The Portland Trailblazers are filing a protest to the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver following a nail-biting 111-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Many are shocked that the NBA Constitution still allows for official protests, given the significant technological advancements in the league through features such as the extensive replay review system.

As written in the NBA Constitution, “Upon receipt of a protest, the Commisioner shall at once notify the member operating the opposing team in the game protested and require both of said members within five (5) days to file with him such evidence as he may desire bearing upon the issue. The Commissioner shall decide the question raised within five (5) days after receipt of such evidence.”

The protest will also cost the Blazers $10,000 to file, but will be refunded if successful.

In this case, the evidence is clear. With less than 20 seconds left in the game, the Blazers had inbounded the ball with a 109-108 lead, and point guard Malcolm Brogdon faced a heavy-pressure double-team once he crossed half-court. The Blazers had two timeouts remaining, and head coach Chauncey Billups was quick to travel down the sideline and scream and gesture to call one of those timeouts, but referee Brandon Schwab had his back to Billups and no timeout was given.

Instead, Schwab called a double dribble on Brogdon, which resulted in a turnover and a double technical foul call on Billups, which saw him ejected from the game. Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made one of the two technical free throws, tying the game 109-109, giving the Thunder the ball on the final play of the game where Thunder forward Malcolm Brogdon hit a fading mid-range jumper to take the lead with two seconds remaining. The game ended 111-109.

“We’ve got timeouts,” Billups said postgame. “Referees usually are prepared for that, you know, that instance, that situation. I’m at half-court, trying to call a timeout. It’s just frustrating. My guys played too hard for that. It’s a frustrating play.”

Portland dropped to 12-31 with the loss and the Thunder moved to 30-13 and first place in the West after the Timberwolves’ loss to the Hornets on Monday night.

The last protest to be upheld in the NBA was in 2007 when the Miami Heat recognized that their center, Shaquille O’Neal, was incorrectly ruled to have six fouls when he only had five. This would be the first one in 17 years.

The Blazers will look to bounce back against the Rockets and the Spurs this week, while the Thunder will move on to play the Spurs and Pelicans in their next two games.

Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodger’s co-owner Alan Smolinsky are in talks to buy the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal worth more than $2 billion. However, the Blazers have rejected the offer issuing a statement that the team remains not for sale. The team is currently owned by Jody Allen, brother of the late Paul Allen who owned both the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, among other assets. Allen died in 2018 triggering a clause that exists within his trust.

Seattle writer Art Thiel reported that Allen has a certain amount of time to sell the team as illustrated in her late brother’s trust, “Ultra-rich people and their lawyers, locally and nationally, know the Vulcan trust’s requirement to sell Paul Allen’s assets is within 10 years of his 2018 death. Seahawks/Blazers could be sold at any time should a take-or-leave blockbuster be offered.”

Knight’s offer of $2 billion is similar to that of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer‘s offer to buy the Los Angeles Clippers in 2016 following Donald Sterling‘s dismissal from ownership. According to Forbes, the franchise is valued at about $2.05 billion but has continued to see growth even following Allen’s death, growing 11% in value since 2021. Allen bought the team in 1988 for about $70 million.

It is unclear whether or not the rejecting of Knight’s offer is a ploy to renegotiate or if there is no immediate desire to sell the team. Potential ownership groups have expressed a desire to expand the WNBA into Portland. Owner of the Sports Bra in Portland, Jenny Nguyen, said that WNBA expansion in Portland would be a no-brainer, “Basketball is my sport. I’m a huge fan of the WNBA; it would make my day. That’s one of the reasons why I opened the Sports Bra here. One, it’s my hometown, and two, I think the community is so supportive of women’s sports. So, bringing a WNBA team here is a no-brainer.”

Knight and Smolinksy reportedly plan to remain aggressive in talks to acquire the team.

All it took was one quarter for Austin Rivers to power the Denver Nuggets to a pivotal Game 3 win.

On Thursday night, Rivers exploded with the hot hand in the fourth quarter to break a close game. With six minutes left in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 91-91, Rivers took it upon himself to lead the Nuggets to victory. The guard started to knock down threes to lift Denver as the clock ticked down in the fourth. Rivers scored 16 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. The guard scored four three-pointers to give Denver the lead late in the game.

