivers and quarterbacks as well. Because of the two aforementioned elite traits he has, he’s able to shrink space between he and the football, while also being able to close potentially open windows for the quarterback in the passing game.
DB Justin Ford: 6-0 190, Montana
Ford has really good size and man-to-man skills. This was on display in every game at Montana, where he was matched up against a team’s No. 1 wideout. Also, down at the Hula Bowl, I got an up close and personal look at the matchup skills and athleticism he brings to the table. He’s got the right amount of aggressiveness and patience to make him a top-tier cover guy for the Gamblers.
Memphis Showboats Grade: B+ Round 1: Mason Brooks, OT, Ole Miss Round 2: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State Round 3: Brevin Allen, DE, Campbell Round 4: Benny Sapp III, DB, Northern Iowa Round 5: Michael Ezeike, TE, UCLA Round 6: Jerome Carvin, OL, Tennessee Round 7: Nehemiah Shelton, CB, San Jose State Round 8: Trea Shropshire, WR, UAB Round 9: Silas Dzansi, OL, Virginia Tech Round 10: Antonio Fletcher, S, Southern Illinois From the looks of it, the Showboats wanted to spotlight athleticism more than anything. That’s evident by the selections of Benny Sapp III, Trea Shropshire and Nehemiah Shelton. Needless to say, there’s an influx of talent and athleticism coming to Memphis in its inaugural season.
What I liked most DE Brevin Allen: 6-3 262, Campbell
Allen had a great week of work at the East-West Shrine Bowl, coming off of a stellar career with the Camels. What is impressive is his heavy hands combined with his ball get off. He gets up on the offensive lineman so quickly and into his chest with those hands, and is able to get significant knockback. Camels coach Mike Minter did a fantastic job with his development.
TE Michael Ezeike: 6-5 245, UCLA
At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Ezeike was showcasing wide receiver-like skills from the tight end position, so it is no surprise the Showboats snagged a potential matchup nightmare at the position. He spoke with us post-practice about his versatility.
