Gobert sparks France, Doncic leads Slovenia into EuroBasket final eight

Associated PressSep 10, 2022, 8:25 PM EDT
Slovenia v Belgium: Round of 16 - FIBA EuroBasket 2022
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BERLIN — Rudy Gobert scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, and Olympic silver medalist France moved into the EuroBasket quarterfinals by holding off Turkey 87-86 in overtime on Saturday.

Gobert had a putback dunk with 2.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, then scored the first four points of overtime, and France never trailed in the extra session.

“Crazy game,” Gobert said.

Crazier finish.

Turkey had what seemed like full control of the game with 12.2 seconds left in regulation. It had the ball, up by two, was going to the foul line for two free throws and would keep possession of the ball after those shots because France had been whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.

But Cedi Osman missed both shots, a scene reminiscent of when he did the same late in what became a one-point loss to the U.S. at the Basketball World Cup in 2019. France wound up forcing a turnover on the ensuing possession, and Gobert’s dunk tied the game.

“Really tough spot for us, but we got lucky, he missed both,” Gobert said. “Then we were able to steal the out of bounds, get a bucket and get to overtime. We never stopped. We never stopped fighting. We always believed. Obviously, not our best game, but the thing I’m really proud of is the fact that we never gave up. A lot of teams would have given up in that position.”

Thomas Heurtel and Evan Fournier had 13 points apiece for France, which led by 16 midway through the second quarter.

But Turkey closed the third quarter on a 19-0 run, turning an 11-point deficit into a 57-49 lead going into the final 10 minutes of regulation. France missed 11 consecutive shots in that stretch.

Turkey had a chance to win on the final possession of overtime, but Furkan Korkmaz lost his dribble with about 2 seconds left and his team never got a shot off.

Bugrahan Tuncer scored 22 for Turkey, while Korkmaz added 18.

“I don’t know what to say, really,” Tuncer said. “I’m so mad. I’m so sad. If I cannot find any nice words, I’m sorry about it. This is unacceptable.”

France will play the winner of Sunday’s Serbia-Italy game in the quarterfinals. That matchup is scheduled for Wednesday.

“Maybe it’s the worst emotional loss in my 26-year career,” Turkey coach Ergin Ataman said. “Congratulations to France. I hope that they will continue on a good way in the quarterfinals. That’s all.”

SLOVENIA 88, BELGIUM 72

Luka Doncic scored 35 points and defending champion Slovenia used a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to eliminate Belgium.

Doncic and Goran Dragic combined to score or be credited with assists on Slovenia’s first 40 points of the second half.

“Belgium was playing great basketball,” said Doncic, who is averaging 28 points in six tournament games so far — 39.3 per game in his last three contests. “We knew this was going to be a hard game. They were fighting until the end. But in the end, I think we played a little better.”

Doncic had five rebounds, five assists and four steals for Slovenia, while Klemen Prepelic scored 13, Mike Tobey Finished with 12 and Dragic added 11.

Manu Lecomte scored 16 points and Pierre-Antoine Gillet had a 15-point, 10-rebound game for Belgium.

Slovenia got to the line 25 times, to only eight for Belgium.

“I’m listening for a lot of weeks now, the word ‘equality.’ But equality doesn’t exist in basketball,” Belgium coach Dario Gjergja said.

Next for Slovenia is a quarterfinal game Wednesday, against the winner of the Ukraine-Poland matchup. Those teams will play Sunday.

GERMANY 85, MONTENEGRO 79

Dennis Schroder scored 22 points and Germany wasted most of a 27-point second-half lead before hanging on to oust Montenegro.

Germany led 51-24 early in the third quarter before Montenegro outscored the hosts 53-29 over the next 19 minutes.

But Germany sealed the win with five free throws in the final seconds — three of them coming off an unsportsmanlike foul and technical foul call.

Maodo Lo and Franz Wagner each scored 14 for Germany. The Germans will meet either Greece or the Czech Republic in Tuesday’s quarterfinals; those teams meet in a round of 16 game on Sunday.

Kendrick Perry scored 25 for Montenegro, which got 22 from Bojan Dubljevic, 13 from Marko Simonovic and 12 from Vladimir Mihailovic.

SPAIN 102, LITHUANIA 94, OT

Lorenzo Brown scored 28 points, Willy Hernangomez added 21 and Spain survived some frantic moments to hold off Lithuania in overtime.

Rudy Fernandez and Juancho Hernangomez each scored 13 for Spain, which will meet either Finland or Croatia in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Finland and Croatia play a round of 16 game on Sunday.

Brown scored the first five points of overtime, and Spain never trailed in the extra session.

Ignas Brazdeikis gave Lithuania a chance, getting a tip-in to rattle around the rim and fall as time expired in regulation. But Lithuania wasted an eight-point lead in the final 5:56 of the fourth quarter, and Spain wound up tying the game on a layup by Brown with 2:23 left in the fourth.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas led Lithuania with 18 points. Brazdeikis scored 17, while Domantas Sabonis and Lukas Lekavicius had 15 apiece.

Rokas Jokubaitis added 13 for Lithuania, which lost despite shooting 51% — 7% better than Spain.

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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
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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.

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

By Mar 28, 2023, 12:48 PM EDT
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Officially, Damian Lillard is day-to-day (along with the rest of the Portland core of Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic, et al.). Coach Chauncey Billups phrased it as “We’re just being cautious,” according to friend of the site Sean Highkin.

In reality, Lillard has been shut down for the season and it would be a shock to see him on the court again until the fall. 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. We know where the Blazers are focusing.

Shams Charania at The Athletic wrote in “The Bounce” newsletter that Lillard is “essentially” shut down for the season. He 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.

Watch Luka Dončić throw the pass of the year to Hardy for 3

By Mar 28, 2023, 7:50 AM EDT
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Insane.

Luka Dončić was on the court for the Mavericks Monday — something that was not assured until earlier in the day — and once there made the pass of the season. Trapped in the corner by two defenders, Dončić lept in the air and threw a bullet skip pass to Jaden Hardy for 3.

That is your assist of the year. Even Dončić called it one of his best passes ever.

Dončić led the way with 25 points and six assists and the Mavericks — desperate for a win as they try to climb back into the play-in — beat a shorthanded Pacers team without Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner, 127-104. Dončić was cleared to play earlier in the day when the NBA rescinded his 16th technical of the season, which would have triggered an automatic one-game suspension.

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