After hearing his name frequently mentioned in trade rumours the past few years, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner finally has some long-sought piece of mind after he and the team agreed to a contract extension that was officially announced Monday.
"Definitely there’s a sense of relief knowing there’s some security and you can just play the game," Turner said at Monday’s press conference confirming the new deal, which ESPN reported to be for two years and $60million.
"It [the trade rumours] is something I’ve been through my entire career. But I wanted to be here in Indy."
Turner’s future in Indiana had been in question with the Pacers expected to be in a rebuild and the 26-year-old in the final year of his current contract. The Pacers seemed ready to move on this past summer when they signed Phoenix center Deandre Ayton to a four-year, $133m offer sheet that the Suns ultimately matched to keep the restricted free agent.
Despite continued interest from teams leading up to the February 9 trade deadline, the Pacers instead affirmed their commitment to the eight-year veteran and the team’s longest-tenured player as one of its core members.
"As a staff, we were hoping this day would come very desperately," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Over the last year and a half, since he transitioned back to his natural position, the five, we've seen tremendous things."
Carlisle was referring to last February’s trade of All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings, freeing up Turner as the primary interior presence while also landing standout point guard Tyrese Haliburton and long-range shooter Buddy Hield in return.
Turner has indeed thrived from both the switch and from playing with Haliburton, as he’s averaging career-highs of 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season while remaining one of the NBA’s top rim protectors.
His 2.4 blocks per game places him fourth in the league, and if he can maintain that, it will be his seventh consecutive season in the top-five for blocks per game, having led the league in the 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
"I think it made it easy, when given the full-time position at the five. That’s something I was definitely looking for," he said. "Given the situation I’m in now where I do get to see expanded minutes at the five, that was one of the main things I was looking for."
The new deal, which added over $17m to Turner’s 2022-23 salary to help the Pacers climb above the salary cap floor, also provides Indiana more flexibility going into the offseason with all five starters now under contract for next season.
Edwards scores 40 as Timberwolves complete sweep of Suns
For the first time in two decades, the Minnesota Timberwolves have won a play-off series.
The Timberwolves are the NBA's first team to advance to the conference semi-finals after defeating the Phoenix Suns 122-116 on Sunday to complete a first-round sweep.
Minnesota reached the Western Conference second round for the first time since 2004 by recording the first play-off sweep in franchise history.
Anthony Edwards led the way with 40 points, and had a thunderous dunk with just over 2 minutes remaining to help kick start the Timberwolves' celebration.
Edwards had a quiet first half before erupting after half-time, scoring 31 points in the final two quarters. He hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and had 16 points in the final period to help third-seeded Minnesota pull away.
He finished with seven 3-pointers, and also added nine rebounds and six assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 10 boards.
The Timberwolves played the final 1:41 without their coach after Mike Conley collided with Chris Finch on the sidelines.
Finch went down hard appearing to injure his right knee and had to be helped to the locker room.
Minnesota, which will face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Lakers series, prevailed despite a 49-point performance from Devin Booker.
Booker was 13 of 21 from the field and made 20 of 21 free throws, while Kevin Durant added 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting.
The rest of the Suns combined for 34 points on 36.1 per cent shooting, as Phoenix suffered its first play-off sweep since 1999.
Brunson's historic performance leads Knicks over 76ers
Jalen Brunson is in the record books and the New York Knicks are one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Brunson scored a play-off career-high 47 points - the most ever by a Knicks player in a post-season game - in a 97-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brunson made two free throws with 5 seconds remaining to seal the win and surpass the franchise record of 46 points scored by Bernard King in 1984.
With the victory in Philadelphia, the second-seeded Knicks grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.
New York has the opportunity to eliminate the 76ers in Game 5 back home at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
Brunson, who added a game-high 10 assists, struggled with his shot in the first two games of the series in New York, but found his touch in Philadelphia.
After totaling 46 points on 29.1 per cent shooting in Games 1 and 2, Brunson had 39 points on Thursday, followed by the record-setting performance in Game 4 while shooting 50.8 per cent.
