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SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Dallas Mavericks

by Marcus Van Diver | Jan 18, 2020 | Featured, NBA

ESPN’s second game of the night will showcase a star-filled supernova as the Mavericks look to defend home court versus the road-trippin’ Portland Trail Blazers on their first night of a back-to-back, taking place at 9:30 p.m. ET. Portland is looking to make it 2-0 on the year in Dallas, after previously winning their last matchup on the road against Luka Doncic’s Mavs by a score of 121-119 back on October 27.

These Blazers are really trying to salvage what’s left of a season that’s spun into a tailspin at year’s beginning and if last night was any indication of what these Mavericks are in for tonight, this could be a really intriguing game to keep your eyes glued on for a couple of hours. Last night’s win over the Rockets inside the Toyota Center wasn’t quite the revenge victory Carmelo Anthony had in mind, but it was easily one of the signature wins for a Portland team that’s severely missed them, now six games under .500.

Damian Lillard’s 25 points and Melo’s efficient 18 points off a 70 percent shooting night clamped up league-leading scorer James Harden to what was probably his worst game this year at only 13 points off 3/12 shooting. The team effort was telling enough that this Blazers team, equally awash with all-star infrastructure and injuries to some of their most prominent pieces in Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins and others, is capable enough of righting the ship and supplanting the Blazers back in the playoff hunt. They’ll have the utmost opportunity to flex their potential against this Mavericks team that’s still without a completely healthy Kristaps Porzingis, finally upgraded to a game-time decision Friday afternoon.

Dallas didn’t quite finish off the Sacramento Kings last night, only beating their Western rivals by four via a 127-123 score as Doncic just so happened to follow protocol and drop another sick triple-double with 25 points, 15 rebounds and a stunning 17 assists, his career-high in dishes. For a team that’s so depleted in bigs, all will be even more difficult to coach around for Terry Stotts if Porzingis suits up and takes the floor since they’ll practically have no other answer to the 7-foot Lithuanian stretch big (other than Hassan Whiteside, maybe) that can destroy any defensive scheme both inside and outside of the paint.

Still, things are finally starting to come together for this Blazers backcourt, now at the No. 2 spot for the highest-scoring backcourts in the league. Tonight’s duel between Rick Carlisle’s vaunted backcourt composed of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Doncic versus Dame and CJ McCollum shouldn’t be anything short of an entertaining way to kick off the weekend, so be sure to grab your favorite beverage and snack, kick back and enjoy Blazers vs. Mavs at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Jan 18, 2020 No Comments

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors

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by Marcus Van Diver | Jan 17, 2020 | Featured, NBA

For the second game of Thursday’s TNT doubleheader, the Turner Sports crew heads out to the Bay for a Western Conference contest between the visiting Denver Nuggets and the hosting Golden State Warriors that’s sure to be entertaining enough for all fans to palate as their tip-off is at 10:30 p.m. ET, right after the conclusion of the Bucks/Celtics game.

The Nuggets can’t allow any slip-ups to below-.500 competition in the midst of a hotly-contested fatal four-way between them, the Jazz, the Clippers and Rockets for the right to the second seed in the West behind the leading Lakers since Denver is only holding a 1.5 game-sized space that’s separating them from the mentioned latter. Keeping up the momentum against a 9-33 Warriors squad that sure to be in the running for a high lottery pick at season’s end sounds easy on paper, but these resilient Warriors always find a way to arise anxiety among fans of higher-touted Western teams.

And also, this is the first game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets, so some rust may be felt especially since they aren’t going to roll out a completely healthy starting five tonight. (Some food for thought and maybe a little source of motivation for the Warriors: The Nuggets have been a slow-starting team this season, and they’re 22nd in points per game in first quarters.)

Golden State is in the basement of basements out West after pelting all competition in their path in seasons past behind the scary combination of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, KD and whoever else, but have played competitive basketball this season without all that star power while possessing some key wins against the Rockets and Trail Blazers worthy enough to brandish on their seasonal resume’.

That win against Houston on Christmas day was their only win against a team above .500 this season, so with a roster compact with guys that are auditioning for a rotation spot with GSW’s stars returning from injury, they’re going to play hard against a Nuggets team that’s going to be without Jamal Murray for a couple of weeks after he sustained an ankle sprain last night against the Hornets.

Game two tips off on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Jan 17, 2020 No Comments

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks

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by Marcus Van Diver | Jan 17, 2020 | Featured, NBA

For tonight’s TNT doubleheader starting at 8:15 p.m. ET, the first of two games will feature two of the top three teams in the Eastern conference going at it for four quarters for the second time this season as the Boston Celtics take a trip up north to do battle with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in what may be the premier matchup of the week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks won’t forget the last time they went to war with the boys from Beantown, losing via a second-half collapse on October 30, in which Boston held the at-the-time best 3-point shooting team in the NBA (percentage-wise) to a season-low 31.5 percent, only dropping a combined 14 threes through two halves against this new-age Celtics squad still compact with talent ranging from all spots on the floor.

