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On Saturday evening, the Denver Nuggets beat the LA Clippers in Game 7 of their first-round series.
Nikola Jokic finished the 120-101 victory with 16 points, ten rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block while shooting 6/14 from the field and 1/2 from the three-point range in 32 minutes of playing time.
Via NBA on ESPN: "Jokic just led his team in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff series for the NINTH time in his career
That is second-most all-time, trailing only LeBron James."
Jokic just led his team in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff series for the NINTH time in his career
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 4, 2025
That is second-most all-time, trailing only LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/PoTtM1AEPP
The Nuggets will now face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
After Saturday's game, Jokic was asked about Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when he met with the media.
Jokic: "Very different player. He's playing on so many levels, speed... On so many levels, like scorer... Everything looks so easy for him. Even when you have like, oh that's a good defense, it feels so easy for him. He's amazing with the change of speed, change of rhythm and ball handling. He can post up guys, he can go by guys. He's shooting the ball; mid-range is perfect, like unguardable, basically."
Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are seen as the two best players in the NBA this season.
JOKIC VS. SHAI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 4, 2025
The MVP candidates will clash in the conference semifinals! pic.twitter.com/UypXEjvyQp
Gilgeous-Alexander finished his seventh NBA season with averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point range in 76 games.
Via NBA History: "Only 2 players in the last 40 years have recorded 30+ PTS in 40+ games over 3 consecutive seasons:
Michael Jordan
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander"
Only 2 players in the last 40 years have recorded 30+ PTS in 40+ games over 3 consecutive seasons:
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) March 9, 2025
Michael Jordan
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander https://t.co/6sjDBGCqoE pic.twitter.com/m0uZusvbiw
More must-reads:
- Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
- Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
- The 'NBA playoff point-per-game leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Concerning update emerges about Celtics' new starting center
Since being eliminated in the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics have endured a significant talent drain. Brad Stevens came into the summer knowing he needed to decrease the current payroll. Boston was on track to pay out close to $500 million in salaries and luxury-tax penalties. Unfortunately for Celtics fans, that meant that multiple key members of the roster were set to leave the franchise. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and likely Al Horford have all found new homes this summer. The worrying part is that three of those names were core frontcourt contributors. In their place, Boston will now rely on Neemias Queta, Luka Garza and Xavier Tillman. Not only does the Celtics frontcourt lack experience, it's also short on size and perimeter scoring. To make matters worse, it has now been revealed that Queta, who is expected to be Boston's starting center, underwent offseason surgery. “It’s been good,” Queta told Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. “We’ve been dealing with this stuff (since) a couple years ago. We just decided it was a great time for us to do it. We’re trying to get back to 100%. We feel pretty confident in the process and we’re just grateful that we were taken care of, and I want to make sure I’m healthy and get back to 100% and I feel like I’m on the right path to do that.” Queta is expected to be 100 percent healthy by the time the Celtics open training camp. However, the concern should be that Queta, who has rarely dealt with a sizable role, needed surgery in the first place. 7-footers often deal with knee and back issues. The fact that he's suffered an injury without a significant workload means there should be caution about relying on him to be the starting big man moving forward. At 26 years old, Queta is nearing his prime years. He's not a developmental talent anymore. Yet, he spent last season as Boston's fourth-string center, and will now jump into the starting lineup. Celtics fans should have a high level of concern over his viability in that role, both in terms of talent and whether his body can deal with the additional impact on his knees. Brad Stevens and the Celtics franchise do a great job of keeping things under wraps. The fact that Queta's surgery was kept secret for so long is impressive. But now that the news is out there, all eyes will be on how he handles the rigors of his new role, and whether his body will allow him to become a suitable candidate for the long-term starter's role in the middle of the court.
