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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

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Nikola Jokic had hilarious reaction to Bruce Brown dagger three

Nikola Jokic with a ball in hand

May 16, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had a hilarious response to teammate Bruce Brown’s dagger late in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

With 1:21 to go in regulation and the Nuggets already ahead by 14, Brown launched a step back three to completely close out the Denver victory. Jokic’s sideline reaction was hilarious, as he could be seen gesturing in disbelief as the shot went up, only to celebrate wildly once it went in.

Jokic was asked about the moment after the game, and admitted that he was not happy with Brown over the shot selection.

“When he did a step back three, I almost wanted to punch him, but when he made it, I was so happy,” Jokic said.

Jokic’s postgame interviews have been great. He obviously wanted a smarter shot there, but Brown made it, so he could not really complain.

Brown’s contribution was immensely valuable as he contributed 21 points to Denver’s winning effort. He earned the benefit of the doubt, at least for one night.

College pitcher responds to criticism from Keith Law after 160-pitch outing

College World Series logo behind home plate

Jun 14, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores take batting practice during team practice day before the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The college baseball player who threw over 160 pitches in a do-or-die Division III game is responding to criticism over his workload.

Gabriel Romano, a pitcher for Johns Hopkins, threw 164 total pitches in a Division III College World Series game against Lynchburg during the week. While Romano received praise for the workload, Keith Law of The Athletic was less impressed.

Law pointed out that even MLB pitchers are not allowed to throw that many pitches because of the stress it puts on the arm.

Romano took note of Law’s criticism. He pointed out that he was a fifth-year graduate student pitching his final game, and that the decision to take on that workload was his.

Law is obviously looking at this from the perspective of a scout, and nobody would want to see a legitimate college prospect throw anywhere near this many pitches. Romano, however, is not an MLB hopeful. If he has no plans to keep pitching and was on board with the move, it’s probably fine.

Law is not new to criticism, but given the circumstances, he can probably lay off in this instance.

Kevin Durant responds to Bruce Brown accusations

Kevin Durant on the court

Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant has grown tired of the rumors and speculation about what transpired during his time with Brooklyn Nets — particularly as it relates to Bruce Brown.

Durant and Brown spent two seasons as teammates before Brown departed to join the Denver Nuggets ahead of the 2022-2023 regular season. And following Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night — a game that saw Brown’s Nuggets go up 3-1 over the Miami Heat — a tweet from a Nets fan sent Durant over-the-top.

Eddie Gonzalez, who co-hosts a podcast with Durant, was quick to dismiss the fan’s claim. And that’s when a frustrated Durant also chimed in.

“At some point, Nets Twitter has to stop making s–t up. . . I know, I know, I’m soft for this tweet. I’ll delete soon,” Durant wrote.

Despite Durant’s frustration, there is some reason to believe the fan’s claim holds water. It was just conjured up by the fanbase and spread without substance. The rumor actually comes from Brown himself — sort of.

During an interview with Dan LeBatard last month, Brown implied that Brooklyn’s front office wanted him back but ultimately decided against offering him a contract based on outside influence. He didn’t specifically name Durant or any other player, but made it easy enough to read between the lines.

“To be honest, I don’t think it was the Nets’ front office organization who made that decision,” Brown said. “Because from what I’ve heard, they wanted me back.”

Pressed on who it was that didn’t want him back, Brown insisted he didn’t know but reiterated that the decision wasn’t made by the front office. Nets fans have simply connected those dots much to the dismay of Durant.

Pirates developing impressive pitcher prospect from Uganda

The Pittsburgh Pirates logo

Back in January, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed 16-year-old right-handed pitcher David Matoma from Uganda during the international signing period. He became just the third Ugandan-born player to sign, joining Ben Serunkuma and Umar Male, each of whom joined the Las Angeles Dodgers during the previous international signing period.

Matoma was quite familiar with Serunkuma and Male. The trio are from the same town (Luwero) and attended the same boarding school, where they all played on the same team from 2016-2022.

