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There were plenty of questions going into the opening-round series between the Mavs and Clippers, chief among them being just how the Slovenian wunderkind Luka Doncic would perform in his playoff debut, when the pressure of the postseason ratchets up the intensity of every possession and defenses try to put the clamps on the opposing team’s best players.

And after a rocky start that was sullied by seven first-half turnovers, Doncic responded by pouring in 42 points, an NBA record for a playoff debut, to go along with seven rebounds and nine assists. But ultimately, it wasn’t enough as the superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were too much to overcome en route to a Game 1 win and a 1-0 series lead.

It turned out to be a very different story in Game 2, and behind Luka’s incredible play, the Mavs were able to even the series at 1-1 with a 127-114 win on Wednesday night, despite a huge night from Kawhi Leonard (35 points, 10 rebounds) and a late surge from L.A. With Luka’s final box score of 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, it made him the second fastest player ever reach 70 points in the postseason, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and sitting just behind George Mikan for the most points in the first two playoff games of a player’s career — just the latest mark in a historic career start for the 21-year-old sensation.

Here’s what all we learned from Game 2:

Luka Is As Luka Does

Luka picked up right where he left off in Game 1, only this time, he didn’t waste any time before he got rolling, hitting three of his first four three-pointers to start the game as the Mavs raced out to a 15-2 lead. He was also much more careful with the ball, committing just a single turnover in the first half.

Good luck guarding @luka7doncic #MFFL | https://t.co/bM4Iab5fHv pic.twitter.com/i9G37WJ6po

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 20, 2020

Luka was, once again, virtually unguardable. That included getting to the line. During one stretch, he took 12 straight free-throws for the Mavs. But there’s still plenty of room for growth, which is a scary thought indeed for anyone who has to face him. Luka got into foul trouble early, and he picked up his fifth personal at the start of the fourth quarter, forcing Rick Carlisle to sit him for much of the final period.

Fortunately for the Mavs, they’d built a comfortable lead by that point, but a late Clippers run forced Luka back into the game with just over three minutes remaining, where he continued to deliver the goods, hitting a couple of key buckets in the clutch to help keep the game out of reach.

Role Players Could Decide The Series

The Mavs’ supporting cast was was on fire in Game 2, with three of their six players who hit double-digits in scoring coming off the bench. Trey Burke, Seth Curry, and Boban Marjanovic scored 16, 15, and 13 points respectively, as Dallas got 47 points total from their bench unit. Burke and Curry were both huge in the second half, leading a 13-2 run to close out the third quarter and build a lead from which the Clippers would not recover, despite a few late pushes. The biggest question is whether this level of production and efficiency from Dallas’ bench is sustainable for the rest of this series.

Seth Curry is sooo nice #MFFL | https://t.co/bM4Iab5fHv pic.twitter.com/EFzkvQJO6f

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 20, 2020

For the Clippers, it was no surprise, as their depth continues to be one of their key strengths. On a night when Paul George was struggling mightily and Pat Beverley was out with an injury, Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson helped keep the Clippers within striking distance in the first half, with Williams pouring in 12 quick points off the bench and Jackson knocking down 3-of-3 from behind the arc, including a timely one late in the second quarter to make it a four-point game, 52-48, with under three minutes remaining in the half.

Kawhi, of course, was the engine driving their offense, but it was the supporting cast that helped keep them afloat as they tried to claw their way back in the second half. Marcus Morris also stepped up in the third quarter to help close the gap. Morris is averaging 21 points per game against Dallas this season, and his contributions helped buttress the Clippers as George eventually got it going, scoring nine points in the third quarter after going scoreless in the first half.

Give Us More of the Bobi Show, Forever and Always

Boban had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Mavs in just seven minutes of action and missed just one shot in the first half.

Bobi is feasting #MFFL | @BobanMarjanovic pic.twitter.com/2EwofrbdMO

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 20, 2020

Unfortunately, we didn’t see much more of Boban in this one, as he had a few fourth quarter minutes, a travesty that we can only hope will be remedied as the series progresses, if only for his phenomenal post-game interviews.

