Pacific Notes: Thompson, Kings, Clippers, New Arena
Klay Thompson broke out of his shooting slump in a major way the past couple games, particularly Sunday’s victory over the Rockets, in which the Warriors wing scored a season-high 41 points on 10-of-13 shooting from three-point range. Thompson had shot 40-plus percent from the field just once in the 10 games leading up to Friday’s victory over the Knicks, when he was 8-of-16.
“I don’t care anymore,” Thompson said, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I really let the trolls get to me. Like, ‘What am I doing?’ I had just a revelation where I was like, ‘Man, just be you and everything will play out.’ Criticize me all you want. But I know how great I am and what I’m capable of, and I think real Warriors fans know that as well.”
As Marcus Thompson writes, the 32-year-old’s performances have shown that the Warriors need all four of their All-Stars — Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green — to play at a high level to win right now. That may not have been what the Warriors were hoping for to start the season, but the four veterans are clearly still capable of producing.
Golden State will be resting Thompson, Curry and Green on Monday at New Orleans, the second game of a road back-to-back, tweets Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. Both Wiggins and starting center Kevon Looney are questionable.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- The Kings are in the midst of a six-game winning streak, the longest such streak the team has had in more than 17 years, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. While Sacramento’s second-ranked offense is certainly clicking, head coach Mike Brown knows that the team needs to be better on the other end of the court — the Kings are just 27th in the league in defensive rating. “So in order for us to win on the road, and win at the level that I think we can win at, we’re going to have to buckle down and take on the challenge of defending for as close to 48 minutes as possible,” Brown told Amick as part of a larger quote. “Too many times so far this year, we’ve done it in short stretches and we’ve found ways to get stops at the end of games — which is a good thing when we get a little desperate. But we’ve got to string some stops together throughout the game so at the end of the day we’re not just relying on our shot-making or our ability or our offense.”
- Reggie Jackson and John Wall are proving to be a solid point guard combination for the Clippers, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. The duo shared the court to close out Saturday’s victory over the Spurs, and Wall, the backup, says they’re both willing to do whatever it takes to win. “It’s a dynamic with both of us not really caring who’s starting, who’s getting the most benefit,” Wall said. “We’re just trying to feed off each other, whatever the best role for this team is. Like last game, I didn’t play well, and Reggie was playing well. He closed the game out. Know what I mean? Sometimes it’s going to be different, sometimes it can be both of us. But you’re trying to figure out ways to do whatever we can to help this team win.”
- Steve Farmer of The Los Angeles Times takes an in-depth look at Clippers owner Steve Ballmer‘s quest for the perfect NBA arena. One interesting note from Farmer’s article: Ballmer decided the seats at the top of the arena should have the same amount of leg room as those closer to the court because he wants all fans to be comfortable and in their seats as much as possible. The Intuit Dome is scheduled to open in summer 2024.
Grizzlies’ Morant, Pacers’ Haliburton Suffer Ankle Injuries
NOVEMBER 19: There’s some hope that neither Morant’s ankle injury nor Haliburton’s is a significant one.
As Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal relays, Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke expressed optimism about whether he’d seen Morant in the locker room after the game: “He was walking. I don’t know how serious it is … It doesn’t sound super serious.”
In Houston, Haliburton told reporters – including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star – that he isn’t overly concerned about his own ankle injury: “It feels all right right now. It’s the same ankle that I hurt against Toronto (last Saturday). I think it’s more precautionary than anything. We’ll see how it feels in the morning.”
It seems likely that Morant will miss some time, and Haliburton might too, but hopefully neither injury is one that will require a star point guard to be sidelined for a big chunk of the season.
NOVEMBER 18: A pair of rising guards suffered injuries late in the fourth quarter of victories and had to be helped off the court on Friday night.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant turned his left ankle in Friday’s win over the Thunder, per Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. According to Lang Whitaker of Grind City Media (Twitter link), head coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant “tweaked” the ankle and there will be an update on his status Saturday.
As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Morant missed Sunday’s game against the Wizards after injuring the same ankle last week. Through 13 games, he’s averaging 29.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals for the Grizzlies.
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton also suffered a lower leg injury with less than a minute left in the Pacers‘ victory over Houston, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. It appeared as though Rockets big man Usman Garuba may have landed on Haliburton’s foot or ankle after contesting his layup.
Through 13 games in his first full season in Indiana, Haliburton is averaging 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, a league-leading 10.4 assists and 1.9 steals. The Pacers have been a pleasant surprise early on in the 2022/23 season, currently holding an 8-6 record.
Tyrese Maxey To Undergo MRI After Injuring Left Foot
9:37pm: Head coach Doc Rivers said Maxey was in a walking boot after the victory over Milwaukee, and while he anticipates Maxey will miss some time, he won’t know for sure until tomorrow’s MRI (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps).
