Udonis Haslem Joining Amazon Prime Video As Analyst
Longtime Heat big man Udonis Haslem is among the former players joining Amazon Prime Video as a basketball analyst for the 2025/26 season, according to a social media announcement from the streamer (Instagram link).
Haslem spent 20 seasons as a player with the Heat from 2003-23, winning three championships with the club. He played a significant role earlier in his career, starting a total of 501 regular season games and 84 postseason contests, before transitioning into a veteran leadership position during his final few years with the team.
Haslem holds the title of VP of basketball development for the Heat, but has provided commentary on NBA TV and ESPN since his retirement.
In his new role with Prime Video, Haslem will be reuniting with former Miami teammate Dwyane Wade, who is among the other new analysts confirmed today by Amazon. The company also announced that Steve Nash and Candace Parker are coming aboard, confirming prior reporting.
Amazon Prime Video previously announced the hiring of Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki as studio analysts and has also reportedly reached a deal with Stan Van Gundy. Haslem is expected to join Griffin and Nowitzki as part of the studio show, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Amazon is one of two new media rights partners who will begin broadcasting NBA games next season. NBC, which recently announced Carmelo Anthony as a studio analyst, is the other. The two broadcasters will replace TNT, with Disney (ABC/ESPN) retaining its NBA rights.
Warriors Notes: Butler, Hield, Payton, Green
Jimmy Butler helped the Warriors clinch a Game 7 victory and a second-round date with the Timberwolves, scoring 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting while also contributing eight rebounds and seven assists in Sunday’s 103-89 series-clinching victory over Houston.
Butler played just eight minutes in Game 2 due to a pelvic injury that also cost him Game 3, and he had a forgettable Game 5, with just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting in a one-sided loss. But his presence made a difference for the Warriors during the second half of the season and over the course of the first-round playoff series, prompting team owner Joe Lacob to express to Sam Amick of The Athletic on Sunday that he’s glad he signed off on the deadline deal for the star forward.
“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told Amick with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”
Given the ugly way that Butler’s time in Miami ended, there were questions about whether it would make sense to give up multiple assets to acquire him and sacrifice major cap flexibility to sign him to a maximum-salary extension. But general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. insisted Butler was worth that risk and Lacob is happy he trusted his GM.
“Yeah, there were (concerns about Butler),” Lacob said. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”
Here’s more on the Warriors, one of eight NBA teams still in the hunt for a title:
- While no Warrior had more rebounds (10) or assists (7) than Stephen Curry on Sunday, it was Buddy Hield who unexpectedly led the team in scoring, pouring in 33 points while matching an NBA record with nine three-pointers in a Game 7. A nine-year veteran, Hield played in the postseason for the first time in 2024, but didn’t see many minutes in Philadelphia’s first-round loss. As Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic, the veteran sharpshooter embraced the opportunity to play a larger role this time around. “I never been in this situation before,” Hield said. “Just trying to seize the moment. Relish the moment. Just be in the moment. … and enjoy the moment.”
- After earning a start in Game 6, veteran guard Gary Payton II was unable to suit up for Game 7 on Sunday due to an illness, writes Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. “He’s just sick as a dog,” Kerr said before the game. “Woke up ill and didn’t go to shootaround. Hasn’t eaten. No way (he) can play.” Although Payton played a regular rotation role during the series, Golden State struggled during his minutes — the team had a -17.7 net rating when he was on the court and a +8.2 mark when he wasn’t.
- Draymond Green racked up four technical fouls and two flagrants in the Warriors’ seven-game series vs. Houston, but kept his emotions in check in Game 7 to help the team advance to round two, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s the key to our team,” head coach Steve Kerr told Slater. “He’s the guy who can drive winning. But he can also drive losing, frankly. What makes him great is also his kryptonite. His emotion, his passion, his competitive fire. … When Draymond is centered and organized and poised and Steph is taking care of the ball, it’s so easy for the rest of the group just to follow and do their jobs.”
- According to Kerr, Green “set the tone” ahead of Game 7 at a players-only meeting on Saturday, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him,” Kerr said after Sunday’s victory. “I thought the flagrant foul (in the first quarter of Game 6) was a tone-setter, and he knew it and so he talked to the group and said, ‘I got to be poised and I have to be better, and we’re going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.’ And I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set a great tone.”
