Aaron Gordon’s 15 rebounds (5 offensive), 29 points, and acrobatics in the paint paced Denver’s winning effort tonight | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports A familiar storyline (Denver comeback) was this time authored by their starting forwards. The reigning champion Denver Nuggets asserted their dominance in the second and third quarters to build enough of a cushion to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers once more 112-105 in Game 3 of the first round. The Nuggets ran up their win streak against Los Angeles to 11 to get a stranglehold of the series. The Lakers again ran out to a double digit lead in ..read more

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images The sophomore big man showed signs of being a keeper long term. Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2023-24 player reviews! The series will look at the 15 players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts (so no two-way players because we saw so little of them this year, and no Doug McDermott). Enjoy! Dominick Barlow 2023-24 stats: 33 games, 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 49.6 FG%. Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent Age: 20 Out of all of the promising young players on the San Antonio Spurs roster, Dominick ..read more

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images Big Fun and the Iceman means no school today When I was a kid, we got out of school for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and George Washington’s birthday. They were ten days apart. I’m not sure when it happened, but they eventually lumped them into “President’s Day,” probably for fear we’d someday end up with too many celebratory days off. I propose a similar holiday for Pounders. Yesterday was Tim Duncan’s 48th birthday. Tomorrow is George Gervin’s 72nd birthday. And if you are in San Antonio, then you already know there is no school today. What? N ..read more

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Philadelphia ends the Knicks 7-game win streak going back to the regular season and avoid the dreaded 0-3 series hole After an all-time finish at the end of Game 2 of this series, Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers continued to live up to the hype of this I-95 match-up. New York made it a point to come out strong in this one, and as a result it was the first time through the first 3 games that New York won the first quarter for the first time this series and held a lead at halftime. The game completely flipped on its head though in the ..read more

Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic led a parade of unsung shooters in the Miami win tonight | David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports No Jimmy Butler again? No problem as five Heat players scored in double digits and 2⁄3 of their field goals coming from behind the arc Sans their star Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat, bolstered by a cascade of franchise-record-setting threes (23 for 43), in their 111-101 road victory. An understaffed Miami Heat squad traded blows with the top seed Boston Celtics throughout the first half, and after 13 lead changes and six ties, surged ahead in the third quarter for good while ..read more

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images Questionable calls now dominating the series between Philly and New York It what has become an issue for more than one team, questionable officiating is taking the spotlight from some great basketball. The other night, the Knicks scored 8 unanswered points in 27 seconds to steal the wind from the 76ers sails and take a a 2-0 lead in the series. Here’s the feedback in the NBA’s last two-minute’s report: With 1:14 remaining, OG Anunoby committed a defensive three-second penalty that the officials missed. This ultimately suited Philadelphia just fine, though, as ..read more

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2023-24 player reviews! The series will look at the 15 players who finished the season with the Spurs on guaranteed contracts (so no two-way players because we saw so little of them this year, and no Doug McDermott). Enjoy! Devonte’ Graham 2023-24 stats: 23 games, 5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 52 FG%. Contract Status: 1 year, $12.650 million remaining ($2.850 million guaranteed) Age: 29 Devonte’ Graham could have pouted. Yes, he’s on a contract that compensates him highly for a guy who hasn’t been that good ..read more

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images The electric guard would provide a scoring punch for San Antonio. Let me know if this situation rings a bell. The San Antonio Spurs find themselves in a tight game in the second or third quarter. Victor Wembanyama has gone to the bench for some rest and the team can’t generate any offense. They aren’t getting out in transition and three point shots aren’t falling. The opposing team is able to either dig into the Spurs’ lead, or extend theirs while the offense falters. Too often were the Spurs searching for offensive consistency in the 2023-24 season. They fi ..read more

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images For some, winning isn’t everything...it’s the only thing Saw a post that J. J. Redick is set to interview for the head coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets, recently vacated by Steve Clifford. In the landscape of a win now NBA, only a few NBA coaches can walk into the summer without a championship and feel certain they will still have an office in the months to come. There are 16 teams currently in the playoffs. That is sixteen coaches. In a week, eight of these teams will be on vacation, and eight coaches could possibly be out of work. Who is the ..read more

Indiana’s Pascal Siakam muscled through and around Bucks defenders all night en route to a road win in Game 2 | Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Indiaia shot 55% from the field and found offense from more sources than Milwaukee’s duo of Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez The Indiana Pacers won their first playoff game in six years by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 125-108. In a game characterized by numerous runs with many of them often coming one after another, Indiana had a superior second half to move far enough out aheada and prevent Milwaukee from attempting a comeback. Milwaukee was unable to overco ..read more