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Southwest Notes: Irving, Mavs’ Matchups, Pelicans’ Medical Staff, Biberovic

May 6th, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After being the center of controversy in previous stops, Kyrie Irving has found peace and contentment with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes.

“From the outside, you look at his calmness, he’s at peace,” said coach Jason Kidd, who received an extension on Monday. “And sometimes at a certain age in life, that comes about. But also, with the people he’s around maybe . . . that could also have something to do with it. But you can see, he’s smiling, he’s happy and he’s been that way, I think, since he arrived last year at the trade deadline. I thought you saw that he was happy and at peace. And he’s been very consistent with that to this point. I think he’s just happy.”

Irving concurs that he’s matured and become a more positive person.

“What you’re seeing now is a version of me that I’m proud of,” he said. “I look at myself every day in the mirror and give myself affirmations. I meditate, I pray. I’m just more consistent in my daily practices to help me stay grounded. Part of knowing who you are is knowing where you came from.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • The acquisition of Irving last season was highly controversial but Mavs GM Nico Harrison is happy he didn’t listen to the skeptics. Dallas retained Irving with a three-year, $126MM contract last offseason. “I’m thankful for the decision now, and I think everybody around the organization is, too,” Harrison Marc Spears of Andscape. “But it’s awesome just to get to see him be himself. And it’s funny when if you talk to any of our teammates, they’re going to be like, ‘yeah, it’s really weird that there was ever any negativity around Kyrie, I just don’t see it. He’s such a positive person. He’s always smiling and happy, and I don’t get it.’”
  • Even though Maxi Kleber is sidelined, the Mavs should have a favorable matchup against the top-seeded Thunder, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes. They have in-season acquisition Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively to provide a physical presence around the basket against Thunder rookie big man Chet Holmgren. They also have two stars who can take over a game in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, while Oklahoma City will be more dependent on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
  • The changes the Pelicans made to their medical staff last offseason can be considered a success, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. He notes that Zion Williamson played in 70 games, the most in his NBA career, while Brandon Ingram appeared in 64 games, his most since his rookie year with the Lakers in 2016/17.
  • The Grizzlies added draft-and-stash prospect Tarik Biberovic with the No. 56 pick last June. He showed a lot of promise overseas this season, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Playing for Fenerbahce in the Turkey Basketball Super League , Biberovic averaged a career-high 21.8 minutes and 10.4 points in 24 games, connecting on 40.7% of his 3-point attempts. In 25 EuroLeague games, Biberovic averaged 7.2 points and shot 56.9% on 3-pointers. All signs point to the wing playing another year overseas before potentially joining Memphis for the 2025/26 season, Cole adds.
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And-Ones: MVP Race, Awards Announcements, Barton, Betting, Barkley

May 5th, 2024 at 8:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the finalists for the Most Valuable Player award. ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Tim Bontemps take a closer look at the contenders and reveal the results of a straw poll. Jokic is the clear favorite to win the award for the third time, while Lowe gives Doncic the edge for second place due to his superior play-making.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Speaking of the MVP race, the league will announce the winner on Wednesday night, according to NBA Communications (Twitter link). The Rookie of the Year award will be announced on Monday and the Defensive Player of the Year will be revealed on Tuesday. Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, respectively, are the favorites for those two awards.
  • Former NBA forward Will Barton has joined Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team, according to Sportando. Bardon also had short stints wih CSKA Moscow and Granada this season. Barton played a total of 56 games for Washington and Toronto last season.
  • In the aftermath of Jontay Porter getting banned from the NBA for gambling-related offenses related to prop bets, the NBA and its partner sportsbooks are discussing changes to combat similar occurrences in the future, David Purdum of ESPN reports. Among the changes that have been discussed is prohibiting betting on players with two-way contracts. There have also been discussions on not allowing bets on the “under” on a player prop, though there are concerns that restricting wagers could push bettors into the unregulated betting market.
  • Charles Barkley stated on the Dan Patrick Show (Twitter link) that if TNT loses its NBA broadcasting rights, he’ll become a free agent. He’s unsure about “Inside the NBA” moving to another network because host Ernie Johnson said he wouldn’t leave Turner Sports. The NBA is in serious negotiations with NBC, Amazon and ESPN/ABC to split up the broadcasting rights, which could leave TNT out of the picture.
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Mavericks Notes: Kleber, Future, Irving, Doncic

May 4th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Tristan Tucker

Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber went down hard after a foul in the second quarter of Game 6 against the Clippers and left for the locker room. According to The Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks diagnosed Kleber with a right shoulder sprain and he didn’t return for the rest of the game. Head coach Jason Kidd said he didn’t know how long the big man would be out.

