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The Best of the Day: April 26th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from April 26, 2021 including NYK and WAS win-streaks being snapped, Julio's historic production, and more!
NBAE via Getty Images
The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 4/26 here.
The two longest current win streaks in the NBA were snapped Monday night, as the Knicks (nine games) and Wizards (eight games) both fell. Chris Paul took over down the stretch in the Suns’ win over New York, while both DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray’s big games allowed the Spurs to come away with a win in DC. Also, Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. has been the most improved player in the NBA this season and has future MVP candidate written all over him, Julio Jones has put up some mind-boggling stats throughout his career, and PSO dropped its expert scouting report on former Oregon OT Penei Sewell.
Here is the best of the day from April 26, 2021:
NYK’s 9-game win streak and DC’s 8-game win streak both ended in late-game thrillers
The two hottest teams in the NBA both saw their winning streaks come to an end Monday night. The New York Knicks fell to the Phoenix Suns at home, snapping their 9-game win streak, while the San Antonio Spurs ended the Washington Wizards’ 8-game run in overtime.
If the Knicks maintained that 18-8 win% (.692) with D-Rose in the lineup over the entire season, they would have the best record in the Eastern Conference
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021
Phoenix earned the 118-110 victory thanks to Chris Paul‘s fourth quarter performance. With the Suns up by four with a minute-and-a-half remaining, Paul took over, scoring Phoenix’s final seven points to ice the contest. The 11x All-Star finished the night with 20 points, as the Suns improved to 43-18, while the Knicks dropped to 34-28, tied for fourth with Atlanta in the East.
CP3. UNREAL. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/l1ukL2duO1
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 27, 2021
Chris Paul puts the game away from deep at MSG! pic.twitter.com/x288QBb1nn
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2021
Meanwhile, the game of the day saw the Spurs defeat the Wizards despite Bradley Beal scoring 45 points and Russell Westbrook recording another triple-double (22 PTS/14 AST/13 REB). Even with Washington’s star players putting up ridiculous numbers, the story of the game were the performances by San Antonio’s DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.
Bradley Beal has tied Gilbert Arenas for the most career GP (28) with 40+ PTS in Wizards franchise history pic.twitter.com/PEi48ApMDS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021
Russell Westbrook has recorded 12 triple-doubles in April. Passing Wilt Chamberlain in March 1968 for the most in a calendar month in NBA history.
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) April 27, 2021
Russell Westbrook this month:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) April 26, 2021
✅ 303 PTS
✅ 183 REB
✅ 165 AST
Westbrook is the first NBA player to record at least 300 points, 150 rebounds, and 150 assists in consecutive calendar months since Wilt Chamberlain in Feb. & March 1968. pic.twitter.com/yLWFuk6La1
The Spurs were able to pull out the OT victory largely thanks to DeRozan’s 37 points, 10 assists, and 13-13 shooting from the charity stripe combined with Murray’s 25 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists. The win gives the Spurs (31-29) a half-game lead over Golden State for the ninth seed in the West, while the Wizards (27-34) hold the 10th and final spot for the play-in tournament in the East.
Related: Stories of the Day
MPJ IS THE NBA’S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AND A FUTURE MVP CANDIDATE
Michael Porter Jr. attended the University of Missouri for one year before entering the draft. MPJ was picked 14th overall by Denver despite only playing in three games and making just 10 shots throughout his entire collegiate career. Additionally, he was selected this high with the knowledge that he would likely miss his entire first season in the NBA as he recovered from a back injury, however that didn’t stop Denver from making Porter Jr. a lottery pick due to his sky-high ceiling that he’s starting to scratch the surface of.
Despite being out for almost a year in college, and missing an additional season once he got in the league, MPJ was still rated highly on plenty of team’s draft boards and is showing why that was the case this season. In his second season with Denver, he is averaging 18.2 points per game, while shooting an efficient 54% from the field and 44.3% from deep. A lot of the attention has been given to teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for their fantastic seasons, however, with Murray out for the foreseeable future, it’s now MPJ’s time to shine.
Regardless of what teammates are healthy or not, Porter jr. has been a key reason why Denver sits top-four in the fierce Western Conference. MPJ has started 43/50 games he’s played in and is getting 31.1 minutes per game as he proves he can be durable throughout a full NBA season. His numbers have increased in every major category since last season and he’s shown dramatic improvement from his restricted rookie season. If he stays healthy, MPJ has the skillset to become an MVP candidate in the future, and his significant increase in production should make him the Most Improved Player this year.
COLORS KEY | FULL NUGGETS OUTLOOK
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
CP3 hit some unreal shots to end NY’s streak
CP3. UNREAL. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/l1ukL2duO1
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 27, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
F DeMar DeRozan, SAS (W @WAS): 37 PTS (12-23 FG | 0-0 3P), 10 AST, 2 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 2 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (4/26/21) - F DeMar DeRozan, SAS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- 9 PTS vs. Wizards in 4th/OT; ended DC's 8-gm streak
- San Antonio is now 7-3 over their last 10 games
- Spurs scored season-high 146 points
KEY STATS:
37 PTS, 10 AST, 12-23 FG (52%), 0-0 3P, 13-13 FT https://t.co/7SJCzUtPOt
Related: Players of the Day
San Antonio Spurs (146) vs. Washington Wizards (143) [OT]
[Highlights] SPURS (-135) d. @WIZARDS (+115) 146-143 (OT) [SAS -2.5 | o230]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
PSO Scouting Report: OT Penei Sewell (Oregon) by Ricky Eisenbart
PSO breaks down Oregon OT Penei Sewell’s future outlook and how his game will translate to the next level in the NFL
Penei Sewell's NFL Scouting Report:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021
Physical Tools: A
Game Film: ??
Production: ??
Risk: A
Overall: ??
FULL evaluation: https://t.co/fSRPLAIAKI
Related: Latest PSO Posts
DATE: April 26, 1983
SIGNIFICANCE: Greatest QB class ever with HOFers John Elway (1st), Jim Kelly (14th), & Dan Marino (27th) all drafted in 1st Rd
April 26, 1983: In what’s known as the greatest QB draft class ever, HOFs John Elway was picked 1st by the Colts (traded to DEN), Jim Kelly 14th by Buffalo, and Dan Marino 27th by Miami. It’s also the last time 6 QBs were taken in the 1st round pic.twitter.com/kfZptQ7eRw
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 27, 2021
Related: Significant Sports History
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