The Democratic Convention has seen a number of performances this week from big named artists including Billie Eilish and John Legend. Eilish used her performance to debut “My Future” and urge viewers to not only vote, but to vote for Joe Biden in the upcoming election. Legend, on the other hand, used his performance of “Never Break” to deliver “love, hope and resilience” to those watching. Bringing his talents to the convention as well, Death Cab By Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard performed two songs in an at-home performance, the first being Death Cab By Cutie’s “Northern Lights” and the second being Postal Service’s 2003 classic, “Such Great Heights.”

Gibbard also shared a message with viewers during his performance. “I think more than any election in my lifetime, this one is of paramount importance,” he said. “One of the many institutions — aside from Democracy at its very core — that is under fire is that of the United States Postal Service.” He would go on to dedicate his performance of “Such Great Heights” to the USPS amidst their recent issues as the upcoming election approaches. “We made a record using the United States Postal Service and therefore we called ourselves the Postal Service,” Gibbard said. “So I’m going to play a song by the Postal Service and dedicate it to the Postal Service.”

Watch Gibbard’s performance in the video above.

Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Last month a series of strange social media posts from Britney Spears convinced her fans to believe the pop star was being held hostage under her court-ordered conservatorship. While a report denied rumors that she was being held hostage, documents obtained by the New York Times revealed that Spears asked the court to end her father’s role as the sole conservator. Just a day after this news broke, the ACLU has offered their support for Britney’s upcoming court battle.

“People with disabilities have a right to lead self-directed lives and retain their civil rights,” the group said in a post to their Twitter page. “If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her.”

Britney’s father, Jamie Lynn Spears, began his role as the pop singer’s sole conservator in 2008 and held the position up until last year, when he made the decision to surrender the responsibilities to Jodi Montgomery, a licensed professional conservator, due to his health issues. According to the documents, Britney is “strongly opposed” to having her father continue his role, requesting that it be “be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.”

Britney is not seeking to have Montgomery completely removed from the conservator role. Rather, she aims to regain the power to make her own decisions such as calling off the conservatorship altogether if she so desires.

(via New York Times

Due to the coronavirus, the Democratic National Convention is online only this year, but they’ve managed to schedule a number of Maggie Rodgers, Leon Bridges, and John Legend. On Wednesday night, day three of the convention, Billie Eilish performed her latest single, “My Future,” delivering a chilling performance.

Prior to her performance Billie Eilish appeared on-screen to encourage Americans to vote — and specifically vote for Joe Biden — in the upcoming election to help correct many of the country’s problems. “We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and COVID, not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality and that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake… It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden,” Eilish said. “Silence is not an option, and we cannot sit this one out. We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend on it, because they do.”

Eilish’s performance comes after the singer joined Meek Mill, Anderson .Paak, and others to sign an open letter to government leaders in California, calling for the approval of two bills aimed at addressing police reform.

You can watch Eilish’s performance and statement in the videos above.

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

A hard and fast rule of the broadcast industry is to always, always assume that a microphone is hot and to never say anything into it that might get you in trouble. One would have thought veteran play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman, who calls games for the Reds as well as Fox’s national MLB coverage, would know this, but that is apparently not the case.

On Wednesday night, Brennaman was caught on a hot mic hurling a homophobic slur in a discussion with someone as the Reds broadcast returned from a commercial break.

Unsurprisingly the use of that slur led to plenty of justified anger from fans, and entering the top of the fifth inning, Brennaman announced he would be handing play-by-play duties off to Jim Day for the remainder of the game, issuing an apology (while still giving a home run call that made it a truly surreal moment) with the clear understanding that his idiocy may have very well ended his career right then and there.

There is no excuse for using that word and his “man of faith” apology rings pretty hollow as he was only apologizing for saying a slur because it ended up being broadcast to the masses and swiftly passed around social media. As he notes, he doesn’t know if he’ll put that headset on again to call a game and in fact it’d be fairly shocking if the Reds or Fox brought him back on their airwaves at all.

