Pistons beat Grizzlies 100-93 and cling to playoff hopes
DETROIT (AP) The Detroit Pistons(cheap Detroit Pistons championship rings) are still clinging to the final spot in the Eastern Conference play offs thanks to their biggest second-half comeback in three decades. Andre Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds and Ish Smith matched a season high with 22 points, helping Detroit rally to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-93 Tuesday night. The Pistons can clinch a postseason bid by closing the regular season with a win at New York, or if Charlotte loses at home to Orlando, on Wednesday night.
''I'm just happy that we still control our own destiny,'' Detroit's Reggie Jackson said.
The Pistons(nba championship rings) put their postseason position in peril by losing four straight before rallying to beat the short-handed Grizzlies, who led by as many as 22 points. Detroit's comeback from a 19-point halftime deficit was its largest since rallying from being down 23 points to beat Seattle on March 31, 1989. Pistons star Blake Griffin was limited to five points and two rebounds in 18-plus minutes, barely playing in the second half because of his injured left knee.
''I wasn't able to help us,'' Griffin said. ''We're going to take it day by day.''
Detroit's Luke Kennard scored 12 of his 15 points off the bench in the second half. Jackson had all 12 points of his points in the first half and went to the bench as Smith flourished in the final quarter.
''He was unstoppable,'' Jackson said.
Detroit opened the fourth with a 16-3 run to pull within three points. Smith made a game-tying 3-pointer and a go-ahead jumper midway through the quarter. Drummond made two free throws with 2:33 left to put the Pistons up 91-89. Smith made a jumper to give Detroit a five-point lead with 50 seconds left and a runner to put it ahead 97-93 with 28 seconds remaining. Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo each scored 15 points and Tyler Dorsey added 12 points for the Grizzlies, who used just four reserves. Banged-up players such as Mike Conley, Joakim Noah and rookie Jaren Jackson were out with injuries.
''I thought our guys scrapped and competed,'' coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''We showed a lot of heart, but you saw in the fourth quarter a Pistons team that was desperate and turned it up offensively and defensively.''
Even though Detroit had a lot to play for - its first playoff berth in three years and second in a decade - the Grizzlies played with more effort and led 32-20 after the first quarter and 57-38 at halftime.
''I think everything was free and easy in the first half,'' Memphis center Tyler Zeller said.
''I deserved to be booed and so did our guys,'' coach Dwane Casey said. ''I just hope none of our fans hurt their ankles jumping back on the bandwagon. I even saw some of our fans leaving the building, but I hope they saw the fire and competitive spirit we showed in the second half.''
The Charlotte Hornets are still alive for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte (38-42) moved into a tie for ninth place in the East by holding off Detroit 104-91 on Sunday night for its third consecutive victory amid a playoff-like atmosphere. It's pretty much another must-win game when Charlotte plays at the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-62)(Cleveland Cavaliers championship rings for sale) on Tuesday night. The Hornets let Detroit trim a 23-point first-half lead to one with 8:01 left in the game but pulled away for the win and climbed within one game of the eighth-place Pistons (39-41).
"We just stuck with it," head coach James Borrego said on Fox Sports Southeast(cheap nba championship rings). "The resiliency was there. We just keep pounding. We're not dying. We just keep pounding away. Really proud of (our) effort, our intensity, our focus tonight. That's a big-time win." Here is what needs to happen for Charlotte to be the eighth seed in the East and meet top-seeded Milwaukee in the first round:
--Wins over Cleveland and against visiting Orlando on Wednesday night, combined with at least one Pistons loss. Charlotte swept the four-game series against Detroit and thereby owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
--Split against the Cavs and Magic while the Pistons lose twice and the Miami Heat (38-42) lose one more game. Although the Hornets and Heat have the same record and the teams split four games, Charlotte's superior division record gives it the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Charlotte's last playoff appearance was in 2016, and the Hornets haven't advanced past the first round since 2002. "We've played well recently and it's another big step in the right direction, not only for our group this year but just as an organization," Borrego said. "Just making strides every single day, every single game." Charlotte All-Star guard Kemba Walker continues to lead the way, with 31 points, seven assists and eight rebounds on Sunday. He also became the ninth different player in NBA history to make 250 3-pointers in a season. Cleveland is on a nine-game losing streak heading into its season finale. Not unexpectedly, it has been a difficult season with LeBron James leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and center Kevin Love being healthy enough to appear in only 22 games.
