Kyrie Irving To Miss Game Due To Right Finger Sprain
Nets point guard Kyrie Irving will not play in Saturday’s contest against the Sixers in Philadelphia due to a right index finger sprain, the team announced in its injury report.
Irving played in the Nets’ 123-117 loss at home to the Raptors on Friday, notching 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 39 minutes. It was Irving’s first game scoring fewer than 20 points since January 25.
Ever since returning from an extended mercurial absence in early January, Irving has played well for the Nets. In total, Irving is averaging a career-high 27.5 PPG along with 5.7 APG and 4.8 RPG in 16 games.
Additionally, Brooklyn listed Kevin Durant as questionable for Saturday’s game despite a report he could miss multiple games and that he would not travel to the team to Philadelphia. Durant is undergoing health and safety protocols after a person he was around returned a positive COVID-19 test.
Nets’ Kevin Durant May Miss ‘Multiple Games’ Amid Contact Tracing
Nets superstar Kevin Durant could miss multiple games as he undergoes contact tracing under the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski report.
Durant will not travel with the team to Philadelphia for tonight’s matchup against the Sixers and it remains to be seen if he will suit up Tuesday in Detroit.
It was an odd series of events on Friday night as Durant was initially held out of the Nets’ home tilt against the Raptors to undergo contact tracing. Someone Durant had been in contact with returned an inconclusive COVID-19 test but after being given the all-clear, Durant returned to the bench and entered the game late in the first quarter.
The 32-year-old seemed out of rhythm, registering just eight points while also picking up four fouls early into the third quarter. As officials reviewed a foul called on Durant, he was deemed ineligible to remain in the game due to health and safety protocols. The Nets went on to lose 123-117 in one of the more chaotic games of the season.
Durant was visibly frustrated after he was pulled for the rest of the game and tweeted, “Free me” late in the fourth quarter. He also called out the NBA in a separate tweet: “Yo @nba, your fans aren’t dumb!!!! You can’t fool em with your Wack ass PR tactics.. #FREE7.”
In early March of last year, Durant contracted COVID-19 and just a month ago, missed four games in early January due to health and safety protocols after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. Per ESPN, Durant continued registering COVID-19 antibodies in January.
At 14-10, the Nets and their threesome of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden have played well when all are on the court. However, safety protocols and an extended Irving absence have not given the team ample time to establish consistency.
Christian Wood To Be Re-Evaluated On Weekly Basis
Rockets center Christian Wood will be re-evaluated on a weekly basis for his right ankle sprain, the team announced on Friday in a press release.
He underwent an MRI on Friday after suffering the injury during the third quarter of Thursday’s game at Memphis. While the release didn’t indicate the severity of the sprain, it’s likely that Wood is facing a prolonged absence, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
It’s a major blow to one of the league’s hottest teams. The Rockets have won seven of their last eight games to get past the .500 mark at 11-10. Houston has a busy February schedule with 13 games remaining this month and it’s quite possible Wood will miss most or all of those games.
He sat out three games late last moth with a similar injury but otherwise, Wood has built upon his breakout season with Detroit.
Acquired by Houston in a sign-and-trade, Wood has emerged as an All-Star candidate, averaging 22.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 1.5 BPG through 17 games.
Without him, the team will rely more heavily on DeMarcus Cousins, Rodions Kurucs and trade candidates P.J. Tucker and Danuel House.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Southeast Division
Throughout the season, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents this off-season. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we take a look at players from the Southeast Division:
Malik Monk, Hornets, 23, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $15.7MM deal in 2017
Monk has forced his way back into Charlotte’s rotation — 36-point explosions will do that for you. Monk’s scoring outburst led the Hornets to an overtime victory against Miami on Monday. That was sandwiched by an 18-point game against Milwaukee and a 13-point output against Philadelphia. A 2017 lottery pick, Monk has never shot better than 34.2% from deep in his first three seasons and bottomed out at 28.4% last season. He’s made 52.5% of his long-range shots this season. Charlotte would have to extend Monk a $7MM+ qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent this summer. The Hornets might opt to deal him this winter but Monk will continue to pump up his value if he keeps shooting like this.