The Sixers came out firing on all cylinders to start Game 2, leading by as many as 14 points in the first quarter behind a magnificent performance by Joel Embiid. In somewhat classic fashion for both teams, though, Boston was undeterred by the deficit they faced, while Philly struggled to keep up their high level of play.

It certainly helped the Celtics that Tatum was nuclear hot. Despite getting hounded by Matisse Thybulle — who was inserted into the team’s starting lineup with the explicit goal of checking Tatum — Boston’s young star went for 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first half. He also knocked down five of his six attempts from deep. While Embiid was terrific, scoring 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists, the Celtics went into the half up 65-57.

After the two teams came out of the locker room, the Celtics began pouring it on. They hammered Philly throughout the third quarter and stretched their lead to as many as 22 during the frame. By the time the fourth started, all that could save the Sixers was a miracle that never came. Final score: Boston 128, Philadelphia 101. Here are three takeaways from a game where the overarching takeaway was “one team looks like a title contender, while the other is stuck in a rut at the worst time.”

Jayson Tatum Can Score Against Anyone On The Sixers

With Ben Simmons out, the task of checking Tatum — who was primarily marked by Simmons during their previous matchups this year — was going to fall on a hodgepodge of players. Josh Richardson wasn’t able to get all that much done during Game 1, while Tobias Harris is just not the kind of guy you want to check a crafty scorer like Tatum. Matisse Thybulle did a nice job in spot duty in Game 1, and as a result, Brett Brown inserted him into the starting lineup.

The result: Thybulle battled admirably, but there wasn’t much he can do, because Tatum played like an All-NBA scorer. Tatum had 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting and hit eight of his 12 attempts from three. No matter what Philly threw at him — Thybulle or anyone else — Tatum was locked in.

Now, Philadelphia’s best answer for guarding Tatum is hurt. Their two best answers among players who are able to play got cooked back-to-back. Their best answer going forward might be to just accept that Tatum is going to score in droves and try to slow down everyone else. The Celtics, however, will happily take that trade, because when Tatum is in a groove, there aren’t many guys in the league who can get buckets like him.

Boston’s Going To Be Tough To Beat If Its Bench Plays Like This

Enes Kanter, Romeo Langford, Brad Wanamaker, and Grant Williams all gave the team good minutes. Boston has a lot of ways that it can beat teams, something that is particularly true when Gordon Hayward is healthy and able to suit up. Obviously single-game +/- is a risky stat to use, but…

Kanter: 22 minutes, +24
Langford: 23 minutes, +26
Wanamaker: 23 minutes, +28
Williams: 21 minutes, +13

Brad Stevens is a very, very good coach who knows how and when to throw different wrinkles into a gameplan. Their starting five — and, let’s face it, Marcus Smart is basically a sixth starter — can help them win any game. Having a bench that can consistently get them over the hump would be gigantic, particularly against deep squads like Milwaukee and Toronto. I am assuming those matchups might happen because…

I Can’t Believe It’s Come To This In Philly

Here’s a tweet.

Here’s another.

There was a time when the Sixers were in a position where, barring something completely insane happening, they’d be title contenders every year. And then, a whole lot of wrong decisions were made, putting them into the situation they’re in now. It certainly feels like we are two games away from Boston sweeping them, at which point a gigantic overhaul — of their front office, of their coaching staff, of their roster — seems on the table. Maybe even more damning, it feels necessary unless something radical changes before Friday night’s Game 3.

Billie Eilish, Meek Mill, Anderson .Paak, Leon Bridges, James Blake, and other names in the music, entertainment, sports industry have signed an open letter calling for police reforms in California. According to Pitchfork, the letter asks California Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators to approve a pair of bills that aim to address reform on the state’s police force. The bills mentioned in the letter are SB 731 and SB 776. The former looks to create a system that would strip an officer of their certification based on serious misconduct or a criminal conviction. The latter seeks better transparency with the types of force police officers used in certain incidents.

