NBA Postseason Begins with Two Former Duquesne Players on Rosters —
— T.J. McConnell, who played basketball for Duquesne in 2010-11 and 2011-12 before transferring to Arizona, has been on the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster for some time. After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft, he signed with Philadelphia, and has remained on the team’s roster ever since. A reliable floor general behind potential Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons, McConnell and his 76ers team stand to face an important Game 3 in Miami on Saturday, April 21, as the No. 3 seed Sixers and sixth-seeded Heat are tied at one game apiece.
Aaron Jackson, however, just received his call the NBA last week, when he made his debut in the league on Wednesday, April 11, with the Houston Rockets in the team’s regular season finale against Sacramento. Jackson, who graduated from Duquesne in 2009, inked a deal with the Rockets for the rest of the season — and he figures to stick around awhile, too, as the Rockets are favored to advance well into the NBA’s postseason. With a 65-17 regular season record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Houston is led by MVP favorite James Harden and All-NBA guard Chris Paul. The Rockets defeated the Timberwolves, 102-82, on April 18, to take a 2-0 series lead over Minnesota. Game 3 is slated for April 21 in Minneapolis.
Pens Take 3-1 Series Lead Over PHI —
— The Metropolitan Division’s No. 2 seed Penguins defeated Philadelphia, 5-0, on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead as the series shifts back to Pittsburgh for Game 5, which is set for Friday, April 20.
This Week in Sports History…
— On April 19, 1897, the first-ever Boston Marathon was won by John J. McDermott with a time of 2:55:10. The Boston Marathon is now the world’s oldest annual marathon.
— On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan set the NBA playoff single-game scoring record with 63 points against the Boston Celtics. Despite Jordan’s outlandish scoring total, his Bulls fell to the Celtics in double-overtime, 135-131.
— Adam Lindner
