Newy Scruggs, sports anchor at NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS-TV) and radio host weekly from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Radio Sirius XM 213/202 and NBCSportsRadio.com, answered questions during a live chat Wednesday. Below are highlights, edited for clarity.
In the future, is this Luka Doncic, or Dennis Smith Jr.'s team? or Both?
Scruggs: Both. Not sure if fans understand but you need a few good players to win a championship. I don't see them turning into the ego mess that we see in Washington. The same way Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki were the glue that started a great run in Mavs history, look at Doncic and Smith in the same way.
You must have a darn good point guard in the West to win. Smith will be an All-Star. Doncic has incredible talent and is going to be worthy of his Euro nickname "Wonder Boy." Great players can thrive on a team together. Just check NBA championship history.
What is the best and worst thing about Dennis Smith Jr.'s game this season?
Scruggs: Dennis Smith Jr. is fine. I will defend this kid all day and every day. It's not easy being a point guard for Rick Carlisle but he will be an All-Star player in the future.
If you had to guess, how long will it take for the Mavericks to get to the playoffs?
Scruggs: I have no clue. This summer will tell us a lot as more teams have money to spend in free agency. I just know it will not be this season.
Your favorite city to visit, stadium to see?
Scruggs: In the NBA, it is Oracle Arena in Oakland because it feels like a college arena.
Baseball, it's the Giants ballpark in San Francisco.
My favorite NFL venue is Lambeau Field. The history is just outstanding. The location, the fans, the food....bucket list type of atmosphere.
The Superdome in New Orleans is awesome too. I think New Orleans is the best city to host major championship events. I love that town.
The Orlando Magic (9-9) go on the road to take on the Denver Nuggets (11-7) on Friday at 9:00 PM ET. These two teams will meet up for the first time since December 8th 2017, a 103-89 Denver Nuggets victory (Faried: 20 points, 10 rebounds).
Denver won their last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103 - 101; Jokic: 7 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists. The Nuggets enter this contest with a 4-6 record in their last 10 games and a 7-3 mark at home. Paul Millsap led the Nuggets in scoring against their last opponent, the timberwolves. He contributed with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block and 2 threes with 1 turnover in 27 minutes. Millsap shot 11 for 13 in the game, hitting 84.6% of his attempts from the field (1/2 from the line, 2/2 from three-point range).
The Nuggets rank well in assists per game (#5), steals per game (#6) and offensive rebounds per game (#8). Their weakest areas are three point percentage (#22), free throw percentage (#22) and blocks per game (#22).
Nuggets Betting Trends
In the last 7 games, the Nuggets have gone 2-5 with an average point differential of 1.7. Against the spread, their record is 2-5, with an average pre-game line of -3 and an average -1.3 against the spread.
They have beat the Over/Under 4 times in this two-week span, while falling under 3 times. The Nuggets' Over/Under lines have averaged 220.8 in the past two weeks and their games have resulted in an Over/Under average of -0.5.
Orlando lost their last game to the Toronto Raptors, 93 - 91; Green: 13 pts (game-winner with 0.5 left). The Magic have a 7-3 record during their last 10-game stretch and are 3-3 in away games this season. Evan Fournier finished the game with a team-high 27 points against their last opponent, the raptors. He shot 55.0% from the field, making 11 of his 20 attempts (1/2 from the line, 4/9 from three-point range). Fournier ended up with 27 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 4 threes with 2 turnovers in 34 minutes.
The Magic have climbed the rankings this season in turnovers per game (#5), assists per game (#6) and blocks per game (#7). The team needs work on points per game (#23), offensive rebounds per game (#21) and defensive rebounds per game (#21).
Magic Betting Trends
In the last two weeks, the Magic have played 7 games. In that time, their straight up record is 5-2 with a 8.1 average point differential. Their record against the spread is 6-1, with an average pre-game line of 3.1 and an ATS average result of 11.3.
Their games have topped the Over/Under 4 times, falling under 3 times. The Over/Under lines have averaged 218.4 in the past two weeks and their games have resulted in an Over/Under average of 3.2.