“While the killing of George Floyd inspired sustained outrage, protests, and reporting, the people of California have long understood the need to properly address the actions and accountability of police,” the letter reads. “For too long, courts have undermined the intent of the State’s laws, allowing bad police officers to violate the rights of those they are meant to protect. In addition, a lack of transparency and a deficient recordation system has shielded officers who abuse their authority and tarnish the integrity of California’s law enforcement. We can fix this.”

The letter arrives two months after Billie Eilish and Meek Mill both signed another open letter, this one to the New York State government, calling for government leaders to repeal its statute 50-A, which concealed police officers’ personnel and disciplinary records from the public.

The entire letter can be read below:

Dear Governor Newsom, Speaker Rendon, Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer, and Assembly Member Cooley,

Occasionally, we are presented with an opportunity to make a genuine difference in the lives of millions. It may have taken the glare of a national spotlight to bring us to the threshold of change regarding abuse and injustice within law enforcement, but the moment is here. On behalf of all of us in the music and entertainment communities, we are asking you to seize that moment by passing Senate Bill 731 and Senate Bill 776.

While the killing of George Floyd inspired sustained outrage, protests, and reporting, the people of California have long understood the need to properly address the actions and accountability of police. For too long, courts have undermined the intent of the State’s laws, allowing bad police officers to violate the rights of those they are meant to protect. In addition, a lack of transparency and a deficient recordation system has shielded officers who abuse their authority and tarnish the integrity of California’s law enforcement. We can fix this.

SB 776 will establish the transparency and reporting needed to ensure that officers who engage in wrongful activity are removed – and kept – from these valued law enforcement positions. SB 731 will implement an effective system to revoke an officer’s certification based on criminal conviction and certain acts of serious misconduct and will also reinstate the original objective of the Bane Act to properly protect the civil rights of all California citizens.

Fixing the Bane Act will give closure and relief to families like that of 19-year-old Pedro Villanueva, an avid guitar player who was killed by police who fired indiscriminately from an unmarked car into his friend’s truck, in which he was a passenger. Families like that of Steven Schiltz, killed by police for holding a stick near a softball field after arriving to play a game. Families of Frankie Greer (military veteran and successful professional drummer), Luke Smith, Mauricio Barron, and to so many others who have faced – and will face – violations of their civil rights without any recourse.

These bills are meaningful responses to a critical problem and glaring inequity in our law, reflecting the Legislative Black Caucus’s efforts at reform. California is renowned for seizing those opportunities that make a genuine difference and must not abandon its stature here. We implore you to vote “Yes” on SB 731 and SB 776.

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

Since 2013, Drunk History has covered the past in a most novel way: by getting real historians black-out drunk and restaging their deranged attempts to remember stories they know better than anyone else. But this news is all too real: As per Deadline, the beloved Comedy Central staple is abruptly ending, and will not be back for the seventh season that was ordered last year.

The news came during Deadline‘s Emmy season virtual screening of the show, during which creators Derek Water and Jeremy Konner broke the sad news. No official reasons were given, but Deadline claimed they’d heard that it had to do with the station scaling back on live-action programs in favor of adult animation, among them reboots of Beavis and Butt-head and Ren and Stimpy, as well as the Daria spin-off Jodie. Another reported issue was the high cost of each episode, including period re-enactments. That leaves Comedy Central with only one live-action program, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, which proved to be an instant hit.

The end of Drunk History means that the show actually ended over a year ago, with its Season 6 finale in early August of 2019, which featured guests Aubrey Plaza and David Wain acting out a soused version of a chapter from the life of Cleopatra. It also, eerily, featured a bit about Typhoid Mary, a half a year before our future’s own outbreak. Drunk History is currently in the running for three Emmy nominations, of the 17 its racked up over its six seasons. Bid Drunk History adieu fittingly by pouring one out in its honor.

