The latest “superteam” in the NBA took the floor on Wednesday night, as the next “Big 3” of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant all played together for the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, there is still a little work to be done before this crew takes the Eastern Conference by storm. The Cleveland Cavaliers got 42 points from Collin Sexton in a 147-135 win in double overtime. Irving had a monster game, with 37 points, three assists (and four turnovers) in 48 minutes. Durant had 38 points, 12 boards and eight assists, and Harden had a triple-double (21 points, 12 assists, 10 boards). However, the defense (which was a problem before Harden arrived) had no answer for Sexton. Building chemistry takes time, but adding Harden didn’t do anything for the defensive woes the Nets already had.
Let’s take a look at other news from the NBA ahead of the basketball betting weekend.
NBA News: The Rumor Mill
How can the New Orleans Pelicans best use Zion Williamson? He is scoring 18.8 points per game in the paint, more than anyone else in the NBA, and he is a wrecking ball once he gets position near the basket, whether it’s on the putback or dribbling in from the outside. The Pelicans also added Steven Adams to provide interior defense and rebounding. It’s worked for the most part, as the Pelicans lead the league in defensive rebound rate and sit at third in offensive rebound rate, and they are third in fewest percentage of shots at the rim. However, Zion and Adams together in the middle actually make for a crowded lane. When Adams is on the bench but Zion is on the floor, his field goal percentage within five feet of the rim goes from 56.8% to 67.7%. It’s also not like the defense is ironclad with Adams out there. When he’s playing, the Pelicans allow 110.2 points per 100 possessions (which is not a good number). With just Zion out there, that number gets even worse to 117.0, but when backup center Jaxson Hayes is out there with Zion, that number goes to 119.1. The question is, why not put Zion out there at the five with four outside shooters around him? He would have more space around him to operate on offense, and the defense would not suffer that much.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to shop Kevin Porter Jr. The star-crossed shooting guard threw a fit — and threw his food — after the team moved his locker on Friday. Cleveland took him with the 30th overall pick in 2019, but he has not contributed to the team so far. When Taurean Prince got Porter’s old locker, which was moved to an auxiliary area, Porter went off, and GM Koby Altman came into the locker room to talk to him. This came two months after Porter was part of a one-car accident; police on the scene arrested him and charged him with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and failure to control the vehicle. Due to personal issues, he has not played this season. His rookie season saw him put up 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. If the Cavs can’t find a trading partner, they are likely to release him.
As COVID-19 is forcing more and more postponements of NBA games, the team is moving to forbid hugs and handshakes between players before and after games, restricting contact to a fist bump or elbow bump. The league will use arena security to enforce these new rules. Of course, the NBA is allowing games to take place during the pandemic, so if you find this rule change ironic, you’re not the only one. The NBA is also considering vaccinating league players as a campaign to educate the public and encourage participation in vaccination, but the current problems in supply and distribution might make this more of a PR problem than a solution.
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