Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Raptors, Brown, Simmons
The Raptors don’t expect Pascal Siakam‘s one-game benching to become an ongoing issue, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN. Coach Nick Nurse elected to hold Siakam out of Thursday’s game after he went straight to the locker room rather than the bench after fouling out with 25.6 seconds remaining Tuesday night.
Nurse called it “a disciplinary thing for an internal matter,” and Siakam accepted the decision, a source tells Lewenberg. Because it wasn’t technically a suspension, Siakam won’t lose any money.
“I don’t think anybody’s happy to see him not play, but that was the decision that came down, so you roll with it,” Fred VanVleet said. “We’re all in this together and everybody makes mistakes. This is something that’s not gonna linger around us. P was great. He was great, he handled it very well, he was a great energy for us on the bench tonight even though he wasn’t playing, and we can’t wait to get him back out there with us.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Backup center Alex Len said there was “definitely tension in the locker room” after the Raptors lost their first three games, which indicates problems that go beyond one incident with Siakam, notes Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Toronto picked up its first win Thursday night after blowing double-digit leads in each of the three losses.
- Jaylen Brown is ready to take on a larger role with the Celtics‘ offense after Gordon Hayward‘s departure in free agency, observes Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. “I’m definitely trying to accept the challenge, and I’m excited about this year in general for our group,” said Brown, who had a career-high 42 points Wednesday night. “I think we still have a great group. We have a lot to learn, I have a lot to learn but I think we are all embracing that challenge. Personally, for me, to be in a new and different role with more responsibility, I love and I want to handle that great responsibility to make sure I get other guys involved, all my teammates and try to be the best leader I can possibly be.”
- Sixers guard Ben Simmons hit his third career three-pointer Thursday night and is becoming more comfortable with the shot, according to Ky Carlin of Yahoo Sports. “I’ve seen him make it in practice and I know he can knock it down,” said teammate Seth Curry. “Especially from the corner so it’s just a matter of him doing it in a game and stepping into it with confidence. It didn’t look like there was too much hesitation on the shot and I expected it to go in.”
Michael Porter Jr. Out Due To COVID-19 Protocols
Michael Porter Jr. will miss the Nuggets‘ game tonight against the Suns and could be sidelined for several days under the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Porter was in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic (Twitter link). The league typically requires a seven-day quarantine for contact tracing. She adds that Porter will also miss two games with the Timberwolves and one with the Mavericks if he’s out of action for an entire week.
This is the second bit of significant coronavirus-related news in the past two days, even though the league reported Wednesday that there were no new positive cases in the tests conducted since December 24. Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Thursday that four of his players were affected by the league protocols.
Porter has moved into Denver’s starting lineup during his second active NBA season. He is averaging 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in four games.
Southwest Notes: Wall, Adams, Richardson
Christian Wood thought new Rockets teammate John Wall was back in “All-Star mode” Thursday as he played his first regular season game in 735 days, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Wall has been counting the days, as he told reporters after he posted 22 points, six rebounds and nine assists in a win over the Kings.
“It was great, man, just to get out there and have fun,” he said. “When I get between those four lines and once the ball touches my hands after the jump ball, I was fine. I was happy to be able to compete with some of the best guys in this league and (demonstrate) that I have the ability to be one of the best point guards in this league.”
Wall said he feels “amazing” after being sidelined for more than two full years by surgeries on his left heel and a ruptured Achilles tendon. He displayed the explosiveness he had before the injuries, getting six of his eight baskets on layups and dunks. Coach Stephen Silas believes Wall, who has been in quarantine for the past week, will improve as he gets more familiar with playing alongside James Harden.
“They haven’t been together, and we’re still trying to figure it out — who has it and who’s playing off the ball some,” Silas said. “They’re kind of figuring it out on their own with my help. That relationship has to grow and get better and better.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Wall talked to Shams Charania of The Athletic about the difficulties he faced after the injuries, including the possibility that his foot might have to be amputated (video link). “It was tough,” Wall said. “I went through three or four different infections. So it got to the point where, ‘OK, are you going to have to cut your foot off or not?’ That’s where it got real with me.”
- It was fake crowd noise because no fans are allowed in the arena, but the Thunder made sure Pelicans center Steven Adams received a loud ovation in his return to Oklahoma City Thursday night, according to NOLA.com. Adams spent seven years in OKC before being traded to New Orleans during the offseason.
