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
Philadelphia 76ers select Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall - 17 hours ago
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The Philadelphia 76ers selected Washington point guard Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Fultz, considered the consensus top prospect by most draft outlets, averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in his lone season with the Huskies. Washington has had back-to-back top eight draft choices, with Marquese Chriss going eighth to Phoenix in 2016. Philadelphia acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics on June 20. The 76ers relinquished the No. 3 overall sel... [read more]
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Washington point guard Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Fultz, considered the consensus top prospect by most draft outlets, averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in his lone season with the Huskies. Washington has had back-to-back top eight draft choices, with Marquese Chriss going eighth to Phoenix in 2016. Philadelphia acquired the first pick from the Boston Celtics on June 20. The 76ers relinquished the No. 3 overall selection plus a future first for the right to take Fultz. The trade was made possible by former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie's apt for collecting draft choices. The future first-round pick due to Boston is the 2018 Lakers selection, which the Sixers initially acquired from Phoenix at the 2015 trade deadline. If the choice falls between the second and fifth slots, it's parlayed to the Celtics. Any other result sends Sacramento's 2019 first-rounder to Boston. It's the second consecutive season Philadelphia chose first overall, last year taking LSU's Ben Simmons. Simmons missed the 2016 season with a foot injury. The 76ers embarked on a complete rebuild in the 2013 offseason, moving proven players, such as point guard Jrue Holiday, for draft picks. Philadelphia has picked in the top three in four consecutive drafts, previously taking Joel Embiid (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015) and Simmons. Plush with cap space and oozing potential, Philadelphia's rebuild, while debatably controversial, is starting to bear fruit. The Fultz, Simmons and Embiid trio is among the league's best young cores.
Round 1
1 Markelle Fultz (6'5''-G/F-98) - Philadelphia 76ers (from Brooklyn via Boston)
Chicago Bulls trade Jimmy Butler to Minnesota - 17 hours ago
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The long-anticipated reunion between Jimmy Butler (6'7''-G/F-89, college: Marquette) and Tom Thibodeau is on. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Chicago Bulls had traded three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick Thursday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine (6'5''-G-95, college: UCLA), Kris Dunn (6'4''-G-94, college: Providence) and the No. 7 overall pick. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal... [read more]
The long-anticipated reunion between Jimmy Butler (6'7''-G/F-89, college: Marquette) and Tom Thibodeau is on. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Chicago Bulls had traded three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick Thursday night to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine (6'5''-G-95, college: UCLA), Kris Dunn (6'4''-G-94, college: Providence) and the No. 7 overall pick. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, had not been officially announced. The trade brings together Butler and Wolves coach and president Thibodeau, who coached the Bulls for five seasons before being fired in 2015. Butler gives Thibodeau the tough-minded scorer and hard-nosed defender that he has been searching for to complement a promising young core. The Wolves paid a big price: Besides surrendering the lottery pick, they gave up a rising star in LaVine, who is coming off of a torn ACL and Dunn, last year's No. 5 overall pick. Butler played for Thibodeau for four seasons in Chicago, developing from an unheralded, late-first round draft pick into a perennial All-Star. The two strong-willed workaholics clashed on occasion during their time together and Butler said during the Olympics in Rio last summer that it was "love-hate" relationship. But he also acknowledged that his appreciation for Thibodeau's hard-driving style increased as time went on, especially when the Bulls struggled in their first season under the more player-friendly Fred Hoiberg. And according to a person with knowledge of the situation, Butler welcomes the move to Minnesota to join his old coach and a team loaded with young talent in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. The Wolves drafted Arizona sharpshooter Lauri Markkanen (7'0''-PF-97) for the Bulls at No. 7 and the Bulls took Creighton forward Justin Patton (7'1''-C-97) at No. 16 for the Wolves. Patton is a 6-foot-11 forward who was the Big East freshman of the year after averaging 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. When Thibodeau was hired as team president and coach last summer, he quickly set his sights on bringing Butler to Minnesota. The two sides engages on serious discussions on draft night last year, nearly reaching a deal that would have included LaVine and Dunn, a player the Bulls were very high on coming out of Providence, for Butler. The deal could not quite be completed and Butler went through a frustrating season with the Bulls, who brought in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo in hopes of squeezing some more immediate success out of the group. LaVine was having a breakout third season in the league when he tore the ACL in his left knee February. His rehabilitation has gone well, but the injury certainly complicated the Wolves' re-engaging Chicago on Butler. Adding to the difficulty was Dunn's underwelming first year in Minnesota, which diminished his trade value as well, even in the eyes of the point guard-needy Bulls. With all that in play, the Wolves were forced to also offer up the No. 7 pick this season to push the deal over the top. But they did receive Chicago's first-round pick in return, offering them an opportunity to continue adding to their depth. The move, and the package they assembled to make it, signal an organization that is desperate to start winning now after 13 straight seasons of missing the playoffs. While not a great 3-point shooter like the Wolves need, Butler still averaged career highs in points (23.9), rebounds (6.2) and assists (5.5) in his sixth season. He is also one of the league's top defenders, an absolute necessity for a young team that finished 26th in the league in defensive efficiency last season. He will turn 28 in September, right in the middle of his prime for a team in need of veteran leadership. The move also represents the first significant steps toward an overhaul for the Bulls. Despite a spirited effort, the Bulls were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Wade opted in for the final year of his contract, but that isn't stopping Chicago from pivoting to a new, younger nucleus that includes LaVine, Dunn and Denzel Valentine. Courtesy of: nba.com
Sacramento Kings (NBA) cut 32-year old guard Arron Afflalo (196-98kg-85, college: UCLA). Afflalo played there last season. In 61 NBA games he averaged 8.4ppg, 2.1rpg and 1.3apg. The previous (15-16) season he played at the Knicks where in 71 NBA games he had 12.8ppg, 3.7rpg and 2.0apg. In 2007 Afflalo was drafted by Detroit Pistons in first round (27th overall). The former Univ.of Calif.at Los Angeles standoutis in his eleventh (!!!) season in pro basketball. Afflalo has played previously... [read more]
Sacramento Kings (NBA) cut 32-year old guard Arron Afflalo (196-98kg-85, college: UCLA). Afflalo played there last season. In 61 NBA games he averaged 8.4ppg, 2.1rpg and 1.3apg. The previous (15-16) season he played at the Knicks where in 71 NBA games he had 12.8ppg, 3.7rpg and 2.0apg. In 2007 Afflalo was drafted by Detroit Pistons in first round (27th overall). The former Univ.of Calif.at Los Angeles standoutis in his eleventh (!!!) season in pro basketball. Afflalo has played previously for three other teams: Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. His game is described as:
(by Matthew Maurer for NBADraft.net in 2007)
Moves extremely well without the ball in his hands, understanding how to free himself for shots. Works well running off screens where he is a capable shooter. Has three point range on his jumper. Good finisher in transition. Body strength enables him to convert difficult shots with ease as well as the ability to finish after contact.
Lacks the first step to gain full separation from his defender. There are times where he becomes too perimeter oriented offensively.
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