“My family is happy for me because I’ve been playing baseball for so long,” Matoma said at the time, via MLB.com.

At the age of 16, Matoma already had a fastball topping out at 93 MPH.

This past Thursday, Matoma, now 17, made his professional debut for the DSL Pirates Black and tossed two scoreless innings. And while he did not record a strikeout, Matoma was clocked in at an impressive 101 MPH.

Over his two innings, Matoma threw 12 total pitches, allowing two hits and issuing one walk.

It’s unclear whether Matoma projects as a starter or a reliever but either way, he’s a prospect worth keeping an eye on.

Zion Williamson’s stepfather offers response to rumors

Zion Williamson holds a ball

Mar 4, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) laughs while warming up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Zion Williamson may be mired in controversy but his stepfather remains firmly in his corner.

During a press conference on Friday announcing a Zion Williamson Foundation partnership with Jefferson Parish Schools is Louisiana, Williamson’s stepfather, Anderson Lee, indirectly addressed the swirling rumors.

“And I wanna say this,” Lee said at the conclusion of his speech. “And I wanna be politically correct when I say it. That’s my son and I love him.

“Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear. That’s all I want to say. I stand by my son one hundred percent. I wasn’t always where I am today.”

Williamson’s personal life has come under the microscope in recent days with porn star and OnlyFans model Moriah Mills claiming they had a romantic fling. She expressed anger that Williamson did not reveal he had a girlfriend, nor that the two were expecting a baby.

“Better pray I’m not pregnant too because I’m definitely late,” Mills wrote in one of her many tweets.

Shortly after Mills’ Twitter tirade, a third woman came forward claiming she, too, was involved in a sexual relationship with Williamson.

Thus far, neither Williamson nor his girlified, Ahkeema, have commented publicly on these allegations. The only member of his family to address it is Lee, who clearly has his stepson’s back.

Derek Carr offers nice compliment for Jon Gruden

Derek Carr at a press conference

Mar 11, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) speaks at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after the New Orleans Saints kicked off their offseason training program, former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden made an appearance. He attended several practices, kept a watchful eye over quarterback Derek Carr, and met with the Saints’ offensive coaches. He also visited the team’s other quarterbacks.

Saints coach Dennis Allen insisted the visit would not result in any significant offensive changes or an adjustment to their overall philosophy.

“Obviously, Jon’s a guy that has a lot of experience with Derek and Derek has had his most success under Jon Gruden,” Allen said at the time, via ESPN. “I would say, offensively for a long time that I’ve been here, we’ve been pretty effective. So, I don’t see us putting in a whole new offense or doing something dramatic. But if there’s a few ideas that we could take from that, we felt like that would be beneficial.”

At the team’s OTAs earlier this week, Carr addressed the Gruden visit and paid his former head coach a nice compliment.

“I mean, it makes sense. I played my best football for him,” Carr said, via Pro Football Talk. “So if anybody — trust me, I spent a lot of time with him. And so if anybody knows me, knows things about me that I don’t know, he would know it.

“[The Saints coaches] can ask questions that I can’t answer. How’s Derek react after this? I think I’m going to answer it right, but ‘Gru’ will tell the truth.”

Carr believed the visit was a positive one for all.

“I can’t express enough how much I love coach Gruden. He’s family to me,” Carr said. “When all that stuff happened, it was hard for me because you’re mad, you’re frustrated. But you don’t stop loving him, you know? I love that man and what he’s meant to me in my career — I played my best football with him. And I admire him. I’ve seen him around his kids, I’ve seen him around Cindy, his wife.

“I know who he is and I love him deeply like family. So, I can’t express to you how much he means to me and how hard of a time that was for me, when all that stuff was happening.”

Gruden resigned as the Raiders head coach on October 11, 2021 after years-old e-mails filled with highly questionable material became public.

Timberwolves looking into trading Karl-Anthony Towns?

