Oklahoma City got back on track Tuesday night, avenging its disappointing loss to the Lakers and snapping a rare two-game winning streak. The Lakers continued to make it rain from the outside, but the Thunder played more like the team we’ve seen all season long.
Of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the one who pulled through for the Thunder. He has been the most reliable player in the league all season long, and it was expected that he would lead the bounce back charge.
It was Jalen Williams, though, who pushed the Thunder over the top and became the X-Factor. That’s been the case all season, too, when Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander are both playing at a high level this team is nearly impossible to stop.
The first time All-Star had a terrific first half, chipping in 17 points for the Thunder. He struggled mightily in the third quarter though, and as a result, the team struggled too. Williams was 0-for-4 with zero points and a -10 in the third frame alone. His bounce back was a big reason Oklahoma City won the game. He didn’t lose any confidence and rebounded with a huge final frame. In 10 fourth quarter minutes, Williams totaled nine points on 3-of-5 shooting and was a +18.
All in all, he totaled 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists against one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Plenty of unfair criticism has been thrown at Williams this season, but he has shown up in a ton of big games for this Thunder team. The stage in the playoffs will certainly be bigger and brighter in the playoffs, though.
All things considered, Williams had a solid first showing in the playoffs a season ago, even if the media changes the narrative. He was on pace with his numbers over the course of the season. But with another year of improvement and an All-Star nod under his belt, more will be expected this time around. Many people talk about game changers for the Thunder, but Williams will always be at the top of that pole.
Oklahoma City will rely on him heavily in the playoffs, and Tuesday night was a good sign for his confidence. The Thunder’s ceiling is exponentially higher when Williams produces like an All-Star.
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The Boston Celtics added another floor spacer when they acquired forward Georges Niang in the trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks. But as Niang tells it, the reception in Boston hasn’t exactly been warm. “I then get traded for Kristaps Porzingis — which, you know how tough Boston fans are,” Niang said during an appearance on The OGs podcast, via HoopsRumors. “They don’t give a (expletive) if I’m from Boston or not. ‘You just took our Unicorn and replaced it with a Minivan. Get the (expletive) outta here.’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny. It’s got scratches on it, man.’” Some of the resentment may stem from a 2023 playoff incident in which Niang, then with the Cavaliers, grabbed Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s knee from the bench. That clip resurfaced after the trade. Others have speculated it’s about Niang’s $8.2 million expiring contract and whether Boston plans to keep him around. “You don’t want to be in Boston losing, that’s for sure,” Niang added. “What can I do this summer? Can I come in in the best shape, mentor, learn, and figure out how to win the day — and then win games.” Celtics Urged to Pass on Simmons Boston has been linked to free agent Ben Simmons, but not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. Matt Vautour of MassLive wrote that the Celtics would be better off exploring other options. Vautour noted that Simmons still brings some upside, but warned that the team can’t count on him to stay healthy. Along with that, things didn’t exactly work out for Simmons in Philadelphia or Brooklyn, either, Vautour opined. Bassey Drawing Interest From Overseas Big man Charles Bassey, who made a solid impression during three Summer League games with Boston, is on the radar of Italian club Virtus Bologna, per HoopsRumors. Bassey could still be in the mix for a training camp invite, but no decision has been made as the Celtics continue to evaluate their frontcourt depth. More NBA News Rumors
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Not only do they have a great front five, but there goes, potentially, eight pitchers deep with MLB talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a surplus of talent, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in their starters. Ranger Suarez, whose contract expires at the end of the year, would be a typical trade deadline candidate. But he's going nowhere. Instead, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in Phillies right-handed prospect Mick Abel. The 23-year-old starter could be a trade chip if the Phillies find a suitable trade target. "... Same goes for Mick Abel," Gelb writes, "who is drawing trade interest." The Phillies right-hander has impressed in his brief Major League stint, even if he now sits at a 5.04 ERA in six starts. His ceiling, which he displayed in his MLB debut, is enough to captivate teams around baseball. In the minors, Abel has been dominant this season. He has a 1.83 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A, a significant improvement over his 6.46 ERA in 2024. Abel's progress this season has been incredible, and has teams interested in trading for him. If the Phillies find a trade partner for an outfielder or a dominant reliever, Abel could be a centerpiece of a deal to land such a player at the deadline. With the crowded rotation, Abel might not have a starting role on the roster for the rest of the season. He could go to the bullpen for the postseason run or be dealt to land a high-profile reliever or outfielder. But, regardless of what the Phillies do with Abel, this report from Gelb is a good sign. If teams around baseball are interested in Abel, then his progress isn't just a facade; it's something teams are willing to buy in on.
Rafael Devers played first base for the San Francisco Giants for the first time on Tuesday, and his quote about playing the field likely will not sit well with Boston Red Sox fans. Devers said after Tuesday’s game that he prefers playing in the field as opposed to serving as a designated hitter. “It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.” Devers, of course, refused to play first base for the Red Sox after they asked him to. He felt disrespected after they moved him off third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, and thought the team went back on its word by later asking him to play first. To Red Sox fans, if Devers is best playing in the field and playing first would have helped the team, it will be baffling why he did not just do it when that would seemingly have been a preferable outcome for all involved. Devers went 2-for-5 in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, driving in a run in his first appearance at first base. It remains unclear how frequently the Giants plan to use him at the position, but the team might take note of these comments.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and team owner/president Art Rooney II previously said they wanted to see mercurial wide receiver George Pickens "grow up." Now with the Dallas Cowboys, Pickens seemed to take a shot at his former team while speaking with reporters at training camp on Tuesday. "Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays, for sure," Pickens said, NFL.com's Kevin Patra shared. A 2022 second-round draft pick, Pickens developed a reputation for looking displeased over a lack of targets and for emotional outbursts during games over his first three seasons in the league. Pittsburgh traded the 24-year-old to Dallas in May after the Steelers reportedly grew "fed up with" the talented target who was allegedly guilty of a "litany of violations." Pickens was known for arriving late to practices while with the Steelers. He was also reportedly late for Pittsburgh's Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Dallas' Dak Prescott should be the best quarterback Pickens has had as a pro. Additionally, Pickens has a needed mentor in No. 1 Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. "Oh yeah, for sure," Pickens responded when asked on Tuesday if he believes he and Lamb can be the NFL's top one-two punch at the position. "Just different type of styles of play. A lot of people over the years got different styles of play, but CeeDee's a certain type of guy, then I'm a certain type of guy. So, when you mesh that together, it's like 'Mario Bros.' We definitely can do something special." Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract, and there's no indication he will receive an extension from the Cowboys before he shows what he'll be as a player and a person this season. Thus, he has millions of reasons to want to be on his best behavior and produce the best campaign of his career while sharing an offense with Prescott and Lamb. It remains to be seen if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer will succeed where Tomlin failed in getting the most out of Pickens, if even for one season.
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