Chris Paul outplayed Russell Westbrook and James Harden down the stretch to help the Thunder for a Game 7 against the Rockets. With their backs against the wall, the Oklahoma City Thunder responded in a huge way in Game 6, using suffocating defense and some precise late-game execution to force Game 7. Russell Westbrook and
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Houston Rockets are built to bury opponents with a barrage of 3-pointers but there swarming defense game them the edge over the Thunder in Game 7. Across seven games, the Rockets and Thunder were ultimately separated by just five points. The tightness of that battle was certainly reflected in Game 7, where neither team
The Houston Rockets clamped down on the Thunder offense and used a 34-point win to take control of their first-round series. The Houston Rockets were certainly hoping for more than a split out of the first four games of their first-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But the return of Russell Westbrook for Game
PJ Tucker and Dennis Schroder ejected from Thunder-Rockets Game 5 (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) UFC Vegas 8: Alex Caceres continues submission trend with RNC of Austin Springer (Video) by Adam Stocker Game 5 has taken a turn for the ugly with the Dennis Schroder and PJ Tucker ejections With the Houston Rockets making
The Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic are boycotting Game 5 in protest. The Milwaukee Bucks have decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic as a form of protest. The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the Bucks were in serious discussions to boycott Game 5 in the wake of the
The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the series in Game 4 as the Houston Rockets went cold again. Through the first two games of this first-round NBA playoff series, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked completely outmatched against the Houston Rockets‘ high-volume 3-point attack. Two games later, Houston’s dry spells have made this a series again. Despite
The Houston Rockets overcame James Harden’s struggles to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2. After a thoroughly one-sided contest in Game 1, Game 2 between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was much more of the back-and-forth affair most expected heading into this 4-5 matchup. Unfortunately for OKC, Houston’s supporting cast came
James Harden and the Houston Rockets steamrolled the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1. The 4-5 matchup is typically expected to be the most competitive, unpredictable series in any postseason, but if Game 1 between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was any indication, this first-round matchup in the 2020 NBA Playoffs might not
All of the NBA’s greatest heels are circling around this single series, with vengeance on the mind of both the Rockets and Thunder. Having survived the NBA Bubble’s first stage, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets will play a first-round playoff series starting this Tuesday. Then again, neither team really survived the early bout
Which fringe players moved from the deep bench into playoff rotations during their team’s NBA bubble games? While teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs were going full-bore wire to wire in an attempt to secure a spot in the play-in game, other NBA teams used the seeding
No need for a long preamble. The first round of the NBA playoffs is finally here. Let’s break down the most interesting question that will define each series. Lakers vs. Blazers What happens when a stoppable force meets a movable object? The Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the West fairly early in the
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 10: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on in the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum on April 10, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 07: Chris Paul #3 and Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 07, 2020 in New York City. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
Saivion Smith diagnosed with COVID-19, placed on reserve list by Amy Kaplan Juan Soto believes coronavirus diagnosis was a ‘fake positive’ by Scott Rogust PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 06: Danilo Gallinari #8, Chris Paul #3, head coach Billy Donovan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Dennis Schroder #17, and Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 06: Danilo Gallinari #8, Chris Paul #3, head coach Billy Donovan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, Dennis Schroder #17, and Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on January 6, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
As Basketball Insiders has continued its “Looking Back” series, it was only a matter of time until we crossed the double digits. Now that time has come. Today we are taking a look at how all of the tenth overall picks since 2009 have fared in the NBA. As you probably know, as the lottery
If you’ve been tuning in, Basketball Insiders has been looking into how each lottery pick has fared in the league since 2009. We’ve categorized each player as a hit, miss, in between or a role player. We started at the top with the first overall pick and we’ve been making our way down since. At
Last week, Basketball Insiders ranked who was the best of the best of each position in the NBA, including executives. This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at who are among the most underrated executives in the NBA. What makes an executive underrated? It’s actually a pretty loaded question. Their work may have led
To grasp how one can be underrated, the definition for rated must be first observed, obviously. Taking a page out of the apathetic/lazy/Jeff Winger best man speech how-to guide and textbook, Webster’s Dictionary states that rate (and its many tenses) is to “assign a standard or value to (something) according to a particular scale.” In
This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at various positions among players in the NBA and ranking who is the best of the best. Our writers have previously used very specific guidelines to rank the best players by position in the NBA. Today, we’re taking a look at the point guards. The floor generals.
Basketball is back! Well, technically – 16 NBA players will be playing basketball. Online. In a video game. Hey, that still counts, right? Along with a few shining moments of optimism, the sporting world is slightly less of a barren hellscape than it was a week ago – even though the rest of the planet
So, this is what the wasteland is like, huh? During 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the titular character – aimlessly stuck in the barren desert sands and forever shooing his inner-demons – makes the best of a terrible situation. In short, Max helps others in need, survives a horrific storm and then releases the floodgates,
During the Philadelphia 76ers’ first practice following the All-Star break, Ben Simmons felt some discomfort in his back. The team initially listed him as questionable for their game against the Brooklyn Nets before ruling him out after a pre-game warmup. The official designation at the time was back tightness, a seemingly short-term nuisance. Concerns were
With NBA All-Star weekend on the horizon, the city of Chicago is preparing itself for three days of nonstop entertainment. Before the bevy of contests and competitions, as well as the game itself, we’ll have one of the most anticipated Rising Stars matchups based on star-power alone. It’s a shame — and probably unfair —
They had the time, and now the time has passed. The earthquake that is the NBA Trade Deadline has passed over. With only the aftershock that is buyout season left, it’s only fair to look into who came out as the winners and losers at the deadline. Drew Maresca’s already dove into who the winners
On Sunday, the world lost Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash – and everybody, basketball and beyond, began to mourn. Bryant, 41, and his win-at-all-costs mindset changed the course of professional basketball through his five championships, one MVP and over 20 incredible seasons. In a year, Bryant will undoubtedly
To begin this segment on narratives, let’s travel back to the 2016 NBA Draft. Remember what the narrative was for that particular class around that time? It was labeled as top-heavy. Very top-heavy. It was supposed to be a two-man draft. Only two prospects in that draft were projected to be potentially special talents in
The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2020. While a number of NBA franchises are still vying for a playoff spot, plenty of teams have already begun to shift gears, putting themselves in the best position for the draft. But there are a number of complications that hinder the approach for cellar-dwellers
The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2020. While a number of NBA franchises are still vying for a playoff spot, plenty of teams have already begun to shift gears, putting themselves in the best position for the draft. But there are a number of complications that hinder the approach for cellar-dwellers
Monday morning, Jack Winter started Basketball Insiders’ newest series titled Trade Targets, where he looked at the best players that could potentially be on the trade market when the fateful Feb. 7 deadline arrives. Today, we take a look at the Northwest Division. Before we get to it, we need to set the stage. With