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NBC Sports
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
How to watch New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever: TV/stream info, preview, tip off time as Caitlin Clark faces champs
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are looking to climb the WNBA mountaintop, but they will have to go through teams who have already reached the apex to make it there themselves. The New York Liberty are coming off a championship season and looking to add to their ring collection. The early returns on this season show that Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Co. are very capable of going back-to-back. The two teams face off Saturday in an early-season litmus test for two talented squads that would be disappointed if they don't win the final game of the season. Read on for more information on the matchup and how to watch it live. New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever team news, preview As you might expect, this is a true matchup of elite teams. The Liberty's plus-23.8 net rating is easily the best in the league per Basketball-Reference, and the Fever rank second at plus-15.7. It's early – the Liberty have only played two games, the Fever three – but so far, the results match up to the name value on these rosters. Clark has obviously made her presence felt as the league's assist leader and the Fever's leading scorer, but Indiana is not a one-woman show. Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston give the Fever four total players averaging at least 15.7 points per game, including Clark. For the Liberty, Stewart has played her usual brand of efficient and productive ball, but the true star through two games has been new addition Natasha Cloud. Cloud, a 33-year-old guard who has made her name as a three-time All-Defensive selection and a former assist leader, has parlayed a blistering 55.6% 3-point percentage into a 20-point-per-game average. Despite the offensive firepower, the true strength-on-strength matchup here comes on defense. The Fever and Liberty rank second and third in the WNBA, respectively, in defensive rating through games played Thursday. Boston leads the league in blocks while Stewart, Cloud and Jonquel Jones give the Liberty three players who made an All-Defensive team last season. How to watch New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever When: Saturday, May 24 Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana Time: 1 PM ET TV Channel: CBS New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever betting odds The Liberty enter the game as -1.5-point favorites per DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday. New York is also -122 on the moneyline. The over/under has been set at 170.5. How many triple doubles does Caitlin Clark have? Clark's season-opening triple-double against the Chicago Sky was the third of her WNBA career and made her the fastest to reach the mark, taking just 41 career games. It puts her in a tie with Candace Parker for third-most all-time. Coincidentally, her opponent Saturday, Ionescu, ranks second with four career triple-doubles. Both players, though, have a long way to go to reach the career triple-doubles record held by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. Thomas boats 15 career triple-doubles and is still going strong in her 12th season. Remarkably, though, Clark already has nearly 20% of all 20-point triple-doubles in WNBA history, per StatMuse. Caitlin Clark has almost 20% of all 20-point triple-doubles in WNBA history. She's just starting her second season.
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Has The Clock Run Out On Dame Time After Achilles Injury?
Everyone's worst fears came true when it was announced that Damian Lillard had indeed torn his Achilles in the early stages of Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers. This concludes his season, and attaches several questions to his immediate, and long-term, future. Lillard, who is approaching the age of 35, has a ton of NBA mileage on his body, having played in 900 regular season games, all of which required him to carry enormous scoring loads. While it can't be ruled out that Lillard will find a way to return to some type of his former self, the odds aren't good. Achilles tears remain a horrific injury for basketball players, especially for players who are older. More than likely, when Lillard returns, we're going to see a different version of him, where he's relying far more on his perimeter jump shot, and likely plays in more risk averse fashion. While Dominique Wilkins and Kevin Durant have both come back from the injury, and performed to the same standard as before the injury, we've yet to see small guards do the same. Klay Thompson did come back, and even won a title, but his body has certainly lost a step, especially on defense. However, he also had an ACL tear, which complicates matters even more. As such, the overarching answer to this: To be determined. While there isn't a set timetable on these things, even if a team announces an approximation, it's roughly around a year, give and take a few months. If we stick with that rough expectation, that rules out Lillard for the entirety of next season, meaning we won't get to see him back on the floor until he's 36. A lot of things can change in Milwaukee in the meantime, which is a story for a different day. It does mean the Bucks will have over $54 million in salary fully on the bench, which is quite the loss, as no one would be willing to take on that deal, in which a $58.4 million player option year follows. The next year will be tough for both the Bucks, and Lillard. They will have to overcome him not being there, and he'll have to spend more time away from the court than he's ever done before. If ever there was a team that couldn't afford a loss like this, it's Milwaukee. The injury will unquestionably play a role in how they'll approach this coming offseason, and perhaps beyond pertaining to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The focus, however, remains on Lillard and his progress given how crucial his presence is to the organization. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Forbes
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Zach LaVine Has Fully Returned To Stardom, Sporting Elite Efficiency
12 months ago, Zach LaVine was viewed in a much different light than he is today. The 30-year-old, who has played 73 games this season so far, is averaging 23.4 points per game, and is sporting a frankly ridiculous level of efficiency, with a true-shooting percentage of 64%. LaVine, who signed a max contract worth $215 million with Chicago in 2022, was curiously seen as a dramatic overpay by the Bulls, and his reputation suffered as a result. When he then got injured last season, and was limited to just 25 games, he was more or less deemed as having one of the biggest albatross contracts in the league, meaning moving off of him would be a near impossibility. Fortunately for LaVine, he showed that such reactions were too reactive, as he bounced back for the Bulls over the course of 42 games, leading the Sacramento Kings to get involved before the deadline, and acquire him as part of the De'Aaron Fox trade. During his tenure as a King, LaVine has kept up his efficient scoring, and has maintained an already effective three-point efficiency. LaVine is hitting 44.3% from downtown this season, and has canned 235 of those long-balls, establishing a career-high in shooting efficiency, and makes. The issue with LaVine's contractual compensation was always his role in Chicago, as he was continuously miscast as the number one option. In Sacramento, LaVine is finally playing alongside an elite passer in Domantas Sabonis, meaning the ball doesn't automatically go through LaVine to the same extent. This is good news for LaVine, and the Kings, assuming of course Sabonis wish to stick around after this season. LaVine's switch to Sacramento has, at the very least, confirmed the overarching theory that he's best in a role where he can scale up and down, and thus play off of others, as opposed to being the main cog in a system. The former All-Star is being assisted on 53.5% of his two-pointers (by far a career-high), and 57.6% of his three-pointers, which is a six percentage point bump from his season in Chicago. LaVine's overall gravity on the floor provides loads of space to teammates such as DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray, and the mission for the Kings now will be to keep building a team in which LaVine functions as a high-level, scalable scorer who can bend defenses. LaVine's case emphasizes that, sometimes, all a player needs is the right circumstances to thrive. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Where Should Mike Malone Go Next After Getting Fired In Denver?
