Dennis Schroder, P.J. Tucker Fined For Game 5 Scuffle
Thunder guard Dennis Schroder and Rockets forward P.J. Tucker have each been fined $25,000 for their involvement in a scuffle that occurred on Saturday, the NBA announced in a press release.
The incident occurred with 6:51 remaining in the third quarter of Game 5, with both players being ejected following the altercation. Schroder was fined for making contact to Tucker’s groin area, while Tucker was fined for approaching Schroder, making contact with him, and escalating the situation, the league said.
“It’s never that,” Schroder said on whether his blow was intentional, as relayed by Erik Horne of The Athletic (Twitter link). “We’re competitors. We go out there and compete as hard as we can, but for me, my family didn’t raise me that way to hurt somebody intentionally.”
Tucker was asked on Sunday whether he believes the statement and whether Schroder reached out after the incident, to which he replied, “No and no,” Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets.
The Rockets ultimately routed the Thunder 114-80, taking a 3-2 series lead. Tucker finished with five points and two steals in 21 minutes, while Schroder recorded 19 points in 20 minutes of work. The two teams will meet for Game 6 on Monday night.
Western Notes: Westbrook, Beverley, Lakers, Kings
Rockets star Russell Westbrook returned on Saturday from a quad injury, marking his first in-game action of the postseason. Despite looking rusty on a minutes restriction, Westbrook provided a much-needed energy boost in his return, helping elevate the team to a 114-80 rout over the Thunder.
“He just gives us some energy, he speeds up the game,” coach Mike D’Antoni said, as relayed by James Jackson of The Oklahoman. “He’s going to get better the more times he goes out and plays. I knew he was going to be a little rusty but he gave us a nice little spark to start the game and I thought he played great. It was good.”
Westbrook hadn’t been active in quite some time and it showed. He finished with seven points, shooting 3-of-13 in 23 minutes of action. But he also recorded six rebounds, seven assists and a +21 net rating, firing up his teammates on the court and assisting them off of it from the sidelines.
“He brought that energy, he brought that excitement that we were missing,” James Harden said. “We just need him. Obviously he’s our leader. We all know what he does for the game of basketball and for our team so it was exciting to have him out there.”
The Rockets will play the Thunder in Game 6 of their series on Monday and will advance to face the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals with a win.
Here are some other notes from the West today:
- Clippers guard Patrick Beverley missed his fifth straight game on Sunday due to a left calf injury, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Stein adds that Luka Doncic (ankle), Dorian Finney-Smith (hip) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (cervical strain) are all active for the Mavericks.
- Anthony Slater of The Athletic makes five observations from the Lakers’ first-round series against the Blazers, which they won 4-1 over a depleted team. Slater examined several positive developments, including the team’s better-than-expected perimeter defense, LeBron James‘ ramped up offensive production, and more.
- Greg Wissinger of The Sacramento Bee proposes a three-step plan to rebuild the Kings, which starts with trading some players away. Sacramento finished with a 31-41 record during the regular season, ultimately reaching Orlando but failing to make the postseason.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Fox, Warriors, Williams
Lakers superstar LeBron James is beginning to find his groove in the playoffs, with Game 3 serving as proof of such, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes.
James played noticeably aggressively in the team’s first-round series against Portland on Saturday, recording 38 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 34 minutes of work. It’s the type of play the Lakers need to defeat a fearless Blazers team, especially with a star backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum tiring out the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green each game.
“I just think my offensive pace tonight,” James said postgame. “At times I was fast, slow, medium-paced. It was like a stick shift. Sometimes I was in gear 1, sometimes I was in gear 6. Being able to read and react, depending on whether I had the cruise on or was in a residential area or the highway or I was on the straightaway. Being able to have a car that can go in different speeds and zones, depending on what the traffic is, is very key.”
James was joined in the win by fellow All-Star Anthony Davis, who finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. The two stars each shot 11-of-18 from the field and took a combined 31 attempts from the free throw line, demonstrating their aggressive mindset and play.
“I told Bron at half, I have to take some of the pressure off of him,” Davis said. “I missed a ton of free throws [five of nine first-half attempts]. I didn’t want him to have to carry the team the whole time, where he didn’t have to try to come down and score every time.
“He was in attack mode. We need him like that all the time. When he’s attacking, it’s our job to make shots.”
Here are some other notes out of the Pacific Division:
- Kings guard De’Aaron Fox showed flashes of a potential superstar during his third season in the league, Kyle Ramos of NBA.com writes. Fox, 22, averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals per contest this year, also shooting a career-best 48% from the floor in 51 games. His averages increased to an impressive 25.3 points and 7.3 assists during the Orlando games.
- Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines the Warriors’ options in the 2020 NBA draft, with the team being awarded the No. 2 overall pick last week. The current front-runner to be drafted by Golden State appears to be 7’1″ center James Wiseman, though no decisions have been finalized yet — and that’s if the team decides to even keep the pick. “I know there’s a lot of narrative around us trading our pick and what we’re going to do with it, but we don’t really know anything,” general manager Bob Myers said. “At this point, we found out half an hour ago we had the No. 2 pick, so that’s the first step as far as getting some clarity.”
- Suns coach Monty Williams spoke with Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic on a number of topics, including how he guided his team to an 8-0 record in Orlando and how he handled the social justice movement. “We did have organic, spontaneous conversations even before we went to Orlando — maybe three Zoom chats, where we had really good conversations that weren’t just about basketball,” Williams said of his team. “Then when we got to Orlando, we just dialed in to what we say every day, ‘Family on three.’”
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Dragic, Hill
Heat center Bam Adebayo has made a noticeable impact during the team’s first-round series against the Pacers, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald details.
Adebayo, 23, has averaged 15.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and five assists in three games, shooting 53% from the floor in 33.7 minutes of work. The Heat have won each of the three contests, and it’s largely due to Adebayo’s production and energy on both ends of the floor.
“His biggest moments came down the stretch on both ends [in Game 3], those rebounds were big time,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We needed those extra relief opportunities, because they jammed us up a couple of times and forced us into a couple of turnovers. Those relief points and those free throws were key.”
Adebayo grabbed multiple key offensive rebounds on Saturday, finishing the contest with 22 points and 11 boards. His improvement since being drafted 14th by the team in 2017 is well-documented. The Heat will desperately need his production if the team advances to the second round, with either Milwaukee or Orlando waiting as an opponent.
“I feel like the player that I am, it’s hard to [game plan] me out,” Adebayo said. “That’s because I do a lot of things so well. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back. But just because I screen well, I get guys open. It doesn’t always have to be about scoring with me. In Game 2, I had seven points but everybody said I had the biggest impact on the game. It’s little stuff like that. … When my shot isn’t falling, when my offense is not going, I always bank on my defense and my effort.”
There’s more out of Miami today:
- Tyler Herro has no plans of backing down from the Pacers’ isolation attacks throughout the rest of the series, as relayed by Anthony Chiang (Twitter link). “It’s no secret who they’re going at. They’re going at me and Duncan,” Herro said. “There’s no secret about it. I think everybody sees it. But that’s something that I’m not going to run from it.” Herro finished with 20 points in Game 3 but was targeted frequently on defense, allowing multiple baskets throughout the fourth quarter. Herro has been working with Miami’s development coaches on studying film and improving his defense this season, a process that will likely continue in the coming years.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel explores how the Heat nearly shipped Goran Dragic to Dallas in the trade that brought Jimmy Butler to Miami last year. Dragic has been essential for the Heat in the first round, averaging 22.7 points, 5.7 assists and 34 minutes as the team’s starting point guard.
- The Heat are in the midst of another player transformation, this time working to incorporate Solomon Hill into the team’s hard-working culture, Winderman examines in a separate story for the Miami Herald. Hill, who was acquired along with Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala from Memphis in February, has yet to see concrete minutes for Miami in his seventh NBA campaign. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Ennis, Williams Fined For On-Court Altercation
Magic forward James Ennis and Bucks forward Marvin Williams have each been fined $15K for their involvement in an on-court altercation during Game 3, the NBA announced in a press release.
The incident occurred with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter of Saturday’s contest, with Ennis and Williams battling for position and quickly getting tangled up. Both players began shoving each other and were subsequently ejected after the scuffle.
Williams has stated he has no interest in apologizing to Ennis and described the situation as one where he defended himself as a man, as relayed by Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
Milwaukee defeated Orlando 121-107 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Ennis, a starter, recorded one point and two rebounds prior to being ejected, while Williams grabbed two rebounds in six minutes off the bench.
The Bucks currently lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled to be aired by NBA TV on Monday.
Northwest Notes: Carmelo, Lillard, Paul, Dort, Murray, Schroder
Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard received some high praise from veteran teammate Carmelo Anthony over the weekend, with Portland taking a hard-fought 126-122 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday to cement the team’s status as the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Anthony, who has made stops with the Nuggets, Knicks, Thunder, Rockets and Blazers across his 17-year NBA career, has naturally played with some all-time great players and leaders. At the top of Anthony’s list of great teammates, however, is none other than Lillard himself.
“Dame’s at the top for me,” Anthony told Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes. “I’ve never played with someone who lifted his team on the court with his play and as a leader. He genuinely cares for his teammates. What he’s been able to do is amazing. He’s the top guy I’ve played with.”
Lillard has dominated during the NBA’s restart, being named the Player of the Seeding Games while averaging 37.6 points and 9.6 assists per contest. He also recorded 31 points and 10 assists in the team’s play-in game against Memphis.
