Damian Lillard Expects To Miss Time With Calf Strain
11:27am: An MRI showed that Lillard’s injury is in a different area than his last calf strain, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. The team will be careful with Lillard, and he will be given as much time as he needs to recover (Twitter link).
8:42am: Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will likely be sidelined again after leaving Saturday’s game with a strained right calf, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes in a subscriber-only story. It’s the second time this season that Lillard has suffered a calf strain, with the last occurrence forcing him to miss four games.
Lillard told reporters that the calf doesn’t feel as bad as it did when he hurt it on October 26, but he’s upset to be dealing with injuries again after missing most of last season with a core muscle issue.
“I sat for 10 months, basically,” he said. “I prepared myself to come back and be out there. I might have missed two games in my career one time for having a calf injury. And now, just having to deal with this is frustrating. Especially with the start that we’ve had.”
Lillard tweaked the calf in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss to Utah while taking a jump shot in the third quarter. He felt the calf tighten as he ran back on defense and removed himself from the game as a precaution. He said he might have continued playing if the game had been more meaningful, which Fentress notes that he also said the last time he hurt his calf.
“I didn’t want to make it worse and then be in the same situation that I was before,” Lillard said.
Lillard had hoped to go back into the game, but team trainers advised against it after examining him. The Trail Blazers have been careful with their star guard since he returned to the lineup on November 7, Fentress adds. Lillard played again on November 9, but was held out the next night to reduce the risk of reaggravating the injury.
“I’ve got to respect what they say and I also can’t be a fool and fight my way through everything and hurt myself worse,” Lillard said. “It’s a hard thing to do because that’s not what I want to do. I’m always going to try to play. But once it’s done, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Lillard underwent an MRI Saturday night and there’s no indication from the Blazers how long he might be out of action. Portland will start a four-game road trip Monday in Milwaukee.
Kyrie Irving Will Return On Sunday
Kyrie Irving has completed all the Nets‘ requirements and has been cleared to play in Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
Irving will have missed eight games during his suspension, which was imposed November 3 for his online promotion of an antisemitic film and his failure to issue a clear apology during multiple media sessions. He was given several conditions that he had to comply with, including meetings with commissioner Adam Silver, team owner Joe Tsai and Jewish leaders in the Brooklyn area.
Irving talked to reporters for about 13 minutes this morning and took questions as Nets general manager Sean Marks looked on, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link). Irving began by offering “deep apologies” for his actions and once again stated that he doesn’t hold any antisemitic views. He added that he’s learned a lot from his conversations over the past two weeks, as he stated in an exclusive interview with Ian Begley of SNY.
One of the questions Irving received today is why he’s apologizing now, but didn’t in his first meeting with the media after the controversy began, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“I was rightfully defensive that there was an assumption that I could be antisemitic or that I meant to post the documentary to stand side by side with all the views of the documentary,” Irving explained. “I was defensive initially. I think it was inappropriate, the way it was released in the way that is somehow pinned me in the corner as it’s I was guilty of something and as if I was this antisemitic person, this label that was placed on me.” (Twitter link)
The Nets confirmed Irving’s status for tonight’s game and issued a statement about the incident, Friedell tweets.
“Kyrie took ownership of his journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community,” the statement reads. “We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way.”
Clippers Notes: George, Leonard, Popovich, Covington
The Clippers aren’t worried about Paul George, who sat out the second half of Saturday’s game because of soreness in his right knee, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George didn’t speak to the media after the game, but coach Tyronn Lue said the condition isn’t believed to be serious. George spent the second half on the bench and felt good enough to help throw T-shirts to fans during a break in the action.
“He’s doing OK,” Lue said. “I haven’t seen what they (the medical staff) said happened to him, but I just know he had like a little tweak. But he says he is OK.”
Injuries have played a role in the team’s slow start, but George has been reliable so far, missing just one game because of a non-COVID illness. He was limited to 31 games last season due to a torn UCL in his right elbow.
There’s more on the Clippers:
- Kawhi Leonard embraced Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after Saturday’s game, indicating that any hard feelings are gone from Leonard’s bitter exit from San Antonio, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard has never spoken much about what happened with the Spurs, but he told reporters Saturday that his time with Popovich helped him to improve. “He meant a lot, he’s the reason why I’m the player I am today,” Leonard said. “Built that foundation on showing me winning basketball and yeah, he’s a great coach. Still one of the best coaches I had. We been in too many battles to have a scar on our relationship.”
- The Clippers were happy to welcome Leonard back to the lineup this week, but that meant many adjustments had to be made, Greif adds in a separate story. With Leonard and George able to carry the offense, other players are adapting to complementary roles. Nicolas Batum said the “rhythm is different, the passing is different, the players are different because two years ago we literally had two guys who could create open shots, when you have PG and Kawhi.”