He played 12 minutes in Sunday's home loss to the San Antonio Spurs, but Cavaliers coach Larry Drew said afterward it was unknown if Love would play in the finale. That could also be Drew's final game with the club; he said before Sunday's game there had yet to be any discussion about his future with the team. One positive for the Cavs has been the play of 20-year-old rookie point guard Collin Sexton, who is averaging 16.7 points per game(custom championship rings) and shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range.
"A decision was made early that we really wanted our young guys to grow and mature by being out on the floor," Drew said. "Collin, you see the growth." Other young players Cavs who developed this season were Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic. "Now you're got some guys that will come back next year that have a year of playing consistent minutes," Drew said. "And you have guys who now understand or know what it feels like to play."
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) With the outcome all but decided and just over a minute remaining, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan wanted to get Russell Westbrook out of Tuesday's game. Westbrook wasn't having it, waving off Hamidou Diallo. Moments later, Westbrook grabbed a rebound and nearly snagged another as the ball glanced off his fingertips after a miss. On the next possession, Westbrook snagged a final rebound and joined some elite company in NBA(custom nba championship rings) history in the Thunder's 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Westbrook became the second player in league history to have 20 or more points, rebounds and assists in a game, finishing with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists. Wilt Chamberlain was the only other player to accomplish the feat. After the game, Westbrook dedicated the win to rapper Nipsey Hussle. The musician, like Westbrook a Los Angeles product, was shot and killed on Sunday in Los Angeles. ''I'm not going to try to put it into words but like I said on the floor, that's who it's for,'' Westbrook said. ''I'm going to leave it at that.''
Chamberlain set the lofty mark with 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists in a 1968 game. Westbrook also tied Chamberlain for second all-time in 15-point, 15-rebound, 15-assists games with eight. Oscar Robertson had 14 such games in his career. Lakers coach Luke Walton said his team narrowed in on three keys to beat the Thunder, even with his own depleted lineup - transition defense, taking care of the ball and boxing out. The Thunder outscored Los Angeles on the fast break 34-8, the Lakers turned the ball over 21 times and Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle 50-39.
''When they get what they got off of those three things, it's going to be really hard to win the game(championship sports rings), even if you shoot the ball well like our guys shot tonight,'' Walton said. The Lakers shot 47.6% from the field. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Westbrook explained the wave-off after the game. ''I knew that he had a close friend pass away,'' Donovan said. ''For a few guys on our team relationship-wise, it's kind of hit them pretty hard just in the last couple days. ''For Russell, that was something that really, really meant a lot to him.''
After Westbrook clinched the mark, grabbing the rebound on Lance Stephenson's miss in the final minute, he drew a large ovation from the crowd before leaving the game for Diallo. Oklahoma City had struggled in the first half recently, trailing in eight consecutive games entering Tuesday. The Thunder, despite leading by as many as 11 points early, looked to be heading toward another halftime deficit when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put the Lakers ahead with a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. But Oklahoma City closed the half with an 11-6 run and took a 59-55 lead into halftime.
Though Westbrook struggled from the field early - missing 12 of his first 14 shots - he was effective on the offensive end from the start, with 10 first-quarter assists. ''I tried to attack the paint,'' Westbrook said. ''A lot of teams for me load the paint and stop me from getting to the paint, so I tried to use that to my advantage, drawing three or four people and finding open guys. ''I tried to set the tone early.'' Westbrook finished 8 of 23 from the field as Oklahoma City won for the third time in its last 10 games. Caldwell-Pope led the Lakers with 23 points.
The loss was Los Angeles' second in the last six games despite playing with a roster missing its stars. ''I thought we brought the energy level that it takes to win,'' Walton said.
BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics(cheap Boston Celtics championship rings) are approaching the final two weeks of the regular season as if the playoffs have already begun. They started by beating a team they could see again when the postseason officially tips off. Kyrie Irving hit a driving layup with 0.5 seconds left and the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 114-112 on Friday night. Boston moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams have identical 45-31 records, but the Celtics lead the regular-season series 2-1, giving them the current inside track on home-court advantage in a first-round series. Irving finished with 30 points and five assists. He has scored at least 30 points in six of his last seven games. Al Horford added 19 points and seven rebounds. Aron Baynes had 13 points and 13 rebounds. If the current standings hold, the teams would meet in the first round. Their final regular-season meeting is Friday in Indiana.
