#10 points 2 rebounds and 1 assist

[emeritusemeritus]

Vulnera Sanentur [Weasley Twins x Reader]

Part 6

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Title: Vulnera Sanentur

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader x George Weasley {established relationship}

Timeline: DH1&2- Initially set during the battle of the seven potters. Canon and certain plot points have been altered for the needs of the story.

Summary: The battle of the seven Potters throws your world into chaos when one of your boyfriend’s is cursed. As Snape’s ex-potions assistant and previous protégée, you recognise the inflicted curse immediately and demand answers from your mentor.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of war and Voldy, descriptions of injury and blood, descriptive smut, p in v sex, shower sex, tension. Outside sex. Semi public sex. None sexual nudity. Crying. Snape has a soft spot for reader. Arguments. Probably some cursing. Mentions of nightmares. Reader is part of the Order of the Phoenix. Mentions of death (Dumbledore). Mentions of Tonks’ pregnancy. On it got a angsty. So much angst I can’t tag it all. Not spellchecked nor beta read, we die like Madeye.

Everything happened so fast.

One minute you were sat with Fred at Bill and Fleur's wedding reception, laughing and joking as you caught your breath after being twirled around on the dance floor for what seemed like hours and the next, you were running down Tottenham Court Road and fighting off death eaters in a grubby little café. Then came your long hideout at Grimmauld Place, the dangerous infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, Ron's splinching, his rest period and then eventual, rather dramatic departure, leaving you, Harry and Hermione to search for the remaining horcruxes alone.

The trio had told you all about the Horcruxes and the larger plan, leaving no detail left out as soon as you arrived back at Grimmauld Place, watching as you slipped through the protective enchantments unphased. So far you'd found very little except for Salazar Slytherin's real locket which had been a curse to you all, most notably you and Ron, who it seemed to effect the most.

Ron had become jealous and volatile as the months grew on, each and every time he would wear the repugnant locket. He obsessed over the radio he carried, listening with rapt attention to see if anyone of his family was listed amongst the missing or dead and would watch Harry and Hermione interact with a compulsive need, his jealousy and all consuming anger only creating a further rift amongst you all.

You had taken to the locket poorly, or rather the locket had taken poorly to you, finding that it seemed to attack the raw emotions inside of you, the grief and the longing, the doubts, like a dementor continually pulling at your bare soul. To pass the time, you had begun researching curses and the ability to heal after one had been stricken. Cursed limbs could not be restored, but there must have been something you could do, something that would make George return to normal again, so that he would love you once more. Restoring his ear in any way you could would make George love you again, it had to. It slowly sank into a desperate need for answers and accompanied by the locket's cruel effects, became an obsession that forced you to look into sheer darkness, dark magic and ancient methods that were outlawed for their questionable morality suddenly became interesting evidence that something could be done, no matter the price. There were two pieces of compelling evidence which led you to believe that you were on to something; one, that Severus had invented the curse and it had not been sanctioned nor recognised officially, therefore it could not be classified along with the other known curses and may be exempt from the rules. Secondly, that Voldemort had potentially been hit by the rebounded killing curse, if not the ancient magic of Lily's protection and he had managed to restore himself to strength. Harry had told you in great detail exactly what happened in the graveyard that night for Voldemort to restore himself and this only furthered your obsession, though you hid it well from the others, researching as you sat on watch, guarding you all from the ever-present threat.

The months you'd been gone had been filled with camping out in the cold wilderness, flitting from place to place, foraging for food and water, hiding from the ever present threat of death eaters and learning to live without the two men you loved most in the world.

Then came the haunting memory of Christmas Eve in Godric's Hollow and the events that followed with Nagini inhabiting the deceased Bathilda Bagshot's body, the memories of that night still giving you night terrors and leaving lingering effects on your mind, the trauma imprinted upon you. The day had been one of absolutely agony for you already, feeling the full effect of being away from your boyfriends, missing them with a devastating desperation, feeling near the end of your nerve, towing the line between doing the right thing and persevering or returning home to them. Seeing the twinkling Christmas lights, hearing the carols being sung by a choir only hurt you more, knowing this would be the first Christmas you would be away from almost everyone you loved.

During the attack, you'd been severely injured in the skirmish, bitten by Nagini on the shoulder as you leapt to Harry's defence upstairs having discovered the blood and decay in the room downstairs, the sickening sight and the smell of the room still lingering in your mind months on, turning your stomach at the very thought. Nagini had kept it's fangs lodged deep into your shoulder as you were dragged down the hole in the stairs during the skirmish, wrapped tightly in the giant trunk of their body, the fangs ripping at your skin and tail thrashing onto you as you fell. You'd only just broken free from Nagini's hold when Hermione cast the Blasting curse which had no doubt saved your life and had managed to co-apparate with you to safety just before Voldemort arrived.

Antidotes and dittany had done nothing as you writhed in sheer agony, your pale, sweat covered skin burning from the inside out. The skin around the bite was quickly turning black and burned with an intensity even fiendfyre couldn't replicate. After numerous hours of Hermione frantically trying to rid you of your torment did you make the decision to manually extract the venom, an archaic method of healing that was dangerous in the best of circumstances, something you'd only read about in restricted apothecary books.

Using one of the empty vials you kept in your bag, you instructed Harry to manually smash it so that it was only half the length, sharp sharps of glass where it had broken creating a serrated edge. The glass tube was inserted into the enflamed wound to create a vacuum, making you scream in complete agony. An incantation like charm needed to be performed repeatedly with precision, demanding intense concentration and a steady hand. Hermione had tried over and over, as had Harry, but nothing happened.

"Think of Fred and George, they need you," Harry had said through misted eyes, rubbing tears away with his sleeve, trying desperately to place your wand into your trembling, blood soaked hand.

Hermione was crying both out of desperation to heal you and devastation that she was unable to perform the extraction herself as you closed your eyes to focus, trying your hardest to ignore the pain and centre yourself, just as you had that night with George.

You thought of Fred, his boisterous laugh and wicked grin, his passionate kisses and his lingering touches. You thought of George and his slow, sweet kisses that could calm you and rile you up all with one meaningful peck, his shy smile and his sweet, autumny smell that comforted you like no other. Only when you'd centered yourself did you move your wand to point at the ruptured, nausea-inducing wound and began to carry out the incantation. You repeated it over and over, each time getting stronger as you forced yourself to think of your boyfriends, of the good times and the memories. Your thoughts surrounded you like fog, taking over everyone of your senses until it was all you could think of, the pain either lessening or just becoming less prominent as you watched the wound drain.

Black, almost iridescent liquid flowed into the vial slowly, gathering together in a move that defied gravity as it permeated out of your skin in droplets. The skin around the wound was slowly turning back to its usual hue, if not just more aggressively sore looking as every bit of venom drained out from your shoulder. When no more venom came out, you stopped the incantation and almost immediately collapsed onto the floor, losing consciousness out of sheer exhaustion and pain. When you came to a little while later, Hermione had wrapped up your wound and had cast a myriad of pain relieving spells in the hope that your excruciating discomfort would come to an end.

"Well it's safe to assume that the snake is definitely a Horcrux too," you'd muttered weakly, accepting a drink of water into your trembling hands from Harry who also looked rather traumatised by the whole ordeal. You'd have a gnarly scar, even with the use of dittany. The healing only went so far and nothing you did would make it close up completely, the jagged, prominent scars still red and painful, a fluctuating mixture between aching and burning under the wound on the worser days. You'd kept the venom in a fresh vial, storing it for purposes you couldn't explain, perhaps it could be used to restore George. This little fact, you kept hidden from the others.

Ron had returned not too long after that, finding his way back to you all using the deluminator that Dumbledore had gifted him, making you realise that your own gift must be his way of telling you something, though you could never work out what he intended for it.

You'd studied your gift countless times, repeating the curious words that magically engraved themselves across the black device, the very words that didn't make any sense to you no matter how long you studied them. You'd not even noticed the words in the beginning but had found out later that the words only appeared when you thought of a happy memory. Purely by coincidence, you'd noticed a pattern in when they would appear, experimenting on the others to test your theory and eventually received the same results.

"Maybe Dumbledore expected you to be unhappy if you joined us, knowing you'd be away from Fred and George. Maybe it's his way of telling you to stay positive," Ron said late one night, both of you sat outside the tent on watch. "I reckon he knew I'd leave and need to find my way back." You sighed, not finding his excuse plausible. Surely it had to be more than that. You closed your eyes and thought of the Yule ball, dancing with Fred and George, both of them intercepting the other trying to steal you back and forth as you were dragged and lifted like a rag doll between the boisterous pair. You opened your eyes, keeping the memory alive in your mind as you watched the words appear on the lebetum.

