#zion-williamson

#zion-williamson

Monday night's game against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans was another test for the second unit that has yet to establish its identity.And the Warriors' reserves failed miserably, suffering a 128-83 blowout loss to the Pelicans.With the core group of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green sitting out the latter half of the back-to-back one night after they lit it up from beyond the arc en route to the team's first road win, Golden State's youngsters started the game sluggish and dug themselves in a hole early that they couldn't climb out of as they never got within 20 points of the Pelicans in the second half.

Being a Knicks fan is its form of malaise.Especially within the last 20-year sample size, it's easy to be a misanthrope in today's Knicks fandom.Shit sucks, and it has for a very long time.The Knicks under Leon Rose has been akin to a hamster wheel, the team running in circles, approaching nowhere, towards nothing.

The Toronto Raptors' fanbase seems to be largely against the idea of "running it back" this offseason, as last year's very disappointing result has some pining for either a complete rebuild or a retool that would include making some lateral moves that keep the squad competitive.With OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam being mentioned in trade rumors and the three-headed monster of Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, and Gary Trent Jr. all potential free agents that could leave, there are several possible futures in which the roster is upended.

Not a day goes by without the Washington Wizards All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal isn't dealt to a new destination in a fake trade scenario.Since a rebuild is on the way in Washington, Bradley Beal and his monster contract of four more years and $208 million are potentially on the trading block.

When: Saturday, January 28 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
How to watch: NBC Sports Washington
WIZARDS - Monte Morris, DAY-TO-DAY (hamstring); Kristaps Porzingis, OUT (ankle)
PELICANS - Dyson Daniels, OUT (ankle); Zion Williamson, OUT (hamstring); E.J. Liddell, OUT (knee)
In this five-game road trip, Washington is currently 2-0 winning both games against the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets.

After a raucous win the night before, the Wizards were somnambulant in the first half.They fell behind by as much 19 to the Houston Rockets - a team designed to lose.Kyle Kuzma and company apparently imbibed some halftime Red Bull and staged a spirited comeback.That, plus an impossibly sloppy Rockets performance, was enough for the Wizards to pull out the 108-103 victory.

This is the second straight "extended garbage-time loss" the Washington Wizards suffered.That leads to the inevitable question: Never, never, ever tank?On paper, the Wizards were facing a Pelicans squad missing its two big stars: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.The Wizards were missing their top player in Bradley Beal.

As the NBA Draft and offseason are fast approaching, trade speculations around the league are in full swing.Shams Charania of the Athletic reported that the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in moving up to the top three of the NBA Draft to select guard Scoot Henderson.The most likely pick available in the top three is the no.3 that belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers.

As recently reported by NBA Insider Shams Charania, the New Orleans Pelicans are going to be aggressive in trying to get Scoot Henderson.Since the Charlotte Hornets are unlikely to trade away their second pick, it leaves the Portland Trailblazers.However, they may need a third team to get the deal done.

The Washington Wizards once again find themselves on a nasty losing skid after trying to reassure their fans that they are indeed still a title contender.Naturally nobody believed them because the team is not good.One of the many reasons the team has not been very good in recent years, and probably by far the most prominent, is the ridiculous numbers that opposing teams put up in the paint.

The New Orleans Pelicans entered the night without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram - their two best players.Three of their five starters had crappy games.And they ran away with the game in the second half and coasted home to a comfortable 20-point victory over the Washington Wizards.I'm just back from helping a family member move to New York City, and I don't have the energy for the kind of foundational questions the Wizards should be asking themselves.

Kyle Kuzma is having the best season of his career.He has blossomed into a two-way combo forward with great positional size, tenacious rebounding, and an ability to make plays on both ends of the floor.He is averaging over 21 points per game.Yet, he needs to shoot less for the sake of the Wizards offense.

Pascal Siakam will have to trade sunny beach weather for Utah winter, but that just means he's headed to the NBA All-Star Game this weekend in Salt Lake City!He'll join Scottie Barnes and the rest of the All-Star players for a weekend full of events and celebrations.There's much more going on than just the All Star Game too, check out all the action below!

Is another significant winning streak on the table in Brooklyn?The NBA's schedule-makers would like to have a word.If there's anything the Nets proved through their 12-game winning streak, their 12-1 stretch in the month of December and a 16-1 span leading into Wednesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, it's this.

