Kobe Bryant oldest player since Michael Jordan to outscore his age in game

By Feb 3, 2016, 9:57 AM EST
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At age 37, Kobe Bryant scored 38 points in the Lakers’ win over the Timberwolves last night.

That made Kobe the oldest player to outscore his age in a game since Michael Jordan, who scored 43 points at age 40 in 2003.

Jordan’s 43, with the Wizards, also made him the oldest player ever to outscore his age. Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only other players to accomplish the feat at an older age than Kobe

Here’s every time someone at least 35 outscored his age. Jordan is red, Abdul Jabbar green, Malone blue and Kobe purple – his game last night larger. Everyone else is gold.

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Player Game Age Points
Michael Jordan Feb. 21, 2003: WAS-NJN 40 years, 4 days 43
Michael Jordan Feb. 1, 2003: WAS-NOH 39 years, 349 days 45
Michael Jordan Jan. 4, 2003: WAS-IND 39 years, 321 days 41
Karl Malone March 12, 2003: UTA-ORL 39 years, 231 days 40
Michael Jordan Jan. 26, 2002: WAS-PHO 38 years, 343 days 41
Michael Jordan Jan. 24, 2002: WAS-CLE 38 years, 341 days 40
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar March 16, 1986: LAL-HOU 38 years, 334 days 43
Michael Jordan Dec. 31, 2001: WAS-NJN 38 years, 317 days 45
Michael Jordan Dec. 29, 2001: WAS-CHH 38 years, 315 days 51
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Feb. 6, 1986: LAL-HOU 38 years, 296 days 46
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Feb. 2, 1986: LAL-NYK 38 years, 292 days 40
Michael Jordan Nov. 16, 2001: WAS-UTA 38 years, 272 days 44
Karl Malone Dec. 8, 2001: UTA-GSW 38 years, 137 days 39
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Feb. 24, 1985: LAL-NYK 37 years, 314 days 39
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Feb. 5, 1985: LAL-HOU 37 years, 295 days 40
Kobe Bryant Feb. 2, 2016: LAL-MIN 37 years, 163 days 38
Karl Malone Dec. 20, 2000: UTA-PHI 37 years, 149 days 41
Julius Erving April 17, 1987: PHI-IND 37 years, 54 days 38
Johnny Green Dec. 20, 1970: CIN-DET 37 years, 12 days 39
Shaquille O’Neal Feb. 27, 2009: PHO-TOR 36 years, 358 days 45
Patrick Ewing March 30, 1999: NYK-IND 36 years, 237 days 37
Karl Malone Nov. 20, 1999: UTA-MIL 36 years, 119 days 40
Robert Parish Dec. 8, 1989: BOS-DEN 36 years, 100 days 38
Dale Ellis Nov. 11, 1996: DEN-TOR 36 years, 97 days 37
Kobe Bryant Nov. 16, 2014: LAL-GSW 36 years, 85 days 44
Kobe Bryant Nov. 4, 2014: LAL-PHO 36 years, 73 days 39
Walter Davis Nov. 9, 1990: DEN-SEA 36 years, 61 days 41
Alex English Feb. 17, 1990: DEN-NJN 36 years, 43 days 38
John Havlicek April 11, 1976: BOS-WSB 36 years, 3 days 38
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar April 13, 1983: LAL-SAS 35 years, 362 days 38
Steve Nash Dec. 26, 2009: PHO-GSW 35 years, 322 days 36
Karl Malone April 8, 1999: UTA-GSW 35 years, 258 days 38
Jamal Crawford Nov. 14, 2015: LAC-DET 35 years, 239 days 37
Dirk Nowitzki Jan. 29, 2014: DAL-HOU 35 years, 224 days 38
Sam Jones Jan. 29, 1969: BOS-SEA 35 years, 219 days 39
Dirk Nowitzki Jan. 11, 2014: DAL-NOP 35 years, 206 days 40
Elgin Baylor Feb. 27, 1970: LAL-CHI 35 years, 164 days 42
Elgin Baylor Feb. 22, 1970: LAL-BOS 35 years, 159 days 39
Elgin Baylor Feb. 11, 1970: LAL-SFW 35 years, 148 days 43
Elgin Baylor Feb. 7, 1970: LAL-PHO 35 years, 144 days 41
Clyde Drexler Nov. 5, 1997: HOU-LAC 35 years, 136 days 43
Dan Issel Feb. 22, 1984: DEN-SAS 35 years, 120 days 36
Walter Davis Jan. 6, 1990: DEN-UTA 35 years, 119 days 36
Larry Bird March 15, 1992: BOS-POR 35 years, 99 days 49
Dan Issel Jan. 26, 1984: DEN-CHI 35 years, 93 days 37
Elgin Baylor Dec. 14, 1969: LAL-SEA 35 years, 89 days 37
Elgin Baylor Dec. 7, 1969: LAL-ATL 35 years, 82 days 36
Reggie Miller Nov. 8, 2000: IND-MIL 35 years, 76 days 41
Alex English March 21, 1989: DEN-HOU 35 years, 75 days 37
Lenny Wilkens Jan. 6, 1973: CLE-LAL 35 years, 70 days 36
Paul Pierce Dec. 19, 2012: BOS-CLE 35 years, 67 days 40
Alex English March 10, 1989: DEN-MIA 35 years, 64 days 51
Michael Jordan April 18, 1998: CHI-NYK 35 years, 60 days 44
Michael Jordan April 11, 1998: CHI-ORL 35 years, 53 days 37
Michael Jordan April 5, 1998: CHI-HOU 35 years, 47 days 40
Michael Jordan April 3, 1998: CHI-MIN 35 years, 45 days 41
Alex English Feb. 2, 1989: DEN-ATL 35 years, 28 days 36
Michael Jordan March 10, 1998: CHI-MIA 35 years, 21 days 37
Alex English Jan. 24, 1989: DEN-NJN 35 years, 19 days 43
Michael Jordan March 8, 1998: CHI-NYK 35 years, 19 days 42
Alex English Jan. 5, 1989: DEN-GSW 35 years, 0 days 37