Expecto Dominum Meum

"Hermione," you called out, into the tent, hearing her rustle towards you. "Do you have anything about Latin in your books?"

"Oh, um, no I don't think I have," she says with a frown, cataloging her inventory in her mind as if she could mentally picture each book and it's contents.

"Is it a spell?" Ron says, looking at the words.

You shook your head, "I tried that. Maybe if we could translate it?"

The night drew on and you kept watch, feeling far too frustrated by the complex device in your mind that you couldn't sleep even if you wanted to, the answer so close it was niggling at you. Everyone else had gone to sleep and the night was still in a calming way, leaving you completely to your thoughts.

You pulled out your wand, trying something new and closed your eyes, conjuring up a strong memory of Fred and George. The first time they told you they loved you. Opening your eyes you fixed your gaze upon the lebetum and spoke the words clearly.

"Expecto Dominum Meum!"

Nothing happened. Until you looked at the lebetum.

Inside the frosted glass was a moving spirit like image, like a ghost moving through mist or fog, slowly becoming clearer with each second. A doe. Was it a patronus? Trapped inside the lebetum? It wasn't yours, your patronus was a Weasel, an ironic twist you'd discovered in your later years of education with Dumbledore's Army.

The doe turned to look directly towards you, as if it was really seeing you, looking expectantly at your face.

You repeated the words in a spell like manner but nothing happened.

"Expecto Patronum!" You called, still thinking of Fred and George, trying everything you could.

Immediately a blinding white light lit up out of your wand and brandished itself into a weasel, running around and illuminating the dark sky. Your eyes widened when the doe deer appeared beside your Weasel, dancing around eachother. But then the deer began to slowly walk away, casting a singular glance back towards you as if gesturing for you to follow. You immediately called out for Ron and Harry and that is exactly how you discovered the sword of Gryffindor trapped in the ice, which in turn, allowed Ron to finally destroy the locket.

After that came the Lovegood house and the outlandish mess that lead you straight into the arms of a pack of snatchers, including Fenrir Greyback, who took you to Malfoy Manor, the house of horrors as it turned out. Bellatrix had held nothing back as she tortured you and Hermione, trying to drag information out of you both, though Hermione endured more and worse punishment than you due to her blood status. You'd been beaten, sliced with a dagger and forced to endure the cruciatus curse as Fenrir prowled around you menacingly, waiting for his chance to take a bite out of you any chance he could. Only when you were thrown back into the dungeon below with Ron, Harry, Luna, Ollivander and Griphook, did you begin to cry, not allowing your abusers to see you break down.

You wanted Fred and George, you needed them desperately. You pulled out your lebetum, having concealed it in your jacket pocket upon your arrival at Malfoy Manor and tried your hardest to focus on something happy, though it was hard to focus through the pain and anguish. You thought of the three of you at the lake beside the Burrow; the first summer you were officially together, a summer full of kisses, pranks and laughter.

A thought occurred to you and you weakly walked over to Mr Ollivander, hoping he might have an answer, knowing he was a well studied man. He was weak and frail, looking older than ever through his torment.

"Mr Ollivander, do you speak Latin?" Talking was hard as blood filled your mouth, the evidence of Bellatrix's abuse so clearly displayed across your face. He gives a little weak nod, his eyes filled with sorrow as he looks at your bruised and swollen lip. "Could you translate this for me, please?"

You hold out the lebetum for him to take and sense Harry and Ron moving closer, trying to listen in to the quiet conversation.

"You were professor Snape's potions assistant were you not? I recognise you from Diagon Alley," he says with a squint. You nod, trying not to wince at the sudden pain shooting through your head at the movement.

"Yes sir," you confirm, suddenly feeling very conflicted by the information, "my boyfriends own the joke shop there." He makes a noise of understanding, as if he pieces all the information together before looking down at the Lebetum.

"What is this?" He asks curiously, rolling the item in his hand as he inspects it.

"A lebetum, Dumbledore bequeathed it to me in his will," you explain, sounding not so sure yourself. He lets out a chuckle at your words and you frown, consfused by his reaction.

"Expecto Dominum Meum," he says wistfully, "I await my master."

You stood in silence, more confused than ever.

"Are you sure?" Harry asks from behind you, evidently as confused by the translation. Ollivander thankfully takes no offence to Harry's question and simply nods, his eyes glancing over the words once more.

Later, you and Harry whisper amongst yourselves, trying to figure out what it meant as Ron clings to the bars, desperately looking up the stairs to catch sight of Hermione after everything had gone quiet, her screams ceasing.

"Your master is a doe?" He asks, thinking of the patronus that had burst out of the lebetum that night.

"Yes but my patronus is a Weasel, it doesn't make sense."

"It's risky but we could summon the patronus doe again, of course they'd see the light though."

"You're Kreacher's master, do you think it would summon him if you did it?" You ask quietly, taking the words written on the device literally, though you fear you already know the answer. Harry shakes his head, knowing it was too dangerous. Kreacher may have come around to you all eventually but he was still loyal to the Black family so it was a risk you couldn't take.

"It led us to the sword, it might lead us out, like a guide," he whispers and you nod along, thinking the same thing.

You close your eyes and dive deep into your mind, thinking of your happiest memories of the twins and recite the words. Sure enough, the doe's face appears in the frosted glass.

"Expecto patronum!" You say, trying to remain quiet but speak clearly.

Any hope you had crashes down around you the second no light shines from the lebetum, the spirit like image of the doe seeming to walk away into the distance. You turn to Harry and sigh in defeat, sinking lower into the cold ground as despair overcomes you.

You'd managed to escape Malfoy Manor by the skin of your teeth when Dobby had arrived only minutes later in a heroic and spectacular manner. As you all disapparated away to the safe house, Dobby was fatally wounded and died in Harry's arms from the blade that Bellatrix had thrown. Just before his death, Dobby had informed you in a weak voice that his boss was right, Harry Potter and his friends needed Dobby's help. He died amongst friends in Harry's arms and you'd all laid him to rest in the beautiful beach at Shell Cottage and planned to make him a fitting gravestone out of the large rocks.

Seeing Bill was like finding a freshwater stream in the desert. You supposed it was the familiarity of him, or maybe his familiar red hair that set you off but the moment you saw him, you flung yourself into his arms heaving out a sob. He seemed to immediately understand, and pulled you in to him, holding you tight until you were ready to pull away. His face contorted in displeasure as he looked at your beaten, swollen face and the cut across your cheek and then turned to the rest of the group with equally sorrowful glances. Fleur embraced you delicately but with a conviction that you'd never felt before, which you assumed was deep rooted.

Ollivander and Griphook had been immediately tended to as Bill prepared a hot meal for you all, delicious vegetable soup and warm bread, a far cry away from the pitiful meals you'd been eating on the run. You and Fleur had helped tend to Hermione's wounds, most notably the 'mudblood' script that had been carved into her arm. It would undoubtedly scar but with the help of dittany and a mixture of potions you had left, the pain would stop and there'd be no chance of infection. Fleur had then turned to you but you refused any help, preferring instead to go lay down for a while.

The room was simply decorated with nautical flares and the large springy mattress and soft sheets felt like heaven on earth as you rested your head, months of exhaustion and pain seeping out of you as you finally allowed yourself to let your guard down and relax.

You'd been awake for a few minutes, staring mindlessly out of the window from the bed and clutching hold of the jumper you'd stolen from the twins which you'd taken to using as a makeshift blanket. The jumper had long since stopped smelling like them but the soft woolly texture was familiar and comforting all the same as you picked at the stitching, feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed, especially now you were safe. A gentle knock sounded out, alerting you to someone at the door and after a few moments of silence, the door crept open to reveal Bill. He'd brought a small tin bowl filled with water which looked like a muggle shaving accessory and placed it on the bed beside you, armed with cotton balls.

"I know, I was the same," he says, taking a seat upon the bed beside you, gesturing to his own facial scars. "Didn't want anyone to see them, thought I could do it myself." You understood why he was saying this, and the meaning behind it and reluctantly nodded, allowing him to help you as you sat up a little straighter in bed.

The elephant in the room was all consuming and it felt like you both knew exactly what was causing the tension but neither of you knowing how to stop it or what to say, the common denominators between you not yet mentioned. Bill takes one look at the jumper in your hands, then to you and smiles softly, dipping the cotton ball in water before bringing it to your left eyebrow.

