Category: News

Despite the fact that there were a number of high-profile injury absences for both teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets went head-to-head on ABC on Saturday night. Anthony Davis and LeBron James were sidelined for L.A., while James Harden didn’t take the floor for Brooklyn. And in the third quarter of action, a little more star power left the floor due to some extracurriculars.

Kyrie Irving got called for a foul on Dennis Schröder as he tried to hold his ground while the Lakers’ guard was dribbling. Schröder went up to an official to express some gripes, which apparently did not sit well with Irving. The pair got face-to-face with one another, leading to technical fouls being assessed. Despite getting split up, Irving and Schröder kept talking with one another, leading to a second wave of techs getting handed out and both of their nights ending a little earlier than they expected.

At the times of their ejections, Irving had 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting with four rebounds, while Schröder had 19 on 7-for-11 shooting with four assists and a rebound. The Lakers would go on to beat the Nets, 126-101, with Andre Drummond’s 20 points and 11 rebounds leading the way.

We’ll soon find out what the next wrestling video game from 2K Sports looks like after a year off for the long-running series. Hype for the return of WWE 2K22 started during Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 on Saturday evening, with a teaser for the new game aired during the broadcast.

The teaser trailer features “work-in-progress” builds of Rey Mysterio and Cesaro and serves as the first look we’ve seen of a series that’s essentially been on pause.

After a year of frustrating gameplay and technical glitches in WWE 2K20, the video game series didn’t make plans to return in 2021. Instead 2K and WWE teamed up to release WWE Battlegrounds, an arcade-style game featuring over-the-top Superstar designs, environments and moves, while promising a commitment to fixing what went wrong in the 2020 iteration.

“We hear you and we know you want more from the franchise, so here’s what we’re going to do: we are applying what we’ve learned to the next WWE 2K simulation game with a renewed focus on quality and fun. As part of that commitment, we are extending the production timeline and will not be releasing a WWE 2K simulation game in 2020 (T2 fiscal year 2021). We want to ensure the development team at Visual Concepts can create a great game that will entertain grizzled WWE 2K veterans, as well as newcomers who want to climb through the ropes and step into the ring for the very first time.”

We’ll see more of the work they put into the game in the coming months as we get closer to a release date for the franchise’s latest title.

The Los Angeles Lakers have done a decent enough job staying afloat while LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been on the sidelines due to injuries. Ever since James went down with a high ankle sprain last month, Los Angeles has managed to go 4-6, which to this point has been enough to keep them out of the play-in tournament.

Exact dates for James and Davis’ returns are still to be determined, but on Saturday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that timetables are beginning to pop up for both. Davis, who hasn’t appeared in a game since mid-February with a calf strain and right leg tendinosis, may be able to return to action in the next 10-14 days. Per the report, Davis will get looked at when the Lakers return from their current five-game road trip, at which point there should be more clarity.

James’ return, meanwhile, is expected to be a little after that. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is apparently “on track” to come back in three weeks, which would mean he’d end up missing about a month due to the ankle sprain he suffered against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers were the fifth seed in the Western Conference entering Saturday night’s games, sitting 2.5 games above the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 7 seed.

A handful of former professional athletes, including Kevin Garnett and Arron Afflalo, have been floated as potential names to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves at one point or another. On Saturday evening, we learned that a retired athlete will indeed make a move to purchase the team, but there’s a twist: it’s not a former basketball player.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, former Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez signed a letter of intent along with Marc Lore, the former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, to purchase the franchise. The news was soon confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and eventually, Rodriguez and Lore released a statement laying out how their arrangement with the franchise will work out.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has in the past been rumored as entertaining offers for the team, but none of them ever came to fruition. The particulars of this deal are still unknown, outside of the fact that Rodriguez and Lore will ease into ownership of the franchise. This is not the first time Rodriguez has been in the running to purchase a team — earlier this year, the former AL MVP was in the running to purchase the New York Mets, but his bid was ultimately withdrawn.

No Limit rapper Mac will be home from prison much sooner than expected. This is because Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards granted him clemency after the rapper spent 21 years in prison for a 2001 manslaughter conviction. Unfortunately, the clemency does not spark an immediate release, though, as Mac will have to wait until his June 22 parole hearing to learn when he will be released from prison.

“We are approaching the finish line to securing Mac’s freedom,” Mac’s wife Angelique Phipps said in a statement. “We are grateful to Governor John Bel Edwards for granting his clemency and to those who have supported him along the way.”