- Lue said he told Robert Covington “thank you for sacrificing” as the veteran forward has played single-digit minutes in four of his last five appearances, Greif tweets. Lue added that Covington will eventually see more playing time, but the team is trying to establish a rhythm with its current rotation.
Lakers Notes: Davis, Beverley, LeBron, Ham
With LeBron James sidelined, Anthony Davis has put up huge numbers in two straight Lakers wins, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Davis scored 38 points, snagged 16 rebounds and blocked four shots in Friday’s victory over the Pistons, following up a 37-point, 18-rebound effort Sunday against the Nets. Davis is living up to a promise he made to new head coach Darvin Ham before the season began to take on a larger role in the offense.
“I think it’s extremely important,” Ham said. “AD has to be the leading force, the leading charge just in terms of how we want to play inside and outside basketball. … He can carry us through certain segments of the game and, obviously, we see what he does down the stretch.”
Davis scored 16 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit to break open a close game. He also got the Pistons in foul trouble and made 18-of-21 shots from the line — both of those numbers are season highs.
“AD was great in the half-roll tonight out of pick-and-roll,” Ham said. “They doubled teamed him a ton whenever he would isolate in the post or whatever, fronting him and doing different double schemes at him. But he stayed the course and stayed aggressive and 21 free throws. I think that’s wonderful. For him to knock 18 of them down … Just his presence, man. He’s been a big force for us all year and tonight was no different.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Davis’ lack of involvement in the offense was among the issues addressed at a film session last Saturday, Buha adds. Team leaders also discussed cutting down on turnovers and fouls, protecting the defensive glass and improving transition defense. Although it was intended as a no-holds-barred meeting, some players still weren’t prepared for Patrick Beverley‘s abrasive style. “The main guy who a lot of us had to get used to for that was Pat,” Davis said. “But he gives good messages. And he said this thing one time, he was like, ‘If I yell, ‘I love you,’ you not gonna get mad, you know what I’m saying?’ So listen to the message and not the tone.”
- James is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He has missed the past three games with a left adductor strain, but the Lakers’ schedule worked to his advantage as the team had four straight off days this week.
- Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register talked to Ham’s peers in the coaching profession to see why he’s so highly regarded.
Southwest Notes: Zion, Murphy, Grizzlies, Silas
After sitting out a week with a right foot contusion, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson said he’ll “definitely” be ready for Monday’s game, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Williamson suffered the injury last Saturday in a game against the Rockets when he stepped on Usman Garuba‘s foot on a drive to the basket. Williamson landed awkwardly and awoke with pain the next day.
“I felt it a little bit, but it wasn’t nothing for me to be like, ‘This is really something crazy,’” Williamson said. “I didn’t feel it til I woke up the next morning. I was like, ‘Man.’ Felt like I could barely walk on it. Went and got all the scans. It was a simple bone bruise.”
The incident brought back bad memories for Williamson, who missed all of last season with a fracture in his right foot. He has managed to avoid serious injury so far this year and is averaging 23.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 11 games.
“There was a moment when I was like, ‘I ain’t trying to go through this again. I just went through it,’” Williamson said. “Scans were positive outside of the bruise. I’m straight.”
There’s more from the Soutwest Division:
- Trey Murphy, who took Williamson’s place in the Pelicans‘ starting lineup, is also dealing with a foot issue, Clark adds. Murphy left Friday’s game after 12 minutes with a contusion in his right foot. “Kind of rolled his ankle a little bit,” coach Willie Green explained. “All his imaging checked out fine. He’ll be day-to-day. We’ll evaluate him and see where he is.”
- The Grizzlies are counting on their depth to sustain them until Desmond Bane and Ja Morant are able to return, per Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Bane is sidelined with a sprained toe, and Morant suffered a sprained left ankle Friday night. “It is frustrating, but it’s part of the game,” Dillon Brooks said. “We still got guys ready to play, ready to be active and have their shot. It was a tough one, but at the same time, though, next man up.”
- Rockets coach Stephen Silas remains optimistic despite a disappointing start to the season, according to Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle. Houston is 3-13 and in danger of posting the league’s worst record for the third straight year, but Silas is confident that patience will eventually pay off for a roster filled with young players. “I was with LeBron (James) in his first year and I was with (Stephen Curry) in his first year and I was with Luka (Doncic) in his first year,” he said, “and things were uneven and hard, but you have to go through it. I am more than prepared to go through it and will be happy to see the results of it.”
Heat Notes: Lowry, Zone Defense, Injury Report
With the Heat facing an extensive injury list for Friday’s game at Washington, Kyle Lowry told the coaching staff he was good for 48 minutes if needed, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Lowry wound up playing even more than that, logging 51 minutes and posting a triple-double in a one-point overtime loss.
Lowry’s only rest during the 53 minutes of action came with about a minute left in the third quarter. He returned a minute into the fourth quarter, but Miami was outscored by five points during that time, which proved to be critical.
