Joel Embiid

Atlantic Notes: Melton, Embiid, C. Johnson, Barrett

Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton says a hit he took in a February 27 game against Boston caused his back to “finally [give] out,” writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Melton only appeared in two games from January 2 to February 22 after being diagnosed with a lumbar spine stress response. He played two full games after returning, but was knocked out of action in the first half against the Celtics.

On March 6, the Sixers announced that Melton had begun an “offloading” program to ease the stress on the back. According to Mizell, he was able to walk normally and sit in a chair during an annual chess event Friday at the team’s practice facility. Melton is scheduled to have his condition reevaluated in about a week.

“I think what I’m doing now is definitely going to help me with [the issue] not returning,” he said. “I think how I’m going about it, and the time I’m taking, I’ll be good.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Sixers center Joel Embiid visited a doctor last week to have his progress checked in his recovery from meniscus surgery, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. Coach Nick Nurse told reporters before tonight’s game that doctors are happy with the way Embiid is healing and he’s still expected to return before the end of the regular season.
  • Cameron Johnson may be in danger of becoming a bench player for the Nets after signing a four-year, $94.5MM extension last summer, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Johnson came off the bench again Wednesday as he returned to the lineup after missing three games with a right ankle sprain. He and Dorian Finney-Smith have split time at power forward this season, and Lewis expects interim coach Kevin Ollie to continue that pattern for the rest of the season. “Control what you can control,” Johnson said. “That’s what I always try to do, that’s what I pride myself on and just trying to contribute to the team in any way that I can. It’s not the first time it’s happened to me in my career, and it’s not any stranger than any other circumstances. But my job is to help this team win games, and that’s what I’m gonna do, whether I’m starting, coming off bench, playing 10 minutes or playing 40 minutes.”
  • The Raptors are expressing support for RJ Barrett while he’s away from the team mourning his brother’s death, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “RJ knows really well that we are here for him and that he can make a call and get anything that he needs,” coach Darko Rajaković said. “Sometimes it’s just a conversation. Sometimes it’s just getting in the gym and getting some shots and getting your thoughts off of it. (We’re) just making sure that everybody knows that we are here for (all the players), that we’re gonna help you in any way possible. The worst thing for anybody in that case is just to shut down and get in your own world. You’ve got to be able to ask for help and receive help and just have conversations.”

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Raptors, Reed, Nurse, Maxey, Celtics

After missing four games with knee inflammation, Bruce Brown hopes to be able to play against his former team when the Raptors visit Denver tonight, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Brown, who played an important role in the Nuggets’ title run last season, has been increasing his workload recently and hopes he’ll receive medical clearance to take the court.

This will be Brown’s second visit to Denver, which is rare for a player in the opposite conference. He picked up his championship ring on January 14 when he was still with the Pacers, three days before being shipped to Toronto in the Pascal Siakam trade.

I always looking forward to coming back here,” Brown said. “Great fans, great fan base, excited to see my previous teammates. It will be great to see everyone.”