- Mavericks guard Josh Richardson patterned his game after Jimmy Butler and can’t believe he was involved in the trade that brought Butler to Miami, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “I really like Jimmy Butler a lot. Especially when he was rising in Chicago, I was a big fan,” Richardson said. “… And it was crazy like actually being in a Jimmy Butler trade. It was kind of like surreal, because he was one of my favorite players and I was getting traded for him. And that was like a really interesting thing for me.”
Marquese Chriss Out For Season With Broken Leg
DECEMBER 31: Chriss underwent a successful surgery today to address his broken right fibula, the Warriors announced in a press release (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 27: Warriors center Marquese Chriss will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right fibula, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Warriors announced in a press release (Twitter link) that the official diagnosis for Chriss, whose injury occurred during a practice in Chicago, is a right syndesmosis ankle injury with a fibular fracture. The reserve big man will have surgery to address the injury this week.
Chriss played in the team’s first two games, averaging 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13.5 minutes. He was a part-time starter last year, but rookie James Wiseman has taken over as Golden State’s starting center.
The 23-year-old will receive his full salary of $1,824,003 and will be a free agent after the end of this season.
Chriss is in his second season with the Warriors after appearing in 59 games last year. A lottery pick in 2016, he was able to revive his career with Golden State after brief stays with the Rockets and Cavaliers during the 2018/19 season.
Southeast Notes: Monk, Hornets, Magic, Iguodala
Malik Monk is waiting for the Hornets to give him a chance after his bout with COVID-19 earlier this month, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Monk hasn’t gotten into a game yet this season and is fighting for playing time on a roster that’s much deeper at the wing than it was last year.
Monk will be a free agent when the offseason arrives, and the Hornets can make him restricted with a $7.3MM qualifying offer. He views this season as an audition for his NBA future.
“This is the big one. A big step to show what I can do,” Monk said. “With other teams, not only the Charlotte Hornets. To show other teams what I can do and how productive I can be. I can’t do that if I’m not on the court, but I don’t control that.”
Monk was hoping for better after a breakthrough performance in February when he averaged 17.0 PPG on 46% shooting in 13 games. However, before the month ended, he was suspended indefinitely for a violation of the NBA’s drug policy. Monk said he hasn’t received much feedback from coaches about what he needs to do to earn minutes.
“Super, super, super freaking frustrating (with) the waiting,” he said. “The month of February, I finally became an NBA player, finally got the minutes I thought I deserved a couple of years ago. I was proving myself. And that’s all I really could ask for at that point.”
- Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward have formed an instant chemistry as Hornets teammates, observes Sam Perley of NBA.com. They spent two years together with the Celtics, but Hayward was injured for much of that time. “Based on what I see, I think they play off each other well,” coach James Borrego said. “I’m sure they understand each other’s game at a higher level than if they just came in blindly to this situation. There’s history there, there’s chemistry, there’s connection. I think that helps us right now.”
- The Magic are enjoying the benefits of their Serge Ibaka trade in 2017, notes Josh Cohen of NBA.com. With Ibaka headed toward free agency, Orlando shipped him to the Raptors at the deadline in exchange for Terrence Ross and a first-round pick. Ross is still a productive player for the Magic, and the pick eventually helped acquire Markelle Fultz from the Sixers.
- The Heat used Andre Iguodala as a starter tonight, allowing him to extend a streak that began in 2004, tweets Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Iguodala has started at least one game in every calendar year since entering the league, but tonight marked his first start since the 2019 NBA Finals.
Health Updates: Leonard, Trent, Okoro, Claxton, Gallinari
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will return to the lineup tonight, five days after being struck in the face by an accidental elbow from teammate Serge Ibaka, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Coach Tyronn Lue made the announcement in a pre-game session with the media.
Leonard missed two games with the injury, which caused him to bleed profusely from his mouth and required eight stitches. L.A. split the games, defeating the Timberwolves Tuesday night and losing by 51 points to the Mavericks on Sunday.
A second-team All-NBA selection last season, Leonard is off to another strong start, averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals in his first two games.
There’s more injury-related news to pass along:
- The Trail Blazers will face the Clippers tonight without guard Gary Trent Jr., Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters (Twitter link from Vardon). Trent suffered a strained calf in Monday’s game with the Lakers.
