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For the first time since 2018, the New Orleans Pelicans are headed to the NBA playoffs. The Pelicans took on the Paul George-less Los Angeles Clippers in the final Western Conference play-in game on Friday night, and in one of the most exciting games we’ve seen under the league’s nascent play-in format, New Orleans was able to walk into Crypto.com Arena and earn a 105-101 win that punched their ticket to the postseason.

The Pelicans boasted an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter thanks in large part to the stellar play of Brandon Ingram. While the Clipper offense really struggled to get anything to fall — the team shot 36 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from three in the opening 12 minutes — Ingram was outrageously good, scoring 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting with three rebounds and a pair of assists.

While Ingram was not quite able to continue his torrid form during the second quarter — he only had two points in the frame — the Pelicans didn’t ever seem particularly uncomfortable. Five unanswered points to end the quarter gave the Clippers a more manageable deficit at the half, but New Orleans still lead, 56-46. Ingram’s 18 led the way for the Pelicans, while Los Angeles got a combined 25 points over the first 24 minutes from Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris.

Things changed dramatically at the start of the third. Los Angeles came out of the locker room and immediately went on a 7-0 run, with Jackson and Morris leading the way once more.

The Clipper offense just kept coming, as the team went small and started to give the Pelican defense headaches. Eventually, Jackson was able to give the team its first lead since the first half by beating C.J. McCollum off the bounce and getting to the rim.

Los Angeles just completely dominated New Orleans on both ends of the floor in the third, going on a 34-6 run and winning the quarter by 20 points. Once again, the stars of the show were Jackson and Morris, who both scored 11 points in the frame.

But the Pelicans did not relent. Early on in the fourth quarter, the team responded to the Clippers scoring the first three points by ripping off an 11-0 run to get themselves within two immediately upon Nic Batum, whose pesky defense gave them issues all night, heading to the bench. And after Robert Covington split a pair of free throws, McCollum pulled up from deep off of an offensive rebound to tie things up at 88.

Back and forth the two teams went down the stretch — if things weren’t shot-for-shot, everything that happened seemed to get an eventual response. With the game tied at 94, the Pelicans ripped off seven consecutive points … only for Los Angeles to respond by scoring five in a row and keeping things tight.

After a stretch in the final minute where the only points came at the free throw line for both teams, Larry Nance Jr. stepped to the charity stripe with the Pelicans holding onto a three-point lead with a hair under 20 seconds remaining, only to miss both of his attempts. New Orleans opted to foul right away once the Clippers got the ball out of a timeout, with Norman Powell splitting his shots. And after the Clippers tried to force a turnover instead of committing an immediate foul, Ingram found Jonas Valanciunas wide open under the hoop for the dagger.

Ingram’s 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists led the way for New Orleans, with McCollum adding 19 points and both Nance and Trey Murphy scoring 14 off the bench. Jackson and Morris each scored 27 for the Clippers, while Powell had 17 and Robert Covington provided 14.

The Pelicans will now advance to the playoffs, where they have quite the tall task awaiting them in the Phoenix Suns. Game 1 of their series tips off on Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

James Harden feels pretty good entering the 2022 NBA playoffs. While Harden’s recent play for the Philadelphia 76ers has led to some questions about whether or not he’s physically capable of being the kind of star alongside Joel Embiid who can help elevate the team to championship contender status, the former league MVP told the press on Thursday that he doesn’t feel any pressure ahead of his first postseason in Philly.

“Pressure, no. I feel good,” Harden said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I’m ready to hoop. There’s nothing to it.”

These comments did not sit particularly well with Charles Barkley. During halftime of TNT’s broadcast of the play-in game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers, Barkley took a moment to stare directly into the camera and tell Harden that there is, indeed, a whole lot of pressure on him to perform.

“James Harden, you said you don’t feel no pressure?” Barkley asked. “Man, you better think again. Them people in Philadelphia ain’t gonna have you going out there and playing bad. So you can sit — I don’t wanna call it deflection or whatever — you got more pressure on you than any player in the playoffs. Good luck, now! Cause my Sixers, I love y’all Sixers and my Suns, but James, don’t tell that lie.”

Harden joined the Sixers at the trade deadline in a move that saw a package headlined by Ben Simmons go to the Brooklyn Nets. While he’s flashed the ability to be one of the most lethal offensive players in the world, his ability to score has not quite been as consistent as anyone anticipated, with Harden scoring 21 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.6 percent shooting for three.