“Next man up,” Kidd said.

Kleber had a big role off the bench for the Mavericks’ first five games of the series. He averaged 6.0 points per game while making 60.0% of his threes in 22.2 minutes in his five appearances off the bench. In Game 5, Kleber knocked down five of his seven three-point attempts, finishing the game with 15 points in a 30-point win.

In the regular season, Kleber averaged 4.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 34.8% from deep in 43 games and seven starts.

We have more Mavericks notes:

  • The Mavericks are well-positioned for the future, Tim Cato of The Athletic writes, with only two role players over the age of 28: Kleber (32) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (31). Dante Exum (28), Jaden Hardy (21), Dereck Lively II (20) and Josh Green (23) are among the team’s biggest contributors, and Dallas acquired 25-year-olds P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline, both of whom emerged as starters right away. While Kyrie Irving is 32, he’s continuing to put up impressive playoff performances like his 30-point closeout Game 6 and questions about his fit with Luka Doncic have been answered.
  • A duo of stars complemented by solid role players appears more sustainable than building an expensive big three, Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News writes, with the Mavericks a living example. Teams like the Clippers and Suns are faced with second apron hurdles, Sherrington observes, while Dallas is getting contributions from players on mid-sized or rookie contracts while their stars continue to shine.
  • Doncic said there was extra satisfaction in defeating the Clippers after falling to them in the playoffs in two of his first three seasons in the league, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend (Twitter link). “Of course. I lost twice to them, so it was even bigger motivation to beat them,” Doncic said. “But they have a great team. We had to work really, really hard to beat them. I’m happy we did it this time.“
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Southwest Notes: Doncic, Exum, Zion, Wembanyama

May 1st, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

At this morning’s shootaround, Mavericks star Luka Doncic was still feeling the effects of a right knee sprain he suffered in Game 3, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas had two days off after Sunday’s Game 4 loss, but the extra time may not be enough to make a difference for Doncic. Townsend observed that he did limited running at the shootaround, and the knee seemed to stiffen up whenever he tried to do anything more than jog.

“Nothing, honestly,” Doncic said when asked what he did during the session. “Just treatment, a lot of treatments. Fitness. But basketball, I just shot. Nothing explosive.”

Doncic was noticeably slowed by the knee in Sunday’s game, even though he scored 29 points and posted a triple-double. He shot just 10-of-24 from the field and 1-of-9 from three-point range as Kyrie Irving led a comeback after the Mavs fell behind by 31 points.

On top of the knee issue, Doncic is dealing with an upper-respiratory illness. He admitted that he probably wouldn’t try to play tonight if it were a regular season game, but that’s not an option in the playoffs.

“I’ve been in this situation a lot, been playing through injuries a lot, so nothing,” Doncic said. “Just go out there, have fun and do everything you can do for your team to win.” 

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • After resurrecting his NBA career with the Mavericks this season, Dante Exum has struggled in the first four games of the playoffs, notes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. A 49% shooter from beyond the arc during the regular season, Exum has missed all five of his three-point attempts during the series and is shooting just 1-of-11 overall. His playing time has been cut to 8.5 minutes per game as coach Jason Kidd has tightened his rotation, but Exum is determined to help any way he can. “No matter if it’s one minute, two minutes, it’s trying to provide that energy,” he said. “If I can make an impact in the time I get, that’s the goal. Hopefully it can just grow off that and I continue to get more minutes.”
  • Zion Williamson has made the Pelicans more confident that he can be the cornerstone of their future, multiple team sources tell William Guillory of The Athletic. Injury and conditioning concerns hung over Williamson during his first four NBA seasons, but he was much more durable this year, appearing in 70 games and logging 31.5 minutes per night. In addition to his on-court production, Williamson also became a more vocal leader.
  • Nick Moyle of The San Antonio Express-News examines how the Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama was able to incorporate a step-back jumper into his arsenal during his rookie year.
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Western Notes: Thunder, Doncic, Spurs’ Arena, Edwards

April 30th, 2024 at 10:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Youth and playoff inexperience didn’t matter in the Thunder‘s sweep of the Pelicans in the opening round. They’re the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon notes that the Thunder got only one basket in the entire series from a player older than 25 (Twitter link).