The heroic playoff performance from Rivers allowed Denver to take a 120-115 win over Portland and gave them a 2-1 series lead. The win and performance were a great feeling for Rivers, who was not signed until April. The guard was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the New York Knicks in March but was waived a few days later. Rivers was on his couch until Denver signed him to a 10-day contract in April. He was eventually signed for the rest of the season after Nuggets star Jamal Murray suffered a season-ending injury.

“I sat there for like a month and a half, waiting on the phone to ring,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “I just put my faith in God, having conversations with myself, talking to God like, ‘What’s the plan? What’s going to happen? All the feedback I kept getting is, a lot of teams liked me, but they didn’t know what type of character I was and how I’d be in their locker room. My basketball ability was never questioned; it was who I was as a person. Which is actually even worse.”

“Truthfully, it broke my heart. Because I know who I am, and I’ve always had good relationships with people, but you can have one instance with mistakes and be labeled something.”

“Couldn’t be happier for the kid,” coach Michael Malone said of Rivers.

The Nuggets will look to take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4 against the Trail Blazers.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will miss the next two games, which is not good for a Lakers team that is surprisingly fighting for playoff positioning.

James recently returned for Los Angeles after missing 20 games due to a high ankle sprain. James was in his second game since returning against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night. Unfortunately, the four-time MVP was forced to leave because of soreness in his right ankle. It was the same ankle that he had the high ankle sprain that sidelined him for some time.

The Lakers star missed Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and is expected to miss the team’s next two games as well. It is expected that the superstar will miss the team’s games against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday and the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. James could miss more games, but the team will be re-evaluating him for the next few days.

For the Lakers, it becomes a tough road from here on out. The defending champions were competing for the top spot in the Western Conference early in the season until injuries to Anthony Davis and James derailed chances at finishing at the top of the standings. The team lost Davis, then James to injury, and the team faltered to sixth in the West. Los Angeles hoped that once their All-Stars returned that they would be saved, but they got another setback with James out again.

On Tuesday night, the team was able to defeat the Nikola Jokić-led Nuggets. It was an important win for the Lakers, who are looking to avoid the play-ins. Los Angeles must hold onto their sixth spot in the Western Conference to avoid the play-in tournament, but the issue is that Portland is only one game behind them. The Lakers have to win the next two games, especially their game against Portland. Doing so would further the team’s chances to stay in the sixth spot in the conference standings.

It would be quite a story if the Lakers fell to the seventh seed and had to participate in the play-in tournament, especially after James recently blasted the NBA’s new format.

On Thursday, LaMarcus Aldridge announced his sudden retirement from basketball after experiencing an irregular heartbeat.

The seven-time All-Star announced his decision on social media. “My last game, I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat,” Aldridge wrote. “Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more.”

The Brooklyn Nets center wrote about his decision to get checked out in the hospital and the support he received from the team. “Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced,” his statement continued.

“I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA,” the center wrote. “For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and family first.”

The Nets’ organization was supportive of Aldridge’s difficult decision. Brooklyn released a statement from general manager Sean Marks. “We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful consideration and consultation with numerous medical experts, he made the best decision for him, his family, and for his life after basketball.”

Aldridge was drafted with the second pick of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The big man quickly emerged as a star for Portland and was one of the anchors for the team. In his early seasons with Portland, he was seen as the future of the team. Aldridge was part of the core that involved Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, but injuries forced Roy and Oden into early retirements.

However, Aldridge formed a duo with fellow Blazers teammate and star Damian Lillard. The two were able to lead the team into Western Conference contention on several occasions. Lillard spoke about his former teammate and showed his appreciation for the former Blazer. “LA is one of the greatest players to play in Portland,” Lillard said. “He was at the peak of his career when I got here.”

In 2015, the All-Star signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Aldridge spent five seasons with San Antonio. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich released a statement regarding Aldridge’s retirement. “We’re grateful for his contributions, both on and off the court, during his time here in San Antonio,” Popovich said. “I’m proud of him for making this difficult decision and we wish him and his family all of the best in the future.”

The Spurs and Aldridge agreed to a contract buyout last month, and the big man signed with the Nets. The center only appeared in five games for Brooklyn before his abrupt retirement.

Damian Lillard put on a memorable performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. The sharpshooting point guard finished the game with a whopping 50 points and 10 assists in a come-from-behind victory.