"They're okay," he says quietly, concentrating on removing the dried blood from your face. "They understand why you had to go." Your eyes flick down to look at your lap, guilt consuming you anew. "They're lost without you but they keep themselves busy with Potterwatch, Fred mostly."

You remembered connecting to the Wizarding Wireless Network some months ago and finding enormous comfort in hearing Lee's familiar voice through the crackling signal. When Fred's voice rang through the speaker after Lee announcing the next segment of news of the chief death eater, you thought you were hallucinating. You'd checked to see that you weren't holding the locket, like it would play a cruel trick on you like that but it was real, not just in your mind. You'd laughed and cried in utter joy at hearing his smooth voice again and as soon as it disappeared and moved on to the next segment announced by Lee, you'd sobbed in utter misery right through the night. Your obsession with the radio after that matched Ron's, desperate to hear Fred's voice again but by the time you'd moved on, you could never connect to it again.

"They're worried about you, we all have been. Mum's a wreck most days, dad acts strong for everyone but you can see it in his eyes. Ginny's reckless, though I'd wager she's more worried for Harry than Ron," he says with a huff, reaching fir a new cotton ball, "and the twins, they just want you back."

"Even George?" You ask timidly, voice cracking a little as you think of how you left things between you.

"Especially George," he says with a determine shake of his head, "they don't tell me much but you can see it in him, especially when you first left, he looked devastated, guilty even." You wince at Bill's word and he suddenly realises he might have said too much.

"Sorry, older brother, tendency to overstep," he jokes with a smile.

"They can't know I'm here, not yet," you say, though it pains you to do so. He nods in understanding. That was something you admired about Bill, he was a man of his word and didn't question things further when it was unnecessary, a stark contrast to his mother.

He then pulls out his wand and mutters a spell that causes you to gasp, feeling your swollen lip contracting though the pain only lasts a second.

"That's probably going to scar," Bill says hesitantly, looking at the slash across your cheekbone. You nod, already accepting your fate. "Is there anything else?"

You quickly shake your head, not quite feeling strong enough to talk yet. He looks at you for a moment and you can tell he's not convinced, causing you to sigh.

"Can you numb something for me?" You ask reluctantly, trying to avoid eye contact as you sit embarrassed by what he was going to see. He nods and his gaze flicks across you like he's trying to work out what you're asking of him.

You bring your arm up delicately, the wound still tender even so far on, the broken skin and muscles never healing right. It caused you pain daily, especially when it was cold and as hard as you tried you could never complete a numbing spell on the right area. Slipping out of your jumper, you winced as your arm bent a little too far for comfort. You unbuttoned one of the front buttons on your long sleeve T-shirt and began to peel the collar away from your neck, slowly exposing your disgusting shoulder to him.

You watched as his face contorted into something you couldn't register, expecting disgust or revulsion but instead his look was tender and tormented. You slid your bra strap down, careful not to expose anything you didn't want your boyfriends' brother to see and allowed him to look at the raised, jagged marks on your shoulder that hadn't healed nearly as much as it should have.

"How?" Bill asks quietly, his eyes fixated on the wound.

"Voldemort's snake," you said, trying not to relieve the memory of that night, knowing you wouldn't sleep that night if you did. He doesn't say anything else but simply points his wand at your shoulder and completes a strong numbing spell, right on the spot that burns the most.

"You're the toughest witch I know," he says with a prideful chuckle, replacing his wand back into his pocket. You huff out a laugh with a shake of your head, covering yourself back up. Bill helps you put your jumper back on and remains standing as he incinerates the blood soaked cotton balls. "I'll bring you some tea, get some more rest tough girl."

"Bill," you say, stopping him from walking out. He turns to you in question and you quickly add, "thank you."

"You're family," he says, as if he's staying an obvious fact before giving you a tight lipped smile and walking out the door.

After resting up at Shell Cottage for quite some time, giving Hermione plenty of time to work through her trauma, a plan had been made to break into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts after she'd unwittingly stated to Griphook that there was a prized possession in her vault, which you all knew was most likely a Horcrux.

The Gringotts plan was dangerous to another level, more so than infiltrating the ministry as the world seemed to have changed in the space you'd been gone, the threat and danger increasing tenfold as the death eaters claimed more and more supporters out of fear. You'd painstakingly brewed a batch of Polyjuice Potion during your time at Shell Cottage, along with a few other potions you might need to replace your inventory that had been used whilst you'd been away. The plan had been doomed from the very beginning, with Griphook being an unreliable ally, Polyjuice, Imperius curses, Flagrante and Gemino protection curses and a previously unknown and unplanned for Dragon guarding the lower vaults.

Thanks to Hermione's quick but insane thinking, you'd all managed to escape on the back of the half blind and antagonised dragon with Hufflepuff's cursed cup in your possession.

Your new destination was secured the moment you all dragged yourselves out of the freezing cold water after dismounting the dragon. Harry'd had a vision about the location of the next Horcrux, a suspicion we'd had all along that Voldemort had hidden a part of his soul in the castle.

You were going back to Hogwarts.

Next

#emeritusemeritus #emeritusemerituswrites #harry potter #fred weasley #fred weasley x you #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley masterlist #george weasley #george weasley x you #weasley twins x reader #george weasley x reader x fred weasley #george weasley smut #george weasley x reader #weasley twins masterlist #weasley twins x you

[bearterritory]

Bears Upset #23 Huskies 70-57

Cal Hands Washington First Conference Loss

BERKELEY, Calif. – The California women's basketball team (11-3, 1-1) used a strong defensive effort to earn its first win of the early Pac-12 season and take down Washington (11-2, 1-1) 70-57 at Haas Pavilion. The win knocked the Huskies out of first place in the Pac-12 standings and moved the Golden Bears into third place. In just her second game back from injury Ioanna Krimili scored a season-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting which included 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Michelle Onyiah joined Krimili in double figures with 11 points while grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Marta Suárez rounded out the Bears in double figures with 10 points.

Leilani McIntosh had three assists and one steal which moved her into a tie with Mikayla Cowling and Natasha Vital for fifth on Cal's all-time career assists list and into ninth on the career steals list, passing Kesha Martin. "This is the type of team that I want us to be and this sets us up to be able to accomplish what we want," Cal head coach Charmin Smith said. "The Huskies got a really strong unit and I'm proud of how we played. I thought Michelle gave us great offense off the bench and some rebounding there. It's great to have Yo [Ioanna Krimili] back and have her in a rhythm offensively. Marta did some work on the block and Leilani is always steadying and keeping us in our flow. We're a good offensive team and they're a really good defensive team, so I'm glad we were able to put up points and show what we're capable of." Cal held Washington to its second-lowest shooting percentage of the season at 36.1%. The 70 points scored were the most the Huskies have given up all season after they entered the game ranked first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, giving up just 46.8 points per game. The Bears shot 50.9% from the field and 42.9% from deep – both tied for season highs.   After the Bears jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first quarter, the Huskies answered with consecutive 3-pointers to fuel a 8-0 run. A jumper from Kemery Martín ended the run and a layup from McIntosh tied the game at 10-10 midway through the quarter – part of a 8-0 run for Cal. The Bears held the Huskies to 2-for-10 from the field to end the quarter and took a 16-14 lead into the second quarter. A 3-pointer from Mia Mastrov gave Cal a 21-16 lead early in the second quarter. Krimili hit a layup followed by a 3-pointer to give the Bears a 29-20 lead at the 4:46 mark. The Bears held the Huskies to a five-minute scoring drought to end the second quarter and take a 31-20 lead heading into the break. Krimili opened the third quarter hitting consecutive 3-pointers to give Cal a 41-26 lead at the 5:26 mark. Cal built a 20-point lead on a Suarez layup with 1:42 remaining in the quarter, but the Huskies used a 7-0 run to end the quarter and cut the deficit to 13 points. The Huskies got to within 12 points in the fourth quarter, but Krimili converted a 4-point play to put the Bears up 16 points at the 6:29 mark and help Cal cruise to the victory. Washington was led by Elle Ladine's 24 points.

#Go Bears #UC Berkeley #This is Bear Territory #Cal sports

[bongaboi]

UConn: 2023-24 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Champions

UConn made it look inevitable again.

