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CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Will Riley of Kitchener, Ont. selected in first round of NBA draft
Rising basketball star, Will Riley, in his hometown of Kitchener, Ont. in 2024. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener) A basketball player from Kitchener, Ont. is headed to the big league. Will Riley, 19, was selected 21st overall in the first round by the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. But he won't play for the team, as he was traded shortly after to the Washington Wizards. Riley attended both Grand River Collegiate Institute in Kitchener and Preston High School in Cambridge. He also played with the K-W Vipers basketball club. will riley kitchener basketball The 6-foot-8 forward then moved the Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania where he was flagged as a standout on the hardwood. In early 2024, the then 18-year-old was named MVP out of the 40 best high school players in the world, outside of the United States. That announcement was made during the NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Riley then moved on to the NCAA and the University of Illinois, where he played one season for the Illinois Fighting Illini. During those 35 matches, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. will riley Will Riley announces where he'll be playing basketball on June 23, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener) Riley is only the 22nd Canadian since 2011 to be drafted by the NBA in the first round. He is also the second basketball player from Kitchener to play for the league. Jamal Murray was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2016 and still plays for the team. Like Riley, he is also a former student of Grand River Collegiate Institute.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets Can Offer Nikola Jokic Support He Needs With New NBA Trade Idea
Nuggets Can Offer Nikola Jokic Support He Needs With New NBA Trade Idea originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Denver Nuggets managed to push the Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to seven games in the NBA Playoffs. They ran out of gas in that seventh game. Advertisement It is growing more and more obvious just how much Nikola Jokic needs to be supported by a stronger cast of players around him. The Nuggets superstar is one of the best floor and ceiling raisers in the league, however, even Jokic has his limits. One member of his supporting cast that looks worse by the day is Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets forward struggled mightily against the Thunder, averaging 7.4 points while shooting 32.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3-point. Porter Jr. is set to collect $38.3 million next season, limiting the Nuggets' ability to make improvements with him on the books. This next trade idea would alleviate Denver from those concerns. May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) talks to Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report suggested a deal with a rebuilding team to help offload Porter Jr. The following trade idea involves linking up with the New Orleans Pelicans to reshape the supporting cast in Denver. Advertisement Nuggets receive: Trey Murphy III, Kelly Olynyk. Pelicans receive: Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, a 2031 first-round pick swap, and a 2032 first-round pick. Giving up the draft capital would be a necessary maneuver to getting another team to take Porter's contract. For the rebuilding Pelicans, that would also create cap space after his deal expires following the 2026-27 season. The Nuggets get a reliable scorer beside Jokic with Murphy. The Pelicans forward averaged 21.2 points per game in 2024-25, shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. Olynyk is a nice throw-in here as well. The Nuggets would get an opportunity to have a backup they can trust in the frontcourt behind Jokic with the addition. Advertisement Related: Nuggets Legend Anticipates Nikola Jokic Blueprint Shaping the Next NBA Generation Related: Paul Pierce Has Major Trade Suggestion to Nuggets to Benefit Nikola Jokic This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nuggets Listed as Favorites to Land All-Defensive Wing Behind Lakers, Mavericks
Nuggets Listed as Favorites to Land All-Defensive Wing Behind Lakers, Mavericks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Denver Nuggets, behind Nikola Jokic, are expected to compete in the Western Conference for the next several years despite the lack of All-Star talent around him. Advertisement Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Michael Porter Jr. are all quality players, although none of them are a reliable true second option on a championship team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Jokic has the uncanny ability to make anyone around him suddenly become one of the better scorers in the league, although his impact on the defensive end is simply not on par with his offensive skillset. As a result, the Nuggets are expected to try and make an offseason move to bolster their defense. Jan 12, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones (5) controls the ball ahead of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) in the third quarter at Ball Arena. © Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Denver has very limited cap space and doesn't boast the best in the way of trade assets, although they have the fifth-best odds to land Herb Jones in a trade this summer, according to offshore sportsbook Bovada. Advertisement Other teams in the mix include the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, who have better trade packages available to land the All-Defensive forward. The Nuggets' payroll is very top-heavy, and they don't exactly boast expiring contracts that would be appealing to the rebuilding New Orleans Pelicans. They could send a package centered around Porter Jr., although the Pelicans would then need to match his salary. Jones averaged 11 points on 41.8 percent shooting from deep in 2023-24, his last healthy season. He played only 20 games last season as injuries plagued New Orleans, although he is generally seen as the very best perimeter defender in the NBA. Advertisement Unless Denver can shed some salary in a move before adding Jones, expect the Lakers and Mavericks, as well as the Spurs and Rockets, to remain the favorites. Check out the Inside the Nuggets homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: David Adelman Reveals What Nuggets Must Add in Offseason Related: Denver Nuggets Get Major Coaching News on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets hope in Game 6, 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
