Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knockout Round Matchups Set For NBA Cup; Games Scheduled For Non-Quarterfinalists

December 4th, 2024 at 6:27am CST by Luke Adams

Following the conclusion of the group play games in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the eight teams advancing to the knockout round have been set, and the quarterfinal games have been scheduled.

After the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks previously clinched spots in the knockout round, the Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, Knicks, and Magic joined them as a result of Tuesday’s outcomes. The quarterfinal matchups are as follows, per the NBA (Twitter links):

Eastern Conference:

Orlando Magic (No. 4) at Milwaukee Bucks (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (7 pm ET)
Atlanta Hawks (No. 3) at New York Knicks (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (7 pm ET)

Western Conference:

Dallas Mavericks (No. 4) at Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1): Tuesday, December 10 (9:30 pm ET)
Golden State Warriors (No. 3) at Houston Rockets (No. 2): Wednesday, December 11 (9:30 pm ET)

While those four games will be played in the home team’s arena, the winners will advance to a neutral site for the final four. The semifinals (Dec. 14) and final (Dec. 17) will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The quarterfinal and semifinal results will count toward each team’s regular season record, whereas the final won’t. A team that loses in the quarterfinals will play the other quarterfinal loser in its conference in newly scheduled regular season games to make sure those clubs get the full 82.

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league (Twitter link):

Thursday, December 12:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (7:30 pm ET)
Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (7:30 pm ET)
Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans (8 pm ET)

Friday, December 13:

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 pm ET)
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers (7 pm ET)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (8 pm ET)
Brooklyn Nets at Memphis Grizzlies (8 pm ET)
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls (8 pm ET)
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets (9 pm ET)
Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz (9:30 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers (10 pm ET)

Sunday, December 15:

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers (5 pm ET)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (6 pm ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs (7 pm ET)
Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns (8 pm ET)
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 pm ET)

Monday, December 16:

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets (7 pm ET)
Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons (7 pm ET)
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors (7:30 pm ET)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings (10 pm ET)
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

Veteran NBA Forward Paul Millsap Retiring

December 3rd, 2024 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward Paul Millsap is retiring from basketball after spending 16 seasons in the league, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 47th overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Louisiana Tech, Millsap spent his first seven seasons with the Jazz before signing as a free agent in 2013 with Atlanta. The 6’7″ big man made four straight All-Star teams with the Hawks before leaving for Denver as a free agent in 2017. He played for the Nuggets for four seasons, then spent his final season in 2021/22 with the Nets and Sixers.

Millsap hasn’t played basketball professionally since 2022, but didn’t formally decide to retire until now, at age 39.

Despite being a late second-round pick, Millsap made the All-Rookie Second team in his first NBA season and immediately established himself as an important rotation player for the Jazz, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2009 and 2010, then taking as Utah’s starting power forward when Carlos Boozer left the team in 2010.

While Millsap had several strong seasons with the Jazz, his best years came with the Hawks under head coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the team to four straight playoff seasons during Millsap’s time in Atlanta, including a 60-win season and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2014/15.

After averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game in his final year with the Hawks, Millsap served as more of a role player than a featured option in Denver, especially after undergoing wrist surgery during his first season with the Nuggets. He started 186 of 215 games he played for the team, but saw his usage rate steadily decline during those four years.

For his career, Millsap averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block in 28.1 minutes per game across 1,085 regular season appearances. According to Charania, he’s one of just eight players in NBA history who accumulated at least 1,000 career steals, 1,000 blocks, and 500 three-pointers.

According to Basketball-Reference, Millsap earned over $195MM in NBA salaries during his 16 years in the league.

Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Gordon, George, Jazz

December 3rd, 2024 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

The legal battle that will determine who controls the Timberwolves won’t be resolved until January at the earliest, sources tell Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann of Sportico.

As Sportico’s duo explains, the legal representatives for current team owner Glen Taylor and prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will answer “final questions of clarification” from the three-person arbitration panel handling the case in early January. The panel isn’t expected to make its final ruling on the matter until sometime after those questions are answered.

