Nets Notes: Thomas, Rotation, Lewis, C. Johnson
Nets guard Cam Thomas was limited to just 25 appearances this season due to a series of hamstring injuries, but he believes he has shown enough when healthy to prove that he can be a foundational piece for an NBA team, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Yeah, of course. When I got major minutes, I feel like I’ve been one of the best guards in the league in my position,” Thomas said earlier this week. “I feel like I’ve shown that. So, nothing really to talk about with that. But I feel like when I do have the minutes in a featured role, the sky’s the limit for me. We’ve seen that these past two years.”
Thomas will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer and one league source who spoke to Lewis speculated that the high-scoring guard, who has averaged 22.9 points per game in 91 outings since the start of the 2023/24 season, could command a contract in the range of $20-22MM per year. For his part, Thomas said he hasn’t thought much about free agency and isn’t necessarily excited about going through the process.
“I don’t really care. It’s just part of the business. Whoever wants me, hopefully it’s here (in Brooklyn). I’d love to come back. But it is what it is. It’s just part of the business,” he said, per Lewis. “I’m just going to take it day by day. It’s a long time from now, so I’m not really worried about that.”
We have more on the Nets:
- In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Lewis considers how Thomas’ latest absence will impact his Nets teammates. Cameron Johnson once again becomes Brooklyn’s top scoring option, Lewis writes, while Keon Johnson figures to hang onto his spot in the starting lineup and Maxwell Lewis gets a shot to play rotation minutes.
- Speaking of Lewis, the second-year forward – acquired from the Lakers in December’s D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith trade – has been making an impression on the franchise with his recent contributions, Lewis notes in another Post story. After scoring a total of just 21 points in his first 47 career NBA outings, Lewis has scored 28 in his last three and was a +30 in 57 minutes during that three-game stretch. “I like what I saw,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Lewis on Tuesday. “… His energy is contagious. And you can tell his teammates on the bench every time he does something positive, they celebrate. That’s the most important thing. You see that chemistry.” Lewis’ minimum salary for next season is partially guaranteed for just $100K, so he’ll be motivated to earn his 2025/26 roster spot.
- Cameron Johnson was one of the NBA’s most notable in-season trade candidates who didn’t end up being moved prior to the February 6 deadline. Speaking to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Johnson admitted that it was a stressful period for him, knowing he could be sent to a new team any day. “(It’s) probably not as fun as it is watching,” he said of the trade deadline. “Everybody, you want to know what’s going on in life. Uncertainty can be difficult.” The veteran forward also pointed out that he thought the Nets might be “just in a sale mode” after they traded Finney-Smith and Dennis Schröder, so he interpreted the team’s decision to hang onto him as a sign that the front office remains high on what he brings to the team. “I do appreciate maybe the value that they associated with having me on the team versus getting rid of me,” Johnson said.
Lakers’ Two-Way Players Nearing Active Game Limits
The Mavericks aren’t the only team whose three players on two-way contracts are all nearing their active game limits for the 2024/25 season. The Lakers find themselves in a similar boat.
There are 14 games left on Los Angeles’ regular season schedule, but the team’s two-way players – all of whom have emerged as contributors – won’t be able to suit up for all of those games as long as they remain on their current contracts.
Here are the details on their limits:
- Jordan Goodwin: Four active games remaining.
- Christian Koloko: Nine active games remaining.
- Trey Jemison: Nine active games remaining.
When a player signs a two-way contract before the start of the season, he’s eligible to be active for up to 50 regular season games. That amount becomes prorated if a player signs a two-way deal during the season.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract]
Koloko is the only one of the Lakers’ three two-way players who opened the year with the team, so he has a full 50 games available — he’s used 41 of them so far, with 34 appearances and seven additional DNPs. Jemison, who signed in January, has used 17 of his 26 available games (15 appearances, two DNPs), while Goodwin, signed in February, has used 15 of 19, appearing in all 15 of those games.
Unlike the injury-plagued Mavericks, the Lakers won’t find themselves at risk of not being able to deploy the minimum required eight active players if and when Goodwin, Koloko, and/or Jemison reach their limits. Los Angeles has more than enough healthy players to get by.
