Warriors Notes: Thompson, Iguodala, Kuminga, Kerr
Warriors star Klay Thompson logged 40 minutes in the team’s game against the Hawks on Friday, a major accomplishment since recovering from a torn ACL and torn Achilles’ tendon. The 32-year-old finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the loss, shooting 9-of-16 from deep.
“That’s a big win for me,” Thompson said on recording 40 minutes, as relayed by Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com. “I can’t remember the last time I played 40 minutes … a huge milestone for me.”
Head coach Steve Kerr also complimented Thompson after the contest, calling it his best outing since returning. Thompson’s previous season-high in minutes was 38 against San Antonio one week ago, while is next highest was just under 34 against Milwaukee on March 12.
“Rick (Celebrini) may not be (comfortable with it),” Kerr said, referring to the team’s director of sports medicine and performance (as shared by Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “I may have a text on my phone. But I thought it was Klay’s best game.”
Here are some other notes out of Golden State tonight:
- Kerr is hopeful that Andre Iguodala will return against the Grizzlies on Monday, Slater shares in a separate tweet. Iguodala has been dealing with a back injury and last played on February 7. He’s appeared in 26 games this season, averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 assists in 19.9 minutes per contest.
- Golden State started Jonathan Kuminga in place of Kevon Looney on Friday, as noted by Slater (Twitter link). This allowed Draymond Green to play center, pairing Looney with Otto Porter Jr. off the bench. The team used the same starting lineup for its game against the Wizards on Sunday.
- Kerr explained his rationale behind the lineup adjustment, noting how it’s important to settle on a lineup before the playoffs come. “We’re going to have a ton of flexibility these last eight games,” he said as part of a full quote, according to Andrews (Twitter link). “Without Steph, everything changes for us in terms of the domino effect of different rotations. I decided to separate Draymond and Loon for more spacing and more shooting on the floor at the same time.” Stephen Curry remains out due to a sprained ligament in his foot and is expected to return before the postseason.
Southwest Notes: Ingram, Grizzlies, Davis, Pelicans, Green
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing 10 straight games with right hamstring soreness, as the team shared on social media (Twitter link). New Orleans started Ingram alongside CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas for just the 11th time this season.
The Pelicans acquired McCollum from Portland on February 8, of course, but injuries have prevented the club from maximizing its potential. Zion Williamson also reportedly isn’t expected to play this season as he rehabs from a right foot injury.
The Pelicans own a 31-43 record, leading the No. 11 ranked Spurs by one game. By holding the No. 10 seed, New Orleans would qualify for the play-in tournament and could make the playoffs. Ingram has averaged 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, playing a key role in the team’s success.
Here are some other notes from the Southwest Division:
- Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores why the Grizzlies are 16-2 without Ja Morant this season. Morant is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest. However, his supporting cast has stepped up on both ends, leading to Memphis’ unexpected jump up the Western Conference standings — the team has the NBA’s second-best record, at 52-23. “They talk about what they got to do going out there every single night to set a tone offensively, defensively, but with their spirit,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said. “It’s not just on the floor, it’s off the floor.”
- The 2019 Anthony Davis trade between the Pelicans and Lakers has never looked better for New Orleans, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com opines. The Pelicans have a young core headlined by Ingram, while the Lakers and their veteran core sits just a half-game ahead of New Orleans in the standings. Still, the Lakers won a title in 2020 largely because of Davis. The Pelicans are seeking their first playoff appearance since 2018.
- Veteran guard Gerald Green has the option to play in Puerto Rico, but he remains focused on landing an NBA opportunity, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Puerto Rican club Gigantes de Carolina announced Green’s signing on Saturday, but his agent cautioned it’s simply an option for after the season. Green retired from professional basketball in October, joined the Rockets‘ coaching staff, then unretired and joined the team’s G League affiliate in January.
Eastern Notes: Beal, Irving, Fultz, Thibodeau
Wizards star Bradley Beal isn’t opposed to receiving interest from rival teams, he said on Draymond Green‘s podcast, as relayed by James Herbert of CBS Sports. Beal will be eligible to sign a five-year, $245MM contract with Washington this summer if he turns down a $36.4MM player option and becomes a free agent.
