Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts called it ''Nurkic Fever'' before the game, and the love for Jusuf Nurkic (7'0''-C-94) had only grown by the end of the night. The 7-foot center had a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds, and Portland beat the Philadelphia 76ers 114-108 in overtime on Thursday. Nurkic, who was acquired last month in a trade with Denver, also had eight assists and six blocks in Portland's season-high fourth straight win. The ''Bosnian Beast'' has quickly become a fan favorite for the Trail Blazers, and Stotts was asked before the game if he was surprised. ''It's easy to do,'' the coach said. ''Nurkic fever? Why not?'' On the court afterward, Nurkic smiled when he was told about the coach's comments. The crowd roared. ''I love being here,'' he said. ''I appreciate what the city is doing for me. I just want to give them back something.'' Damian Lillard (6'3''-PG-90, college: Weber St.) added 24 points for Portland, but did not make a 3-pointer, snapping a streak of 42 games with at least one 3. Philadelphia rookie Dario Saric (6'10''-PF-94, agency: BeoBasket) had a season-best 28 points, while Robert Covington (6'9''-F-90, college: Tennessee St.) scored 24 in the 76ers' sixth loss in seven games. Covington's layup at the buzzer in regulation tied at 97. Nurkic's tip-in gave the Blazers a 102-99 lead, but Covington made a 3-pointer to tie it again at 102. Lillard's free throws gave Portland a 106-104 lead with under two minutes left in the extra period. His layup extended the lead to four. Allen Crabbe (6'6''-G-92, college: California)'s floater with 20.9 seconds left helped seal the victory for the Blazers. ''That's as dominant a performance as we have played against this year from an interior player,'' 76ers coach Brett Brown said about Nurkic. ''Twenty rebounds and 28 points. That's a dominant effort.'' Nurkic has been a spark for Portland, one of a number of teams jockeying for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. It began the day in ninth in the standings, just below the Denver Nuggets. ''Different teams are at different stages,'' Stotts said about the urgency at this time of the season. ''Obviously with us, with 20 games to go, every win and every loss is magnified.'' Philadelphia is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and well out of the playoff picture. The Sixers got center Jahlil Okafor (6'11''-C-95, college: Duke) back after he missed two games because of right knee soreness. Philadelphia has been so short-handed it received a hardship exception to sign Shawn Long to a 10-day contract earlier this week. Portland led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter and took a 57-52 lead into the half, but the focus was on Nurkic, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists before the break. Philadelphia grabbed a 95-94 lead on Saric's free throws with 55.9 to go. Nurkic made the second of two free throws to tie it again, and Covington fouled CJ McCollum, who made his foul shots to give Portland a 97-95 lead. Nurkic was asked if he was on top of the world following the performance. He was the first Blazer with 20 or more points and rebounds in a game since LaMarcus Aldridge in January 2014. ''Nah, I'm gonna stay on the ground, because I know what I'm capable of,'' he said. ''I don't like to talk about myself, I'm gonna show it on the court.'' Portland was coming off a 126-121 victory at Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Courtesy of: cbssports.com
TJ Warren to sign contract extension with Phoenix Suns - 8 hours ago
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Since general manager Ryan McDonough took over in 2013, the Suns have sifted through trades and draft picks in hopes of finding long-term talent. It appears they consider T.J. Warren(6'8''-F-95, college: N.Carolina St.) fits that category. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the fourth-year forward has come to terms with Phoenix on a contract extension that would keep him in the desert through 2022. A former ACC Player of the Year at North Carolina State, Warren has flashed the same fl... [read more]
Since general manager Ryan McDonough took over in 2013, the Suns have sifted through trades and draft picks in hopes of finding long-term talent. It appears they consider T.J. Warren (6'8''-F-95, college: N.Carolina St.) fits that category. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the fourth-year forward has come to terms with Phoenix on a contract extension that would keep him in the desert through 2022. A former ACC Player of the Year at North Carolina State, Warren has flashed the same flair for scoring that he showed in college, averaging 11.2 points per game on 50.2-percent shooting in just over 24 minutes per contest over his three-year career. He has, however, struggled to stay on the court due to injury, playing in just 153 games over the last three seasons. Courtesy of: nba.com
The Thunder tabs Markel Brown, ex Khimki - 23 hours ago
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Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) inked 25-year old point guard Markel Brown (191-85kg-92, college: Oklahoma State) on a training camp contract. He played most recently at BC Khimki Moscow Region in Russian VTB league. In 11 Eurocup games he averaged 5.0ppg and 2.3rpg last season. Brown helped them to make it to the quarterfinals. He also played 21 games in VTB United League where he had 5.3ppg, 2.7rpg and 1.1apg. Brown contributed to his team making it to the final. He also spent pre-season at... [read more]
Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) inked 25-year old point guard Markel Brown (191-85kg-92, college: Oklahoma State) on a training camp contract. He played most recently at BC Khimki Moscow Region in Russian VTB league. In 11 Eurocup games he averaged 5.0ppg and 2.3rpg last season. Brown helped them to make it to the quarterfinals. He also played 21 games in VTB United League where he had 5.3ppg, 2.7rpg and 1.1apg. Brown contributed to his team making it to the final. He also spent pre-season at the Cavaliers that year. Brown contributed to his team making it to the final. Three years ago he was drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves in second round (44th overall). Brown attended Oklahoma State until 2014 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball. Among other achievements he received All-Big 12 2nd Team award back in 2013 and 2014 at his college time. Brown has played previously for two other NBA teams: Brooklyn Nets and Maine Red Claws.