- Rookie swingman Isaac Okoro didn’t travel with the Cavaliers as they start a six-game road trip, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The fifth pick in this year’s draft suffered a sprained left foot in Saturday’s game and was recently placed into the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol. The league announced today that there have been no new positive tests since December 24, so Fedor believes Okoro likely came in contact with someone who tested positive, which limits his ability to travel. The Cavs hope he can join them before the trip ends January 9.
- Nets coach Steve Nash said Nicolas Claxton is “steadily improving,” but remains “weeks away” from playing, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. The second-year center is dealing with tendinopathy in his right knee and hasn’t played yet this season.
- Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari had to leave tonight’s game with a sprained ankle, according to Andrews (Twitter link). It was his first game since suffering a contusion in his left foot in last week’s season opener.
Rockets Notes: Wall, Cousins, Harden, Hard Cap
John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Gordon all practiced today for the first time since being forced to quarantine after an ill-fated haircut last week, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets‘ Dec. 23 season opener was canceled because they didn’t have enough active players, and they were short-handed for the two games that followed.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Wall said. “All I did was get a haircut in my apartment. And one of the teammates tested positive and the next four or five tests I had all came back negative. So, I was like ‘Oh, it was me and three people can’t get a haircut.’ I’d rather get a haircut in my apartment than be in a barbershop somewhere where random people are coming in constantly. Even the barber tested negative. That was a frustrating thing.”
Assuming no more setbacks, Wall will play his first game in more than two years on Thursday. He and Cousins, who responded to the quarantine with an online post of an angry emoji, will both make their debuts with the Rockets.
“It’s tough in general to be sitting around for seven days, no type of activity,” Cousins said. “It’s tough for any person, but especially for a professional athlete, sitting at home for seven days straight then jumping back in a full-speed practice or game. There’s not a lot of positive on that side.”
There’s more from Houston:
- Head coach Stephen Silas said league protocol requires Ben McLemore and KJ Martin, who are believed to have tested positive for COVID-19, to remain in quarantine through the weekend, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
- The Sixers are farther away from trying to acquire Rockets star James Harden than they were two weeks ago, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on today’s episode of “The Jump” (video link). With a 3-1 record and Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid playing well together, Philadelphia doesn’t feel any urgency to make a move. Windhorst believes Simmons gives the Sixers the best asset of any of the teams rumored to be involved in talks for Harden, but he doesn’t think either side is in a hurry to complete a deal.
- The Rockets are currently $1.077M below the hard cap, which means they will be able to add a pro-rated 15th player to their roster starting February 9, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts on February 23 (Twitter link).
Warriors Notes: Paschall, Curry, Wiseman, Lin
Eric Paschall has moved to a reserve role after starting the first two games of the season and seems more comfortable coming off the bench, writes Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors‘ second-year power forward posted 15 points in 19 minutes Sunday in Chicago, then 10 points in 13 minutes Tuesday at Detroit.
“I liked the rotation better because the way we played tonight allowed Eric to get going offensively and be more aggressive with the ball,” coach Steve Kerr said after Sunday’s game. “Playing with the second unit — we can run some things through him. We need Eric with the ball in his hands, and with that first group, it’s tough to get the ball to him.”
Because the Warriors were short-handed last season, Paschall got plenty of opportunity to showcase his skills, averaging 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 60 games. He was an All-Rookie First Team selection after being taken with the 41st pick in the draft.
“I’m allowed to just play the game,” Paschall said in explaining why he likes being a reserve. “Having the ball in my hands and trying to make plays for everybody and myself. More aggressive, more opportunity with the second unit.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry‘s new teammates are starting to figure out how to get him the ball in the flow of the offense, observes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Because an injury forced Curry to miss almost all of last season, most of Golden State’s roster is still learning how to play alongside him.
- James Wiseman‘s early numbers may not be what some fans expected, but he’s showing his value on offense by attacking the rim, notes Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Strauss believes Wiseman’s inside presence and Curry’s outside shooting can be the foundation of Golden State’s offense for years to come.
- A proposed “NBA Vet Selection” rule for the G League could be a path toward getting Jeremy Lin to the Warriors, but that plan could be complicated if the league elects to play in a bubble setting, according to Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News. The rule would allow NBA teams to fill one G League roster spot with a player who has at least five years of NBA service. However, the bubble atmosphere may cause teams to keep their NBA and G League players separate, which defeats the purpose of adding Lin. Golden State was close to a deal with Lin before opening day rosters had to be finalized, but couldn’t get authorization in time from the Beijing Ducks, his last team in China.