“It was kind of one of those situations that you got to do what it takes to win the basketball game,” said Lowry, who posted the third-highest minutes total of his long career. “Coach trusted me a lot. He trusted me tonight. He’s always trusted me, but tonight before I walked into the building, I said: ‘48 [minutes].’ I got to 50.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Injuries have been a problem all season, and coach Erik Spoelstra is relying on a zone defense more than usual to compensate, Chiang adds. Miami used a 2-3 zone on 63 possessions Friday night and has played a zone 21.4% of the time this season, which would easily set a modern NBA record. “You got to do what you got to do,” Lowry said. “We were the Syracuse Heat tonight.”
- After having just seven available players Friday, the Heat may get some reinforcements for Sunday’s game at Cleveland, Chiang notes in a separate story. Bam Adebayo, who has missed the past two games with a left knee contusion, is listed as questionable, as are Dewayne Dedmon, who’s suffering from a non-COVID illness, and Gabe Vincent, who has a left knee effusion. Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for the final two games of the road trip, and Duncan Robinson is doubtful due to a sprained right hand he suffered during Friday’s shootaround. Udonis Haslem, Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo and Omer Yurtseven all remain unavailable.
- Following a 7-9 start, the Heat have limited options for improvement other than an unwise trade involving draft picks, states Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Some suggestions Winderman offers include more minutes for first-round pick Nikola Jovic and restoring Herro to his sixth-man role.
Spurs Notes: Bassey, Bates-Diop, White, Murray, Primo
Last month, Charles Bassey was trying to keep his job with the Sixers, but he’s been given a much larger role since joining the Spurs, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. On October 13, Philadelphia waived the 22-year-old, who had fallen to fourth on the team’s center depth chart after the signing of Montrezl Harrell. Eleven days later, Bassey got a second chance with San Antonio on a two-way contract.
“He knows his role,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He rebounds, blocks shots, runs the floor, and he does it with a lot of energy.”
Bassey has more than doubled his playing time in his second NBA season, averaging 6.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per night. He only appeared in just 23 games as a rookie, but he’s still thankful for the opportunity he got from Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
“Me and Doc, we were good,” Bassey said. “Doc was one of the coaches I was excited to play for, but everything didn’t work out. Both these coaches (Rivers and Popovich) have coached great guys. Doc coached ‘KG’ (Kevin Garnett in Boston) and Pop has coached Tim Duncan. Philly gave me the opportunity to play in this league, and I am grateful to that organization. But playing for the Spurs right now is a dream come true.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Since joining the Spurs last season, Keita Bates-Diop has learned to be ready for anything, Orsborn adds in a separate story. That was useful Thursday night in Sacramento when he found out shortly before game time that he would be starting because Keldon Johnson was sidelined by ankle soreness. “I am always constantly ready when I hear a guy is maybe in, maybe out,” Bates-Diop said. “My mind is always ready regardless.”
- Watching Derrick White and Dejounte Murray square off in Wednesday’s Celtics-Hawks game was a reminder that the Spurs have moved on from what appeared to be their backcourt of the future, notes Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio traded White to Boston in February and dealt Murray to Atlanta in June, and the Spurs are now building around Johnson and Devin Vassell.
- Although Dr. Hillary Cauthen has reportedly settled her lawsuit against the Spurs and Joshua Primo, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation of the case as it considers possible criminal charges, Orsborn tweets.
Celtics Notes: Horford, G. Williams, Brown, Mazzulla
Al Horford has already left the Celtics once for more money and there’s a chance it might happen again next summer, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy. The 37-year-old Horford said this week that he’d like to play another two or three seasons, so he’ll be looking for a contract that covers that time. Whether that keeps him in Boston will depend on the salary he’s willing to accept.
Deveney talked to a Western Conference executive who points out that most of the teams that will have cap room in 2023 are young and aren’t likely to have interest in a player nearing 40. The unidentified executive expects Horford to land a two-year contract worth between $20-25MM, while another league source tells Deveney that Horford may get a three-year deal in the $40-42MM range with the final year as a partial guarantee or a player option.
An Eastern Conference executive believes the Celtics’ offer to Horford will depend on how much they have to pay to keep Grant Williams, who is headed for restricted free agency.
“Right now, you’re paying those guys $30MM,” the executive said. “They don’t want to add a bunch of salary, so if you can keep them below $30MM in starting money next year, it is not a bad situation. Other guys are going up, so you’d like to save where you can. If you start Williams at $16-17MM or so, you can go to $11-12MM for Al and still keep yourself around $180MM in payroll. They want both of those guys around so they have to think about them as a sliding scale.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Boston has the league’s best record at 13-3 and has figured out how to win with limited production from Jayson Tatum, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The Celtics posted back-to-back wins over the Hawks and Pelicans this week with Tatum limited to 19 points in each game on subpar shooting. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have filled in with Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart hurt, and the team is also getting valuable bench minutes from Williams, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet.
