Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Mitchell, House, Sixers, VanVleet
It’s likely that the Knicks and Cavaliers will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks failed in their pursuit of trading for Donovan Mitchell, a New York native, during last offseason.
Mitchell is looking forward to the prospect of facing the Knicks in the postseason, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It’s full circle. Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Mitchell said. “What kid wouldn’t want to grow up and play against his hometown team in the playoffs? … It’s going to be a lot of fun — if that happens.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Danuel House has given the Sixers a boost since he was reinserted into the rotation in March, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. House has maintained a positive outlook and provided locker room leadership, regardless of how much he plays. “It takes a lot of focus. It takes a lot of energy,” said House, who averaged 12.2 minutes last month. “But you’ve got to sacrifice. Sacrifice is the biggest key, so you can set in your mind — or for your life — what’s really important. This is important to me. … All I’ve been trying to do is resume playing, stick [in the rotation] and just help the team.” House holds a $4.31MM player option on his contract for next season.
- The Sixers played at Milwaukee on Sunday and face Boston on Tuesday. Joel Embiid downplayed the significance of games against the other top teams in the East, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “It’s a regular season game — that’s the approach I take, you know? You’ll use those matchups to see where you are at,” he said. “But there is no more excitement, in my opinion, because you are playing the two best teams in the league.”
- Fred VanVleet, a potential free agent after the season, already held the Raptors’ single-game scoring record at 54. He added the single-game assist record against Charlotte on Sunday with 20, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star notes. “That’s a heck of an honor,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “There have been some great guards in the history of the organization. That’s really something, it really is.”
Rubio: Mobley Has Hall-Of-Fame Upside
- Michael Pina of The Ringer takes an in-depth look at Evan Mobley‘s trajectory toward stardom, exploring the ongoing development and potential ceiling of the Cavaliers big man. “It’s rare to find somebody so mature right away on both ends of the court,” teammate Ricky Rubio said of Mobley. “I wouldn’t be surprised if his career ended up in the Hall of Fame.”
Injury Notes: Morant, Grizzlies, SGA, Markkanen, Cavs, Pacers
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant missed Tuesday’s game vs. Orlando due to right thigh soreness, but there are no long-term concerns about the injury, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. It sounds like the team was simply playing it safe with Morant, who recently returned from an eight-game absence and will be available on Wednesday for the second game of a back-to-back set.
While Morant will suit up on Wednesday, the Grizzlies may give a few other regulars the night off when they host the Clippers. According to the team (Twitter link), Desmond Bane (right foot soreness), Jaren Jackson Jr. (left calf soreness), and Tyus Jones (left foot soreness) are all considered doubtful to play.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Two teams still in the thick of the Western Conference play-in race won’t have their All-Stars available on Wednesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (left ankle sprain) will miss a second consecutive game when the Thunder host the Pistons, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), while forward Lauri Markkanen (left hand contusion) won’t play for the Jazz in San Antonio, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
- Jarrett Allen (right groin strain) and Isaac Okoro (left knee soreness) missed Tuesday’s game for the Cavaliers, but Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com hears their absences were precautionary, with the team having already clinched its playoff spot. “Isaac is extremely disappointed because Isaac wanted to play all 82 games,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But this is something where just big picture we need to make sure we take care of him. We know how important he is and how impactful he can be for us. So, you just have to keep an eye on him. Isaac will keep running through a wall if you don’t pull him back some. We’re trying to do our best to protect him.”
- Tyrese Haliburton (right ankle sprain; left elbow soreness), Buddy Hield (non-COVID illness), and Chris Duarte (left ankle soreness) will all be unavailable for the Pacers on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee for a second consecutive game, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Myles Turner, who has missed the last two games due to left ankle soreness, is listed as questionable.
Injury Notes: Brunson, Bulls, Cavaliers, KAT, Grizzlies
Knicks starting point guard Jalen Brunson will miss his second straight game on Monday with a sprained right hand, the team has announced (Twitter link).
The 6’1″ Brunson is enjoying a career season with his new club. Across 65 healthy games, he’s averaging 23.8 PPG on .489/.411/.833 shooting. The 26-year-old is also averaging 6.2 APG, 3.6 RPG and 0.9 SPG for New York.