Draymond Green is good with facing Kings in first round — because of the travel

By Mar 28, 2023, 6:28 PM EDT
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If the NBA playoffs started today, the Golden State Warriors would be in the play-in and host the Pelicans in the 7/8 game. Win that and they would hop on a more than three-hour flight to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies.

Draymond Green said on his podcast he is hoping the Warriors finish as the No.6 seed and dodge the play-in, then face the Kings to open the playoffs (which is how the standings stood 24 hours ago). Why? It’s a 90-mile drive to Sacramento.

“The reason why I said Sac is simply just because of the travel. That’s a lot on your body. If we can bus ride an hour and 10 minutes up the way, I just think that’s much better for us. At the end of the day, I don’t really care who we play in the playoffs, I think we can win.”

Green is not wrong about the travel.

While some teams may have looked at the top four in the West (Nuggets, Grizzlies, Kings, and Suns) and seen Sacramento as the obvious target, that plan could backfire. The Kings’ offense is diverse and elite, and they have the Clutch Player of the Year in De'Aaron Fox, and their building will be rocking like no other after the franchise has not been in the playoffs since 2006. In a West filled with flawed teams, the Kings winning a couple of rounds is well within the realm of possibility.

This could be the first year since the Kings moved to Sacramento that all four California teams make the playoffs (it is likely that all four at least make the play-in). The Kings are all but locked in to be the No.3 seed, while the Warriors, Lakers and Clippers are in the crowded field at the bottom of the playoff bracket where three games separate the No.5 and 11 seeds.

Check out more on the Warriors

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Bradley Beal reportedly under investigation after confrontation with fan who lost gambling

By Mar 28, 2023, 1:45 PM EDT
Washington Wizards v Orlando Magic
Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
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On March 21, Bradley Beal had an off game — 16 points on 4-of-15 shooting — as the Wizards fell to the Magic in Orlando.