- Jaylen Brown credits the success to trust from new head coach Joe Mazzulla, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Whenever the Celtics hit a rough patch, Mazzulla usually prefers to let the players work through it rather than calling a timeout. “It challenges us for not only the situation at hand in front of us but to be better down the line,” Brown said. “We’ve been in the NBA long enough to know how to get to our spots and how to correct some of our mistakes. We have a poised team so that’s a lot of trust from our head coach that he instills in our players and us to figure it out. To be honest, that’s what you want as a player. You want that relationship with your head coach that he’ll trust you out there that you’ll figure it out.”
- With nine straight wins, the Celtics appear to have solved their crunch-time rotation questions, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Tatum’s ability to fill multiple roles makes the team hard to defend with the game on the line, Weiss adds.
Kyrie Irving Discusses Journey Toward Reinstatement
The Nets are listing Kyrie Irving as questionable to return Sunday from his suspension for promoting an antisemitic film on social media, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Irving hasn’t played since November 1 due to the controversy, and the team initially gave him a list of six requirements that he had to complete before he could be reinstated.
Irving called that process a “learning journey” in an interview with Ian Begley of SNY (video link).
“It was a lot of hurt that needed to be healed, a lot of conversations that needed to be had and a lot of reflection,” he said. “And I got a chance to do that with some great people from the Jewish community, from the Black community, from the white community. I’ve had so many conversations with all of our races and cultures and religious groups of people, just trying to better find a perspective on how we live a more harmonious life.”
Irving declined to share the details of those conversations, but he characterized them as “very moving, very impactful.” He called himself “a man who stands for peace” and stressed that he doesn’t condone any type of hate speech or prejudice.
Irving also talked about trying to understand the influence he has as a public figure and the need to set a better example, especially for young people.
“I just think I really want to focus on the hurt that I caused or the impact that I made within the Jewish community, putting some type of threat, or assumed threat, on the Jewish community” Irving said. “I just want to apologize deeply for all of my actions during the time that it’s been since the post was first put up. I’ve had a lot of time to think, but my focus, initially, if I could do it over, would be to heal and repair a lot of my close relationships with my Jewish relatives, brothers and sisters.”
Whenever Irving returns to the court, he’ll encounter a much different Brooklyn team than the last time he played. Jacque Vaughn has shed the interim tag he had after replacing Steve Nash as head coach and he has the Nets moving in the right direction, going 2-2 on a tough West Coast trip and winning five of their last eight overall.
Vaughn has been emphasizing defense and toughness, but he could use Irving’s scoring punch as well. In the eight games that he’s played this season, Irving is averaging 26.9 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 45.3% from the field.
Clippers Reportedly Have Interest In Myles Turner
After months of rumors about the Lakers‘ pursuit of Myles Turner, it may be the Clippers who make a strong play for the Pacers center, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Multiple sources tell Pincus that the Clippers have discussed targeting Turner. The team is in need of another center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Knicks in free agency, and Turner appears to be the best option on the market, provided that Indiana is willing to move him.
Nicolas Batum is currently serving as the primary backup to starting center Ivica Zubac, Pincus notes, with Marcus Morris and Robert Covington also spending time in that role. Turner would provide a legitimate option at the five and would ease the burden on Zubac.
Turner is in the final year of his contract, but Pincus hears that wouldn’t be a factor for the Clippers, as owner Steve Ballmer is willing to accept a high luxury tax in order to build a contender. Pincus’ sources say that L.A. prefers to move some of its wing depth in the deal, rather than a lead guard such as Reggie Jackson or John Wall.
Turner has an $18MM salary this season, so the Clippers would have to send out at least $14.3MM in any trade. Assuming the team keeps Zubac, Pincus states that Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, Jackson, Morris or Covington would have to be included to get a deal done soon. L.A.’s options will expand on December 15 when Wall becomes trade-eligible and again on January 15 when Amir Coffey and Batum can both be dealt.
The Clippers are limited to offering either their first-round pick in 2028 or 2029 because the team’s other first-rounders are covered by obligations to the Thunder from the Paul George trade. Pincus points out that L.A. has plenty of second-rounders to offer, apart from 2027, along with young prospects such as Brandon Boston, Jason Preston and Moussa Diabate.
Turner is off to a strong start, averaging career highs of 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in seven games. He’s also blocking 3.1 shots per game after leading the league twice in that category and would be a valuable rim protector for the Clippers.
Pincus cautions that the Pacers may not be in a hurry to make a move. The trade deadline isn’t until February 10, so there’s plenty of time for Indiana’s front office to gauge its offers. One source tells Pincus that the Pacers have become skeptical that a deal with the Lakers will work out.