Alec Martinez scored a shorthanded goal, blocked two shots, and had a plus-3 rating in the Vegas Golden Knights' 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Martinez finished the NHL regular season with the most blocked shots in the league, recording 244 in 77 games, 46 more than his teammate Brayden McNabb. The 35-year-old defenseman had a quiet offensive season with only three goals, but his strong defensive presence and solid plus-minus rating of 30 make up for it. Additionally, Martinez is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and has 30 points in 103 post-season games. The Golden Knights finished the season second in the Pacific Division, with a record of 50-27-5, and will face off against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is set to make NBA history. Currently, with 4,212 assists to his name, Green is slated to surpass Hall of Famer Charles Barkley with just four more assists during Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Although Green hasn’t put up massive numbers, he is one of the best all-around players in the league, which includes being an elite passer and defender. His assists numbers have been consistent as in 64 out of 69 games this season, he has dished out 4+ assists. Given Green's playmaking abilities and the Warriors' strong offensive presence, the feat seems almost certain. Warriors are set to enter the playoffs as the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference after a unique regular season. Despite some weaknesses, Green believes the defending league champions should be favored for the West Finals. In the past eight seasons, the Warriors have won the NBA Championship in four times and have been to the NBA Finals six times.
The Sacramento Kings have caught everyone's attention this postseason, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Golden State Warriors. However, the talk has not been about their success, but instead about the incident between Domantas Sabonis and Draymond Green in Game 2. Sabonis grabbed Green's leg, which resulted in Green stomping on Sabonis' chest. Green was initially assessed a technical foul, but upon replay review, the officials changed the call to a Flagrant 2 and ejected him. Sabonis was given a technical foul for his part in the incident. The league later announced that Green would be suspended for Game 3. While Sacramento's success is due in part to Sabonis' leadership, rebounding ability, and chemistry with De'Aaron Fox, the storyline has centered on the altercation with Green. The media and NBA Twitter have made headlines out of the story with no X's and O's, and there has even been anger within the organization towards the league. The focus needs to shift back to the game and the series at hand, as the Kings look to continue their success against the defending champions.
In the Sacramento Kings' first NBA playoff game since 2006, De'Aaron Fox did not disappoint, leading the Kings to a 124-120 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Fox scored an impressive 38 points, made eight assists, and grabbed four rebounds. Jones, the Kings' main play-by-play announcer during the regular season, called the game with his signature humor and clever jabs. Fans on Twitter appreciated his unique vocabulary and sense of humor, although some felt he showed too much bias towards the Kings. Sacramento's first-year head coach, Mike Brown, alchemized what was once a moribund franchise into a playoff team. With the Kings up 91-90 after three quarters, the game remained tight, providing an intense showdown for both teams. Ultimately, Fox's prowess in the game proved to be the deciding factor, as the Kings secured a thrilling first victory in the playoffs after a long drought.
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody's mother, Rona Moody, took to Twitter to express her appreciation for a fan spotted during their game against the Sacramento Kings. The tweet shows a photo of a random Warriors fan sporting Moody's No. 4 jersey at the Chase Center during the Warriors' Game 3 win over the Kings. The caption read, "I've worn my son's jersey every single game for two seasons straight to make sure that there was at least one in the arena every game. Planning to continue until I start to see others wearing it..... well I guess it's happening." Moody had a great game, scoring 13 points and three rebounds in his first game back from an illness.
Though a small event, the tweet has gone viral on social media platforms, spreading awareness of Rona Moody's dedication to her son and the recognition of a true fan. As for Moody, the young guard is playing in his second year in the league after being drafted 14th overall by the Warriors out of Arkansas in 2021. Moody's influence is growing on and off the court, making him an up-and-coming player to watch.
Donte DiVincenzo will come off the bench for the Golden State Warriors in Monday's game 2 against the Sacramento Kings as Andrew Wiggins returns to the starting lineup. This season, DiVincenzo has been a key player for the Warriors with impressive averages of 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.9 triples and 1.2 steals per contest on 45.4 percent shooting in 22.3 minutes per night. Despite primarily being utilized by the team as a reserve player, his career year letting it fly started with him going back to his college roots at Villanova. An assistant coach at Villanova helped DiVincenzo with drills that have greatly improved his shot. The drills emphasized base and lower body, with his objective being to reset himself from the ground up. DiVincenzo’s success is also attributed to a simple tip from one of the game’s most accurate shooters ever. With his impressive shooting skills, DiVincenzo has become an elite shooter, thus giving the Warriors yet another sharpshooter to fear.