''It was definitely a great feel-out game, if you want to call it that, for the playoffs,'' Irving said. ''Home-court advantage was at stake and I know we see them again one more time. We'll see how that goes and just keep on getting better for the rest of the regular season.'' After struggling in recent weeks, Celtics(nba championship rings for sale) coach Brad Stevens said it's to be determined how much of it carries over. ''I don't know,'' he said. ''We'll find out.'' Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 27 points. Thaddeus Young added 18 points and nine rebounds. Myles Turner finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The game featured 10 ties and six lead changes.
''This is expected,'' Pacers guard Darren Collison said of the tightly contested game. ''Both teams are trying to play for something, so it was expected that the atmosphere was like this. Nothing less.'' Neither team will be able to relax as the regular season winds down. Both Indiana and Boston play five of the final six games against teams currently in playoff position. The Celtics slipped out to 105-99 lead early in the fourth quarter, after Indiana went 2:42 without a basket. But the Pacers recovered with a 6-0 run to tie the game a 105 with 4 minutes to play. It was tied again at 107 when Marcus Smart drained a 3-pointer late in the shot clock. But Collison answered with his own 3 on the other end.
The Pacers(championship sports rings) had a chance to break another tie at 112 with less than minute to play, but Young came up short on a driving layup. The Celtics turned it over on Smart's errant pass coming out of a timeout, giving Indiana the ball back. The Pacers ran the clock down and it wound in the hands of Collison, who misfired on a jumper with 10.2 seconds remaining to set up Irving's final shot.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Finished 12 of 27 from the 3-point line.
Celtics: Baynes posted his first double-double of the season.
RESTED AND RUNNING
The Celtics entered Friday's matchup on two days' rest and played with energy at the outset, taking a 20-9 lead. Unlike in some of its previous losses in which its lack of fast-break points was glaring, Boston made it a point to push the ball. Five of its first nine points came in transition and included a nice behind-the-back pass by Smart to Horford for a dunk that prompted Indiana to call the game's first timeout. Irving was even fresher after sitting out Tuesday's win over Cleveland specifically to rest. He hit his first three shots.
The Pacers didn't have a single transition basket in the first quarter, were outscored 18-6 in the paint and trailed by as many as 13. But Indiana got 18 first-half points from Bogdanovic and trimmed the Celtics' lead to 63-60 at the half. The Pacers kept attacking after halftime, outscoring Boston 31-26 in the third quarter to take a 91-89 lead into the final period.
WASHINGTON (AP) Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn't know how his team would respond to clinching its first playoff berth in six years. So far, so good. Nikola Jokic had 15 points and 11 assists, and the Nuggets(nba championship rings) used a balanced offense to edge the fading Washington Wizards 113-108 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory. Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Torrey Craig also added 15 points for the Nuggets, who were playing for the first time since ensuring their postseason spot Monday in their win over the Celtics.
''I was really worried about this game just because of the hangover effect of clinching in Boston,'' Malone said. ''To pull this out, even though it wasn't pretty, speaks to our team and not being satisfied.'' Eight players reached double figures for Denver, which began its second of four on the road a half-game behind Western Conference leader Golden State. The Warriors played later Thursday. Bradley Beal scored 25 points and Tomas Satoransky had 16 points and 10 assists for Washington, which lost its third straight.
Thomas Bryant added 22 points in his first start in a month, but the 11th-place Wizards' playoff hopes continued to dwindle. They're now six games back of eighth-place Miami with nine remaining. ''You try to be optimistic about it, but realistic at the same time, too,'' Beal said. ''It's tough when you're in the position where you need help from other teams. They're trying to make it just like we are.'' After both teams gave back double-digit leads in the third quarter, the Nuggets again went up by 10 early in the fourth. The Wizards tried to answer with a 10-4 run, capped by Beal's strip of Jokic and dunk to cut it to 106-104 with 1:53 left.
Murray(cheap championship rings) responded with a baseline layup and then Will Barton's 3-pointer from the right wing stretched Denver's lead back to seven. It was still a three-point game when Harris missed a pair of free throws with under 10 seconds remaining, only to snatch his own rebound, absorb Beal's foul, and this time hit two from the line with just over 7 seconds left. ''I just saw an opportunity,'' Harris said of the rebound. ''I wasn't going to miss those (second) two. I wasn't worried about it.''