The Lakers also aren’t right up against their hard cap in the same way that the Mavericks are, so if they want to promote one or more of their two-way players to their standard 15-man roster, that’s an option. In that scenario, the player would no longer be subject to these restrictions and would also become playoff-eligible, putting him in position to play in any and every regular season and postseason game for L.A. this spring.
It seems likely the Lakers will go that route before season’s end. Goodwin, in particular, has become a regular rotation player, appearing in 15 of the team’s last 19 games and averaging 21.5 minutes per night during that stretch. His playing time has been trending upward as of late — he has started L.A.’s past four games and averaged 30.3 MPG in those contests.
Jemison and Koloko haven’t seen as much action as Goodwin, but one or the other has generally been serving as the Lakers’ backup center since the All-Star break. Jemison has been something of a good-luck charm — Los Angeles won the first 13 games in which he played.
The Lakers are currently operating about $894K below their hard cap. As of today, a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract for any of their two-way players would count against the cap for approximately $300K. A multiyear deal for Jemison or Koloko would carry the same first-year cap hit, while a multiyear contract for Goodwin would have a slightly higher cap charge ($311K).
In other words, while the Lakers don’t quite have enough room to give standard contracts to Goodwin, Jemison, and Koloko today, they could easily max out those players’ two-way games and then promote them before the end of the regular season while staying below their hard cap.
Of course, the Lakers currently have a full 15-man standard roster, so they can’t promote any of their two-way players to a standard contract without waiving at least one of those 15.
Forward Cam Reddish, who has barely played since a trade agreement sending him to Charlotte fell through, and center Alex Len, a buyout market addition who hasn’t been very effective in a limited role, look like the top candidates to be waived if the Lakers need a roster spot.
Beyond those two, there aren’t a ton of great release candidates. Only three other players on the 15-man roster aren’t owed any guaranteed money beyond this season. Jaxson Hayes is the Lakers’ starting center and won’t be cut; Markieff Morris is valued for his veteran leadership; and Shake Milton has been pretty solid when given the opportunity to play.
In my opinion, the most likely scenario in Los Angeles is that Goodwin gets a promotion after reaching his active-game limit, replacing Reddish on the 15-man roster. The team could then decide during the last week or two of the regular season whether to promote Jemison or Koloko (or both) in place of a veteran like Len or Morris.
While a Jemison/Len swap would make some sense to me, it’s worth noting that Jemison is the only one of L.A.’s three two-way players whose contract runs through next season, so the club would be giving up that guaranteed extra year of two-way control by converting him this season. If the Lakers really want Jemison available in the postseason, that won’t stop them from promoting him, but if they’re deciding between him and Koloko, it’ll be a factor they take into account.
Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Wiggins, Starting Lineup, Rozier, Draft Pick
The Heat are in the midst of their longest losing streak in 17 years after falling to the Pistons on Wednesday on Cade Cunningham‘s last-second shot (Twitter video link), writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Cunningham banked in a three-pointer shortly before the buzzer, enabling Detroit to escape with a 116-113 victory in a game that Miami led most of the way.
“There’s no way to explain some of this, the bank shot at the end,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team suffered its ninth straight loss. “There’s no way to explain that. You just have to find more resolve. We’re all getting tested in so many different ways that we do not want to get tested.”
Although the Heat still aren’t in serious danger of falling out of the play-in tournament, they have dropped to 10th place at 29-40. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Rockets, who are second in the West, visit on Friday. After hosting the Hornets on Sunday, they will welcome Jimmy Butler back to the Kaseya Center in Tuesday’s matchup with the Warriors.
There’s more from Miami:
- Andrew Wiggins, who was the centerpiece of the Heat’s return in the Butler trade, sat out Wednesday’s game with a lower left leg contusion and has only played in 11 of 19 games since the deal, Chiang adds. He’s put up decent numbers when he has been available — averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 42.2% from the field and 30.9% from three-point range — but Miami is just 2-9 in those games. “He’s had some really good moments already,” Spoelstra said. “You can see the firepower he brings and the versatility that he brings to us defensively. And we have who we have tonight. He’s not available, but we definitely could use him.”
