Nikola Jokic on the Lu Dort flagrant foul: “Unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction. There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”
[Highlight] Luguentz Dort sticks his hip out to make contact with Nikola Jokić, who responds; Jalen Williams steps in and squares off with Jokic.
The air horn at Little Caesars Arena has been blaring for over 5 minutes as staff scramble to turn it off
[Highlight] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander throws the ball on Nikola Jokic off the whistle, receives a technical foul. SGA claims he got pushed. The referee James Williams refers to Nikola Jokic as ‘The Joker’ and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as ‘SGA’ upon review
[Highlight] Alternate angle shows Lu Dort extend his leg in an effort to trip and injure Nikola Jokic:
A small collection of Lu Dort hustle plays.
Charles Barkley: “It is so difficult for fans to find the [NBA] games now. I think we’ve done a disservice to the fans and to the game. … The fans are the backbone and we want to support these networks.”
Shaq & Chuck on Nikola Jokić’s Reaction to Lu Dort’s Intentional Trip
[Highlight] Jokic fouls Hartenstein and then bumps Shai after the whistle, who’s adamant it deserves a tech and throws the ball at him in retaliation. After review it’s ruled Jokic’s contact is marginal, but Shai is penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct
Jared McCain against the Nuggets: 14-2-1-1 on 6⁄8 shooting (2⁄3 from 3), +9 in 19 minutes
[Highlight] Full sequence: Luguentz Dort sticks his hip out, sending Nikola Jokić to the floor. Jokic confronts Dort as Jalen Williams intervenes. Result: Dort ejected, Jokic and Williams with offsetting techs, and Denver gets two free throws.
The buzzer at Little Caesars Arena has been blaring nonstop for 2+ minutes. Pistons and Cavs players are now getting shots up while the buzzer just keeps going. Never seen this before
[Post Game Thread] The Oklahoma City Thunder (46-15) defeat the Denver Nuggets (37-23) in overtime behind Shai’s 36 point performance , 127-121.
Steve Kerr says that Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t actually suffer from POTS
Marcus Smart was VISIBLY frustrated by Deandre Ayton’s defense on multiple occasions last night
Ernie Johnson: “It is Alex Caruso, it is my son, and, there’ll be a little something extra in your allowance this week; that was a heck of a game.”
Slo-Mo of Jokic & Lu Dort’s Scuffle Before Dort Gets Ejected
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in his return against Denver: 36 PTS, 3 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
[Highlight] Last night in his return, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36 PTS, 9 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL) helped the Thunder defeat the Nuggets 127-121 in OT. Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 20+ points in 122 straight games, which is 4 away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record.
A fan was ejected from Cavs-Pistons for something he said to Dennis Schroder
The blaring air horn at Little Caesars Arena is finally silenced by shutting down the entire scoreboard system after 15 minutes. A manual air horn will be used for the rest of the game.
LeBron James is 10 games away from playing the most games ever in the NBA/ABA.
The player with the most 3s this year is LaMelo Ball of the Hornets. And the player with the second most 3s in the league is Kon Knueppel of the Hornets. And the player with the third most 3s is Brandon Miller of the Hornets.
Celtics in their 148-111 win recorded the highest true shooting % and highest EFG % in a single game in NBA history.
Former Suns front office Amin Elhassan on Ayton: “You wish you were Capella, and the Lakers wish you were too. The tiger doesn’t change his stripes, he just changes jungles. Guys are who they are, particularly if they’ve always been rewarded for who they are”
Barkley: “We love Luka, take him off the MVP list. That ship has sailed. The Lakers out here tanking right now. Adam Silver gotta fine them soon. The Lakers lost to the suns last night. They closer to the lottery than they are first place. Adam Silver just don’t have the courage to fine the Lakers”
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is mic’d up, breaking down X’s and O’s and handing out assignments during a timeout huddle
[Charania] The Dallas Mavericks are waiving veteran Tyus Jones, and are signing two-way guard Ryan Nembhard to a new two-year contract. Nembhard brought a spark on his two-way deal, averaging 9.9 points, 6.1 assists and 44.4% 3-point shooting in 17 starts.
[Charania] The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Cole Anthony, sources tell ESPN. Anthony averaged 6.7 points in 35 games for the Bucks before being moved at the NBA trade deadline.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Record the Largest Home Comeback This Season (16 PTs)
Chet Holmgren in the win: 15 points, 3 blocks and a career high 21 rebounds
Nikola Jokic in the loss: 23/18/14 on 9⁄25 FG
Jokic’s efficiency has plummeted since coming back from injury. His first 32 games: 61% from the field, 67% from two, 44% from three. His last 12 after the injury: 48% from the field, 54% from two, 33% from three.
[Highlight] “Another Knueppel triple!” Kon Knueppel, the current leader in 3PM and the new record holder for most threes made by a rookie in NBA history, looks to build on his record-setting season today. Check out some of his best shots this season.
Luguentz Dort Walks Into the Locker Room After Being Ejected for Fouling Nikola Jokic
Cam Johnson in loss to OKC: 40 minutes, 7 points on 2⁄7 FG, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, game-worst -23
Jalen Duren in the win vs the Cavaliers: 33 points, 16 rebounds (7 offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks, game-high +14 in 41 minutes on 11-19 FG.
[Highlight] Chet Holmgren grabs his 21st rebound on the night and gets fouled to effectively seal the victory
[Highlight] Alex Caruso comes up with a huge steal and navigates to the other end to score
Jamal Murray despite the loss: 39/8/6 on 12⁄26 FG
An electrical malfunction causes the buzzer during the Pistons-Cavaliers to get stuck.
[Post Game Thread] The Detroit Pistons (43-14) defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers (37-23), 122-119.
Denver went 3 for 16 with 4 turnovers between 3 minutes left in the 4th and 28 seconds left in OT.
[Post Game Thread] The Boston Celtics (39-20) eviscerate the Brooklyn Nets (15-44), 148-111, setting new single-game NBA records for TS%, eFG%, and 3PT% (20+ 3PA)
[BasketNews] Grant Williams: “The whole team was in the hotel. Bron had a room as well. At the time it was communicated that he had the room as well as a house on campus. I spoke with that knowledge but I’ll say publicly i was wrong and spoke with inaccurate information.”
[Highlight] Jaylen Brown tomahawk dunk against the nets
[Highlight] Steph Curry hits this iconic three pointer against the Thunder 10 years ago (Feb 27, 2016).
[Highlight] Tyson fouls Daniss Jenkins at half court with 5 seconds left; Jenkins ties the game