(Via Deadline)

LeBron James and the Lakers are looking for answers after dropping Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Blazers on Tuesday, which raised all sorts of questions about their depth and whether they have enough offensive firepower to make a real run at a title this season.

But just as promised since before the NBA restart in Orlando, he remains dedicated to using his platform and his influence to raise awareness and mobilize citizens to spark meaningful social justice reform amid the Black Lives Matter movement that has taken a stronghold in cities around the country.

In a recent interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, LeBron talked about the voting rights initiative that he’s spearheading with other professional athletes, and in the wake of the Democratic National Convention that’s taking place virtually this week, Haynes asked him whether he was officially endorsing one candidate over the other, the answer being obvious to anyone who’s been paying attention to his track record in recent years.

LeBron James says urging people – particularly African Americans – to go to the polls is not about swaying them to a candidate. I asked who he’s endorsing for President of the United States in the upcoming election. @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/I4WLihehjU

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 20, 2020

James is obviously speaking of his outspokenness against Donald Trump and that his support will be behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. On Monday, the “More Than a Vote” coalition ran an open letter in The Undefeated urging fans to join the ongoing fight against widespread voter suppression tactics that target predominately black and minority citizens across the country. The letter outlined a number of things citizens can do, including volunteering at polling stations, helping people register to vote, sharing information, and donating money.

These efforts will be vital to ensure that as many votes as possible are counted in November, when issues of corruption and interference threaten to undermine the democratic process in what will be the most important election of our lifetime.

Over the past four years, I’ve covered new ice cream releases in early June. That way, you can enjoy them all summer long. But this year… when did summer even start? Is it defined by weather or ease-of-living? Because life hasn’t felt easy since March. Also, do we even want more summer? Don’t we just need it over with?

All the existential angst of 2020 slowed down our ice cream rankings, to be sure. But with August past its midway point and the season coming to an end, we suddenly feel like… well… not extending summer exactly, but definitely maximizing it in whatever ways we can. And eating ice cream certainly has that effect. Plus all the national brands (and many local ones) ship anywhere in the country these days. Meaning that you can get these flavors right to your doorstep — via delivery or a shopping service — without breaking quarantine.

Here are the best new ice cream flavors for the Summer of 2020 to help you finish the season strong.

Pro Tip: As a maker of ice cream, a lover of ice cream, and a man who weighs a solid 20 pounds too many because of ice cream, I take my home-eating experience very seriously. This year, I discovered that if you buy storebought waffle cones and toast them in the oven for a few minutes, even previously stale cones will crisp up enough to taste homemade.

They’ll also lose their shape though, so be prepared to reshape them when you take them out of the oven.

McConnell’s S’Mores

Last year, McConnell’s won “flavor of the summer” with their “Honey Cornbread Biscuit.” It’s still on their site, in limited quantities, so you probably don’t want to miss that one, if you haven’t tried it yet. But the S’mores entry from this year — which actually isn’t on their site right now, likely because it’s temporarily sold out — is also a winner.

The secret here is that the marshmallow bit — the ice cream base — isn’t saccharine sweet. It’s more like a modified-vanilla bean, with new flavor notes but no overwhelming sugary-gooeyness. The graham cracker swirl gives a nice textural balance, while the fudgy chocolate is gooey, which works nicely.

Bottom line: A pint that conjures s’mores without the mess. And this isn’t even McConnell’s best flavor of the year.

Buy it here.

Häagen-Dazs Rose & Cream

Häagen-Dazs has really been leaning into the whole booze things over the past few years — their Spirits line caught our eye in 2019, too. This year’s entry is four things all at once:

1. Boozy but not overpowering.
2. Tart in a way that ice cream rarely is (that white grape/ vinous tartness).
3. Incredibly creamy.
4. The first time I’ve really found myself wanting more of anything Rosé flavored, including the wine itself.

The alcohol infusion is legit without being overpowering here and the “peaches and cream” concept with wine really seems to work.

Bottom line: The best thing to happen to rosé since the memes.