“I’m kind of embracing everything,” Beal explained, “so I’m not upset about the rumors, I’m not upset about, you know, teams wanting me. I feel like that’s a good thing, right? We put in the work and we’re wanted by a lot of people, not just where we’re at.”
Beal has seen his name surface in trade rumors, but the 28-year-old hasn’t requested a trade and Washington hasn’t appeared willing to deal him. Beal’s production dipped this season, but he still managed to average 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game on 45% shooting from the floor.
“It’s kind of funny. I’ve never been a free agent,” he said. “It’s kind of reminding me of college recruiting. Like I hear every single game somebody’s recruiting me. Someone’s like tagging on me, whether it’s another player or whether it may be a coach or whoever it may be, somebody’s chit-chatting: ‘B, what you want to do this summer? What you doing this summer?'”
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Kirk Goldsberry considers what Kyrie Irving‘s full-time availability will mean for the Nets and their title chances. As Goldsberry notes, while Irving certainly makes Brooklyn’s offensive attack more dangerous, the team’s defense remains a question mark.
- Magic guard Markelle Fultz is starting to feel more comfortable just one month after his return, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Fultz missed more than a year due to a torn ACL, making his debut on February 28 against the Pacers. He most recently finished with 16 points, three assists and three steals in 19 minutes against the Kings on Saturday, showing potential on both sides of the ball.
- Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is offended by claims that he’s stunted Obi Toppin‘s growth by not giving him enough minutes, plus that he mistreated Kemba Walker, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Thibodeau also lashed out at some social media critics and writers. “It’s a team, not an individual thing,” he exclaimed. “Can’t pick up a box score after and say, ‘How many people are watching to the end of the game’ to really know exactly what happened in the game. I see a lot of opinions, but I don’t see guys doing the work to actually study it.’’
Central Notes: LeVert, Sexton, Pistons, Vucevic
The Cavaliers are working to re-integrate Caris LeVert into their lineup, starting him against the Bulls on Saturday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. According to Fedor, the team may continue starting LeVert, who was acquired in a trade last month.
“We’ve got to do the best that we can to possibly help him,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We brought him here to be a big piece of what we were doing moving forward, and we’ve got to get him comfortable. His teammates have to be able to play with him.
“We’ve got to find longer stretches of minutes for him, where he can just go out and feel like he can be himself. His minutes have been kind of choppy. We want to find ways to get him longer stretches where he doesn’t feel like he has to press, press. press to get something done in a small amount of time.”
Cleveland owns the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference at 41-33. LeVert has averaged 12.6 points on 41.8% shooting since joining the team after averaging 18.7 points on 44.7% shooting with Indiana earlier in the season. The 27-year-old had also been dealing with a foot injury and no longer has a minutes limit.
There’s more from the Central Division tonight:
- Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton is back in Cleveland taking shots, Fedor shares (via Twitter). Sexton, who suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee roughly four months ago, appeared in 11 games before the injury. He’ll become a restricted free agent this summer.
- The Pistons’ centers have serious potential to improve their three-point shooting, head coach Dwane Casey said, as relayed by Steve Kornacki of The Detroit News. Detroit has been playing Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III significant minutes, but neither player is a good shooter. “They have the ability, too,” Casey said, “and it doesn’t matter which one. Marvin is coming up and setting the screens and Isaiah has the space in the corner. His next evolution in his pro career is that he has to be able to knock that 3-point shot down, and he will. I have no questions at all that either one of them is going to be able to. But we have to have that spacing when they’re in the game together.”
- Bulls star Nikola Vucevic appears to be happy in Chicago and doesn’t want to discuss a potential trade, as relayed by Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. If the Bulls underwhelm the rest of the campaign, the team may consider making some offseason moves. ‘‘That’s something that’s totally out of our control as players,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘Our job is to try and go as far as we can, then the front office makes the decision on the team going forward. I was in a limited amount of trade rumors in my time in Orlando, so it’s something I really don’t think about very much. What’s the point of me worrying about that when it’s completely out of my control? That’s how I approach things like that.’’
Gerald Green Signs In Puerto Rico
Free agent guard Gerald Green has signed in Puerto Rico with Gigantes de Carolina, the team announced on social media today. Green, a 12-year veteran, will head overseas for the first time since 2011.