For the second year in a row, the Huskies dominated on their march to a title — and now they're the first team to win consecutive national crowns since Florida in 2006 and 2007. The latest victim was Purdue and Naismith winner Zach Edey, as UConn won the battle of No. 1 seeds, 75-60, Monday night in Glendale, Arizona.

The Huskies won their six tournament games by 140 points — or 23.33 per game. It was a sequel to the 2023 run, when UConn won the national title with a winning margin of 20 per game.

Tristen Newton led UConn (37-3) with 20 points and seven assists, but he had plenty of help. Stephon Castle had 15, Cam Spencer had a busy night with 11 points and eight rebounds and Donovan Clingan had 11 points and five boards.

Though Edey finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds, his teammates finished only nine of 29 from the floor (31 percent). Purdue, which hoped to follow 2018-19 Virginia by going from losing to a No. 16 seed one year to cutting down the nets, made only one of seven 3-point attempts. The Boilermakers (34-5) were the No. 2 3-point shooting team in the nation.

UConn is now 6-0 in national championship games — all since 1999.

#2024 #uconn huskies #ncaa division 1 #college basketball #national championship

[kk095]

Lydia’s Last Game

Lydia Lyons was a 23 year old basketball player in her first professional season. She was a star center at a major division 1 college, a high draft choice in the WNBA draft, and a major contributor to her team on both sides of the ball, putting her in the conversation for rookie of the year.

As with most basketball players, she was quite tall, standing at 6’6 with a toned, athletic body. She had light brown hair that was usually in a ponytail, had pretty blue eyes, and was fair skinned. Lydia was the perfect combination between cute tomboy and amazon goddess.

Last week, Lydia’s team was playing an important game on the road. If her team won, they’d clinch a playoff spot for the first time in 10 years, so the pressure was on. Prior to the game, Lydia felt some fluttering in her chest and felt like she had to catch her breath every so often, but didn’t think anything of it, attributing this to nerves since this was an important game. Nonetheless, Lydia suited up with her team and took the floor to begin the game.

Lydia was off to a hot start in last night’s game. In the first quarter, she was attacking the paint aggressively, scoring 10 points predominantly through dunks and close up shots, while also dishing out 3 assists, and snatching up 5 rebounds. Her team had a comfortable lead after the first quarter, but the opposing team started to feel the urgency of the situation and wanted to change their game plan, worrying that Lydia would run them out of the own building if things didn’t change.

In the 2nd quarter, the opposing team decided to double cover Lydia in an attempt to limit her offensive output and make sure a defender was on her at all times. This slowed Lydia down a bit, only scoring 4 points, with 0 assists, and 2 more rebounds in the 2nd quarter. At halftime, Lydia’s team was up  38-27, and Lydia was leading her team with 14 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds.

In the halftime locker room, Lydia felt a lot more drained than she normally does. The fluttering in her chest returned with a dull ache this time, and she felt like she had to catch her breath a couple times. “It’s ok. It’s gonna be ok, it’s just nerves. Just 2 more quarters to go and I can relax.” She thought to herself, completely unaware she’d be toe tagged and under a sheet in our hospital morgue just a couple hours later.

After a brief intermission, play resumed for the second half. The 3rd quarter was a back and forth affair. The opposing team scored 2 quick three pointers, cutting Lydia’s lead down to 5 points. Lydia’s coach called a time out before their team’s ensuing possession, and urged the team to step up their perimeter defense to make those three pointers harder to come by. On the ensuing possession, Lydia hit a 3 pointer of her own, and on the opposing teams next possession, she generated a turnover by a heads up defensive play, leading to a fast break dunk and 2 more points, bringing her team’s lead back up to 10. Overall, the 3rd quarter continued to be a back and forth contests.

The 4th quarter was a different story. Lydia’s team began to struggle defensively, and Lydia was feeling absolutely gassed. She was dripping in sweat, had a pasty complexion, and was breathing rapidly. “you can do it. Just a couple more minutes to go. You’ve fought through worse pain before.” She told herself, not realizing a ticking time bomb was counting down inside her body. She was chugging Gatorade on the bench during stoppages in play like it was going out of style, and felt dizzy at times. Regardless, she continues to play.

Even though her team struggled defensively, she continued to produce offensively despite being double covered. The opposing team made it a close game, but Lydia played an excellent 4th quarter, adding an additional 10 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds, leading her team to a huge victory and their first playoff spot in 10 years. Lydia came up clutch in that game, ultimately ending up with a triple-double: 26 points, 12 assists, and 14 rebounds.

After the game, her team swarmed her and gave her hugs, high fives, and all sorts of compliments. Lydia had a huge smile on her face, ecstatic about her performance that night, and looking forward to her team’s upcoming playoff game.

In the locker room post game, Lydia’s smiles dissipated. While changing out of her sweaty, game used uniform, the pain in her chest felt sharper and more painful than before. “a shower will probably hit the spot. It’s probably nothing.” She told herself. While in the shower, she experienced more pronounced heart palpitations, had another dizzy spell, and was experiencing nausea. “I dunno, I just need to take it easy tonight when we get back to the hotel.” She thought.

After her post game shower and changing into fresh clothes, the team headed back to the bus that would take them back to the hotel from the arena. During that bus ride, Lydia lost consciousness. Her teammate sitting in the seat next to her tried to talk to her and realized she didn’t respond. The teammate looked over and thought Lydia was sleeping. “hey sleepy head! The nights still young!” the teammate said jokingly, tapping Lydia lightly, to which Lydia did not respond. The teammate grew concerned: “Lydia? You good?!” she asked, giving Lydia a bit of a nudge, but she didn’t respond again. “Hey! Doc! Get over here!” the teammate shouted, alerting the attention of the team’s physician.

The team’s physician scurried over to Lydia’s seat, with her teammates now growing concerned, standing up from their seats trying to see what was going on. The team doctor tapped Lydia on the shoulder. “Lydia? Hun? Is everything ok?” they asked, to which they didn’t receive a response. The team doctor then lowered their stethoscope onto Lydia’s chest to listen to her heart and lungs. “no no no! Oh no!” the team doctor said, becoming a bit panicked. “What’s wrong doc?” “is everything good?” two players asked. “Get this bus to the nearest hospital RIGHT NOW!” the doctor shouted at the bus driver. “what’s wrong?! Is she ok?!” the team’s coach asked the doctor. “ok, can someone help me get her out of her seat? I need to get her on the floor of this bus immediately!” the doctor shouted to the rest of team. “you’re scaring me doc, what’s wrong?” Another player asked. “is there an AED on this bus?!” the doctor asked the bus driver. “AED? What’s going on?” the driver asked. “guys. Lydia’s heart stopped beating and she’s not breathing. We need to get her to a hospital, and move her so we can start CPR!” the doctor replied urgently. Some of Lydia’s teammates became visibly nervous, while a few started to cry.

One of Lydia’s teammates helped the doctor move Lydia from her seat and onto the floor of the bus. This was easier said than done, considering this was 6 feet 6 inches of dead weight that had to be moved, all while the bus driver sped off towards the nearest emergency department.

Once Lydia was on the floor, another team member tracked down the bus’s AED and first aid kit, while the team doctor removed Lydia’s shirt and bra, and began performing deep, strong chest compressions. “1… 2… 3… come on Lydia, don’t do this…” the doctor said, more or less thinking out loud. While performing chest compressions on Lydia, the team doctor walked one of the teammates through setting up the AED. Once the pads were stuck onto her bare chest, the AED began analyzing the rhythm. “SHOCK ADVISED.” , the machines monotone voice called out. “alright, I need everyone to back away!” The team doctor called out. “ok, everyone…. CLEAR!” she shouted, while pushing the shock button. KA-THUNK! Lydia’s long, slender body shook slightly in response to the shock. “ANALYZING RHYTHM.” Said the machine’s voice recording. “RESUME CPR.” The machine continued a moment later. The team doctor locked her hands back onto Lydia’s bare chest, and began pushing down hard and fast with the heel of her hand, while part of her other hand covered Lydia’s small, A cup breast inadvertently. Lydia’s chest caved in rhythmically while her toned abs and belly bounced out, recoiling from the residual force of the chest compressions.

After a cycle of chest compressions, the AED advised a 2nd shock. The team doctor advised everyone to take a few steps back, and the next shock was delivered. Lydia’s body trembled on the floor for a moment, and the current of electricity forced her eyes open. Lydia’s eyes were half open, staring lifelessly off to the side. “ANALYZING RHYTHM.” The AED voice said. “I’m pulling into the hospital now!” the bus driver shouted, making a sharp turn into the hospital’s main entrance. “RESUME CPR.” The AED continued. “damn it. Come on Lydia!” the team doctor shouted, resuming chest compressions. Lydia’s head bobbed and lolled in sync with the chest compressions while her pretty blue eyes stared off blankly.

