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The Best of the Day: May 11th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from May 11, 2021 including the Lakers and Warriors' clutch wins, celebrating Cam's birthday, and more!
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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 5/11 here.
The Lakers (vs. Knicks) and Warriors (vs. Suns) earned huge wins Tuesday night as both squads are jockeying for higher seeds with the postseason fast approaching. Both Talen Horton-Tucker (LAL) and Andrew Wiggins (GSW) were the heroes for their respective teams in those matchups. Also, the trade that sent Paul George to OKC is still benefiting the Pacers, Patrick Mazeika has had arguably the most unique start to his MLB career, and PSO wishes Cam Newton a happy 32nd birthday by diving into his already incredible legacy.
Here is the best of the day from May 11, 2021:
Lakers and Warriors both pull off clutch wins with major playoff implications on the line
Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors won important contests with postseason implications Tuesday night. Still without LeBron James, the Lakers were able to get the OT win in Madison Square Garden vs. the Knicks thanks to contributions from several players, most notably Talen Horton-Tucker, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 21.1 seconds left to seal the win. Anthony Davis played lockdown defense and finished with 20 points while Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers in scoring with 23 points off the bench.
THT FOR THE WIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mW8RQJ0xsy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 12, 2021
The #Lakers lose tonight if not for excellent boxing out from @WessyWes23 https://t.co/1oiat7jiUe
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
This is the only Knicks FGM in the clutch with AD as the primary defender https://t.co/7cszfldAoU
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
Not too long ago, many were criticizing the #Lakers for refusing to include THT in potential deals alongside Dennis Schroder for Kyle Lowry.
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
The 20-year-old @Thortontucker has a lot of potential 📈 https://t.co/hvbRhrzI1C
A night after defeating the NBA-best Jazz, the Warriors earned a second-consecutive impressive victory, this time against the team with the second best record in the league, the Suns. It was the Andrew Wiggins show, as the former No. 1 overall pick had one of his best games of the season, tallying 38 points and earning player of the day. Steph Curry had a rough shooting night, finishing 1-for-11 from 3, but still managed to score 21 points while dishing out six assists and drained the dagger.
Wiggins attacking the rim 😤 pic.twitter.com/MhfuujSbly
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 12, 2021
STEPH. TOO CLUTCH. 😱 pic.twitter.com/iGnE7cHzgQ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 12, 2021
toughhhhhh
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 12, 2021
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/av7GvXV7ev
Currently the 8-seed in the West at 37-33, the Warriors are officially locked into the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, Golden State would face the Lakers in the play-in tournament, with the winner earning the 7-seed and a likely first round matchup with Phoenix. However, LA (39-30) sits just a game back of both Portland and Dallas with three games to go. Despite all the injuries, the defending champs have a real shot to earn the fifth seed and a likely first round matchup with either the Nuggets or Clippers.
Related: Stories of the Day
THE PAUL GEORGE TRADE IS STILL PAYING DIVIDENDS FOR THE PACERS
Paul George began his career as an Indiana Pacer for seven seasons, but was traded to OKC, and then again to LAC. Indiana made this move after the 2016-17 season, and still seeing excellent value four years later. They originally acquired Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo in the deal. The big man out of Gonzaga is fifth in triple-doubles this season and has become a perennial All-Star-caliber player. Oladipo also got his first nod too as a member of the Pacers.
Indiana went on to use the Paul George trade to create even more assets. They received Caris LeVert for Victor Oladipo as a result of the James Harden-Nets trade, and LeVert has blossomed into an elite scorer. He had a team-high 24 points and the dagger with under a minute left to give Indiana a clutch win on Tuesday for their play-in seeding. Indiana wasn’t the only team to benefit from a Paul George trade, however. OKC traded him after two seasons and received plenty of draft capital, fueling an exciting rebuild.
The Thunder now have the largest stockpile of draft picks this league has ever seen, as well as a young and talented Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They’ve turned Paul George into an extremely bright future for the franchise. Time will tell if, like Indiana, the trade will pay dividends in the long run. Four years later, it looks like George’s move from the Pacers has come into full effect, as they are set up with two players aged 26 and under that can represent this franchise for years to come.
COLORS KEY | FULL PACERS OUTLOOK
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
THT was terrific in OT with the GW-3PM
THT FOR THE WIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mW8RQJ0xsy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 12, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
F Andrew Wiggins, GSW (W v.PHX): 38 PTS (17-24 FG | 2-6 3P), 3 AST, 7 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (5/11/21): F Andrew Wiggins, GSW
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Averaging career-highs in FG% & 3P% in 2020-21
- Hit FG for Warriors 118th PT during 122-116 win
- Led Warriors in scoring vs. West No.2 seeded Suns
KEY STATS:
38 PTS, 7 REB, 1 TOV, 17-24 FG (71%), 2-6 3P (33%) https://t.co/LWYM6HY0zt
Related: Players of the Day
New York Knicks (99) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (101) [OT-GW 3PM]
[Highlights] @LAKERS (-140; $8.67) d. KNICKS (+122; $18.11) 101-99 (OT-GW 3PM) [NYK +2.5 | u210.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
On Cam Newton‘s birthday, it’s amazing what the 32-year-old has already accomplished in his career
Cam Newton has the most RUSH TD (70) by ANY player in the NFL since he debuted in 2011
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
pic.twitter.com/LxQUnhFK6oMost RUSH TD by a QB during 1 season since the 1970 merger:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
1. 2011 Cam Newton (14),
T2. 2021 Cam Newton (12),
T2. 1976 Steve Grogan (12),
T4. 2021 Kyler Murray (11),
T4. 1997 Kordell Stewart (11)
pic.twitter.com/Jk9Py3JtpA
Most Rush TD by a QB in NFL history:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
1. Cam Newton (70)
2. Otto Graham (44)
3. Steve Young (43)
pic.twitter.com/MnASazMQAG
Cam Newton is the only player among the NFL's current 32 franchises to be a team’s all-time leader in PASS TD (182) and RUSH TD (58)
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
pic.twitter.com/BGmDVsszQU
Cam Newton deserves WAY more respect for all of his career records and accomplishments @CameronNewton #Respect pic.twitter.com/YYc2PnS0pK
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 12, 2021
Related: Latest PSO Posts
DATE: May 11, 1980
SIGNIFICANCE: In Game 4 of the NBA Finals vs. the Lakers, 76ers SF Julius “Dr. J” Erving made one of the most iconic plays ever
"Palming it with the right hand.. floating, reaching and spinning it in!"
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 11, 2020
40 years ago on this day, @JuliusErving pulled off one of the most famous moves in NBA History in Game 4 of the NBA Finals! #NBAVault pic.twitter.com/GWVkMzieFX
Related: Significant Sports History
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