Even without Jaylen Brown, Boston found a way to counter the overwhelming height and wingspan of the Bucks back then with a massive 3rd quarter from the likes of the offensively-expanding skillset of a Jayson Tatum, who took enjoyment in drilling a stepback three at the top of the key right in the face of Khris Middleton and smacking Paul Pierce’s hand in jubilation after.

Kemba Walker finally got over his scoring slump that night as well, dropping 32 points in the Celtics’ 3rd win of the year in one of the stepping stones to their lengthy winning streak that lasted weeks, regardless of the team’s overall health deteriorating as they would go on to lose Gordon Hayward for nearly a month with a broken bone in his left hand. Yet as the season progressed, it looked and felt as if Milwaukee’s trajectory was on more of a climb than Boston’s.

Yes – the Celtics still own the third-best home record in the league with only four losses coming on the parquet, but that obviously isn’t applicable with their just “acceptable” 11-8 road record. What hurt’s Boston’s chances in being determined as a sportsbook favorite in tonight’s Eastern clash is that they’re still not at 100 percent and while that’s not completely unavoidable since this league becomes such a battle of attrition at this time of the year, Brad Stevens might be tasked with having to coach around the absence of Brown again who is, statistically, the team’s second-best defender behind his frontcourt cohort Jayson Tatum.

He sprained his thumb in a rare home loss to the talent-inept Pistons after dropping 24 points off 10-16 shooting, and his offensive input per contest is what has helped propel the C’s up to the conversation of the league’s most intimidating teams. Brown has averaged 20 points per game off 49 percent shooting and a solid 40 percent 3-point percentage, and without him, the Celtics are to rely (again) on the hot-and-cold scoring ability of Tatum who is putting up around 21 points a game off 42 percent shooting.

A few things to be examined in tonight’s Eastern showdown will be if, A) – the Bucks don’t brick away their free chances from behind the arc, like how they did the last time they faced the Celtics and, B) – how do the Celtics pack the paint, stop a team that’s leading the league in overall scoring margin, match their length, and prevent them from getting to the cup with ease behind current MVP and award candidate for this year’s selection in Antetokounmpo?

These questions and more are going to get answered succinctly in tonight’s TNT battle, tipping off at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Jan 17, 2020 No Comments

OKC’s Thunderous Comeback Comes Up Short Against The Raptors (130-121)

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by Travis Singleton | Jan 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the comeback kids of the NBA this season. Tonight they almost pulled off a huge comeback as the Raptors had them down by 30 points at one point in the game. The Raptors had an answer for every Thunder run that would get them close in the game. The Raptors got back Marc Gasol tonight and Pascal Siakam recently after their injuries. It looked like they didn’t miss any beats as both combined for 36 points on the night. It was an all-around performance from the Raptors as they had 7 players in double figures on the night. Norman Powell had a huge night from the field shooting 9-11 for a team-high 23 points. Powell was able to hit on a lot of open opportunities that were given to him when the Thunder were doubling. The Raptors took advantage of the fact that Steven Adams only played 6 mins before getting sidelined. The Raptors were able to attack the paint for 62 points in there without a true rim protector. Without Adams and Noel, the Thunder leaned on Mike Muscala to give some big minutes throughout the game. The Raptors were making some tough shots all night and they capitalized on the Thunder missing a lot of open shots they usually make. The Raptors role players were able to come through for them in big minutes as OG Anunoby had 21 points on the night and made it tough on Terrance Ferguson after he switched off Pascal Siakam. The player that was able to carry the Raptors early in this game was Serge Ibaka as he finished with 15 points but 13 of those points were in the 1st quarter. Tonight the Raptors showed how deep they can be when everyone’s healthy and they didn’t even have Fred Van Fleet. Kyle Lowry was able to put in 17 points and 8 assists on the night. Kyle Lowry’s an amazing leader and he leads this team vocally and in most games as well. Kyle Lowry presented some problems for the Thunder tonight because he can get his shot off while creating for his teammates. Every time the Thunder got close enough to try and take the lead it was Norman Powell or Pascal Siakam that made a big shot to help them keep the lead. The Raptors were up by 30 points in this game and let the Thunder back in the game as they trailed by 3 points late in the 4th.