The Sixers, which hold the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference, will take on the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 from Philadelphia will tip off at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.

The Atlanta Hawks have punched their ticket to the 2022 NBA Playoffs. After taking down the Charlotte Hornets in the 9/10 play-in game earlier this week, Atlanta headed up to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers, which found themselves licking their wounds after losing the 7/8 game against the Brooklyn Nets. While the Cavs led by as many as 14 points in front of their hometown fans, Trae Young put the Hawks on his back in the second half and led Atlanta to a 107-101 win for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers came out on a mission in the first quarter. With the crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse rocking and Jarrett Allen giving the team a boost due to his return from injury, Cleveland raced out to a 12-4 lead and responded to any attempt the Hawks made to close the gap. While their offense was stellar in the game’s first frame – 36 points on 54.2 percent shooting and six of the team’s nine attempts from three going down — it was their defense that seemed to flummox Atlanta the most.

During the game’s first 12 minutes, the Hawks only made one of their seven tries from three and turned the ball over seven times — four by way of Young — which the Cavaliers turned into 11 points.

While Cleveland extended its lead to as many as 14 points, the Hawks managed to make them a bit uncomfortable. This was thanks in part to the play of Bogdan Bogdanovic off the bench, who hit all five of his shots for 14 points in the first half and was instrumental in getting the Cavs’ lead down to three.

But despite the fact that this group is new to this stage and their opponents made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, Cleveland managed to weather that particular storm like a team of grizzled postseason veterans. By the time they went to the locker room for halftime, the team had a 61-51 lead thanks to 17 points by Lauri Markkanen and a 13-point, 5-assist, 3-rebounds half by Darius Garland.

To add insult to injury for Atlanta, the team learned in the locker room that Clint Capela would not be be able to play in the second half after hyperextending his right knee. And despite that, the Hawks spent the entirety of the third quarter slowly chipping away at Cleveland’s lead.

While he struggled for much of the first 24 minutes, Young came alive in the third, scoring 16 points in the frame with five assists. This included a pair of threes late the quarter to give Atlanta its first lead of the game.

Thanks to some shot making by Garland and Caris LeVert down the stretch, the Cavaliers were able to keep Young’s hot streak from burying them, and things were tied at 84 as the game entered the fourth. That torrid form for Young carried over to the final frame, as the All-NBA guard was in total control of things, particularly during the 11-0 run that let the Hawks open up a 95-86 lead.

Cleveland was able to keep things close, but Young’s monstrous second half generally kept them at bay. When they got the lead down to three, Young pulled up from the logo and hit a three that didn’t touch the net.

And yet the Cavaliers just kept coming. Every Young haymaker had a response, and with less than 30 seconds left, it looked like they were going to have a chance to tie things up while down by three. Markkanen forced a turnover, but decided to dribble into the corner and give himself a bad angle for a pass to Garland.

Kevin Huerter read the whole situation perfectly, and while Danilo Gallinari pestered Markkanen and forced a bad pass, Huerter jumped the lane, registered a steal, and got the ball to Young, who went to the charity stripe and pushed the lead to five.

Young finished the game with 38 points and nine assists, while four other players — led by Bogdanovic’s 19 — scored in double-digits. Markkanen led the way for Cleveland with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Garland had 21 points and nine assists, albeit on 9-for-27 shooting.

With the win, Atlanta earned a matchup with the 1-seed Miami Heat, against whom they are 1-3 this year. The series is slated to tip off on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. ET.

UPDATE: While the team was in the locker room for halftime, the Hawks announced that Capela hyperextended his right knee and would not be able to return.

EARLIER: An attempt to prevent an easy basket right before halftime led to Clint Capela leaving the Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with an apparent knee injury. With the Hawks staring down a double-digit deficit right before they entered the locker room, Capela attempted to block an Evan Mobley dunk attempt and ended up getting caught with a pump fake.

As he flew past Mobley, Capela grabbed the rookie’s shoulders in an attempt to foul him and keep him from getting an easy basket. Unfortunately for Capela, this came at quite the cost — the big man actually pulled Mobley backwards, and as he fell, he ended up colliding with Capela’s right knee. The Hawks’ center ended up going down in serious pain as a result, and after taking some time to get examined, needed some help as he made his way back into the locker room.

