Analysis: All-Star reserve voting will lead to some snubbing
Philadelphia's Joel Embiid is going to be an All-Star reserve, based on both common sense and the fact that NBA coaches wouldn't dare anger one of the league's most hard-to-guard players by not voting for him. An All-Star Game without Los Angeles Clippers teammates Paul George and Kawhi Leonard would make no sense, given how they're playing this season. New Orleans' CJ McCollum has averaged nearly 20 points per game in his career, is averaging a tick above that this season, and still hasn't been an All-Star. Put it this way: There will be enough “snubbed" guys out there that, if they were so inclined, they could all get together and play their own All-Star Game. Coaches had a tough job to do, narrowing all the worthy candidates for All-Star reserve nods down to seven players from their conferences.
wftv.comFantasy Basketball Pickups: It's time to Mann up
Week 14 of the fantasy basketball season is upon us, and, like every Monday, I'll break down several players who are less than 50% rostered in Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues and should be considered in lineups. But before we get to this week's waiver pickups, here are the games played by each team in Week 14. Terance Mann - SG/SF - Los Angeles Clippers (20% rostered)Anytime the Clippers have back-to-back sets, I'm picking up Terance Mann. Duane Washington Jr. - PG/SG, Phoenix Suns (10% rostered)Week 14 is the perfect time to pick up Dwayne Washington Jr. of the Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul's hip injury has kept him out, and Cam Payne hasn't been cleared yet, so Washington Jr. continues filling the void at point guard.
wftv.comTyrese Haliburton exits Pacers-Knicks game on crutches after ugly fall
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton exited Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks after an ugly fall on a lay-up attempt during the third quarter. Haliburton left the game immediately after the play and did not return. After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Haliburton would leave Madison Square Garden walking on crutches due to a sore left knee, plus a sore left elbow. Haliburton entered Wednesday averaging a career-high 20.3 points and 10.3 assists per game, with the latter mark leading the NBA. Acquired last season in the Domantas Sabonis blockbuster, Haliburton has become a centerpiece for the Pacers' youth movement and is in line for a max extension next summer.
wftv.comA record NBA outburst: 5 games of 43 or more on the same day
For the first time in NBA history, five players scored at least 43 points on the same day. The others: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 44 against the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-high 44 against New Orleans, New York’s RJ Barrett had 44 against Chicago and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored a career-best 43 against Miami. “My teammates trusted me," he said after his 17-for-30 night that also included 10 rebounds and eight assists. There now have been just over 4,400 instances of a player scoring 40 or more points in a regular-season game. Friday was only the fifth time that five of those happened on the same day — and the second time it happened in 2022.
wftv.comHaliburton scores 33 points, Pacers beat slumping Celtics
BOSTON — (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers opened a 30-point lead in the first half before holding off the slumping Boston Celtics 117-112 on Wednesday night. Former Celtics player Aaron Nesmith had 15 points, Chris Duarte added 14 and Myles Turner had 10 to help the Pacers win for just the second time in six games. “We were certainly aware that they were going to come out in the second half and put everything into making a furious run, and they did," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Jaylen Brown added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points. We didn't really get the execution.
wftv.comCurry injures shoulder, Pacers hold off Warriors 125-119
INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points and the Indiana Pacers made 16 3-pointers to hold on for a 125-119 victory Wednesday night over the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry, who didn't finish the game because of a left shoulder injury. Haliburton rebounded from his lowest-scoring game with the Pacers — one point — by going 9 of 17 from the field and making five 3s. Jordan Poole scored 20 points for Golden State, which has lost four of five. Draymond Green scored a season-low one point in 27 minutes and was ejected in the fourth quarter. TIP-INSWarriors: Golden State has lost all six road games against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
wftv.comAmid Musk Twitter chaos, athletes & celebs cope just like us
Much like many of Twitter's hundreds of millions of users, professional sports stars and celebrities from the entertainment world are dealing with the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the microblogging app since Elon Musk took it over and began trimming the staff and making other changes.
How Tyrese Haliburton is embracing his role as Pacers franchise cornerstone
The sea change for Tyrese Haliburton, from second fiddle in Sacramento to franchise cornerstone in Indiana, has presented little turbulence. “There was part of me at one point that wanted to get rid of it,” Haliburton told Yahoo Sports. The point guard is launching a show dubbed “Get Minted with Tyrese Haliburton,” presented by Autograph, the Web3 brand co-founded by Tom Brady. In July, Haliburton joined the Pacers contingent that met with Suns center Deandre Ayton in free agency. Haliburton’s Pacers will crawl before they can walk, let alone climb back up the Eastern Conference hierarchy where Indiana has traditionally stood tall.
