De’Aaron Fox Doubtful For Game 5 After Fracturing Finger
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has sustained a fractured index finger on his left hand, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Fox is expected to officially be listed as doubtful for Tuesday’s Game 5 against Golden State (Twitter link).
The injury is believed to have occurred in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 4, Charania adds (via Twitter). Anthony Slater of The Athletic provides a video (Twitter link) of the play, where Fox’s finger appears to be unintentionally clipped by Kevon Looney when Fox casually shot a layup after a foul had already been called on Jordan Poole.
Although Fox will be listed as doubtful, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN hears the Kings are hopeful their All-Star guard will be able to play through the injury Tuesday (Twitter link). Fox apparently broke the tip of his finger and will need to wear a protective covering if he suits up, according to Wojnarowski.
The Kings finally snapped their record-long playoff streak and got off to a 2-0 start against the defending champions, only for the Warriors to respond with two straight wins at home to even the series at two games apiece. Fox was Sacramento’s leading scorer during the regular season and is averaging 31.5 points, 6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 steals on .447/.342/.700 shooting in his first four playoff games (38.5 MPG).
Unfortunately, Fox is far from the first player to be injured this postseason. He joins Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyler Herro, Ja Morant, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid and Victor Oladipo, among others, as players who have suffered injuries of varying severity.
If the 25-year-old is unable to suit up for the pivotal Game 5, fellow guards Davion Mitchell, Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk are candidates for more playing time. Reserve guard Terence Davis could see some action as well after playing just 13 combined minutes in his two appearances in the series.
Grizzlies Notes: Brooks, Free Agency, Tillman
Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks is playing on an expiring $11.4MM contract in 2022/23, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension. Will Memphis bring him back for ’23/24?
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted on the Hoop Collective podcast that the Grizzlies have already tried to upgrade from Brooks, having made unsuccessful trade deadline pitches to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges and Toronto for OG Anunoby. MacMahon suggested Memphis might call the Nets about Dorian Finney-Smith if the team chooses not to re-sign Brooks (hat tip to RealGM).
“I don’t know if Dillon Brooks is on this team after this (Lakers) series,” MacMahon said. “We’ll see if the Grizzlies can come back and win it. I certainly don’t know if he’s on this team after free agency this summer, but the problem is if he’s not, who’s guarding all the best players? All the stars on the other teams?”
“If they’re letting Dillon Brooks go, they absolutely have to get a really, really, really good defensive wing player. They can let him go in free agency, they just have to figure out how to replace him. Trust me, they’ve put a lot of thought into that.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Damichael Cole and Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal believe it’s looking unlikely that the Grizzlies will re-sign Brooks unless he turns things around in a major way for the rest of the playoffs. Although he is a very good defensive player, Brooks’ shooting has been a liability against the Lakers — through three games (23.5 MPG), he’s posting just a .325/.250/.600 shooting line while averaging more shots (13.3) than points (11.3).
- Brooks was ejected in the third quarter of Game 3 after hitting LeBron James in the groin while going for a steal, but he won’t be suspended for Monday’s Game 4, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
- Brooks, 27, believes being labeled as a “villain” is why he received a flagrant foul 2 for the incident, according to MacMahon of ESPN. “The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain and then that just creates a whole different persona on me,” Brooks said. “So now you think I intended to hit LeBron James in the nuts. I’m playing basketball. I’m a basketball player. So if I intended — and that’s whatever is in the flagrant 2 category — if you think I did that, that means you think I’m that type of person.”
- One of the primary reasons the Grizzlies were able to win Game 2 is third-year big man Xavier Tillman (22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds) outplayed Lakers star Anthony Davis (13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds, five blocks). Tillman’s journey this season has been an eventful one, as Cole writes for The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillman played in summer league and then spent time with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate to open the year. However, injuries to Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke have opened up minutes in the middle, and Tillman has taken advantage of his opportunity, Cole notes. “I think it’s a true sign of a winner,” Jenkins said. “It’s a true sign of a pro, and that’s why we love (Tillman), a guy who always stays ready. He wants to impact winning in whatever his role is going to be.” The Grizzlies hold a $1.93MM team option for ’23/24 on Tillman, who will be extension-eligible this offseason.
Raptors’ Ujiri Talks Season, Decision To Fire Nurse, More
Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri spoke to the media on Friday following the dismissal of head coach Nick Nurse.
