Alerts Mailbag 3-6-2020
Too much news for you to keep up with last night? Look no further! The Leaguealerts mailbag has all of the information that you missed yesterday! Here’s what you missed:
The Golden State Warriors have signed the 22-year-old Dragan Bender to a 10-day contract. Bender was a former 4th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He’s been widely considered a bust since Phoenix drafted him. He’s going to have the chance to prove otherwise in what may be his last opportunity.
Marcus Smart was not happy after Boston’s recent loss to Brooklyn. He raged on the refs for some questionable calls and ended up earning himself a hefty, $35K fine.
The New York Knicks are back at it again! This time in the form of Chris Paul. The Knicks are beyond desperate for a superstar and Chris Paul is the only one without a torn Achilles that is likely to be traded. (John Wall) The Knicks still have a lot of cap space after not signing Kyrie, Kevin, or Kawhi.
Stephen Curry told the press that he still plans to play in the Olympics this summer despite the injury, adding to what is an already stacked USA Team.
Kevin Porter Jr has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol. He will likely miss 2-3 games this season. The 30th overall pick in this draft has shown great potential this season and Cleveland would love to get him back on the court as soon as possible.
LeBron James shared some inspirational quotes yesterday. He explains how he wants to be the best player in the world, not just an MVP. He wants to be the best anyone has ever seen.
The Giannis and Harden beef continue as Harden says this in response to Antetokounmpo saying that they should focus their defense on Harden because he’s not a passer. Harden responded in typical NBA fashion.
The biggest news of the day, the Lakers increased their depth, the one thing they desperately needed. Dion Waiters is a good player and he will be huge for the Lakers in the road to a championship. Waiters is a great 3-and-D player who is going to provide crucial minutes off the bench.
Some non-NBA news for you, Payton Manning has been offered a truckload of money to be an ESPN commentator, the $18-20 million would be more than Tony Romo recently got to be the CBS announcer.
After the Warriors game, Steve Kerr entered a full press room for the first time in a while. He jokingly mocked the press as he knew they had only shown up because of Stephen Curry.
NBA Games:
Nuggets @ Hornets:
Nuggets win 114-112
Denver has one of the best team games of the season. They struggled against the inferior Hornets but still managed to pull out the victory with seven players scoring more than 10 points. Their top scorer was Jamal Murray, who scored 18 points on 6-14 shooting and 2-6 from three and also dished out six assists. Nikola Jokic also had a good showing, almost getting a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Will Barton also scored 16 and Monte Morris had 15.
The Hornets were led by Devonte Graham. Graham scored 24 points on 8-15 shooting and 3-9 from deep. He also dished out seven assists. PJ Washington also scored 20 and Terry Rozier scored 19.
Clippers @ Rockets:
Clippers win 120-105
Big surprise! Small Ball doesn’t beat the good teams. The Clippers were led by Kawhi Leonard. He scored 25 points on 8-15 shooting and 4-7 from deep. He also dished out five assists and pulled in six rebounds. Montrezl Harrell also had a good showing. He scored 19 points on 5-9 shooting and 0-1 from deep. He also recorded 10 rebounds.
The Rockets were led by their best player on the team, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook scored 29 points on 11-27 shooting and 0-2 from deep. He also pulled in 15 rebounds and dished out five assists. Jeff Green also had 17 and James Harden had 16.
76ers @ Kings:
76ers win 125-108.
The 76ers got a much-needed win against the Kings. Tobias Harris had the game-high with 28 points on 11-22 shooting and 4-6 from deep. He also pulled in 14 rebounds. Sudden star, Shake Milton also scored 20 points. The former 54th overall pick in the 2019 draft shot 8-14 and 3-5 from deep. Al Horford also had 18, Alec Burks had 17, and Raul Neto had 16.
The overwhelmed Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox. He scored 23 points on 9-17 shooting and 0-4 from deep. He also racked up seven assists. Buddy Hield also scored 22 and Harrison Barnes scored 15.
Raptors @ Warriors:
Raptors win 121-113
The Raptors clinched the playoffs in the win against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Norman Powell may have had his best game of the season, scoring 37 points on 13-20 shooting and 4-8 from deep. He also recorded three steals to top off the night. Kyle Lowry was also beyond impressive, scoring 26 points on 6-14 shooting and 4-12 from deep. He also dished out 10 assists and pulled in five rebounds. Pascal Siakam also scored 17.
The Warriors were led by Curry, who had his debut last night. Curry scored 23 points, shooting 6-16 and 3-12 from three, which isn’t impressive, but Curry must be mentioned. David Lee also scored 23, Andrew Wiggins scored 21, Marquise Chriss scored 17, and Eric Paschall scored 16.
