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The Best of the Day: March 30th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from March 30, 2021 including Vegas extending Kolton Miller, MPJ's big game, Russ' big slam, and more!
Raider Ramble
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 3/30 here.
Kolton Miller is the first player to be extended from his draft class after signing a five-year deal with the Raiders that will keep him with Vegas through 2025. The Los Angeles Clippers need to put their choking habits to bed or else they could be in jeopardy of an early playoff exit. Also, Michael Porter Jr.’s big game helped lift Denver past Philly, the Suns held off a late rally from the Hawks in the game of the day, and the NBA’s offensive and defensive ratings are shattering records at an absurd rate.
Here is the best of the day from March 30, 2021:
OT Kolton Miller is the 1st 2018 Draft Pick to Get Extended
The Las Vegas Raiders signed OT Kolton Miller to a 4y/$68.7M extension with a fifth-year team option for the 2025 season. This includes $42.6M guaranteed and will pay Miller an average of $18M/year. Selected No. 15 overall by Las Vegas in 2018, the UCLA product is the first player from his draft class to sign a contract extension.
Raider Nation, we are just getting started! So excited for the future, let’s get to work ‼️ pic.twitter.com/IfctV12ut0
— Kolton Miller (@kolton_miller) March 30, 2021
Raiders OT Kolton Miller just became the first member of the 2018 NFL Draft class to receive an extension.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 30, 2021
Amongst the most notable others that are extension eligible: Baker Mayfield, Quenton Nelson, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Darius Leonard and Fred Warner.
Miller struggled mightily with pass protection and penalties during his rookie season, but has steadily improved every year. He is coming off his best season yet after allowing a career-low 31 pressures in 2020. However, that was still more than two per game, which doesn’t quite justify currently making him the league’s fourth-highest paid LT in terms of average annual salary.
Miller has also become one of the only constants for the Raiders in 2021 after the team traded OT Trent Brown, OG Gabe Jackson, and C Rodney Hudson, three main pillars from one of the better O-lines in the league. They will now be extra reliant on Miller’s continued improvement, which is exactly what the Raiders are banking on with this extension. The first Raiders draft pick in the Jon Gruden era is still only 25 and has shown enough promise for Vegas to believe that he can become the prominent blindside protector they envisioned on draft day.
Related: Stories of the Day
A CLIPPERS FIRST ROUND EXIT IS NOT AS UNREASONABLE AS ONE MAY THINK
The LA Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, might be too highly regarded when it comes to the Western Conference title race. Vegas odds currently have them as the second most likely team to win it, behind their rival Lakers. The Clips sit in 3rd in the West as of now, behind Phoenix and Utah.
LA blew a 16-point lead without Paul George on Tuesday night at home to a Magic team that essentially traded away all of their key players at the NBA trade deadline. This is a very concerning look for a team that has title aspirations, even if it is on a back-to-back after beating the Bucks. It further shows their inconsistencies, lack of focus, and non-existent continuity.
If the NBA playoffs were to start today, LA would matchup with Portland. Portland recently got back their star guard CJ McCollum from injury, and have won six out of eight with him back in the lineup along with Jusuf Nurkic’s return and now the addition of Norman Powell. A backcourt of CJ and Damian Lillard is one that is dangerous and has proven they can make a playoff run, as they did when they made the Conference Finals during the most recent full regular season.
The Clips looked extremely vulnerable Tuesday night against a poor Orlando squad, and in a tougher Western Conference, a first-round exit is not a ridiculous thought. It is fair to consider teams like Utah, Denver, Portland, and the reigning champion Lakers as more threatening, considering the Clippers’ history of blowing leads (as they did once again vs. Orlando). Until LA can prove their choking habits are behind them, a fierce Western Conference could have them ousted earlier than people may realize.
COLORS KEY | FULL CLIPPERS OUTLOOK
MCW put an exclamation point on it 💥 pic.twitter.com/QnfswhjOsb
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 31, 2021
Kawhi made the tough finish look easy 😤 pic.twitter.com/WRRZz6CXez
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 31, 2021
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Russ rocks the rim with intensity
HUGE slam by Russ 😳 pic.twitter.com/BLLJzbMmrV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 31, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
F Michael Porter Jr., DEN (W v.PHI): 27 PTS (11-16 FG | 5-7 3P), 4 AST, 12 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 2 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (3/30/21) - F Michael Porter Jr.
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 31, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- 1st time DEN has 3 20 PPG scorers in a month since '88
- MIP candidate: 9.3 PPG to 16.5; 4.7 RPG to 7.5 in '20-21
- Avg 20.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 59% FG & 53% 3P in March
KEY STATS:
27 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, 11-16 FG, 5-7 3P https://t.co/4HVy3NIFiG
Related: Players of the Day
Atlanta Hawks (110) vs. Phoenix Suns (117)
[Highlights] @SUNS (-226; $13.87) d. HAWKS (+193; $12.18) 117-110 [PHX -5.5 | o220.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Remembering the legacy of one of the greatest and most feared CBs of his generation during his 33rd birthday
Richard Sherman's HOF resume:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 30, 2021
- 5x Pro Bowl
- 3x All-Pro
- 2013 Super Bowl Champion
- Most INT (40) among active NFL players
- Best CMP% (49.8%) allowed over the last decade
- Only active CB under 68.0 PASS RTG allowed (54.5)
pic.twitter.com/T55eC6l0LR
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