Once the bus pulled into the main entrance, a few players exited the bus and hurried into the ER, grabbing ahold of a few emergency department staff members. In the coming seconds, a few nurses waited outside with a gurney while a doctor hopped onto the bus to see what was going on. The ER doctor started peppering the team doctor with questions. “what happened?” “how long has she been down?” “any medical conditions?” “illegal drug use?” etc. The team doctor felt overwhelmed, tears rolling down her face. “I don’t know! I really don’t know! I haven’t done CPR on someone since my residency. I deal with sprained ankles and torn ACLs… not THIS!” she replied, teary eyed with a lump in her throat. The ER doctor felt sympathy for the team doctor. “alright, it’s ok. We’re gonna take it from here, ok?” the ER doctor said.

The ER doctor and a couple of the teammates lifted Lydia’s limp, motionless body off the floor of the bus and carried her out of the vehicle, and onto the gurney that waited just outside. The team doctor and the rest of the team watched in horror as their star player was carried off the bus, eyes still half open, onto a gurney. Once Lydia was placed on a stretcher, one of the ER nurses started delivering deep, strong, violent chest compressions on the beautiful young athlete.

Once in the ER, the rest of the basketball team was told to wait in the waiting room while the ER team did its work. The team watched Lydia receive CPR while she was wheeled into a location off in the distance. Once she was out of sight, all they could do was wait and hope for the best.

The emergency department staff wheeled Ms Lyons into an open trauma room, where some staff members were already waiting. “23 year old female, sudden cardiac arrest, down approximately 5 to 7 minutes- who really knows. Shocked times 2.” The ER doctor called out to the team. “ok, let’s transfer her onto the table on my count. One, two, THREE!” the attending physician continued.

Lydia was now on the trauma room table under the large overhead light, getting her chest pumped by one of the emergency department nurses. With CPR resumed, the team started barking orders at each other. “let’s get her hooked up to the monitors!” “I need 2 large bore IVs” “run stat trauma labs!” “we need a chest x ray!” “I want an echo!”, and so on. The star basketball player laid lifeless on the table amongst the room’s organized chaos. The trauma team was sticking her with needles, putting EKG electrodes on her chest, and drawing labs to get started. The IVs were set up first, and Lydia was immediately given a dose of epinephrine and atropine. The heart monitors were good to go just a moment later, and displayed coarse v-fib.

With CPR still ongoing, one of the nurses removed the rest of Lydia’s clothes, her shoes, and her socks, essentially stripping her completely naked. “she’s been down a few minutes. Let’s get her intubated. 8.0 ET tube please.” One of the nurses called out at the head of the table. The nurse opened up the young athlete’s mouth and placed the laryngoscope in, and began trying to navigate the tube in. “come on… come on…” the nurse said, thinking out loud. The nurse was fiddling with the tube, having a tough time with the intubation. “I can get past the cords, but can’t get down to the carina…” the nurse said, shaking her head. “this is a bigger girl. Try a bigger tube and see if that works.” The ER attending replied, handing the young nurse an 8.5 ET tube. This time, the nurse was able to place the tube and secure it in place with a blue tube holder.

After intubation, the team decided it was best to shock Lydia and then perform a chest x ray and echo post shock. The team charged the defib paddles to 300 joules, gelled them, pressed them up against the star player’s bare chest, and shocked her. Lydia’s body twitched and shook for a moment before going still. “no change, still in v-fib. Resume compressions. And let’s get that echo. We may not have time for the x ray.” The attending called out. With ongoing CPR, an echocardiogram was performed. “ok, massive tamponade. Get me a thoracotomy tray please. I need to open her chest.” The attending called out, sensing the urgency of the already dire situation. “where’d all that blood come from?” one of the nurses asked. “not sure, but we need to find out ASAP!” the ER doctor replied.

Betadine was splashed across Lydia’s bare chest, a quick, crude incision was made. The cut began in the 5th intercostal space just to the left of her sternum, extended laterally across her chest, underneath her left nipple and small, perky A cup breasts, and ultimately ended just shy of her left armpit. Layer by layer, the team cut through the underlying tissue and placed the run spreader in. They cranked the knob on the rib spreader, prying the young lady’s ribs apart forcefully. Cracking and popping sounds filled the room during this process. Finally, Lydia’s chest was opened and external CPR was ceased.

A vertical incision was made in the pericardium in order to relieve the tamponade and deliver the heart. But after the cut was made, fresh, bright red arterial blood rushed out, blocking the line of sight in an instant. Suction was applied to the area, but it only did so much. Since the team realized a potential bleed was the culprit, blood products were called for in an attempt to begin transfusions. A vascular clamp was placed on the descending aorta near the diaphragm to redirect blood flow to Lydia’s heart and brain, but the bleeding still continued after the cross clamping. It took several more attempts worth of suction to create a satisfactory line of sight in the thoracic cavity.

With that line of sight established, the ER doctor wrapped their hands around Lydia’s strong, athletic heart and began pumping away. They could feel Lydia’s heart weakly twitching in their hands, along with warm blood on the gloves and the arm portion of their trauma gown. A wet, rhythmic squishing sound was heard during internal massage. The team performed a few cycles of internal massage and pushed another round of drugs, but v-fib still persisted, so they decided to shock Lydia with the internal paddles. The large, spoon shaped paddles were charged to 20 joules and lowered into Lydia’s chest around her fidgeting heart, and a shock was delivered. A dull, weak thump was heard in response to the shock. Lydia’s heart contracted weakly for a few seconds, then began twitching spastically again. Internal massage was resumed, and the team recharged the paddles to 30 joules that time, and lowered them back around her strong, athletic heart, and released another jolt of electricity into it. Her torso flopped limply on the table, with her beautiful blue eyes staring lifelessly above. Unfortunately, there was still no change.

At that point, the ER team resumed internal massage, and the attending physician decided to investigate a bit further to see what could be causing the massive tamponade that led to Lydia’s cardiovascular collapse. The physician started feeling around Lydia’s strong, muscular heart to feel for any holes or tears in either the atria or ventricles, but all 4 chambers were intact and showed no signs of rupture. The doctor then checked for any great vessel abnormalities, but the thoracic aorta and its associated vessels were intact, as was the superior vena cava, and the pulmonary arteries+veins. The ER attending couldn’t find any noticeable cause for the massive bleed with their preliminary examination.

Since Lydia was still in v-fib, the team decided to shock her again with the internal paddles. The blood soaked paddles were recharged to 30 joules and lowered back in to shock Lydia’s heart again. The jolt of electricity caused Lydia’s feet to kick up for a moment before slamming back down, showing off the thin but prominent wrinkles all throughout the soles of her huge, size 15 feet. Lydia’s heart continued to quiver erratically in plain sight, with v-fib still displaying on the monitors. A cycle of internal compressions and another dose of meds were pushed intravenously while the paddles were recharged to 40 joules this time. The next shock caused Lydia’s long, slender legs to shake a bit while her shoulders shrugged quickly due to the increased intensity of this shock.

Lydia’s heart stopped for a moment, then started twitching again, but this time it was twitching much weaker than it did previously. The patient was in fine v-fib now, so internal massage was resumed and the large, spoon shaped paddles were recharged for the next shock. The next shock was also at 40 joules, and caused Lydia’s arms to flail for a moment, with her hands making loose fists. Unfortunately, Lydia became asystolic after this shock. One of the nurses checked Lydia’s pupils and noted that they were fixed and dilated. At that point, the ER team ceased their resuscitation efforts and called time of death on the star player at 10:17pm.

The flatlined monitors were switched off and the ambu bag was detached from the ET tube. The EKG electrodes were plucked off of Lydia’s bare chest, and the thoracotomy equipment was removed, only leaving a large, crude gash in her left chest. Lydia’s eyes were shut for the final time, and a toe tag was filled out and placed on the big toe of her left foot. The tag dangled in front of the thin, rough wrinkles in the soles of her big feet. Lydia laid cold, pale, and lifeless on the table with a detached ET tube hanging from her mouth. It was hard to believe she dominated a professional basketball game just a few hours earlier. Now she was under a sheet, and taken up to the hospital morgue.