With All-Star weekend in the rearview mirror and none of the core dealt at the trade deadline, the push for a playoff spot begins now.The next six weeks promise to be wild.The Raptors' have the 5th hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA. 9 of their 23 games left are against top-4 seeds, 13 of 23 are on the road & they'll play 3 sets of back-to-backs.-

The Toronto Raptors are officially back after their brief All-Star Game excursion, meaning that Nick Nurse, OG Anunoby, and the rest of the team will be under immediate pressure to perform and win immediately.Failure to do so would be an embarrassing showing.Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are trying their best to stop the bleeding with Zion Williamson out of commission, but the New Orleans Pelicans have fallen far down the NBA standings after their mercurial No. 1 overall pick went down with an injury.

The Toronto Raptors were supposed to preview their brand new 2022-23 lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans.After trading for Jakob Poeltl at the deadline, Nick Nurse was expected to start him at center, Scottie Barnes and All-Star Pascal Siakam at forward, and Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby in the backcourt.

The Toronto Raptors are not going to suddenly fall out of the rumor mill, as teams from all around the league will be calling Masai Ujiri and trying to convince him to part ways with one of his starters.Given his contract situation, several contenders and rebuilders alike may consider Fred VanVleet as a one-year rental or long-term fix.

If you're a Toronto Raptors fan, there isn't much you'll want to remember about the team's 126-108 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.The Raptors were competitive for about seven minutes before the Pelicans ran away with it, eventually leading by more than 30 points.Sure, Gary Trent Jr. had a season high, and Pascal Siakam had some sensational early moments, but selective amnesia is the best prescription here.

Four days after picking up arguably their most dominant victory of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans in The Big Easy, the Miami Heat return home to face those same Pelicans on Sunday inside Miami-Dade Arena at 3:30 ET.Miami's victory over the Pelicans was its only win against New Orleans over their three-game road trip, capped by a 115-90 loss against the Dallas Mavericks - who had the NBA's 25th-ranked defense heading into the game - on Friday.

This is our GAMETHREAD: Chat live about the game here!The Miami Heat (25-22) return home to host the New Orleans Pelicans (26-20) today at 3:30pm on Sunday at the Miami-Dade Arena.Miami will continue to count on their regular starters today, while New Orleans will continue to be without their two best players in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

The Miami Heat visited a New Orleans Pelicans team without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram Wednesday night.And the Heat did what they were supposed to do, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back.Miami made their first seven field goals and grabbed a 30-10 lead, ignited with some crisp ball movement and good defense forcing Pelicans turnovers.

The Miami Heat came into their game on Wednesday night off a tough defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in a Martin Luther King Day matchup.Allowing the Hawks to go up big on the backs of their bonkers offensive efficiency to start the game and through the first half, the Miami Heat would get it down to just a few possessions at points late in the game, but couldn't fully seal the deal.

Fifteen games into the 2022-23 season, it doesn't seem like the Chicago Bulls can buy a win right now.After a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson, the Bulls have fallen to a 6-9 record and are scuffling.For a season that started with high expectations and dreams of a deep playoff run, the Chicago Bulls' play on the court has left a lot to be desired.

Bouncing back to a 6-6 record, the Chicago Bulls are looking to stack the win column even higher after a dominant 111-97 showing against the Raptors on Monday.They turn their attention to the Pelicans, who have gotten off to a similarly middling start to the 2022-23 season.Having already dropped three overtime contests and games against bottom-feeding teams like the Lakers and Pacers, it's clear the Pelicans have some issues they're working through internally.

Well... it was definitely Zion Williamson's night in New Orleans as he led the Pelicans to a dominant win against the Toronto Raptors.It didn't start that way - Pascal Siakam scored 9 in a row on 4/4 shooting to start the game and hopes were high he'd take over.Yet, there was Zion to score 5/5 from the field to start himself.

The Toronto Raptors begin their first of two games away on a two-game trip against the New Orleans Pelicans.The Raptors comfortably beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-88 at home with the return of Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Dalano Banton.Raptors: You never would have guessed that Siakam didn't play a game of basketball for over 20 days from the way he was playing.