- Butler and Green will be public enemies number one and two in Minnesota during the conference semifinals, according to Jon Krawcznyski of The Athletic, who notes that Butler’s messy exit in 2018 and Green’s frequent criticisms of Rudy Gobert have earned the duo the ire of Timberwolves fans.
Jazz Sign Will Hardy To Long-Term Extension
The Jazz have signed head coach Will Hardy to a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Jazz, the new deal is a multiyear agreement that will keep Hardy under club control through 2031.
Team owner Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge both issued statements on the move, with Smith referring to Hardy as an “incredible leader” and a “strong ambassador” for the franchise.
“He has been a tremendous partner to Danny, (general manager) Justin (Zanik), and me,” Smith said. “There is no one we would rather have leading us to our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship here in Utah.”
“Will’s leadership has been invaluable to our program,” Ainge added. “He has established a vision for our players and a strong foundation of core values, competitive habits, and growth mindset. He is one of the brightest young coaches in our league, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him.”
The Jazz hired Hardy to replace Quin Snyder in 2022, making him the youngest head coach in the league at the time and reportedly giving him a five-year contract. Before arriving in Utah, Hardy spent one season on Ime Udoka‘s coaching staff in Boston and was a longtime assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
Hardy’s record during his three years as Utah’s head coach is underwhelming. The team has gone just 85-161 (.346) during that stretch and hasn’t made the playoffs or the play-in tournament.
However, the Jazz began tearing down their roster the year Hardy arrived, trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell that offseason and parting ways with several more veterans in subsequent seasons. Hardy kept Utah more competitive than expected in each of his first two years on the job, earning Coach of the Year votes in 2023, before the team bottomed out at 17-65 this past season.
The new deal for Hardy suggests the Jazz like the job he has done during the club’s retooling years and want to give him a chance to see through the next stages of Utah’s rebuilding process.
VanVleet, Rockets Have Mutual Interest In Continuing Relationship
After scoring 26 points in Game 5 and 29 in Game 6 to help the Rockets force a win-or-go-home game in Houston on Sunday, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet couldn’t push his young team over the top in Game 7. He made another trio of three-pointers and had 17 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Rockets, whose season ended with a 103-89 loss to Golden State.
VanVleet, who signed a three-year, maximum-salary contract with Houston during the 2023 offseason, has a team option worth nearly $44.9MM on that deal for 2025/26. While it remains to be seen whether or not the Rockets intend to exercise that option, post-game comments from head coach Ime Udoka and VanVleet on Sunday made it clear that there’s mutual interest in continuing the relationship.
“I think both sides want to be here and want him here,” Udoka said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “From day one, the importance of him at the point guard position, leading us in a lot of ways and allowing guys to grow at the same time. … He’s a huge part of our growth. Love everything he’s done. Perfect combination of on-ball (and) off-ball for our guards and our young guys to grow. Obviously would love to have him back and I think the feeling’s mutual.”
As Udoka alludes to, the Rockets targeted VanVleet in large part because of his defense, toughness, and championship experience. His offensive numbers since arriving in Houston (15.9 PPG and 6.9 APG on .400/.369/.842 shooting) have been just solid, not spectacular, but he has played a key role in guiding a young team to the next level. The Rockets won no more than 22 games in any of the three years before VanVleet arrived, but have gone 93-71 since signing him.
For his part, VanVleet echoed his head coach’s comments and expressed a desire to remain in Houston in ’25/26 and beyond.
“Obviously, I put my heart and soul into this and this is where I want to be,” VanVleet said (Twitter video link). “It’s definitely a family situation. I’ve got a lot of love for our coaching staff and (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and the Fertitta family and just what we set out to do when I had my free agent meeting two years ago and we’re on that track. It was never a short-term vision — it was a long-term goal. We’re on track, we’re on schedule.
“It’s a tough way to lose and end the season, but my mind’s very far away from contract stuff right now. We’ll get to that when it’s time.”
With lucrative new extensions for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green taking effect this summer, the Rockets would likely prefer to reduce VanVleet’s cap hit. Picking up his option would bring the team’s guaranteed commitments to $176MM+ for nine players next season. The luxury tax line is projected to be at $187.9MM.
Given that context, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Houston declines VanVleet’s $44.9MM option with an understanding that he’d accept a longer-term deal paying him less money in 2025/26 but increasing his overall guarantee across multiple years. If the Rockets decide they’re comfortable with that $44.9MM cap charge next season, they could also exercise the option and explore a more team-friendly extension that begins in ’26/27.