XXL reached out to Mac’s team and the Louisiana governor’s office to confirm the news, which was reported by NOLA.com, but no comment from either party has been made yet. Mac was arrested back in 2000 and charged with second degree murder in connection with a shooting that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Barron C. Victor Jr. The rapper maintained his innocence in the incident and claimed he only separated a fight that led to the shooting. Despite this, he was convicted of manslaughter in 2001 and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.

A 2014 investigation revealed that the rapper may have in fact been innocent in the shooting as his defense team presented new evidence, which included another man confessing to the crime. Mac’s team also said a witness revealed they were coaxed into naming the No Limit member as the shooter. Two years later, the prosectors were accused of hiding evidence and the rapper filed for clemency, but was denied. Things changed this past February when the Louisiana Board Of Pardons And Committee On Parole agreed that the rapper should be immmediately eligible for parole.

Aaron Rodgers is currently at the helm of the Jeopardy! stage in the syndicated universe, even though he filmed those gigs back in February. The show, which lost longtime host Alex Trebek at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, is still looking for its official replacement while churning through guest hosts like the Green Bay Packers quarterback.

And while the lineup for guest hosts is pretty firmly set, one person many fans want to get a shot is stepping up his efforts to succeed Trebek on the podium. Actor LeVar Burton, of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame, has been the subject of a number of petitions to host the show in the wake of Trebek’s passing. And while he hasn’t snagged a guest host spot, which is essentially a tryout for the role, he’s making it known he’s very serious about his interest in the opportunity.

Burton has made a media blitz of sorts in recent days, saying on TV that “I’ve had my eye on that job” for a while and laying out why he thinks he’s the right man to replace Trebek.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Burton joked that his “whole career” was built to make him the perfect candidate for the job. And like Rodgers, he’s won Celebrity Jeopardy! and knows his way around the stage.

“I’ve thought and thought and thought — I’ve asked friends and family to help me identify someone out there who’s more qualified for the job than I am,” the Roots and Star Trek actor tells EW. “I don’t believe there is anyone out there who is better suited for this job than me. And I will go to my grave believing that.”

“I think my whole career is an advertisement for being the host of Jeopardy,” he adds with a laugh.

There’s much more to it than that, of course: he’s a TV pro and feels the values of education he’s embraced over the years has given him a strong base of knowledge to take on the role. In regards to the petition that he’s encouraged in recent days, Burton said the enthusiasm from others has emboldened him to speak out about the job and the potential he has behind the podium.

“It feels like, ‘Wow, they really are behind me,’” Burton said. “They want this for me as much as I want it for me, I believe, because it makes so much sense to them too.”

…

“I’ve got to believe that they’re paying attention,” the actor says. “And I hope they weigh this campaign as a factor in my favor.”

The biggest negative for Burton’s chances right now is simply that he hasn’t been given a chance, but other than Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings there isn’t anyone in the running that’s seen nearly the groundswell of support that Burton has gotten from the greater Jeopardy! community online. And, well, he’s definitely more likely to get the gig than Dr. Oz after the backlash his guest hosting spot received earlier this year.

[via EW]

A pitcher threw a no-hitter for the first time in San Diego Padres history on Friday night. Joe Musgrove, who joined his hometown club this offseason after spending the last three years in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization, allowed one baserunner on a hit by pitch and was otherwise flawless in San Diego’s 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers. Musgrove threw 112 pitches and struck out 10 on the night.

It took 8,206 games for the Padres to get a no-hitter on their books, but it certainly ended up being worth the wait. Hey, speaking of having to wait for something and ultimately getting really happy when it came time to make it happen, here’s Musgrove talking after the game about how bad he had to go to the bathroom.

“That was the one thing I didn’t want to break, the superstition of it,” Musgrove told the assembled press, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. “I didn’t want to have to go use the bathroom in the middle of a start.”

Baseball players are famously some of the most superstitious athletes in the world — now is a fun time to remind everyone that Wade Boggs ate fried chicken before every game — but “I did not go pee because I thought it would keep me from throwing a no-hitter” is a new one. The only rule is it has to work, though, and this certainly did.

America has already had an actor become president. It’s even had a reality TV star. So the idea that Dwayne Johnson, wrestler-turned-movie star and all-around-nice-seeming guy, would run for the nation’s highest office, as he’s done in the past, isn’t that far-fetched. Indeed, a recent Newsweek poll found that 46% of participants thought the star of The Scorpion King would make a great POTUS. And it appears he’s not not into the idea.

On Saturday, the onetime The Rock took to Instagram, posting a screengrab of the Newsweek headline accompanied by a caption saying he was basically down. “Humbling,” he wrote. “I don’t think our Founding Fathers EVER envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club – but if it ever happens it’d be my honor to serve you, the people.”

