As has been outlined by several people now, the NBA seems to have undergone a not-so-subtle downturn in scoring, roughly since the All-Star break. Tom Haberstroh has been all over this topic on his Substack. As has Ethan Strauss. You may have heard about it on a podcast from Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo. The NBA even sent Joe Dumars and Monty McCutchen on Zach Lowe’s podcast to discuss the league-wide dip in scoring, and whether the NBA itself was responsible. ESPN would later report the league office even sent a memo to teams outlining an increased focus on eliminating foul hunting, which c ..read more

Amid the steady rise of betting in the NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff issued a warning about the dark side of sports gambling on Wednesday. Bickerstaff, who is in his fourth season with the Cavaliers, noted that sports betting brings “added pressure” to the game and makes his job—and that of everyone on the court—more difficult. “It brings added pressure,” Bickerstaff said in a Wednesday press conference before the Cavaliers—Heat game. “It brings a distraction to the game… A lot of times the people who are gambling, like, this money pays their light bill or pays thei ..read more

The Los Angeles Clippers were able to roll over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, but one odd moment from their victory had everyone on social media wondering what the heck James Harden was trying to do.  In case you missed it, Harden passed the ball to Kawhi Leonard in the corner during the third quarter and then jumped out to contest his teammate’s shot. For real.  Leonard got the shot off but missed on his attempt. This all happened while the Clippers were up 21 points and cruising over the Trail Blazers, but it was just wild to ..read more

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant sat eight points behind Shaquille O’Neal on the NBA’s all-time scoring list heading into Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fortunately, the fans in attendance didn’t have to sweat it out for too long. Durant cleared the mark with ease, finishing with 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting, and led his team to a 115–102 victory. He now has 28,610 points all-time, jumping Shaq (28,596) for the No. 8 spot on the list. After being surpassed by Durant, the former Los Angeles Lakers star was all class, sending a message to Durant and also issuing ..read more

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane received technical fouls in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game following a sideline argument that became a scuffle. It began when Santi Aldama and Green exchanged shoves on the court, resulting in Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins speaking with the referee on the sideline. Bane didn’t seem to like how close Green was to Jenkins and the referee, so as Bane tried to move Green, more pushing followed. The benches cleared as more players and coaches got involved, trying to sep ..read more

As the conclusion of a season to forget nears for the Detroit Pistons, the team appears to have lost its star rookie for the year. Pistons forward Ausar Thompson will miss the rest of the 2024 season with a blood clot, according to a Wednesday afternoon report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. Thompson, 21, has not played since Detroit’s 142–124 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 9. He left that game after just 11 minutes due to an illness. The No. 5 pick of the 2024 NBA draft has averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in 63 contests for the Pistons thi ..read more

The Miami Heat’s offense is clogged. And the plunger needed to clear everything up may be … Bam Adebayo’s three-point shot? If you’ve watched the Heat over the last couple of seasons, then you know their biggest issue is scoring. Miami finished 25th in offensive rating in 2023. The Heat are 24th this season, basically only ahead of teams that haven’t been taken seriously all season. In fact, since Jimmy Butler arrived in ’19, Miami has had only one season in the top 10 in offensive efficiency. One of the biggest issues plaguing the Heat is their two best players—Butler and Adebayo—aren’t taken ..read more

Police in Minnesota charged ex-Minnesota Timberwolves employee Somak Sarkar with third-degree burglary Monday in connection with his alleged theft of a team executive’s hard drive. Sarkar, 33, is currently being held with a bail amount of $40,000 and is set to appear in Hennepin County court Thursday afternoon. Timberwolves executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta discovered last month that his work hard drive—containing sensitive information such as his tax returns and player contracts—had been stolen out of his office, per a criminal complaint filed Wednesday ..read more

Kyrie Irving’s athleticism has never been questioned, and at age 31, the Dallas Mavericks guard still showcases the same elite skillset and playmaking ability he’s had throughout his career. But on Tuesday, after Dallas picked up a 113–107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Irving was asked about a dunk he had, and the eight-time NBA All-Star lit up about it. After stating that he believed it was his third dunk of the season, a mark Irving labeled as his career-high, he hilariously compared himself to Benjamin Button. “Am I at a career high this year? I think I have three ..read more

In their quest for majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, former All-Star infielder Alex Rodriguez and his business partner have reportedly hit a roadblock. Rodriguez and entrepreneur Marc Lore have lost the financial backing of their private equity partners, according to current owner Glen Taylor. While it is unclear why The Carlyle Group—a Washington D.C.-based private equity firm—is no longer backing Rodriguez and Lore, it is notable as the two businessmen have just one more payment to make to take majority ownership. Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore ..read more