While Ujiri didn’t give a concrete reason as to why he felt it was time to go in a different direction, he said that “complacency” and “selfishness” were season-long problems for the team, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Ujiri also said he didn’t enjoy watching the Raptors play in 2022/23.
“You could see it throughout the year. There was never that full excitement. There was never that full spirit,” said Ujiri. “There was never that (feeling) of togetherness. We all saw it. You all saw it. It’s not something we are making up here… It’s not one person or one finger to point. I’m not pointing the finger at Nick. I have to take responsibility for this, too. As the leader of this organization, I will do that. It wasn’t us. This year wasn’t us. I think everybody saw that.”
Another factor in the decision was Nurse’s reluctance to play young bench players, Grange notes. Ujiri still believes there’s talent among the group, but they weren’t given much of an opportunity to learn on the go.
“…All the young players we have, I think one of the things we talked about was maybe utilizing some of these players a little bit more,” said Ujiri. “Like giving them room to actually show if they have or if they don’t have (it). I think we didn’t do so well with that this year. I think that hurt us some in developing our young players.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- There were other internal issues as well. A rival assistant coach tells Grange that Toronto’s coaching staff was known as being “less than cohesive.” Grange suggests “sweeping changes” to Nurse’s staff were likely even if he had kept his job. That aligns with reporting from Doug Smith of The Toronto Star (Twitter link), who hears from league sources that the Raptors have been interviewing potential assistant coaches this week in anticipation of a “mass exodus.”
- Nurse was also reluctant to be the “bad guy” at times. A player tells Grange that Ujiri was often the one responsible for speaking to the team after listless performances this season, not Nurse.
- Still, Nurse likely won’t have any issues finding a new head coaching job, and the poor results in 2022/23 don’t fall solely on him. “If he wants a job, he’ll get a job,” a rival general manager told Grange.
- Ujiri believes more changes are necessary to get the team heading in the right direction, and that starts with himself, per John Chidley-Hill of The Canadian Press (link via The Toronto Star). “Look at the roster maybe in a different way. We have to figure out shooting on this roster in some kind of way. We have to figure out who fits and who doesn’t fit,” said Ujiri. “On the overall, maybe manage people better. Maybe see things a little bit deeper because when we hire people I let them do their jobs. That’s been a strength of ours the last 10 years here but I pay attention now a little bit more.”
- Ujiri praised trade deadline acquisition Jakob Poeltl, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. Ujiri referred to Poeltl as a top-10 center in the NBA and believes his high basketball IQ and playing style make him a “championship piece,” per Murphy.
- The longtime president expects forward Otto Porter Jr. to return next season — he holds a $6.3MM player option for 2023/24, according to Grange (Twitter link). Ujiri also said the Raptors plan to hang on to two-way guard Jeff Dowtin despite not converting his contract to a standard deal at the end of ’22/23.
- As for being linked to the Wizards‘ new front office vacancy following the dismissal of Tommy Sheppard, Ujiri says he’s not going anywhere. “I’m going to be right here, [Toronto],” he said (Twitter link via Grange). As Grange notes, Ujiri still has three years remaining on his contract.
Joel Embiid Sustains Knee Sprain, Out For Game 4 Vs. Nets
Sixers center Joel Embiid underwent an MRI on Friday that revealed a right knee sprain, and he will be sidelined for Saturday’s Game 4 in Brooklyn, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
While it’s obviously unfortunate news that Embiid was injured, it doesn’t sound like he will be sidelined for very long. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the team is optimistic that Embiid might be able to return early next week, though his status for a possible Game 5 on Monday is unclear.
Embiid suffered the injury while contesting a layup by Cameron Johnson in the third quarter of Game 3, which the Sixers wound up winning to hold a 3-0 lead in their first-round series with the Nets. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provides a Twitter video link of the play in question.
Game 3 was controversial, as James Harden was ejected for the first time in his career following a flagrant foul 2 on what seemed like a fairly normal basketball play, while Embiid only received a flagrant 1 earlier in the game for intentionally kicking up at Nic Claxton‘s groin when Claxton tried to step over him following a dunk. Harden called his ejection “unacceptable.”
