The Timberwolves are on the road but looking no worse for wear. Sitting on a score of 59-53, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
If the Timberwolves keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 3-0 in no time. On the other hand, the Suns will have to make due with an 0-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Regular Season Records: Minnesota 56-26, Phoenix 49-33
Current Series Standings: Minnesota 2, Phoenix 0How To WatchWhen: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 10:30 p.m. ETWhere: Footprint Center — Phoenix, ArizonaTV: ESPNFollow:CBS Sports AppOnline streaming:fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Ticket Cost: $113.00What to Know
The Timberwolves have enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. On Friday, they will fight it out
Brace yourselves, Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Pro Football Focus is here, and they’ve got some positive feedback for their third-round selection of Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson, naming him one of three “elite” picks in Round 3.
This past season, Wilson accounted for 12 of quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s 22 passing touchdowns. A smooth route runner with the ability to separate, Wilson’s exactly the type of player the Steelers will love with uber-reliable hands, tallying just a single drop in the 2023 season. An explosive athlete with 4.3 speed, Wilson can be a Day 1 impact player out of the slot as a threat in the short, intermediate and deep passing games.
Wilson’s relationship with HC Mike Tomlin dated back to the Senior Bowl, where Tomlin egged Wilson on for 1 v. 1 reps against one of the draft’s top cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell.
Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Steelers add a big-name linebacker who falls to the third-round
What a draft it has been for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they complete what was a grand slam in their first four selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
After adding Zach Frazier and Roman Wilson, the Steelers closed out their day by taking North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson with the 98th overall pick.
Wilson was a guy who some had going as soon as the late first round. However, medical worries led to a big slide to late in the third. Ian Rapaport noted that one of Wilson’s legs doesn’t have an ACL in it.
Just now on NFL Network @rapsheet reported on Payton Wilson’s fall in the draft: “one of his knees does not have an ACL” … if that’s true his performance the last two years is absolutely outrageous.
However, while in Mobile for Senior Bowl week, multiple folks I spoke with said that Wilson is the smartest defensive player in this class, and one of the smarter linebackers they’ve seen in quite sometime.
In 2023, Wilson had 92 tackles, and was one of the best coverage linebackers in the nation, intercepting three passes and allowed a passer rating of just 47.2 when he was targeted. He also had 41 run stops.
The Steelers had a lot of questions of the health and return of Cole Holcomb, and lacked any sort of depth behind Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen- they now have a guy who, if he stays healthy, will be a future starter and anchor of the Steelers’ defense. This is a pick with tremendous upside should Wilson reach his potential.
A massive, high-upside bargain pick for Omar Khan & Co. after having fallen due to medical concerns.
With the 98th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers have selected NC State linebacker Payton Wilson — the third player with the surname “Wilson” that they’ve added to the roster over the past two months.
Wilson was one of two linebackers available in Day 2 that the Steelers had hosted on a top-30 pre-draft visit. As has been the case with most of Pittsburgh’s picks so far, it seems that the board fell to them perfectly, with Wilson having ranked 53rd overall on Marcus Mosher’s NFL expert consensus draft board ahead of Round 1. Despite his high upside and productive career at NC State, totaling 402 tackles over six seasons (48 for a loss), as well as 15 sacks, 1 forced fumble and seven interceptions, Wilson fell due to medical concerns.
medical history is a bright red flag after double -digit surgeries since his senior year of high school — missed the second half of his senior year of high school after tearing the ACL in his right knee (October 2017), requiring surgery; reinjured his right knee during summer of 2018 and required another surgery, sitting out his first season at NC State; underwent surgery on both shoulders after the 2020 season and sat out 2021 spring practices; missed most of the 2021 season after suffering his third shoulder dislocation (September 2021), which required surgery (Bristow procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews) to repair shoulder blade issues (battled complications from the surgery, including infection)
Though the medicals are a tough thing to look past, Pittsburgh managed to draft a potential Round 1 talent thanks to that medical asterisk, and despite that history, he’s coming off a full season where he led the ACC in tackles and earned both the Chuck Bednarik Award, honoring the top defensive player in college football, as well as the Butkus Award, honoring the top linebacker in the FBS.
The Steelers received the 98th pick, originally a compensatory selection belonging to the Philadelphia Eagles, along with two 2025 seventh-round selections, in exchange for 2022 first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett and the 120th overall pick.
Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in LA, and won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game series loss to the Clippers. Game 4 is Sunday in Dallas.
Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half and Daniel Gafford, his tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a flagrant foul and two ejections.