“There’s a difference between age and maturity,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, per The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry. “And we have a mature team. We have a committed team.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been fighting through a knee injury since the first quarter of Game 3 of their series against the Clippers, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Game 5 will be played on Wednesday. “It’s hurting, obviously, but it shouldn’t be an excuse, man,” Doncic said after the Game 4 loss. “We just came out a little sloppy. We’ve got to do way better than that.”
  • There’s a hush-hush tone to the discussions about San Antonio building a downtown arena for the Spurs, Molly Smith of the Express-News reports. City officials have not only been trying to keep their talks secret, they’ve signed legally binding contracts that would penalize them for saying anything about the discussions, or even acknowledging that they’re considering building a new arena. The project, if it advances, could cost $1 billion or more, and San Antonio taxpayers could be asked to foot at least part of the bill.
  • Anthony Edwards has quickly grown into a leadership role on the Timberwolves at a young age, according to Chris Hine of the Minnepolis Star Tribune. “One thing about Ant, he’s become more of a vocal leader,” assistant coach Micah Nori said. “But he’s also one of those guys that he puts in the work, so guys see him working. He’s got some self humor — you’ve seen all of his interviews — he’s the first one to congratulate and move all of his glory or whatever over to his teammates.”
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Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard To Remain Out For Game 5

April 30th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers won’t have Kawhi Leonard available when they take the court for Game 5 of their series vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday, head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed today (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).

Leonard continues to be affected by right knee inflammation. He sat out Game 1, then returned for Games 2 and 3, but clearly wasn’t playing at 100%. He was ruled out for Game 4, with comments from team president Lawrence Frank at that time casting some doubt on the forward’s availability for the remainder of the first round.

While the Clippers would obviously prefer to have a fully healthy Leonard available as they look to get past the Mavericks and into round two, they actually looked better without him in Games 1 and 4 without him than they did in Games 2 and 3, when they struggled to find a rhythm while reincorporating the two-time Finals MVP.

Los Angeles won both games that Leonard missed and lost both of the contests he played, resulting in a 2-2 tie heading into Game 5. The Clippers have posted a -9.7 net rating in Kawhi’s 59 minutes of action during the series, compared to a +7.5 mark in the 133 minutes he hasn’t played.

As for the Clippers’ opponents, Mavericks star Luka Doncic will show up on the injury report due to a sprained knee, but he was able to do “everything” in practice on Tuesday and will be listed as probable, per head coach Jason Kidd (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN).

The prognosis isn’t as positive for Doncic’s teammate Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed the past two games with an ankle sprain. He had a setback during a Tuesday scrimmage and will be considered questionable to play on Wednesday, according to Kidd (Twitter link via MacMahon).

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Western Notes: Doncic, Suns, Spurs, Ingram

April 24th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While Luka Doncic‘s 32 points and nine assists in Tuesday’s Game 2 win over the Clippers were nearly right in line with his regular season numbers, he may have been even more impactful on the other end of the court, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Doncic has never been known for his defense, but he played a key role in limiting L.A.’s shooting percentage on the night to just 36.8%.

“I think his defense has been great this whole series,” head coach Jason Kidd told reporters after his Mavericks evened the series at 1-1. “We know they’re going to put him in pick-and-roll. A couple years ago we saw this, and we had to tell him to participate. But I think he’s participating at a high level on both ends. He’s leading not just on the offensive end but also the defensive end.”

As MacMahon details, the Mavericks had the NBA’s best defensive rating in the final 20 games of the season, and Doncic has made a concerted effort to improve his individual defense. The Clippers repeatedly attacked him on Tuesday, but they made just 2-of-17 shots with Luka as the primary defender, per ESPN.

“I accept it,” Doncic said of the Clippers’ strategy. “It gets me going on defensive end too. That’s fine. I think I played good defense today. I’ve just got to stay locked in.”

Here’s more from around the West:

  • The Suns will need from their three stars if they hope to pull of a first-round comeback against Minnesota, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal combined for just 52 points in Game 2, 20 points below their average regular season total, and turned the ball over 12 times. “Their physicality tarnishes our ability to get into our sets faster,” Beal said on Tuesday. “They do a really good job of just denying [Durant], denying [Booker], being physical with them. [Anthony Edwards] is picking me up full [court]. They’re just making us work before we even get into our sets.”
  • The Spurs have done a good job stockpiling extra draft picks, but now they’ll have to decide how best to use them, writes Nick Moyle of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). As Moyle outlines, San Antonio could have as many as eight first-round picks and eight more second-rounders in the next four drafts. Given the young talent already on the roster and the desire to add complementary pieces around Victor Wembanyama, it won’t make sense for the Spurs to hang onto – and use – all those selections, so some could become trade chips.
  • After being benched down the stretch of the Pelicans‘ first play-in game vs. the Lakers, Brandon Ingram came up big last Friday vs. Sacramento, scoring a team-high 24 points to help New Orleans clinch a playoff berth. However, Ingram contributed just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting in Game 1 against Oklahoma City. Noting that the Pelicans will need more from the former All-Star going forward, William Guillory of The Athletic explores how they might get him going.
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Mavs Notes: Doncic, Irving, Kidd, Gafford, Adjustments

April 22nd, 2024 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Luka Doncic believes he needs to be more assertive in the Mavericks’ first-round series against the Clippers. Los Angeles jumped to a 26-point halftime lead and cruised to a 109-97 win in Game 1 on Sunday.