Tony Snell, Hawks, 29, SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $46MM deal in 2017
Snell had a player option that was much too lucrative to turn down last offseason. When he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’ll be looking at substantially smaller offers that the one he received from Milwaukee in 2017. Snell started regularly for Detroit last season but he hasn’t gotten much floor time with Atlanta despite several injuries to wing players. He played a season-high 24 minutes against Utah on Thursday but once De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic return to action, Snell will reside at the end of the bench once again.
Kendrick Nunn, Heat, 25, SG (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $3.1MM deal in 2018
Nunn was one of the league’s feel-good stories last season, an undrafted rookie who graduated from the G League to become a starter with the Heat, then finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 15.3 PPG and 3.3 APG in 67 regular-season games. However, he lost his starting job in the Orlando bubble following a bout with COVID-19 and hasn’t regained it this season. Nunn was playing regularly when Jimmy Butler battled the virus last month but he has fallen completely out of the rotation the last three games. Avery Bradley‘s latest injury should allow him to regain his spot. Nunn’s qualifying offer is a meager $2.1MM if he doesn’t meet the starter criteria, so he’ll likely become a restricted free agent. Still, it’ll be harder to land a big offer sheet from another club if his playing time continues to wildly fluctuate.
Ish Smith, Wizards, 32, PG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $12MM deal in 2019
Smith has carved out a nice career as a second-unit sparkplug. He’s always been capable of tossing in a 20-point night with his quickness and driving ability. Those outings haven’t occurred this season. He’s only reached double digits once despite averaging a steady 20.7 MPG. He’s still making a positive contributor with his passing – he’s averaged 7.0 assists the last five games – but he’s 1-for-12 from the field in his last two games despite playing 54 minutes. At 32, Smith will find it increasingly difficult to get offers ahead of younger players. That reality could strike as early as this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: Towns, Saunders, Russell, Elleby, Daigneault
Karl-Anthony Towns‘ return to action remains up in the air, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The Timberwolves star has been sidelined since testing positive for COVID-19 in mid-January. Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said Towns has been working out with the team on the road as he tries to get back into playing shape. He hasn’t played since January 13.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves had lost eight of 10 games without Towns entering Friday’s action, and D’Angelo Russell and Saunders don’t seem to be on the same page when the team attempts to close out games, Krawczynski notes. It takes time for a coach and a point guard to build trust, and they are working on that process right now, Krawczynski adds. Saunders is also struggling to maximize the backcourt combination of Russell and natural point guard Ricky Rubio.
- Trail Blazers rookie CJ Elleby impressed coach Terry Stotts with his overall production when injuries thrust Elleby into the rotation on Thursday, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. The 46th pick of the draft, Elleby had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes. “He asserted himself into the game rather than just watching others play,” Stotts said.
- Thunder coach Mark Daigneault likes the makeshift format of playing the same opponent in back-to-back games this season, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. “In the NBA schedule, you run into something that bothers you and you end up chasing your shadow but you’ve got a different opponent coming around the corner,” Daigneault said. “And so it’s hard to really spend too much time reflecting on the last game because you’ve got to turn the page. The series allow you to do both.”
And-Ones: Vaccines, Ball, Trade Candidates, Defenders, All-Star Voting
In an effort to alleviate players’ – and some coaches’ – fears and skepticism about receiving COVID-19 vaccines, the NBA is arranging mandatory meetings over the next two weeks between its top medical expert and all 30 teams, Sam Amick, Joe Vardon and David Aldridge of The Athletic report. Teams felt there was a need to provide information and insight on this issue to its players.