The fact that the Sixers are up 3-0 gives them breathing room for Embiid’s absence. If they’re able to complete the sweep on Saturday, the earliest they would have to play again would be either April 29 or 30, and that’s assuming their possible second-round series gets moved up — otherwise, they’d play again on either May 1 or 2, per NBA.com.
Embiid is considered the leading candidate for his first MVP award after finishing as the runner-up each of the past two seasons. He led the league in points per game for the second consecutive season, but the injury bug has bitten him once again in the postseason.
Kawhi Leonard Ruled Out For Game 4 With Knee Sprain
Kawhi Leonard will miss his second consecutive game on Saturday due to a right knee sprain, as the Clippers have officially ruled him out of Game 4 of their first-round series against Phoenix, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Leonard reportedly sustained the injury in Game 1, but was able to play through it for the first two games of the series. However, he was ruled out of Thursday’s Game 3, which the Clippers wound up losing to fall behind in the series two games to one, and he will now miss Game 4 as well.
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), there was optimism that Leonard might be able to return on Saturday, but obviously the team decided to be cautious with its best player. As Hollinger notes, the star forward will have multiple days of extra rest — Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Phoenix.
Leonard had been dominant through two games, averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .545/.600/.882 shooting in 40.2 minutes.
Norman Powell (42 points on 15-of-23 shooting, five rebounds, three assists) and Russell Westbrook (30 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 12 assists, eight rebounds, three steals) had huge performances in his absence yesterday, but the shorthanded Clippers — who were already playing without Paul George due to his own right knee sprain — lost by a final score of 129-124.
Head coach Tyronn Lue went with an unorthodox lineup of five guards in the fourth quarter of Game 3 (Powell, Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Terance Mann and Bones Hyland), and while the group had a lot of success on offense, it was unable to slow down Devin Booker and defensive rebounding was a struggle. It will be interesting to see Lue if utilizes another extreme small-ball group or tinkers the lineup further for Game 4 with Leonard once again sidelined.
Amen, Ausar Thompson Declare For 2023 NBA Draft
Projected lottery picks Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson — identical twin brothers who played for the City Reapers of the Overtime Elite league — have declared for the 2023 NBA draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
Amen is currently ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s big board ahead of June’s draft, while Ausar, who was born one minute after Amen, is ranked just behind him at No. 5.
Although they share many traits, including top-notch athleticism, terrific frames, and excellent defense, they also have some differences. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Amen is considered a lead guard due to his superior passing and ball-handling, while Ausar is more of a wing — he’s stronger, faster and a better shooter.
The Thompson twins are the latest draft early entrants to declare ahead of Sunday’s deadline. Projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama formally entered the draft on Friday as well.
Tyler Herro Out At Least Six Weeks After Hand Surgery
Heat guard Tyler Herro is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing successful hand surgery on Friday, the team announced in a press release.
The news was expected, as Herro said on Tuesday that his surgery was scheduled for Friday. The fourth-year sharpshooter broke the middle and ring fingers on his right hand during Game 1 against Milwaukee on Sunday.
Being out a minimum of six weeks means Herro won’t return to the court until early June. The NBA Finals start on June 1, so obviously the Heat will have to make a very deep playoff run in order for him to have a chance at returning this season.
Herro averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists on a .439/.378/.934 shooting line in 67 games (34.9 MPG) in 2022/23. His 93.4% free throw percentage led the NBA.
Miami, the East’s No. 8 seed, won Game 1 of its first-round series with the top-seeded Bucks, but Milwaukee evened things up in a blowout victory in Game 2.
Players like Max Strus, Duncan Robinson and Victor Oladipo have received more playing time with Herro sidelined. Game 3 will be on Saturday night in Miami.
And-Ones: Koufos, Mental Health, Analytics Awards, Match Fixing
The London Lions have parted ways with veteran center Kosta Koufos, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Eurohoops.net).
“We would like to thank Kosta for his contributions to the Club, both on and off the court,” Lions GM Brett Burman said. “Aside from being a dominant interior presence, Kosta was a mentor and locker room connector. He came in and represented the Club and the BBL, and the City of London to the highest standard. He left a huge impression on the basketball footprint here, and we thank him for his impact… We wish him and his family all the best.”
The 23rd overall pick of the 2008 draft, Koufos played 11 NBA seasons with Utah, Minnesota, Denver, Memphis and Sacramento. His last season in the league was 2018/19 with the Kings.
