NBA

In pursuit of Vembanyama

Published

3 years ago

February 5, 2023

Paula

Very soon, the NBA will close the transfer window (February 9) and the All-Star Game (February 19). This means that the league will enter the final part of the regular season without any problems. And if 25 of the 30 NBA teams are still actively fighting to qualify for the playoffs, and the distribution of places at the table changes almost every game day, the circle of candidates for the high picks of the next voter has already formed.

What is attractive in the next draft? Under the first number on it, Victor Vembanyama will be chosen. The Frenchman has an incredible height – 223 cm, and the arm span is usually a great 243 cm. For comparison, Boban Marjanovic has the same height with an arm span of “only” 239 cm; Kristaps Porzingis – 221; 229 respectively. Victor also shoots from any distance: 2-pointers – 57.3% of sales on average of 10 tries; 3-pointers – 30% in 5 tries.

In addition, Vemby knows how to attack facing the shield, he can beat his opponent while dribbling, his shot on the post is hard to hide, and a soft brush allows you to make him a threat from behind the arc in an ongoing attack. basis. Victor has good playmaking skills, can accelerate the team’s fast attacks right after the rebound, and is already seen as a contender for the title of main talent of the generation among the tall men. Next up are clubs that can get him to audition.

Houston rockets

Texans are obviously suffering after the Harden trade. With 13 wins and 38 losses so far, they have a 14% chance of winning the elective lottery. Houston has talented young people but nothing more. The center and forward positions were closed by newcomers Shengyun and Smith. And in the last two years, the team has been in the top 3 draws twice.

Ever since Maury, the Rockets had a strategy of picking the most talented player in basketball. As a result, no player in the front row of the team can remain calm until the draw. After all, any coach and manager sharpens the team for Vembanyama. With such an unstable roster, Houston needs a touchstone to build the entire team as a whole. which time. Smith is more of a disappointment. And don’t trust Jaylen Green.

What is the plan of Steven Silas’ wards for the final episode of the season? Play and lose more. The organization is completely satisfied with the possibility of fighting for the French. And they have nothing to hope for this season. Except for the development of basketball players, which should add a number of former players with a good work ethic. At the very least, this will prepare the young “rockets” for the arrival of the most talented tall man of the generation. But will the administration decide this, as such a step would give them a few “unnecessary” victories? In the worst-case scenario, the team will take on Scoot Henderson in the auditions, which will allow them to choose one of the Green or forwards from the sides of the field who can qualitatively complete the roster.

So, Houston has a win-win situation: they either take Vemby or replace the unlucky Green or close a problematic position on the roster. And the fact that the team… will retain a 14% chance of winning the next audition is almost an obvious thing.

Detroit Pistons

Motor City already has a franchise player, giant quarterback Cade Cunningham. And in the past three seasons, the organization has been in the top 6 of the draw three times. Among them, a choice fell on the first election – Cunningham. By the way, they used to say that you can build a championship team by making the elite connection between “small” and “big”. Good examples of this are Kobe and Shaq Lakers and Kareem and Magic, Parker and Duncan and San Antonio. Consider a group of modern quarterbacks and tall men. With a long-range shot, seeing the field, head on his shoulders. Will Detroit have many rivals in 4-5 years?

The Pistons are currently last in the Eastern Conference and second to last in the league as a whole. So they own 14% of Vembanyama. Their record is 13 wins with 39 losses. Cunningham himself has long been crippled. Add to that the “Pistons” desire to trade top basketball player Bogdanovich, and we’ve got a team that doesn’t count on anything higher than the 28th line in the regular season.

But should the organization twitch about today’s results? French Hayes replaced Cade (5.8 assists per game). Defensive rookie Düren (the team’s best in rebounding) is improving in the frontcourt and can complement the environment-loving Vembanyama. The wings in Detroit are also in place. Only an elite center is missing.

So, Duane Casey’s team is young and promising and well supported. Soon, Detroit will be ready to take the next step in its development – signing strong free agents who will fight for the playoff zone. And before that, it would be ideal if the organization had a center with this level of capabilities.