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Won their 18th on the road, moving within four of a team record with seven left to play away from home. ... Mason Plumlee grabbed 11 rebounds, but was the only Nuggets player to see time who didn't reach double-figure scoring. He finished with four points. ... Jokic had six rebounds. Wizards: Fell to 9-5 in the second game of back-to-back sets, after sliding to 2-12 in the first game in Wednesday's loss at Chicago. They have one more such set remaining. ... Rookie Troy Brown Jr. made his first NBA start in place of Trevor Ariza, who sat after straining his groin Wednesday. Brown finished with 13 points. ... Bryant made his first start since Feb. 22.
KEEP PUSHING
Malone's relief after the game followed his insistence before tip-off that there was still plenty of reason to focus. ''I think it's so important to make sure you're playing at the highest level you possibly can going into the postseason,'' Malone said. ''And we've still got some things to play for. Being a division champion is something that we talk about. Trying to get that one seed, why not us? With 13 games to go, way too early to talk about preservation mode.''
POINTS IN RESERVE
With Craig scoring 15 points, Monte Morris contributing 11 and Malik Beasley adding 10, Denver's second unit outscored Washington's 40-14. ''Tonight was their night,'' Murray said. ''The bench came in and handled business.''
The Portland Trail Blazers look for a victory here after splitting their last six games. The Portland Trail Blazers are averaging 113.9 points on 46.5 percent shooting and allowing 110.6 points on 45.7 percent shooting. Damian Lillard is averaging 26.1 points and 6.4 assists while CJ McCollum is averaging 21.2 points and four rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic is the third double-digit scorer and Enes Kanter is grabbing 6.9 rebounds. The Portland Trail Blazers are shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 81.8 percent from the free throw line. The Portland Trail Blazers are allowing 36.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 47.7 rebounds per game. The Portland Trail Blazers have won five of their last seven road games.
The Los Angeles Clippers(cheap nba championship rings) look for another victory to build on their five-game winning streak. The Los Angeles Clippers are averaging 114.2 points on 46.8 percent shooting and allowing 113.4 points on 45.3 percent shooting. Lou Williams is averaging 20.2 points and 5.4 assists while Danilo Gallinari is averaging 19.2 points and six rebounds. Montrezl Harrell is the third double-digit scorer and Landry Shamet is grabbing 2.2 rebounds. The Los Angeles Clippers are shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. The Los Angeles Clippers are allowing 33.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.5 rebounds per game. The Los Angeles Clippers have won their last five home games.
The Trail Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games, 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 2 days rest and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Clippers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference, 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Trail Blazers are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings in LA and 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. The under is 4-1 in Clippers last 5 overall. The over is 18-7-1 in Trail Blazers last 26 overall.
The Portland Trail Blazers have won five of the last six meetings against the Clippers and come into this game playing some of their best recent basketball on the road. The Clippers are on a bit or a role right now as they continue to surprise folks, but they're coming off an emotional blowout win over the Boston Celtics, a game(championship rings) that should have turned a few more heads. The Trail Blazers have become much more consistent since adding guys like Kanter and Rodney Hood, and they enter this game shooting 47 percent from the field in their last five contests. Portland is also 18-10 ATS this season when a favorite of less than seven points. I'll lay the bucket with the Trail Blazers.
A team that's been hot on the road runs into one that's been nearly unbeatable at home of late when the Milwaukee Bucks(custom Milwaukee Bucks championship rings) visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. The matchup of one of the Eastern Conference's sure-thing playoff teams against one of the West's hopefuls will be the second of the season, with the Bucks having recorded a 144-109 blowout at home on November 4.
But that was a road game for the Kings, where they've been a rather ordinary 12-18. This one will be in Sacramento, where the Kings have won nine of their last 10, including two in a row. The Kings will be opening a four-game homestand in the wake of a 1-3 trip, one that ended with many Kings fans shaking their heads.
Coach Dave Joerger chose Monday at Minnesota as the night on which to give star rookie Marvin Bagley III his second start of the season without offering much of an explanation as to why he'd shake up a rotation that had produced an impressive 119-116 victory at Oklahoma City two nights earlier. Bagley made his coach's decision look like a good one, contributing a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double in the 112-105 defeat. Reporters were left to focus their postgame attention on the fact that Kings star guard Buddy Hield hadn't played the final 5:42 of a close game, a benching Joerger said was the product of an off night.
Hield had 18 points in the game, but also committed five turnovers.
