Jarrett Allen Ruled Out For Game 5 With Rib Injury
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 5 against the Magic due to a bruised rib, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets.
It’s a major blow to Cleveland, especially on the boards, as Allen has been a force during the series. The big man is averaging 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds in the four games and was particularly dominant inside during Cleveland’s Game 1 and 2 victories.
With Allen sidelined, the Cavs will go with a smaller lineup, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. Forward Isaac Okoro will join the starting five alongside Evan Mobley, Max Strus, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland with the series knotted at two games apiece.
Tim Connelly Among Potential Targets For Pistons’ President Opening
The Pistons would be interested in Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly if Connelly exercises the opt-out clause in his contract with Minnesota at the end of the season, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post.
The dispute between current Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore could cause Connelly to weigh his future in Minnesota. Connelly signed a five-year, $40MM contract with the organization in 2022. The Pistons announced after their season ended that they would hire a president of basketball operations.
Here’s more info on the Pistons’ search for a new president, via Stein:
- Detroit’s search is expected to ramp up during the second and third rounds of the playoffs, when more potential candidates will be available for interviews. Stein confirms that Bucks general manager – and former Pistons employee – Jon Horst will be a candidate if he is willing to move on from Milwaukee.
- Mavericks consultant and former Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey is another name to watch for the basketball ops position, per Stein.
- J.J. Redick, a candidate for the Hornets’ coaching vacancy, could get an interview if he’s interested in a front office job, Stein says. Pistons chairman Arn Tellem represented Redick in his days as a player agent.
- The new president of basketball operations will have the ability to decide whether current GM Troy Weaver will remain in his position, be reassigned to a different front office role, or get cut loose, according to Stein. The new exec will also determine whether head coach Monty Williams, who just completed the first year of a six-year contract worth nearly $80MM, will remain in his position.
LeBron James’ Agent: Two Or Three Years Left In Tank
LeBron James‘ longtime agent believes he’s still got a couple of years left. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said in Sirius XM NBA Radio interview (Twitter link) with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine doesn’t think the Lakers superstar is pondering retirement after the season.
“He’s had an unbelievable career. I think we do see him next year,” Paul said. “How many more after that? I do not know. But I think he’s got two or three years left in the tank, maybe.”
James will turn 40 on New Year’s Eve. He holds a player option of $51.4MM for next season. He could pick up that option and negotiate an extension or decline it and pursue a new contract as an unrestricted free agent
The four-time MVP averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 rebounds while appearing in 71 regular-season games. He has continued to play heavy, productive minutes in the playoffs.
James has often stated he’d like to last long enough to play with his son Bronny James, who has declared for the draft. But Bronny’s uneven season at USC after rehabbing from a heart condition dropped his draft stock. The plan is for Bronny to visit and work out for NBA teams, then decide based on the feedback he receives whether to remain in the draft and go pro or return to college for at least one more year.
Suns Notes: Booker, Durant, Offseason, Vogel
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant expressed the value of continuity after the Suns were swept in the opening round by the Timberwolves, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports relays. Rather than making major changes to the roster and staff, the superstar duo believes they just need to go through the process together.
“At the end of all this, there’s gonna be one winner, and everybody that doesn’t win is gonna go into somewhat of a panic mode and feel like they have to make changes and do this and do that,” Booker said. “But I think over time, experience is the best teacher. So the more that you can spend time together and feel this hurt together and go through it together, the better off you are in the future.”
“Yeah, continuity is important,” Durant said. “All the great teams in the league thus far has been together for two, three years — the Minnesotas, Denvers, Bostons, the Lakers, OKCs. A lot of teams have been together for a few years, so I’m looking forward to building.”
We have more on the Suns:
- As part of the above-mentioned theme, Booker believes that poor communication was a primary reason for their downfall, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “I think everybody would say that the details matter and it’s something that we kind of passed by and didn’t think was a big deal but kind of came back and bit us in the ass,” Booker said, adding, “Hopefully, everybody is feeling the same type of hurt. I have to be better. Kevin has to be better. Brad (Bradley Beal) has to be better. Coach has to be better. We’re the leaders of the team. We can’t be out there unprepared.”
- Mark Deeks of HoopsHype provides his offseason outlook for the Suns, noting how hamstrung they’ll be as a team over the second tax apron. Perhaps the only significant move they might make would be changing coaches again.
- The salary cap issues will make it difficult for the Suns to acquire a true starting point guard and improve one of the shallowest benches in the league without creating other holes, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst opines. Windhorst notes Phoenix ranked last in offensive efficiency in fourth quarters, when having a floor leader is crucial.
- The Suns would have been better off making more prudent choices the last couple of years rather than bringing in two more superstars and creating the predicament they’re in now, Michael Pina of The Ringer argues. They may have to seriously consider moving on from Durant while he still has plenty of value around the league, Pina adds, though that might also alienate Booker.
- Regarding Durant, he never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Doug Haller. Sources tell The Athetic’s duo that Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper schemes to play to his strengths. Some teammates and people close to the organization believed Durant should have urged Frank Vogel and his coaching staff to make those changes.