Even when the arbitration process concludes, it likely won’t fully close the books on the Timberwolves’ ownership fight. Novy-Williams and McCann point out that the losing side could petition a federal judge to vacate the arbitration award. Additionally, if the arbitrators rule in favor of Lore and Rodriguez, the new ownership group would still need to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

It has been a challenging start to the season for the Timberwolves, but there was no bad body language and there were no concerning post-game quotes after a blowout victory over the Lakers on Monday night. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has the story on the encouraging win and the good vibes it created.
In his first game back after missing 10 games due to a calf strain, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon came off the bench on a minutes limit on Sunday and served as Nikola Jokic‘s backup, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While Gordon has been far more effective as the second-string center than Dario Saric, Zeke Nnaji, or DeAndre Jordan have – Denver was +3 with Jokic off the court vs. the Clippers – he’s the least sustainable option to continue as the backup five over a full 82-game season, given his typical role alongside Jokic, Durando notes.
Outside of his subpar shooting percentages (.375 FG%, .336 3PT%), turnovers and defense have also been issues for Keyonte George, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who suggests that the second-year Jazz guard hasn’t inspired confidence as a ball-handling point guard and doesn’t shoot well enough to be a full-time shooting guard. George is still just 21 years old and works hard, Larsen writes, but will have to make significant strides to become the player the Jazz hoped they were getting when he was drafted in 2023.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy conceded he made a mistake in calling a timeout on Sunday before Collin Sexton had a chance to attempt what would’ve been a go-ahead basket in the final seconds of Utah’s game vs. the Lakers (Twitter video link). After the game, Sexton said he understood why Hardy made the decision he did and didn’t blame him at all. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, while the one-point loss was a tough pill to swallow, the mature way the moment was handled showed there’s trust between the head coach and his players, an important sign in a challenging rebuilding year.

Northwest Notes: Hartenstein, Holmgren, Wolves, Nuggets

December 1st, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

One of the prominent free agents of the 2024 offseason, Isaiah Hartenstein has been terrific for the Thunder since he returned from a left hand fracture, averaging 14.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 blocks in his first four games with the team (32.0 minutes per contest).

Since he was injured to open 2024/25 and Chet Holmgren subsequently sustained a pelvic fracture that will keep him sidelined for at least a couple months, the two big men have yet to play alongside each other in the regular season.

In a lengthy interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Hartenstein expressed confidence that his game will complement Holmgren’s once he returns, noting that his injured teammate is in “good spirits” as he continues to recover.

“Offensively, he’s really good with handling the ball,” Hartenstein said of Holmgren. “He can play that four position. So having that versatility with two big guys, especially defensively, is the biggest thing. You have two great rim protectors. He knows how to play the game. He’s smart. I think things can be really good when he comes back. We have different games. I’m probably more physical and will probably try to get other guys more open. He’s probably playing more on the outside. It’s similar, but different in the same way.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards had some pointed words for his Timberwolves teammates after they lost their fourth straight game earlier this week (they snapped that skid with a one-point victory over the Clippers on Friday). Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid recently responded to Edwards’ comments, particularly about the team being thin-skinned, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. Alexander-Walker said the team misses the leadership of veteran forward Kyle Anderson, who landed with Golden State in free agency. “It’s a different team and dynamic, when you look at the team a season ago,” Alexander-Walker said. “Different personalities. Lost Kyle, who was a very, very vocal person in the locker room. He was kind of the glue to a lot of that stuff. It put guys in a position where now Ant is more vocal than ever. This is his first year doing so.”
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. has taken on an increased offensive role this season. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post takes a look at how Porter, who has undergone multiple major surgeries over the years, is still improving his game with the help of an unorthodox workout regimen.
Former first-round pick Peyton Watson will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason. He recently discussed a number of topics with Sportskeeda contributor Grant Afseth, including his growing confidence as a member of the Nuggets‘ starting lineup — a role that will likely end soon, with Aaron Gordon officially ready to return to action on Sunday (Twitter link via the team).

