Enes Kanter Aggravates Separated Left Shoulder
Blazers center Enes Kanter aggravated his injured left shoulder in the team’s Game 3 win over Denver on Friday night (well, some could argue Saturday morning), telling reporters after the contest that he believes he separated the shoulder “more.”
Kanter logged 56 minutes in the first quadruple overtime playoff game since 1953, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds and three steals. He was listed as questionable entering the series due to the injury, also suffering a hand contusion in the first half of Game 2.
“First overtime, I think I separated my shoulder more,” Kanter said, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. “I had to tuck my arm into my jersey because I couldn’t carry my arm. I’m glad we got a win, man. Whatever it takes. You’ve got to sacrifice everything. I’m proud of my teammates.”
Kanter will receive treatment between now and Sunday’s Game 4 and plans to play through the injury, though his official status for the contest has yet to be announced by the team. He first suffered the shoulder injury in Portland’s series-clinching Game 5 win against the Thunder last round.
“Sometimes you’ve got to make some sacrifices to get a win,” Kanter said. “I’ll get some painkillers for the next game. I hope I can play. But I’ll be fine.”
Kanter was a major free agent acquisition for the Blazers this season, filling in for the injured Jusuf Nurkic as starting center throughout the playoffs. He’s averaged 15.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and one steal in eight postseason games and will become a free agent on July 1.
Portland must win Game 4 in order to protect home court advantage in the series, with the prospect of heading back to Denver tied 2-2 looming should they lose on Sunday.
Cavs Secure Permission To Interview Ettore Messina
The Cavaliers have received permission to interview Spurs assistant Ettore Messina for their vacant head coaching job, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Messina adds to a long list of coaches who have registered interest from Cleveland, including Blazers assistants David Vanterpool and Nate Tibbetts, Nuggets assistants Jordi Fernandez and Wes Unseld Jr., Mavs assistant Jamahl Mosley, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka and former Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Among the group, only Mosley, Howard, Bickerstaff, and Jensen have interviewed to date. The Cavs are conducting a wide-ranging search in wake of their mutual parting with former coach Larry Drew, but the team has yet to ask for permission to interview any college coaching candidates, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Messina holds several years of coaching experience and started with the Spurs in 2014. Before that, he spent over two decades coaching overseas and eventually agreed to become a consultant for the Lakers in 2011-12.
“Coach Messina is one of the finest coaches we have in the business, and hopefully he will get a shot to show that (as a head coach) in the NBA at some point” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said this season, as relayed by Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
This would be the second head coaching gig Messina has interviewed for in the past calendar year. He pursued the Suns’ job last spring and ultimately lost to the recently fired Igor Kokoskov, also receiving interest from teams such as the Kings and Lakers in their coaching searches at the time.
Rockets Notes: Harden, Paul, Morey, Gordon
James Harden and the Rockets found themselves at the center of attention in the NBA Sunday, coming up short against the Warriors in a 104-100 road loss in Game 1. Harden struggled shooting the ball and finished just 9-of-28 from the field, partially a result from several questionable no-calls on his attempted three-pointers.
Of the 28 shots Harden attempted, 16 of them were from 3-point range. There were multiple shots where Klay Thompson or another Warriors player dangerously over-extended on the play, giving him little-to-no space to land.
“They missed four of them. That’s 12 foul shots,” an irritated Mike D’Antoni said postgame of the officiating.
D’Antoni mentioned the officials admitted their wrongdoings at halftime, vowing to take a closer look at whether Harden was being fouled. The final play of the game saw Harden attempt a three at the top of the key and receive contact from Draymond Green, with no call being made. The case could be made that Harden extended his legs out in a flopping motion on the shot, but the officials were still ripped by several team figures and fans.
“I just want a fair chance, man,” Harden said. “Call the game how it’s supposed to be called, and that’s it. I’ll live with the results. Especially because we all know what happened a few years back with Kawhi [Leonard], and that could change an entire series. Just call the game how it’s supposed to be called and we’ll live with the results. It’s plain and simple.”
