Bryce Hopkins finished with 15 points and 13th-ranked St. John's fended off a stiff challenge from William & Mary in the opening half before dominating the final 20 minutes of its 93-60 victory Saturday night in Queens, N.Y. After dropping eight spots in this week's top 25 poll, the Red Storm (2-1) bounced back from last week's disappointing defensive showing in a 103-96 loss to Alabama one week ago and scored 19 straight points to turn a five-point halftime lead into a rout before the midway point of the second half.
The New Orleans Pelicans have fired coach Willie Green after a 2-10 start to the season, sources told ESPN. Green was doomed by a miserable 0-6 start and injuries to his best players. Zion Williamson has played just five games due to a hamstring injury, an ailment he has suffered in four straight seasons. The Pelicans were the first team in NBA history to lose three of their first six games by at least 30 points.
"I'm not surprised. They've got a nastiness to them," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "That's the fun part about our group. They like it when it gets thick. They like it when it gets messy and ugly. We like to take people there. We like to push people's buttons and see how they respond." "We've got a bunch of nasty dogs in that locker room, and they love it."
It feels almost cliched to say this team needs to make a major move, but that's only because it has been ( and very much remains) true for a while. If the Heat find the right needle-moving trade, though, they should be careful about its construction. Because while Andrew Wiggins and his $28.2 million salary might help make the math work, he might be too good to give up.
Washington moved on from Beal shortly after making him one of the highest-paid players in the league. However, the team's decision to ink the star to the deal sent waves around the league, but not for the right reasons. Many labeled the team's decision to sign the Florida product to a long-term deal as a mistake, especially considering the fact that the playmaker managed to negotiate a no-trade clause within the deal.
Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers were missing three All-Stars (to the Miami Heat's two), they powered through the Heat late and secured a 130-116 win on Wednesday. Miami played its worst stretch of basketball over the final 16 minutes, scoring just 24 points while shooting just 31.0 percent from the floor. As a result, Cleveland fought back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit and pounced on the reeling Heat.
Randle is off to a fantastic start, averaging 25.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.2 APG through 11 games, while also shooting high percentages and pilfering more than a steal per game. Perhaps he won't/can't keep it up to this level, but I have thought Randle became a bit underrated in fantasy in his latter New York Knicks seasons. He didn't only score and rebound, but he tallied assists we covet from a forward, though those were somewhat mitigated by high turnover totals.
The Knicks are facing another alarming injury issue regarding Jalen Brunson, as the star point guard went down with a right ankle injury with two minutes to go during Wednesday night's 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic. While head coach Mike Brown stated that Brunson had turned his ankle, with no further update, Brunson was seen leaving Madison Square Garden on crutches, wearing a walking boot.
Bilal Couliably entered the season with high hopes and growing expectations from a fanbase who's patiently waited for a player to step up and prove to be the team's future. Looking at the Washington Wizards history with NBA Draft prospects, any minor inconvenience sends a scare through a fanbase, who's constantly been dealt a bad hand of luck over the last few years.