The NBA wants everyone associated with the game — players, coaches, referees and chief front office personnel — to get the shots, not only for safety reasons but also as part of a national volunteering-public relations campaign.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- LaMelo Ball ranks as the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The Hornets guard ranks first in assists and steals, second in rebounding and third in scoring among all rookies despite coming off the bench in all but two games. Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton sits in second place for Wasserman, who ranks the rookies from 10-1.
- With Wizards guard Bradley Beal apparently off the market, there won’t be another blockbuster trade this season to rival the James Harden deal, Tim Bontemps of ESPN opines. Some of the players who could be moved by March’s trade deadline are Lonzo Ball, J.J. Redick, P.J. Tucker, George Hill, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon, though Hill and Gordon are currently injured.
- Rudy Gobert‘s contract with the Jazz is a rare case in which a defensive stalwart is compensated like a elite scorer, Aldridge notes in a separate Athletic story. Aldridge takes a closer look at why top defenders are generally not as valued as scorers.
- Kevin Durant has received the most All-Star votes in the early returns, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Beal is the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference guards. LeBron James has the most votes among Western Conference forwards and Stephen Curry leads all Western Conference guards by a wide margin.
Dellavedova: I’m Not Ready To Retire
Matthew Dellavedova has been dealing with the after-effects of a major concussion but he has no plans to retire. The Cavaliers guard tweeted that he considers the brain injury a “temporary setback.”
“Retirement is not on my mind at all right now. Only focus is getting healthy and back with the boys to help make a playoff push,” Dellavedova wrote. “Cavs are playing good basketball and I’m definitely looking forward to being a part of what is getting built here. Injuries are frustrating but it’s a temporary setback and I’m looking forward to coming back from this better than before. Thank you and appreciate the well wishes.”
Dellavedova suffered the concussion during the team’s first preseason game. A report from The Athletic this week suggested that his linger symptoms could impede his basketball future. Dellavedova has experienced several concussions in his career.
He was re-signed on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal in November.
“He’s taking steps, but they’re small steps,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff recently said. “With the history that he has, with the concussions, we’re taking every caution that we possibly can to make sure that he’s gonna be fully recovered first before we do anything with him.”
Dellavedova, 30, appeared in 57 games with Cleveland last season. Over the past seven seasons with the Bucks and Cavaliers, Dellavedova has appeared in 434 games. He’s averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.7 APG in 20.4 MPG while making 36.8% of his 3-point shots.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Curry, Celtics, Raptors
Sixers star Joel Embiid is widely expected to make the All-Star team this season, but the 26-year-old wouldn’t commit to playing in the game when asked about it on Thursday, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Embiid is currently enjoying a career-best season, averaging 29.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest. He’s made the All-Star Game in each of his last three campaigns.
“I am not sure if I am going to make it, but hopefully I get the chance to be part of it once again,” Embiid said. “I have always been conservative. I have always voiced my opinion since the pandemic started, starting with the bubble, wasn’t really all [for it] and then the season.”
Embiid isn’t the first player to seemingly voice concerns over the All-Star Game being held, with Kings star De’Aaron Fox recently opposing the decision and Lakers superstar LeBron James also speaking out against the idea on Thursday night. The game is currently set be held on March 7 in Atlanta.
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines how Seth Curry‘s recovery from COVID-19 has impacted his performance. Curry was acquired by the Sixers last offseason, most recently going scoreless in the team’s loss on Thursday (0-for-1 shooting in 12 minutes). He also didn’t record a point on Wednesday, shooting 0-for-3 in nearly 29 minutes.
- Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explores the Celtics‘ 10 most valuable trade assets. Boston has several young players on its roster and a $28.5MM trade exception, making them a team worth watching ahead of the March 25 trade deadline. The club is currently 11-9.
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic examines topics related to Raptors guard Malachi Flynn, trade scenarios and Plan B’s in his latest mailbag. Toronto has opened the season with a 9-12 record, though the team is 6-4 in its last 10 games.