Walking off the court, Beal got into a confrontation with a couple of fans, one of whom blamed him for a gambling loss. The next day that incident became a complaint filed with the Orlando Police Department by the fan. David Purdum of ESPN summarized the police report this way:

Beal and the Wizards were exiting the court and in the visitors’ tunnel, headed to the locker room, when, according to the police report, an unidentified man remarked to Beal, “You made me lose $1,300, you f***.”

Beal, according to the report, turned around and walked toward a friend of the man who made the comment and swatted his right hand toward him, knocking the man’s hat off and contacting the left side of his head.

Police reviewed video footage of the altercation and heard Beal say this is his job and he takes it seriously, and the man is heard apologizing, implying he did not intend to offend him, according to the report.

At this point, no charges have been filed against Beal. According to TMZ, Beal told the heckler, “Keep it a buck. I don’t give a f*** about none of your bets or your parlays, bro. That ain’t why I play the game.” The entire incident lasted less than a minute.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, “We are aware of the report and are in the process of gathering more information.”

Sports betting is not currently legal in the state of Florida.

While there is nothing official from the team, speculation abounds that the Wizards have shut down Beal and Kyle Kuzma for the season.

Check out more on the Wizards

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Trail Blazers shut down Lillard for season… and here comes the trade speculation

By Mar 28, 2023, 12:48 PM EDT
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While it was unofficial but understood for some time, now it is official: Damian Lillard has been shut down for the season. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (who has close ties to the Lillard camp) Tweeted out the news.

The Blazers are five games out of the final play-in spot with seven games to play, they aren’t making up that ground. They are tied for the fifth-worst record in the league, which comes with a 10.5% chance at the top pick and Victor Wembanyama. This was the right play.

Before it became official, Shams Charania at The Athletic wrote in “The Bounce” newsletter Monday that Lillard is “essentially” shut down for the season – and then lit a fire under the topic that makes Trail Blazers’ fans’ eyes roll:

Damian Lillard trade talk.

On the other side of things, you now have to wonder if Lillard ever steps on the court again for Portland. There was a ton of optimism going into this season after the team landed Jerami Grant and got off to a good start to the campaign. Now, not making the playoffs for a second year in a row, a soon-to-be 33-year-old star of this league who has never gotten a chance to win it all will have tons of questions to ask the front office this offseason, and I expect there to be serious conversations about what’s next for both sides.

We all knew the Lillard trade speculation was coming. Same with Bradley Beal in Washington. The same core rule applies to both of them:

Lillard will not get traded unless he asks to be moved. He has never done so, in fact saying just weeks ago about playing the rest of his career in Portland, “To that point, I’m also willing to die on that hill.” Portland has been loyal to him and Lillard signed a massive contract extension last offseason and has four years, $216.2 million left on that deal, including about $63.2 million in the contract’s final season when he is 36. He’s happy where he is and has deep roots in the community.

The odds are better than not that Lillard will retire a Trail Blazer, even if that’s not the path other stars would walk. Lillard is wired differently.

Can you construct an argument that the Trail Blazers should trade Lillard while his value is sky-high — he will be an All-NBA player again this season — because the organization’s best path to a ring is with whoever and whatever’s next? Maybe. However, that ignores the financial reality of the Blazers — Lillard brings the fans in the door, brings in team sponsors who want to be associated with him, and he sells jerseys. Lillard is good business for Portland, there is no incentive for ownership to move on right now.

In fact, it may be the opposite. Portland can throw multiple picks and good young players such as Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons into a trade to bring in another star to play with Lillard. That is more how their front office pictures this summer — they want to go all in on building around Lillard. Not sending him away.

Other teams covet Lillard, and trade packages can be constructed (would Miami be willing to move on from Bam Adebayo for the chance to pair Lillard with Jimmy Butler?). But it’s all idle talk until Lillard sits down with franchise ownership/management and says it’s time for him to move on. That has yet to happen. It may well never happen.

Just expect the avalanche of Lillard speculation to begin. Warranted or not.

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Three things to Know: Timberwolves in top six, are they a playoff sleeper?