Reserve guard Derrick Rose, who has been out of the rotation since the calendar rolled over to 2023, will also be inactive for this evening’s bout against the Rockets due to an illness, the Knicks add.
Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Bulls forward Javonte Green, who continues to recover from a January knee surgery after making a brief return to the lineup last week, will be out tonight against the Clippers, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Johnson adds that veteran Chicago guard Alex Caruso is considered questionable to play.
- Several Cavaliers players comprise the club’s injury report ahead of the team’s game Tuesday against the Hawks, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). Starting center Jarrett Allen is questionable with a groin strain, while starting small forward Isaac Okoro is also questionable due to a sore knee. Swingman Danny Green and point guard Raul Neto will not play. Wing Dean Wade is doubtful to play through an illness. Isaiah Mobley, Sam Merrill and Dylan Windler are all going to be working with Cleveland’s NBAGL affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
- Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns will sit out tonight’s game against the Kings as he manages his right calf strain injury on the second night of a back-to-back, the team has announced (Twitter link). Two-way player Matt Ryan is out with an illness. All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards is questionable due to a sprained right ankle. Guard Jaylen Nowell is also questionable with a left knee tendinopathy.
- At least five Grizzlies players will be shelved for Tuesday’s contest against the Magic, Memphis has announced (via Twitter). Beyond Brandon Clarke, who’s out for the year with a left Achilles tear, Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams, Jake LaRavia and Steven Adams are all also sidelined. All-Star point guard Ja Morant is considered doubtful to play due to a sore right thigh.
Southwest Notes: McCollum, Kyrie, Sochan, Porter
In his latest diary entry for Andscape, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum discussed a handful of topics, including injured teammates Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado and his expectations for the home stretch of the season. Perhaps most notably, he confirmed that his own right thumb injury will require surgery during the offseason.
“I knew the final outcome would probably be surgery, and I was notified that that’s what it’s going to have to be,” McCollum wrote. “It’s my shooting hand, so you’re always a little nervous. So, I’ve just been checking in with a hand specialist out of New York and just making sure things are progressing and continue to get images every couple weeks to track the progress as to what type of surgery I may need, what’s the process going to look like and I’m comfortable with what I’ve been hearing so far, so I’ll be all right.”
McCollum acknowledged that it hasn’t been ideal playing through the thumb injury, which has “affected how I dribble, shoot, pass, (and) absorb passes.” However, he said that shutting it down for the season has never been an option he seriously considered, since he believes he can still be effective.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Dallas is just 7-12 since Kyrie Irving made his Mavericks debut and has slipped out of the top 10 in the West, but Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) has heard only positive things about the guard’s professionalism and locker room presence since last month’s trade. Blaming Irving for Luka Doncic‘s recent frustration wouldn’t be “fair or accurate,” MacMahon adds.
- A nagging right knee injury will sideline Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan on Sunday for the seventh time in his last 11 games. However, the rookie has downplayed the issue as “nothing serious” and head coach Gregg Popovich said the team “probably” won’t shut down Sochan for the season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). It sounds like there’s no concern that the knee problem will turn into a major injury, and the Spurs want to give Sochan all the reps they can before his first NBA season ends.
- Despite the way in which his time in Cleveland ended, Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. still values the time he spent with the Cavaliers and said he’s looking forward to playing in Cleveland on Sunday, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I would say that’s the first time I learned about the business of the NBA,” Porter said of the trade that sent him to Houston following a locker-room incident with the Cavs. “But we’re all still close, still. Those relationships are still there and very valuable to me, and (to) the other side, too. Definitely, a lot of people would say it was bad, a bad (ending). It was (for) the best for both of us.”
Cavs Have Learned Lessons From Last Year's Collapse
- Jamal Collier of ESPN explores the lessons the Cavaliers learned from last season’s second-half collapse and why the club is more confident in its chances of making some noise in the postseason this spring.
Cavaliers Notes: Allen, LeVert, Mobley, Playoffs
The right eye contusion that sidelined Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen for four games still hasn’t fully healed, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, the big man was able to return to action on Tuesday in Brooklyn and was effective against his former team in his first game back, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 35 minutes.
