THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
March 31, 2022 - April 6, 2022 • 36
Sports With Irving fully in the fold, the Nets’ battle for playoff seeding intensifies By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews
points. Center Andre Drummond had another strong game with As it relates to Kyrie 14 points and 13 reIrving, whether the Nets bounds. play games at home at the The victory put the Barclays Center in BrookNets at 40-36 and lyn or on the road, with moved them to the No. the exception of in Toron8 seed in the Eastern to versus the Raptors, is no Conference, one game longer an issue. New York ahead of the 39-37 No. City Mayor Eric Adams 9 seed Hornets when eased the city’s vaccine the NBA’s schedule restrictions last week, albegan last night. The lowing unvaccinated athNets were 2.5 games letes and entertainers to behind the No. 7 seed work inside public venues. Cleveland Cavaliers, Canada still bans travelers who wereAM 42-33. The AM NEWS NEWS 01024 that are unvaccinated from Nets have six regular AM NEWS 01/06/22 03/03/22 entering the country. season games remain01/06/22 0 7 74470 22784 Irving made his home ing, beginning tonight debut on Sunday, scoring After making his Nets home debut on Sunday versus the Charlotte Hornets, Kyrie in Brooklyn against the 16 points and with 11 asMilwaukee Bucks. Irving scored 24 points on Tuesday at the Barclays Center in a 130-123 Nets win sists in a 119-110 loss to the When the reguover the Detroit Pistons (Bill Moore photo) Charlotte Hornets. lar season ends, the “It was great to see him out there,” said Nets his second game at home on Monday, drop- 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th seeds in the East forward Kevin Durant after the game. “Good ping 28 points on 7-18 shooting in a 130- and Western Conferences start the postAM123 NEWS AM NEWS to see the fans excited for him.” Irving played Nets’ win. Durant led the team with01034 41 season in the Play-In Tournament, which AM NEWS 01/13/22 03/10/22 01/13/22 0 7 74470 22784
will match the 7th seed hosting the 8th seeded team in each conference and the 9th seed meeting the 8th seed on the road. The winner of the 7-8 pairing earns the 7th seed to open the playoffs. The loser of the 7-8 game will host the winner of the 9-10 game. The winner of that game becomes the 8th seed and starts the postseason taking on the No.1 overall seed. If the current standings hold, which is unlikely given how unpredictable the final 10 days are shaping up to be, in the East, the Nets would be on the road to play the Cavaliers and the Hornets would face the No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks in Charlotte. The Nets are hoping that forward Ben Simmons, who was acquired in a trade last month that sent guard 01104 James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, can joinAMthe NE lineup 03/03/ 0 sometime over the 7 next six games. 74470 22784 The 25-year-old, three-time All-Star, who sat out the season in a dispute with the Sixers, is now experiencing back issues. Before playing the Pistons on Tuesday, Nets head coach Steve Nash said there are no new updates on Simmons and the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection has not had another MRI. 01114 AM NE 03/10/ 0 7 74470 22784
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
the NBA in blocks at 1.8 blocks. Several other young Knicks have been significant contributors in their positive stretch of games, notably guard Immanuel Quickley and forward Obi Toppin.01124 Quickley has AMthe NE shown marked improvement running 03/17/ 0 7 offense and while rediscovering his shoot74470 22784 ing touch that was inconsistent the first half of the season. Overall the 25-year-old 2020 first round pick (No. 25) is averaging 10.6 points and 3.2 assists. Toppin, taken No. 8 in the first round by the Knicks in 2020, has not made the major strides many predicted he would a year later. Howev01134 promise. er, he is finishing strong and showing AM NE In the prior nine games he has played lead03/24/ 0 7 ing into last night,22784 Toppin was averaging 11.3 74470 points on 60% percent shooting and 38% percent on 3-point attempts in 19 minutes of playing time. He has also demonstrated impactful activity on the defensive end of the floor.
The Knicks’ make a late season surge but will fall short of the Play-In in Washington on April 8 to challenge the Despite an impressive late season surge, Wizards, and AMconclude NEWS AM NEWS 01044 the math is against the Knicks in their hopes the AM NEWS of salvaging what has been a regression from season April 10 01/20/22 03/17/22 01/20/22 last season. Heading into their game last at home against0 74470 22784 7 night at Madison Square Garden versus the the ToronEastern Conference’s No. 9 seed Charlotte to Raptors. The Hornets and their sensational 20-year-old, Knicks’ recent second-year point guard LaMelo Ball, the upward trend Knicks were 34-42, had won four games in a is a testament row for the first time this season, and were to their resil9-4 over their previous 13 games. and proAMience NEWS AM NEWS 01054 Yet after a 41-31 record last season and the fessional pride. AM NEWS 01/27/22 03/24/22 No. 4 seed in the East entering the playoffs, They have not 01/27/22 the Knicks, the No. 11 seed in the confer- hung their col-0 74470 22784 7 ence before facing the Hornets, won’t even lective heads in make the Play-In Tournament. The four Play- despondence or Knicks second-year forward Obi Toppin has shown evident In spots are reserved for the No. 7 to No. 10 put forth excusimprovement in the latter stages of this season (Bill Moore photo) seeds. The Knicks were trailing the No. 10 es for not meetseed Atlanta Hawks by 4.5 games when the ing their own NBA’s schedule began yesterday and would expectations. The 23-year-old Robinson, the 36th overhave to be the recipients of a divine miracle “We’re just playing hard,” said center will AM NEWS AMdraft, NEWS 01064all pick by the Knicks in the 2018 to catch the Hawks. Mitchell Robinson after the Knicks’ 109-104 be AM an unrestricted free-agent this summer NEWS 02/03/22 They will host the Cleveland Cavaliers at victory at home0 over the Chicago Bulls on and02/03/22 the target of several teams. 03/31/22 In 69 games 7 74470to see 22784 the Garden on Saturday, play the Magic in Monday night. “We want what we can this season before last night’s matchup with Orlando on Sunday, meet up with the Brook- make out of the rest of the season, so we just Charlotte, he was averaging 8.5 points on lyn Nets at MSG next Wednesday, will be want to make something happen.” 76.3% shooting, 8.6 rebounds and fourth in
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