Charlotte Hornets

The team surprised by sacking James Borrego, a highly skilled mentor. But even more surprising was the return to the coaching bridge of Steve Clifford, who has recently become the most successful coach in franchise history in terms of wins. Probably Michael Jordan doesn’t trust this season and wants to add Vembi to the Lamelo Ball.

Something like Detroit. Will Lamelo give up his role as the team’s first violin? If not, would it not harm the development and formation of the French? It should probably hurt. However, Charlotte has a 14% chance to get Vembanyama. Can it change? The Hornets could suddenly gain a few extra wins at the end of the season and lose a high spot in the auditions. And do not be embarrassed by the fact that the team has only two wins in the last matches.

In terms of previous draft picks, the Charlottes only had one Top 3 pick, LaMelo Ball. Otherwise, this is a typical representative of the swamp of the NBA, where the team could not completely unite due to a good roster, but there was almost no struggle to get into the playoffs. Obviously, now Michael Jordan has decided to take a high draft pick and thus add talent to his roster. But don’t forget Steve Clifford, he knows how to get the team a few wins that will totally ruin their audition position.

orlando magic

Orlando didn’t trade Shaq or Howard last season, which means it’s nearly impossible to be a French big, first pick in this year’s draft. Moreover, the organization has been in the top 8 three times in the last two seasons, one of which was the winner last year. But still. Let’s consider this situation.

The team from the southeast United States is currently fifth from the bottom of the standings and has a very real 10.5% chance of Veembe. And that’s relatively high. But the cast consists of talented youngsters: Bankero, Wagner, Anthony, as well as Suggs, Fultz and Carter Jr. Orlando should consider more important tournament goals than the next best pick challenge. And next season that fight should begin.

The team can already beat the Clippers, Atlanta, Toronto twice in a row and Boston (what? Season favourite? Twice in a row?). However, having a strong squad, such a chance to lag behind the best odds falls quite rarely. Floridans want to take advantage of it, too. Yes, and only four wins in the last 10 games under the tutelage of Jamal Moseley. Why don’t you try to get Vembanyama?

San Antonio Spurs

Knowing that Tim Duncan had put forward his candidacy for the draft, Gregg Popovich deliberately lost Tim to win. The plan worked, and the lottery draw was obviously lucky (Boston wanted Duncan, too).

Why is the Duncan story important? Because the CAC needs a franchise player on which to build the foundations of a new San Antonio dynasty.

And for this, everything is already ready in Spurs: players are selected by position (except center) from the draft draw, age leaders have been exchanged for a long time, the current center team is prepared for transfer (Peltl) and there is a demand for this all players from behind the belts comes out and coach Popovich is at the helm.

Who is San Antonio after? It is clear that their target is Victor Vembanyama. The lack of wins in recent games clearly illustrates the situation in Texas. But most importantly, it can be a good repeat of history, as with Tim Duncan. And it will make Gregg Popovich retire with peace of mind.

Vyacheslav Shevchenko

Source: Sport UA

Paula

I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.

NBA

NBA: Jokic’s triple-double, loss to Houston, San Antonio win over Oklahoma

Published

22 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Paula

NBA: Jokic’s triple-double, loss to Houston, San Antonio win over Oklahoma

On the evening of December 25 and the night of December 26, five Christmas games were traditionally held as part of the NBA regular season.

The most important match of the match day was played in Oklahoma, where the Thunder hosted San Antonio.

The home team started the game better and were ahead for most of the first quarter, but they missed a move 0:11 into the quarter, allowing Spurs to take the lead 41:36. Oklahoma was unable to take the lead after that, but San Antonio maintained its lead by keeping the game under control and eventually won 117-102.

The Spurs have won all three games against the Thunder this season, while Oklahoma has lost just two of the other 28 games.

The most productive player of the match was Fox, who brought 29 points to San Antonio, while Vembanyama also scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers played Houston at home and suffered a crushing defeat.

The fate of the match was decided in the first quarter, when the Rockets won by 12 points (25:37). Afterwards, they increased their advantage by completely controlling the course of the match and eventually won with a score of 119:96.

For Houston, Thompson scored 26 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Denver and Minnesota closed out game day.

