[Jalen Brunson] on whether he prefers blackjack, poker, or roulette: “I don’t gamble. It’s probably a good thing I don’t gamble right? Probably shouldn’t say anything about gambling.”
Anthony Edwards vs. Lily Zhang
Desmond Bane on advancing to NBA Cup Semifinals: “I just lost $35,000. I gotta go get it back somehow.”
Desmond “Fuck Them Picks” Bane in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals Win vs the Heat: 37 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 14⁄24 FG | 6⁄9 3FG | 3⁄3 FT | 73% TS
[Highlight] KAT with a MONSTROUS slam after finding the open lane
[Mavs Film Room] Exclusive: Dwight Powell is likely to retire at the end of this season, league sources tell Mavs Film Room.
[Highlight] Desmond Bane is having words in mid-court with Norman Powell and then starts clapping, passionately. Jamahl Mosley screaming trying to get him to stop Magic win
Girl Dad and Western Conference Player of the Week Jamal Murray
[Blake Griffin] on Karl-Anthony Towns: “He was in a slump to start the season, but ever since he learned he could pass to himself things changed”
Grayson Allen with the gather step pump fake euro step-through middy floater
Jalen Brunson responds to Josh Hart’s claim that he would be a terrible New York Mayor: “If I was mayor whoever stole Josh’s watches in New York City I would make sure they walk free”
Michael Jordan laughed at a fan playing music as he exited the courthouse earlier
LeBron James when asked about the best and most complete season of his career: “The 2018 season I felt like I could do no wrong on the basketball floor, I felt like every time I stepped on the floor I really could do everything I wanted to do.”
[Bontemps] Sources told ESPN that the Heat were not aware of the NBA’s investigation when they traded for Rozier, whom they acquired for a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick.. Hornets, when asked by ESPN whether they were aware of the league’s investigation before the trade, declined to comment
JJ Redick on playing in the social media era: “They read every single good and bad thing about them. They’ll feel ‘bad’ if they play poorly and ‘good’ if they play well because of what people will say about them. So getting guys to feel neutral, with some consistency every day is difficult.”
[Greene] “I’m actually at peace with everything,” he (Chris Paul) says. “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”
Rich Paul suggests that the Milwaukee Bucks should trade Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for his client Jalen Johnson: “If I’m the Bucks, I’m looking at young player, high character, high talent, high IQ. I’m calling Atlanta. I want Jalen Johnson. He’s from Milwaukee.”
[Post Game Thread] The Orlando Magic (14-10) defeat the Miami Heat (14-10), 117-108 behind 37 from Bane
[Highlight] The New York Knicks defeat the Raptors 117-101 and reach the NBA’s Cup semifinals and Las Vegas for their first time in their franchise’s history.
The Knicks were only team in the NBA to reach the Cup quarterfinals in all three years of the event
[Charania] The Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors are expected to be suitors for Anthony Davis, league sources told ESPN. The Mavericks are also open to exploring the trade markets for Davis, center Daniel Gafford and guards Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell, sources said.
Max Kellerman ask Rich Paul if there’s a chance LeBron won’t be a Laker by end of year:
“No. Where’s he gonna go? Does LeBron make the Knicks better? Yes he would, of course but 29 other teams would say the same thing”
[Highlight] Red Panda halftime performance tonight - Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks, at Scotiabank Arena, Toronto. With replays of some of her moves.
Derik Queen is the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead a game in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.
Jayson Tatum playing some 1v1s at the Celtics practice facility
[NOTB Podcast] Kenny Beecham reached out to Tyrese Haliburton to ask if star players/free agents care when a franchise “do their players wrong” in response to how the Clippers sent Chris Paul home. Haliburton: “A lot of players just want to get paid.”
Derik Queen: “Someone said that next class is gonna be better than us or that’s the best class. We’re definitely the best class. Up and down the charts we’re gonna be the best class. We have the better players”
[Post Game Thread] The New York Knicks (16-7) defeat the Toronto Raptors (15-10), 117-101.
The Raptors and Heat have both lost 4 games in a row since the “top 3 seeds in the East are the Pistons, Raptors, and Heat” post a week ago. Outside of Cleveland, the East is slowly returning to preseason expectations as the Knicks are up to 2nd and Magic up to 4th.
[Charania] Klay Thompson, if traded, prefers to land in a contending situation. The Mavericks will be entertaining talks between now and the trade deadline.
[Highlight] The Orlando Magic beat the Miami Heat 117-108 and advance to the semifinal of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. They will face the winner of the Knicks-Raptors quarterfinal.
Josh Hart since entering Knicks starting lineup: 16.5 pts, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2 steals per game on 69% TS. Knicks 8-1 in timespan
Jalen Brunson is done for the night: 35 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 1 BLK, +4, 39 MIN
[Highlight] Dillon Brooks stopping Mark William’s interview to congratulate him on his first career three is peak teammate energy
Jalen Brunson at halftime: 26/2/2 on 10-12 FG, 4-6 3PT, 2-3 FT
British sideline reporter causes OG Anunoby’s accent to come out
[Knappenberger] The NBA argued that a fan did not suffer concrete harm when the league shared his highlight-viewing activity to inform the Facebook company’s targeted ads… the league said. “No one has to ‘subscribe’ to the NBA to watch video clips of LeBron James or Kevin Durant.”
[Haynes] Sources: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo met with some teammates to address rumors of his future. Message was to focus on basketball and not allow outside noise to distract team.
Wembanyama ruled out for game against Lakers
[Haslem] on the Heat loss: “There’s a karma to this game. When you have a team that comes out sluggish and you take a 20-4 lead on them, you HAVE to finish them. They had an opportunity in the 1st Quarter to put their foot on their neck and shut the door, but they let them get back in it.”
Jalen Brunson vs the Raptors in a win: 35 PTS, 2 REBS, 4 ASTS, 13⁄19 from FG, 6⁄9 from 3
Jaylen Brown on what it takes to be a great player: “If you wanna be a great player, you gotta sell your soul. You gotta be a flopper. If you wanna be an MVP, you wanna be top of the top, you gotta sell your soul and just be a flopper.“
Jaylen Brown with some interesting insight into Raptors star Scottie Barnes’ strength:
Rich Paul doesn’t believe the Lakers are true contenders: “I don’t think they have enough to get to the Western Conference Finals… their style of play will be very easy to defend when you get into playoffs.”
[Highlight] Karl Anthony-Towns stuffs it on Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl
[Charania] The Pacers are in active trade talks around the league to find a center of the future after losing Myles Turner in free agency, sources said.
[Highlight] Knicks manage to run the exact same possession twice in a row
[Amick] The Golden State Warriors are intent on trading Jonathan Kuminga after things have “gone south” and the Brooklyn Nets are a team that has shown interest “for a while” in acquiring him.
With his 35 point night in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals at Toronto, Jalen Brunson has tied Richie Guerin for the 3rd most 30 point games by a Knick; trailing only Carmelo Anthony (108) and Patrick Ewing (203)