Afterward, the high-scoring guard defused a potentially volatile situation by insisting he understood where his coach was coming from. "We're all there for the same reason: To win basketball games," he noted to the media. "If Dave doesn't think I should have been out there, that's his decision. I can't overrule the coach's decision. But I've gotta respect the guys who are out there because they're my teammates and I love them.
"When I'm doing my thing, they have my back, so I've got to have their back, too." Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer elected to sit out his star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the entire game in Monday's 117-106 win at Chicago that tipped off a five-game trip.
The official reason for the move: To rest Antetokounmpo's sore right knee. It was the All-Star(nba championship rings) captain's fifth absence of the season, all for the same reason. He's never missed two games in a row. For the third time in those five games, the Bucks were able to win without their leader. Six players scored in double figures as Milwaukee ran its winning streak to five games and extend its run of road wins to eight in a row. "We're in a great place right now," Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe assured reporters on the eve of the trip. "We've been in situations where we've been on the road, been in tough environments, so we'll just try to carry that over." Antetokounmpo had a triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in the earlier win over the Kings. The victory was Milwaukee's fifth straight over Sacramento dating back to February of 2016.
The Bucks have gone 14-6 against Western Conference teams(custom championship rings) this season, but just 2-3 against the Pacific Division. The Kings have the same interconference record (14-6), but theirs has been built on the strength of having had 5-2 success against Central Division foes.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Anthony Davis grimaced and didn't move his left arm as he walked off the court at halftime. Whether those were Davis' final moments in a Pelicans uniform - or whether he even plays in this weekend's All-Star Game - remains to be seen. Julius Randle capped a 33-point, 11-rebound performance with three clutch baskets in the final three minutes, Jrue Holiday scored 32 points and effectively defended Paul George, and New Orleans(nba championship rings) beat Oklahoma City 131-122 on Thursday night despite losing Davis to a shoulder injury.
Davis, who has asked to be traded, left the Smoothie King Center with his agent, Rich Paul, during the second half to get an MRI exam, the results of which were expected by Friday. But it's only a matter of time before the Pelicans have to learn to play without Davis for good anyway, and they managed rather well following the six-time All-Star's departure against record-setting guard Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. ''To tell you the truth, this whole thing has been a dumpster fire,'' coach Alvin Gentry said, alluding to the effect Davis' trade demand has had on the rest of the team. ''It's hard for guys to go through what they've been through, and to be able to come out and beat a team of that quality, I'm happy for all the guys.''
But Gentry lost his patience when asked to elaborate on Davis leaving the arena during the game. ''I'm going to talk about the guys that played. They did a great job,'' Gentry said. ''We found a way to win the game. That's what's important.'' Gentry then stormed off, ending his postgame interview session in uncharacteristically abrupt fashion.
Westbrook increased his record triple-double streak to 11 games with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. But he missed a late 3-point attempt when the Thunder trailed by five just inside the final minute of the game. New Orleans rebounded and held on from there. ''They played good, man,'' Westbrook said of the Pelicans, who snapped the Thunder's four-game winning streak. ''Honestly, the stuff that's going on around here, I don't really know much about, but they won tonight and that's all the matters.'' Paul George scored 28 points for Oklahoma City, but made only 3 of 17 3-point attempts.
''A couple of them was in and out where it felt really good. A couple of them I wish I could have back,'' said George, who also gave Holiday credit for his defensive effort. ''He's scrappy and he takes pride in defense. Not a lot of guys do. I have the utmost respect for his approach and how he defends and wants to play defense.'' Davis was in the game when the first half ended, but kept his left arm still as he walked to the locker room shortly after fouling Nerlens Noel on an attempted shot block with his left hand in the final second of the second quarter. When the second half began, the Pelicans announced that Davis was out of the remainder of the game with a left shoulder injury, putting his availability for this weekend's All-Star Game(cheap nba championship rings) in doubt. Davis was in the starting lineup and played 16 minutes, scoring 14 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and a block. His performance helped New Orleans take a 66-63 lead into halftime.