The Portland Trailblazers‘ star led the way as the team put on an unforgettable comeback with just five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans were leading the Blazers by 17 points as the game neared the closing moments. It was almost certain that New Orleans would win, but Portland would refuse to concede as the team made an incredible effort to battle back.

The Trail Blazers went on a 25-7 run within the final 6 minutes of the game. Additionally, the team was able to hold the Pelicans to three of 10 from the field, and one of three from beyond the arc. Portland also forced three turnovers over that final stretch. Lillard scored seven of his 50 points within the final minute of the game to help the team clinch a victory.

Despite the aggressive comeback from Portland in the final minutes of the game, New Orleans still had time to win the game. With just seven seconds left on the clock and New Orleans leading by three, Brandon Ingram missed two free throws. The following possession, Lillard was fouled and sank both free throws to cut the lead to one. Luckily for Portland, the Pelicans fumbled the ensuing possession, leading to a possession change. With one second left in the game, Lillard was fouled again. With the game on the line, the All-Star converted both free throws to give the Blazers a one-point lead and the eventual win.

Portland ended up winning 125-124 in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. The Blazers set a franchise record by converting all 31 of their free-throw attempts. Additionally, Portland became the first team to come back from 17 points in the final six minutes of the game. As for Lillard, this was his his 12th 50-point game. He passed Hall of Famer Allen Iverson to become the fourth player with the most 50-point performances in NBA history.

The superstar guard scored 50 points on just 20 shots from the field. Lillard sank 13 of those attempts, went 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, and a ridiculous 18-of-18 from the charity stripe. The 18 free throws are a new career-high for the face of the Trail Blazers.

It was an epic night for Lillard and fans of the Trail Blazers.

Anfernee Simons dazzled and shined during Sunday’s dunk contest. The spectacular dunks earned him the trophy for the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

The Portland Trailblazers guard narrowly defeated the New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the finals of the dunk contest to win it all. The final round voting for the slam dunk contest was altered this year. For the final round, instead of judges scoring each players’ dunk, they had to vote for a winner. The final vote was 3-2 in favor of the Portland guard.

Following being crowned the winner, Simons was congratulated by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans tweeted a photo of Simons’ dunking and the words within the photo saying, “2021 NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Champion.”

Simons is a big fan of the Titans, so it must have meant a lot to him to be tweeted at by the team he loves. One of the biggest highlight dunks by Simmons is this one where he almost kissed the rim.

The wait is over for Carmelo Anthony as he has signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Portland Trailblazers.

Anthony has been expressing his desire to return to the court since the off-season, yet not landing until now, with the 4-8 Blazers. Anthony is a 10-time All-Star who led the New York Knicks to three playoff appearances scoring over 24 points per game during his tenure.

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Last year after ending up with the Houston Rockets after his time in Oklahoma with the Thunder, he explained that he “understood his role” and was “comfortable with coming off the bench when the team needs him to.”

Yet a few months later and only 10 games in, Anthony and the Rockets parted ways, Houston’s General Manager Daryl Morey explaining: “Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him.”

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That sentiment was echoed by Houston (and Melo’s old Knicks’) Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “We just had to see how things worked out,” D’Antoni said. “And the way we play probably wasn’t conducive to his game and he was trying to make the necessary sacrifices and it wasn’t fair to him as a Hall of Fame player to play in a way that wasn’t good for him, wasn’t good for us. It just wasn’t a fit.”

After two misfires, it seems as though other teams were not willing to take the risk. Until now. Although he has averaged 16.8 points per game, the Trailblazers were looking for some talent to fill holes.

“I have never seen him more excited to play basketball,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said by text on Friday morning. “And because of their injuries, this seems like a perfect fit.”

After agreeing with point guard Damian Lillard earlier this summer on a super–max extension, the Portland Trailblazers wasted no time, getting back to work when addressing LIllard’s co-star C.J. McCollum, as the team singed him to an extension as well this week.

The move not only solidifies Portland as McCollum’s home but also the Trailblazers as a top Western threat with a lethal backcourt.

“CJ McCollum is a franchise cornerstone and a critical part of our future,” said Trailblazers president Neil Olshey. “This extension represents a strong level of commitment between CJ, the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland.”

The Blazers drafted McCollum at number ten overall during the 2013 NBA Draft. After a lackluster sophomore campaign in which he averaged just 6.8 points per game, McCollum put up an impressive 20.8 PPG mark the following season, which earned him Most Improved Player of the Year honors.