44 Prospects Invited To G League Elite Camp
A total of 44 college and international prospects have been invited to the 2025 G League Elite Camp, aka the G League Combine, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The list of invitees, as reported by Scotto, is as follows:
- Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence)
- Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern)
- Tamar Bates (Missouri)
- Nathan Bittle (Oregon)
- Dylan Cardwell (Auburn)
- Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
- Thierry Darlan (Delaware Blue Coats – G League)
- Johnell Davis (Arkansas)
- Jyare Davis (Syracuse)
- RJ Davis (UNC)
- Dawson Garcia (Minnesota)
- Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State)
- Caleb Grill (Missouri)
- Chucky Hepburn (Louisville)
- Chase Hunter (Clemson)
- Kobe Johnson (UCLA)
- Curtis Jones (Iowa State)
- Arthur Kaluma (Texas)
- Miles Kelly (Auburn)
- Viktor Lakhin (Clemson)
- Malique Lewis (South East Melbourne – Australia)
- Caleb Love (Arizona)
- Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh)
- Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee)
- Chance McMillian (Texas Tech)
- Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana)
- Igor Milicic Jr. (Tennessee)
- Jacksen Moni (North Dakota State)
- Eli Ndiaye (Real Madrid – Spain)
- Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga)
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Penn State)
- Isaac Nogues (Rip City Remix – G League)
- Lachlan Olbrich (Illawarra – Australia)
- Sean Pedulla (Ole Miss)
- Jonathan Pierre (Belmont)
- Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State)
- Will Richard (Florida)
- Kadary Richmond (St. John’s)
- Joson Sanon (Arizona State)
- Nate Santos (Dayton)
- Brandon Stroud (South Florida)
- Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M)
- Amari Williams (Kentucky)
- Chris Youngblood (Alabama)
These prospects will meet with NBA evaluators and scrimmage for two days in Chicago starting on May 9, ahead of the league’s annual draft combine. A small group of standout players from this event are generally invited to stay in Chicago for the full-fledged combine that takes place immediately following the G League Elite Camp. Typically, at least a half-dozen players move on.
While the May 11-18 combine focuses on the top-ranked players in each draft class, the G League Elite Camp offers opportunity to prospects further down boards who are more likely to go undrafted.
None of the 44 players invited to the G League Elite Camp show up in the top 50 of ESPN’s list of this year’s top prospects. Williams (No. 58) and Lewis (No. 59) are the top-ranked prospects for the event, per ESPN.
The G League Elite Camp will give invitees who declared for the draft as early entrants an opportunity to see where they stand ahead of the draft withdrawal deadline on May 28. Not all of the players who participate in this event will remain in the draft pool.
Jose Alvarado, Terance Mann, and Jaylen Martin are among the current NBA players who once took part in the G League Elite Camp. Last year’s list of invitees was highlighted by Jaylen Wells, though he ultimately received a combine invite before either event tipped off.
Keion Brooks, Isaiah Crawford, Yongxi Cui, Enrique Freeman, Emanuel Miller, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Anton Watson were among the other 2024 participants who signed two-way contracts with NBA teams this past year, while Isaac Jones finished the 2024/25 season on a standard contract in Sacramento.
Poll: Who Will Win Rockets/Warriors Game 7?
Despite going up against a No. 2 seed as a No. 7 team that required a play-in victory to clinch a playoff spot, the Warriors were considered by oddsmakers to be solid favorites in their first-round series against the Rockets.
In a competitive Western Conference, Golden State finished the regular season with only four fewer wins than Houston and was the better team after adding Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, ranking third in the NBA in wins (23) and net rating (+9.2) between Butler’s debut and the end of the season. The Warriors also had a major edge in experience over the Rockets, whose young core would be playing in its first postseason series.
Through four games, it looked like the oddsmakers were right. The Warriors held a 3-1 series lead and had deployed their defense (ranked No. 1 in the NBA since Butler’s debut) to great effect, holding the Rockets to just 94.7 points per game in Houston’s three losses.
But the Rockets may have figured something out during the last two games, both of which they led from nearly start to finish. As the Warriors struggled to find five-man units they liked, subbing out starting guard Brandin Podziemski in Game 6 for Gary Payton II, Houston has found success with bigger lineups featuring center Steven Adams, who was a +30 in 48 minutes during those two victories.
