DEVIN BOOKER UNDERRATED? MIAMI HEAT DRAMA, KYRIE WIN THE WAR, GRIZZLES CEILING?
40Deandre Ayton scored a career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Booker had 22 of his 28 points in the second half and the Suns surged past the trash-talking Minnesota Timberwolves 125-116 on Wednesday night.
Landry Shamet scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help fuel the rally from a 15-point deficit.
Phoenix needs one win — or a Memphis loss — to wrap up home-court advantage for the entire playoffs. The Suns have a nine-game lead with nine games left. They have won six straight, 18 of 22 and are 59-14 overall.
The Miami Heat were not happy on Wednesday night.
Things actually got so bad during their 118-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors that Udonis Haslem and coach Erik Spoelstra had to be held back from star Jimmy Butler on the bench during a timeout.
In an announcement Nets fans have been waiting for all season, New York City Mayor Eric Adams exempted athletes and performers from the city’s vaccination mandates Thursday, opening up Kyrie Irving to appear in home games for the first time this year.
Finally, the Irving saga that’s spanned the course of this already-dramatic season comes to a conclusion. The mandate barred Irving from playing at Barclays Center, but the team decided against having him compete part-time initially. With their record slipping and multiple players missing time due to health and safety protocols, Irving got a chance to step in and play road games.
But this change in policy could not have come any sooner for Brooklyn. Although they’re expected to contend for a title, they currently sit in the East’s eighth seed, potentially forcing them into the play-in tournament come season’s end. Beyond that, any question as to Irving’s status in the postseason would all but erase their championship hopes.
The Grizzlies used this platform to show how dangerous the team is, and how they’re a force to be reckoned with. On a night where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were quite spectacular, living up to the generational talent billing they’ve earned, the Grizzlies prevailed and showcased their stellar depth on a bright stage.
It was a big night for the organization, and surely this is just another step in the process for this young squad. Anyways, let’s get to some grades.
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