Mind you, this is not him saying he’s running. Sitting president Joe Biden still has another term he could serve, should he choose to run. But considering 2024 could bring another Donald Trump ticket — thanks to Senate Republicans, who refused to formally condemn him for his role in instigating the failed but deadly MAGA riot of January 6, despite people like Mitch McConnell publicly admitting he’s guilty — it’s understandable that people on edge trying to ensure the 45th president doesn’t return to the White House.

Should Johnson wind up running — and, just to stress it again, this is a huge maybe that’s still very far off — there would mean one thing: that we finally got our first wrestler president, fulfilling yet another chilling prophecy from Mike Judge’s Idiocracy.

(Via Deadline)

There’s no doubt that DMV rapper IDK is one of the more talented artists to make his mark in the hip-hop space over the past few years. He impressed with his major-label debut album, Is He Real? at the end of 2019, and since then he’s delivered a consistent streak of quality music, with his sophomore album, U See 4 Yourself, poised to keep that run going. But before that drops, IDK took a moment to show off his singing abilities in a silky smooth cover of Pharrell and Jay-Z’s 2003 track “Frontin.”

IDK debuted the cover with a black and white video, which sees him dressed up to the nines surrounded by back-up singers and violinists, all while he lets his falsetto voice fly.

The new take of “Frontin” is just one of many tracks that IDK has delivered in recent months. Earlier this week he joined Deante Hitchcock and Flatbush Zombies for a remix of Spillage Village’s “Baptize,” which arrived after his hard-banging track “Just Like Martin.” IDK also appeared on Pooh Shiesty’s viral track “Back In Blood,” with a devastating freestyle.

Check out the “Frontin” cover in the video above.

IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

(Ed. note: All stats in this post are as of Friday, April 9, 2021)

Scoring efficiency is most commonly associated with true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage, or whatever metric one prefers. All require nuance and context, to be sure, though none are the sole way to analyze such a term. Efficiency can arrive in varying forms of impact and value.

For Michael Porter Jr., playing alongside MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic means producing in a timely and succinct manner when he does have the ball is as paramount as providing actual scoring efficiency. Jokic leads the NBA in touches per game at 101.2, the first instance of someone eclipsing 100 since the NBA began tracking the stat 2013-14. He works from the post and elbows, surveying defenders and deciphering the optimal means of attack. The four teammates must maneuver around him, recognizing how to benefit themselves and the Nuggets from his basketball genius.

Although Jokic simplifies the offense for his cohorts, that does not necessarily make the game simple. Understanding how to thrive in a setting where one guy deservedly dominates time of possession can be challenging. Jamal Murray, for instance, has learned to do so quite well during his Denver tenure. In year two, Porter is following suit, all while commandeering on-ball reps far less frequently than Murray.

Solidifying himself as one of the league’s preeminent off-ball scorers, Porter rarely needs the ball in his hands to foster a footprint. Quickly emerging as the third scorer this team needs, he snugly fits into his role as a high-level cutter, long-range gunner, transition finisher (threes and at the rim), and put-back connoisseur, averaging 17 points on 65.7 percent true shooting (.541/.452/.759 split). Over the past 16 games, he’s been even better, averaging 21.2 points on 70.5 percent true shooting (.596/.531/.750 split). As a reminder, this is a 22-year-old with fewer than 100 games under his belt adapting to an off-ball gig after typically dominating the offense at lower levels.

Nearly 79 percent of his makes are assisted, 72.5 percent of his baskets come from touches lasting fewer than two seconds, and he’s ninth in the NBA in points per touch (.452). A glance at his Synergy profiles underscores his off-ball nature, with 80 percent of his play-type data being primarily quick-hitting actions.

With Jokic regularly drawing the rim protector away from the hoop by operating on the perimeter or at the elbows, Porter’s keen awareness empowers him to identify creases in the defenses. For Denver, the dunker spot is rarely clogged by a center’s presence, so he occupies it and offers the team an interior finishing threat on feeds from Jokic or slashes from wings/guards. A bouncy, 6’10 leaper, he excels around the rim because of his size, tools, and the space Jokic’s ethos affords him.

The former two traits reduce a defense’s margin for error in rotating to help and deter or alter shots when the second-year wing bolts inside. He’s large and quick off the ground, which is difficult to cover if you’re not priming for him. Between the cutting and offensive rebounding prowess (seven percent offensive rebounding rate, putting him in the 80th percentile, according to DunksAndThrees.com) Porter’s 71 percent clip at the rim (93rd percentile) is easily explainable.