- With Wiggins out, Spoelstra used his 22nd different starting lineup, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. It marked the first time this season that Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez have been on the court together. Terry Rozier wasn’t used at all, getting his fourth DNP-CD in the last 14 games.
- In a separate story, Chiang talks to Bobby Marks of ESPN about the Heat’s draft pick dilemma. Miami’s first-rounder will go to Oklahoma City if the Heat reach the playoffs and it lands outside the top 14. However, if Miami keeps the pick this year, it will owe the Thunder an unprotected first-round selection in 2026. Marks’ advice is for the Heat to try to earn a playoff spot and count on improving next season.
Injury Updates: Jokic, Murray, Hachimura, Giddey, Ball, Robinson
The Nuggets are missing Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for Wednesday’s matchup with the Lakers, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Both players also sat out Monday’s win at Golden State.
Jokic has a left ankle impingement as well as a contusion on his right elbow. Murray is dealing with a sprained right ankle and had difficulty moving during a session with assistant coach John Beckett more than two hours before the game, according to MacMahon.
During a pregame meeting with the media before the final determinations were made, coach Michael Malone said, “you listen to your body,” adding that he trusts the players and training staff to make the right decisions. He reacted angrily to a suggestion that the Nuggets are intentionally resting their best players.
“I think that’s just a bunch of bulls–t,” Malone said. “I mean, in the last 10 years, Nikola Jokic has played the second most games in the NBA. Ten years. And the guys in that top 10, none of them are superstars. So if Nikola is not playing, it’s not because he’s sitting. It’s not because he needs rest. It’s because he’s hurt and he’s trying to play through things that most wouldn’t. We’re at a point right now where we have to do what’s best for not just Nikola, but for all our guys, as we move forward and try to close out this season.”
There’s more injury news to pass along:
- Lakers forward Rui Hachimura is sitting out his eighth straight game tonight due to tendinopathy in his left knee, but coach J.J. Redick said he’s making progress and is considered day-to-day, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Hachimura has been taking part in three-on-three scrimmages and participated in warm-ups before tonight’s contest.
- Bulls guard Josh Giddey, who had been sidelined since March 10 with a sprained right ankle, is making his return in Wednesday’s game at Phoenix. Coach Billy Donovan plans to give Giddey his normal workload of 30-32 minutes and said he may play again Thursday at Sacramento, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.
- Lonzo Ball didn’t accompany the Bulls on their six-game road trip, but he has started shooting with his injured wrist, Johnson adds (Twitter link). Donovan said Ball, who sprained the wrist in late February, still has a long road toward recovery.
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson remains on a minutes restriction after returning last month from ankle surgery, but coach Tom Thibodeau views it as more of a guideline than a definite policy, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thibodeau said the limit is around 24 minutes, which is what Robinson played Monday night, but he’s willing to extend it depending on how his center feels.
Suns Notes: Durant, Budenholzer, Plumlee, Booker
Kevin Durant‘s relationship with Suns coach Mike Budenholzer has been an ongoing storyline for several weeks, and Durant offered some insight after this morning’s shootaround, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The topic arose again after Durant snapped at Budenholzer during a timeout in Sunday’s game at Los Angeles (Twitter video link).
“I don’t say, ‘Coach, we’ve got to do this.’ It’s his team,” Durant told reporters. “I’m there to be of assistance. If he needs me to do anything. If I got some suggestions on what may happen, I’m asking him. I’m not telling him what to do. I’m asking him, ‘Yo, Coach, what you think, we should do this right here?’ If he doesn’t think so, all right, then I’ll move on.”
A potential rift between Durant and Budenholzer has been one of the subplots of a disappointing season in Phoenix. Budenholzer is in his first season with the team after replacing Frank Vogel last summer, and Sunday’s incident was the latest evidence of possible tension behind the scenes. In a March 4 game, Durant was seen slapping away Budenholzer’s hand while returning to the huddle.
However, Durant has been supportive of his coach in his public comments, and he believes his long career gives him the right to offer input when he thinks it’s appropriate.