8:08pm: Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will undergo an MRI on his left foot Saturday after injuring it in Friday’s game against the Bucks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Initial X-rays on his foot were negative, sources tell Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Maxey was having an excellent first half prior to the injury, recording 24 points (9-of-12 shooting), four rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes. He was ruled out for the second half.
Evidently the injury occurred when Maxey was fouled, as he was clearly limping, frustrated and in a lot of pain. He went straight to the locker room after shooting his free throws, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).
Fellow guard James Harden remains sidelined with his own foot injury, so a potential extended absence for Maxey would obviously be difficult for the Sixers to overcome. However, there’s no reason to believe that’s the case yet, since he won’t have the MRI until tomorrow.
The 22-year-old is averaging 22.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals on .448/.408/.750 shooting through 14 games (37.5 minutes) for Philadelphia. As a former first-round pick in his third season, Maxey will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Bridges, Wizards, Mitchell, Magic
Amid a series of injuries to key players and off-court issues, the Hornets have started the 2022/23 season with a 4-12 record, which has led to speculation that they’ll be among the teams looking to trade veterans and retool the roster in order to land a top pick in next year’s draft. However, a rival GM is skeptical Charlotte will hold any sort of fire sale this season.
“The hurdle is getting the owner to go along with it,” the GM told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “It is Michael Jordan. He has never OK’d something like that and it is not clear he would, even if it gets bad this year, even if it puts them in a good spot in the draft for Victor (Wembanyama). He has been pretty strong against tanking. Hard to see another way forward for them now, though.”
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Miles Bridges‘ status for this season is in limbo after he pleaded no contest in his felony domestic violence case. The NBA is investigating the incident, and Bridges is still a restricted free agent with the Hornets, but Shams Charania of The Athletic hears the Lakers and Pistons are among the teams monitoring his situation, he said on The Rally (Twitter video link).
- The Wizards are still waiting for Will Barton to find his form this season, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The veteran wing was acquired in a trade with the Nuggets over the summer and his averages have dropped across the board in ’22/23. “I’m just really trying to figure out what my role is and figure out how I’m going to play in my minutes. But I can’t worry about that. I’ve just gotta go out there and try to be as effective as possible whenever I’m on the court. I think I’m figuring that out,” he said. Barton will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
- Wizards two-way guard Jordan Goodwin underwent testing after injuring his left knee on Wednesday, and while there was some initial concern that it might be severe, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Goodwin is “day-to-day” going forward (Twitter links via Josh Robbins of The Athletic). He was ruled out for Friday’s victory over the injury-depleted Heat.
- Within his latest 10 things column for ESPN (subscriber link), Zach Lowe wonders if the Magic will eventually go all-in for a lead guard. Lowe says he liked the Magic as a “stealth” Donovan Mitchell suitor this summer, but hears from sources that Orlando didn’t appear to have “dived deeply” into pursuing the former Jazz star.
Lamar Stevens Replacing Caris LeVert In Cavs’ Starting Lineup
Lamar Stevens is replacing Caris LeVert as the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward on Friday against the Hornets, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who hears from sources that the Cavs plan to use Stevens as a starter “for the foreseeable future.”
Stevens’ $1.8MM contract for 2022/23 is non-guaranteed and the Cavs hold a $1.9MM team option on the 25-year-old for ’23/24, while LeVert will be a free agent next summer.
Fedor writes that the move is being made in an effort to rediscover the team’s “lost defensive identity” amid a five-game losing streak. Stevens is a strong, tough and versatile defender, though he has offensive limitations — he has only made 25.3% of his career three-point attempts on low volume.
According to Fedor, forward Dean Wade would have been in contention for the starting small forward job, but he’s currently sidelined with right knee soreness. Friday marks his fourth straight missed game.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to Friday’s game that Wade’s knee was infected and he’s currently taking antibiotics to treat it, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“Just kind of have to wait and let them set in and do their thing. He is progressing, but it’s not something you can control,” Bickerstaff said.
As Fedor notes, Stevens had only appeared in three of the Cavs’ first 12 games for a total of 23 minutes prior to starting in place of the injured Jarrett Allen the past couple games, but clearly Bickerstaff liked the energy Stevens brought. Allen will be back Friday, Fedor adds.
LeVert has mostly struggled since scoring a season-high 41 points against Boston on October 28, averaging just 10.3 points on .389/.281/.733 shooting over his past nine games (32.3 minutes), though he has chipped in 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per night over that span. Moving him to the bench will allow him more on-ball opportunities and let him play his more natural position of shooting guard, Fedor notes.
Cleveland holds an 8-6 record entering Friday’s home game versus Charlotte.