Injury Notes: Sixers, Gordon, Powell, Richards, Bronny

November 30th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Joel Embiid (left knee injury management and personal reasons) will miss a fourth straight game on Saturday when the Sixers face the Pistons in Detroit, while Kyle Lowry (right hip strain) will sit out for a fifth in a row, according to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The good news for the 76ers is that Paul George, who has been out since November 20 due to a left knee bone bruise, has been upgraded to questionable and appears on track to be a game-time decision.

“We did do a good amount of contact and playing as well, so it was good to see,” head coach Nick Nurse said after George participated in Friday’s practice. “He looked pretty good out there.”

As for the status of Embiid’s knee? “The swelling’s gone down a bit,” Nurse said. “Still some soreness there. That’s about all I can say.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon participated in Saturday’s practice and is nearing a return, head coach Michael Malone said today (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Gordon has been on the shelf for Denver’s past 10 games as he recovers from a right calf strain. His return will be a boon for the Nuggets, who have a +10.3 net rating in Gordon’s 212 minutes on the court this season.
Clippers swingman Norman Powell has missed the team’s past six games due to a left hamstring issue but is expected to return for the four-game homestand that begins on Sunday vs. Denver, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Powell is the Clippers’ leading scorer so far this season with an average of 23.3 points per game.
Hornets center Nick Richards will be available to play on Saturday against Atlanta for the first time since November 1 after recovering from a broken rib, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. With Mark Williams unavailable so far this fall, Richards was Charlotte’s starting center prior to his injury.
Lakers guard Bronny James, who hasn’t played in either the NBA or the G League since November 17 due to a left heel contusion, will begin his ramp-up process after team doctors determined in a Friday exam that the injury is healing, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James will be reevaluated in one week.

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook Fined $35K By NBA

November 29th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook has been fined $35K for “making an obscene gesture on the playing court” during the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to New York, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Westbrook finished with a team-high 27 points in Monday’s lopsided defeat, with 24 coming during a fourth-quarter flurry when the game was out of reach. After hitting a three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, he flipped a middle finger toward the Knicks’ bench (Twitter video link).

The 2016/17 league MVP is no stranger to fines, having been docked more than $500K over the years, according to Spotrac, largely due to technical fouls. The 36-year-old picked up his second technical of the season in Wednesday’s victory at Utah.

Westbrook, who is in his 17th NBA season, is averaging 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals through his first 17 games as a Nugget (24.6 minutes per contest). His shooting slash line is .391/.375/.681.

Westbrook signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Denver in late July after being released by Utah. He holds a player option for ’25/26.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Nuggets, Thunder, McDaniels

November 28th, 2024 at 8:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Star Thunder forward Jalen Williams departed the first half of Oklahoma City’s 105-101 road win Wednesday over the Warriors with a right eye injury, per Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.

All-NBA Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled mightily without Williams. He shot just 5-for-16 from the floor in the second half.

Oklahoma City center Isaiah Hartenstein opined that the team’s general approach to the game should not have been greatly changed even with the absence of Williams late. Instead, with Gilgeous-Alexander’s shot not falling, the team struggled to close out Golden State, nearly squandering its entire 19-point lead.

“But that shouldn’t change the way we play,” Hartenstein said of Williams’ departure. “I think we didn’t execute the way we should have. … We shouldn’t have been in that situation.”