Coming off a listless, 30-point loss to Orlando two nights earlier in which Davis scored just three points on 1-of-9 shooting, the Pelicans bounced back with a far superior showing against a team with the third-best record in the Western Conference. The Pelicans led for most of the game and by as many as 17 in the third quarter. The Thunder pulled as close as 121-118 with 2:52 left, when George hit a straight-on 3, hollering and pounding his chest after the shot went down. But the Pelicans didn't fold thanks to Randle, who responded by tipping in Kenrich Williams' missed 3-pointer, then added a layup with 1:30 to go and an 8-foot fall-away with 1:12 left.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Noel had 22 points and 13 rebounds. He was the only other Thunder player besides Westbrook(championship rings for sale) and George to score as many as 10 points. ... Oklahoma City had 72 points in the paint but missed 34 of 44 3-point attempts. ... Westbrook was 4 of 12 from deep.Pelicans: E'Twaun Moore intentionally fouled Ray Felton so he could check out of the game and limped to the bench favoring his left knee with 31 seconds left in the first quarter. He returned in the second quarter and finished with 15 points. ... Jahlil Okafor scored 12 points. ... Gentry said before tip-off that guard Elfrid Payton is expected to return from a right ankle sprain after the All-Star break.
RECORD SETTER
In addition to increasing his triple-double streak, Westbrook surpassed Gary Payton (18,207 points) as the career scoring leader in franchise history. Westbrook's tally in New Orleans gives him 18,247. ''I didn't know I was close, honestly. So that's crazy, man,'' Westbrook said. ''Just truly honored and blessed obviously to be in one place, organization. To be able to be the all-time leading scorer in a place is a pretty big accomplishment, I must say, so I'm just truly thankful and humbled.''
Even an Opening Night loss couldn't dim the shimmer of the Golden State Warriors championship rings. It's the team's second in three years and I have some pretty cool news: it never gets old. Seriously, I wouldn't be mad if they did this again next year.Darren Rovell the 11-carat ring has more diamonds than any other ring that has ever been created for a major professional sports champion. The jewelry must fit the team and it's hard to find any other squad that dominated quite like the Warriors did. It just looks expensive and heavy.
Just like in 2015, the organization selected Jason of Beverly Hills to design and create the rings. Once again, they did not disappoint. Everything about the ring is gorgeous.The face features the Warriors' bridge logo with the Larry O'Brien trophy. The gold really stands out against the diamonds. The blue around the face brings it all home.
Each championship player's number is featured underneath the face around the ring. One one side, the player's name is inscribed. On the other, the result of each series is etched into the ring. The Warriors swept the first three rounds and won the Finals in five games so there are three “4-0's” and one “4-1” on the ring. Additionally, the year of each championship is included on gold trophies.
I couldn't find the cost of the championship rings, but it's safe to say they weren't cheap. When you have the most diamonds in any championship ring ever, you're going to need to open up your wallet. Lucky for everyone that got one, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber aren't shy about doing that.
Regardless of the price tag, that ring is priceless. It's a physical representation of all of the hard work the team put over the course of the year. Though they may never wear it, no one can take the fact that they are custom nba championship rings away from them and that ring proves that.Jason of Beverly Hills will have to get really creative next year when Lacob puts in that request for a brand new batch.
The Charlotte Hornets will look for their first win over a Western Conference club this season (nba championship rings) against a team that hasn't lost in a while when they host the streaking Denver Nuggets on Friday night.The Nuggets (17-7) have won seven in a row to gain the top spot in the Western standings, including three straight to open a five-game trip.
Denver needed overtime to survive Orlando on Wednesday after having toppled Portland and Toronto on the first two games of its trip.Nuggets coach Michael Malone credited his guys for not getting too full of themselves after the wins at Portland and Toronto.
"The whole thing for us is trying to stay hungry and enjoying the process, enjoying the wins, but not forgetting why you're winning," Malone told reporters after the win at Orlando. "That's what we try to do with our guys all the time: Making sure we have the appropriate respect for who we're playing."That might be harder to do against an 11-13 Charlotte team that's lost three straight, all to Western clubs -- Utah, New Orleans and Minnesota.
The Hornets are 0-4 against Western rivals this season, having also lost to Oklahoma City. Charlotte tried a new look at Minnesota on Wednesday, giving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist his first start of the season in place of injured Marvin Williams.Hornets coach James Borrego made it clear each upcoming opponent might see something different, with Miles Bridges and Frank Kaminsky being other options.
"I don't think we have an easy answer here. I don't think there's a perfect solution to this problem," he admitted. "We're just going to look different no matter who we go with, whether it's MKG or Miles or Frank. We have to adjust. Injuries force you to adjust on the fly."Few teams know that better than the Nuggets, who have gone most of the season without Will Barton and three of the last five games without Gary Harris.
