NBA Player News

Blatche is just a roster stash at best right now. Though he gets a boost with the exits of Nick Young and JaVale McGee, it is offset by the acquisition of Nene who plays his position. Kevin Seraphin started at center tonight, too, scoring 12 points with nine boards and two blocks in 29 minutes. Factor in Trevor Booker (14 points, five boards, two blocks), and Blatche is in a real mess. All of that said, though, when teams get shook up it’s a good time for a talent like Blatche to try to right the ship.

As expected, Hauser will remain sidelined for a second straight game after exiting early from Game 1 and missing Game 2. Head coach Joe Mazzulla simply tightened up the rotation with Hauser gone, and he will likely continue to stick with an eight-man rotation as the Celtics look to get their first win of this series.

Game 3 was interesting, as both MVP candidates struggled with their shots. After recording 30-point games in the first two games of this series, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 31.8 percent from the field and was 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. The good news for the Thunder is that nights like Friday have been far from the norm for SGA, so it’s fair to expect him to bounce back on Sunday. However, Denver’s Christian Braun deserves credit for the effort he put forth defensively to give the Nuggets a 2-1 series lead.

Holmgren was just 1-of-6 from three on Friday, but he recorded a double-double and finished one assist shy of a complete stat line. The slender Holmgren has recorded double-doubles in consecutive games for the second time this postseason, with the first being Games 1 and 2 of the first round. Interestingly, Oklahoma City went small to begin overtime, with Holmgren replaced by Luguentz Dort. Denver would score the first five points before Holmgren returned, subbing in for Alex Caruso, but the damage was already done. Game 4 is on Sunday afternoon, with Denver holding a 2-1 lead.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shooting 7-of-22 from the field, the Thunder needed more production from Williams. He answered the call, shooting over 50 percent from the field and recording his first 30-point game this postseason. After shooting 5-of-20 from the field in Game 1, JDub has gone 17-of-32 in Games 2 and 3. Oklahoma City will need similar production from Williams in Sunday’s Game 4, as they look to even a series they now trail 2-1.

While Jokic’s final stat line was solid, it does not tell the complete story of his performance. Not only was the three-time MVP responsible for eight turnovers, but he shot 0-of-10 from beyond the arc. The good news for Jokic is that three of his teammates scored at least 20 points, picking up the slack as Denver pulled away in overtime. While Oklahoma City defended The Joker well, he isn’t going to have nights like Friday (or Wednesday’s loss in Game 2) very often. He’ll look to extend Denver’s series lead when they host the Thunder in Game 4 on Sunday.

While Porter struggled in the first two games of this series, he deserves credit for fighting through the left shoulder injury he suffered during the first round. MPJ found his shot on Friday, shooting 5-of-6 from three and 70 percent from the field overall. His performance helped the Nuggets compensate for Nikola Jokic shooting 0-of-10 from three, giving the team a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is on Sunday afternoon.