Nikola Jokic is the top fantasy basketball player for the Nuggets with a season average of 43.47 fantasy points per game. He has averaged 17.2 PTS, 10.1 REB, 7.1 AST, 1.4 STL and 0.8 BLK with 3.1 TO. Jamal Murray has an average of 30.57 fantasy points per game on the season. He's averaging 17.2 PTS, 4.1 REB, 4.3 AST, 0.9 STL and 0.5 BLK with 2.2 TO for the 2018-2019 season.
Nikola Vucevic is the best player on the Magic team from a fantasy basketball perspective, with 43.24 fantasy points per game. He's averaged 20 PTS, 11.2 REB, 3.6 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.1 BLK and 2.2 TO this season. Aaron Gordon has 33.92 fantasy points per game. He's averaged 17.1 PTS, 7.6 REB, 2.6 AST, 1 STL, 0.9 BLK and 1.9 TO on the season.
Curry is recovering from an adductor strain he suffered on November 8 against the Milwaukee Bucks at home. The two-time league MVP hasn’t played since then.
On the season, Stephen Curry is averaging 29.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 49.2 percent from beyond the arc and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line. The sharpshooter got into a car accident last Friday, but he was not injured and was in good spirits at the team’s practice facility afterwards.
The Warriors are about to embark on a five-game road trip which starts on Thursday against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. After that, Golden State will face off against the Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors have an offensive rating of 124.4 when Curry is on the court. That rating drops to 114.2 when he is not playing. Golden State recently lost four games in a row for the first time in the Steve Kerr era. The team has bounced back with three-straight wins over the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic, all at home.
Golden State enters the game against the Raptors with a record of 15-7, second place in the Western Conference. Once Stephen Curry comes back, the rest of the NBA better watch out.
The Golden State Warriors have been hot to start the season. Their 10-1 is tied for the league’s best record with Toronto.
In a difficult Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have been dominant. Their only loss came to the 9-1 Denver Nuggets, who currently sit right behind the Warriors in the West. This team has shown a rejuvenated spirit and a desire for regular season excellence.
They’ve kicked off the season to hot by relying on their stars. Since the league’s best team has one of the league’s worst second units, they’ve been forced to put more pressure on their four stars and two superstars.
This reliance, while some find a cause for concern, can really be showcased throughout most of the league’s top teams. It’s a common trend that the best players score the bulk of the team’s points, and for Golden State, that’s just a bit more obvious.
As for their competition, the Warriors have knocked off teams like Minnesota, Memphis, Oklahoma City and New Orleans at home along with Utah in Salt Lake City. These games have down their character and will to win.
That said, here are three reasons why the Dubs have been able to kick the season off to a 10-1 start.
The Houston Rockets have now won three games in a row and have put together some very impressive defensive efforts. Are they back to the Rockets of old?
The Rockets started the year 1-5, and after just six games, many people were ready to write this team off for the rest of the season. But Houston is starting to turn things around.
On Monday night, the Rockets defeated the Indiana Pacers, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, 98-94. James Harden led the way with 28 points. Clint Capela turned in another double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Paul struggled again from the field, but he did set up his teammates, dishing out a game-high 13 assists over the course of 37 minutes.
For Indiana, Victor Oladipo showed once again that he is one of the best clutch performers in the league, as he scored 8 points in the final three minutes of the game. However, a timely 3-pointer from Harden off a Paul feed with 36 seconds left in the game put Houston ahead 93-90. The following possession, Harden came up clutch again after knocking the ball out of Oladipo’s hands as he was driving down the lane.
Paul split the pair at the line and Oladipo quickly drilled a 3-pointer at the other end, bringing Indiana within one point. But Houston’s defense and four clutch free throws from Harden sealed a Rockets win.
It was a great late game battle between two guards that were traded away from Oklahoma City and had breakout seasons with their new teams. In the end, the MVP came out on top.
Are the Rockets back?
The Rockets have now strung together three wins in a row, even with Gordon missing two of those games and Harden sitting out one. After such a slow start, are the Rockets finally back?
The truth is that it’s still too early to tell.
Yes, the Rockets have won three consecutive games, but they still haven’t had any of the dominant performances from beginning to end that we saw last season.
The Rockets trailed by as much as 14 points against Brooklyn before rallying behind Paul and coming back for the win. Houston played solid defense against Chicago, in the second half at least, but they struggled to find their footing on offense against the second worst defensive team in the NBA. Houston’s win against Indiana is by far their most impressive of the season, but their offense still lacks the same rhythm and flow that we’ve grown accustomed to in the Mike D’Antoni era.