Brown is officially questionable for Monday’s contest, while Immanuel Quickley (left hip flexor strain), Chris Boucher (right knee contusion) and Gary Trent Jr. (groin strain) are all out, according to Grange (Twitter links). RJ Barrett, who missed Saturday’s loss to Portland with an illness, is probable.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Sixers big man Paul Reed criticized the officiating following Friday’s loss to New Orleans, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter video link). “Just knowing that the referees are going to be the referees, and we’re going to have to beat them too. So we got to already be expecting that,” Reed said. Philadelphia was victorious on Sunday vs. New York, with Reed recording 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. The team was plus-13 in his 28 minutes in the ugly 79-73 win.
  • While Reed lamented the officiating, head coach Nick Nurse was more unhappy with the Sixers‘ effort in the first half of Friday’s game, calling their offensive approach “soft,” writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). “We tried to jump-shoot our way to a lead early, and you can’t count on that,” Nurse said. “ … That’s not good enough. You’ve got to play tougher than that. You’ve got to put your nose in there and drive it in the paint and try to get to the foul line and draw some defense and kick it out to somebody who’s open.” Nurse also said he’s still evaluating the make-shift rotation following a number of injuries, most notably to reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
  • Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has missed the past four games while in the NBA’s concussion protocol, but he has been cleared to return on Tuesday against the Knicks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The first-time All-Star is set to hit restricted free agency this summer and will likely command a massive payday.
  • The Celtics‘ entire starting lineup is on the injury report for tonight’s game in Portland, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Jaylen Brown (sacroiliac strain), Jrue Holiday (left knee tendinopathy), Jayson Tatum (right ankle impingement) and Derrick White (left hand sprain) are questionable, while Kristaps Porzingis will miss his second straight game with right hamstring tightness.
    [Update: Brown, Tatum and White are active, but Holiday will be out, Smith tweets.]
  • Heading into Saturday’s contest vs. Phoenix, the Celtics had dropped two straight games for only the second time during the 2023/24 season. They responded with a victory they badly wanted, as Jay King of The Athletic writes. “Just not letting it snowball effect, right,” said Tatum, who specifically asked to play the entire second half. “We’re not perfect. We try to be. We really do try. But we make mistakes and things like that. This is a tough league. The other teams are really good, got great players. So it’s all about how you respond. If you want to be a special team, you have to do a really good job of responding. Especially winning on the road is tough, being away from home for 10, 12 days or whatever. So this is a great way to come out here and get a win against a team that’s been playing well lately.”

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Sixers Notes: Lowry, Hield, Embiid, Harris, Oubre

Kyle Lowry has quickly seized the starting point guard spot for the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Lowry had 15 points and 10 assists against Charlotte on Friday. He didn’t shoot it well on Sunday in a four-point victory over Dallas but he dished out seven assists with no turnovers in 33 minutes.

Having Lowry in the starting five will allow reserves Cameron Payne and Kelly Oubre Jr. to play off each other.

“As I said to you [Friday], it was heading that way anyway for the time being,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Trying to get a different combination. And I think that maybe the combination of Cam Payne and Kelly off the bench is a good duo to pair there together. So that’s what I’m trying to get to.”

Lowry signed with Philadelphia in mid-February after being bought out by Charlotte.

We have more on the Sixers:

  • The 76ers prepared for their win over the Mavericks in a unique way. They held a practice on Saturday at Buddy Hield‘s spacious workout gym at his house in Dallas. “I stay in Dallas in the offseason,” Hield told Pompey. “This is where I work out. This is where my family stays. It’s nothing better to bring the guys to the house and let’s shoot around. You know it’s an early game. So team bonding, you know, see where I stay. … It’s fun.”
  • Joel Embiid has “started on-court workouts and began lifting 100% of the weight he lifted prior to the injury,” ESPN’s Katie George reported during the broadcast on Sunday (hat tip to Austin Krell). An update on Embiid’s progress from the team is expected at some point this week. The reigning MVP, who underwent knee surgery in early February, expressed optimism during a recent interview that he would return before the end of the season.
  • Tobias Harris led the offense against Dallas with 28 points and Oubre provided the spark off the bench with 21 points, all but two after halftime. Harris has 59 points in the past two games. “Everybody’s kind of figuring out our chemistry overall as a group,” Harris said, per Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “We knew it was going to take some time … figuring out ways to be successful out there. We’ve just got to stay at it.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Hield, Lowry, Melton, Harris

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sixers star Joel Embiid said that while “everything has to go right” in his recovery process in order to return to action this season, he still hopes to come back at some point (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

There’s really no timeline,” Embiid said. ” … You can never tell how the body reacts, especially once you start ramping up. So, it all depends on how it feels. If it feels great, then that’s good. And if it doesn’t feel like it’s right, then you gotta keep going.”

When asked why he wanted to return this season after undergoing knee surgery to repair his torn lateral meniscus, Embiid said his motivation was simple.

I just love playing basketball,” he said. “I want to be on the floor as much as possible. I only have about 20 years to do this, so any chance that I get, I want to be out on the floor. It doesn’t really matter where we are (in the standings), just want to play as much as we can and try to help us.”

Embiid also confirmed that he still plans to play for Team USA in the Olympics this summer.