The Rockets have a chance to bounce back and take Game 2 on Tuesday night, which is also set to commence from Oracle Arena.
There’s more out of Houston tonight:
- Chris Paul was ejected at the end of Game 1 after picking up his second technical foul. Paul argued a no-call and appeared to make slight contact with the referee, something the league has issued suspensions for in the past. Should Paul be suspended for Game 2, it would be a crushing blow to a Houston team still hoping to steal homecourt advantage in the series. “I don’t know yet,” Paul said when asked if he made contact with the official, admitting that he hadn’t watched the replay yet. “He just called a tech and that was my second.”
- Daryl Morey‘s new plan for the Rockets is peaking at just the right time, Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle writes. Players such as Carmelo Anthony, James Ennis and Michael Carter-Williams started the season with Houston, but Morey and his staff made the decision to move on from each of them to seek other talent. In turn, they brought in the likes of Austin Rivers, Danuel House and Kenneth Faried. “It’s very odd,” Morey said. “When we sign people, we make a commitment to them and we want it to work out. Quite a few didn’t work out this year. I would prefer not to make all those changes, but the reality was it wasn’t working. We got Chris (Paul) and James (Harden) in his prime, and it’s unacceptable to not do everything we can to make sure we’re maximizing their presence.”
- Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle details how Kelvin Sampson — college coach of Eric Gordon — helped Gordon take a turning point in his first collegiate game that still affects his career today. “On a whim, I told him to guard the point guard,” Sampson said. “Pick up him up 94 feet. Eric asked me what I meant and I told him, ‘turn him as many times as you can.’” Gordon is recognized as one of the most underrated defenders within the Rockets, continuing to improve as his career progresses.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Giannis, Dragic, Heat, Pacers
The Celtics picked up their defensive intensity to seal an impressive Game 1 road win over the Bucks on Sunday, swarming the paint and putting an emphasis on slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo’s primary defender, Al Horford, recorded three blocks (two of which were on him). The Celtics as a whole held the Bucks to just 35% shooting from the floor, including a 7-for-21 performance from Antetokounmpo. Boston’s energy drained Milwaukee, leading to the dominate 112-90 win.
“They were loading [the paint] a lot,” Antetokounmpo said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “Lots of guys in the paint. Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try and change direction, the second guy was right there.
“I’ve just gotta go watch tape. If they are going to play like this the whole series, I have to be able to make the right pass, trust my teammates to knock down shots.”
For Horford and the Celtics, containing Antetokounmpo was the game plan entering Game 1. The next challenge for Boston is dealing with Milwaukee’s adjustments entering Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“I just think that our group, we all understood how we needed to defend and how dangerous he is once he gets it in the paint,” Horford said of Antetokounmpo. “So constantly tonight, we had a couple of breakdowns, but for the most part, I feel like everyone was very aware. Our guards really did a good job of helping and closing down lanes and things like that, and we just wanted to challenge and contest every shot as best we could.”
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- The Heat could wait it out with Goran Dragic entering the final season of his contract, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Dragic will decide in the coming weeks whether to exercise his $19.2MM player option for next season, though Winderman notes it wouldn’t be beneficial for the team to extend him on a cheaper, multi-year deal that cuts into future cap space. Should Dragic opt into his player option, he’d become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2020.
- Miami has a long way to go before achieving star status in the East, Winderman writes in a separate article for The Sun Sentinel. The Heat essentially have the same roster situation they did a year ago (minus the fact that Dwyane Wade has retired), leaving more questions than answers about the organization entering this summer. The team is coming off a disappointing 2018/19 season that saw them finish at 39-43, the sixth worst record in the conference.