Green most recently played for the Rockets’ G League team. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20 games this season, playing 28.9 minutes per contest. He also shot 43% from the floor and 37% from deep during those outings.
Green retired as a player in October and joined the Rockets’ coaching staff as an assistant. He then resumed playing in January, choosing to join Houston’s NBAGL affiliate with hopes of returning to the NBA.
At 36 years old, time is running out for the former Slam Dunk Contest winner, but a successful overseas stint could help attract NBA interest. Along with Houston, he’s made stops with Boston, Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Indiana, Phoenix and Miami in his career.
Kyrie Irving Says He Plans To Re-Sign With Nets
Nets star Kyrie Irving holds a player option worth $36.5MM for next season, but the 30-year-old says he plans to re-sign with Brooklyn if he declines the option, as relayed by Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com. Turning down the option would allow Irving to become an unrestricted free agent.
“For me, it has always been about being comfortable and loving where I’m at. I love it here,” Irving said. “Once that summertime hits, I know we’ll have some conversations but there’s no way I could leave my man 7 [Kevin Durant] anywhere.”
Irving and Durant signed with the Nets in 2019, joining forces for the first time in their careers. Irving has only played in 20 games this season due to New York City’s vaccine mandates, but he’s averaged a career-high 28.5 points on 49% shooting from the floor.
The mandates have since been lifted, allowing Irving to play at home against Charlotte on Sunday. The seven-time All-Star will be seeking his second NBA championship this season. Should Irving return next season, Brooklyn will have most its core under contract, including Durant, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Joe Harris.
Of course, Irving also publicly committed to re-signing with Boston back in 2018, then reversed course by the time he eventually reached free agency in 2019, opting instead to join Brooklyn. He seems focused on taking a long-term approach with the team though, which should be viewed as good news for Nets fans.
“To be honest, I signed up for this for the long run,” Irving explained. “I love this year. I’m grateful. It has not been the prototypical year. But when I look at my teammates and I look at what we have as an organization. I’m looking for the long run and what we can do, legacy talk.”
Clippers Waive Ojeleye, Convert Coffey, Sign Moon
The Clippers have called up guard Xavier Moon from their G League affiliate, signing him to a two-way contract, agent Stacey Leawood told Hoops Rumors. To create roster space, the team has promoted two-way player Amir Coffey to the 15-man roster and has waived veteran wing Semi Ojeleye, who was acquired in a trade last month.
Coffey, 24, earns a rest-of-season deal after playing 62 games with the club this season. He most recently finished with 21 points in a loss to the Sixers on Friday, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor. Converting Coffey to a standard contract will allow the Clippers to have him available during the playoffs.
Moon, a 6’2″ point guard, signed three 10-day contracts with Los Angeles earlier this season. The club was quickly impressed by his production and maturity, as the 27-year-old averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 assists in 13.8 minutes per contest.
Moon, the nephew of former NBA player Jamario Moon, has also been impressive in the G League. He has averaged 18.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game with Agua Caliente, shooting 46% from the floor and 38% from three-point range.
Ojeleye was traded from Milwaukee to Los Angeles in the four-team deadline deal that sent Serge Ibaka to the Bucks. The Clippers’ primary motive in that trade was to reduce their tax bill — Ojeleye appeared in 10 games for L.A. following his arrival, but mostly saw garbage-time minutes. He’ll clear waivers on Monday, assuming he goes unclaimed, but wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new team.
The Clippers currently rank eighth in the Western Conference standings at 36-39. The team has seven games left on its schedule, which includes outings against the Jazz (45-29) on Tuesday and Bulls (42-31) on Thursday.
Western Notes: Murray, Green, Craig, Towns
Nuggets star Jamal Murray isn’t close to returning from a torn ACL, head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday, as relayed by Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Murray suffered the injury 11 months ago and an ESPN report from last month suggested he could return before the playoffs.
Murray, who spent some time with the Grand Rapids Gold earlier this month, may rejoin the team’s G League affiliate for another block of practices, Malone added. No timetable was revealed for a possible return.
Murray averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game before sustaining the injury last season, shooting 48% from the floor and 41% from deep. The Nuggets own the seventh-best record in the West (42-30) despite his absence. The team has also dealt with other significant losses — including Michael Porter Jr. (back) — and should be viewed as a legitimate contender at full strength.