The foul was reviewed by the officials for a potential flagrant, but ultimately, it was determined that it did not quite rise to that level. At the time of his injury, Capela was one of Atlanta’s most impactful players, as he had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Shortly after he went down, the Hawks went into the locker room for halftime facing a 61-51 deficit.

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available about Capela’s injury and his status going forward.

Life on Twitter comes at you fast. Yesterday’s trending topic du jour was an unfounded claim that Rihanna and ASAP Rocky were breaking up because ASAP had cheated on the pregnant pop star with footwear fashion designer Amina Muaddi. The Twitter hive and rumor mill quickly began spiraling out of control, until Muaddi herself made a post this morning saying that “I’ve always believed that an unfounded lie spread on social media doesn’t deserve any response or clarification, especially one that is so vile.”

Muaddi’s post pretty quickly quelled the rumor and then later today, fashion writer and noted Twitter antagonizer Louis Pisano issued an apology for starting the rumor to begin with. Which is nice, but the trouble is, the forced apology made some people on Twitter think Pisano was handed a cease and desist order and had to make a statement. “…I’d like to formally apologize to all parties I involved with my actions and for my reckless tweets,” his statement (which he tweeted, of course) read. “I fully accept the consequences of my actions for my tweets and any harm they caused. I have no excuse for it, I’ve been way too wrapped up in Twitter drama and unfortunately leaned into being messy as a brand which is something going forward I’m going to move away from.”

It’s a wild world that we live in when somebody says that they’re “messy as a brand.” If only Twitter users would show some restraint and consider where they get their information (said every journalist ever), then maybe unsuspecting celebrities like Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, and Amina Muaddi wouldn’t get dragged like this. Perhaps if Elon Musk buys out Twitter, then this could change. But it’s doubtful.

A French tech company is rolling out a new device that allows wheelchair-bound people to walk again. It looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but the phenomenal benefit it provides is very, very real.

The company, Wandercraft, calls it the Atalante X. It acts like an exoskeleton, fitting around both legs and the back of the spine. Twelve motors make up the robot appendages (six at the hips, two at the knees, and four at the ankles), which helps make more natural movement.

Each motor receives a signal every millisecond from both a user-controlled remote and a sensor that detects upper body movement. This cutting-edge technology allows, for the first time ever, the freedom of hands-free motion.

Wandercraft : Self-balanced exoskeleton latest advancements

www.youtube.com

Alexandre Boulanger, one of Wandercraft’s creators, regarded exoskeletons as “the revolution of the future for people with reduced mobility. They help users to regain a social life through as simple an act as being able to stand up and talk with others face-to-face.”

So far, users seem to agree.

In an interview with Euro News, one of Wandercraft’s test pilots, Kevin Piette, noted, “the first time you stand up is pretty impressive because you can do it very easily, very quietly, comfortably. And then you have this upright posture that you had actually forgotten about.”

One of Piette’s favorite rediscovered activities is cooking. “To be able to cook and reach things up high, things that are part of a really banal day of life was rewarding. It’s also really nice to be able to be at the same level as people instead of always looking up at them from below,” he told Euro News.

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Wandercraft first launched in 2012, starting out with only three engineers. The company now has 50 mathematicians, robotics engineers and biomechanical experts. And so far $45 million has been raised to further develop a lighter, cheaper, more versatile model.

One of those co-founders, Jean-Louis Constanza, whose son is a wheelchair user, credits their success to having “a project that really changes society.”

According to the Wheelchair Foundation, an estimated 10 million people require wheelchairs. And that’s not taking developing countries into consideration, where less than 10% of those who need them actually have access to one. According to the website, that means that every hour of every day, there is need for 145 more wheelchairs in the world. There is certainly a demand for mobility devices.

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Lots of breakthroughs have been made to make everyday life a bit more accessible for those who are disabled, like wheelchair-equipped smart cars. But the Atalante X is something truly innovative and one-of-a-kind. Its next steps (pun intended) are being able to be used outside. Wandercraft engineer Jean-Louis Kana noted that the device will have to adhere to the same regulations as an autonomous car, and be required to develop algorithms to ensure stability and reliability. Particularly if there’s an accident.

However, if the success of Wandercraft continues, the lives of millions will become truly limitless. It’s one small step for robotics, and one giant leap for inclusion.

Mother Nature played a silly trick where I live this week, dumping inches of snow, days in a row. And while I’m tempted to say bah humbug to second winter in April (OK, more than tempted—BAH HUMBUG) I know it’s a temporary blip. The daffodils and tulips peeking out from under the white will persevere, the snow will melt as it always does and spring will emerge in her full, green glory soon enough.