The first half of the match ended in a draw. Neither team managed to take a lead of more than 9 points, and Denver entered the big break with a 2-point lead at 57:55. In the third quarter, the Nuggets made an attack of 6:0 at the beginning and 10:2 in the middle, reaching a 16-point lead, and at the end of the quarter they were ahead +15 – 90:78. The Timberwolves did not give up and made a 16:2 move midway through the fourth quarter, reaching a lead of 107:108. This gave fans a tense ending; Edwards hit a three-pointer 2 seconds before the siren, sending the game into overtime at 115:115. And there Jokic played a decisive role and scored 18 points in 5 minutes, allowing the Nuggets to win 142:138.

Jokic scored 56 points in the NBA on Christmas Day, falling just four shy of Bernard King’s record. Nikola also recorded a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray had a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists.

NBA. Regular season. Christmas Day, 25-26 December

New York – Cleveland – 126:124 (23:38, 37:20, 24:38, 42:28)

New York: Brunson (34), Hart (15), Bridges (12), Towns (11 + 14 rebounds), Anunoby (8) – start; Clarkson (25), Kolek (16 + 9 assists), Diawara (5), Hookporty (0), Robinson (0 + 12 rebounds).

cleveland: Mitchell (34 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Garland (20 + 10 assists), Merrill (11), Allen (7 + 9 rebounds), Wade (6) – start; Tyson (16), E. Mobley (14 + 9 rebounds), Hunter (13), Bryant (3), Ball (0).

Oklahoma – San Antonio – 102:117 (36:41, 24:28, 19:26, 23:22)

Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (22), Hartenstein (13 + 12 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (12 + 6 assists), Holmgren (10 + 12 rebounds), Dort (8) – start; Caruso (12), K. Williams (8), Wiggins (5), Joe (5), Wallace (5), Carlson (2), Barnhizer (0), Youngblood (0).

San Antonio: Fox (29), Castle (19 + 7 assists), Barnes (15), Cornet (6), Vassell (5) – start; Vembanyama (19 + 11 rebounds), Harper (12), K. Johnson (9 + 7 rebounds), McLaughlin (3), Sohan (0), Shempeni (0), Brian (0), Olynyk (0), Waters (0).

Golden State – Dallas – 126:116 (40:28, 31:30, 29:31, 26:27)

Golden State: Curry (23), Butler (14 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Moody (12), Dr. Green (7), Post (6) – start; Melton (16), Horford (14), Podziemski (13 + 8 rebounds), Jackson-Davis (10), Payton II (6), Richard (5).

dallas: Flagg (27), Marshall (14), Washington (14 + 10 rebounds), Nembhard (4), Davis (3) – starter; Williams (26), Christie (13), Thompson (7), Gafford (6), Caleb Martin (2).

Lakers-Houston-96:119 (25:37, 28:26, 21:29, 22:27)

Lakers: Doncic (25 + 7 assists + 6 turnovers), James (18), Reeves (12), Ayton (10), Hachimura (0) – start; Vanderbilt (11), Smart (6), Larevia (5), James Jr. (3), Thiero (2), Knecht (2), Kleber (2).

Houston: Thompson (26 + 7 rebounds), Durant (25 + 9 assists), Smith (16 + 7 rebounds), Shengyun (14 + 12 rebounds + 6 turnovers), Eason (13) – start; Sheppard (13), Capela (6), Adams (4 + 9 rebounds), Tate (2), A. Holiday (0), Davison (0), Green (0), Okogie (0), Finney-Smith (0).

Denver – Minnesota – 142:138 (STARTING 32:29, 25:26, 35:23, 23:37, 27:23)

Denver: Jokic (56 + 16 rebounds + 15 assists + 5 turnovers), J. Murray (35 + 10 assists), Hardaway (19), Jones (12 + 9 rebounds), Watson (9) – start; B. Brown (7), Nnaji (2), Valanciunas (2), Strother (0).

