By Josh Whittemore, PSO Sports Operations Executive
May 12, 2021

 

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.

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. 

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

Related: NBA Highlights

Andrew Wiggins, GSW (W v.PHX): 38 PTS (17-24 FG | 2-6 3P), 3 AST, 7 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO

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; $18.11101-99 (OT-GW 3PM) [NYK +2.5 | u210.5]

Related: Games of the Day

Patrick Mazeika would be irrelevant, but instead he’s a hero thanks to his clutch hits

  • 1st player with multiple walk-off RBI within his 1st 4 career games since RBI became official in 1920 
  • 1st player to have multiple walk-off PAs before his 1st career hit over the last 100 years
  • 1st player to have 3 RBI before he got his 1st career Hit since 1955
 

Related: Facts of the Day 

On Cam Newton‘s birthday, it’s amazing what the 32-year-old has already accomplished in his career

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 

Related: Significant Sports History

 

 

 

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