Category: NBA

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic sat in front of his locker, calmly scrolling through his phone, seemingly unimpressed that 30 minutes earlier he made NBA history.

The three-time NBA MVP scored the league’s first 30-20-20 triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 149-141 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Jokic recorded 31 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 22 assists. “It’s not supposed go that way,” Jokic added.

“That was a quiet 30 points,” said Aaron Gordon to me while we were conversing. It appeared that everyone was in sync, and I didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy.

Jokic’s 29th triple-double of the season, which he achieved just 1:20 into the second half with his 10th rebound, tied his franchise record.

With ten points, six assists, and six rebounds at the end of the first quarter and thirteen, nine, and eight at the half, he was on the verge of achieving the triple-double.

With 19 games remaining in the season, the 30-year-old Serbian is averaging a triple-double.

He is in the top three in the NBA with 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game. Denver coach Michael Malone remarked, “Don’t ask me to describe him; I can’t.”

“The man is simply a tremendous player, and it says a lot when you are one of a kind in this league with its amazing history.

Although this league has many talented players, Nikola is, in my opinion, in a class by himself.

After blowing a 21-point lead, the Nuggets were buoyed by his quick start in overtime.

In the extra period, he played almost 45 minutes and finished with five points, five assists, and three rebounds.

In 13 seconds, he helped Christian Braun slam and layup, hit a 4-foot turnaround to start overtime, then fed Jamal Murray for two buckets.

“He is truly unique,” Braun remarked. “This is unlike anything you will ever see again. No athlete ever performs the same actions night in and night out as he does.

Jokic’s previous assist total of 19 came against Indiana on February 24. With 1:18 remaining, he outscored that on a dunk by Michael Porter Jr. that put Denver ahead 139-130. For the seventh time this season, Jokic recorded at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists on Friday. He has 149 triple-doubles in his career.

In a single season, that equaled Oscar Robertson for the most. Although he is well shy of Scott Skiles’ NBA record of 30, which he isn’t worried about, his 22 assists are the most by a center in a game. “At the moment, I’m dealing with other issues,” he stated.

 

The NBA made a lot of crazy moves in the days before the trade deadline, which is now over.

On Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks shocked everyone by trading Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In a three-team trade Sunday night, the Sacramento Kings sent former All-Star De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, as they had to.

Monster stories nonetheless dominated the day, despite many speculating that this year’s trade deadline would be challenging due to new CBA limitations that significantly restrict teams’ freedom over the luxury tax.

Kevin Durant stayed put. Wednesday night also marked the end of the lengthy Jimmy Butler story.

Following weeks of unrest in South Florida, the Golden State Warriors reached an agreement to acquire the irate Miami Heat player.

It turns out that NBA decision-makers found plenty of ways to hustle and flow within the CBA’s confines, which ultimately proved less restrictive than some had feared, given that 20 teams compete in the postseason and that home-court advantage and the outskirts of the play-in are separated by only a few wins.

Dennis Schröder, who was dealt from the Golden State Warriors to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and is now on his way to the Detroit Pistons, has had a difficult few days. Schröder was “pulled out of the showers” prior to the Warriors’ game in Utah Thursday night, according to Marc J.

Spears of ESPN. According to Spears, Schröder recently signed a contract in San Francisco and had anticipated staying with Golden State for the long run. However, he is now being transferred to Detroit.

As it turns out, many front offices were still determined to try to bring on more talent for the last stretch.

Naturally, it turns out that there were a lot of other people who were ready to balance their ledgers and increase their draft-pick war chests in the hopes of finding greater stuff the next day.

The outcome was an incredible run from the mind-blowing blockbuster on Saturday to the lead-up to Thursday’s 3 p.m.

This cycle, Schröder’s trade to Detroit is his fourth. After a brief stay with the Brooklyn Nets, he was dealt to the Warriors on December 15.

Schröder was linked to the Miami Heat before being traded to Utah, and he was also a part of the transaction that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State.

 

The NBA announced on Sunday that its salary cap for the 2024–25 season would be $140.588 million.

Compared to the January report of $141 million, it represents a minor decline. On Monday, the cap became effective at 12:01 a.m. ET. At 6 p.m.

on Sunday, teams were permitted to deal with free agents other than those on their own teams.

The cap is predicated on the anticipated revenue from basketball for the forthcoming campaign.

The 2024–25 cap is 3.4% higher than the 2023–24 cap of $136 million.

It comes after consecutive years of hikes of 10%, which is the maximum amount that the cap can rise in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

With the league on the cusp of negotiating a TV agreement worth at least $75 billion and more than a 150% rise on the previous yearly average, next season will probably be the last one for the foreseeable future without a 10% cap raise.

It would result in a $206 million ceiling for the 2028–2029 campaign.

90% of the wage cap is represented by the $126.5 million minimum club pay for the season.

A team is required to pay the league the difference if its payroll falls short of the minimum. Additionally, clubs who fail to meet the minimum are not eligible to receive a portion of the NBA’s luxury tax payments, which are given to non-taxpaying teams.

According to projections from ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the NBA normally gives half of its luxury tax revenues to the clubs that remain below the tax threshold, which for 2023–24 is $12 million per team.

With the first “apron” at $178.1 million and the second apron at $188.9 million, the tax level for the 2024–25 season is $170.8 million.

According to Marks, the Golden State Warriors ($177 million), Los Angeles Clippers ($142 million), Phoenix Suns ($68 million), Milwaukee Bucks ($53 million), and Boston Celtics ($44 million) will have the most luxury tax liabilities for the 2023–24 season.

Other taxpayers were the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets.

Because the rookie scale is linked to the cap, the final cap amount also indicates that rookie contracts for first-round NBA Draft picks will be 3.4% higher than the class from the prior year.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Zachary Risacher first overall, and he should agree to a four-year contract worth $57 million.

Although the NBA limit will only be raised slightly, its long-term rise will outpace that of other American sports leagues and salary caps in other sports.

For the 2014–15 season, the NBA salary cap was $63 million, which was over 10% less than the NHL cap of $69 million.

However, the NBA’s cap skyrocketed after its $24 billion TV deal went into effect.

The NHL has gained 28% since the 2014–15 season, while the NBA cap has increased by 123%. The NFL cap has increased by 92%.