The Thunder lost this game but it shows how much heart this really has overall. OKC missed a lot of shots that they usually hit and you can tell it frustrated them early. The great thing about this Thunder team is the fact that they have the best leader in the NBA in Chris Paul. Every time this Thunder team gets down CP3 gets into his teammates and gives them the confidence to play to that higher level. Chris Paul didn’t have his best night in the stat sheet but he was able to make some plays defensively down the stretch that helped OKC get extremely close. Chris Paul finished with 16 points, 11 assists and 4 steals on the night. The tale of this game was the fact that OKC only hit 38% of their 3 pointers combined to 55% from the Raptors. Sometimes this team gets happy with the 3 pointers and it has backfired the last two home games that they were able to play. The Thunder were energized by the game that Dennis Schröder was able to bring to the table. Schröder finished the game with 25 points on the night and the Raptors didn’t have an answer for his first step. Dennis plays the game with a lot of energy and he used that energy to get steals while creating his own shots. The Raptors had no answer for Dennis Schröder tonight as they had Lowry guarding him and he was able to blow right by him. The Thunder guards of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schröder, and Chris Paul didn’t have their best night and it showed. Tonight Shai was able to finish with 21 points but he turned it on a little too late in the game. When Shai gets aggressive as he did in the 4th quarter he’s unstoppable, especially with that length. The Raptors were making sure they were able to take away the inside passage and tried to force them to shoot the 3 pointers instead. It seems like teams are slowly catching on to what the Thunder is trying to do but this team continues to fight. This Thunder team continues to fight and they’re exciting to watch because they play together. When the Thunder got in trouble throughout the game they were able to lean on Danilo Gallinari who’s been consistent all season long. Tonight Gallinari was able to go for 23 points on the night and had his shot working when it was needed. The Thunder fought back into this game and Danilo Gallinari was able to get it down to 3 points after his And-1 dunk. After that moment in the game, the Raptors were able to make some tough shots but the Thunder also put up some 3 pointers that didn’t go down. The NBA is a miss or make league and tonight it proved to be that way the last 3 minutes of this game as the Thunder dropped this one.

The Thunder will be back in action on Friday as they have Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat coming into town. Jimmy Butler will be a handful to guard and the Thunder will need to be up to the challenge in order to get their 24th win before this back to back coming.

Jan 16, 2020 No Comments

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets

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by Marcus Van Diver | Jan 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA

It’s that time of the week again where we break down yet another second half of an ESPN doubleheader, and this time we’re taking it to H-Town to see Carmelo Anthony’s revenge tale that’s set to tell itself at 9:30 p.m. ET as the Houston Rockets look to defend their home court against a Portland Trail Blazers team that’s hungry for a win to get back in the Western Conference conversation.

We know the main storyline here that’s going to hog up all the tension in the Toyota Center this Wednesday night: the team that was supposed to be Carmelo Anthony’s final lifeline to an ailing NBA career who let him go last season just 13 games in is front and center to deal with the wrath of the new Blazers forward, who is still showing all prognosticators that keeping one of the game’s all-time elusive and efficient scorers on the home couch with a sturdy 16.3 ppg. off a 43.4 field goal percentage and a still astounding 39.4 three-point percentage at the tender age of 35 years young.

And for a team that’s actually inept at stopping frontcourts from running amuck in the 26-win Rockets, who are only 17th in the league in total defensive rating, Anthony might like the taste of licking his own chops in what should be a back-and-forth offensive showcase involving some of the league’s most elite playmakers in James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum to backup Anthony’s already-provided star power in tonight’s Western showdown.

As this season traverses for the Rockets, they have won five of their last eight games and are looking to make it six in lieu of their impending three-game homestand that’ll involve the Lakers, Thunder, and Nuggets. Last night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was one of those cheeky, “aww-the-rookie-got-us” kind of games that pop up on the record like small blemishes since, literally just hours before their loss to the confident Ja Morant and the new purveyors of grind in the young Grizzlies, the Rockets, more specifically James Harden, (the league’s leading scorer and the leading vote-getter in the Western all-star voting) just tore into the Timberwolves at home, and not even with their entire starting five on the floor as Clint Capela took the night off from a heel contusion.

That being said, they’ll still have their hands full in trying to keep the foot on the pedal against this Trail Blazers team that albeit hasn’t been all that great this year, now a full seven games under an even record. A gutsy grind-out win over the slumping Hornets may have been a small shot of momentum in Terry Stotts’ rotation and though they’ve entered a two-game skid, you just have to think that it’ll only be a matter of time until a team so adept at utilizing their exceptional skill pieces finally finds that spark to carry them into that space where they have a chance to make a playoff push.

Game two of this ESPN doubleheader takes place at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Jan 16, 2020 No Comments

Sneaker Release Calendar 1/14-1/18

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by admin | Jan 15, 2020 | Featured, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

This week is set to be an interesting week for sneaker releases. This week Nike is set to drop the DNA Series “87 x 91” which includes two iconic silhouettes, the Nike Air Huarache and the Nike Air Max 1, with palette swaps of one another’s legendary color-blocking. The PG 4 debuts a bubbly Gatorade collaboration and Kyrie brings in the Chinese New Year with the upcoming Kyrie 6. Jordan Brand is also bringing some interesting choices to the table with the dynamic Why Not Zer0.3 getting a classic Jordan colorway with the “Unite” colorway and the Jordan Women’s OG makes its first appearance since 1998. The big launches of the week, however, go to the Ivy Park x adidas collaboration which has been building steam for over a year and has made waves in the digital sphere recently with their impeccable influencer rollout. Let us know your favorite drop of the week.