Here are some other notes from the West:
- In a separate story for the Denver Post, Mike Singer examines how JaMychal Green‘s leadership has been valuable for the Nuggets. Green lit a fire in the team’s huddle against Philadelphia last Monday, helping motivate them en route to a 114-110 win, Singer shares.
- Suns wing Torrey Craig stepped up in the absences of Jae Crowder (groin) and Cameron Johnson (quad) against the Bulls on Friday, as relayed by the Arizona Republic. Craig finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as a starter, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor in 31 minutes of action.
- Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns expressed confidence in his squad after winning its fourth straight game, Dane Moore of Bring Me The News tweets. Minnesota defeated Milwaukee 138-119 on Saturday. The team is 9-1 in its last 10 games, leading Towns to make the following statement: “Any time we step on the court, we should win… We feel we can beat anybody.”
Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Jordan, Haslem, Morris
Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis showed he can still be dominant in the team’s victory over the Lakers on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. Porzingis finished with 27 points and five assists, helping his team win 127-119.
“Just down the stretch, we wanted to play through him,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “No one could stop K.P. at the elbow. He was just turning around and shooting over everybody. It’s going to be great just to see if we can get him a full season. We already know what he can do.”
Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards in February. He has dealt with a variety of injuries over his career (and hasn’t played over 60 games since the 2016/17 season), but he can still be productive when healthy. In seven games with Washington, he’s averaging 20.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- DeAndre Jordan is discovering his niche as a late-season addition with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines. Jordan was waived by the Lakers earlier this month and subsequently signed with Philadelphia. He recorded eight points and seven rebounds in the team’s win over Dallas on Friday, logging 13 minutes off the bench.
- Longtime Heat veteran Udonis Haslem briefly explained why the team has had success developing players in recent years, as relayed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Those undrafted guys come here – Max [Strus], Gabe [Vincent], Caleb [Martin], Duncan [Robinson], Omer [Yurtseven], Chris Silva – when those guys come in here, it’s an automatic expectation from me to do more than the guys that got drafted, do more than the guys that got signed, work harder, push more, pay attention to detail more,” Haslem said. “And nobody complains here. That’s one thing about these young guys; they don’t complain.”
- Playing Markieff Morris at small-ball five is no longer a stretch for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel contends. Morris saw action as a backup center against Oklahoma City on Friday, scoring 13 points in nearly 20 minutes. The Heat could play Morris more at center in certain lineups and matchups, as nine-year veteran Dewayne Dedmon has struggled in recent weeks.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Biyombo, Westbrook, Poole
The Suns are surging despite missing star point guard Chris Paul (thumb fracture), going 9-4 in the games they’ve played without him, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Phoenix owns the league’s best record at 57-14, leading the second-place Grizzlies by 8.5 games.
“We know how talented this team is and we always pride ourselves on that,” Devin Booker said. “I always say nobody can replace what Chris does out there. We know how much we’re going to need him when it comes into this playoff run, but in the meantime, we’re just trying to hold it down.”
Phoenix is coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. The team lost to Milwaukee in six games, but it kept most of its core for this season. It has the chemistry, motivation and talent to make a title run — though it’ll be important to have a fully healthy team.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific:
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype hosted a Q&A with Suns center Bismack Biyombo, who discussed how and why he’s donating his salary, why he fits in well with the team, and several other topics. Biyombo signed a 10-day hardship deal with Phoenix in January, impressing the club enough to earn a rest-of-season commitment. The 11-year veteran has averaged 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.
- The Lakers embraced Russell Westbrook‘s feel-good moment in Toronto, rallying behind him after he helped the team earn an overtime win on Friday with a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes. “One of the highlights of our season – and it’s been a tough season for us, and specifically for him,” head coach Frank Vogel said. Contrary to public perception, Westbrook’s shooting percentages have only dipped slightly from last season, but his 15.7 shot attempts per game represent his lowest mark since 2009/10.
- Warriors guard Jordan Poole is proving he’s ready for the NBA spotlight, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poole is averaging a career-best 17.1 points on 46% shooting this season, establishing himself as a valuable scoring threat in his third season.