New York Notes: Randle, Rivers, Luwawu-Cabarrot, Crawford
Julius Randle became the symbol of free agency disappointment for Knicks fans last season, but he has shown signs of a turnaround this year, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Randle was among several veteran free agents brought in on short-term deals after New York missed out on its primary targets during the summer of 2019. Bondy notes that Randle has lost weight and looks like a different player so far.
“I ran pretty much every day during the offseason. Like I said, that was just a challenge for me to get in extreme condition or whatever it is,” Randle said. “That’s just what I challenged myself to do every day. Yeah, I dropped a little bit of weight but the biggest thing was just pushing myself just to run every day and just challenging myself in that way.”
New coach Tom Thibodeau said he noticed the difference in Randle when he reported for the team’s voluntary training camp in September. Thibodeau has given Randle control of the offense, and he’s averaging 24.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists through the first four games.
There’s more from New York:
- The Knicks are encouraged by the progress of free agent addition Austin Rivers, who has been sidelined by a groin injury but went through he first contact drills Monday, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. “There’s a progression to coming back,’’ Thibodeau explained. “He was doing condition without contact. Then it goes to one-on-one controlled movements. Then progressed to two-on-two. And then three-on-three. We’re on the three-on-three phase right now. It’s day-to-day on how he feels and whether we get to the next step. There’s more steps to take. He has to play five-on-five and practice with the team. He’s still a couple of steps away.’’
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is making a bid for more playing time following the season-ending injury to Spencer Dinwiddie, writes Mollie Walker of The New York Post. Luwawu-Cabarrot was used as a starter Monday and responded with 21 points, six rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes. “TLC has just been really steady,” Nets head coach Steve Nash said. “Very trustworthy defensively. Knows the system. Is very attentive to his responsibilities, and he’s been shooting the ball. He’s played within himself. He’s doing very well.”
- The Nets have remained in contact with veteran guard Jamal Crawford and may consider him as a replacement for Dinwiddie, states Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Crawford signed with the Nets for last season’s restart, but appeared in just one game before getting injured.
Bulls Notes: Donovan, Roster, Temple, Satoransky
The Bulls need to do a better job of overcoming adversity, new coach Billy Donovan told reporters, including Jamal Collier of The Chicago Tribune, following a second straight disastrous performance. After trailing by as many as 40 points in the season opener, Chicago was embarrassed again Saturday, this time by Indiana. The Bulls fell behind by 30 at one point, giving up a 21-0 run in the second quarter and an 18-0 run in the third.
It’s not what Chicago fans were expecting after an offseason of change that brought in Donovan to replace Jim Boylen as head coach and Arturas Karnisovas to run the front office. Donovan believes improvement won’t begin to show until players learn how to deal with difficulty.
“They don’t handle (adversity). They don’t at all,” he said. “They internalize their mistakes, they internalize what’s going on, and I’ve said this before, they’ve got to do this together. They’ve got to fight together, do it together. We’re probably on most nights probably not going to be the most athletic or the most talented or the most experienced, but we can be a team — we have control over it — that can have a lot more fight in ourselves there. I came out on the court one time because I saw them come out of the huddle and they just all looked totally dejected.”
There’s more Bulls news to pass along:
- Despite management changes, the team won’t get any better until it overhauls the roster, contends Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The Bulls brought back 14 of their 17 players from last year’s 22-43 team, including several who are miscast in their current roles, Mayberry adds. He sees Coby White as more of a shooter than a lead guard, while Zach LaVine isn’t efficient enough to be the first scoring option. Mayberry also questions the decision to draft Patrick Williams with the No. 4 pick instead of trading down to acquire more assets.
- Free agent addition Garrett Temple, one of the few new faces in Chicago, promises to bring toughness to the team, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘I don’t think we have soft guys here by any means, so it’s a matter of building the right habits,” Temple said. “And that starts in practice.”
- Tomas Satoransky was available for the first time Saturday after being quarantined due to contact tracing, Cowley adds in the same piece. Satoransky, who didn’t test positive for COVID-19, said the waiting was difficult. ‘‘It was very tough for me being at home, not being able to work out or doing anything,’’ he said. ‘‘Just self-quarantine myself. … You only can control some of it, and you have to be mentally strong and be ready to come back and accept the role you will have after this. … It really tests you mentally and is another challenge you have to go through this season.’’