Atlantic Notes: Anunoby, Achiuwa, Knicks, Lowry, Robinson, Whitehead
Former Raptors teammates OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa were instrumental in the Knicks’ defensive effort during their Game 4 win over the Sixers on Sunday. They guarded Joel Embiid a majority of the time with Isaiah Hartenstein in foul trouble and Mitchell Robinson sidelined by an ankle injury.
The Knicks’ frontcourt duo also made the right reads in rotations and pick-and-rolls, SNY TV’s Ian Begley notes. “I don’t know how to (explain it),” Achiuwa said. “It’s a feel thing between me and OG. When we’re involved in a defensive action, I understand what he wants to do, we read off each other and play off each other that way. … That’s kind of what played into it.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- While Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was setting a franchise record for playoff points in a single game, Sixers counterpart Kyle Lowry only made one field goal in Game 4, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. Lowry, an unrestricted free agent after the season, is averaging 10.5 points and 4.0 assists per game in the series.
- Offensive rebounding was a key to the Knicks’ victory on Sunday. They grabbed 15 for the game, including seven in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Sixers 21-6 on second-chance opportunities. “That’s what they do,” 76ers forward Kelly Oubre told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “Like I said, Jalen (Brunson) is putting up all the shots, but at the end of the day, like that’s what he’s supposed to do. And then everybody else is supposed to crash the glass like mad men.”
- Robinson is listed as questionable to play in Game 5, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Bojan Bogdanovic (foot contusion) has already been ruled out.
- Dariq Whitehead‘s rookie season with the Nets was a washout, as he underwent season-ending surgery on Jan. 29 to repair a stress reaction in his left shin. The No. 22 pick in last year’s draft, who appeared in just two NBA games, will hit the reset button with a new head coach, Jordi Fernandez, and a busy offseason. “Dariq should play in summer league, should be available in summer league. Whether or not he plays the entire summer league or not, that’ll be TBD,” GM Sean Marks said, per NetsDaily.com. “But the plan right now is he’s in the gym every day.”
Knicks’ Bojan Bogdanovic To Miss Game 5 Tuesday
The Knicks have ruled out wing Bojan Bogdanovic for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sixers on Tuesday, Fred Katz and Shams Charania of The Athletic report (Twitter links). Bogdanovic is dealing with a left foot contusion.
Bogdanovic was injured when he collided with Sixers’ forward Nicolas Batum just after entering Game 4 on Sunday. Bogdanovic averaged eight points and four rebounds during the first three games of the series, including a couple of clutch baskets during New York’s Game 2 victory last Monday.
With Bogdanovic departing after one minute of action, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went with a seven-man rotation for the remainder of the game.
Bogdanovic, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Detroit to bolster the Knicks’ perimeter offense, was already banged up entering the postseason. He has been dealing with a left wrist injury that may require offseason surgery.
Bogdanovic’s future with the team is uncertain. He has a $19MM contract for next season, but only $2MM is guaranteed.
The Knicks will look to close out the series without Bogdanovic on their home court.
Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Hart, Embiid, Robinson, Porzingis
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson broke Bernard King‘s franchise record on Sunday with 47 points in New York’s Game 4 win over the Sixers. Brunson didn’t shoot well in the first two games of the series but has averaged 43 points and 11.5 assists in the last two games.
“You expect him to make every shot. He’s a great player,” Knicks forward OG Anunoby said. “Even when he was cold the first couple of games, you knew he was going to turn it around. Just ’cause we see him every day. It was going to turn around eventually.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Josh Hart didn’t have a field goal in the Knicks’ victory but he made his presence felt in many other areas. He grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked three shots, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. “I mean, I had to do something,” Hart said. “I had five turnovers, didn’t make a shot, didn’t hit any free throws, missed two free throws late that were big. So offensively it just wasn’t there today. But when you have that, you have to try to figure out ways to still make an impact in the game. And for me that was rebounding and pushing. Offensive rebound, trying to get extra possessions. Looked athletic on a couple of blocks, so that was nice.”
- Sixers star Joel Embiid called out Philadelphia’s home crowd after the loss, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links). The arena had plenty of fans rooting for the visitors. “Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they’re down the road and I’ve never seen it and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town,” he said. “They’ve always shown up and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah. It’s not okay.”
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson sat out Game 4 due to an ankle injury suffered in the previous game. Robinson warmed up prior to the contest but couldn’t go. Afterward, he was spotted leaving the locker room in a walking boot, Katz tweets.
- Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis has scored 18 points in each of the team’s first-round victories over Miami. He was held to six points in Boston’s Game 2 loss. Getting Porzingis involved in the offense is crucial, Jayson Tatum told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “He’s probably our most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “So no doubt in my mind, I knew he was going to have a better game and bounce back.”
Nuggets Notes: Paint Issues, Footwear, Murray, Gordon
The Nuggets failed to complete a sweep of the Lakers on Saturday night, losing Game 4 by a score of 119-108. Head coach Michael Malone fumed over the way his team played in the lane, The Athletic’s Tony Jones writes.