For Lillard, his production extends past the hardwood. He’s known as a high-character leader both on the court and off, maximizing his teammates’ games and personalities to achieve success.
“If I’m showing frustration, it might spread to the team,” Lillard said. “My job is to keep everyone motivated and encouraged so that we can play to the best of our abilities. There are a lot of things that you can’t control during a season, but we can control how hard we work.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:
- The Thunder are monitoring various injuries to Chris Paul and Luguentz Dort ahead of their first-round series against the Rockets, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. It’s unclear whether Dort will play in Game 1 on Tuesday, with the 21-year-old missing Friday’s contest against the Clippers due to a right knee sprain. As for Paul, he missed Friday’s game due to a left hand sprain, but the injury isn’t believed to be serious. “We don’t think so, but we’re just being cautious with him,” head coach Billy Donovan said on whether Paul’s injury is significant. “He should be fine when we get around to playing Game 1. Lu’s a different situation. I have uncertainty whether or not he’ll even be available for Game 1.”
- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic explores how Jamal Murray used his past failures to enter the 2020 postseason as an improved player. The Nuggets lost to the Blazers in last year’s playoffs during a hard-fought seven-game series, one the team hasn’t forgotten about since. “Even though we lost to Portland in a heartbreaking Game 7, I think our players took positives out of it, learning opportunities,” head coach Mike Malone said. “Jamal, for one, has made post defense a huge point of emphasis and focus for himself.”
- Thunder guard Dennis Schroder returned to the court for the team’s final seeding game after quarantining for four days, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes. Schroder left the Orlando campus on Aug. 3 for the birth of his second child, returning on Aug. 10 to start a mandatory four-day quarantine. He finished with 17 points and four assists in 25 minutes of work on Friday, getting some in-game action before the team’s first-round playoff series begins. “The NBA did a great job, OKC did a great job bringing me to my wife to support her,” Schroder said postgame. “Came back and had to quarantine for four days. It was pretty rough, staying in a small room was pretty tough. I’m back now. Left my room today and got a little [practice] session in at 11 [a.m.] and was able to come back tonight.”
Central Notes: Giannis, Griffin, Pacers, Pistons
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo joins many around the team who have expressed frustration over the team’s play in Orlando to this point. Milwaukee recorded just a 3-5 record in eight seeding games despite going 53-12 before the season was suspended in March.
Antetokounmpo, a perennial MVP candidate, hinted that the team’s effort and ball movement must improve entering the postseason if the club hopes to succeed.
“It wasn’t frustrating because we were losing. Like, losing is part of basketball, losing is part of the game, but, obviously, what was frustrating because at times I think we wasn’t ourselves,” Antetokounmpo said, as relayed by Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “We wasn’t moving the ball as much as I wanted to move the ball or as much as [coach Mike Budenholzer] wants us to move the ball. We wasn’t defending as hard. As I said, there was times that we were ourselves, where we were the No. 1 team in the league on defense, but there were times that we showed that and there was times that we didn’t.
“I think the most frustrating part for me was probably the Memphis game, sitting in the hotel and not being able to be out there to help my teammates compete and win a game and losing a lot of money. But, yeah, this is over. This is in the past,” he continued. “Now it’s playoff time. I definitely don’t believe in the turn-on switch that everybody talks about, like we can turn on the switch and be great, but I do believe that if everybody is on the same page and if everyone is focused and get together and watch clips and be on the same page and we know what our game plan is, I believe we can play way, way better.”
Antetokounmpo was named to the NBA All-Seeding Games Second Team in Orlando, holding per-game averages of 27.8 points and 12.2 rebounds. The Bucks are set to open the playoffs in a first-round matchup against the Magic (33-40) on Tuesday.
Here are some other notes out of the Central Division:
- Pistons big man Blake Griffin is willing to accept a different role if it helps the team succeed during its rebuild, Woodyard explores in a separate story for ESPN. “I look for our team to be competitive,” Griffin said as part of a larger quote last week. “I know from my conversations with Coach [Dwane Casey] and [GM] Troy [Weaver] and the front office, they want to put a competitive team on the floor. I’ve told them, I’m here to do whatever they ask of me. Whether that’s sort of taking on a different role, taking on more of a role, whatever it might be.”
- The Pacers’ arena renovations at Bankers Life Fieldhouse are proceeding as regularly scheduled, Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star writes. The renovations are set to total roughly $362MM and an October 2022 deadline has been set for completion.
- James Edwards III of The Athletic makes five offseason predictions for the Pistons, a team that’s largely expected to continue its rebuild phase under head coach Dwane Casey. Edwards examines the club’s draft situation, Christian Wood‘s impending free agency, and more.