- The Pacers would be smart to consider trading one of Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis this summer, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star opines. Indiana was swept by Boston in the first round of the playoffs this spring, failing to effectively play without injured star Victor Oladipo.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Dudley, Gasol, Williams
The Sixers failed to contain the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam on Saturday, two major reasons why the team lost Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Leonard and Siakam combined to score 74 points, shooting 28-for-38 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
“Two really good players,” said Joel Embiid, who shot just 5-of-18. “Their two best players showed up. I didn’t tonight and I have to do a better job.
“I have a lot of respect for those guys. They showed up. … They did a good. Next time maybe just like they are doing to me and double-teaming me. Throw some double-teams and have a better game plan.”
Philadelphia wound up losing the game 108-95, holding just a 39% shooting mark with 14 turnovers. They can still steal homecourt advantage by bouncing back for Game 2 on Monday, though the team recognizes how important is is to slow down the Raptors’ top two offensive threats.
Besides Leonard and Siakam, Toronto was supported by Kyle Lowry (nine points, eight assists), Marc Gasol (eight points with tremendous defense) and Serge Ibaka (seven points, six rebounds off the bench) to help seal the Game 1 victory.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Veteran NBA forward Jared Dudley has interest in joining the Celtics this summer, a league source told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Dudley, who’s coming off a successful season with the Nets, is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency on July 1. Dudley turns 34 this summer and averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 20.7 minutes per game with Brooklyn this year, shooting 35% from 3-point range.
- Marc Gasol is the long-awaited final piece to the Raptors‘ puzzle, Michael Pina of SB Nation contends. Toronto made a surprising deal for Gasol prior to the trade deadline, acquiring a veteran center capable of giving strong play on both ends of the floor. Head coach Nick Nurse has sported a starting lineup that consists of Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Gasol this postseason.
- Celtics rookie Robert Williams denied receiving money at Texas A&M, despite his name surfacing in a Thursday testimony by financial adviser Marty Blazer that he was given money by agent Christian Dawkins and assistant coach Amir Abdul-Rahim in 2017. “I’ve been saying, never took anything from anybody during my college career,” Williams said on Friday, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports. “Honestly, just trying to focus on these playoffs. I tend to stop social media because it gets to you during playoff time, but, like I said, never took anything from anybody. Hope this goes away as fast possible.”
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Millsap, Murray, Harkless, Nuggets
The Trail Blazers are focused on executing their game plan more than using their emotion for Sunday’s Game 4 in Oklahoma City, Sekou Smith of NBA.com writes.
Portland will look to take a 3-1 series lead in a hostile playoff environment and quiet the boisterous Thunder crowd, one of the league’s toughest arenas to win games in.
“We’ve just got to focus on us,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “We’ve got to be us and do what we do and all of the peripheral stuff … doesn’t have to do with us.”
The Blazers protected home court in Games 1 and 2, jumping out to a 2-0 series lead. Stealing Game 4 on Sunday would allow the team to wrap the series up in five games at their arena on Tuesday, but the mission will prove to be challenging.
“It’s going to be talk, it’s going to be fouls, it’s going to be all that stuff. All that stuff is going to be part of it. But it’s who can deal with that stuff and not be too emotional,” Lillard said on Saturday, one day after a crazy Game 3 atmosphere. “Who can be more even-keeled. Who can handle it more and still have the right mentality through all of those things. And we just stay within ourselves, play hard and we compete.
“And if something is brought to our doorstep, we’re going to open the door and see what’s going on. And that’s all it was. Because we don’t go out there talking and acting no type of way. But like I said, if it comes to our doorstep, we’re going to open the door and see what’s going on.”
There’s more today from the Northwest Division:
- Nuggets forward Paul Millsap opened up on “little brother” and teammate Jamal Murray, as detailed by Mike Singer of the Denver Post. “The main thing is just playing the game,” Millsap said of Murray. “Not getting focused on what people want him to do but just playing the game. Seeing him having 19 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds instead of focusing in on just scoring and trying to be going for 50 every single night. He’s actually playing the game now, and I’m super proud of him by how far he’s come.”
- Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless was fined $15,000 for throwing his headband into the spectator stands during Game 3 of the team’s series against Oklahoma City, the league announced on Saturday. Harkless’ incident marks the fifth separate fine the NBA has issued since the weekend began.
- Nuggets coach Mike Malone made a change to his starting lineup in Game 4 against San Antonio, starting Torrey Craig in place of Will Barton. The adjustment played a part in Denver stealing a road victory and regaining homecourt advantage, with Craig scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 37 minutes. “Torrey’s size and physicality, his hustle, like Torrey Craig was leaving it all on the floor, which I love,” Malone previously said after Game 3, as relayed by Mike Singer in a different story for the Denver Post. “And then Malik’s obviously shooting (well). He’s been one of our best offensive players this whole series, shooting the ball very confidently. Attacking the basket and also playing pretty good defense. Both of those guys warrant more minutes, and I’m sure they’ll both get a great chance to play extended minutes [in Game 4].”
Pacific Notes: McGruder, Suns, Iguodala, Green
Clippers forward Rodney McGruder is getting a unique perspective of the playoffs due to his ineligibility to play, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes.
McGruder, 27, was claimed by the Clippers after being waived by Miami earlier in the month. Because he was released after March 1, NBA rules prohibit him from playing in the postseason — causing him to participate in practice and watch games from the sidelines.
“They welcomed me like no other,” McGruder said of the Clippers. “They made me feel welcome, and it’s been a great experience just getting to meet the guys and see how everything works around here. It’s basically like a recruiting visit.”
Los Angeles respected the grit and determination McGruder has played with in his short professional career, believing in his ability and bringing him on board.
“You play against people, they leave an impression,” teammate Patrick Beverley said of McGruder. “The impression he left on us is he plays extremely hard.”
The Clippers can extend a qualifying offer to McGruder by June 29 and allow him to enter restricted free agency, though it’s unclear where their plans stand ahead of the offseason.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division today:
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic examines the Suns’ offseason and potential draft options, noting that several sources around the NBA believe Phoenix may prefer to end up with Ja Morant rather than Zion Williamson. Suns general manager James Jones, according to Vecenie, is enamored with Morant’s playing abilities — coupled with the fact that his team needs a point guard.
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr agrees with Andre Iguodala that he could play beyond his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of next season, as relayed by Mark Medina of The Mercury News. “I think he can play beyond this contract, if he really wants,” Kerr said. “He may not want to be. He may just want to go to the golf course and call it a career. But he can keep playing if he wants.” Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, has averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in a career-low 23.2 minutes per game this season.
- The playoffs could be a prime chance for Draymond Green to raise his value ahead of potential contract extension talks with the Warriors this summer, Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. When asked if he could use the playoffs as an opportunity to boost his value entering any potential negotiations, Green said, “Not at all. No, I can’t negotiate any contract right now, so I’ll be damned if I’m going to stress myself out trying to negotiate it in my head. It makes no sense. It’s a waste of time and energy.”
Jimmy Butler, Jared Dudley Fined For Game 4 Scuffle
Sixers guard Jimmy Butler and Nets forward Jared Dudley have each been fined for their involvement in a Game 4 scuffle between the teams on Saturday, the NBA announced today in a press release.
Dudley received a $25K fine for shoving Joel Embiid and escalating an on-court incident which spilled into the stands, while Butler received a $15K fine for pushing Dudley and escalating the matter further. The incident occurred at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter and started when Embiid delivered a flagrant foul to Nets center Jarrett Allen near the baseline.
Both Butler and Dudley were ejected from the game, an advantageous trade-off for Brooklyn that the team couldn’t capitalize on. The Nets wound up losing the game 112-108 and now trail the Sixers 3-1 heading back to Game 5 in Philadelphia this Tuesday.