After Lydia was transported to the morgue, the ER team had to have the difficult conversation with the all the players, coaches, and team employees in the waiting room. The attending physician told the team that despite their best efforts, Lydia passed away in the emergency department, and the cause of death was not immediately known to the ER team, so an autopsy was requested. Naturally, the teammates, coaches, team doctor, and other team employees were shaken up and saddened by the news of Lydia’s shocking death.

Lydia’s autopsy revealed several noteworthy findings. First and foremost, her cause of death was determined to be a ruptured coronary artery aneurysm. There was a massive tear in the posterior aspect of the left coronary artery, while there was an unruptured aneurysm of circumflex artery, with 12cm dilation- for reference, these aneurysms typically rupture around 8-10cm. There was also necrotic myocardium along the sides of the left ventricle. The odd thing about these findings is they tend to occur in older patients who have a history of arteriosclerosis, heart attack, and smoking. Since Lydia was a young, healthy athlete, this warranted further investigation. The further investigation was able to determine that Lydia had an undiagnosed case of a connective tissue disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). EDS is an inherited syndrome that affects the skin, joints, connective tissue, and arterial walls. Common characteristics of this syndrome are thinner than normal skin, abnormal stretching of the skin, abnormal scarring, joint hypermobility, and weaker blood vessel walls. Generally, this is a condition diagnosed during childhood and adolescence, but if the patient remains asymptomatic, it may go undetected. This is also a condition that has to be specifically tested for, so it may not always come up on a routine physical. Unfortunately for Lydia, she had this condition for years without knowing it.

With Lydia’s cause of death determined, the team and Lydia’s loved ones were able to get some closure in regards to her death. The team decided to hold a moment of silence in honor of her untimely passing before their first playoff game. Sadly, the team was unable to win their playoff series, but after the season, the WNBA awarded Lydia rookie of the year and MVP posthumously in a kind gesture, recognizing her accomplishments.

[fiercynn]

As a senior playing for Grace Christian High School in Sanford, N.C., Strong averaged 21.0 points, 16.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Strong led the Crusaders to a perfect 30-0 record and a second consecutive state title while notching 30 points and 21 rebounds in the championship game. In March, she was named the Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year. Strong is the daughter of Allison Feaster, who played 10 seasons in the WNBA after the Los Angeles Sparks selected her with the No. 5 pick in the 1998 draft, and Danny Strong, who played at NC State from 1995-1997. Feaster, a star at Harvard during her collegiate playing days, also serves as the Boston Celtics’ vice president of player and organizational development. UConn’s 2023-24 campaign, which saw five Huskies suffer season-ending injuries, concluded with a 71-69 loss to Iowa in the Final Four on Friday.

#wbb #uconn wbb #wcbb #women's college basketball #ncaa wbb #sarah strong #knowing me knowing queue

[98percentofthewnbaisgay]

Breanna Stewart in today’s game:

- 40 points

- 10 rebounds

- 2 assists

- 1 steal

- 1 block

#womens basketball #wnba #breanna stewart #wnba blog #new york liberty #ny liberty

[breannastewart]

BREANNA STEWART | ny vs phoenix (07/05/23) Stewie finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. She joins Candace Parker as the only players in WNBA history to have 40+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game.

#wnbaedit #breanna stewart #wnba #*mine #that girl always been that girl always will be that girl

[dan6085]

1. Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962: Considered by many to be the greatest individual performance in basketball history, Chamberlain scored an incredible 100 points in a single game, a record that still stands today.

2. Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup: In a quarterfinal match against England, Maradona scored one of the most controversial goals in soccer history by punching the ball into the net with his hand, a play that went unnoticed by the referees.

3. Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" in the 1997 NBA Finals: Despite suffering from a severe case of the flu, Jordan scored 38 points and led the Chicago Bulls to victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

4. Babe Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series: In one of the most famous moments in baseball history, Ruth allegedly pointed to the center field fence and then hit a home run in that exact spot.

5. Usain Bolt's world record 100m race at the 2009 World Championships: Bolt shattered his own world record in the 100m by running it in 9.58 seconds, a feat that many consider to be the greatest sprinting performance of all time.

6. Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics: In gymnastics, a perfect 10 is the highest possible score, and Comaneci became the first person to achieve this feat in Olympic competition.

7. Bobby Orr's Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1970: In overtime of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Orr scored the game-winning goal and then flew through the air in celebration, creating one of the most iconic images in hockey history.

8. Roger Federer's 2008 Wimbledon victory over Rafael Nadal: In what many consider to be the greatest tennis match of all time, Federer defeated Nadal in five sets to win his sixth Wimbledon title.

9. Secretariat's 1973 Belmont Stakes victory: In arguably the greatest horse race ever run, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by an astonishing 31 lengths, setting a world record time that still stands today.

10. Michael Phelps' eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics: Phelps became the first person to win eight gold medals at a single Olympic Games, breaking the previous record of seven set by Mark Spitz.

11. Lionel Messi's four-goal performance against Arsenal in 2010: In a Champions League match, Messi scored four goals and led Barcelona to a 4-1 victory over Arsenal.

12. Tom Brady's Super Bowl LI comeback against the Atlanta Falcons: In Super Bowl LI, Brady led the New England Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit to win the game in overtime, throwing for a Super Bowl record 466 yards.

13. Mookie Wilson's ground ball in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series: In one of the most memorable moments in baseball history, Wilson hit a ground ball that went through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing the New York Mets to win the game and eventually the World Series.

14. Serena Williams' 2017 Australian Open victory while pregnant: Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in 2017, all while being pregnant with her first child.

15. Brett Favre's Monday Night Football performance after his father's death: Just one day after his father passed away, Favre threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in a Monday Night Football victory over the Oakland Raiders.

16. LeBron James' 2016 NBA Finals performance: In a seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors, James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA championship, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game.

17. Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" victory over George Foreman: In one of the greatest upsets in boxing history, Ali defeated Foreman in a heavyweight championship fight in 1974, using his "rope-a-dope" strategy to tire out his opponent.

18. Wayne Gretzky's 1985-86 season: Gretzky set NHL records for most goals (92), most assists (163), and most points (215) in a single season, a feat that many consider to be the greatest individual performance in hockey history.

19. Michael Johnson's world record 200m race at the 1996 Olympics: Johnson ran the 200m in 19.32 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics.

20. Tiger Woods' 2000 U.S. Open victory: Woods won the U.S. Open by a record-setting 15 strokes, finishing the tournament at 12-under par and cementing his status as one of the greatest golfers of all time.

[lebron-12]

 Denver Nuggets will look to regain home-court advantage when they battle the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals on Wednesday. After opening the series with an 11-point win, the Nuggets fell 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday. The Heat (44-38), who are 13-7 this postseason, have been red hot at home, going 7-2 there this postseason. The Nuggets (53-29), the No. 1 seed in the West for the first time in franchise history, are 13-4 in the playoffs, but just 4-3 on the road.

Tipoff from Kaseya Center in Miami is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Denver leads the all-time series 39-35, and has won 10 of the past 12 matchups. Denver is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Heat vs. Nuggets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 214.5. Before making any Nuggets vs. Heat picks

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. He excels in the NBA, especially when picking Denver Nuggets games. Over the past 99 Denver matchups, he is 58-38-3 against the spread, returning $1,625 for $100 players. 

Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Heat vs. Nuggets and just locked in his picks and 2023 NBA Finals predictions. 

Despite the Game 2 loss, Denver center Nikola Jokic remains on a historical playoff run. On Sunday, Jokic scored 41 points on 16 of 28 shooting from the floor, and grabbed a series-high 11 rebounds and four assists for his 47th career playoff double-double and 14th of this postseason. He now has four career playoff games with 40 or more points, tying Alex English for second all-time in Denver's history, only trailing Jamal Murray, who has five. In 17 playoff games this year, he is averaging 30.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 1.1 steals. He is averaging a triple-double and has nine this postseason, including six in the last eight games.

Murray is also helping to carry the Nuggets' offense. He is also coming off a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists to go along with four rebounds. In the Game 1 win over the Heat, he registered a double-double with 26 points and 10 assists with six rebounds and one steal. It was his sixth consecutive game of scoring 25 or more points. In 17 postseason games, he is averaging 27 points, seven more than his season average. He is also averaging 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

Small forward Jimmy Butler reached 20 or more points for the third time in four games in the Game 2 win. He scored 21 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed four rebounds. In 19 postseason games, Butler has been a difference-maker. He is averaging 27.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals. His playoff-high was 56 points in a Game 4 first-round win over top-seeded Milwaukee on April 24. He also scored 42 in the decisive Game 5 overtime win over the Bucks on April 26 in Milwaukee.

