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Does anyone else believe that airports are international waters so nothing matters when consuming food and alcohol there?
On Embiid’s return
Big moves happened last night
A sturdy 27-8. That’s the 76ers’ record this season — a 63-win pace — when Joel Embiid plays. Whether he drops 70 because he’s in rhythm or hits a triple-double, Philly (41-35, eighth in the East) wins when the reigning MVP is on the court.
Embiid finally returned last night after not playing since Jan. 30 (meniscus surgery), so there were plenty of times where he looked gassed or out of rhythm. In total, he played 30 minutes and finished with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds, six turnovers and three steals in the 109-105 victory against the Thunder (52-23, third in the West). Considering the circumstances, Embiid gave the Sixers a phenomenal effort. Even though OKC was missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, Philly was trying to get its centerpiece back into the mix without fellow All-Star Tyrese Maxey. After the game, Jared Greenberg asked Embiid on TNT how he felt in his first action back. Embiid said:
“Not good. But I’m glad we did it and got the win.
24 points | 7AST | 6 REC | 3 STLS
Welcome back, Joel!
presented by @PALottery pic.twitter.com/vSmLMFY7NW
– Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 3, 2024
At times, Embiid looked like he was going to throw up. It looked like one of those training montages in a military movie where the cadets vomit from exhaustion. There were times when Embiid wouldn’t even return on offense, opting to stay on the defensive side of the court. With six games remaining, Embiid faced Philadelphia’s toughest opponent and earned a W. The Sixers have their giant back and the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA over the next week and a half.
Maybe they can win and leapfrog Miami (42-33, seventh in the East) and Indiana (43-33) for sixth in the East to avoid the Play-In.
The rest of last night:
Warriors 104, Mavs 100: Golden State (41-34, 10th in the West) survived 57 points from Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Draymond Green scored in the fourth to secure the home win as the Warriors ended Dallas’ seven-game winning streak.
Wolves 113, Rockets 106: Houston (38-37, 11th in the West) couldn’t stop Naz Reid or get back on track, so the Rockets fell three games behind the Warriors with seven to play. Minnesota (52-23, second in the West) is half a game behind Denver, leader of the West (53-23).
Wizards 117, Bucks 113: No, Damian Lillard does not want to say that there is an excuse to lose against this Wizards team (15-61, 14th in the East). Corey Kispert led the ‘Zards with 27 points. After the game, Doc Rivers questioned the professionalism of the entire road crew.
fought until the end.
Naz – 25 PTS / 6 REB / 2 STL
Ant – 21 PTS / 5 REB / 2 STL
Mike – 14 PTS / 6 AST / 3 STL
Slowmo – 13 PTS / 6 REB / 9 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK
Rudy – 12 PTS / 14 CER / 2 BLK
JMac – 11 PTS / 7 AST pic.twitter.com/N77IL4auIz– Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 3, 2024
Deni and Corey had this harmony 😂#ForTheDistrict | @MonSportsNet pic.twitter.com/Ar2jEWvT5h
– Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) April 3, 2024
Lakers 128, Raptors 111: The Lakers (43-33, ninth in the West) have won seven of eight. Despite the return of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, Toronto (23-52, 12th in the East) lost its 14th consecutive game, marking the second longest losing streak in team history.
Heat 109, Knicks 99: Terry Rozier had 34 points as New York (44-31, fifth in the East) couldn’t come back from a 15-point halftime deficit. Miami is a half-game back in sixth.
Kings 109, Clippers 95: No, Kawhi Leonard meant that Sacramento (44-31, seventh in the West) completely shut down the Clippers (47-28, fourth in the West) to move within a game of sixth.
Cavs 129, Jazz 113: Caris LeVert collected 26 points to send Utah (29-47, 12th in the West) to its 10th consecutive defeat. Cleveland (46-30) is 1.5 games behind Milwaukee for second place.
The latest news from Shams
The Ionescu-Curry competition could evolve
The Sabrina Ionescu vs. Stephen Curry 3-point fight was one of the highlights of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis this year, and it seems very likely that we’ll get a rematch.
“At this point, Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu is very likely for next year…I’m told with Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson, it will be 2v2.”