Ed Davis To Miss Utah’s First-Round Series
Jazz big man Ed Davis will miss the team’s first-round series with a left knee MCL injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Davis is expected to be re-evaluated in a few weeks, Wojnarowski adds. Utah is set to open the playoffs against Denver on Tuesday, with the team already missing Mike Conley due to the birth of his child. Conley is expected to miss at least two games of action and could sit more.
Davis, 31, has appeared in just 28 games with the Jazz this season, averaging 1.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per contest. Davis had success during the 2018/19 campaign with Brooklyn, holding per-game averages of 5.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG in 81 total contests. He originally signed with the Jazz in July of 2019.
As for the Nuggets, the team is set to play Game 1 without the likes of Gary Harris (right hip muscle strain), Will Barton (right knee soreness) and Vlatko Cancar (left foot fracture).
Southeast Notes: Ross, Heat, Monk, Hornets
Magic guard Terrence Ross has recovered from a stomach ailment and is now back with the team for the postseason, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Ross, who left the Orlando campus for medical care last week, described his experience in great detail, explaining what caused the issue in the first place.
“Sometimes your stomach creates too much stomach acid when you eat and it can get into your esophagus,” he said.
Ross finished eating in the team room at roughly 8:30 pm before ordering more food just 90 minutes later, according to Parry. He went to bed around 10:40 and began to experience sharp pains shortly after that.
“I started feeling like … almost like really, really, really intense like heartburn, almost. But then I realized it was more than that,” Ross said. “I didn’t even know what it was at the time but it was debilitating. It hurt. I was hunched over the floor for like an hour in the fetal position because of just whatever I wanted to do, everything that I was doing was just amplified and getting worse. So I called the team doctor and they took it from there.”
The Magic are set to open their first-round playoff series against the Bucks on Tuesday with Ross in the rotation. He has averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 27.4 minutes per game off the bench this season, shooting 40% from the field and 35% from downtown.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division today:
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel explores whether the Heat are truly ready for the playoffs in his latest “Ask Ira” mailbag. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to change his rotation in Orlando, starting forward Jae Crowder in place of Meyers Leonard in order to play smaller and quicker.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines whether Malik Monk could make a similar leap with the Hornets that Devonte’ Graham did. Charlotte drafted Monk with the No. 11 pick in 2017, with Monk averaging a career-high 10.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest this season.
- Bonnell also examined a perk the Hornets got from the Orlando restart in a separate story for the Charlotte Observer, securing a 2020 second-round draft pick from the Celtics. Charlotte finished with the tenth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 23-42 this season.
Northwest Notes: Lillard, Dort, Wolves, Murray
Blazers star Damian Lillard missed two clutch free throws in the team’s disappointing loss against the Clippers on Saturday, drawing some laughter and mockery from Paul George and Patrick Beverley at the end of the contest, as written by Jason Quick of The Athletic.
Beverley, who’s known for taunting players throughout his career, was quick to get on Lillard for missing both free throws, mocking his signature “Dame Time” wrist-tap while audibly laughing. Upon being asked of Beverley’s antics postgame, Lillard didn’t mince words.
“PG did the wave because he was also surprised,” Lillard said of missing his free throws. “Because he experienced getting waved at last year. PG … let me say this: For one, I know what happened. I expect myself to make those free throws, and I didn’t when my team needed it, which is a failure for me. That I can accept.
“But asking me about Patrick Beverley, who I’ve sent home before at the end of the game, Paul George got sent home by me last year in the playoff. So they know the reason they are reacting like that is because of what they expect from me, which his a sign of respect,” Lillard continued. “And it just shows what I’ve done at a high clip more times than not. So I’m not offended by it.
“If anything it should tell you how much it hurt them to go through what I put them through in those situations previously.”
All three players engaged in a war of words on social media after the game, with George writing, “And you getting sent home this year [laughing emoji] respect,” and Beverley writing “Cancun on 3 [three laughing emojis]” in response to Lillard’s comments. The Trail Blazers’ star replied with a simple but forceful statement. “Keep switching teams … running from the grind. You boys is chumps.”
The Blazers (32-39) currently sit one game behind the Grizzlies (33-38) for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, with Saturday’s loss coming against a Clippers team that played without the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.
There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:
- Thunder guard Luguentz Dort has shown flashes of improvement in his offensive game, Cameron Jourdan of The Oklahoman writes. Dort, 21, scored 16 points on Friday and nine points on Sunday, demonstrating his potential throughout the contests. He went undrafted last June and has earned the respects of his teammates and coaches this season.
- The Timberwolves now officially own Brooklyn’s first-round pick in the upcoming draft, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune writes. Minnesota acquired the pick in a four-team trade last February, though the pick was lottery protected. The Nets would’ve kept the pick if they had missed the playoffs.
- Nuggets guard Jamal Murray doubled his minutes restriction and shined in his Orlando debut against the Jazz on Saturday, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Murray finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes of work during a double-overtime contest, helping the Nuggets seal their 46th win of the season.