James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but just seven after halftime, while fellow stars George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact. Normal Powell also had 21.
Ivica Zubac had 19 points and eight rebounds.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 21 points in the final 13-plus minutes, including eight in the final
Mike Curtis: Final: #Mavs 101, #Clippers 90. The Mavs take a 2-1 lead. Teams who win Game 3, when the series is tied at 1-1, usually go on to win the series 73.7% of the time. A lot of contributors for this one. Luka Doncic finished with 22-10-9. Kyrie Irving added 21-4-6. Source: Twitter @MikeACurtis2 What’s the buzz on Twitter? Mike Curtis @MikeACurtis2 Final: #Mavs 101, #Clippers 90. The Mavs take a 2-1 lead. Teams who win Game 3, when the series is tied at 1-1, usually go on to win the series 73.7% of the time. A lot of contributors for this one. Luka Doncic finished with 22-10-9. Kyrie Irving added 21-4-6. – 10:48 PM
The Pittsburgh Steelers address their biggest remaining offensive need in the third round, taking Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson with the 84th overall pick.
I can’t put into words just how perfect the board has fallen for the Steelers. Wilson was a guy that was a projected mid-second round pick that may not even be there for the Steelers at 51. Instead, he slips to No. 84 and Pittsburgh snags him in the third round.
The Steelers lineup of receivers now looks as follows:
George Pickens
Roman Wilson
Calvin Austin III
Van Jefferson
Quez Watkins
And don’t be surprised if the Steelers aren’t done making moves at wide receiver to strengthen that room.
Wilson was terrific in 2023 with the Wolverines. His 12 deep catches were amongst the most in the nation, and he is tremendous at beating man coverage. While he played predominantly in the slot at Michigan, he will be a guy who transitions to the outside seamlessly, and will still be utilized in the slot. The Steelers were able to land three of the biggest names linked to them, and they did it all without trading any capital. This has been a phenomenal draft by Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and Co.
The Steelers grab a WR with their first pick in the third round.
With the 84th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson.
Wilson is the Steelers’ first pick in the draft at a skill position. The Steelers took Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and West Virginia center Zach Frazier with their first two picks. Now, with their offensive line set heading into the upcoming season, the Steelers turn to improving their wide receiver room.
The 5’11, 185-pound senior recorded 48 receptions for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns in a National Championship-winning season with the Wolverines in 2023. Wilson ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Steelers showed pre-draft interest in Wilson in the pre-draft process, with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin challenging Wilson and first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to go against each other at the Senior Bowl. The team also reportedly met with Wilson at his pro day. Now, Wilson looks to fill in as the Steelers’ WR2 behind George Pickens in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers still have one pick left in the third round, No. 98, after trading up from the fourth to the third when they dealt quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Steelers’ second-round pick might be the toughest player in the draft.
For many football players, a broken leg can crush draft dreams. In the case of Steelers’ second-round pick Zach Frazier, it cemented his place as one of the draft’s top linemen.
In his final game as a Mountaineer, Frazier suffered a broken leg as West Virginia drove down the field for a winning score in the final minutes of a matchup vs. Baylor. To preserve the clock with no timeouts left, Frazier crawled and jumped on one leg off the field to save time. His actions helped WVU drive down the field and score the game-winning touchdown with seconds left.
Frazier’s toughness and grit certainly made an impression on NFL coaches and scouts, with the Steelers selecting the WVU center with the 51st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith brought up that exact play in his draft press conference following the Frazier pick. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Smith stated, “That’s who he [Frazier] is and that’s who his resume is. It wasn’t trying to just do some dramatic shot for the camera. I mean, that’s his history and his body of work. One of the tougher guys I’ve seen on film. It reminds me a lot of Ben Jones — a real toughness to ‘em.”
Steelers OC Arthur Smith on this moment where Zach Frazier bear crawled/hopped off the field to avoid a 10 second run off after fracturing his fibula in his final college game:
“That’s who he is and that’s who his resume is. It wasn’t trying to just do some dramatic shot for… https://t.co/xfpbC4fbOI
After trading blowouts in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers delivered an instant classic on Friday evening. It was a good thing Game 3 started at 5:30 p.m. local time, as it took three hours for the Pacers to secure a thrilling 121-118 win in overtime.
The Pacers jumped out to a 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter, which also included a frightening moment for the Bucks when Damian Lillard limped to the locker room with an apparent knee injury. Neither he nor his team was willing to give up, however, and the Bucks began chipping away at the Pacers’ lead once he returned to the floor in the second quarter.
By the opening minutes of the fourth, Lillard had put the Bucks