And while it may not be sustainable, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has looked more like Stephen Curry than Curry himself in Games 5 and 6, knocking down 10-of-15 three-pointers (66.7%) and outscoring his Warriors counterpart by a 55-42 margin.
Jalen Green, Houston’s leading scorer during the season, still hasn’t found his groove in the playoffs — outside of his 38-point outburst in Game 2, he has averaged just 9.4 PPG on 30.2% shooting in the other five games. The Warriors also still have the experience advantage, as Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green are no strangers to Game 7 showdowns, whereas Rockets youngsters like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith will be experiencing one for the first time.
But the Rockets have the momentum, they have the home-court advantage, and they’ve made Golden State look old and tired over the last couple games, as Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic. Curry continues to battle a thumb issue, while Butler is coming off a pelvic contusion. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran Warriors bring their A-games on Sunday, but it’s also unclear how much they have left in the tank.
With all that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that oddsmakers are giving a slight edge to Houston — according to BetOnline.ag, the Rockets are 2.5-point favorites.
We want to know what you think. Will the Warriors hold off the young, upstart Rockets, or will Houston complete its comeback from a 3-1 deficit and set up a second-round matchup against Minnesota?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to make your predictions and share your thoughts!
Who will win Sunday's Game 7?
-
Houston Rockets 52% (509)
-
Golden State Warriors 48% (471)
Total votes: 980
Pacific Notes: Triano, Kings, Christie, Clippers, Redick
Jay Triano, who had been the Kings‘ lead assistant this season, won’t be returning to Doug Christie‘s staff for 2025/26, sources tell Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Triano, who has been a Kings assistant since 2022, previously served as a head coach in Toronto (2008-11) and Phoenix (2017-18) and had stints as an assistant with the Raptors (2002-08), Trail Blazers (2012-16), Suns (2016-17), and Hornets (2018-22) before arriving in Sacramento. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2024 following the departure of Jordi Fernandez and still had time left on his contract after this season, reports Amick.
As Slater and Amick note (via Twitter), Triano’s exit comes as part of an overhaul of Christie’s coaching staff, with Jawad Williams, Riccardo Fois, Robbie Lemons, and Sam Logwood also on the way out.
One assistant coach who will remain under Christie is Leandro Barbosa, Slater adds. A former NBA guard, Barbosa has been with the Kings since 2022 after previously serving as a player development coach in Golden State.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Reintroducing Christie as the Kings‘ permanent head coach during a media session on Friday, new general manager Scott Perry said he was impressed from afar this season by the way Christie handled his “baptism by fire” and connected with his players after replacing Mike Brown in December, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Look, I’m a former coach, and I’m the first to tell him or anybody else, it’s not an easy job,” Perry said. “It’s the most second-guessed job in the world probably, but he is made of the type of internal fortitude necessary to navigate those waters.”
- Hampered for years by untimely injuries to key players, the Clippers have shown in the first-round series vs. Denver that they’re a formidable opponent when their stars – in this case, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden – are healthy, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. While Leonard has been the team’s top offensive postseason weapon, scoring at least 20 points in each of the first six games of the series, the Clippers may need Harden to come up as big as he did in Game 6 (28 points, eight assists) to win on Saturday and advance to round two, says Law Murray of The Athletic.
- With J.J. Redick‘s inaugural season as a head coach in the books, Jovan Buha of The Athletic evaluates the job the first-time coach did for the Lakers and notes that Redick is bullish about his potential to continue improving. “I know I will get better,” he said this week. “I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went. That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do, and how we were able to figure out things on the fly and put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round. But there’s always ways to get better. And I can get a lot better.”
Celtics Widely Expected To Make Offseason Roster Changes
After winning a title in 2024, the Celtics brought back essentially the same team this season, parting ways with only a couple reserves. No NBA team retained more players from the end of the 2023/24 season to the start of ’24/25 than Boston (15).
However, even if the Celtics repeat as champions this spring, they’re unlikely to maintain that sort of continuity going forward, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week (YouTube link), Charania said Boston is widely expected to make cost-cutting moves that will impact its roster this offseason.
“The rest of the league is bracing for some level of change to come to the Celtics roster this offseason,” Charania said (hat tip to RealGM). “Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason.
“This iteration just is not going to be sustainable for this team and no one around the organization – from players to staffers – would be surprised if there are changes coming to this roster. Because when you think about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there’s restrictions that come with trades, there’s restrictions that come with freezing of draft picks. That’s all stuff that they’re dealing with right now.”