The NBA looks to up the ante for next year’s All-Star Weekend 👏
(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/2XuZDWLXw2
– Clutch Points (@ClutchPoints) April 2, 2024
With the 2025 All-Star Weekend in the Bay Area, I’m told there’s talk of the competition evolving into a 2-on-2 competition, potentially with Caitlin Clark, who many expect to be first pick in the WNBA draft later this month, joining Ionescu and Klay Thompson (or even Oakland native Damian Lillard) joining Curry. I’m also told that Curry specifically discussed the possibility of Thompson entering the competition next year, although it should be noted that Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Happy Wednesday!
Is Wemby hyperbole-proof? Can we go too far?
In a 110-105 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets, Victor Wembanyama almost achieved a quadruple-double. While Wemby had a hell of a night trying to defend Nikola Jokić (who dropped 42 points on 18-of-32 shooting to go with 16 rebounds and six assists), he also made life pretty difficult for the Nuggets. The rookie phenom finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists.
Yes, he is the only rookie to ever put together a game like that. And yes, if you want to throw cold water on him, he was horrible shooting the ball (9 of 29 overall, 2 of 11 from deep, 3 of 6 from the line). But there will be nights when Wemby has bad nights flirting with a quadruple-double. He even had two clutch blocks (one on Jokić, another on an incomprehensible challenge from Reggie Jackson) in the final two minutes. Unfortunately for Spurs, Wemby was unable to convert enough on offense to secure the victory.
If you’ve been on Twitter in the last decade, you know DragonflyJonez and LaJethroJenkins. You also know their incredible podcast “Jenkins And Jonez”, co-hosted by Mike Guardabascio. They were talking about Wemby and saying he had the potential to become the greatest basketball player of all time. while recognizing that it is far too early to really get into these discussions (WARNING: Language. Use your headphones). They are 100 percent right. Wemby is that special player.
I ran some numbers just to see his early career pace. In an effort to remain conservative, I used Wemby’s current averages (21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.5 blocks) while projecting that he will play 70 games per season on a career spanning 15 years. In these circumstances, it would end with:
Nobody has Never met all four of these criteria for a career (granted, the NBA didn’t start tracking blocks until 1973-74). Removing the blocks qualifier, only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Charles Barkley fill this list. If you keep the blocks and remove the assists, Wemby would only match Hakeem Olajuwon. From a conservative standpoint, Wemby is on track to be the best player we’ve ever seen. That’s not counting the MVP, DPOY, All-NBA and championships he would eventually win.
Goodbye, Utah
The Jazz won’t tank, so what’s next?
For the second year in a row, Utah did quite well in competition. The second half of this season has seen the Jazz challenge to have the worst defense ever, but they refuse to tank everything. So where are they going this summer? Given their recent elimination from the Play-In Tournament, let’s tie a nice knot on Utah’s season.
The positive point for Utah this season? Several things happened to them. 1) Lauri Markannen has shown he isn’t a flash in the pan over the last year and is a legitimate star scorer. 2) Keyonte George has proven to be a credible option for them going forward.
Key free agents for Utah: Talen Horton-Tucker, Kira Lewis Jr. (restricted free agent), Kris Dunn
The biggest item to address: They need a lot of help on the perimeter, especially on defense. Walker Kessler hasn’t been the same rim protector because there’s simply no resistance in front of him. The Jazz need guys who can play everywhere, on both ends of the court.
What is the draft situation? Not only do the Jazz have their own pick (unless they are in the top 10), but they also receive the least favorable first rounder from a four-team pool, which will likely be the Thunder’s first round selection in the late 20s.
Will they have cap space? The Jazz can get a few million under the cap if they want, but that’s not enough space to use him meaningfully. More than likely they will have no or barely any cap space.
Quote from the 2023-24 yearbook: “The work is never done.”
familiar faces in the building, all in love 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/ZmD9tjnzFg
-Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 3, 2024
Bouncing passes
My latest NBA Power Rankings may have jinxed the Mavericks last night.
On Athleticism NBA Show Podcast Jay King pretended to be A-Rod and Josh Huestis pretended to be Glen Taylor as they argued over ownership of the Wolves.
LeBron says Bronny will have some “tough decisions to make” soon.
Screenplay (all times Eastern)
- Main screen: Thunder-Celtics (7:30 p.m. ESPN). Let’s hope SGA plays because this could be a preview of the finals.
- Second screen: Cavs-Suns (10 p.m. ESPN). Two healthy teams would make for an incredible matchup here.
- League Pass Game of the Night: Magic-Pelicans (8 p.m.). Do you like defense? These are two of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Full program here.
(Top photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)