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Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Economic Times
NBA playoff guide: Who plays when, how to watch, what the odds are
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) scores against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) Synopsis Oklahoma City awaits their NBA Finals opponent as Indiana hosts New York in a crucial Game 6. The Knicks, fresh off a Game 5 victory, aim to force a Game 7, while the Pacers seek to close out the series and advance. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently won MVP, adding to Oklahoma City's accolades this season. Oklahoma City is in the NBA Finals. Indiana could join the Thunder there on Saturday night. ADVERTISEMENT The Pacers play host to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. If the Pacers win, they're headed to Oklahoma City. If the Knicks win, there will be a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Knicks controlled virtually the entire game on Thursday night to beat the Pacers 111-94 in Game 5 and get within 3-2 in the East title series. Game 1 of the finals is Thursday in Oklahoma City. Fending off elimination The Knicks became the eighth team to win a game when facing elimination this season. Houston and Denver both successfully fended off elimination twice before seeing their seasons end. Detroit, Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston, Oklahoma City and now New York all have done so once. ADVERTISEMENT Indiana is the only team that has yet to play a win-or-else game in these playoffs. Teams are 10-13 so far in win-or-else games this postseason. ADVERTISEMENT SGA is the MVP A recof Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's winning of the NBA MVP award. The story: Gilgeous-Alexander tops Jokic for MVP award ADVERTISEMENT The reaction: SGA tears up when talking about his wife Steve Nash speaks: Canada's 1st MVP thrilled to see SGA follow him ADVERTISEMENT The notebook: Jokic finishes top-2 for 5th straight year, Giannis' streak ends, LeBron gets votes Saturday's national TV schedule 8 p.m. EDT - New York at Indiana (TNT) Monday's national TV schedule 8 p.m. EDT - Indiana at New York (TNT), if necessary Betting odds Oklahoma City (-750) is an even bigger favorite now to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Indiana (+700) remains the second choice, followed by New York (+1500). The Pacers are a 3.5-point favorite over New York on Saturday. Conference finals schedules East (all 8 p.m. EDT) - Game 1, Indiana 138, New York 135, OT; Game 2, Indiana 114, New York 109; Game 3, New York 106, Indiana 100; Game 4, Indiana 130, New York 121; Game 5, New York 111, Indiana 94; Game 6 at Indiana on Saturday; Game 7 at New York on Monday. West - Game 1, Oklahoma City 114, Minnesota 88; Game 2, Oklahoma City 118, Minnesota 103; Game 3, Minnesota 143, Oklahoma City 101; Game 4, Oklahoma City 128, Minnesota 126; Game 5, Oklahoma City 124, Minnesota 94. NBA Finals schedule June 5 - Game 1, at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 8 - Game 2, at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EDT June 11 - Game 3, at Indiana or New York, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 13 - Game 4, at Indiana or New York, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 16 - Game 5, at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 19 - Game 6, at Indiana or New York, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 22 - Game 7, at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8 p.m. EDT (And good news: No NBA Finals games conflict with Stanley Cup Final dates!) Award season The All-NBA team had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell on the first team, and LeBron James - at 40 years old - making an All-NBA team for the 21st time. Other awards this season: - The All-Defensive team - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award. - Stephon Castle was a unanimous All-Rookie team selection. - Oklahoma City's Sam Presti won executive of the year. - Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson won coach of the year. - Boston's Jrue Holiday won the social justice award and the sportsmanship award. - Atlanta's Dyson Daniels won most improved player. - San Antonio's Stephon Castle won rookie of the year. - Golden State's Stephen Curry won the Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award. - Golden State's Draymond Green won the hustle award. - Cleveland's Evan Mobley won defensive player of the year. - New York's Jalen Brunson won clutch player of the year. - Boston's Payton Pritchard won sixth man of the year. Scoring leaders The highest-scoring games by players so far in this year's playoffs: 48 - Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland vs. Indiana, May 6 44 - Nikola Jokic, Denver at Oklahoma City, May 13 43 - Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland vs. Indiana, May 9 43 - Jamal Murray, Denver vs. LA Clippers, April 29 43 - Anthony Edwards, Minnesota vs. LA Lakers, April 27 43 - Jalen Brunson, New York vs. Indiana, May 21 42 - Jayson Tatum, Boston at New York, May 12 42 - Nikola Jokic, Denver at Oklahoma City, May 5 40 - Jalen Brunson, New York at Detroit, May 1 40 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City at Minnesota, May 26 39 - Jalen Brunson, New York vs. Boston, May 12 39 - Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers at Denver, April 21 39 - Pascal Siakam, Indiana at New York, May 23 Key upcoming events Monday - Last possible date for Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals. June 5 - Game 1, NBA Finals. (Other games: June 8, June 11, June 13, June 16, June 19 and Game 7, if necessary, will be June 22.) June 25 - NBA draft, first round. June 26 - NBA draft, second round. Draft lottery Dallas had 1.8% odds to win the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery - but overcame those odds and now has the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks won the lottery last Monday night in Chicago. - Flagg, just a kid from Maine, hasn't forgotten his roots - From Rutgers to the lottery for Harper, Bailey - A Chinese teen is a draft hopeful, and has big shoes to fill - Mavs win lottery - Rick Welts has seen this before Comeback season The Knicks - again - added to the list in Game 3 of the East finals. There have been six wins by teams that trailed by 20 points or more so far in these playoffs. That's the most in any postseason during the play-by-play era, which started with the 1997 playoffs. The biggest deficits that were successfully overcome: 29 - Oklahoma City at Memphis, April 24 (Thunder won 114-108) 20 - Indiana vs. Milwaukee, April 29 (Pacers won 119-118) 20 - New York at Boston, May 5 (Knicks won 108-105) 20 - Indiana at Cleveland, May 6 (Pacers won 120-119) 20 - New York at Boston, May 7 (Knicks won 91-90) 20 - New York at Indiana, May 25 (Knicks won 106-100) Last-second Pacers rallies Indiana has pulled off three last-minute rallies from at least seven points down to win in these playoffs: - April 29: Trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime, won 119-118. - May 6: Trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left, won 120-119. - May 21: Trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation, won 138-135 in overtime. Stats of the day - Jalen Brunson is two 3-pointers away from 100 in his Knicks playoff career. He'll be the second Knicks player to reach that mark (John Starks, 175). - Myles Turner enters Saturday with 116 career playoff blocks. That's third in Pacers playoff history (in their NBA era, anyway); he's four behind leader Jermaine O'Neal and three behind Dale Davis. - Game 6 of the East finals will be New York's 100th game of the season. It will mark only the third time in Knicks history that the team plays 100 games in a season (107 in 1993-94, 101 in 1969-70). Quote of the day "Our backs are against the wall. I wasn't thinking, 'I need to play better than him.' I was just thinking, 'I need to help my team win.' And that's my mindset every time I'm on the court." - Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, asked about going up against Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) nbaknicksoklahoma citystanley cup finalNBA Finals games (Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates. NEXT STORY
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NBA playoff guide: Who plays when, how to watch, what the odds are
Oklahoma City is in the NBA Finals. Indiana could join the Thunder there on Saturday night. The Pacers play host to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. If the Pacers win, they're headed to Oklahoma City. If the Knicks win, there will be a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Knicks controlled virtually the entire game on Thursday night to beat the Pacers 111-94 in Game 5 and get within 3-2 in the East title series. Game 1 of the finals is Thursday in Oklahoma City. Fending off elimination The Knicks became the eighth team to win a game when facing elimination this season. Live Events Houston and Denver both successfully fended off elimination twice before seeing their seasons end. Detroit, Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston, Oklahoma City and now New York all have done so once. Indiana is the only team that has yet to play a win-or-else game in these playoffs. Teams are 10-13 so far in win-or-else games this postseason. SGA is the MVP A recof Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's winning of the NBA MVP award. The story: Gilgeous-Alexander tops Jokic for MVP award The reaction: SGA tears up when talking about his wife Steve Nash speaks: Canada's 1st MVP thrilled to see SGA follow him The notebook: Jokic finishes top-2 for 5th straight year, Giannis' streak ends, LeBron gets votes Saturday's national TV schedule 8 p.m. EDT - New York at Indiana (TNT) Monday's national TV schedule 8 p.m. EDT - Indiana at New York (TNT), if necessary Betting odds Oklahoma City (-750) is an even bigger favorite now to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Indiana (+700) remains the second choice, followed by New York (+1500). The Pacers are a 3.5-point favorite over New York on Saturday. Conference finals schedules East (all 8 p.m. EDT) - Game 1, Indiana 138, New York 135, OT; Game 2, Indiana 114, New York 109; Game 3, New York 106, Indiana 100; Game 4, Indiana 130, New York 121; Game 5, New York 111, Indiana 94; Game 6 at Indiana on Saturday; Game 7 at New York on Monday. West - Game 1, Oklahoma City 114, Minnesota 88; Game 2, Oklahoma City 118, Minnesota 103; Game 3, Minnesota 143, Oklahoma City 101; Game 4, Oklahoma City 128, Minnesota 126; Game 5, Oklahoma City 124, Minnesota 94. NBA Finals schedule June 5 - Game 1, at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 8 - Game 2, at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EDT June 11 - Game 3, at Indiana or New York, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 13 - Game 4, at Indiana or New York, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 16 - Game 5, at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 19 - Game 6, at Indiana or New York, if necessary, 8:30 p.m. EDT June 22 - Game 7, at Oklahoma City, if necessary, 8 p.m. EDT (And good news: No NBA Finals games conflict with Stanley Cup Final dates!) Award season The All-NBA team had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell on the first team, and LeBron James - at 40 years old - making an All-NBA team for the 21st time. Other awards this season: - The All-Defensive team - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award. - Stephon Castle was a unanimous All-Rookie team selection. - Oklahoma City's Sam Presti won executive of the year. - Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson won coach of the year. - Boston's Jrue Holiday won the social justice award and the sportsmanship award. - Atlanta's Dyson Daniels won most improved player. - San Antonio's Stephon Castle won rookie of the year. - Golden State's Stephen Curry won the Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award. - Golden State's Draymond Green won the hustle award. - Cleveland's Evan Mobley won defensive player of the year. - New York's Jalen Brunson won clutch player of the year. - Boston's Payton Pritchard won sixth man of the year. Scoring leaders The highest-scoring games by players so far in this year's playoffs: 48 - Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland vs. Indiana, May 6 44 - Nikola Jokic, Denver at Oklahoma City, May 13 43 - Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland vs. Indiana, May 9 43 - Jamal Murray, Denver vs. LA Clippers, April 29 43 - Anthony Edwards, Minnesota vs. LA Lakers, April 27 43 - Jalen Brunson, New York vs. Indiana, May 21 42 - Jayson Tatum, Boston at New York, May 12 42 - Nikola Jokic, Denver at Oklahoma City, May 5 40 - Jalen Brunson, New York at Detroit, May 1 40 - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City at Minnesota, May 26 39 - Jalen Brunson, New York vs. Boston, May 12 39 - Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers at Denver, April 21 39 - Pascal Siakam, Indiana at New York, May 23 Key upcoming events Monday - Last possible date for Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals. June 5 - Game 1, NBA Finals. (Other games: June 8, June 11, June 13, June 16, June 19 and Game 7, if necessary, will be June 22.) June 25 - NBA draft, first round. June 26 - NBA draft, second round. Draft lottery Dallas had 1.8% odds to win the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery - but overcame those odds and now has the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks won the lottery last Monday night in Chicago. - Flagg, just a kid from Maine, hasn't forgotten his roots - From Rutgers to the lottery for Harper, Bailey - A Chinese teen is a draft hopeful, and has big shoes to fill - Mavs win lottery - Rick Welts has seen this before Comeback season The Knicks - again - added to the list in Game 3 of the East finals. There have been six wins by teams that trailed by 20 points or more so far in these playoffs. That's the most in any postseason during the play-by-play era, which started with the 1997 playoffs. The biggest deficits that were successfully overcome: 29 - Oklahoma City at Memphis, April 24 (Thunder won 114-108) 20 - Indiana vs. Milwaukee, April 29 (Pacers won 119-118) 20 - New York at Boston, May 5 (Knicks won 108-105) 20 - Indiana at Cleveland, May 6 (Pacers won 120-119) 20 - New York at Boston, May 7 (Knicks won 91-90) 20 - New York at Indiana, May 25 (Knicks won 106-100) Last-second Pacers rallies Indiana has pulled off three last-minute rallies from at least seven points down to win in these playoffs: - April 29: Trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in overtime, won 119-118. - May 6: Trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left, won 120-119. - May 21: Trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation, won 138-135 in overtime. Stats of the day - Jalen Brunson is two 3-pointers away from 100 in his Knicks playoff career. He'll be the second Knicks player to reach that mark (John Starks, 175). - Myles Turner enters Saturday with 116 career playoff blocks. That's third in Pacers playoff history (in their NBA era, anyway); he's four behind leader Jermaine O'Neal and three behind Dale Davis. - Game 6 of the East finals will be New York's 100th game of the season. It will mark only the third time in Knicks history that the team plays 100 games in a season (107 in 1993-94, 101 in 1969-70). Quote of the day "Our backs are against the wall. I wasn't thinking, 'I need to play better than him.' I was just thinking, 'I need to help my team win.' And that's my mindset every time I'm on the court." - Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, asked about going up against Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
New Indian Express
16 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Speeding SUV kills eight sheep, dog in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: Eight sheep and a dog were killed in Coimbatore on Friday morning, after a speeding car collided into the herd on Thanneerpandhal-Vilankurichi Road. Twelve sheep and a shepherd were also injured. The incident occurred at 3 am on the wee hours of Friday. The driver fled from the crime scene without responding to the mishap. The Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW- East) police of Coimbatore city formed a team to trace the car and driver. Police sources said, P Subramaniam (47) of Pappampatti in Coimbatore district was rearing 500 sheep. S Ravichandran (60) of Neikkaranpatti near Palani, was working under Subramaniam as a shepherd. Ravichandran and four other shepherds took the sheep to Athipalayam from Pappampatti for grazing on Friday morning. At around 3 am, when the flock was at Kalaivani Nagar on Thanneerpandhal-Vilankurichi Road, a speeding car hit the herd and killed eight of the sheep and an escort dog on the spot. 12 of the sheep sustained severe injuries. The car also hit Ravichandran, who was admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said police sources. The TIW police arranged for a postmortem on the sheep and dog. The injured sheep were sent to a nearby veterinary hospital. Police booked a case for further investigation. Police sources said the herd was hit by a white Sports Utility Vehicle. While checking CCTV footage, the registration number of the vehicle was not visible, as there was poor visibility due to the rain.
Fox Sports
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 NBA Mock Draft: Flagg at No. 1 and first-round shakeup after 50 withdrawals
The Oklahoma City Thunder have made it to the NBA Finals, while the Indiana Pacers lead the New York Knicks 3-2 in the East. But on June 25th, all 30 teams will be looking to improve their roster through the 2025 NBA Draft. While Cooper Flagg is nearly a lock to be the first overall pick, there are still several questions as to how the rest of the first round will play out. Several notable prospects have withdrawn their names to return to college, such as Yaxel Lendeborg, Tahaad Pettiford, Milos Uzan, Otega Oweh, and Alex Condon to name a few. Expect to see a lot of surprises in the first round with so many entrants having withdrawn their name. As of May 30th, a total 50 of the early entry candidates have withdrawn their name from the draft. With that in mind, let's dive into FOX Sports Research's first NBA mock draft. 1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, F, Duke Flagg odds to be first overall pick: -100000 The freshman sensation might be the most heralded prospect to enter the draft in over a decade. There is almost no chance the Mavericks pass on him, as he's a game-changer on both ends of the floor. Flagg is one of four freshman in the last 25 years to average 20 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three in conference play— joining Michael Beasley, CJ McCollum, and Kevin Durant. 2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers Harper odds to be second overall pick: -5000 Harper is a bonafied scorer who will be an incredible edition to a San Antonio team that already has a prolific young core anchored by Victor Wembanyama. Against Notre Dame, he became the first Division-I freshman with at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a game since Oklahoma's Trae Young in 2018. He also became the first Division-I freshman to score 35+ points in consecutive games over the last 15 seasons. 