Western Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jones, Cancar, Nuggets’ Bench
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pumped in 35 points against New Orleans on Saturday but the Thunder are still playing it cautious with his recent injury. He sat out the second game of a back-to-back against San Antonio on Sunday due to what the team described as abdominal strain injury management, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. The Thunder star guard has exceeded the 30-point mark in his last four outings.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Tre Jones missed the Spurs‘ game against Oklahoma City on Sunday with a non-COVID illness, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Jones averaged 13 points and six assists in his last two appearances.
- Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar was available to play against Brooklyn on Sunday, coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Cancar missed three games with a wrist sprain and also didn’t play against San Antonio on Friday.
- The Nuggets’ second unit has been unsettled after changes were made during and after the trade deadline, Singer writes. Reggie Jackson has struggled with his shooting (29%) since becoming the backup point guard and Thomas Bryant has been relatively quiet since he was brought in to back up Nikola Jokic. “We’re still trying to figure stuff out,” swingman Bruce Brown said.
Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Could Return Friday
D’Angelo Russell missed his sixth consecutive game on Tuesday due to a right ankle sprain. However, the Lakers point guard could return as early as this week, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).
Head coach Darvin Ham said prior to the team’s game against the Grizzlies that Russell is “progressing according to plan.” McMenamin learned that Russell went through a contact workout with Lakers coaches on Monday. Los Angeles doesn’t play again until Friday, giving Russell more time to ramp up before the team faces Toronto.
Russell, who is headed to free agency, was acquired in a three-way deal at the trade deadline. It was reported shortly after he joined the Lakers for a second stint that there was mutual interest in an extension.
Russell’s play the rest of the way could build his case for an extension or a big offer in free agency. He’s in the final year of a four-year, $117MM contract.
He only played four games for the Lakers before he was injured. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 assists in 58 combined starts with Minnesota and the Lakers this season. He averaged 18.1 points and 7.1 assists last season for the Timberwolves.
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Vucevic, Porter Jr., Micic, Prince
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic doesn’t think Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic should be penalized for being a prior Most Valuable Player award winner when voters make their selections this season, he told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
“I think he deserves to get another one, the way he’s playing. I think you take him out of that team, it’s not even close to the same team,” Vučević said of the Nuggets’ franchise player. “The things that he does, you look at his stats, the efficiency he’s playing at, it’s very impressive. And it’s not like he’s putting up numbers and they’re not winning. They’re (25-0) when he has a triple-double. And he plays in a winning way. He makes the right play. He doesn’t force. He doesn’t try to do something just to do it. It’s all within the flow of the game. It’s winning basketball.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets may finally reach the Finals this season in large part because of Michael Porter Jr’s maturity, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com writes. Porter has made himself a force at both ends of the floor after teams previously tried to take advantage of his defensive shortcomings. “I think Michael Porter has been just tremendous on both ends of the floor all season long,” coach Michael Malone said.
- Serbian guard Vasilije Micic has hired the Wasserman Media Group as his new representative, HoopsHype tweets. Micic, whose draft rights are owned by the Thunder, is a two-time Euroleague Final Four MVP and is considered the best guard in Europe. However, it’s unclear whether the Thunder would have a role for the 29-year-old if he pursued an NBA career next season and he could be traded if he wants to make the jump.
- Taurean Prince‘s value to the Timberwolves is reflected in their won-loss record, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. They are 24-17 when he plays and 10-16 when he doesn’t. “He’s like the ultimate glue guy with a little bit extra spice to it,” guard Mike Conley said. “You think he’s just three-and-D and all of a sudden, coming off pin downs, he’s making plays for guys. He’s being a leader. … He’s got a full game to him that’s really big for our second unit.” Prince has a non-guaranteed salary of $7.455MM next season and Minnesota has to make a decision on his contract status before free agency.
Karl-Anthony Towns Progressing, Still No Timetable For Return
Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns is “doing basketball activities,” according to coach Chris Finch, but there’s still no timetable for his return, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Towns has been out since November 28 due to a Grade 3 calf strain. He was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and a career-high 5.3 assists per game through 21 contests (33.8 MPG) before he was sidelined.
Finch suggested on Feb. 23 that Towns was in the “final stages” of his recovery. Finch said on Tuesday that the big man hasn’t had a setback, though he has yet to practice with the team.
“He’s doing some basketball activities now, which is good to see,” Finch said. “Still no real timeline for him, though.”
According to Hine, the Timberwolves don’t make injured players available to the media, so Towns couldn’t provide any clarity to his situation. Finch said Towns is “excited” about the possibility of coming back in the near future.
“There’s a sense of real urgency for him to, I think now, he can see the end in sight, and I think he’s getting excited by that,” Finch said.
Minnesota has remained in the playoff hunt despite Towns’ prolonged absence. The Timberwolves had a three-game winning streak halted by Philadelphia on Tuesday but they’re still a game above .500 (34-33).
Eastern Notes: Pistons Draft, Love, Raptors, Brunson
The Pistons shouldn’t hesitate to take guard Scoot Henderson if they get the No. 2 pick in the draft, The Athletic’s NBA draft analyst Sam Vecenie told Pistons beat reporter James Edwards III. In Vecenie’s view, Henderson is too talented to pass on, even though the franchise has drafted guards in the last three lotteries.
While Vecenie believes Alabama’s Brandon Miller is solidly the third-best player in the draft class, he says the Pistons shouldn’t reach beyond Henderson or trade the pick since Henderson is the type of competitor who can lift his team’s level of play on a nightly basis.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat play Kevin Love‘s former team on Wednesday but it’s uncertain whether the veteran power forward will suit up. He’s listed as questionable against Cleveland due to a rib contusion, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Love missed the Heat’s two-point win over Atlanta on Monday.
