data-mm-id=”_uhng67c0e”>The NBA bubble has come with a few revelations. T.J. Warren stands out as the biggest after he spent the last four months apparently channeling Michael Jordan or something and dropped 50 in the first seeding game. The Portland Trail Blazers are making a hard push for the eight seed in the West, along with three other teams. It's been a lot of fun. One entirely unexpected development, however, has come out of the Denver Nuggets' camp down in Orlando. And it's not Bol Bol, as awesome as he is. No, the big surprise has come from Michael Porter Jr., fully healthy for the first time in who knows how long and playing like a man on fire. He's dropped 67 points in the last two games as a sweet-shooting wing playing off Nikola Jokic, and if this is a sign of things to come, everything changes for the Nuggets. Porter has looked like the prospect everyone though he was upon entering the 2018 NBA Draft. But a severe back injury suffered after only a few games at Missouri raised legitimate questions about his ability to reach a level anywhere near his potential. He missed all of his rookie season and played in two-thirds of the Nuggets' games this season, but Mike Malone loves defense. Porter, ah, does not. It was tough for the young forward to stay on the floor because of his inexperience playing in the Nuggets' system and his lack of ability to stay in front of his man. That really hasn't changed all too much. Porter is still a below-average man-to-man defender, but he's comfortable enough in the system that Malone won't yank him at the smallest error. When he's on the floor, Denver's offense is a whole different beast. He's a big guy with long arms, a massive target for Jokic's quarterbacking from the top of the key. Porter has definitely found his range from deep, shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc in his last two games on 17 tries. He looks comfortable out there inside the arc too, shooting 12-of-16 in one contest and 11-of-19 the next. This is a huge deal for Denver. Jokic is a transcendent superstar, but it's difficult to build around centers in today's wing-centric game. He's one of the best passers in the league, hard stop, and is primed to put up a triple-double in a moment's notice. But he isn't a pure scorer. When the defense's attention is fully turned to him, Jokic can struggle to put the ball in the basket. But with a pure and dangerous scorer alongside him, it becomes a pick-your-poison decision for defenses instead of just being able to lock onto Jokic and hope guys like Jerami Grant miss shots. Jokic has something like that in Jamal Murray, who hasn't played yet in the bubble. But Murray can be inconsistent and is a little too small to make an impact if his shot isn't falling. Porter doesn't have that issue. He can get into the lane whenever he likes and hit his free throws. A quality scoring wing is one of the most valuable assets a team can have in today's NBA. Murray is a great scorer but can't get his shot off over anybody. Porter can. Denver has their superstar. The next steps were finding the right complementary pieces. They have Murray there to take some of the playmaking load and make shots when Jokic's jumper isn't falling. Now they have a taller version who, if he fully realizes his talents, could be better than Murray in short order. That one additional piece could be the difference between a perennial playoff contender and a perennial title contender.
Related Posts
According to a recent report from L’Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva wants to stay at the French champions – but the club themselves want to get rid of him at the end of the current season.
The 35 year old veteran has been on the books in the capital since back in 2012 when he made the jump over from Italian giants AC Milan. Ever since then he has served as a consistent presence at the heart of PSG’s back four, but now, it seems like they could be going with a ‘out with the old, in with the new’ sort of tactic.
Silva has always been an efficient and impressive defender but now that he’s moving into the twilight of his career, it would appear as if PSG want to cash in on him whilst they still can.
It’d certainly be a risky …
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed he will hand first senior starts to academy trio Ethan Laird, Di Shon Bernard and Dylan Levitt in Manchester United s Europa League clash with Astana on Thursday.
United have travelled to Kazakhstan knowing they are already assured of a place in the knockout phase of the competition, having taken 10 points from their four matches.
With the Red Devils still nine points adrift of the top four in the Premier League, Solskjaer has taken the opportunity to rest key players and thus taken an extremely young squad to Nur-Sultan.
While United have not confirmed the full squad, it has been reported 14 of the 18 are teenagers.
James Garner, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood have all been photographed and are expected to fe…
Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker is on his way to Napoli, according to . The report has claimed that Premier League club Villa have accepted an offer from Italian club Napoli for Dendoncker. It will be a loan deal, with the reigning Serie A champions having the option to make it permanent in the summer of 2024.