Sometimes the world feels like this. Cold when it should be warm. Snow where there should be flowers. Struggle and suffering when there should be peace and prosperity. Yet we persevere, knowing this too shall pass. We try to look toward the horizon with hope, knowing the light will penetrate the darkness eventually.

And while we wait, we work to help ourselves and our human brethren through the unexpected rough patches. Sometimes that means fighting the good fight. Sometimes it means finding joy in simple things. Sometimes it means letting music move us in its mysterious way. Sometimes it means zoning out on goofy cat videos or laughing along with an infectious viral baby giggle.

Goodness knows we can all use a little lift in our spirits, and small snippets of beauty and delight can help give us the energy we need to persevere. We’ve collected 10 of them to get you started as you wrap up your week.

Enjoy:

BOY singer had the most delightfully surprised response when fans started singing along.

When Swiss/German girl duo BOY performed their song “Little Numbers” at their first U.S. show in Brooklyn in 2013, they were totally surprised by the crowd singing along with the chorus. Lead singer Valeska Steiner’s reaction is so pure and sweet, each time. “You’re giving us goosebumps!” she says. Such a moment is a dream come true for a musician.

Dad’s pride at his daughter passing her nursing exam is so heartwarming.

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That proud pops could not be sweeter. That kind of support means so much.

Grandpa creatively “breastfed” his godson when he wouldn’t take a bottle.

@xo.weendyy

To all the dads out there who struggle with their little ones not taking the bottle 😂💀 #fyp #foryou #parati #fypシ #4u #grandchild

Speaking of support, this is so awesome. And hilarious. Read the story here.

Dads set their pride aside to entertain their daughters in silly cheerleading competition. 

@cedarcheer

Cedar High’s first annual Cheer Dad Jump Off! The competition was sure fierce! #fyp #cheer #cheerdads #cheerleaders

Speaking of dads and hilarity, get a load of these guys. A couple of them actually have some skill! Read the full story here.

Veterinarians get down with a dancing cockatoo. (Sound up!)

Veterinarians dance along with Cockatoopic.twitter.com/zkLn5ZrQwC

— Madeyousmile (@Madeyousmile)
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You definitely want the sound on for this. Cockatoos dancing is always entertaining, but seeing professional humans dancing along is just pure joy.

Fenix the “happy dog” has a pep in his step like no other. 

@fenixlumiere

I’m just a dancing with myself. I’m just a prancing with myself! Have a great day, doing it your way! #happydog #prancingdog #rescuedog #husky #doglove #dogs #cerebellarhypoplasiadogs

And speaking of pure joy, nothing says it like Fenix the husky‘s prancing. He was almost killed due to a neurological disorder that affects his coordination and causes him to prance like he’s dancing, but his owners rescued him and now he lives a happy dog life. May we all have this much enthusiasm in our steps today!

Hahaha. Maybe should have thought that one through, Jeff. 

One of my greatest joys in life is when Jeff calls the vet to make an appointment and they ask for his name, and he says, Jeff. Then, they ask for our cat’s name, and I watch him gather his strength before he tells them, Baby Jeff.

— Brittany Means (@Brittany Means)
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Oh, Jeff. The best part of this tweet is that you can just picture it perfectly. “Your name?” “Jeff.” “And your cat’s name?” Pause…”Baby Jeff.” So funny.

Teen who was homeless gets reunited with dog he surrendered to an animal shelter.

A homeless teen who selflessly surrendered his dog to a Mississippi animal shelter with a bag of dog food and a blanket because he couldn’t care for her properly has been reunited with his dog—and has a place to stay as well. Read the full story here.

After vowing he’d never sing it, Julian Lennon performs his dad’s song, “Imagine” for Ukraine.

Julian Lennon has always said that he would never publicly perform “Imagine,” in deference to the incredible power the song held. However, in light of the war on Ukraine, which Lennon called an “unimaginable tragedy,” he changed his mind. “Within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time,” he said. “The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for.” Read the full story here.

In a sweet farewell, “Ice Age” studio artists finally—finally!—let Scrat have his acorn.