It’s the same mindset: If I feel good, I’m playing,” Embiid said. “If it doesn’t feel right, then (I’ve) gotta make those tough decisions. … It’s all about how I feel.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

  • Embiid admitted he’d been battling knee pain for some time leading up to the last game he played in late January, when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee while diving for a loose ball, per PHLY Sixers (Twitter video link). “For really, two months, I was not at 100 percent,” Embiid. “I was not even close to it. And I just felt the need to give it my all to the team, and just wanted to win because I know I can add that to this basketball team.” Still, Embiid said he wouldn’t have changed his approach.
  • The seven-time All-Star also praised Philadelphia’s moves before and after the trade deadline, particularly the additions of Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry, saying it was “as good as (the front office) could do” under the circumstances, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Embiid said he was excited to develop synergy with Hield and added that Lowry is still “really freaking good” despite being at the tail end of his illustrious career.
  • After battling a back injury that caused him to miss 18 straight games, guard De’Anthony Melton returned to action last Friday against Cleveland. However, he exited Tuesday’s loss to Boston after just nine minutes due to back spasms and has been ruled out for Friday’s contest vs. Charlotte, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters, including Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
  • Veteran forward Tobias Harris has been in an offensive rut of late, averaging just 10.8 PPG on 31.3% shooting from the floor over the past five games. Nurse discussed what he’d like to see from Harris going forward, according to PHLY Sixers (via Twitter). “I want him to just let it come to him a little bit, and I certainly want him to do other things,” Nurse said. “You still gotta defend, and rebound, and draw offense for other people, set screens, and make sure it’s not, like, totally wrapped up in trying to get off the slump. I think he’s doing that.”

Devin Booker Expected To Play For Team USA In Olympics

After previously reporting that Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum are considered locks to be part of Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, at least as long as they remain healthy and interested, Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic have added a seventh player to that list: Suns star Devin Booker.

Booker, Holiday, Durant and Tatum were on the roster when the Americans won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.

USA Basketball isn’t expected to make a formal announcement about the roster until late April or early May, according to Charania and Vardon. Embiid is currently recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus, but sources tell The Athletic he remains committed to playing.

Four other players are considered “strong candidates” to join Team USA’s roster this summer as well, sources tell Charania and Vardon. That group features Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Heat center Bam Adebayo and Lakers center Anthony Davis. During All-Star weekend, both Haliburton and Davis said they’d play if they were invited.

Adebayo was another member of the roster that won gold a few years ago.

If all four players make the cut, 11 spots on the 12-man roster would be filled, though a lot can happen between now and the beginning of July, when Team USA will hold its training camp before the Olympics open later that month.

And-Ones: Holiday, Team USA, Galloway, Top 2024 FAs

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to be a part of the Team USA roster that competes in the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. According to The Athletic’s duo, there’s a belief that Holiday has made a commitment to USA Basketball officials in recent weeks.

Holiday is one of several players who are considered locks for the 12-man U.S. roster as long as they remain healthy and interested. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum also fall into that group, per Charania and Vardon.

Holiday holds a player option for the 2024/25 season, but he’ll become eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Celtics on April 1 (he’s technically extension-eligible already, but can only currently sign a short-term deal). Getting an extension done this spring would put the veteran guard in position to compete with Team USA this summer without having to worry about an unresolved contract situation.

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

  • Jaylin Galloway, a 21-year-old forward who played for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, is generating NBA interest and is a candidate to sign with a team before the end of the 2023/24 season, Marc Stein writes in his latest article at Substack. Galloway played in last July’s Las Vegas Summer League with the Timberwolves, who are one of many teams around the NBA with an open roster spot.
  • LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George sit atop a list of the top 25 free agents of 2024 compiled by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. James and George are considered likely to remain with their respective teams in Los Angeles, while Maxey will be a restricted free agent and will almost certainly sign a lucrative long-term deal with Philadelphia.
  • Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at the NBA’s new rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 games for award consideration, noting that it was a priority for the league ahead of negotiations for its next media rights deal. As Vorkunov writes, before the rule was implemented, at least one the NBA’s major television partners had expressed frustration to the NBA about star players sitting out marquee broadcasts.

Injury Notes: Embiid, Ayton, Thomas, George

The Sixers continue to believe that star center Joel Embiid, who underwent surgery on the meniscus in his left knee earlier this month, should be able to return to the court before the end of the regular season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Tuesday during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).