Minnesota: Edwards (44 + 6 turnovers), Randle (32 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), McDaniels (21), Gobert (9 + 12 rebounds + 6 blocks), DiVincenzo (6 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists) – start; Reed (13), Hyland (11), Clark (2), Juzeng (0), Conley (0), Shannon (0).

tournament tables

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Source: Sport UA

Paula

NBA

NBA: Utah loses to Mikhailyuk, San Antonio beats Oklahoma

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah loses to Mikhailyuk, San Antonio beats Oklahoma

14 games of the NBA regular season were played on the night of December 23-24.

“Utah” hosted “Memphis” and in the middle of the second quarter they were ahead by 15 points at 50:65, but then they made a move at 17:4 and returned to the match 67:69. In the third quarter, the Jazz managed to take the lead with 71:69 and the game was leveled, but the Grizzlies added points at the end of the quarter and took the lead again with 109:101 and then calmly maintained the advantage with 137:128.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk The player, who was in Utah’s top 5 and played 22 minutes, recorded 9 points (4/4 free throws, 1/4 two-pointers, 1/5 three-pointers), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul.

The most productive player of the match was Aldama, who scored 37 points for Memphis, while Spencer also recorded a double-double, adding 11 points and 13 assists.

In the main match of game day, San Antonio unexpectedly defeated Oklahoma.

During the three quarters, there was an even contest in which no team could gain a lead of more than 8 points, and the leader changed 16 times. The fate of the match winner was decided in the fourth quarter, and the 9:0 attack of the home team was effective in this, and then the advantage reached 12 points (98:86). San Antonio then controlled the course of the game and confidently cruised to victory, gaining an advantage of 130:110.

The top scorer of the winning team was Johnson, who scored 25 points, while Castle scored 24 points for Spurs.

NBA. Regular season, December 24

Utah – Memphis – 128:137 (31:37, 36:32, 34:40, 27:28)

Utah: Filipovski (25 + 13 rebounds), George (24), Bailey (17), Mikhailyuk (9), Love (6) – start; Hendricks (21), Clayton (10), Collier (8 + 9 assists + 5 turnovers), Sensabaugh (4), Williams (4).

Memphis: Aldama (37 + 7 assists), Jaren Jackson (21 + 7 rebounds), Jackson (18 + 9 rebounds), Wells (12), Spencer (11 + 13 assists) – start; Lendale (17+8 rebounds), Caldwell-Pope (11), Prosper (8), Koloko (2), Mashak (0), Small (0+7 assists).

San Antonio – Oklahoma – 130:110 (31:29, 27:31, 29:22, 43:28)

San Antonio: Castle (24), Barnes (20), Vassell (17), Cornet (8), Fox (6 + 9 assists) – start; K. Johnson (25), Wembanyama (12), Shempeni (4 + 10 rebounds), Harper (4 + 10 assists + 5 steals), Waters (3), Biyombo (2), McLaughlin (2), Bryan (2), Olynyk (1).

Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (33 + 8 assists), Jaylen Williams (17 + 8 assists), Dort (15), Hartenstein (8 + 12 rebounds), Holmgren (7) – start; K. Williams (10), Joe (8), Wallace (4), Wiggins (3), Youngblood (3), Caruso (2), Barnhizer (0), Carlson (0).

Philadelphia – Brooklyn – 106:114 (27:27, 30:36, 20:26, 29:25)

Philadelphia: Embiid (27), George (19), Maxey (13), McCain (10 + 9 rebounds), Walker (5) – start; Drummond (12+13 rebounds), Gordon (12), Bona (4), Edwards (4), Broome (0), Lowry (0), Sallis (0).

Brooklyn: Porter (28), Demin (20), Claxton (16 + 10 rebounds), Clowney (13), Mann (4) – start; Sharp (9+11 rebounds + 6 assists), Z. Williams (9), Martin (7), Traore (5), Wolf (3).

Charlotte – Washington – 126:109 (24:31, 38:34, 30:25, 34:19)

Charlotte: Ball (23 + 9 assists), Miller (20), Knippel (19), Diabate (12 + 18 rebounds), Bridges (10 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists) – start; James (13), Sexton (12), Hall (11), Green (3), Mann (3), McNeely (0), Connaughton (0).

washington: Middleton (16), McCollum (14), Coulibaly (14), Sarr (7 + 11 rebounds + 4 blocks), George (2 + 6 assists) – start; Bagley (15), Johnson (12), Shempeny (10 + 9 rebounds), Kispert (9), Carrington (6), Brenham (2), Riley (2), Vukcevic (0), Johnson (0), Hill (0).