Karl-Anthony Towns looking on

Jul 9, 2019; Marina del Rey, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns attends the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards at Ritz-Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Minnesota Timberwolves trade two-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns this summer? Several executives from around the NBA apparently believe so, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Pincus notes that said executives feel Towns could be traded sometime over the “next few weeks.” That is par for the course for Towns, who is often the focus of offseason trade rumors. However, this time around the speculation may have some legs.

The Timberwolves are running short on money and simply do not have enough to go around. Towns and Rudy Gobert would combine for more than $90 million next season and trading Gobert would come at a loss in comparison to what Minnesota sent the Utah Jazz previously.

Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards is expected to sign a max deal this offseason and Jaden McDaniels will become extension eligible. He will likely seek a starting salary in the $25-30 million range.

That leaves Towns as the odd-man out.

The good news for Minnesota is that there would be no shortage of trade partners. The New York Knicks have long been considered a potential destination for Towns and their union would make sense. Tom Thibodeau previously coached Towns and team president Leon Rose once served as Towns’ agent.

Other teams rumored to be potential suitors for Towns include the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets. Pincus also speculated on a three-team trade involving the Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, and Rockets.

Ultimately, it appears as if Towns’ time in Minnesota is drawing to a close. Anticipation remains that rumor will become reality this time around.

Adrien Broner gets inappropriate during post-fight interview

Adrien Broner smiling

Adrien Broner at a press conference for his fight with Ashley Theophane. Photo Credit: Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Adrien Broner got inappropriate during an interview.

Broner beat Bill Hutchinson via unanimous decision in their 10-round fight at Miami on Friday night. The 33-year-old was then interviewed after the fight and was asked if the bout gave him everything he wanted and needed.

“It wasn’t everything .. well, it was everything I wanted, but it’s not everything I needed. Right now I need some p—y,” Broner said (censored by LBS).

The uncensored video is below, but beware of the bad language.

This was only Broner’s second fight in the last four years. He’s 35-4-1 and had been out of the public eye for so long it was almost hard to remember just how crazy he gets in his interviews like that. Almost.

Broner has been arrested or jailed numerous times throughout his pro career. Between his victory in the ring and comments in his post-fight interview, he seems to be angling to be a topic of conversation again.

Video: Conor McGregor hit Heat mascot with savage punch during bit at game

Conor McGregor in the cage

Conor McGregor looks ahead. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Conor McGregor never pulls any punches … even when his opponent is Burnie The Mascot.

The UFC superstar McGregor attended Friday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center. During a timeout in the third quarter, Burnie, the Heat mascot, came out and did a bit with McGregor.

Though Burnie showed up prepared with oversized gloves and a boxing robe (while McGregor was just in a red velour outfit), you might be able to guess how it went. The former two-division champ McGregor quickly put Burnie down with one brutal left … before adding in a second left to finish the job.

Here is the video of the bit.

Another angle of the ruthless blows can be seen below.

On one hand, Burnie had to have known what he was getting himself into. But he probably wasn’t expecting McGregor to treat him like Jose Aldo there (and to tack on the finishing blow too like it was a scene from “Cobra Kai”).

Truth be told though, that was a pretty accurate representation of what the Nuggets did to the Heat on Friday. They won convincingly by a 108-95 final to take a commanding 3-1 lead (with the series going back to Denver for a potential closeout game on Monday).

But hey, at least McGregor performs better on the basketball court than he does on the baseball diamond.

Bam Adebayo causes delay in Game 4

Bam Adebayo hangs on the rim

Bam Adebayo caused a delay in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Adebayo was trying to go up for a dunk with his Miami Heat down 76-68 to the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter. Adebayo hung on the rim as he attempted his dunk, which did not result in a basket.

Not only was Adebayo called for offensive goaltending, but he also caused a delay. Kyle Lowry pointed out that the rim might have needed an adjustment. A crew came out to examine the rim and used a level to determine if it was straight.

After a seven-minute delay, the game was able to resume.

Adebayo finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 44 minutes, though he committed seven turnovers. His Heat lost 108-95 to fall behind 3-1 in the series.