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Archives for May 9, 2023

Embiid Proves MVP Resume vs Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s center Joel Embiid scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the 76ers to a 115-103 road victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and seven rebounds for Philadelphia, which leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The 76ers can wrap up the series on Thursday, when Game 6 will be played in Philadelphia.

James Harden of the 76ers added 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Sixers’ forward Tobias Harris contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown (24 points) and Marcus Smart (14) were the only other Celtics who scored in double figures.

The 76ers never trailed after the first quarter, and the lead never dipped below nine in the second half.

Boston was within 11 points early in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia went up 98-81 on an Embiid 3-pointer with 8:33 to play. The 76ers took a 113-92 lead — their largest advantage of the series — on a Maxey 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining.

Boston’s Al Horford missed each of his seven 3-point attempts and didn’t score in the game.

Philadelphia had a 49-36 edge in rebounds, and Boston shot 39.8 percent from the field (33 of 83). The 76ers hit 50.6 percent (40 of 79) of their shots.

Philadelphia led 33-26 after one quarter, then opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run. The Celtics closed the half with an 8-3 spurt but trailed 58-49 entering the third quarter.

Embiid had 21 points and five rebounds in the first half. Tatum missed his first six shots on the night but had 15 points at the break.

The 76ers stretched their nine-point halftime lead to 18 points on two Harden free throws with 2:44 left in the third, then went up by 19 on a Maxey layup with 29 seconds left in the period. Boston trailed 88-72 with 12 minutes to play.

The Celtics took their third loss in six home playoff games this season. The 76ers improved to 4-1 on the road in the postseason.

–Field Level Media

NBA Draft Combine Invitees

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Seventy-eight players are expected to attend the (Microsoft Surface) NBA Draft Combine 2023, scheduled for May 15-21 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.

The NBA Draft Combine 2023 is an important step in the draft process for NBA prospects, leading up to NBA Draft 2023 presented by State Farm on June 22.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games as well as shooting and strength and agility drills from May 15-21. Coverage of the NBA Draft Combine 2023 begins Wednesday, May 17 on ESPN2 from 2-6 p.m. ET, and continues Thursday, May 18 from 4-8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with host John Schiffren, analysts Cory Alexander and Bobby Marks, and Andraya Carter providing in-depth analysis and interviews with participants and NBA team personnel. The NBA Draft Combine will also be available on the ESPN App.

Strength and agility drills and shooting drills will be broadcast live on the NBA App on Monday, May 15 from 3-5 p.m. ET, with host John Fanta showcasing the event’s top prospects.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the 2023 NBA G League Elite Camp, which takes place May 13-14 at Wintrust Arena, will be invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine 2023.

Below is a list of expected attendees:

NBA DRAFT COMBINE 2023 ATTENDEES

Trey Alexander (Creighton)
Seth Lundy (Penn State)
Amari Bailey (UCLA)
Kevin McCullar (Kansas)
Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
Reece Beekman (Virginia)
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Anthony Black (Arkansas)
Jordan Miller (Miami)
Adem Bona (UCLA)
Leonard Miller (G League Ignite)
Kobe Brown (Missouri)
Judah Mintz (Syracuse)
Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
Dillon Mitchell (Texas)
Toumani Camara (Dayton)
Omari Moore (San Jose State)
Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)
Kris Murray (Iowa)
Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
Grant Nelson (North Dakota State)
Noah Clowney (Alabama)
James Nnaji (Barcelona [Spain] )
Ricky Council IV (Arkansas)
Julian Phillips (Tennessee)
Gradey Dick (Kansas)
Jalen Pickett (Penn State)
Nikola Djurisic (Mega [Serbia] )
Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
Zach Edey (Purdue)
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)
Adam Flagler (Baylor)
Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers [Oceania] )
Keyonte George (Baylor)
Adama Sanogo (Connecticut)
Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State)
Marcus Sasser (Houston)
Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)
Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)
Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)
Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
Taylor Hendricks (UCF)
Jalen Slawson (Furman)
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)
Terquavion Smith (North Carolina State)
Jett Howard (Michigan)
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut)
Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)
GG Jackson II (South Carolina)
Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
Colby Jones (Xavier)
Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan [Serbia] )
Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
Jarace Walker (Houston)
Arthur Kaluma (Creighton)
Cason Wallace (Kentucky)
Mojave King (G League Ignite)
Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest)
Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine)
Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
Dereck Lively II (Duke)
Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
Isaiah Wong (Miami)

NWSL: Boston Breakers Might Return

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Break out the Champagne, the Boston Breakers might be back in action by 2026.

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The National Women’s Soccer League, which already has plans to expand to 14 teams in 2024, is not done growing. In an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said that the league is angling to add two more clubs by 2026.

“We do expect for the 2026 season to add two more teams,” Berman said. “That process will begin later this calendar year, and through the process we ran in 2022 for this round of expansion, we have an incredible amount of interest from qualified investors who want to get in early.”

The NWSL is playing the 2023 campaign with 12 teams, the most recent additions being Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave last year. The Utah Royals, who played in the NWSL from 2018-20, are returning in 2024 and last month the league granted an expansion franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Wall Street Journal reported in January that the league was in “advanced discussions” on bringing a team back to Boston. The city was home to the Boston Breakers from 2013-17. That would mean one more market could land a new franchise in the next few years.

“Even though our (team) valuations have increased in a meaningful way, to $53 million with the team we sold to the Bay Area, we’re still really early in our process in terms of our growth and where we think this league is going to be in three to five to 10 years,” Berman said.

–Field Level Media