Starting Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has made one brief appearance since mid-December due to a lower back strain and will miss his 10th straight game on Sunday. While the Austrian big man has been cleared for contact work and has been ramping up his activity, he’s still experiencing discomfort during workouts, sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
In another story for Sportsnet, Grange reports that Poeltl’s recovery progress has “stalled.” The 30-year-old told Grange his workout in Boston on Thursday was “so-so” and Grange hears Friday’s session wasn’t much better.
Poeltl’s ongoing back issue is partly why the Raptors are actively looking for help in the middle, Grange writes. Goga Bitadze is one player Toronto is monitoring, according to Grange, who points out that Moritz Wagner‘s return and Orlando’s future cap situation could make the Magic center expendable.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors guard/forward Ochai Agbaji received a DNP-CD on Friday at Boston even though the team was playing without Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. Agbaji has been involved in trade rumors due to his $6.4MM expiring contract and declining play, and he acknowledges several young wings on the roster have struggled to find consistency this season. “It’s obviously been tough. Some guys are trying to fall into that role and find their rhythm too,” Agbaji told Grange. “… We kind of see that and everyone in the room sees that too, and how valuable we are to the team and what we can bring to the team, so it’s just a matter of knowing your role and trying to be the best at it. (But) I feel like our bench – our total team – yes, we play our good basketball, but I feel like there’s so much more to us, individually and as a team collectively, that we just haven’t shown in one game or over a span of, like, a week, or anything like that.”
- Celtics star Jaylen Brown ripped the officials, including calling out crew chief Curtis Blair by name, following Saturday’s loss to San Antonio, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Spurs attempted 20 free throws, compared to four for the Celtics. “If we can’t get to the free throw line and teams are allowed to be physical and bump us off our spots, etc., then it’s hard to win games like that,” Brown said. “We shot four free throws tonight and lost the game by four. Not to say that’s the whole game, the whole story. We got to be better in spots. I got to be better in spots. But goddamn. I’m driving to the basket. I’m physical. I don’t flop. I don’t shy away from contact. I go up strong. I’m athletic. And nothing. Zero free throws tonight. The inconsistency is f—ing crazy. Give me the fine.”
- Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., who is being held out of Sunday’s game at Memphis for rest purposes, is having a career year for Brooklyn and his head coach believes he deserves to be recognized for his strong play, according to C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. “I mean, he’s an All-Star,” Jordi Fernandez said. “He’s played like an All-Star, you just got to watch him play, and how much better he’s gotten.”
- Cam Thomas has been coming off the bench for the Nets since he returned from a hamstring strain and Fernandez has been pleased with the fifth-year guard’s recent performances, as Andrew Crane of The New York Post relays. “I’m very happy with the second group,” Fernandez said after the Nets lost 121-105 to the Clippers on Friday. “They’re trying to play the right way. I’m happy and trying to focus more on [Thomas] because that’s the superpower that he has, and defenses have to focus on him. And then he’ll figure it out when he scores and takes the shot, when he passes the ball.”
Brown is 100% right, it was painful to watch.
I can tell you this. Hawaii will freeze solid the day the Lakers get only four FTA in a game. The Celtics constantly get a raw deal at the line and the refs, the league and the media blame it on taking so many three point shots, but a foul is still a foul.
Watching Steph through the years this has always been a huge factor in W/L. Whether he can get to the line. And it is completely dependent on the discretion of the zebras. Sometimes it feels like a conspiracy, other times incompetence. Probably more of the latter. But that’s how it goes. NBA has very inconsistent officiating.
Trade Idea
Warriors get MPJ and Ellis
Nets get Hield, Monk, Saric , Carter, Kings First (via Spurs), Warriors 2031 top-8 protected First or 2032 First
Kings get Kuminga, Moody
Jaylen Brown is a dirty player. Every time he is about to lose the ball on his dribble (which happens very often due to his poor decision-making), he sends out his legs or arms to try and trip the other player.