Find a store here

Serendipity Strawberry Fields Sundae

Serendipity is new, but the ice creamery behind it, Serendipity 3, is a New York institution. Especially amongst celebrities, a point the property is very eager to make on their website. Well, what can we say? The famous people are right this time. Serendipity is making quality pints with thoroughly thought out flavor combinations.

Earlier in the summer, Dane Rivera said that the tartness of cheesecake wasn’t really working as ice cream in many of The Cheesecake Factory’s flavors. But it shines here — with literal bits of cheesecake and graham cracker crust embedded in an ice cream base that would best be described as “light on the strawberry.”

Bottom line: This is a more balanced, brighter strawberry ice cream. And definitely the best strawberry flavor I’ve had in a long time.

Buy it here.

Coolhaus Queens’ Coffee

Thre are a few flavors this year that are just really, really good riffs on a classic ice cream iterations. This is the perfect example. The Three Queens Coffee Blend, from Allegro Coffee, is produced in East Africa by three different collectives of female coffee farmers and entrepreneurs across Malawi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The result? Really, really good coffee ice cream.

How much better could a coffee ice cream be than the classic Häagen-Dazs coffee pint? Well, a fair bit. Whereas other coffee flavors are just that, this is actually definable as a light roast, with layered notes of chocolate and tropical fruit and a fantastic aroma.

Bottom line: It’s literally the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever tried and a great reminder that classics are classics for a reason.

Buy it here.

Ripple Cookies and Cream (Four Pack)

Ripple is less of an ice creamery and more of a plant-based dairy — selling a variety of vegan milks and powders. But that might be for the better, because they clearly know how to make a vegan flavor taste like the real thing. I’m calling out the cookies and cream, but really any part of this four-pack would hit this list before vegan offerings from most full-blown ice creameries (including many of the other brands on this list).

All that said, don’t be fooled into thinking that we’re talking about healthy ice cream here. Whereas low cal ice creams were definitely a thing (which I campaigned vehemently against) for a while, this year saw releases that were every bit as fatty and sugary as their dairy-filled counterparts. That’s fine with me. I know what I’m getting into when I have a bowl of ice cream, I embrace it. If your approach is similar, you’ll love these flavors.

Bottom line: This is the Impossible Meat of ice creams — you won’t know it’s not vegan.

Buy it here.

McConnell’s Boysenberry Pie

The pie crust in this flavor, made with rye flour, is the heartiest crust you’ll find in any ice cream and 99.99% of actual pies. It ends up making the perfect flavor combo (in a perfect ratio) — balancing out the boysenberry ice cream base and adding nice texture and flavor notes. I think perhaps the best thing to say about this tart-savory combo is that with 50 pints for testing in the freezer, it was the only one I found almost empty when I got around to trying it.

Bottom line: Another great example of McConnell’s distinct ability to produce flavors that feel bright, un-muddled, and natural — while also coming up with creative plays on classic flavors.

Buy it here.

THROWBACK PICK: Salt & Straw Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons

Unless I’m mistaken, Salt & Straw — the dominant food-truck-turned-multi-city-scoop-shop that really defined the hipster ice cream boom in LA and Portland (in San Francisco it was Bi-Rite Creamery; NYC had multiple entries that could lay claim) — didn’t have any new, non-vegan pints come out this year.

Which, technically, means they’re not on our list. But it’s a quarantine year, so exceptions can be made.

Time to shout out the flavor that made Salt & Straw famous: Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons. This pint is the flavor that brought salted ice cream to the masses. Sure, “salted caramel” was around — but it was still overly sweet. This is a legit sea salt ice cream with caramel running throughout (and not too much of it, either). It’s so salty that it’ll remind you of making vanilla ice cream with rock salt as a kid and accidentally getting some of the rock salt in your batter. But by the end of the pint, you won’t mind if the caramel is gone — the salt is powerful-yet-balanced, the texture is pure silk, and the sweetness ratio is spot-on.

Bottom line: The best pint of ice cream I’ve ever had and a lock as the dessert during my death row meal.

Buy it here.