Sixers Gauging Interest In Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle
The Sixers have begun preliminary check-ins with rival teams to discuss who may or may not be available in trades, and Tobias Harris is among the players who have been discussed, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com provides more context on Charania’s minor rumor involving Harris, writing that there have been a lot more trade talks than normal prior to December 15, when most free agents signed in the offseason become trade-eligible, and “Harris’ name has been has been discussed quite a bit already.”
Neubeck also hears that Matisse Thybulle is drawing interest from opposing teams, and expects the fourth-year swingman to be a fixture in trade rumors leading up to the February deadline.
Harris’ name has popped up multiple times in the rumor mill over the past couple years, but as Neubeck notes, his salary — which pays him $37.6MM this season and $39.3MM in 2023/24, the final year of his contract — makes him difficult to move. Harris is a solid player, but just isn’t valued at what he currently makes, and replacing his production while likely not getting equal value in return doesn’t make much sense for a contending club like the Sixers, Neubeck adds.
Harris will miss Friday’s home game against Milwaukee with left hip soreness, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As for Thybulle, he is one of the most unique players in the NBA because he’s an elite defender — he earned All-Defensive nods each of the past two seasons — but a major negative on offense. That makes his value difficult to gauge, because he was a liability in last season’s playoffs and has struggled mightily to start ’22/23, averaging just 1.5 points on .296/.188/.333 shooting (small sample size) in 13.1 minutes per night across 13 games.
Thybulle will be a restricted free agent next summer after failing to reach a rookie scale extension with Philadelphia. The former 20th overall pick will earn $4.4MM in the final season of his rookie contract.
Jimmy Butler Out At Least Three Games With Knee Soreness
After being ruled out of Friday’s game at Washington with knee soreness, Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected to return to Miami on Saturday and miss upcoming road games at Cleveland on Sunday and at Minnesota on Monday as well, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports (via Twitter).
The Heat are absolutely decimated by injuries at the moment. Victor Oladipo (knee tendinosis) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle surgery) have yet to play this season; Udonis Haslem is away from the team for personal reasons; Tyler Herro (ankle) and Dewayne Dedmon (non-COVID illness) are both out Friday; Gabe Vincent was initially not on the injury report but experienced swelling in his knee after today’s shootaround and has subsequently been ruled out; Duncan Robinson caught his hand in a jersey during shootaround and will miss his first career game due to injury; and finally, Bam Adebayo is out Friday after previously being listed as questionable (All Twitter links via Winderman).
That leaves just Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jovic available out of the 14-man standard roster, plus two-way rookies Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson for a total of seven healthy players. According to Winderman (Twitter link), the Heat plan to list Vincent as active despite being ruled out to meet the minimum requirement of eight players in uniform.
On a positive note, there’s a chance Herro could return Sunday against the Cavs, Winderman tweets. Friday will market his sixth straight absence due to a left ankle sprain.
The Heat are currently 7-8, the No. 10 seed in the East.
Kyrie Irving Expected To Return To Action Sunday
NOVEMBER 17: Irving is expected to suit up on Sunday against the Grizzlies, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Charania’s sources add that both Irving and the Nets feel he has done positive work throughout his suspension to learn and grow, including having met with several community leaders. One source added that the seven-time All-Star went “above and beyond” the Nets’ guidance for what was required in his return.
NOVEMBER 16: Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is currently serving a suspension without pay for promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter and failing to apologize or condemn the material multiple times afterward, could rejoin the team as soon as Sunday’s game versus Memphis, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Thursday’s contest at Portland will mark Irving’s eighth straight missed game, but the end of his suspension appears to be imminent, per Wojnarowski.
“Kyrie is continuing his journey of dialogue and education,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio told ESPN on Wednesday night. “He has been grappling with the full weight of the impact of his voice and actions, particularly in the Jewish community. Kyrie rejects antisemitism in any form, and he’s dedicated to bettering himself and increasing his level of understanding. He plans to continue this journey well into the future to ensure that his words and actions align with his pursuit of truth and knowledge.”
According to Wojnarowski, Tremaglio and the players’ union worked in tandem with Irving, the Nets, and the NBA to help the seven-time All-Star through the suspension process. While the Nets initially gave Irving a list of six requirements in order for the suspension to be lifted, the situation “evolved into Irving himself taking ownership of the process, which is what the Nets and league hoped would be the case,” Wojnarowski writes.
Irving, who eventually apologized via Instagram after being suspended, had constructive meetings with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Nets owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai last week. Both Silver and the Tsais said they didn’t believe Irving to be antisemitic, but Silver said that was “not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
The Nets have dropped back-to-back games, including Tuesday’s blowout loss at Sacramento in which they gave up a season-high 153 points, and currently sit with a 6-9 record in 2022/23. Still, they’ve played decently overall without Irving, going 4-3 in his absence.
Irving is in the final year of contract, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Through eight games (38.6 minutes per night), he holds averages of 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks on .453/.280/.927 shooting.
Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Draymond, Kerr, Klay, Lamb
Warriors center James Wiseman has been assigned to Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz for an “extended period” after struggling off the bench, posting a -24.4 net rating in his 147 minutes so far this season. In an in-depth article for The Athletic, Tim Kawakami breaks down why it might be time for the Warriors to consider trading the former No. 2 overall pick.
As Kawakami outlines, the team’s bench is nowhere near championship-caliber at the moment, and trading Wiseman is one way to potentially bolster the second unit. As of right now, Wiseman is essentially a sunk cost, but it would still behoove the Warriors to wait at least a couple months to see how the team performs over the next 20 or so games before potentially dealing the 21-year-old, according to Kawakami.
Kawakami notes that owner Joe Lacob is a big fan of Wiseman and the Warriors are heavily invested in his development, but a team with championship aspirations can’t afford to wait on a player who hasn’t shown he can reliably produce for a contender.
Here’s more on the defending champions:
- In a Q&A session with Sam Amick of The Athletic, forward Draymond Green says he’s not overly concerned with the team’s 6-9 start to the 2022/23 regular season. “I think the struggles are real,” Green said as part of a larger quote. “Like, I don’t think our struggles are just like something we can ignore. They’re real struggles. They’re very fixable struggles. I don’t want to say they can be easily fixed, because to say something is easy in this profession is a lie in itself. But they are very fixable. Do I think we will fix those things? Absolutely. The question is, ‘How long does it take to fix them?’ It’s not something I’m overly worried about. You’d rather have them sooner rather than later. But in saying that, to build what we’re trying to build, we do understand that it takes time.”
- After Wednesday’s loss to the Suns, in which the Warriors gave up 130 points and wasted a stellar 50-point outing from star Stephen Curry, head coach Steve Kerr was critical of the team’s effort, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “We lack collective grit. We’re playing a Drew League game right now,” Kerr said. “I’ve always felt the game rewards you if you commit to the game. If you really compete together, shots go in, calls go your way, breaks fall your way, and we’re not earning any of this stuff. That’s why we are winless on the road. It’s a pick-up game.” As Kerr noted, the Warriors are now 0-8 on the road this season.
- Klay Thompson‘s extended shooting slump has created a dilemma for the Warriors, says Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Thompson has recorded fewer points (181) than shot attempts (185) through 12 games, and has the fourth-lowest true shooting percentage in the NBA, Slater notes. That’s a rough mix considering he’s taking the second-most shot attempts on the team. Thompson’s forced shots early in the shot clock were particularly problematic against the Suns, with Green and Curry showing obvious frustration with his shot selection, Slater adds.
- Swingman Anthony Lamb, who is playing on a two-way contract for the Warriors, has performed well as a rotation member over the past five games (22.9 minutes), averaging 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 60.6% from the field and 54.5% from three. He recently talked about his fit with Golden State, as Tom Dierberger of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “With the Warriors, I’ve just found my place,” Lamb said. “I’m trying to connect everybody together. We have different lineups, so when Steph or Klay are in, I know what I need to do for them. When Draymond is in, I know what I need to do for him. Just trying to find my spot and make everybody better is what I focus on.”
Psychologist Settles Lawsuit With Spurs, Primo
Dr. Hillary Cauthen, a former consulting psychologist for the Spurs, has settled her lawsuit against the team and Joshua Primo, according to TMZ Sports.
Cauthen’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, confirmed TMZ’s report to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
“The parties have agreed to resolve this matter,” Buzbee said in a text to the Express-News.
The Spurs unexpectedly waived Primo a few weeks ago, and word broke shortly thereafter that he had been accused of exposing himself to multiple women, including a former Spurs employee.
That employee, Cauthen, became the first accuser to go public, alleging that Primo exposed himself to her on nine separate occasions and that the Spurs did nothing about it after she informed team management. The lawsuit stated the earliest incident occurred during a counseling session with Primo in December 2021.
Primo remains a free agent after going unclaimed on waivers.
While CEO RC Buford and longtime head coach Gregg Popovich initially defended the Spurs in the wake of the lawsuit, Buford released a statement on Thursday after the news of the settlement broke saying the team plans to work with Cauthen to improve the organization going forward (Twitter link via Orsborn):
“The situation regarding Joshua Primo is a matter we take seriously. Since learning of the allegations, we have taken, and are taking, measures to ensure that all parties involved are treated with dignity and respect. We know we owe that to Dr. Cauthen, our players, our staff and our community.
“As an organization, we are continuously evaluating and refining our processes so they ultimately reflect the values and culture of who we aspire to be every day. To that end, we have decided to collaborate with Dr. Cauthen and other experts to review and improve our workplace processes and procedures.
“This is a learning opportunity for us, and one that we are certain will make us better moving forward.”