“I just gotta stay aggressive. That was my bad,” Doncic said, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “In the first half, I wasn’t aggressive enough. I just gotta stay aggressive and find the open man.”

His backcourt partner has somewhat of an explanation for the team’s 30-point first half.

“We knew we were going to have to knock off some rust,” Kyrie Irving said. “Us as a team, we have guys that have missed three weeks, two weeks. [Tim Hardaway Jr.] not being with us for the past few days of preparation. I’m not saying those things are excuses, but internally, those things matter for the importance of what we’re getting ready for.”

We have more on the Mavs:

  • Jason Kidd, whose job security may hinge on how the team fares in the playoffs, had a simple explanation for the Game 1 defeat, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “They were physical and we were passive,” Kidd said. Dallas’ frontcourt was especially ineffective and Daniel Gafford, who tweaked his ankle during the contest, takes the blame. “I just didn’t come out ready to play, in all honesty,” he said. “I have to be better when it comes to me being a starter on the floor. I have to be able to be better in areas that I’ve always succeeded in throughout the regular season. I’ve got to come out and I’ve got to play playoff basketball, not what I showed out (Sunday).”
  • The Mavs failed to make adjustments on Sunday until it was too late, Tim Cato of The Athletic opines. It ultimately resulted in a wasted opportunity, since the Clippers are playing without Kawhi Leonard for the time being.
  • It may not have shown up in the opener, but Irving could be the ideal postseason partner for Doncic, Cato writes. When all goes well, the two guards might be the two best players on the floor for either side.
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Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic Named MVP Finalists

April 21st, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were revealed on Sunday as the finalists for the Most Valuable Player award, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

Doncic led the league in scoring (33.9 points per game) and finished second in assists (9.8) while also grabbing 9.2 rebounds per contest. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference by averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Jokic, who is widely considered the favorite to win his third MVP trophy, averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per night.

The NBA also announced the finalists for six other postseason awards. Here are the finalists for all of those awards:

Most Valuable Player

Sixth Man

Defensive Player of the Year

Most Improved Player

Note: Sengun appeared in just 63 games but was eligible for award consideration based on the season-ending injury exception described in our glossary entry on the 65-game rule.

Coach of the Year

  • Mark Daigneault, Thunder
  • Chris Finch, Timberwolves
  • Jamahl Mosley, Magic

Rookie of the Year

Clutch Player of the Year

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Southwest Notes: Cuban, Doncic, Sengun, Pelicans, Spurs

April 12th, 2024 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Confirming prior reporting from Forbes, Marc Stein (Substack link) cites sources who say that Mark Cuban‘s sale agreement with Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont stipulates that the Mavericks‘ new majority owners have the option to buy an additional 20% of the franchise in four years.

For the time being, Cuban has retained control of 27% of the team and reportedly still maintains a voice in the personnel decisions, though he’s no longer the final decision-maker. However, if Adelson and Dumont exercise that option a few years from now, the extra shares would come out of Cuban’s stake in the team, reducing his holdings to below 10%.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Luka Doncic likely won’t finish higher than second in MVP voting this season, but the fact that he’s legitimately in the conversation is more important to the Mavericks than him actually winning the award, opines Tim Cato of The Athletic. As Cato explains, this version of Doncic raises Dallas’ ceiling and makes the team a bona fide contender.
  • Alperen Sengun (ankle/knee) won’t return for either of the Rockets‘ final two games of the season, Kelly Iko of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter). Sengun is a candidate for this year’s Most Improved Player award, but because he only appeared in 63 games, an independent doctor would need to rule that his injury is likely to sideline him through at least May 31 in order for him to be eligible for award consideration.
  • Although New Orleans has yet to clinch its playoff spot, the team looks better than it has in years and is on track to win the most games it has in a season since being rebranded as the Pelicans in 2013. James Herbert of CBS Sports checks in on the Pelicans to get a sense of why this year’s team is more dangerous than the one we’ve seen in recent seasons, as well as what the next steps are for the franchise.
  • Victor Wembanyama has been everything the Spurs hoped he’d be in his first year in the NBA and figures to only get better going forward, but will San Antonio be able to build a contender around the young star? Isaac Levy-Rubinett of The Ringer explores that question, considering the players the Spurs already have on their roster, their draft assets, and a potential trade target.
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