Center Bam Adebayo is averaging 23.5 points in the series, and is coming off a 21-point and nine-rebound performance in Game 2. He also dished out four assists and blocked two shots. He was one rebound shy of recording his fourth consecutive double-double. In the Game 1 loss to Denver, he poured in 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with five assists. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Boston, he had 12 points and 10 rebounds. In 20 postseason games, he is averaging 17.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists. 

#basketball #sports

[news4usonline]

Lakers take Game 3 from the start

LOS ANGELES (News4usonline) - The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of their playoff series Saturday night, coming away with a 111-101 win. The Lakers now lead the series 2-1. Crypto.com Arena was roaring as the Lakers fought hard for the first round playoff win at home. The Lakers got off to an aggressive start in the first quarter creating, jumping out to a 20-point lead early in the first quarter. The game was essentially over then. Fourth quarter starts now pic.twitter.com/GDAjOg3AnD— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 23, 2023 The Grizzlies didn’t know what hit them as they were only able to generate nine points in the first period. Yes, nine. When the quarter ended, the Lakers had already built up a 35-9 advantage. By jumping on the Grizzlies the way that they did, the Lakers posted the largest lead after the first quarter in NBA postseason history. The Lakers slammed the Grizzlies into the ground during the beginning of the game, running circles around the Western Conference’s No. 2-seeded team and making them look inexperienced and helpless. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about team’s great defensive play in the first quarter during a postgame press conference. “That was something we touched yesterday in practice,” Ham said. “ Just establishing a defensive minded physical tone and just dig in and multiple efforts, activity, being ready, transition defense is key...and then trying to finish a possession with a rebound.” For the Lakers, Anthony Davis re-introduced himself to the Grizzlies with a huge effort. Davis showed up and showed out, clocking in with a team-high 31 points. He was dominant on the boards as well, picking up 17 rebounds. LeBron James contributed 25 points and collected 9 rebounds to aid the big game that Davis had. Not too bad of an outing for an “old” man. “It’s important for us to play well,” James said after the game. “We want to play better than we did in game two, but I think we did that. But we still have room for improvement going into game four and we know they’re going to be better as well.” With Davis and James having solid all-around games, the Lakers’ top players got some help. D’Angelo Russell clocked in with 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Rui Hachimura chipped in 16 points for the purple and gold. In the start of the second quarter, Hachimura had more points (10) than Memphis had on the scoreboard. The Lakers were on fire. High energy and great defense keyed the Lakers getting out fast. The Lakers maintained their large lead when halftime rolled around, going into intermission with a 53-37 lead. Memphis seemed to be overwhelmed by the Lakers’ fast start, putting a dent in the Grizzlies’ Alpha attitude they came out of the gate with. Combined their terrible first quarter along the super loud atmosphere in Crypto, it was clear that it was going to be a long night for Ja Morant and his teammates. The Lakers and their fans got a slight scare when James went down in the beginning of the second half after Memphis guard/forward Dillon Brooks hit the Lakers superstar in the groin. That play was called as a flagrant foul (2) against Brooks, who wound up getting tossed out of the game for the low blow. The drama filled game continued with more aggression and altercations. Hachimura later got into a skirmish with Memphis players David Roddy and John Konchar. Konchar pushed Hachimura as he was running down the court for a play. At the end of the game, Davis addressed the bad blood that appears to spill over from both teams. “We just want to take care of the home floor,” Davis said. “You know, we’re not getting into the back and forth, we let our game speak for ourselves...the trash talk is going to be there with the guys that they have. It’s playoff basketball, we wouldn’t expect anything less from them.” Read the full article

#AnthonyDavis #Lakers #MemphisGrizzlies

[classictshirt]

LeBron James credits Lakers' supporting cast for Game 1 win

LeBron James credits Lakers' supporting cast for Game 1 win The Los Angeles Lakers entered the fourth quarter of Sunday's Game 1 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies clinging to a six-point lead. In the first 11 minutes of the final frame, LeBron James and Anthony Davis attempted just one shot apiece. And yet L.A. ran away with a 128-112 victory as a bench player and a guy who went undrafted out of college just two years ago took over. Rui Hachimura scored nine of his 29 points in the fourth, tying Mychal Thompson's Lakers franchise record for most points by a substitute in a playoff game. Austin Reaves went 5-for-5 in the fourth, including scoring nine straight points late in the quarter, en route to 23 points total. "It was our supporting cast that won us the game tonight," said James, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. The Lakers needed the extra effort from their roster with things looking dicey at halftime. Davis, who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks and 3 steals to become the first player since Tim Duncan nearly 20 years ago to put up that type of postseason statline, suffered a stinger to his right shoulder and had to exit the game late in the second quarter. The Lakers trailed by six at the time. Then Hachimura went 4-for-4 from 3 in six minutes of playing time in the third quarter and L.A. was back in control. The fourth-year forward, acquired in a trade with Washington in late January, said they were all shots he specifically practiced coming into the series, with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy scouting the gaps in the Grizzlies' defense that Hachimura could target. "The way they guard me, they're going to be in the paint so I got to be ready to shoot those kind of shots," Hachimura said. Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane confirmed as much, while directing a challenge toward Hachimura for Game 2. "That was our game plan going in -- make him hit shots and he did," Bane said. "Tip your cap. It's probably the best game he's had in his career. It's a seven-game series. Let's see if he can do it again Wednesday." Reaves, who signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2021 after he went undrafted out of Oklahoma and was later converted to a full-fledged member of the team before the season began, closed things out. "You dream about being on a stage like this," Reaves said. "And I got hot late and I had fun." It was the first time the Lakers had four players score 20 or more in the playoffs since May 15, 1988, when James Worth, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Byron Scott did it. And D'Angelo Russell (19 points, seven assists) nearly made it five. While L.A. won 10 of its past 12 games, including Tuesday's play-in win over Minnesota to secure the No. 7 seed against No. 2 Memphis, there were signs of slippage. The Lakers didn't look sharp in their final four regular-season games, which included a loss to the Clippers, and their effort against Minnesota was disjointed at best and undisciplined at worst. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his team used the four-day break between the win over the Wolves and Game 1 against Memphis to recalibrate. "The last week of the season or so, the play-in game, possessions got away from us," Ham said. "We threw away possessions with no pass or one pass and then shot." L.A. locked in after a team address by James and Davis about the increased intensity that the playoffs require, and seemingly has recaptured the momentum that got it to the playoffs in the first place. "How can we best extract the most production as we can out of this group?" Ham said, explaining the aim of the time off. "And this is how. This is what's going to work against this team and what we need to explore; this is what we need to leave to the side. I thought it was a combination of all of that -- being fresh and taking a deep, hard look at our offense and what's been good and what's been bad." While the Lakers started the series off with a statement win, stealing home-court advantage from the Grizzlies as they attempt to become the first No. 7 seed to pull off a first-round upset since San Antonio in 2010, James focused on some of the bad from Sunday. He pointed out that L.A.'s 16 turnovers led to 15 points for the Grizzlies and took responsibility for the five he had himself. "I thought the guys definitely understood that assignment and were really good tonight," James said. "But I think we can be even better." Read the full article

[ballwzrd]

Bruce Brown vs Celtics GM3 (L):

26 points

8 rebounds

3 assists

2 steals

1 block

10 - 19 FGM

#bruce brown #Bruce #brown #brooklyn nets #brooklyn #nets #small forward #nba #basketball #nba basketball #ballwzrd #nba stats #nba season #nba 2k22 #playoffs

[bearterritory]

Cal Defeats Saint Mary’s 74-69

Four Bears Score in Double Figures

BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by Saint Mary's (5-3) to earn a 74-69 win at Haas Pavilion yesterday afternoon and improve to 7-1 on the season. Cal had a 15-point lead with 4:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Gaels went on a 11-1 run the rest of the way to nearly complete the comeback. For the third time this season, the Bears had four players score in double figures, led by Ila Lane who had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Leilani McIntosh, Marta Suárez and Lulu-Laditan Twidale scored 13 points each. Laditan-Twidale hit multiple (three) 3-pointers for the third straight game against the Gaels. Kemery Martín had a career-high seven assists while McIntosh matched her season high with eight assists. For the third straight game, Twidale had a multiple 3-point effort with three from beyond the arc. As a team, Cal had season highs of 21 assists and 44 points in the paint. "We talked to Ila and Michelle [Onyiah] about having that low block presence and how much it means for us not just now but moving forward," Cal head coach Charmin Smith said. "I thought they both responded. Ila was phenomenal today. We needed to feed the posts and they really came through for us when we needed them. Jeff [Cammon] does a really good job with his defensive schemes and taking away some of the things we're used to on the perimeter, so I'm really proud of the way Ila stepped up in particular." In the first quarter, Cal got hot in the last five minutes hitting 10 straight field goals in that span to finish with a 81.3% clip from the field. Twidale hit two 3-pointers during that stretch and a McIntosh layup with 41 seconds to go gave the Bears a 12-point lead going into the second.