“I’ve never been that guy telling somebody what to do,” Durant said, “but I’ve been in the league for a long time and if I see something, Coach gives me the leeway to come to him if I see something out there that may be different. I think everyone on the team has that type of confidence to go to Coach with that stuff. I’m not telling him what he needs to do. I’m listening and giving suggestions and if it helps, it helps. If he doesn’t take it, then you move on to the next thing.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- After losing to the Lakers on Sunday, the Suns responded with one of their best games of the season the next night in a 40-point win over Toronto. In a separate story, Rankin notes that injuries to Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen created more playing time for newcomer Cody Martin and rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, who provide a better defensive foundation. “(Martin) does a little bit of everything,” Devin Booker said. “But most importantly, he’s been vocal even in the times that he hasn’t been in the game, and just seeing things that he sees out there, and it translates. And you know, it was a big part of what we did today.”
- Backup center Mason Plumlee will miss tonight’s game against Chicago with a left quad strain. Budenholzer isn’t sure when it happened, saying it might be “a little bit of a cumulative effect,” tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Budenholzer adds that the team will monitor Plumlee for the next 24 to 48 hours in hopes that it’s not more serious.
- Owner Mat Ishbia stated last week that trading Booker this summer would be “silly,” but Mark Deeks of HoopsHype lists four potential landing spots for Booker in the event that the Suns change their minds. Deeks views the Pistons, Thunder, Rockets and Knicks as the best options.
Trajan Langdon Explains Remarkable Turnaround In Detroit
Trajan Langdon pursued executive positions with two other teams over the past two years, but the Pistons are happy he was still available when they went looking for a new head of basketball operations last spring, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Langdon has overseen an incredible transformation as Detroit has emerged from a 14-win season to boast a 38-31 record entering tonight’s game.
Langdon was in contention for jobs with Washington in 2023 and Charlotte in 2024 before the opportunity with the Pistons came along. He admits being somewhat cautious about joining an organization that was at the bottom of the league, but he was intrigued by the collection of young talent already in place. Langdon also had a few connections with the franchise, as vice chairman Arn Tellem was his former agent and advisor Billy King was a fellow Duke alumnus.
“After listening to Arn, Billy King, and then most importantly to (owner Tom Gores), I thought what they were lacking is what I could provide in terms of just setting a foundation, building a culture,” Langdon said. “I felt that’s what they felt was important. And that’s what I can provide originally or from the start. And then we started talking more and had a lot of conversations with Tom and just felt that it would be a good fit.”
Langdon’s first priority was finding a new coach after the team opted to fire Monty Williams last June. After considering Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Langdon opted for J.B. Bickerstaff, who had recently been let go by the Cavaliers.
Bickerstaff told Spears that having Langdon in place influenced his decision to seek the position in Detroit.
“I don’t know if even Trajan knows this, but he was a major part of the selling point for the job,” Bickerstaff said. “His personality. His character. His thought process and logic. The plan that he had in place about where we wanted to go and how he wanted to get there. That was the most important thing to me. And then his want to have a genuine relationship with me beyond basketball and be a true partner in building this thing. Obviously, we have our respective jobs, but it’s a collaboration of thought that goes into all of his plans. And he respects my thoughts and is interested in using my thoughts as he builds it with the decisions that he makes.”
Langdon was aggressive in remaking the roster, acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade with Dallas and signing Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris in free agency. He also gambled on G League Ignite forward Ron Holland with the fifth pick in the draft, adding a player with raw skills but extreme athleticism and competitiveness.
This season began like a carryover of the last one as the Pistons started 0-4 and were booed by their home crowd. Langdon and Bickerstaff remained optimistic about what they had built, and eventually the results started showing on the court. The team is currently on pace for a 32-win improvement, which would be the largest in franchise history.
Cade Cunningham has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best guards and made his first All-Star appearance this year. Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters were picked up at the trade deadline to add depth to the backcourt. Even the absence of Jaden Ivey, who was lost for the season with a broken leg on New Year’s Day, hasn’t slowed down the Pistons.
“We talk a lot about the character of this team that we wanted to put together,” Langdon said. “We have a lot of high character human beings and we wanted to get that grit back. And obviously, the positivity, the passion, the desire to come out and compete and win. It’s a historic franchise that at times has been dominant in this league. And so, to get it back and give the fans what they’ve seen, and to give these players what they want, would be super-meaningful to this franchise right now and also going forward.”