As Charania observes, star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will both be on super-max contracts in 2025/26 and beyond, with Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday also set to earn between $28.1MM and $32.4MM apiece next season. Those five players on their own will earn a combined $198.5MM, which exceeds the projected first tax apron ($195.9MM).
In total, Boston has about $221MM in guaranteed money committed to nine players and will still need to add at least five more players to that count. Even if those last five players are earning minimum-salary deals, the Celtics’ team salary would soar past the second apron ($207.8MM), setting the club up to pay a massive tax bill as the more punitive repeater penalties go into effect. It would also place serious limitations on what the front office can do in free agency and on the trade market.
[RELATED: Celtics’ Wyc Grousbeck Talks Tax Aprons, Sale, Chisholm, Arena]
What form Boston’s roster changes take remains an open question, one that figures to be decided at least in part by how the team performs during the remainder of its postseason run. While it’s possible a starter like Porzingis or Holiday ends up on the trade block this summer, the team also may look to make tweaks around the edges, perhaps including a role player like Sam Hauser.
If the Celtics’ new ownership group is comfortable paying substantial tax penalties, there won’t necessarily be urgency to get below the second apron right away, but the longer the team continues to operate above that threshold, the more limited its roster-building options become — a team that remains above the second apron for several years at a time would have a handful of future first-round picks “frozen” (ineligible to be traded) and moved to the back of the first round.
For now, Boston’s focus is on winning a second consecutive title, but teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the defending champions and are curious to see what’s in store for them this offseason, according to Charania.
“None of these changes are at the top of mind for the Celtics now, they can’t be,” Charania said. “This is obviously the most talented team in the league. I think a lot of people would agree with that. So these are good problems to have, but the league is bracing for some level of change to come to this Celtics roster in the offseason.”
Several Teams Promoting Interim Head Coaches, Forgoing Searches
It’s not uncommon for several NBA teams to be on the lookout for new head coaches each spring. During the 2022 offseason, four clubs hired new coaches; that number increased to six in 2023 and was six again in 2024.
It looked like that would trend would continue in 2025. The Kings made a coaching change in December 2024, with the Grizzlies and Nuggets following suit in March and April, respectively. The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer once their season ended and longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stepped down from his position for health reasons.
Despite the fact that five teams have parted ways with their head coaches in the past four-and-a-half months, only one of those clubs is currently conducting a head coaching search.
After finishing the season with a 27-24 under interim head coach Doug Christie, who reportedly had support from team owner Vivek Ranadive, the Kings opted to name Christie the permanent replacement for Mike Brown, finalizing a new multiyear contract agreement with him earlier this week.
The Grizzlies took the same path with Taylor Jenkins‘ in-season replacement, Tuomas Iisalo, removing his interim tag this week and announcing that he would be keeping the job.
In San Antonio, Mitch Johnson was technically the acting head coach and didn’t hold the interim title — that’s really just a technicality that reflects the fact that Popovich was still hoping to return at some point. But when Popovich decided to call it a career, the Spurs wasted no time confirming that Johnson would remain in the role and they wouldn’t be interviewing anyone else.
The Nuggets are still alive in the playoffs, so it’s possible – especially if they lose Game 7 of their first-round series to the Clippers on Saturday – that they could launch a full-fledged coaching search, with interim coach David Adelman receiving consideration as part of that search. But Adelman is widely respected within the organization, including by stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, so there’s a chance that Denver just sticks with him — especially if he leads the team to at least the second round of the postseason.
It’s not out of the question that other teams could make coaching changes this spring. However, most teams whose seasons are over have had time to think about it and probably would have made their move by now if they planned to do so. Willie Green of the Pelicans is one coach to monitor from this group, though one recent report said the “prevailing expectation” is that he’ll be retained by new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
While there has been no indication that a change is in the cards for either the Bucks or Hawks, Doc Rivers is another head coach worth keeping an eye on, as is Quin Snyder, who received a strong endorsement from general manager Landry Fields last month, only for Fields to be fired by Atlanta a few days later.
As for the teams still alive in the postseason, it seems relatively safe to assume that Kenny Atkinson, Joe Mazzulla, Rick Carlisle, Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch, Tyronn Lue, Ime Udoka, and Steve Kerr aren’t going anywhere unless they choose to.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is perhaps the most at risk in this group, but he likely relieved some of the pressure he was facing by getting past Detroit in the first round. New York will enter the conference semifinals against Boston as a significant underdog, so unless the Knicks are embarrassed in that series, a coaching change may not be in their plans.