By Mar 28, 2023, 8:43 AM EDT
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Three Things To Know is NBC’s five-days-a-week wrap-up of the night before in the NBA. Check out NBCSports.com every weekday morning to catch up on what you missed the night before plus the rumors, drama, and dunks that make the NBA must-watch.

1) Timberwolves beat Kings, move into in top six, could be playoff sleeper

When talk turns to dangerous teams in the bottom half of the West bracket, the conversation gravitates toward the established big names — Stephen Curry and the Warriors, LeBron James and the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

But for the past few weeks (maybe since the All-Star break), the Minnesota Timberwolves have been the best team in that group. It hasn’t always shown up in the win column — although after beating the Kings Monday night they have four in a row — but there has been maturity and chemistry to their game. Fitting Karl-Anthony Towns back in after he missed more than 50 games could have been tricky, but instead, it has inspired game-winning shots and improved play (although he sat out Monday night on a back-to-back).

Monday night’s win is nothing to overlook — going to Sacramento and picking up a victory that denied the Kings the chance to officially clinch their first playoff spot in 16 seasons in front of their home fans is no small thing. The Timberwolves were attacking the rim.

And attacking.

“We know we have the talent and the personnel to be able to beat anybody on any given night,” Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert said, via the Associated Press. “Really out of urgency and consistency … we play every game like it’s our last and we play every game like there’s no tomorrow. That’s the mindset that we need.”

Minnesota is showing a balance and maturity of game that was lacking much of the season. It starts with trading away D'Angelo Russell and bringing in Mike Conley at the point, adding a traditional point guard and floor general to the mix (rather than a player who creates more for themselves). Conley’s veteran presence can be felt across this team.

Jaden McDaniels has been locking guys down on defense. Anthony Edwards — back quickly from a sprained ankle that could have been much worse — has turned into a quality shot creator but adds another athletic defender. Gobert finally started to find his space and had 16 points and 16 rebounds against the Kings. Naz Ried has been a force of nature off the bench lately.

With the win, Minnesota tied Golden State for the No.6 seed in the West at 39-37, and moved ahead of the Warriors officially because the Timberwolves have the tiebreaker after beating them Sunday. This Minnesota team could avoid the play-in if they keep racking up wins — and if they are the No.6 seed they likely draw this Kings team in the first round.

The questions about how this team will handle a small-ball team that can space the floor over a seven-game series remain, but they showed Monday against the Kings they may have the answer to that question.

The most dangerous teams in the playoffs are often the ones that look the best over the season’s final weeks, and in this Western Conference that makes the Timberwolves a threat.

2) Luka Dončić with the assist of the season.

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

Luka Dončić made the pass of the season Monday night. Trapped in the corner by two defenders, Dončić lept in the air, spun and threw a bullet skip pass to Jaden Hardy for 3.

Even Dončić was impressed with that dime.

The Mavericks entered the night desperate for a win after losing four straight, they needed the win to try to climb back into the play-in. Dončić wasn’t even expected to be on the court earlier in the day, but was cleared to play earlier when the NBA rescinded his 16th technical of the season, which would have triggered an automatic one-game suspension. With 25 points from Dončić leading the way, the Mavericks beat a shorthanded Pacers team without Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner, 127-104.

3) Jalen Brunson was out so Immanuel Quickley dropped 40

Losers of three straight, and with the Heat lurking just a couple of games back in the loss column, the Knicks needed a win. Enter the Houston Rockets.

Jalen Brunson remained out but Immanuel Quickley stepped up with a career-high 40 points on 14-of-18 shooting, plus he had nine assists, and the Knicks picked up a needed 137-115 victory.

Julius Randle added 26 points, RJ Barrett had 19 and Obi Toppin finished with 15 for the Knicks. New York was moving the ball and finished with a season-high 35 assists.

It was exactly the kind of win the Knicks needed. It’s hard to see them falling out of the No. 5 seed.

BONUS THING TO KNOW: Are you kidding me, Russell Westbrook?

The Clippers got the 124-112 win over the Bulls without that shot, but still.