“They still are optimistic that they can get him back,” Wojnarowski said. “I think there’s some hope that they can get him back on the court by sometime in late March, back starting to get into condition. The goal here isn’t necessarily to try to bring him back and see how many regular season games you might be able to win with him. The goal is to get him as healthy as he can be for the postseason.”

When the Sixers announced Embiid’s procedure on February 6, they said he would be reevaluated in four weeks. As Wojnarowski notes, that means we’re still about a week away from the team providing a more official update on the reigning MVP’s progress and possible timeline.

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

  • X-rays on Deandre Ayton‘s sprained right hand came back negative, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said on Tuesday after Ayton left the team’s loss to Miami early (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Portland center is in the clear. “I think there will be some further testing because he was in quite a bit of pain,” Billups said (link via ESPN).
  • Nets guard Cam Thomas underwent an MRI on his sprained right ankle on Tuesday, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. While the results haven’t yet been announced, Thomas said on Monday that he doesn’t believe this ankle injury is as severe as the one that cost him nine games in November.
  • The Clippers will be without star forward Paul George for a second straight game due to left knee soreness, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Head coach Tyronn Lue said that George didn’t practice on Tuesday and wouldn’t be available on Wednesday vs. the Lakers after having sat out Sunday’s loss to Sacramento.

Sixers Notes: Lowry, Batum, Melton, Embiid, Covington

Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry wasn’t hoping to play for the Sixers earlier in his career, but he feels ready now, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Lowry, who had his first practice with his new team on Wednesday and is expected to be ready for Thursday’s game, explained why he didn’t try to join the Sixers before now.

“You never want to play at home because there’s so much going on. It’s a hard place to play when you go back home,” Lowry said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a dream come true, because I’m actually being able to play in front of my friends and family and people I cheered [for] as a Sixers fan growing up. Now, I’m prepared to do it. When you’re younger, you’re not really prepared to do it. But at this in my time in my career, I’m prepared to do it.”

Coach Nick Nurse told Bontemps that Lowry looked sharp at practice and is already familiar with much of the system after their time together in Toronto. The 37-year-old point guard said he understands his duties, which are to get the most out of Tyrese Maxey and provide some veteran wisdom as the team prepares for the playoffs.

“My job is to do everything I can to make this team and this organization better,” Lowry stated. “No matter what the role is, what the minutes are, what the situation is. My job is to be a professional and help Tyrese get better, help this team get better, help coach get better and help everybody get better.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

  • The Sixers’ injury situation appears to be improving, Bontemps adds. Nicolas Batum, who has been sidelined since last month with a strained left hamstring, is listed as questionable for Thursday, and De’Anthony Melton, who’s dealing with a back issue, is expected to return soon. “There were two or three starters, sometimes four starters, not playing, so we certainly need some of those starting guys back,” Nurse said.
  • The team remains optimistic that Joel Embiid will be able to return from his meniscus injury before the end of the regular season, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on NBA Today (Twitter link from Philly Sixers Galaxy). “They don’t want to put any time frame on it until he starts ramping up,” Shelburne said, “but I’m told he went to practice [yesterday], he got there early to see how everything was in the morning … his enthusiasm is there.”
  • Robert Covington hopes to be able to increase his on-court activities during the next two to three weeks, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He’s suffering from a bone bruise in his left knee and will be reevaluated in 10-to-14 days, Pompey adds.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Jokic, Braun, George

The Timberwolves arrived at the All-Star break with the best record in the West, and they’re determined to finish the season as the conference’s top seed, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. It’s an accomplishment that Minnesota has achieved only once in its history — during the 2003/04 season — but it appears to be within reach. The Wolves are a game-and-a-half ahead of Oklahoma City, and their 20 road wins are the highest total in the league.

“It matters if you’re trying to project everything forward,” coach Chris Finch said. “You want every advantage possible. If you have the best record, then of course you get home court, but it’s too far out to really bank on anything.”

Being in contention for the top spot is a major accomplishment for Minnesota, which had to battle through the play-in tournament last season before being ousted in five games in the first round. Rudy Gobert, who has experience as a No. 1 seed with Utah, said it’s important to keep focusing on business and not get distracted by the standings.