With the Denver Nuggets unexpectedly firing head coach Mike Malone 79 games into the season, logic dictates that several NBA franchises will give the Championship-winning coach a strong look this summer. Let's take a look at three teams where Malone makes sense. The Blazers have improved this season, and they might have just found their star moving forward, which means it's time to ask the big question: Can Chauncey Billups take them even further, or is he more of a A-to-B coach? Malone clearly represents an upgrade as of right now, so it'd behoove the Blazers to have a strong internal discussion of the long-term picture, as Malone likely would raise their ceiling. With the evolution of Deni Avdija, Malone would have a 6'9 playmaker, who can scan the floor, rebound at a high level, and offer scoring in a variety of ways. That's not Nikola Jokić territory, but nothing is, so he might as well lean into a young Israeli forward, with significant upside. Look, we can sit here all day and talk about the Luka Dončić trade, but fact of the matter is this: The Mavericks believe they can compete for a title with Anthony Davis as their primary star, so if that's the expectation, why not lean into a Tier 1 head coach, and hire Malone to at least give them a fighting chance to realize their own expectation levels? Of course, Kyrie Irving's status is still up in the air after he tore his ACL, so there are some roster issues still to iron out. But if the Mavericks are serious about their intentions of competing for a title - regardless of how far fetched that scenario is - they need to go all-in, and get the best. That includes upgrading from Jason Kidd. The Billy Donovan era in Chicago has been... fine. He hasn't really stood out as exceptional, nor has he proven himself to be a headache. But similar to the Mavericks, Chicago feels as though they can be competitive, and thus the same logic applies. Why not upgrade from a mediocre head coach, especially when there's a pre-existing relationship in form of Arturas Karnišovas and Malone, from their days together in Denver? The bigger question here might be why Malone should be interested in the job, given that Chicago doesn't have a ceiling that's particularly high, even if his presence would raise it slightly. Regardless of where Malone ends up, he should have interest from several organizations around the league. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Forbes
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Sandro Mamukelashvili Is Proving His Talent, And We Should Take Note
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks ... More during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on February 25, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The San Antonio Spurs may have lost both Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for the rest of the season, but that doesn't mean they don't have weapons. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 34 in Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks, and did so in just 19 minutes, thus becoming the first-ever player to score that many points in under 20 played minutes. To those who have tracked Mamukelashvili's career, this isn't much of a surprise. The 6'11 big man is loaded with skills, and has generally been underutilized for much of his career. Not only is a he a good three-point shooter, evident by his 7-for-7 performance against the Knicks, and his near-44% accuracy for the year, but he's also a big, physical rebounder, an effective inside scorer (83.3 FG% near the rim), and he can pass on the move, which is saying something for a guy who's 250 pounds. Mamukelashvili has long had good chemistry with Wembanyama, but the Spurs have opted to primarily pair their franchise player with Jeremy Sochan, and Harrison Barnes in the front court. That makes some sense given that both are generally viewed more favorably in terms of experience and impact, but it does feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity to not explore the Mamukelashvili/Wembanyama pairing more. Mamukelashvili will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, just as he was last year. The big man actively wanted to return to San Antonio a season ago, so it'll be interesting if both he and the Spurs are keen on continuing the relationship. The low minutes total for Mamukelashvili - 430 this season, which follows 451 last year - will surely impact his potential earnings this summer, as teams will justifiably wish to see more before they commit to a significant pay day. As such, the remainder of this season becomes incredibly important to Mamukelashvili, if he wishes to cash in on a new, and bigger deal. However, minutes and opportunity should be the main priority, by far. If the Spurs are open to playing him more, then re-signing on a modest deal would be fine, as that could lead to increased compensation down the line. If, however, another situation proves more intriguing, in which the Georgian is promised a bigger role, that's what he should follow. Regardless of his future, one thing remains a constant. The skill set he offers, and the potential he sports, both deserve to be further explored. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