The 34-year-old had a solid showing with the Lions, leading the British Basketball League in rebounds per game (9.1) during the regular season while chipping in 12.1 points and 1.1 blocks (sixth-best in the BBL). Koufos has also played for CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos and G League Ignite in recent years after his NBA departure.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Joe Vardon of The Athletic examines why the NBA got serious about mental health, noting that DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love were at the forefront of discussing their mental health struggles in 2018. According to Vardon, since 2019/20 the league has required teams to have a “formal relationship” with an in-market therapist or psychologist, a psychiatrist for medication, action plans for emergencies, and a “playbook” featuring health and wellness exercises. “People think (NBA players) can just pump fame, or pump money, or pump Twitter followers into their lives and it’s going to just fix everything,” Love told Vardon. “But unfortunately, brains and souls just don’t work like that. If you have a chemical imbalance, that’s not going to help it.”
- Seth Partnow of The Athletic polled 17 members of the advanced analytics community — some who work for teams and some who don’t — to see who they would choose for the NBA’s annual regular season awards. Those polled tended to favor peak performance rather than durability, with stars like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Anthony Davis making the informal All-NBA teams despite only playing between 47 and 58 regular season games.
- The Chinese Basketball Association disqualified the Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons from the postseason amid match-fixing allegations, according to ESPN.com. The Dragons were up four points with 1:36 remaining in the finale of their three-game series, but subsequently committed five straight questionable turnovers to help the Sharks build a 10-point lead, with Shanghai ultimately winning 108-104. The teams were fined $5MM apiece and their GMs and head coaches will be suspended for up to five years. The Sharks also allegedly lost Game 2 on purpose so former All-Defensive guard Eric Bledsoe could return for Game 3 — he had been suspended prior to the playoffs. Both Bledsoe and Michael Beasley — another former NBA player who was injured for most of the season and didn’t play in the games — denied being part of the match-fixing. Beasley said he mutually and amicably agreed to leave the team in part because it “failed to provide me with the necessary assistance and accommodations to properly address my injury,” per ESPN.
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Out For Game 3 With Knee Sprain
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Thursday’s Game 3 against the Suns due to a right knee sprain, a source tells ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the news (via Twitter).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Leonard initially sustained the sprain during Game 1 on Sunday and played through it during Tuesday’s Game 2. He is considered day-to-day for Saturday’s Game 4, and the injury is not related to Leonard’s ACL tear from 2021, Wojnarowski adds.
The Clippers have already been playing without Paul George due to his own right knee sprain, though that injury is far more severe than Leonard’s seems to be. George will likely miss the entire first-round matchup with Phoenix.
The series has been quite competitive thus far, with the Clippers taking Game 1 in Phoenix before the Suns evened it at one game apiece in Game 2. Obviously, losing Leonard for at least Game 3 will have a huge impact, as he has been the best player in the series through two games, averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .545/.600/.882 shooting in 40.2 minutes.
It’s not realistic to replace that type of production with a single player, so the Clippers will need several contributors to step up on both ends of the court to win tonight. Terance Mann, Nicolas Batum, and Norman Powell are a few of the candidates for increased playing time.
James Harden Continues To Be Linked To Rockets
Sixers guard James Harden has a $35.64MM player option for 2023/24, which means he could be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t exercise it. How far Philadelphia advances in the playoffs could end up determining whether or not he stays with the team or returns to the Rockets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on his podcast (hat tip to RealGM).
“James Harden’s future is very unclear in Philadelphia,” Wojnarowski said. “Houston is very much in play for him. And I think a lot may depend on [whether the Sixers] make a run and win and it’s easy to pay him long-term big money, or he just wants to be back in Houston. Win or lose he goes, or it’s dependent on the team’s success.”
Wojnarowski first reported in late December that Harden and his camp were seriously mulling a free agency return to Houston, where he won an MVP in 2017/18 and earned eight of his 10 All-Star appearances. Another report from March 1 indicated that the Rockets planned to aggressively pursue the 33-year-old, who led the league in assists per game this season (10.7).
Harden’s departure is far from a foregone conclusion. He has spoken multiple times about his desire to win a championship, and the Sixers certainly give him a better opportunity for that than the rebuilding Rockets.
Still, if the Sixers lose a possible second-round matchup with the Celtics, there’s a widespread belief that significant changes could be coming to Philadelphia in the offseason, according to Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.