If no other teams replace their coaches this spring, it would leave the Suns in position to take their time with their own search, knowing they aren’t in danger of having their top choice poached by a rival team. Reports have already indicated that Phoenix plans to be patient as it seeks its fourth head coach in four seasons — the team is expected to identify 14 or 15 candidates, then pare that list down to a smaller group of finalists.
While there haven’t been any reports yet about candidates who have secured meetings or interviews with the Suns, the following names have been linked to the team’s coaching vacancy by various reporters:
- Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott
- Mavericks assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley
- Rockets assistants Royal Ivey and Ben Sullivan
- Pelicans assistant James Borrego
- Thunder assistant Dave Bliss
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn
- Former Kings coach Mike Brown
- The Suns’ own assistant David Fizdale
- Former Suns assistant (and current BYU head coach) Kevin Young
Poll: Who Will Win Nuggets/Clippers Game 7?
As a result of the Rockets’ win over the Warriors on Friday night, we have two Game 7 matchups on tap for this weekend. Golden State will head to Houston as the Western Conference’s No. 2 and No. 7 seeds battle it out on Sunday for the right to face the Timberwolves in conference semifinals.
But before we get that last showdown between the Rockets and Warriors, we’ll get another Western Conference Game 7, with the Nuggets hosting the Clippers on Saturday for the right to face the Thunder in round two.
The first-round series between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the West has been a back-and-forth affair. After narrowly squeaking past the Clippers in overtime in Game 1, the Nuggets dropped two games in a row, losing Game 3 by 34 points in Los Angeles. The Clippers looked like the heavy favorites at that point, but Denver bounced back with two consecutive wins to reclaim a 3-2 lead before L.A. evened things up with a 111-105 home win on Thursday.
Nikola Jokic has been his usual dominant self for the Nuggets, averaging a triple-double through the team’s first six playoff games and making 50.9% of his shots, including 44.8% of his three-pointers. Jamal Murray has been reliable too, contributing 24.0 points and 6.5 assists with a .482/.432/.938 shooting line.
But Denver lacks depth and its supporting cast has been hit and miss. Starting forward Michael Porter Jr. has been held to seven points or fewer in three separate games, while Christian Braun – a Most Improved Player candidate who averaged 15.4 PPG with a .397 3PT% during the regular season – has seen his postseason marks drop to 11.2 PPG with a .250 3PT%.
While Russell Westbrook has given the Nuggets some good minutes off the bench, they haven’t gotten much from their other reserves — in Denver’s three losses, the non-Westbrook bench players scored a total of 15 points in 95 combined minutes.
The Clippers, meanwhile, have gotten a big boost from a healthy Kawhi Leonard, who has frequently showed the form that helped him earn Finals MVP awards earlier in his career with the Spurs and Raptors. Leonard has averaged 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on .545/.394/.741 shooting.
Los Angeles’ other star, James Harden, has been less consistent. After a 32-point outing in Game 1, he averaged 16.0 points per game on 41.2% shooting through the next four contests before bouncing back with a 28-point showing in Game 6.
The Clippers have gotten what they’ve needed from center Ivica Zubac and swingman Norman Powell, but have had to experiment to find other effective combinations and lineups to complement their top four players. As we detailed earlier on Friday, head coach Tyronn Lue played starting guard Kris Dunn for just 10 minutes and gave Ben Simmons his first DNP-CD of the series in Game 6 in order to improving the club’s offensive spacing.
The change was an effective one — veteran forward Nicolas Batum played a series-high 34 minutes and the Clippers were a +11 when he was on the court. Veteran wings Derrick Jones and Bogdan Bogdanovic also give the team good minutes off the bench.
The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag currently list the Nuggets as 1.5-point favorites for Saturday’s deciding game, but that’s likely more about the home-court factor than a belief that Denver is the legitimately better team. The Nuggets have a strong track record in the mile-high elevation at Ball Arena, while the Clippers had a 20-21 regular season road record and have lost two of three games in Denver this series.
We want to know what you think. Are you picking the Nuggets or the Clippers to win on Saturday and advance to round two? Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your predictions and thoughts!
Who will win Saturday's Game 7?
-
Denver Nuggets 59% (534)
-
Los Angeles Clippers 41% (376)
Total votes: 910