NBA News Roundup, Sunday, April 28th: Clippers lead Lakers in race for Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry injury update and more
Due to the excitement generated by the 2019 playoffs, basketball fans are already speculating on who will be the main challengers next season. A number of high-profile stars are about to hit free agency this summer, while superstars such as Anthony Davis may be made available for trades.
NBA teams are also preparing for the upcoming draft, so with no shortage of news and rumors around the league -- here is everything you need to know for April 28th.
Doc Rivers full of praise for his Clippers team
The Los Angeles Clippers exited the playoffs on Friday as they lost 129-110 to the Golden State Warriors. Many had expected the Clippers to get swept by the two-time defending champions, however, Doc Rivers' starless team were able to almost push Steve Kerr's men all the way -- and Rivers is full of praise for his team:
I've never been more proud of a group of guys in the 20 years that I've coached. They were just really fun. As I've said before, I've never had a group where you wanted to, in the morning, you raced to the car, you raced to practice just because you love being around them. So for me, it was just a pleasure to coach them.
I think you could take this team and put it in every NBA city, and when they leave, every NBA city would love this team. Because the people who come to games go to work all day. And they love to see players who play like they work.
And I thought what the city saw in this team, what I saw in this team, was a hard-hat team that came to work every day. And it doesn't matter if you're blue-collar or white-collar, people appreciate workers
The Clippers will be looking to build on their excellent 18/19 season this summer as they target two superstar free-agents. Kawhi Leonard is among the names being backed to join the team.