Porter stretches his elite off-ball scoring beyond the arc, having drilled 44 percent of his 368 career triples. He spaces the floor from deep in a litany of ways, applying his size and elevated release point to launch over defenders as he pleases. This season, he’s hit 45.2 percent of his threes, including 49.7 percent(!) of his catch-and-shoot looks, which ranks third among 175 players with 100-plus attempts.

As a stationary sniper, his 6’10 frame and release point render him unbothered by closeouts. Smaller defenders do not stand a chance, while taller defenders even struggle to discourage or affect him. Pay attention to the penultimate clip here, in which Giannis Antetokounmpo is in range for a contest, albeit slightly hung up by a screen, and cannot dissuade Porter from firing and subsequently scoring because the ball is hoisted in a stratosphere unknown for the majority of big-time shooters.

The 6’10 forward isn’t confined to spot-up jumpers, either, and it’s part of what allows his shooting package to be so enticing and useful. He’ll relocate to openings around the arc — further evidence of his off-ball savvy — sprint into hand-offs with Jokic, or flow through screens for off-movement tries. Success isn’t contingent on maintaining balance; the tough shot-making gene he developed as a youngster extends to the NBA and helps amplify his shooting equity. Being a jumbo-sized spot-up guy certainly holsters utility, but there are many more avenues to deployment when someone of Porter’s stature is capable of diverse volume.

Jokic or Murray don’t always have to enact an advantage for a vacant passing outlet to Porter. He can shake free of his defender, while they simply dribble or direct the offense, and drill long balls like these.

It bears repeating that’s a 6’10 22-year-old engineering those shots. It’s assuredly a tantalizing compilation for what his future holds, but simultaneously mystifying in the present as the ball repeatedly rips through the net for 53 seconds. He’s weaving through screens, snaring hand-offs, and knocking down off-balance jumpers at a size that suggests he should be on the block and an age when many players are still just trying to stay afloat in the NBA.

Jokic and Murray are each talented tough shot-makers, too, but Porter merges some of their scoring artillery. He touts the graceful jumper of Murray and the towering height of Jokic (well, almost) to shoot over guys. His blossoming is a requisite complement to those two and helps facilitate Denver’s rise to the league’s third-ranked offense (117.0), half a point back of No. 1 Brooklyn.

While he isn’t a reliable self-creator (yet), there exists supreme worth in owning various ways to be set up by others in the Jokic-led ecosystem. If necessary, Porter can yield scoring opportunities during otherwise stagnant possessions or fulfill duties within the flow of an action via cutting, offensive rebounding, spot-ups, and hand-offs, capitalizing on each at a highly effective level. Jokic is the Nuggets’ nucleus and Porter has become a critical, versatile cog for them, ushering in stylistic variance to pose grand threats for opponents.

Defensively, he’s enjoyed significant strides this season, more frequently spending time at the 4 rather than the 3. This enhances his strengths — notably help-side rim protection — and mitigates his weaknesses. Because of stiff hips and a bit of general rigidity about him, he struggles in on-ball perimeter defense situations and navigating screens. Toggling between man and ball away from the actions is a weak point. By spending more time as a power forward, he is shouldered with fewer mental and physical responsibilities, particularly those that involve him in screens or outside the paint.

Help-side rim protection and rebounding, inarguably his greatest assets defensively, are within his domain more often at the 4. Per DunksAndThrees, he ranks in the 84th percentile in defensive rebounding rate (21 percent) and 80th percentile in block rate (2.9 percent). Although both hover around last year’s marks (24 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively), those tasks do not come at the expense of other defensive requirements to the lengths they might’ve in 2019-20.

This shift in defensive emphases is illuminated by his Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus rising from minus-1.6 last season to minus-0.7 this season. He has a role catering to his talents that aims to mask his deficiencies and emboldens plays such as these.

Forging a path toward defensive neutrality remains on the to-do list, and you can pinpoint areas where he can grow pretty easily: The aforementioned shortcomings still rear their head more than is ideal, watching him try to wiggle around screens is a frustrating endeavor, and mental multitasking can overwhelm him. But he’s in a context that reduces those scenarios and shines a light on his merits. To his credit, the defensive motor has revved up this season as well. Given the offensive juice and malleability he’s showcasing, this progress from year one to two is optimistic and acceptable.

The Nuggets have rattled off seven consecutive wins following the acquisition of Aaron Gordon. They’re fourth in the West, a game back of second, and fifth overall in net rating (plus-5.5). Their starting five harmonizes in a manner possibly unmatched around the Association. That concordance begins with Jokic, but is perhaps best exemplified by Porter, cast as an ideal third banana offensively and discovering life is easier defensively when your virtues are maximized.

The future is sterling for him, but the Nuggets certainly won’t be caught up in that because they’re well aware of just how bright the present is for everyone in the Mile High City.