- The Raptors lost to the Western Conference-leading Nuggets on Monday but coach Nick Nurse was encouraged by what he saw, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. “We play like that and we can beat anybody, doesn’t matter if it’s home or away or where they are in the standings, etc,” Nurse said. “Probably outplayed ’em, to be honest and think we executed very, very well.” Toronto lost 118-113 in a game marred by a controversial late ejection of Scottie Barnes.
- Jalen Brunson was sidelined for the second straight game on Tuesday with a sore left foot, Tim Bomtemps of ESPN tweets. However, it appears the Knicks point guard could be back soon. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Brunson is feeling better, and will be going on the four-game road trip that begins Thursday in Sacramento.
Hamidou Diallo Injures Ankle, Likely Out For Season
Pistons wing Hamidou Diallo, a free agent after the season, suffered a Grade 2 right ankle sprain in Monday’s game against Portland, according to a team press release. Diallo will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks, the release adds.
It’s likely that Diallo has played his last game this season, given that Detroit sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and the team will play its finale in about four-and-a-half weeks.
Diallo has played 56 games off the bench this season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists. The high-flying, energetic Diallo turned his ankle late in the fourth quarter against the Blazers.
Diallo had been playing his best ball this season prior to the injury, averaging 14.4 points over the last nine games for the injury-depleted Pistons.
His explosive moves to the basket led a career-best 57.3 field goal percentage this season, though he remains a non-threat from the perimeter (27.4% on 3-pointers in his career). Diallo, 24, is making $5.2MM this season.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/7/2023
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Heat Notes: Martin, Zeller, Love, Haslem
Caleb Martin provided 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench in the Heat‘s victory over Atlanta on Monday. Martin has been a solid contributor all season and his teammates appreciate his hard work, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
“Caleb has been probably the bright spot on our team,” center Bam Adebayo said. “Through the ups and downs, he’s always been consistent. And he’s one of those guys that you can always rely on. He’s going to play hard. He’s going to try to make the right plays.”
Martin is in the first year of a three-year, $20.4MM contract that includes a player option in 2024/25.
We have more on the Heat:
- Cody Zeller has played seven games since joining the Heat as the backup center last month. Zeller, who was out of the league until Miami picked him up, feels comfortable playing limited minutes, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “I’m still feeling a little rusty with some of my reads and stuff. But overall, I’ve been pretty pleased with where I’m at. I’m still only playing 15 minutes per game. It’s shorter minutes, so I should be able to play even harder. So yeah, it’s been good so far.”
- Kevin Love missed Monday’s game with a rib contusion but X-rays were negative, Chiang tweets. It’s not considered to be a long-term issue. Love is averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in six starts since signing with the club.
- The team has planned a variety of tributes for forward Udonis Haslem, who is retiring after the season. Haslem told Chiang he hopes the Heat can make another playoff run but he won’t have any regrets, regardless of how the season plays out. “I’m done,” Haslem said. “I’m done no matter what happens. I gave my contribution. I think at this stage, there needs to be another voice for these guys. It’s time for somebody to step up and be the voice.”
Ignite’s Leonard Miller Reiterates Plan To Enter Draft
G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller plans to enter this year’s draft, he told Libaan Osman of The Toronto Star.
Miller entered the week as the Ignite’s second leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, trailing only guard Scoot Henderson, the consensus No. 2 prospect in the draft. Miller also led the Ignite at 8.6 rebounds per game. Miller had 16 points and eight rebounds in the Ignite’s loss to Raptors 905 on Monday.
Miller could sneak into the lottery if his stock continues to trend upward. He’s currently ranked No. 22 on ESPN’s Best Available list and No. 4 among power forwards.
The Canadian-born Miller was considered a second-round prospect when he withdrew from last year’s draft. He decided against attending a U.S. college, instead signing with the Ignite in September. He first revealed his plans to enter his name in this year’s draft in late December when he was ranked No. 26 on ESPN’s big board.
Miller had 19 points and eight rebounds in the G League Next Up game during All-Star weekend last month.
“It was one of the best experiences in my life,” Miller said. “I had a lot of fun. It was good to go in there and compete against all the rising stars that are going to change the league in years to come.”
Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Vucevic, DeRozan, Green
Following a crushing three-point home loss to Indiana, DeMar DeRozan admits he’s exasperated with the Bulls’ inability to gain any traction in the Eastern Conference standings, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes.
“It’s beyond frustrating that we lost again,’’ DeRozan said. “It’s overly frustrating to lose, especially when we say it’s a must-win. We’re making our own bed. We can’t complain about it. We’ve got to figure out these last games to dig us out of this hole and put ourselves in a position to make something out of it.’’
We have more on the Bulls:
- Going along with that theme, impending free agent Nikola Vucevic admits it’s tough to imagine things turning around the rest of the season, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “It doesn’t really depend on us anymore,” Vucevic said. “I mean, it does. We have to win. But we’re depending on the people in front of us, on how they do. So it’s hard to say after 65 games we didn’t figure it out. It’s tough to believe that something’s just going to (click) like that. We’ll see. We’re going to keep fighting, keep hoping something happens. But it’s obvious we’ve put ourselves in a very difficult spot now.”
- Adding to the frustration is that Zach LaVine has been on his best offensive tear of the season, Cowley notes in a separate story. Over the last 10 games, he’s averaging just under 29 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 42.9% on 3-point attempts. Chicago is 3-7 during that stretch.
- Javonte Green “continues to progress” in his rehab but there’s no timetable for his return, according to a team press release. His status will be updated in approximately two weeks. Green underwent arthroscopic surgery to his right knee on Jan. 11 and coach Billy Donovan acknowledged over the weekend that Green is still struggling to make lateral movements.