There’s more out of the Northwest:

The Nuggets have had difficulty scoring in the “middle eight” of their first halves — the final four minutes of the first quarter and first four minutes of the second, observes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “We were talking about that the other day, about how I think there’s only one time in the first 16 games this season that we’ve won the last four minutes of the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second quarter,” head coach Michael Malone said. “Every other game, (we lose) that eight-minute stretch, which coincides usually with Nikola (Jokic) being out. So there are a lot of nights where I think we actually get off to good starts. That we’re actually playing well. And then we have that stretch, that four-, six-, eight-minute stretch where the bottom falls out. … And the second half for whatever reason has been better.” According to Durando, Denver ranked No. 2 overall in second-half net rating ahead of their most recent matchup, and No. 29 in first halves.
Beyond their offensive issues in the “middle eight” period of first halves, the Nuggets have also shown slippage on defense early on this season, thanks in part to Aaron Gordon‘s extended absence. During their 122-103 win Wednesday against the Jazz, at least, the Nuggets appeared much improved on that end of the floor too, Durando writes in another Denver Post story. Point guard Jamal Murray picked up opponents for all 94 feet. “Being more physical from the start of the possession,” Murray said of his better defensive effort. “Not (letting) them get to their spots easy or set their screens where they want to set it. Stuff like that. So I think as a group, not just one or two guys, but getting everybody to do that (is important). And we were doing a good job of talking — I’m talking about this game. We’ve been doing a terrible job. But we did a better job today, of switching and talking, and even if there is a mistake or a blow-by, having help behind it.”
After being named to the 2024 All-Defensive Second Team, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels is looking to level up this season, aspiring to be named to the All-Defensive First Team in 2025, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. He’s currently in the first season of a five-year, $131MM contract extension he inked with Minnesota in the 2023 offseason. “That is one of my goals, being [First Team],” McDaniels said. “I was [Second Team] last season. It’s a big goal. First Team, we take it first step by step. For me, I guard the best players. I’m not shutting them down, but I make it tough for them. I make their [shooting] percentages lower.

Michael Malone Rips Nuggets’ Effort Following Blowout Loss

November 26th, 2024 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets lost at home for the second time in four days on Monday, falling by a score of 145-118 to the Knicks. Asked by a reporter during his post-game media session if he was prepared to “flush” the game and move on, head coach Michael Malone strongly pushed back on that idea (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports).

“F–k that, no, no, no. We’re not flushing,” Malone said. “You don’t flush when you get embarrassed. You don’t flush when you gave up 145 points. You don’t flush when you didn’t play hard, didn’t play with effort, didn’t play with physicality. I’m not flushing anything.”

Malone praised Russell Westbrook, who scored a team-high 27 points, for his willingness to be “vocal” on and off the court, but said he’d like to see more of that sort of leadership from players who have been cornerstones in Denver for years.

“I need Nikola Jokic, I need Jamal Murray,” Malone said. “I need guys that have been here in that starting lineup to be vocal.”

The Nuggets have been without starting forward Aaron Gordon since November 4 due to a calf injury, and Jokic and Murray have each missed a few games, but Malone doesn’t view that as an excuse for a modest 9-7 record and what he views as an inconsistent compete level so far this season.

“Regardless of who’s in (and) who’s out, who do we want to be as a team?” Malone said. “Leadership would be great. toughness would be great. Physicality would be great. Playing like you actually care would be great. We didn’t do that tonight.

“… We’re just fooling ourselves,” Malone added later. “Yes, (the Knicks) are a good team, but if that’s the effort we’re going to give forth, we won’t even be close to being a playoff team.”

Jokic agreed with Malone’s assessment, telling reporters that the Nuggets needed “a good punch in the face just to wake up” and said the players “collectively need to do a better job” (link via ESPN.com). Murray agreed that it was on the players, not the coaches, to figure things out and wondered if staying in Los Angeles overnight after Saturday’s win vs. the Lakers might’ve played a part in the team’s sluggishness on Monday.

“It’s a long season. Guys have lives outside of basketball,” Murray said (Twitter video link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports). “We just beat L.A. in L.A. We’ve got some guys who live in L.A., so (we) stayed in L.A. I don’t think the focus was there from everybody, and that’s what happens when you don’t have the focus.”

The Nuggets are currently tied with the Suns for the seventh-best record in a crowded Western Conference and sit just one game ahead of the No. 11 Timberwolves.