These last three wins were very gritty, which is exactly what you want to see out of a team with such lofty aspirations. It’s impressive that Houston has held their opponents to 94 points or less over the last two games. However, it’s also troubling that the Rockets haven’t been able to score at least 100 points over the last two games, even with Harden in the lineup.
Now that Jeff Bzdelik is back on Houston’s sidelines as a defensive coordinator of sorts, hopefully Houston’s defense won’t look as horrid going forward as it did in the beginning of the season. And you can’t expect a roster with players like Harden, Paul, Capela, Carmelo Anthony and Eric Gordon to struggle on offense for long, especially with Mike D’Antoni running the show.
The Rockets will face some stiff competition in the next five games, with meetings against Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Indiana, Denver and Golden State next on the schedule. If they can get their offense back on track, keep the grit on defense and escape the next five games with a positive record, then they’ll be on the right track.
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' G League affiliate, opened their season last Friday on the road. Fort Wayne fell to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami's ...
Milwaukee Bucks superstar small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the game, which makes him almost impossible to gameplan for. Just ask L.A. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who says Antetokounmpo is in the same class as Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Appearing on FS1’s Undisputed Tuesday morning, Rivers said preparing for The Greek Freak is just as hard as game planning for KD and LeBron.
“He’s a mess,” Rivers said. “He’s as tough. Durant, LeBron, and him as far as preparing for. It’s funny, and listen, I’m a defensive-minded guy, but there are times in the meeting when you’re talking like, ‘That’ll work, that’s gonna work,’ because they’re that good. And he does it in such a different way — he doesn’t do it with the shot, he does it with the attack, and at his size, he’s a mess.”
Through 19 games this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a man among boys. The Bucks’ two-time All-Star is averaging 26.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 57.2 percent from the field.
Antetokounmpo doesn’t have the shooting prowess that Durant does, but he doesn’t even need it since he can get to the rim whenever he wants with his long strides. No one in the league has the strength which LeBron does when he’s going downhill, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is a nightmare on the fastbreak as well. He can take two steps from half court and he’ll be dunking the ball.
The Bucks are 14-6 on the season, second place in the Eastern Conference. New head coach Mike Budenholzer has implemented a more fluid offense which is predicated on ball movement and off-ball cuts. As a result, Antetokounmpo is scoring with ease this season.
That's according to ESPN's Max Kellerman, who believes a deal including Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball would be enough to peak the interest of the Charlotte Hornets.
Walker's stock is sky-high right now having started the season in scintillating form.
He leads the league in points per game, including 43-outing in the win over the Boston Celtics and a career-high 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.
But Walker can walk away from Charlotte for nothing next summer as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
It leaves the Hornets in a precarious position as they will not want to risk losing their franchise player for free.
The Lakers meanwhile are looking to bolster their ranks to team up with LeBron James ahead of a playoff push.
They also have their eyes on the 2019 free agency market, with the likes of Leonard, Durant, Klay Thompson and several others potentially available.
And Kellerman believes the Lakers should take advantage of Walker's position at the Hornets by trading now to make them an even more attractive proposition for top free agents next summer.
"What if Kemba Walker was the one bringing up the ball [for the Lakers]?" Smith said on First Take.
And Kellerman responded with a scenario in which the Lakers should consider trading Ball and Ingram for Walker before the deadline.
"Lets say the Lakers' plan is to pump up Lonzo [Ball] and [Brandon] Ingram because ultimately they want to keep [Josh] Hart and [Kyle] Kuzma, even though the other two might have more upside," Kellerman said on First Take.
"And they find they can't get AD for a package like that and they can't get any other guys they want for a package like that.
"They want to be attractive to other free agents and remember, because Kemba is only making $12million right now.
"You don't have to give him the contract first, keep your salary low, sign another max player, then you can give Kemba the contract.
"Lets say there was an Ingram, Lonzo deal for Kemba...
"That's a big package for Kemba.
"The question as to who says no to that deal I believe is the Lakers."
The Grizzlies are off to a 4-2 start in 2018-19. Jason Munz, Southern Miss Sports Writer
Start with the funky jump shot because it's usually the first clue that Omri Casspi is unlike anyone else in the Memphis Grizzlies locker room.