“It’s better,” Allen said of his eye injury. “Not 100 percent. But doctors said it was good to go and good to play and it won’t get worse, so I trust the team and was ready to go again.”
According to Fedor, Allen said before the game that he’s still experiencing some blurriness, which is expected to persist for at least a couple more weeks, but he joked that he’s “not seeing three rims.” While the 24-year-old will likely continue receiving treatment through the end of the month, he’s just relieved that the injury wasn’t as serious as it could have been.
“I think everybody thought it was going to be worse,” Allen said. “The pain I felt was immense. I didn’t know what to expect from it but glad it turned out how it did. … Nothing severely structural was wrong. I can deal with the pain. I can deal with the days of recovery. I just know that my future is stable in terms of my eye.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Cavaliers wing Caris LeVert struggled last month after being at the center of trade rumors leading up to the Feb. 9 deadline, but has bounced back nicely in March, scoring at least 15 points in each of his last six games with a scorching hot .514 3PT% during that time. In a pair of articles for Cleveland.com, Fedor takes a closer look at LeVert’s role and his “unsung” contributions, and suggests that the Cavs have interest in signing the 28-year-old to a multiyear deal when he reaches free agency this summer.
- Evan Mobley is taking the second-year leap that the Cavaliers were hoping for, Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. Since one of his worst outings of the season against Phoenix on January 4, Mobley has raised his game to a new level, emerging as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and averaging more than 18 points per game. “It’s hard to say and put a number on it or quantify it, but I think he is a much better basketball player now than he was even in October or December,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think people get hung up a lot on the numbers. You can watch it. If you’ve got a feel for the game, you see where he can impact the game in the way that he does. Now for the naked eye, he’s throwing numbers to go along with it.”
- Although Fedor recently stated in a Cleveland.com mailbag that Brooklyn is the Cavaliers’ preferred first-round playoff opponent, the outcome of Tuesday’s game made that matchup a longer shot. While the Cavs appear pretty locked into the East’s No. 4 seed (they’re 3.5 games from the next-closest team in either direction), the Nets now trail the No. 5 Knicks by 2.5 games following Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland.
Injury Notes: S. Barnes, Kuzma, J. Johnson, J. Allen
An MRI on Scottie Barnes‘ left wrist came back clean, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). However, the wrist – which the Raptors forward injured during Sunday’s loss in Milwaukee – is still sore and will likely undergo more testing, Lewenberg adds. For now, Barnes is considered day-to-day, and Lewenberg believes he’ll likely be listed as questionable to play on Wednesday vs. Indiana after not practicing on Tuesday.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest in Orlando due to a right ankle sprain, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. It will be the third time in the last four games that Washington will be without either Kuzma or Kristaps Porzingis.
- Following an MRI, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson was diagnosed with a mild hamstring and groin strain, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). According to Williams, Johnson will be reevaluated early next week.
- Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who has been out for four games due to a right eye contusion, is nearing a return. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), Allen was a full participant in Monday’s practice and has a chance to play on Tuesday. He’s currently listed as questionable.
- After missing four games due to a right ankle sprain, Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin returned to action on Monday, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star details. Mathurin showed no ill effects following the brief layoff, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Mobley Learning How To Get To Foul Line; Allen Begins Individual Workouts
- Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley said being more aggressive and learning how NBA defenders react has helped him get to the foul line more often, per Kelsy Russo of The Athletic. “I feel like as a big guy, if I give a good pump fake, they’re probably going to go for it,” Mobley said. “If they don’t, I’m already at the basket. I’ve just been pump-faking more, and then once they’re in the air just trying to draw contact and get the foul, and one.”
- Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen missed his fourth straight game Friday with an eye injury, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he has been able to do individual workouts, Russo tweets. “He’s seen a couple of specialists now and structurally everything is OK to this point,” Bickerstaff said. ” … He’s doing more on the court. And it’s just a matter of when he can safely return because of the eye.”
Dean Wade's Shoulder Still Bothering Him
- Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has struggled since returning from a shoulder injury in January, averaging just 3.3 PPG on .353/.283/.600 shooting in 21 games (17.3 MPG). Although he’s healthy enough to play, Wade’s shoulder is still bothering him, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who wonders if Wade also may be feeling some added pressure following Kevin Love‘s buyout last month.