Embiid managed to keep his composure during the scuffle despite being shoved by Dudley, recognizing his importance to the team and stepping away from the fray.
“I mean, first of all, he’s a nobody,” Embiid said of Dudley after the game. “When opponents try do do stuff like that, that’s just to get us out of the game. I’m too valuable for my team, that’s why I didn’t react.
“I did not do anything, and I didn’t think that was a flagrant foul because I played the ball, too. But enough with that situation. I just have to stay composed and be mature and let it go because my teammates need me more than they need him. I just got to be mature.”
Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan Fined $25,000
Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan has been fined $25,000 for throwing the game ball at official Scott Foster during Game 4 of their first round series against Denver, the NBA announced today.
The incident occurred with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, with DeRozan disagreeing on a charge call and tossing the ball past Foster into the spectator stands. DeRozan was assessed one technical foul and ejected upon his decision.
San Antonio lost the game 117-103 and will now travel to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday, a pivotal contest that’ll help determine which team wins the series and advances to the second round.
On the night, DeRozan finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes of work, registering a minus-16 net rating. The Spurs struggled defensively and allowed the Nuggets to shoot a scorching 48% from 3-point range on their home floor.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Lopez, Heat, Smith
The Nets made a major lineup change for Game 4 against the Sixers, starting Caris LeVert and Jared Dudley in place of DeMarre Carroll and Rodions Kurucs.
It’s an adjustment the team hopes can bring a much-needed spark to the starting group, and it’s a move head coach Kenny Atkinson considered making after a disappointing Game 3 loss on Thursday night.
“Yeah, it’s all open. We have to really look at it,” Atkinson said, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “This is part of the adjustment game, figuring out what they’re doing and how we can counter it. The first part of that is who you’re playing and when you’re playing them. Definitely, we’re back to the drawing board with that.”
Brooklyn has struggled to defend the interior despite not playing against a fully healthy Joel Embiid, losing the rebound battle by an average of 11 per game in the first three contests. Sixers guard Ben Simmons added a triple-double in Game 2 and a 31-point outing in Game 3 to make matters worse for the Nets.
When asked about the possibility of starting LeVert after Game 3, D’Angelo Russell said, “Yes, sure. Add another ball-handler out there, it definitely takes the pressure off me to bring it up and facilitate. I can almost get off it and become a scoring guard as well.”
Whether Atkinson’s sudden adjustment was a good choice will be determined in the coming games, as Brooklyn looks to avoid going down 3-1 in the series on Saturday.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference today:
- Malika Andrews of ESPN examines how Brook Lopez modernized his game to thrive with the Bucks this season. Lopez, a two-way center who signed with Milwaukee last summer, fits well alongside the likes of Eric Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo because of his ability to stretch the floor and shoot threes. Lopez made 187 of his 512 attempts from 3-point range this season (37%), both career-highs. “I always had confidence in myself shooting,” Lopez said. “I believed I could shoot it in NBA games one day, but at this level? This many? No. I didn’t see it.”
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks examines the offseason outlook for the Heat, who ended the 2018/19 season in a disappointing manner when the team missed the playoffs. The Heat are essentially in the same position they were at this time last year, minus the fact that Dwyane Wade has entered retirement.
- The Cavaliers are expected to re-examine the trade market for guard J.R. Smith, who mutually agreed to part ways with the team this season. “We have a trade chip in J.R. Smith, and his contract, where we can take on some money that other teams are trying to get some cap relief from,” general manager Koby Altman said last week, as relayed by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We are actually the only team in the NBA that can provide guaranteed cap relief until July 1. We can guarantee that right now and we actually had a phone call (Thursday) on that trade chip, so, we’re going to keep on being aggressive adding those assets because we do eventually want to consolidate and be really good at some point.” Smith, who turns 34 in September, is set to make $15.6MM next year in the final season of his contract, but most of that money is non-guaranteed.