That's not to mention having not had Isaiah Thomas all season.Juan Hernangomez and Torrey Craig combined for 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting as replacement starters against the Magic.A meeting with the Hornets means a Hernangomez reunion, with Juan's brother Willy having started one game for Charlotte this season and come off the bench for at least 12 minutes on 13 other occasions.Willy, who is one year older, had gotten the better of his brother statistically in their first two seasons in the NBA(custom nba championship rings), totaling 833 points and 685 rebounds for the Knicks and Hornets, while Juan accumulated 387 points and 241 rebounds for the Nuggets.
But Juan has turned the tables so far this season, outscoring his brother 218-127 and outrebounding him 123-85.Juan's Nuggets went 3-0 against the Knicks during the time Willy played in New York. The clubs have not met since he was traded to Charlotte last February.The Nuggets and Hornets split their two-game season series last year(championship sports rings), with each team recording a 17-point home win.
The Warriors (custom Golden State Warriors championship rings) find themselves in an unfortunate, but all too familiar place as they look at their depth chart and try to figure out a way around yet another injury. Stephen Curry will play his second game after returning from a groin injury that has kept him on the sideline for weeks — but there are still a number of holes in the rotation for coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors to figure out against an Atlanta Hawks team that leads the league in pace of play.
Some good news, bad news on the injury front:
First and foremost, we wish Damian Jones the best of luck (and medical care) on his journey towards recovery. In case you’ve been away from the internet this weekend, Jones tore his pectoral muscle on a fairly innocuous-looking play at the end of the 3rd quarter against the Detroit Pistons — an injury that will keep him out months, if not the rest of the season. This is the other side of the same muscle that Jones tore in training camp as a rookie, and as Kerr said on Sunday, “a big setback for him..and for us.”
No indications yet who will get the start in Jones’ stead against Atlanta and their starter, Alex Len, a mobile seven-footer with just enough beef to make it a problematic matchup for both Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney.On the other side of fortune, we do have two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry (nba championship rings) back on the court, which will help alleviate some of the pace and space issues that have been the bane of Warriors basketball since he left. But we’ll get to that in a minute.Just to finish the injury updates: it looks like Draymond Green will not be returning to action during this road trip, but Alfonzo McKinnie may be back as early as Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fans clamoring for a different look and more shooting may get it:
While the Warriors have plenty of firepower, they are slowly losing the three point shooting war against the league. In spite of having two of the best three shooters of all time, Golden State finds themselves consistently outshot from deep. The team ranks 20th in the league for total three pointers attempted — asked about this issue after the most recent loss to Detroit, Kerr strongly indicated that changing this would be a high priority moving forward.I’m not sure what this will look like, exactly, but with one less non-shooting big man available, we could see Kerr get funky and start chasing threes by abandoning the traditional Center position all together. This has reliably been one of his big ‘AH-HAH!’ moves — working most famously in the playoffs but seemingly just as pertinent during the regular season.Without Jones, the Warriors are going to be forced to play smaller — a modification that could serendipitously result in a solution to some of the ugly offense we’ve seen lately.
Atlanta still not doing so hot, but could challenge this clunky version of the Warriors:
I mean... that header pretty much says it all. The Atlanta Hawks are not having a great season. Heck, they’re not even having a good one!
But what they do manage to do well could give the Warriors fits. The Hawks aren’t elite at much, but they lead the league in pace and are third-best at forcing turnovers. While the Warriors have Curry back in the fold, it did not immediately solve all their problems. As elucidated by Curry’s seven turnovers against Detroit, Golden State just isn’t the same without Draymond Green out there as well. As per Anthony Slater of the Athletic: During the first 12 games, the Warriors had a 118.8 offensive rating. In the 12 since, missing Curry for 11 of them, they put up a 109.0 rating.
Remember that while Golden State managed to come away with the win, the Hawks played us extremely well last time these two teams met — holding a halftime lead and keeping it to within just a handful of points before eventually ceding the contest by just eight points. Another lackluster showing on offense could be the window Atlanta needs to steal a win from the champs — especially if Golden State turns the ball over a lot.
Prediction:
Maybe it’s the gold-blooded infusions I get daily from Daniel Hardee’s Slack channel comments, or maybe it’s the fact that Steph’s back and the Hawks aren’t good — but whatever it is, I feel good about this game.Warriors and Kerr relax into the fast-paced frollicking fun, put away Atlanta 121 - 108 (championship rings).
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11.04.2019 14:27