Dendoncker has been on the books of Villa since 2022 when he joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Belgium international midfielder did well during his time at Wolves, but he has failed to make a huge impact at the Villans.
The Belgium international, who can play as a defensive midfielder or as a central defender, has scored 10 goals and given two assists in 152 appearances in the Premier League. Dendoncker has made one start and seven substitute appe…
Following Arsenal s 1-0 triumph over Leeds United in the FA Cup in which 20-year-old Reiss Nelson scored the decisive goal, manager Mikel Arteta was answering a question about the young forward when a phone rang in the room, playing Forever Everton , the song which is played at Goodison Park ahead of every game.
Before joining Arsenal as a player in 2011, Arteta spent six and a half years at Everton.
The culprit reportedly immediately left the room.
https://twitter.com/HaytersTV/status/1214322621665464321
…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s Manchester United return was confirmed on Wednesday as the former Red Devils striker was named as Jose Mourinho s temporary replacement at Old Trafford.
Mourinho was sacked after two-and-a-half years at United, a 3-1 defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool proving his final match in charge.
That left United sixth in the league table, 11 points off the top four and 19 adrift of Liverpool after 17 games of the 2018-19 campaign.
Solskjaer was named as interim manager until the end of the season 24 hours after Mourinho s departure, bringing him back to the club he left in 2007 after a stellar playing career.
We can confirm that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the 2018/19 season.
H…
Newcastle head coach Becky Langley has challenged her side to win promotion to the Women’s Championship to pave the way for other aspiring clubs to join them in turning professional.
The Magpies went full-time last summer – 12 months after head coach Langley had done the same – to become the first tier-three outfit to make the move in England.
They currently sit at the top of the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, nine points clear of Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand, and 14 better off than Burnley, who have played three fewer, as they chase promotion to the Championship and ultimately the Women’s Super League.
Newcastle grow the gap
A win for the Lasses and a draw for Nottingham Forest means the gap at the top is n…
Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal s capture of Willian and expects his new signing to make a real difference with his versatility and experience.
Arsenal confirmed the arrival of free agent Willian on a three-year deal on Friday, five days on from the Brazil international s departure from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Predominantly used on the right wing for Chelsea, Willian is also comfortable playing on the left or in a central role and arrives at the Emirates Stadium with an impressive list of honours to his name.
Eyebrows have been raised at the length of the contract awarded to the 32-year-old, but Arteta believes his side s first signing of the close season will prove his worth.
New club. New colours. New beginnings.
Welcome to The Arsenal, !
Aston Villa are interested in signing Tiago Santos from Lille in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Villa are on the hunt for a new right-back due to Matty Cash continuing to struggle with injuries and have identifed Santos as a possible target.
Santos has been on the books of Lille since the summer of 2023 when he joined from G.D. Estoril Praia. The 21-year-old Portugal Under-21 international is one of the best young right-backs in the French domestic league. The 21-year-old has made 15 starts and three substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.
Villa are fourth in the Premier League table at the moment with 49 points from 25 matches, 11 points behind leaders Liverp…
Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
Desperate to extend on their World Cup qualifying adventure on Thursday night, Portugal will welcome Turkey to the Estádio do Dragão.
Portugal
Starting with the hosts, after being hit with their heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at home against Serbia last time out, there is no doubt that Portugal will be seeking an immediate response here. Throwing away an automatic spot at this year s World Cup finals after falling at the final hurdle, Head Coach Fernando Santos will know that he still has real pressure on his position. Likewise, shocking many as they had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate against Ireland on foreign soil back in November, the Navigators know that they cannot afford another slip-up here. Still holding a stacked squad of Europea…
Andrea Pirlo dismissed the idea Barcelona are a club in crisis as he refused to rank Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo as a superior player to Lionel Messi before their Champions League showdown.
Juventus face a Barca side still reeling from last Saturday s shock 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted Cadiz in LaLiga which left them 12 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid after 10 games.
Ronald Koeman s side have, however, been flawless in the Champions League with five victories from five Group G matches, including a 2-0 win in Turin in October.
Juve s only win at Camp Nou in the Champions League came back in April 2003 (2-1), having failed to win on either of their last two trips there in the competition.
The Bianconeri have not scored in their last four games a…