DENVER — Those sounds: the clamoring from a thirsty Denver crowd, the roars of exhilaration from Jamal Murray's motivated lips. Those looks: the smirk that escaped the otherwise stiff Nikola Jokic during his exit to the tunnel, the loss of color and life from Jalen Williams' expression. Those are the signs of what Alex Caruso was fearful of. Giving the Nuggets hope. Advertisement 'You don't wanna give a team fighting for their life any hope or belief,' Caruso warned hours before Game 6, ahead 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals then. 'Probably the most dangerous thing you can do.' Invoke danger the Thunder did. Ball Arena was sent into a frenzy by an equal dose of hope and belief. Hope that a Game 7 was possible. Belief that it could stomp the Thunder, 119-107, to unlock it. 'Yeah, I said 'give them hope,'' Caruso recalled to The Oklahoman Thursday night. 'It's not up to us. They have (a) championship mindset. They were always going to come out and throw punches and haymakers tonight. Jamal Murray flexing to the crowd — you can see the emotion and energy that they were playing with.' The door of hope was thrust open as soon as the second quarter. Advertisement MUSSATTO: OKC Thunder needs more from Jalen Williams to oust Nuggets from NBA Playoffs in Game 7 DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets greets fans after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107 in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Inside the period, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams each picked up their third foul. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth. In all non-Game 2 performances this series — when he played 30 minutes in a blowout Thunder win — SGA has played at least 38 minutes. He played 35 on Thursday. Contact and time were his greatest enemies, a 32-point, six-assist night on 11-of-16 shooting to show for it. His fourth whistle was preventable, a swipe at Jokic after losing the ball. A handful of Jaylin Williams and Hartenstein's fouls stemmed from jumping near Jokic — who finished with an efficient 29 points and 14 boards, attempting 12 free throws — while he made his way to the rim in slow motion. Advertisement SGA and Hartenstein opened the half seemingly avoiding drivers underneath the rim like they were attempting to dodge a laser security system. 'We had some dumb fouls that we could've prevented,' Jaylin Williams told The Oklahoman. 'Nothing really changed. We just gotta be smarter with our contact.' And yet, OKC still found itself in the driver's seat after that: a 12-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half in a game where that kind of deficit felt worth a fortune. That lead was erased in those two minutes. With a pair of Christian Braun 3-pointers. With a steady flow of rim attempts from Denver. Advertisement CARLSON: OKC Thunder falls into cauldron of a Game 7 after failing to eliminate Denver Nuggets Belief seemingly coursed through Murray's bloodstream before Mucinex ever got the chance to. He began Thursday listed as questionable with an illness, something coach David Adelman apparently caught wind of earlier that morning. Murray finished the night with 27 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. He dazzled with marvelous shotmaking, without a jumper worth sneezing at. Perhaps the sideline was contaminated when he nearly crowd surfed at the end of the third quarter; he flexed and grimaced in their air space after a 10-second sequence saw him score a fastbreak layup and draw a pivotal foul to swing the end of the third. He wore the emotions of Denver's Game 6 push. But they all floated to the top with the way the Nuggets closed that third quarter. Advertisement If potential elimination games call for an unsung hero, Nuggets guard Julian Strawther was that. Twice in this series, Strawther played less than five minutes. Once he picked up a DNP. But Thursday, he pumped air into Denver's season. In just over a minute, he scored eight points: two 3s and a funky lob. Arson-worthy for the Denver faithful, migraine-inducing for a Thunder squad aiming to wipe its hands with this round. The Nuggets' lead went from three. To five. To eight. To 10. All in lung-crushing time. 'When halftime ends, you get 24 minutes to play your best, regardless of what just happened,' Daigneault said. 'We had that opportunity. So did they. They outplayed us in the second half.' Advertisement 5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder fails to close out Denver Nuggets, sending series to Game 7 DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets reacts as Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the third quarter in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Despite Oklahoma City's most recent couple closes, and despite Gilgeous-Alexander's gradual control over his performance in the series, the comeback didn't happen. OKC entered its past three fourth quarters with at least a six-point deficit. The Thunder shot just 38% in Thursday's second half, missing all but two of its fourth-quarter 3-point attempts. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's rightful second All-Star, finished 3 of 16 for a series-low six points. It capped off a 10-of-43 stretch in his past three games. He refused to excuse his wrist. He sat hidden behind his Thunder teammates while the final seconds dwindled, his towel wrapped over his head, his stare stuck on his process. Advertisement The Nuggets won and cheered, the Thunder swallowed defeat and filed to the back halls — all while Williams remained glued to the bench. Unsatisfied. Stuck like stone. 'I just hurt us tonight not making shots,' he said postgame. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder couldn't outplay hope. Now it's all they have. About as much as they can count on. The Thunder can scrape together three Game 7s between this core. Its eventful, historically great, record-shattering season depends on appearing as competent Sunday as it had through those 82 games. On shoving the idea that they're too prepubescent for the moment, the bright lights, down the throats of their detractors. Advertisement That's all they can believe in Sunday. 'Just gotta go for it,' Caruso said. 'There's no time to be timid. There's no time to second guess. You've gotta just throw your best punch and go for the win. That's probably gonna be our message. 'Do the things that we've done all year to be a great team and go for it.' Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@ or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at Advertisement REPORT CARD: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Julian Strawther, foul trouble spell trouble for OKC in Game 6 Game 7: Thunder vs. Nuggets TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Paycom Center (ABC) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
Edmonton Journal
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Canadians taking starring roles in NBA Finals
Article content There has never been an NBA Finals with as much Canadian flavour as the one set to tip on Thursday. While players like Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins have played key roles in the past in the biggest basketball series of the year and others like Dwight Powell, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Joel Anthony, Todd MacCulloch to Bill Wennington, Rick Fox and Mike Smrek have played bit parts, the 2025 matchup between Oklahoma City and Indiana is a completely different scenario.