The deal in place for McCollum now stretches his contract by three more years, allowing the Trail Blazers to maintain his services until the 2024-25 season for a $100 million price. Last year, McCollum averaged 21 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game as the Trail Blazers marched all the way to the Western Conference Finals. McCollum essentially carried Portland past the Denver Nuggets during the playoff series prior by dropping 37 points to propel the team towards a Game Seven victory. 

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Warranting this financial commitment to McCollum was not only his high skill level, but also his impressive chemistry with Lillard, as each player’s play style often compliments the others. The Lehigh University product also remains an adored player within the Portland organization, reportedly often carrying himself as a professional and with class.

Since he is understandably excited, McCollum took to Twitter to thank his friends and receive congratulations following his agreement to the deal.

With Lillard and the Portland front office fully behind him, McCollum eagerly awaits his next chance to blaze forward and to wear his familiar red and black threads.

The Denver Nuggets came out in full force on Monday night for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Portland Trailblazers.

Though only one player on their roster had reached the round before, veteran Paul Millsap, head coach Mike Malone has refused to describe his group of guys as “young.”

They didn’t look it on Monday night. With veteran poise, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference came out and handled the hottest hand in the league at the moment, Portland guard Damian Lillard. While Lillard put up a jaw-dropping stat-line — 39 points and six assists — it wasn’t enough to secure a victory against the team with the best home record this season. Denver started off the series with a 121-113 win.

While Millsap is far from the most talented player on the Nuggets, he set the tone early, making four of his first five shots and walking away with 10 points by the end of the first quarter.

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“We’ve been playing inside-out all year,” Millsap said. “That’s where our strength comes from. For us to be effective, we’ve got to establish something down low inside-out. I think when we do that and start games off like that, guys start hitting shots and the rhythm is there. It’s up to us to set the tone.”

However, young stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray took the load off his shoulders soon enough. They’d combine for 60 points and 14 assists in the game.

“We just adjusted,” Murray said. “Joker got into the middle of the paint and was able to make some plays. Gary hit some big shots and ‘Sap was great as well. We have a lot of weapons and the ball was moving for us early.”

While Portland maintains one of the best ball-handlers in Lillard, it came down to Jokic to secure the win. With a slim three-point lead at halftime, Denver turned to its center to control the tempo. He score 15 of his 37 points in the third half. He was also perfect form the line in 12 attempts.

Portland will attempt to carve out a win in the second game in Denver. That will take place on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. EST.

NBA Christmas games are the better version of NFL Thanksgiving games. One is the same old rehash of faded rivalries. The other features the most exciting players in the league.

In the first game, the Milwaukee Bucks took on the New York Knicks. Bucks fans watched Giannis Antetokounmpo light up Madison Square Garden, scoring 30 and grabbing 14 boards. Knicks fans also couldn’t complain when Kevin Knox, their newest draft pick, added 21 points and midseason pickup Noah Vonleh, the most interesting night-to-night statline in the league, grabbed 15 rebounds, scored 14 points, and had no assists.

Out in Houston, the Rockets won a close game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden carried the team, scoring 37 points through the first three quarters, as his sidekick, Chris Paul, sat out.  Despite his absence, OKC’s big three of Steven Adams, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George couldn’t secure a win.

The 76ers and the Boston Celtics looked to be a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. Joel Embiid’s 34 points weren’t enough to top Kyrie Irving, his 40 points, and Boston’s incredibly deep bench in a seven-point overtime loss.

Out in California, LeBron James and the Lakers took on the Golden State Warriors in a game that probably had ESPN exec’s foaming at the mouth. The only problem? LeBron left early with a groin injury and the Warrior’s four all-stars scored a combined 45. Kevin Durant added 21, Steph Curry scored 15, and Draymond Green and Klay Thompson added 4 and 5 each. Despite their star player’s absence, the Lakers would win resoundingly, 127-101.

In the final game of the night, the Portland Trail Blazers lost 117-96 to the Utah Jazz. Dame Lillard couldn’t pull out a win against the slumping Jazz. Donovan Mitchell’s hero ball efforts seem to be taking Utah’s season but tonight it got him 19 points. Somehow, Utah scored 117 and not a single player scored over 20 points.