In a wild night of NBA action, the highlight was Oklahoma City 115, Minnesota 111. The lowlight had to be the Clippers first game without their star PG. It didn’t go well.
Splitter sprains shoulder, will miss 3-5 weeks
Soobum Im-USA TODAY SportsNeal calls out Sanders after loss
Howard Smith-USA TODAY SportsSanders played 26 minutes, finishing with seven points and two rebounds in the loss. His rebounding and scoring numbers have both dropped from his career-high marks last season, though he’s also playing less minutes. Sanders has only played in eight of the Bucks’ games this season, missing extended time after tearing a ligament in his thumb. The injury occurred during an altercation he was involved in at a Milwaukee night club.
The Bucks inked Sanders to a four-year, $44 million extension that kicks in next season. He will far and away be the highest-paid player on the team barring a free agency signing.
Read Article >Durant drops 48, including game-winner
Greg Smith-USA TODAY SportsDurant fell just short of his career high of 52 points, which he reached on Jan. 18, 2013 in Dallas.
The Thunder forward did his damage on 16-for-32 shooting in a team-high 43 minutes. See his outburst from the field for yourself, if you can. When you hit 16 shots, it could be tough to see all of the makes on one chart:
Read Article >Inside the Clippers’ disastrous first half
Soobum Im-USA TODAY SportsWith the game no longer in doubt, San Antonio eased off a bit in the second half to prevent the blowout from reaching historic proportions. But at halftime it looked like the game could be headed in that direction. Here are some of the most telling numbers from the first half in San Antonio:
• O’Donnell: Andrew Bynum’s irreconcilable differences with basketball
Read Article >The last 5 seconds of Wolves vs. Thunder
Streeter LeckaHis final basket came with five seconds left and everything tied at 111:
If Dante Cunningham was given a broom, I’m still not sure he would have blocked that.
Read Article >Tim Duncan is a Jedi Knight
The outlet pass: an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.
Read Article >Gerald Green windmill dunk alert
Ho-hum. Just another Saturday for the best dunker in the business.
Read Article >Dion Waiters takes excellent shots
In Cleveland, they call Waiters “Mr. Shot Selection”.
FYI: You can’t see this in the gif, but he actually dribbled into that shot.
Read Article >Luke Ridnour airballs a lay-up
He might want to take the finger-roll out of his game. Just a little short.
Read Article >Reggie Jackson dunks on the Wolves
Clippers, Spurs headline NBA Saturday night games
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsLeague Pass; 8:30 p.m. ET
Can the Spurs knock down the long ball against a feisty perimeter defense? The Clippers are the fourth best team defending the perimeter, allowing opponents to knock down just 32.9 percent of their long-range attempts. The Spurs, on the other hand, are the second best three-point shooting team, netting a hair under 40 percent of their shots from behind the arc. That’s an in-game battle worth looking towards.
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