Western Notes: Lakers, Vassell, Thompson, Malone

November 25th, 2024 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers are near the bottom of the league in defensive field goal percentage, with opponents shooting 48.5% against them. They know they need to improve their defense and rebounding to be a true contender. The Lakers face Phoenix in an NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday.

“Our personnel isn’t, you know, I think if we’re going to be honest with ourselves, isn’t the best defensively,” Austin Reaves told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously we’ve got AD (Anthony Davis). That covers up a lot. But we have to be physical out on the perimeter and especially when boxing out. We got to be a better defensive rebounding team and transition as well.”

We have more Western Conference news:

The Spurs have officially listed Devin Vassell (left knee bone bruise) as out for Tuesday at Utah, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). It’s not a cause for concern, as he’s expected to return Wednesday against the Lakers. Vassell hasn’t played since Nov. 15.
Mavericks guard Klay Thompson missed his first game this season on Monday due to left foot plantar fascia, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Thompson is averaging 13.2 points per game in 17 starts for Dallas this season. Without Thompson and Luka Doncic, the Mavs still defeated Atlanta, 129-119.
Michael Malone passed Doug Moe as the winningest coach in Nuggets history with his 433rd regular-season victory on Saturday as his team defeated the Lakers. Malone reached that win total in 56 fewer games than Moe, according to the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando.

And-Ones: Harrell, Covington, Neto, Awards, More

November 25th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man Montrezl Harrell, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020, is currently playing in Australia’s National Basketball League as a member of the Adelaide 36ers. The 30-year-old received a three-game suspension on Monday for his part in on- and off-court incidents during a Nov. 17 game vs. Melbourne United.

As Olgun Uluc of ESPN details, United big man Rob Loe drew a charge on Harrell early in the fourth quarter of the contest, and while both players were on the ground, Harrell shoved Loe. That led to a “melee involving most players” for both teams. Harrell appeared to throw a punch at one opponent and “multiple open-handed strikes” at other United players, per Uluc.

Directly after the on-court scuffle, 36ers staffers and players — including Harrell and teammate Kendric Davis — were involved another altercation, this time with spectators behind the team’s bench. Davis received a two-game suspension for initiating contact in that incident, which saw four spectators ejected. Davis claimed a fan directed racist language at him; the United put out a statement saying they were unable to corroborate that allegation.

The 36ers have 24 hours to appeal the suspensions, according to Uluc, who says Harrell has suggested multiple times on social media he may not return to Australia, pending the outcome of his punishment; he’s currently back home in the United States with the NBL season on pause due to the FIBA window (qualifiers for international tournaments).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, free agent forward Robert Covington says he’s confident he can still contribute to NBA teams. “Ain’t nothing changed,” Covington said. “Someone that can give energy on the other side, the defensive side, can come in space the floor, move the ball, do the little things that won’t show up on the stat sheet, what made me very effective.” The 33-year-old, who holds 11 seasons of NBA experience, dealt with a knee injury for most of last season, last suiting up on December 30, 2023, but he says he’s fully healthy now. Covington is currently playing for Team USA in a qualifying round for the AmeriCup. One recent report said he might be open to playing in the G League as he attempts to make it back to the NBA.
Former NBA guard Raul Neto has signed a rest-of-season contract with Spanish club Barcelona, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Neto, who played eight seasons in the NBA from 2015-23, missed all of last season with a knee injury, but he’s “fully recovered” now. Barcelona was looking for backcourt help after losing Nicolas Laprovittola to a season-ending ACL and meniscus injury, Askounis notes.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports lists his award winners for the first month of the 2024/25 season. As of now, O’Connor has Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the frontrunner to win his fourth MVP in five years, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leading the race for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixers guard Jared McCain as the league’s top rookie.
On a somewhat related note, with the first month of the season finished, several writers for The Athletic to compiled a list of each team’s biggest concern, with one exception — the 17-1 Cavaliers don’t have a have a real weakness right now, says Joe Vardon.
Magic guard Anthony Black and Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson are two of the six young players John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights as showing marked improvement in their season seasons.