Atlanta – Chicago – 123:126 (36:30, 32:25, 37:37, 18:34)

of Atlanta: Johnson (24 + 9 rebounds + 10 assists + 5 turnovers), Young (22 + 15 assists), Alexander-Walker (21), Okongwu (10 + 7 rebounds), Risache (10 + 7 rebounds) – start; Krejci (19), Newell (13+7 rebounds), Wallace (2), Kennard (2).

Chicago: White (24 + 7 losses), Vucevic (21 + 10 rebounds), Giddy (19 + 11 rebounds + 15 assists + 7 losses), Buzelis (15), Okoro (8) – starts; Collins (10 + 7 rebounds), Herter (9 + 7 rebounds), Jones (9), Dosunmu (6), Smith (5), Williams (0).

Indiana – Milwaukee – 94:111 (20:26, 24:33, 24:27, 26:25)

indiana: Siakam (15 + 9 rebounds), Nembhard (14 + 6 assists), Maturin (13), Huff (9 + 7 rebounds), Thompson (3) – start; McConnell (16+6 assists), Matthews (6), Furphy (6), Walker (4), Wiseman (3), Jones (3), Jackson (2), Bradley (0), Peter (0).

Milwaukee: Porter (24), Kuzma (15 + 7 rebounds + 5 turnovers), Portis (14 + 9 rebounds), Turner (10), Green (4) – starts; Rollins (23 + 7 rebounds), Sims (6 + 7 rebounds), Trent (5), G. Harris (5), Anthony (3), Jackson (2), Coffey (0), Nance (0).

Cleveland-New Orleans-141:118 (32:22, 37:38, 41:31, 31:27)

cleveland: Mitchell (27), Merrill (22 + 7 assists), Allen (14 + 9 rebounds), Wade (11), Garland (10 + 8 assists) – start; Tyson (18), Bryant (15 + 7 rebounds), Porter (12 + 8 rebounds + 8 assists), Hunter (10), Tomlin (2), Proctor (0).

New Orleans: Quinn (21 + 7 rebounds), Murphy (14), Fiers (11), Bay (11), McGowens (8 + 7 rebounds) – start; Williamson (26), Hawkins (7), Missy (7), Alvarado (6), Peavy (5), Matkovic (2).

Miami – Toronto – 91:112 (16:21, 28:30, 23:31, 24:30)

Miami: Powell (17 + 6 assists), Wiggins (14), Adebayo (9 + 12 rebounds), Ware (5 + 9 rebounds), Mitchell (3) – start; Jaques (21), Smith (10), Yakucionis (7), Fontecchio (5), Johnson (0), Gardner (0).

toronto: Barnes (27 + 8 rebounds), Quickley (18 + 7 assists), Mamukelashvili (14 + 7 assists), Ingram (12), Agbadji (5) – start; Bettle (11), Murray-Boyles (11 + 12 rebounds), Shead (8), Walter (4), Dick (2).

Dallas – Denver – 131:130 (41:27, 25:29, 37:47, 28:27)

dallas: Flagg (33 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Davis (31 + 9 rebounds), Marshall (15), Nembhard (11 + 7 assists), Hardy (10) – start; Williams (9), Russell (9), Caleb Martin (9), Gafford (4).

Denver: J. Murray (31 + 7 rebounds + 14 assists), Jokic (29 + 7 rebounds + 14 assists), K. Johnson (8), Jones (6), Watson (4) – start; Hardaway (23), B. Brown (13 + 7 rebounds), Strother (8), Valanciunas (8), Pickett (0), Jones (0).

Minnesota – New York – 115:104 (31:28, 27:24, 27:27, 30:25)

Minnesota: Edwards (38), Randle (25), DiVincenzo (11 + 8 assists), Gobert (11 + 16 rebounds), Conley (8) – start; Hyland (9), Reed (8 + 11 rebounds), Clark (5), Shannon (0).