“I can feel that we have a purpose,” he said. “Personally, I came here to help this team win a championship. But last year, it was kind of like a lot of adversity. We realized early on that it probably was not going to be that year, but we could feel that we had the potential. And this year, from day one of training camp, it was a different focus, different mindset. We learned from everything that happened last year, and it made us grow.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Nikola Jokic isn’t a fan of the NBA’s new 65-game minimum for players to qualify for postseason awards, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The Nuggets center believes it puts pressure on players to take the court when they shouldn’t, adding that it likely factored into Joel Embiid‘s meniscus injury. “We saw what happened with Joel,” Jokic said. “… I just don’t like it, how it forces players to play even if they’re injured if they want to achieve something.”
  • Nuggets guard Christian Braun has been dealing with a series of injuries dating back to October, according to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. The latest is a sprained left ankle that robbed Braun of his explosiveness and made him grateful for the week-long break. “I don’t want to sit here and make any excuses, but it hasn’t been great,” Braun said. “But I feel all right … I think this this break for me, personally, will be great for my body. I think that’s the biggest thing for me right now, is getting my body back. (It) hasn’t felt great all year.”
  • Jazz point guard Keyonte George has been through an up-and-down rookie year, but coach Will Hardy has put him back in the starting lineup to see what he can do, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. George turned in his best game Thursday with 33 points and a rookie record nine three-pointers. “He’s very talented. He plays well with the rest of the guys in our starting unit,” Hardy said. “We just thought it was time to put him back in the lineup.”

Warriors Attempted To Get Lakers To Consider LeBron Trade

Prior to last Thursday’s trade deadline, the Warriors tried – unsuccessfully – to convince the Lakers to consider sending superstar forward LeBron James to Golden State, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

The Warriors’ pursuit of James occurred at multiple levels, per ESPN’s reporting. Klutch Sports client Draymond Green contacted agent Rich Paul in an effort to solicit his help getting LeBron on board with a move to Golden State, while Warriors owner Joe Lacob reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. touched base with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.

Ultimately, the same answer came back from all involved parties — the Lakers had no interest in trading James, and the four-time MVP had no interest in going anywhere, as Paul stated six days ahead of the deadline.

As Wojnarowski and Shelburne outline, the Warriors’ pursuit stemmed from the fact that James seemed to be frustrated by the Lakers’ up-and-down first half. He hinted at those frustrations in some comments to the media and posted a cryptic tweet consisting only of hourglass emoji.

When Lacob reached out to Buss, she told the Warriors owner that while she had no interest in trading LeBron, that she would check in with him and Paul to gauge their thoughts.

Sources tell ESPN that Buss has “operated with the mindset that she wants her star players content with the franchise,” so if he had been unhappy with his situation in Los Angeles, the team would have been open to changing its stance. That wasn’t the case, however, as Paul told both Lacob and Dunleavy that his top client wanted to remain a Laker.

ESPN’s report doesn’t include any details about the package the Warriors would have offered for James, but since the goal was to pair him with Stephen Curry and Green was involved in the recruiting, we can at least safely assume those two wouldn’t have been on the table. Beyond that, there are many permutations Golden State could have explored — an offer involving Chris Paul and/or Andrew Wiggins, plus prospects and draft picks, seems most likely, given that the Dubs reportedly weren’t interested in moving Klay Thompson.

According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, the Warriors weren’t the only team to check in on James prior to the trade deadline. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey also inquired on LeBron’s availability, though that’s a common practice for Morey, who also contacted the Suns to ask about Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and/or Bradley Beal, per ESPN.

As ESPN’s duo explains, the Warriors situation was a little different because it began at the ownership level and included a conversation with Paul, whereas Morey is known around the league for making “bold” long-shot trade inquiries. When Morey asked the Lakers about LeBron, Pelinka responded by inquiring about the availability of reigning MVP Joel Embiid, which ended their brief conversation, sources tell Woj and Shelburne.

James will have a decision to make this summer on a 2024/25 player option worth $51.4MM. While he’s considered likely to either pick up that option or sign a new deal with the Lakers, suitors like the Warriors and Sixers may get a chance to pursue him again at that time.