3. Philadelphia 76ers: Ace Bailey, F, Rutgers Bailey odds to be third overall pick: +100 Averaging 17.6 points per game along with 7.2 rebounds, Bailey is a high-ceiling player with the tools to excel both offensively and defensively. Playing with Harper at Rutgers was also great preparation for the NBA. Early in the season, they became he second freshman duo in 15 years to both score 35+ points in a game. The last freshman duo to do that was Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox. 4. Charlotte Hornets: VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor Just like Ja'Kobe Walter last season, Edgecombe is another Baylor true freshman that can score in multiple ways and has elite athleticism. He and LaMelo Ball should be an exciting backcourt for Charlotte to continue to build off. 5. Utah Jazz: Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma Fears is a combo guard that can help any team with his offensive skill-set. The Jazz can go in several different ways here, but he is the safest option and should immediately help them. One thing he'll need to improve on is his three-point shooting, as he only shot 28% beyond the arc. 6. Washington Wizards: Khaman Maluach, C, Duke With a 7-6 wingspan and high level experience at both Duke and the international level with South Sudan, Maluach has one of the highest ceilings in this draft given his freakish athleticism and the tenacity he's exhibited thus far. 7. New Orleans Pelicans: Kon Knueppel, F, Duke Knueppel's stock really rose after an impressive NCAA Tournament, where he posted two 20-point games and shot 10-of-18 from three. He is one of the two best shooters in this draft and also is a surprising playmaker. 8. Brooklyn Nets: Tre Johnson, G, Texas Tre Johnson is arguably the best distance shooter in this draft, and the Texas guard had the numbers to prove it. He averaged 19.9 points per game and led all freshman in Division-I in scoring– and yes, that includes Cooper Flagg. More importantly, he shot a whopping 39.7% from three on 6.8 attempts per contest. 9. Toronto Raptors: Derik Queen, C, Maryland No one can forget his iconic buzzer-beater against Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but Queen has been a stud since the jump. At 6'10, 250 pounds, he has an incredible touch for a big man and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the paint. 10. Houston Rockets: Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois Easily the best true point guard in the draft, Jakucionis is an elite playmaker who can shoot it from three as well. With an aging Fred VanVleet, he would be the perfect fit for a Rockets team that was so close to taking down the Warriors in the playoffs. 11. Portland Trail Blazers: Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina At 6'7, 245 pounds, Murray-Boyles is one of the more athletic players in this draft, and would be a nice compliment to DeAndre Ayton and Donovan Clingan. He plays defense at an above-average level and has a top-notch motor. He'll need to improve his shooting, as he only shot 26.5% from three. 12. Chicago Bulls: Egor Demin, G, BYU Another player whose stock really rose after a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament, Demin is an intriguing prospect— as the Moscow-born player is a 6'9 point forward. He also has experience at the international club level, having played for the Real Madrid B team. He's also another player who needs to improve his shooting, hitting just 27.3% of his shots from three. 13. Atlanta Hawks (from Sacramento): Noa Essengue, F, France France continues to produce top-tier prospects after boasting the likes of Wemby and Zaccharie Risacher to name a few, and Essengue could be the next one in line. A 6'9 forward whose just 18 years old, he took a huge jump for Bundesliga club Ulm in the 2024-25 campagin— averaging 12.4 points per game 5.3 in Euro Cup play. 14. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta): Thomas Sorber, F, Georgetown Sorber only played in 24 games this season due to a foot injury, but that was enough to guarantee him first round status. He averaged 14.5 points along 8.5 rebounds and demonstrated his ability to be a prolific rim protector with 2.0 blocks per game and 1.5 steals. 15. OKC Thunder (from Miami via LA Clippers): Will Riley, G, Illinois At 6'8 with a decent shooting stroke, Riley fits exactly what OKC likes— long and athletic wings who will play hard defense and run the floor. He has strong instincts with the ball in his hands and should continue to develop at a fast rate in the NBA. 16. Orlando Magic: Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State Richardson has everything you want from a combo guard— the abiltiy to penetrate the lane, find the open man, and knock down jumpers. But measuring at just over six feet at the combine, he falls just outside of the lottery. If he was 6'3 or 6'4, he'd be a top-10 pick. 17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit via New York, Oklahoma City, and Houston): Carter Bryant, F, Arizona Bryant has shot up draft boards after his combine performance, measuring at 6'6 barefoot with a 6'11 wingspan and 39.5 inch vertical. While he played a supporting role in Tuscon, he has the upside to be a strong two-way player for any team. He also 37.1% from three. 