The Gaels opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 30-23 before McKayla Williams found Lane for a layup to end the run. Another 6-0 run brought Saint Mary's to within five points at the 2:54 mark before Leilani converted on a floater. Saint Mary's outscored Cal 16-9 in the quarter to go into the half down just five points.   In the third quarter, Cal used an 8-0 run bookended by 3-pointers from Twidale and McIntosh to give the Bears a 50-37 lead at the 4:52 mark. The Bears held the Gaels to a six-minute stretch without a field goal, but Saint Mary's was able to convert on its last two possessions to go into the final quarter down 10 points.   The Bears were able to get their biggest lead of the game at the 6:59 mark of the fourth quarter when McIntosh found Lane in the paint for a layup to give Cal a 15-point lead. After Martín scored on a fastbreak layup to maintain the 15-point lead with four minutes left, the Gaels started their rally. Cal would go scoreless from the field, but ultimately time ran out for the Gaels to complete the comeback. A buzzer-beater 3-pointer for Saint Mary's cut the deficit to five points in the final score.   Saint Mary's was led by Tayla Dalton and Zeryhia Aokuso who had 19 and 18 points respectively.

#Go Bears #UC Berkeley #This Is Bear Territory #Cal sports

[bigzaynba]

Domantas Sabonis Record-Breaking Season: Best Underrated Center In The NBA | Big ZayNBA

Domantas Sabonis’ Record-Breaking Season: Best Underrated Center In The NBA | Big ZayNBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QNfrfqG954 Sabonis has shattered records and expectations, leading the NBA in triple and double-doubles for the 2023-2024 season, a feat not recognized enough in the sports world. His ability to score, rebound, and assist puts him on par with the league's top centers, yet he remains out of the MVP conversations. This video will highlight his contributions to the Sacramento Kings and demonstrate why he should be considered one of the top players in the league. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment on what you think makes Sabonis such a standout player. Hit the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content!" ✅Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Domantas Sabonis 0:18 Why Sabonis is underrated 1:00 Sabonis' historic achievements 2:01 Comparison with other NBA centers 3:15 Sabonis' stats and record-breaking moments 4:02 Debunking myths about Sabonis 5:03 The impact of marketability on player recognition 6:00 Closing thoughts and call to action This video is about Domantas Sabonis’ Record-Breaking Season: Best Underrated Center In The NBA. But It also covers the following topics: Domantas Sabonis Highlights Sabonis Triple Double NBA Underrated Centers Video Title: Domantas Sabonis’ Record-Breaking Season: Best Underrated Center In The NBA | Big ZayNBA 🔗Stay Connected With Us. 🔔Enjoy the excitement of NBA basketball like never before with Big ZayNBA! Subscribe now for awe-inspiring slam dunks, clutch plays, and unforgettable moments. https://www.youtube.com/@bigzay46/?sub_confirmation=1 ✅ For Business Inquiries: [email protected] ============================= ✅ Other Videos You Might Be Interested In Watching: 👉 Do the Mavericks need another superstar to win the championship? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiYrZPrJlUs 👉 Golden State Warriors are making a comeback! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwyzyM04o0w 👉 Luka Doncic's Unforgettable 73-Point Game: Rewriting NBA History! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1f0Ml26jQ 👉 Shocking NBA Trades: The Top 10 Biggest Moves in History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_ckkeUqDg 👉 Top 10 Young NBA Stars With Amazing Potential https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oMGWX8Plvg ============================= ✅ About Big ZayNBA. Welcome to Big ZayNBA! Get ready to immerse yourself in the thrilling world of NBA basketball. From jaw-dropping dunks to game-winning shots, we've got it all. Join our community of hoops enthusiasts and never miss a moment of the action. Subscribe to stay updated with our weekly videos every Saturday at 8 am. Let's hoop it up together! For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: [email protected] 🔔Elevate your basketball experience with Big ZayNBA! Subscribe to enjoy the most exhilarating NBA moments – from jaw-dropping dunks to game-changing plays. https://www.youtube.com/@bigzay46/?sub_confirmation=1 ================================= #domantassabonis #underratednba #sacramentokings #nba2024 #basketballanalysis #sportsstats ⚠️DISCLAIMER: We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of watching any of our publications. You acknowledge that you use the information we provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and our YouTube channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Big ZayNBA. You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to our YouTube channel is provided. © Big ZayNBA via Big ZayNBA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0xFNdoKko1iFWGLZzenmLg April 24, 2024 at 06:00PM

#nba #basketballgenius #sportsanalysis #risingstar #winningstrategy #richestathletes #goldenstatewarriors #youngtalent

[coloradomcpoeticslave]

Mile High Playoffs Rd 1: Jamal Murray hits the Game-Winning shot to give Denver a 2-0 lead

By Daniel Paiz Jamal Murray hits the game-winning shot to give Denver a 2-0 lead, as the Denver Nuggets win 101-99 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Nikola Jokic had his 17th playoff triple-double with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists; it’s the fourth time someone has had a triple-double with 20-20-10 in league history. Jamal Murray notched 20 points and five assists while Michael Porter Jr had…

View On WordPress

[ledenews]

Wheeling Nailers Tie Series With Blowout Win Over Indy

The Wheeling Nailers are coming home with a split, as they put forth a dominant performance in game two of the Central Division Semifinal Series at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Wheeling got humongous offensive contributions from a group of players, led by Jordan Martel, who had two goals and three assists. Evan Vierling also found the back of the net twice, Justin Addamo dished out four assists, and Matt Koopman and Justin Lee both had three-point games. The Nailers clobbered the Indy Fuel, 7-1, to tie the best-of-seven series, 1-1. The opening stanza was exactly what the Nailers were looking for, as they collected the first two goals of the contest. The first tally came at the 6:36 mark. Jordan Martel threw a pass off of the right wall for Justin Addamo to skate onto. Addamo curled around the offensive zone, and ultimately landed in the high slot, where he drilled a wrist shot toward the goal. His attempt didn't go in, but Matt Koopman banged away at the loose change and got it to squirt through. With ten seconds to go in the period, Indy's Chase Lang high sticked Dustin Manz on a face-off, which gave Wheeling a four-minute power play. It took the Nailers just six seconds to convert. Addamo brushed an initial pass by Justin Lee to the right side of the crease, where Evan Vierling swatted a goal in during his return to the lineup. The Nailers blew the game open in the second period, as they added four goals to their total. Jordan Martel lit the lamp twice in a span of 21 seconds, as he slid into the slot to deposit a centering pass from Koopman, then faked out goaltender Zach Driscoll and shuffled a shot into the right side of the cage off of another setup from Koopman. With 2:56 remaining, another pair of strikes went to the visitors. Martel took a hit to move the puck into neutral ice. Justin Lee skated into the offensive zone and took a shot that got denied, but followed that up by burying his own rebound. 65 seconds after that, Jared Westcott joined the party, as he took a feed from David Jankowski and roofed a wrist shot into the top-left corner of the goal. Vierling notched his second of the game with a power play wrist shot from the right side of the slot, before Ross MacDougall delivered the lone Indy goal with 4:42 to go, as Wheeling finished off its 7-1 triumph. Jaxon Castor backstopped his first career playoff victory for the Nailers, as he thwarted 20 of the 21 shots he faced. Zach Driscoll gave up six goals on 22 shots in the loss for the Fuel, before giving way to Mitchell Weeks, who was 6-of-7 in relief. The Central Division Semifinal Series will shift to WesBanco Arena for games three and four on Monday and Tuesday, both with 7:10 face-offs. Monday's game will feature Fan Appreciation Night festivities, including the vacation giveaway to Put-in-Bay. To purchase tickets for the playoffs or for any questions or concerns about ticketing, please visit wheelingnailers.com or call (304) 234-GOAL. The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley. Read the full article