Southeast Notes: Beal, Heat, Hayward, Brown Jr., Hawks
Wizards guard Bradley Beal is committed to sticking with the team this season, but that didn’t stop the 27-year-old from giving high praise to Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo earlier this week, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.
Beal led Washington to a 103-100 win over Miami on Wednesday, with the teams set to play again on Friday night. Both he and the Heat have been linked to each other in the past, as Miami has long been rumored to be eyeing the veteran in case he becomes available before the March 25 deadline.
“Jimmy is an unbelievable player,” Beal said. “He’s a star in our league, a true leader. It’s always competitive when we play. He always just wants to win, whatever it looks like.”
Beal also complimented Adebayo, singling out the 23-year-old’s unique ability to guard positions one-through-five. Winderman notes that Miami’s reported interest even caused some Heat fans to cheer for Beal, who finished with a game-high 32 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday’s game.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Despite having a respectable season to date, Hornets forward Gordon Hayward may miss the cut of becoming an All-Star this season, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Hayward, who signed a four-year, $120MM deal to join the team in free agency, is holding per-game averages of 22.9 points (a career-high), 5.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 21 contests.
- Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores whether Wizards forward Troy Brown Jr. did enough in Wednesday’s game against Miami to earn more playing time. Brown, 21, finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, shooting 3-of-9 from the floor.
- The Hawks still haven’t solved their back-up point guard issue, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic opines. Atlanta has struggled without Trae Young on the floor this season, owning just a 10-12 record in their first 22 games. Offseason signings Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn have both missed time due to injuries, with Rondo only playing in 13 of those games and Dunn not appearing in a single contest to date.
Cavaliers Notes: Drummond, Garland, Sexton, Attendance
Andre Drummond may not be part of the Cavaliers‘ long-term future, but any talk of a buyout is “nonsensical” while the team remains in the playoff race, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Several media outlets brought up the possibility last week, with Zach Harper of The Athletic calling it “just a matter of time.” However, the Cavs have little to gain by giving up their starting center, who is averaging a career-best 18.2 PPG this season while leading the league in rebounds at 14.6 RPG.
Drummond has an expiring $28.75MM contract, and the Cavaliers recently acquired 22-year-old Jarrett Allen, who will eventually take his place. While a trade remains a strong possibility before the March 25 deadline, Cleveland may opt to keep Drummond if the team can’t find an acceptable offer and try to get its young players some postseason experience.
“I know we live in the era of the 3-point shot, but at the same time when you go back and study the numbers, teams that dominate the paint on both ends are teams that are the most efficient on both ends,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Dre gives you the ability to do those things. The ability to secure possessions from a defensive rebounding standpoint, there’s no one better in our league who can do that. That helps your defense immensely.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Bickerstaff is encouraged by the level of determination from Darius Garland, who is off to a strong start after a a tough rookie year, Fedor adds in the same story. After a rough road trip last weekend, Garland watched videotape with the assistant coaches to determine why he was committing turnovers. “When you’re facilitating the ball and you’re making everybody better and making everybody feel like they’re a part of it, and then when you’re able to make those daggers, your status grows,” Bickerstaff said. “I think that’s where Darius is headed.“
- Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was still with the Cavaliers when they drafted Collin Sexton in 2018, and he’s not surprised that the young guard became a star so quickly, Fedor writes in a separate piece. Sexton is averaging 24.3 PPG in his third NBA season and ranks seventh among Eastern Conference guards in the first round of All-Star voting. “From summer league of his first year to when we got to preseason to the six games that I coached, his shot got better and better,” Lue said. “Now he’s really shooting the basketball well from midrange and from 3, so he’s really improved that. Scoring the basketball was his thing when he came out of college and he’s doing it at a high level right now.”
- The Cavaliers have been granted a request to increase the number of fans for home games, Fedor notes in another story. The state of Ohio has approved allowing 2,720 spectators, which is 14% of capacity for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.