New York: Towns (40 + 13 rebounds + 5 turnovers), Kolek (20 + 11 rebounds + 8 assists), Bridges (15), Hart (12 + 15 rebounds + 8 assists + 6 turnovers), Robinson (2 + 7 rebounds) – start; Clarkson (10), Diawara (3), Hookporty (2), McCullar (0), Dadier (0), Evbuomwan (0).

Phoenix-Lakers-132:108 (29:26, 38:31, 45:29, 20:22)

Phoenix: Brooks (25), Booker (21 + 11 assists), Williams (18 + 9 rebounds), Gillespie (16 + 8 assists), O’Neal (12) – start; Buey (14), Goodwin (8), Fleming (7), Ighodaro (5), Dunn (4+7 rebounds), Maluach (2), Hayes-Davis (0).

Lakers: James (23 + 6 assists), Smart (14 + 6 assists), Smith (12), Ayton (12 + 10 rebounds), Larevia (12) – start; Reeves (17), Thiero (6), Vanderbilt (5), Knecht (3), Hayes (2), Kleber (2), James Jr. (0), Magnon (0).

Portland-Orlando-106:110 (21:25, 29:38, 30:26, 26:21)

Portland: Avdija (25 + 8 assists), Sharpe (22), Murray (13), Kamara (10), Clingan (8 + 14 rebounds) – start; Love (17), Sissoko (5), Jan Hansen (4), Rooper (2), Rith (0).

Orlando’s: Bane (23), Black (22 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Jones (16 + 7 assists), Carter (14 + 7 rebounds), Banchero (12) – start; Isaac (9), Penda (8), Kane (4), Richardson (2), Howard (0).

Sacramento-Detroit-127:136 (24:37, 34:38, 39:40, 30:21)

sacramento: DeRozan (37 + 7 assists), Westbrook (27 + 8 rebounds), Achiuwa (15 + 11 rebounds), Reynaud (8), Murray (2) – start; Clifford (14), Schroeder (10), Monk (9), Cardwell (5+7 rebounds), Ellis (0).

of Detroit: Harris (24), Cunningham (23 + 7 rebounds + 12 assists + 6 steals + 10 turnovers), Duren (23 + 14 rebounds), Thompson (19 + 7 rebounds), D. Robinson (9) – start; Stewart (16), Green (9), Ivey (8), LeVert (5).

Clippers – Houston – 128:108 (29:35, 34:23, 35:24, 30:26)

cutting machines: Leonard (41 + 8 rebounds), Harden (29 + 6 assists), Collins (13), Dunn (11), B. Lopez (5) – start; Sanders (13), Batum (6), Miller (4), Bogdanovich (3), Niederhauser (3), Brown (0), Christie (0).

Houston: Durant (22), Thompson (19 + 9 rebounds), Shengyun (19 + 11 rebounds + 6 assists), Smith (16), Okogi (0) – start; Sheppard (8), Tate (7), Eason (7), A. Holiday (3), Green (3), Capela (2), Adams (2), Davison (0).

tournament tables

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Source: Sport UA

Paula

NBA

Forbes named the most valuable sports team of 2025

Published

4 days ago

December 23, 2025

Paula

Forbes named the most valuable sports team of 2025

Version Forbes announced its annual ranking of the world’s most expensive sports teams.

NFL franchise Dallas Cowboys, estimated to be worth $13 billion, has led the pack for the ninth year in a row.

While NBA Golden State Warriors ranked second with a valuation of $11 billion, another representative of American football, Los Angeles Rams (10.5 billion), was in the top three.

The top 10, as last year, includes only American teams from the NFL and NBA. There are seven NFL clubs in the top 10 overall, which Forbes analysts attribute to the league’s large-scale television contracts.

Among football clubs, Real Madrid remains the most expensive – the Spanish giant ranked only 20th with a value of $6.75 billion.

Also in the top 50 are Manchester United (24th, 6.6 billion), Barcelona (42nd, 5.65 billion) and Liverpool (48th, 5.4 billion). In total, only four football clubs are represented in the top 50 rankings.

Formula 1 representatives also returned to the list – Ferrari (26th place) and Mercedes (34th).

The 20 most valuable sports teams in the world according to Forbes