Bay Area rapper, E-40, was ejected from Game 1 of the Warriors-Kings Western Conference playoff series on Saturday night as he claims due to racial bias. E-40 was reportedly standing excessively, blocking the view of attendees behind him, and was repeatedly yelled at by a woman to sit down, leading to a verbal back-and-forth between E-40 and her. Kings security then escorted E-40 from his ringside seat near the Golden State bench in the fourth quarter. E-40 noted in a statement that the incident was yet another reminder of racial bias, and he hopes that those involved are held accountable. The Kings are investigating the situation, and the Warriors have tweeted their support for E-40. The platinum-selling East Bay rapper has been a loyal supporter of the Warriors for years, and several players have shown their solidarity with him. Klay Thompson revealed that E-40 has been their biggest supporter for years, and he hopes that the situation gets sorted out because the rapper deserved to be there.
As the NBA playoffs continue, all eyes are on Tyrese Maxey and Stephen Curry to lead their respective teams to victories in their upcoming games. Maxey’s Philadelphia 76ers aim to level with the Brooklyn Nets while Curry’s Golden State Warriors face the Sacramento Kings. With much of the pregame attention focused on these two players, it is worth considering some of the options for prop bets.
A strong option for Maxey would be betting on him to make over 2.5 threes. While he was relatively quiet in game one of the playoffs, Maxey has shown that he can score from beyond the arc and is averaging 14.5 field goal attempts since the all-star break. Against a Nets team that allows opponents to shoot over 36% from deep, Maxey may be poised for a breakout performance.
Meanwhile, Curry’s consistent scoring ability makes picking him for over 29.5 points a safe bet. Despite the Kings’ recent woes, Curry should be able to continue to put up impressive scoring numbers. He has already cleared this line in three of his five games against the Kings this season, including the playoffs.
As always, these prop bets are up for grabs and could go either way. But if Maxey and Curry play as expected, they could very well provide a significant payout for those who bet on them.
Sacramento Kings fans had a lot to cheer about after their team outlasted the Golden State Warriors 126-123 in Game 1 of the series. De'Aaron Fox was the star of the game, scoring a historic 38 points and eclipsing the production of Steph Curry who finished with 30 points. During the closing moments of the game, a Kings fan was spotted taunting Curry, yelling “40 on your f--king head!” in reference to Fox’s 38 points. While the fan taunts may not have impacted the outcome of the game, Warriors fans are hopeful that Curry and his teammates will rise to the occasion in Game 2. Along with the series' expected competitiveness, there was a moment between Curry and a young fan that makes for smiles. During warmups for Game 2, Curry stopped to give a low-five to a young fan wearing his jersey, but the fan failed to notice and kept walking. Maybe Curry will get more luck when the series moves back to San Francisco.
Mike Brown, head coach of the Sacramento Kings, has been named the National Basketball Coaches Association's 2023 Coach of the Year. The award is voted on by the NBA's 30 head coaches, and it goes to the coach who has made the greatest positive impact on his team. Brown is expected to also win the NBA's Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by the media and will be announced during the playoffs. This is Brown's first season with the Kings, and under his leadership, the team went 48-34, finished third in the Western Conference, and made the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Brown has overseen one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history, taking a franchise that had been a doormat for years and turning it into a team that plays with high energy and confidence. The Kings have been one of the most potent offensive teams in NBA history, scoring a league-best 118.6 points per 100 possessions in the regular season.
Former Golden State Warrior, Harrison Barnes, missed out on a golden opportunity to take the Sacramento Kings ahead by two games in their playoff series against the Warriors on Sunday. Barnes, who left Golden State in 2016 after a poor Finals performance, was gifted a wide-open 3-pointer that would have led to a game-winning basket. Barnes, however, missed the shot, as the Kings lost 126-125. Despite the miss, Barnes remained composed, explaining that he learned how to deal with failure in 2016 when the Warriors blew a 3-1 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers: "After you learn to put yourself together after 2016, I think one shot is not going to necessarily faze you," Barnes said.
Kings coach Mike Brown has called Barnes irreplaceable, praising his performance and attitude so far in the playoffs. However, with Barnes' contract expiring at the end of the season, his future with the Kings remains uncertain. While Barnes maintains his focus on the playoffs, it remains to be seen whether his past with Golden State will affect his game in the later stages of the series.
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, recently shared his thoughts on inflation and the role of the government in controlling the economy. During an appearance on Tucker Carlson's show, Musk argued that inflation occurs when the government increases the money supply, which reduces the value of the currency. However, he also asked a rhetorical question - if printing more money could be done without negative consequences, why not make everyone a trillionaire? Musk's comments have sparked a debate about the role of the government in controlling inflation and stimulating the economy.
While Musk argues that printing more money can make everyone a trillionaire, history has shown that this approach can lead to disastrous consequences. For example, Venezuela's hyperinflation is attributed to the government printing too much money to pay for social programs and other expenses. It is important for governments to strike a balance between stimulating the economy and controlling inflation. Musk also discussed the challenges of lithium refining and the supply chain for electric vehicles during Tesla's Q1 2023 earnings conference call. He expressed a desire for other companies to invest in and develop lithium refining to ensure a steady supply. As Tesla continues to invest in and develop new technology, Musk's comments offer insight into the potential trade-offs and concerns in the pursuit of innovation.