Fever Coach Stephanie White Assigns Blame After Loss to Sparks
The Indiana Fever came crashing back down to earth on Tuesday night following their disappointing 100-91 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Fever had a lot of momentum entering this matchup, only to see their five-game winning streak come to an end against a Sparks team that they have failed to beat in three tries this season. Fever Coach Stephanie White Reacts to Loss Indiana head coach Stephanie White was not in a jovial mood during her postgame press conference. The veteran shot-caller was able to see some positives from the loss — including Kelsey Mitchell’s 34-point explosion on seven triples — but White just had to assign blame for the tough defeat. "I felt like we got good shots," White said. "Sometimes they don't fall. ... Oftentimes we can get people going in transition. We couldn't do it because we couldn't get stops. You can't get out on transition when you're consistently taking the ball in the net. "For us, we felt like we had enough, offensively. But we didn't get it done on the defensive end of the floor. ... We got to get better on the defensive end of the floor." Fever Had No Answer for Sparks The Sparks shot 56.1% collectively on Tuesday night, which explains why White just had to call out her team’s defensive shortcomings on the evening. Four L.A. starters scored at least 16 points, with Rickea Jackson (25 points, five rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 11 assists) leading the charge. Azura Stevens (19 points on 7-of-8 from the floor) and Dearica Hamby (16 points, seven rebounds) also chipped in. Apart from their problems on defense, Indiana’s bench also struggled badly in this one. The bench combined for just two points on 1-of-11 shooting, which is simply unacceptable, especially against a team like the Sparks, who have now won eight out of their last 10 games. Fever Remain Fifth in WNBA This loss saw Indiana fall to 17-13 on the season. They currently remain fifth in the league, and are now 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Mercury, who won on Tuesday, for the No. 4 spot in the WNBA. A top-four finish will secure home-court advantage for the Fever in the first round of the playoffs, and this is an attainable goal they will go and set out for. They will be back in action on Thursday in the fourth and final game of their current road trip. Indiana will battle the Mercury at PHX Arena on Tuesday in a matchup that will have postseason implications.
Vikings offense has sizable hole following first-round WR's NFL ruling
The Minnesota Vikings will be without one of their top wide receivers for the start of the regular season. On Tuesday, wideout Jordan Addison was suspended without pay for the season's first three games after pleading no contest earlier this offseason to a "wet reckless" charge. He was initially charged with DUI on July 12, 2024 and pleaded not guilty to those counts on Dec. 3, 2024. In July 2023, he was also cited for speeding a reckless driving when going 140 mph in a 55 mph zone. During his first two seasons, Addison, a 2023 first-round pick (No. 23 overall), has 133 receptions, 1,786 receiving yards (13.4 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. During that span, only Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have more receiving touchdowns. His absence is a blow to the Vikings offense, entering its first season with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback. While McCarthy will still have arguably the NFL's best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, to throw to during the season's first three weeks, Addison's suspension severely compromises the team's depth. Jalen Nailor, a 2022 sixth-rounder, should be in line for an increase in playing time. Last season, he played a career-high 51 percent of his available offensive snaps, via Pro Football Reference. Offseason free-agent signings Rondale Moore and Tim Jones, 2025 third-round pick Tai Felton and undrafted free agents Lucky Jackson and Silas Bolden could also be forced into more prominent roles. Last season, Moore missed the entire year after suffering a training-camp knee injury with the Atlanta Falcons, while Jones had just three receptions on five targets for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Felton and Bolden are rookies and might not be ready for heavy workloads, while Jackson is possibly having the best training camp of the group, recently making impressive plays on back-to-back days. Regardless of who takes Addison's snaps, the Vikings offense won't be at full strength to begin the season. Opponents will be able to focus their attention on Jefferson with double-teams and force Minnesota's unproven secondary and tertiary options to beat them. It's not an ideal set of circumstances for McCarthy as he preps for his regular-season debut, but the Vikings have no other choice than to make it work.
Jerry Jones vocal in defense of handshake deal not being honored by Micah Parsons
Jerry Jones seems to be a firm believer that a handshake deal is as binding as any written contract. The Dallas Cowboys owner has maintained his stance that he had reached a verbal agreement with Micah Parsons on a contract extension back in March. On Tuesday, Jones was asked by NFL Network’s Jane Slater about the agreement not being put in writing. The 82-year-old claimed his initial acquisition of the Cowboys in 1989 started with a similar handshake deal. “I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later. As a matter of fact, one of the details involved a lot of money and I had to flip a coin over that. But the fundamental, ‘I’m buying and you’re gonna sell it to me for that range,’ that’s done. And those are done with eye contact and handshake. “Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with. Let’s leave it at that. There’s no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we’re still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that.” Parsons does not deny that he talked about contract terms with Jones in March. However, the star linebacker claims that he did not believe the conversation to be a formal negotiation. Parsons asserted in his trade request statement that he believed the conversation was going to be about team leadership before Jones shifted gears to talk about an extension. You can read more about Parsons’ side of the story here.
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