Scrat finally gets the acorn as a farewell to Blue Sky Studios.nnu201cIn the final days of Blue Sky Studios, a small team of artists came together to do one final shot. This shot is a farewell, a send-off on our own terms.u201dpic.twitter.com/Z9QmNEX4x1

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm)
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Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio responsible for the “Rio” and “Ice Age” series of films, was founded in 1987. In 2021, Disney announced it would be shuttering its doors, and this week a final “Ice Age” short made by a small team of artists from the studio was released. If you’ve watched the “Ice Age” movies, you know that Scrat is always trying to get his precious acorn, but there are always hilariously painful mishaps that prevent his success. This time, they let him have it—a fitting final farewell from Blue Sky.

Hope that brought some joy to your day. Come back again next week for another roundup of small delights to boost your spirit.

This past Wednesday night, it was reported that an intruder broke into DaBaby’s North Carolina home and was shot and injured. The shooting happened on the football field of the property (that’s right, DaBaby has a football field) and a report in The Morgantown Herald said the person was taken to a medical facility. Now new details have emerged, including a 911 call, that confirm that the shooter was in fact DaBaby himself.

There are quite a few confirmations of what happened here, but the most obvious one, is DaBaby posting an Instagram a clip from Cam’ron’s 2002 film Paid In Full and basically admitting it with a caption that read, “chose not to take a n***** life the other day & it felt great. Buddy ain’t deserve to go, I step righteously. Heal up & live my boy! Just don’t bring ya ass back.”

TMZ reports that according to their “law enforcement sources,” the intruder was shot in the leg after a verbal exchange. DaBaby then called 911 and cooperated with police. WSOC-TV released a recording of the 911 call and while much of it is unintelligible, you can hear the caller (DaBaby, presumably) saying, “He’s trespassing on my property… I don’t know what he’s here for, what he’s here to take, what he’s here to do, but he’s shot in his leg. He’s neutralized until you guys get here.”

This is not the first incident of gun violence for DaBaby, who’s also apparently been getting a number of noise complaints from neighbors since he moved into the Troutman, NC home in 2019. In 2018, he shot an alleged assaulter at a Walmart who eventually died and was put on probation for a year. He also currently being sued for assault in a separate incident involving DaniLeigh’s brother. Trouble always seems to find trouble and DaBaby can’t seem to stay away from it.

Who doesn’t love a good golf game? Golf video games are usually very well received, whether they’re an ultra-realistic simulation or something straight out of an arcade. One of the best in the genre is the Mario Golf series. Mario has had a presence of some kind in golf ever since the NES, but what really put him on the green as one of gaming’s most well-known golfers was Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64.

Mario Golf wasn’t the wackiest golf game ever made, but it had a lot of fun details that made it feel very Mario. Not only did it keep matches fast-paced so players didn’t get bored, it would have goofy cutscenes that played after completing holes. It had a strong library of Mario characters to choose from and had a really fun crossover with a port for the Game Boy Color. It isn’t the best in the franchise, but it’s still beloved to this day thanks to nostalgia and some really strong mechanics that continue to hold up. We can now re-experience the classic on the Nintendo Switch thanks to Nintendo’s online service.

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $50 (Yearly subscription)
Release Date: April 14 (4/14)
Genre: Arcade Sports
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: E
Where can I buy this: Only playable through Nintendo’s Online service
Single Player: Yes
Multiplayer: Yes
Early Access: No
Microtransactions: No

Hip-hop’s favorite gambler is at it again. Drake, who recently placed three bets on the Super Bowl for a shade over a million bucks (he hit two of them) and lost $100K when North Carolina beat Duke in the NCAA tournament, is putting some serious coin down on the NBA Playoffs. While Drake is a part owner of the Eastern Conference’s Toronto Raptors and a well-documented courtside presence at their games, he’s looking for action in Western Conference playoffs instead.

Drake has put down $200,000 Canadian dollars (about $158,624 US) on the Golden State Warriors to win the Western Conference Finals and make it to the NBA Finals. The rapper posted a screenshot of the online betting slip on his Instagram Story showing that the Warriors have 5 to 1 odds to come out of the West.

If they make it to the Finals, Drake would claim a cool $1 million Canadian dollars ($793,112). It’s a bold bet considering the Phoenix Suns were the best team in the West in the regular season by a comfortable eight game margin. The Warriors are set to open the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, which won’t be a walk in the park considering how unguardable Nikola Jokic can be. If they win that series, they’ll face the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. A showdown with the Suns in the West finals is the likeliest outcome and Drake can only hope that “Steph Curry with the shot boy” is healthy all series, dominates and takes the Dubs into the finals.