“The paint was a joke,” Malone said. “In every huddle, we were like a broken record (Saturday). Everything was paint, paint, paint. We have to be better at defending the paint. We gave up 72 points in the paint overall. We gave up 42 points by halftime, which is an unbelievable number. They shot 64 percent in the paint.
“It starts with our defense in transition. There were too many blow-bys off the dribble. I didn’t think we played with the physicality we needed. I didn’t think we played with enough urgency. This did not seem like a closeout game.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- It wasn’t the shoes that caused the Nuggets to lose but some of them didn’t have their usual footwear during the pregame warmups on Saturday. There was a mix-up in getting several players’ insoles onto the early bus to the arena, so some took some pregame shots without them, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “Is it ideal? No,” Malone said. “But hopefully we can figure that out and make sure it never happens again. If you want to dig into stuff and say, well, we lost because for some strange reason our players didn’t have their shoes when they got here for their normal warmups, that we had guys out there shooting around with flip-flops, is it ideal? No. But I’m not an excuse guy.”
- Is a leg injury bothering Jamal Murray? The Denver Post’s Matt Schubert poses that question, noting that Murray was seen clutching the back of his leg on Saturday. Murray is averaging 21.5 points per game for the series but he’s struggled with his efficiency, making 38% of his overall field goal attempts and 20.8% of his 3-point tries. Indeed, Murray has been listed as questionable to play on Monday due to a left calf strain, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.
- Aaron Gordon had a quiet night, posting seven points and three rebounds in 42 minutes. However, Gordon’s 29-point, 15-rebound eruption in Game 3 is another example of what a steal the Nuggets made when they acquired the power forward from Orlando in 2021, Jones opines. Gordon’s value on and off the court is undeniable because of his ability to play off of Nikola Jokic and Murray. The Nuggets gave up Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a protected 2025 first-round pick in that deal three years ago.
Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Turnovers, Nance Jr., Series Deficit, Williamson
Brandon Ingram missed 12 games with a bone bruise in his left knee late in the regular season. With the Pelicans trailing the Thunder 3-0 in their first-round series, Ingram admits he’s not playing at 100%, William Guillory of The Athletic writes.
“I feel like I’ve had spurts where I feel good, but not completely. I’m not happy with none of my performances from the playoffs,” Ingram said. “I don’t think I’m myself completely. I’ll continue to push forward and try to find mine. But I can’t just worry about myself. I’ve got to worry about my teammates … making sure they’re in rhythm. If they’re in rhythm, they’ll find me in rhythm, too.”
We have more on the Pelicans:
- In the same story, Guillory notes that the team is averaging more turnovers per game (17.7) than every other playoff team and its total turnovers (53) are only three fewer than its total number of assists (56). The Pelicans committed 21 turnovers in their 106-85 Game 3 loss. “The turnovers and the lack of confidence shooting the ball when we have open looks, that’s difficult (to overcome),” coach Willie Green said. “It’s been difficult to generate points. … We can’t kill ourselves with the turnovers, and that’s what we did (in Game 3).”
- Larry Nance Jr. started the second half at center in place of Jonas Valanciunas. The latter wound up playing just 12 minutes, Sports Illustrated’s Kade Kimble notes. The league’s new Coach of the Year forced Green to make an adjustment. “It’s just a matter of forcing the opponent to pivot. They’ve forced us to pivot at different times this series. There’s a push-pull with that,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Whatever they choose to do, we gotta be able to attack it and adapt to it.”
- The Pelicans have been swept only once in franchise history, falling to Golden State in the 2014/15 playoffs. Even if New Orleans manages to extend the series by winning Game 4 on Monday night, there’s no miraculous comeback in the cards for this year’s group, Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune opines.
- Zion Williamson won’t come to the Pelicans’ rescue, at least not on Monday. He’s listed as out for Game 4 due to his left hamstring strain, according to a team press release.
Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Named Coach Of Year
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder has been selected as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).
Daigneault coached one of the league’s youngest rosters to the top spot in the Western Conference this season, compiling a 57-25 record. It has been a remarkable turnaround in recent years for the Thunder, who won just 24 games in 2021/22 and 40 in ’22/23.
While there was an expectation that Oklahoma City would take another step forward this season, the team’s preseason over/under projection was 44.5 wins — the Thunder surpassed that mark with more than a month left in the season.
Daigneault, who also earned Coach of the Year honors this season from the National Basketball Coaches Association, won the NBA’s official COY award in a landslide, racking up 89 first-place votes, compared to 10 for all the remaining candidates. He had nine second-place votes and one third-place vote for 473 (of a maximum 495) points (Twitter link).
The Magic‘s Jamahl Mosley was the runner-up with four first-place votes and 158 points. Chris Finch of the Timberwolves wound up third with 105 points, followed by the Celtics‘ Joe Mazzulla (79 points) and the Knicks‘ Tom Thibodeau (59 points).
Daigneault, in his fourth season as the Thunder’s head coach, joins Scott Brooks (2009/10) as the only coaches in franchise history to earn the award.