OG Anunoby added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, while Josh Hart played a big role despite missing all seven of his field goal attempts by grabbing 17 rebounds.
Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Tyrese Maxey scored 23.
Philadelphia was undone by its struggles from long range, shooting 27.3 percent on 3-pointers (9 of 33) after making 48.4 per cent of its shots from beyond the arc in its Game 3 win.
Clippers hang on after blowing lead of 31 to even up series with Mavericks
The Los Angeles Clippers emerged with a 116-111 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas to even up their first-round series at 2-2.
The fourth-seeded Clippers looked like they would roll to an easy win, as they led by 31 points midway through the second quarter, but the Mavericks came storming back to set up a thrilling final few minutes.
After Kyrie Irving hit an off-balanced layup with 2:15 remaining to put Dallas ahead 105-104 - the Mavs' first lead since it was 8-7 less than 5 minutes into the game - Paul George responded with an incredible fadeaway 3-pointer from the corner and James Harden followed with a driving floating jump shot to put Los Angeles back up by four points.
George and Harden each finished with 33 points, and scored all of the Clippers' final 18 points in the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Irving had 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting and Luka Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his fourth career play-off triple-double, but was clearly bothered by a sore right knee and misfired on 8 of 9 3-point attempts.
Before the game, the Clippers announced Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely due to right knee inflammation.
With the Game 4 win, however, Los Angeles improved to 2-0 in this series in games without the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
In this series, each team has won once on its opponent's court. Game 5 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Clippers forward Leonard out indefinitely
Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said before Game 4 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Leonard missed Los Angeles’ final eight regular-season games due to inflammation in his right knee and then sat out the series opener before returning to action.
However, he's clearly not at full strength after combining for 24 points in Games 2 and 3.
A three-time First-Team All-NBA selection, Leonard played in 68 games during the regular season – his most since 2016-17 - and averaged a team-high 23.7 points to go along with 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.63 steals per contest.
Dallas leads the series 2-1, with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
GK One gives Community Basketball League a financial boost
The GraceKennedy Financial Group (GKFG) has announced that GK One is the official title sponsor of the GK One Howard McCatty Community Basketball League for the 2024 season. The partnership builds upon GKFG's ongoing commitment to supporting local communities and promoting youth development through sports, following another successful staging of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Track & Field Championships (Champs) last month.
"GK recognizes the importance of investing in initiatives that empower and inspire our youth," said Rickardo Ebanks, Chief Digital Officer, GKFG. "GK One is thrilled to be a part of the Community Basketball League 2024 Season and contribute to the continued success of the competition."
The Howard McCatty Community Basketball League has been a cornerstone for young Jamaican athletes providing opportunities for growth, mentorship, and teamwork. With a rich history of nurturing talent and fostering a love for the game, the league serves as a vital platform for aspiring players to showcase and develop their skills on a path to the National Basketball league.
GK One is GraceKennedy’s all-in-one app which offers a suite of GKFG services, allowing users to receive Western Union remittances to their mobile wallet, make bill payments, apply for a First Global Bank Visa Credit Card, and purchase insurance, anytime and anywhere. The app’s companion prepaid Visa debit card also allows customers to pay for goods and services wherever Visa is accepted.
Through the sponsorship, GK One will support the league's mission of promoting sportsmanship, leadership, and academic achievement among participants. The partnership will enable the league to deliver over 100 games throughout the season, provide resources for coaching and player development, and expand its reach within the community.
"We are grateful for the generous support of GK One," expressed Calvin Martin, Vice President and League organizer. "Their commitment to our league will make a meaningful difference in the lives of our players, helping us to further our impact and grow the game of basketball in Kingston and St Catherine. I encourage other corporate entities to follow the lead of GK One and invest in our communities – especially through sports.”
Beyond financial support, GK One will also engage with participating communities by hosting youth basketball clinics, fan engagement events, and supporting mentorship programmes led by the league. Players and fans will also benefit from access to financial services offered by GKFG.
GK One and the Howard McCatty Community Basketball League look forward to a successful 2024 season and partnership focused on empowering young athletes, fostering community connections, and inspiring the next generation of basketball stars.
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