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Davis, Castle, Morant, Aldama, Thompson
In a season that’s been filled with bad nights for the Pelicans, Monday may have been the worst, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans tied a record for the largest margin of defeat in franchise history, falling to Detroit by 46 points, and lost Trey Murphy early in the game with a shoulder injury that could affect his availability for training camp.
New Orleans trailed by 23 points after the first quarter and 31 points at halftime as the home crowd loudly booed the poor effort. It was the fifth loss of the season by at least 30 points, according to Walker.
Coach Willie Green called his players “soft” after the game and said they “looked like a team that forgot how to play basketball.” He also stressed the importance of continuing to compete, even though the Pelicans have been eliminated from the playoff race.
“I think the start of the game with Trey going down, it kinda rocked us from there,” Green said. “We didn’t have a rhythm offensively and we kinda felt sorry for ourselves a bit. You can’t do that. But it shook our guys up, especially with all we’ve been through this season.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks were encouraged by Anthony Davis‘ first practice session with their G League affiliate, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. However, coach Jason Kidd cautioned that Davis still has a long way to go in his recovery from a left adductor strain. “He’s trending in the right place,” Kidd said. “He had a positive experience in the practice. He’ll continue to do things this week. Hopefully the outcome continues to be positive. A lot of good things, but he’s still some time away for him being in a game.”
- The Spurs have been impressed by Stephon Castle‘s ability to handle the challenges of his rookie season, per Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. The fourth overall pick has experienced the typical ups and downs that most rookies face, but he has managed to stay focused on developing his overall game while playing elite-level defense. “There are definitely All-Defensive awards in his future,” teammate Harrison Barnes said. “It’s just with his ability to guard one through four. And he’s strong. There’s still years before he’s going to fill out his body and be the type of player that he is going to become. But I think that he shows a great aptitude to defend at a very high level.”
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss his third straight game tonight due to left hamstring soreness, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). Santi Aldama has been upgraded to questionable after missing seven of the last eight games with a strained right calf.
- Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Amen Thompson was able to participate in contact drills on Tuesday as he attempts to return from a sprained left ankle (Twitter link from Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). It still hasn’t been decided whether Thompson will play Friday at Miami.
Southeast Notes: Risacher, Young, Carter, Hornets
The Rookie of the Year race is still wide open, but Hawks guard Trae Young believes teammate Zaccharie Risacher should be the favorite, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The top pick in last year’s draft has been given more responsibility than some of his competitors, becoming an instant starter for a team that appears headed to the play-in tournament.
“He should be, in my eyes, and I’m not saying it because I’m biased, but I think (he) should be Rookie of the Year,” Young said. “What he’s been doing this year, he’s been thrown into the fire as a starter. You put him up against some of the guys in the running. I think his numbers speak for himself, too. So he’s just not even focused on that. And that’s the best part about it. And we’re kind of, we’re kind of making it easy for him to just focus on the game, focus himself and having fun and having games like tonight, and just letting it loose and letting it fly.”
Risacher, who won’t turn 20 until next month, has posted solid numbers in his first season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game with .443/.350/.719 shooting stats. His teammates have tried to ease the transition as he adjusts to the NBA after playing in France, and Risacher said it has helped.
“I feel like every game I feel more comfortable. I’m able to learn like every possession,” Risacher said. “Honestly, it’s a new environment. I got great teammates, too. They helped me a lot on the court and off the court, and I’m just in great condition to learn, with, like, the coaches, my teammates, the organization. We’re playing a lot of games, so it’s like it’s great for young player like me to be able to compete every night with those guys.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- A technical foul called against Young late in the third quarter of the Hawks‘ win over Charlotte on Tuesday has been rescinded, the league announced (via Twitter).
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is having a down year statistically, but he proved at Cleveland on Sunday that he can still affect the outcome of a game, observes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Carter had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando snapped the Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak. “Wendell was super aggressive in the game being really physical,” Franz Wagner said. “When he’s like that, he’s one of the best bigs in the league. He was a game-changer on both sides of the floor for us in that game. He’s one of those guys when his spirit is like that, it carries over to a lot of the other guys as well. When I talked about aggressiveness, I don’t just mean making shots or anything like that. It’s just the demeanor that they played with, finding different ways, especially on defense, to change the game.”
- LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges both sat out the Hornets‘ game Tuesday night, and that could happen more often as the season winds down, suggests Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Towns, Brunson, Hart
The Knicks have been bringing along Mitchell Robinson slowly since he returned last month following his recovery from offseason ankle surgery. Entering play on Monday, Robinson had yet to be on the court for more than 19 minutes in any of his first seven outings this season.
However, as Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post details, Robinson saw an uptick in his playing time in Monday’s victory over Miami. His 10 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and 24 minutes all represented season highs, and he said after the game that he’s “getting the rhythm back a little bit.”
“I think the rim protection,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked about the positive signs he’s seeing from Robinson. “His ability to get out on the perimeter, defend pick-and-rolls, challenge shots, cover a lot of ground and make a second or third effort to be up on a pick-and-roll and still get back to rebound and change shots. You’re seeing more and more multiple-effort plays from him. I think his timing is coming around. He’s moving great. He feels great.”
The Knicks’ two centers, Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, had played just nine minutes together in Robinson’s first seven games back, but shared the court for 10 minutes against the Heat. Thibodeau liked what he saw from the twin-towers look.
“When you have two seven-footers out there, if you get by one, you’ve got another waiting at the rim,” Thibodeau said. “I think that has a huge impact on the game.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart spoke about a wide range of topics, including how Brunson has adjusted to being the “face of the franchise” in New York, why Hart is having a career year, and how Thibodeau compares to their former Villanova coach Jay Wright.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at how the Knicks are attempting to “steal points” in transition as they play without Brunson, the organizer of their half-court offense, who remains sidelined due to a sprained ankle.
- After cameras captured them shouting at one another during a timeout in Golden State on Saturday (Twitter video link), Hart and Thibodeau both downplayed their sideline disagreement, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “You’re not going to find a more loyal player. I love Thibs. I think that was just my frustration coming out with the flow of the game, my own individual performance,” Hart said. “… It doesn’t affect our relationship. It doesn’t show anything of what’s going on. It’s just two extremely competitive people in a fiery moment. I love Thibs. I love what he’s doing. And he’s putting us in the best position to be successful.”
- In case you missed it, Knicks owner James Dolan made some rare public comments about the team last week, indicating that he plans for the current core to “be together for a while.”
Eastern Notes: Bucks, Okogie, Raptors, Cavs, Wizards
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers met after Tuesday’s loss to Golden State with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reports (via Twitter) that the session served as an “open forum” for the Bucks stars to share ideas for how to get the team out of its recent slump.
As Haynes notes, the Bucks have lost five of their last seven games and have struggled on offense during that time, including scoring a season-low 93 points vs. Golden State in Tuesday’s defeat. Haynes describes Tuesday’s post-game meeting as “productive.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Veteran wing Josh Okogie got off to a good start in Charlotte after being traded to the Hornets in January, registering a +16.3 net rating in his first 149 minutes with the team. He has missed the past 23 games due to a left hamstring strain, but appears to be nearing a return. He was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Greensboro Swarm before being recalled to the NBA team, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
- The Raptors have won six of their past nine games and have been buoyed during that stretch by strong performances from players on two-way or 10-day contracts, including Jared Rhoden, A.J. Lawson, and Colin Castleton. What useful information might Toronto glean from this late-season hot streak? Michael Grange of Sportsnet considers that question, exploring how the team can separate the signal from the noise.
- After losing a second consecutive game in a row on Tuesday, the Cavaliers are now tied with Oklahoma City for the NBA’s best record at 56-12 and won’t have a shot at 70 wins unless they don’t lose again this season. Neither earning the league’s top seed or winning 70 regular season games is a top priority for the Cavs heading into the playoffs though, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. The team’s two primary objectives? “To be healthy and playing great basketball,” according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.
- The Wizards are the latest team to cut back on minutes for their veterans, presumably in an effort to tank, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Jordan Poole and Khris Middleton each played just 10:31 in Monday’s loss to Portland and didn’t appear at all in the second half, even though it wasn’t part of a back-to-back set.