The last few months have been one of the most chaotic and entertaining off-seasons in memory. With the inarguable dominance of the Golden State Warriors, every NBA General Manager not named Bob Riley has had to decide whether to build their teams slowly and hope the Warriors taper off in the next few years or to push their chips in and make a run for the current champs. Well, we now have our answers and it seems the gaps between the haves and have-nots have grown. Let's take a look at the... [read more]
The last few months have been one of the most chaotic and entertaining off-seasons in memory. With the inarguable dominance of the Golden State Warriors, every NBA General Manager not named Bob Riley has had to decide whether to build their teams slowly and hope the Warriors taper off in the next few years or to push their chips in and make a run for the current champs. Well, we now have our answers and it seems the gaps between the haves and have-nots have grown. Let's take a look at the big trades that created would-be contenders for next season's championship.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The first splash made was on June 21, as the Chicago Bulls traded away 2016-17 All NBA 3rd Team member Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. After picking up hometowner Dwayne Wade last year, expectations grew that the Bulls could make some noise in the East. The result was a 41-41 group and a less-than-happy locker room. Butler is thrilled to be reunited with head coach Tom Thibodeau and the T-Wolves expect the three-time All-Star to bring the same offense of departing Zach Levine plus lockdown defense and leadership to great young talents Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. Throw in the free-agent acquisition of point guard Jeff Teague and you have a legitimate contender in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Trade Grade: B
Houston Rockets
Next up was the Rockets. They managed to grab elite point guard Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers. CP3 had one foot out the door with a deteriorating relationship with head coach Doc Rivers. Paul is one of the best distributors in the game (career 9.9apg) and even at 32 years old, is a top defender, with seven All-Defensive First Team awards). He joins a team that is building itself in the image of the Warriors with a premium placed on an up-tempo offensive pace with a lot of three-point shooting. Houston finished last year with the third-best record in the league and, on paper, are now stronger. The question everyone is asking revolves around Paul and Harden's ability to share the ball; if they can, the Rockets might have punched a ticket to the Western Conference finals. Trade Grade: A
Oklahoma City Thunder
Not to be left out of the Western Conference arms race, the Thunder swooped in and traded for the highly prized Indiana Pacer, Paul George. OKC didn't give up much given the expectation that George will head elsewhere when his contract expires, with the Lakers being his top choice. With George, OKC now has one of the toughest defenses on paper and although getting through the Warriors, Rockets, Wolves and Spurs will be tough, the Thunder, as of August 13, provide great value to win the West at +1700. If George and and reigning MVP Russell Westbrook play well together, Thunder GM Sam Presti believes he can convince both to stay rather than have George - and possibly Westbrook - walk at the end of the season. Trade Grade: B
Cleveland Cavaliers & Boston Celtics
In a summer of big-name moves, the true blockbuster came on August 21 and surprisingly was between the two prohibitive favorites in the East. The Cavs sent the disgruntled Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round pick. Celtics GM Danny Ainge was expected to keep methodically building his team for contendership in the near future but with the signing of Gordon Hayward he apparently thinks Irving puts Boston over the top. Thomas has a hip injury with no fixed date of return so his absence hurts the Cavs now and increases their interest in acquiring Dwayne Wade although there's no guarantee there. The addition of Crowder and a likely early first-round pick next year helps them in the future. Trade Grade: Cavs B / Celtics A-
As with most trades, it takes time to get a true evaluation and when draft picks are included a bad trade can become good, or vice versa. It seems all of these trades were made with an attempt to win in the short-term. Many of these big names have only one year left on their current contract and are UFAs at the end of this season (Paul, Thomas, George) so their departure would be a bitter pill for the teams they currently play for. While these teams seem to represent the short list of teams to occupy the four conference finals spots, let's not forget that sometimes the best trade you make is the one you don't. The San Antonio Spurs still have kept their roster largely intact with FA signings and still have arguably the best head coach in NBA history. In the East, Toronto, Washington and Milwaukee will look to improve on last year's performances. The rest of the league, however, seems to be content to take the slow lane to rebuild for the long-term and wait for these current Warriors to go away.
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