When he drives to the basket, he illegally uses his forearm upon liftoff, and then complains to the refs there wasn’t a foul… dude did you not get the memo? Every other player dribbles it out against Wemby.
Watching his body language when things go wrong is just miserable if you’re a Celtics fan. There was a game in which him and D White were unable to connect on simple passes during the fourth quarter, and his infantile reactions just completely shattered Derrick White’s confidence.
Which shows you just how kid of a person D white is, because obviously d white’s a good decision maker, and there is no way that the disconnection between those two players could be Dwhite’s fault.
Jaylen is also a cheater. His body during the Celtics championship run was built like a robot. Subsequently he lost his hair and now his body is returning to its normal shape.
Just a really pathetic person to look up to – you gotta be a braindeadwashed Celtics/Knicks fan to be able to watch and cheer for this style of gamesmanship.
I watched the game that you’re talking about, with Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. I can tell you that it was 100% Derrick White’s fault. He was being too indecisive in those moments and Jaylen Brown had a guy draped all over him. Derrick White had good intentions but he was forcing the pass when the pass couldn’t be made. I remember being like “What is this guy doing?”. As a competitor, when you are in a close game, like that, of course you’re going to get annoyed. Jaylen Brown may not have been right for reacting that way, but I understood it.
You sure think a lot about Jaylen Brown.
Disagree with everything you just wrote. I just see a bias against a player. Like some other poster has against another admirable man, Steve Kerr of the Warriors.
I am sick of the push people out of the way to “create space”. It’s an offensive foul. James Harden used to be the worst offender, but now Brown, Brunson, Guannis, Pritchard, Luka, and so many others do it. The NBA is almost unwatchable. I am not going to cry for Brown as he commits as many uncalled fouls as anyone in the league. At least a third of his mid range step back shots are a result of pushing the defender out of the way. There was a 3 point shot last night where he pushed Castle back 4 feet for an open 3. Castle is too good a defender to be that far away on his own. Stop whining, Brown, and play good team basketball.
Maybe the refs didn’t have anything with Brown missing all 5 3 point attempts in the 4th quarter or his 5 turnovers for the game. He is talking too much about refs, and I think they resent it. The refs also didn’t shoot 11 for 28. Brown has great talent, but he is spending too much time promoting himself as MVP and player of the month. Stop whining, and play team basketball. I know I will get crap from some fans, but my observations are based on 70 years of playing, coaching and reffing the sport.
and the early shots that he did make were extremely ill advised shots. It was obvious to me that his poor decision-making would betray him towards the end.
The Celtics record is mainly a testament of just how bad the east is, as they’ve played 25 out of 38 games against eastern teams.
Most said the Celtics were going to be lucky to be in the play in this year.
They’ve been playing great all year and Brown has been a big part of that.
You’re just salty.
I agree with Brown’s framing of the problem with the officiating. The inconsistency game to game and even within single games seems to be getting worse not better. It is annoying as a fan so I assume its probably more a noting to experience first hand.
And no I am not a Celtics. Happy to see them lose but I also want basketball to make sense ffs.
My sense is that the refs decided awhile back that Jaylen Brown wasn’t going to get any calls after he spoke out. I don’t know how far back this goes. When you confront anyone human nature is they will get back at you. It wasn’t only this game when Jaylen shot 28 times without getting a foul shot. Go back and find the same thing with the Denver game. 29 shots, three free throws. Maybe it’s certain reffing crews.
As to Jaylen Brown as a man, I admire him a lot. Go look at what he does for others.
Working the refs is a skill J Brown needs to cultivate.
J brown roid raging at refs is how the universe balances itself
Lets face it. Home teams and stars get calls. Thats been around for ever. Jalen is a bad ares. And should be getting his share of calls. Especially at home.
I thought Celtics would be a playoff team. They are rounding into shape. Playing good ball. They will be a tough out in playoffs.