The shooting motion begins with Casspi dipping the ball below his waist, almost to his knees. His arms then rise past his chest parallel to his chin for the release, almost like an elephant swinging his trunk up and spraying water.
It’s unorthodox and, frankly, ugly.
But “that funny-looking 3, it goes in,” guard Garrett Temple said.
There is, after all, only one player on the Grizzlies roster who shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc three of the past four seasons.
And there is only one Jewish basketball player in the NBA this year, according to a database of Jewish athletes maintained by Gratz College.
Meet 30-year-old Omri Casspi.
“He’s not your typical NBA player, that’s for sure,” Temple said.
How Omri Casspi is different
The typical NBA player doesn’t spend his offseason investing in an Israeli startup company that uses analysis of gut bacteria to make nutritional recommendations on a smartphone app.
The typical NBA player isn’t part of an ownership group trying to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Sacramento.
The typical NBA player isn’t born in Israel, and doesn’t discuss police brutality, race relations and religion during plane flights with his teammates.
“He asks questions, honestly, to try to understand things about America instead of just thinking whatever he believes is true,” said Temple, who also played with Casspi in Sacramento for two seasons.
In today's political climate, when nobody can seem to agree on what’s fact and what’s opinion anymore, isn’t that refreshing to hear?
It’s why Casspi never runs away from the label of being the NBA’s first Israeli-born player. He wants to be known and remembered for what he does on the court, but also what he stood for off it.
It’s why, every year, Casspi convinces NBA players and other celebrities to visit Israel for goodwill trips, to support his foundation and show them what it's like where he grew up just outside Tel Aviv.
It’s why I asked the 10-year veteran earlier this week how he felt about the awful shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last Sunday that left 11 dead.
“Obviously, it’s sad and unfortunate,” Casspi said. “I can’t call America a racist country or anti-Semitic, but there is some anti-Semitic people out there, too. We got to take precautions and care. Our family stays involved in the community. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere, so you’ve got to take extra caution and make sure you’re seeing what’s going on around you.”
In Memphis, Casspi discovered what he called a “warm and united” Jewish community.
Rabbis, season-ticket holders and Grizzlies’ minority owners all reached out to him once he signed a one-year, $2.2-million contract this offseason, inviting his family to dinner and to observe the high holidays this fall. Casspi, his wife and his daughter are already actively involved with the Memphis Jewish Community Center.
What Omri Casspi means to the Grizzlies
But Casspi’s signing this offseason was mostly overlooked around town. Fans were more intrigued by the acquisition of Temple via trade, or the addition of restricted agent Kyle Anderson.
And yet it’s Casspi who had the best plus/minus (+37) of the Grizzlies’ reserves entering Friday’s game at Utah, and it’s Casspi who will be the only member of the team with an NBA championship ring as of Monday.
Golden State will present him with one when Memphis concludes its three-game road trip with a game against the Warriors Monday night.
But he never actually took part in the Warriors’ postseason run, and it continued an unfortunate distinction. No active player in the NBA has appeared in more regular season games without playing in an NBA playoff game than Casspi.
Golden State released him on April 7, with just two regular-season games remaining. NBA rules dictated that he couldn’t sign with another team at that late of a date. Steve Kerr said at the time he “felt awful” about the decision, but the team needed to make room on its roster for Quinn Cook because Steph Curry was injured.
Casspi called the situation “tough” and “bittersweet,” but he’s also looking forward to Monday.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of meaning,” he said. “First of all, it’s important to feel appreciated from an organization standpoint. And I cherish my memories from this group of guys. Just at the end of the day, I’m very thankful to be in that position to be a part of that championship team.”
On this Grizzlies team, Casspi is taking on an important role for a thin front court that’s currently missing JaMychal Green. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff appreciates that “he knows who he is and what he’s going to give you, and he doesn’t step outside of that box.”
Casspi is a player who can go entire games without playing and still be effective whenever he does, who thrives on cuts, guts and guile. He started 11 times for Golden State last year, and averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in those appearances.
Temple says "even in practice, you don’t really see it. But in the game, he’s a guy that can just make things happen."
As for that 3-point motion, Casspi insists it’s simply how he’s always shot the ball. He’s never really considered changing it.
Why mess with a good thing?
"That’s who I am,” Casspi said. “It might look a little different, but it goes in."