wftv.comFantasy Basketball: Three breakout guards to eye in drafts for 2022-2023 NBA season
[Get in on the fun this fantasy hoops season: Create or join a league now!] From a fantasy perspective, he'll only need to improve his field goal percentage (41.6%) and cut down on his turnovers (3.7/g) to make him an elite fantasy player. Overall, Fox finished 98th in per-game value last season, but I think he heads closer to his post-Haliburton trade numbers this season. All pieces that should help Fox deliver his best real-life and fantasy season to date with an imminent breakout that propels him to be a top-35 player in fantasy basketball this season. Points, assists, efficiency and reliability don't grow on trees, especially in the mid-rounds of fantasy drafts.
wftv.comFantasy Basketball Rankings: Point guard draft tiers for 2022-2023 NBA season
The 2022-23 NBA season is fast approaching, which means it's time to start getting ready for your fantasy basketball drafts. He's one of the best sources of points, threes, assists and free throw percentage in all of fantasy. The Raptors don't have a ton of depth at the point guard position, and FVV provides value in five categories: points, threes, assists, steals and a high free-throw percentage. The arrival of Donovan Mitchell will dilute some of his usages, but he'll still be an asset for fantasy managers looking for points, assists, threes, free-throw percentage and steals. Brunson proved to be a difference maker for the Mavs' 2022 postseason run and should settle in as a point guard with upside this fantasy season.
wftv.comPower's late qualifying run puts him on pole for Indy GP
IndyCar Indianapolis Auto Racing Scott McLaughlin, of New Zealand, drives into the second turn during practice for the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — Will Power used the final lap of qualifying Friday to move past five drivers and take the pole for the IndyCar Grand Prix. "But I’m not surprised that it’s Will on the pole.”Two-time race winner Josef Newgarden, Power's teammate, starts third after limiting himself to one hard lap in the third and final qualifying group. FRUSTRATING DAYNobody was more upset about their qualifying position than defending race winner Rinus VeeKay or six-time series champ Scott Dixon. Before Saturday's race, the 22-year-old emerging star will turn laps in IndyCar's two-seat car piloted by 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti.
wftv.comGiannis pours in 50 to lead Bucks past Pacers 128-119
APTOPIX Pacers Bucks Basketball Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, middle, drives to the basket between Indiana Pacers' Jalen Smith (25) and Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash) (Aaron Gash)MILWAUKEE — (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 50 points, two off his career best, and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the skidding Indiana Pacers 128-119 on Tuesday night. The Bucks (36-23) swept the four-game season series from the Pacers and have won eight straight against their Central Division foe. The Bucks led 34-27 after the first quarter before the Pacers grabbed a short-lived lead midway through the second. A pair of 3-pointers by reserve guard Lindell Wigginton sparked a 12-2 surge that grew the lead to double digits.
wftv.comPacers deal All-Star Sabonis to Kings in 6-player trade
Pacers Cavaliers Basketball Indiana Pacers' Domantas Sabonis (11) plays against Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb 6, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane) (Ron Schwane)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — The Indiana Pacers will look completely different when they return home later this week while Sacramento Kings are getting a All-Star. Sabonis could make a difference for a team that already has some young, talented players such as point guard De'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell. Now, Pritchard has pulled off another major trade by getting Haliburton, a promising 21-year-old point guard who the Kings took with the No. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comPacers put together new look in 6-player deal with Kings
Pacers Cavaliers Basketball Indiana Pacers' Domantas Sabonis (11) plays against Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb 6, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane) (Ron Schwane)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — The Indiana Pacers traded two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday in a 6-player deal, a person with direct knowledge of the details confirmed to The Associated Press. Sacramento is sending Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Pacers, the person told AP, speaking only on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been officially announced. The Kings will get Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a second-round draft pick plus Sabonis, who is averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comKings rally in 4th to hand Nets 6th straight loss, 112-101
Nets Kings Basketball Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. Harrison Barnes scored 19 points and Haliburton had 11 assists to help the Kings stop a seven-game skid. He made a 17-footer to put the Kings up 97-91, then later drove through the lane to make it 101-93. … LaMarcus Aldridge sat out a second straight game because of a left ankle sprain. Kings: Play the Warriors in San Francisco on Thursday.
wftv.comHeat say Herro may miss time for virus-related issue
(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – The Miami Heat may have another player missing games for virus-related reasons, after second-year guard Tyler Herro revealed that someone who lives with him tested positive for COVID-19. The reason the Heat cited for having Herro on the report is the NBA’s health and safety protocols, which only means it is a virus-related reason and does not suggest that he tested positive. If Herro cannot play Monday, he’d become the ninth Heat player on that list. Herro is tested daily and obviously had not tested positive Saturday, since the NBA and Heat permitted him to be on the floor; he played a team-high 40 minutes and scored 15 points. “Someone who lives with me tested positive before the game and I found out at halftime.