18. Washington Wizards (from Memphis): Liam McNeeley, G, UConn McNeeley could feasibly go much higher than this, as any team could use his services. Measuring at just under 6'7 at the combine, he was forced to be a playmaker at UConn this past season and did a great job. He's also a knockdown shooter and continues to improve on the defensive end of the floor. 19. Brooklyn Nets (form Milwaukee via New York, Detroit, Portland, and New Orleans): Joan Beringer, C, France Another French product here, the 18-year old 6'11 big man for Cedevita Olimpija (Slovenian league) is a project player that would benefit greatly from the tutlege of Nic Claxton in Brooklyn. 20. Miami Heat (from Golden State): Asa Newell, F/C, Georgia A five-star prospect who was ranked the fourth-best power forward in his class and 16th best player overall (247Sports), Newell flew under the radar this year due to playing for a Georgia team that went 8-10 in SEC play. Still, he measured at 6'9 barefoot at the combine and averaged 15.4 points per game with 6.9 rebounds in his lone season in Athens. 21. Utah Jazz (from Minnesota): Danny Wolf, F/C, Michigan Wolf is maybe the best passing big man in this draft class, but sometimes it gets him in trouble— as he averaged 3.2 turnovers per game this year. Still, he is one of the most exciting players in the draft— with the ability to post up, shoot the long ball, pass, and rebound. He'll need to improve on the defensive end of the floor. 22. Atlanta Hawks (from LA Lakers via New Orleans): Nolan Traore, G, France Yup, another French player. Traore just turned 19 a few days ago and was one of the better young guards in the French league this past year. He posted 11.6 points per game along with 5.1 assists. 23. Indiana Pacers: Nique Clifford, G, Colorado State Nique Clifford was just a machine for Colorado State, being one of just two players in all of Division-I to average 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists per game (Doctor Bradley— Arkansas Pine Bluff). He plays like a power forward despite being a 6'6 guard. He has potential to be the steal of the draft. 24. OKC Thunder (from LA Clippers): Cedric Coward, F, Washington State Coward played at Eastern Washington for two seasons before transferring to Washington State, where he only played six games due to a shoulder injury. Still, he's a 6'6 guard with a shocking 7'2 wingspan. And in those six games, he averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. 25. Orlando Magic (from Denver): Maxime Raynaud, C, Stanford The 7'1 Frenchman out of Stanford was the only player in Division-I to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this year. He also shot 34.7% from three on 5.5 attempts per contest, making his size and ability to stretch the floor extemely valuable to any team. 26. Brooklyn Nets (from New York): Drake Powell, G, North Carolina Powell's numbers weren't gaudy in his lone season at North Carolina, but he has the size to be a productive wing and also shot 37.4% from the three-point line. His upside is definitely there, as he was the 11th ranked player in his class and second-ranked small forward (247Sports). 27. Brooklyn Nets (from Houston): Noah Penda, G/F, France Penda comes in at 6'8, 225 pounds and has nearly a seven-foot wingspan. He's only 20 years old and has great instincts on the defensive end of the floor. Another French product, he has the chance to be an incredible role player. 28. Boston Celtics: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton Kalkbrenner could easily go in the top 20 given he's over seven-feet tall and shoots 34.4% from three. He won Big East Defensive Player of the Year four times and has the makings of a Boston Celtic written all over him. 29. Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland via Utah): Walter Clayton, PG, Florida The star of the NCAA Tournament this year, Clayton provides Phoenix with both playmaking and scoring ability. He became the first player with a 30-point game in the Elite 8 and National Semifinals of the same NCAA Tournament since Indiana State's Larry Bird in 1979. 30. LA Clippers (from OKC): Johni Broome, F/C, Auburn The SEC Player of the Year and winner of the Karl Malone Award (given to the country's top power forward), Broome shows up when it matters. Against Michigan State in the Elite 8, he bcame the first player with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 75% shooting to send his team to the Final Four since Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades while reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team.' Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension . Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. 'Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
