Heat’s Kyle Lowry Suffers Left Hamstring Injury
9:36: Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Lowry has a hamstring injury of unknown severity and will undergo additional testing on Saturday, per the team (Twitter link).
9:01pm: Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter of Game 3 against the Hawks on Friday night, which caused him to leave the game and not return, the team announced (via Twitter).
As John Hollinger of The Athletic notes (Twitter link), Atlanta forward De’Andre Hunter landed on Lowry’s foot while the two were away from the ball, causing the guard to hop off the court. It’s unclear at this time if the injury will impact his availability going forward, but the fact that he had to leave the game early isn’t a great sign.
Lowry is in his first season with Miami after a hugely successful nine-season stint with Toronto. He’s a six-time All-Star and won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.
In 63 regular season games this season (33.9 minutes), the 36-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.1 steals with a .440/.377/.851 shooting slash line. Those numbers have dipped a bit through the first two games of the Miami/Atlanta playoff series, with Lowry averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.5 BPG on .375/.300/.800 shooting.
With Lowry potentially sidelined, Miami will likely rely on backups Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent for additional minutes and play-making duties.
The Heat ultimately lost a nail-biter to the Hawks in Game 3, 111-110. Miami now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday in Atlanta.
Kings To Interview Mike D’Antoni, Mark Jackson, Others
The Kings will interview former NBA head coaches Mike D’Antoni and Mark Jackson for their open head coaching position, sources tell Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Sacramento has also received permission to interview former coaches Mike Brown and Steve Clifford, as well as Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Of the former head coaches, D’Antoni currently serves as an advisor to Pelicans head coach Willie Green, Jackson is an ABC/ESPN broadcaster, Brown is an assistant with the Warriors, and Clifford is a consultant for the Nets.
The Kings have done their homework on a wide range of candidates and narrowed their list down to a smaller group, according to Charania and Amick, though the above list of candidates isn’t necessarily complete, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC10 in Sacramento.
The Kings will begin conducting virtual interviews with candidates next week, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320, who tweets that in-person meetings will take place after that first round of Zoom interviews.
Sacramento is in the market for a new head coach after firing Luke Walton near the start of the 2021/22 season and then opting not to retain his interim replacement, Alvin Gentry, last week.
When word first broke that the Kings weren’t bringing back Gentry, Wojnarowski said they would consider candidates who have previously turned lottery teams into playoff clubs. D’Antoni (Phoenix), Jackson (Golden State), Brown (Cleveland), and Clifford (Charlotte and Orlando) all technically fit that bill.
Ham, Lee, and Hardy don’t have head coaching experience, but have all interviewed for head coaching positions in recent years. Ham and Lee reportedly received consideration from multiple teams in 2021, while Hardy was in the mix for multiple jobs in 2020.
Celtics’ Robert Williams Targeting Game 3 Return
1:58pm: Barring a setback, Williams intends to return in Game 3 on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wonjarowski, who tweets that the big man will be on a minutes restriction. If everything goes according to plan, Williams would take on something closer to his normal role in Game 4 on Monday, Wojnarowski says.
12:17pm: Celtics center Robert Williams is close to returning to action, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Williams could potentially play vs. the Nets in Game 3 on Saturday or Game 4 on Monday.
A final determination will be based on how Williams is feeling from day to day as he goes through the final stages of his recovery process, Charania adds. A league source who spoke to Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link) stressed that it remains possible the 24-year-old will need a little more time and won’t return for the upcoming games in Brooklyn.
When Williams underwent a partial meniscectomy to address the torn meniscus in his left knee on March 30, the Celtics announced a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks, and have repeatedly stated since then that the big man remains on track. It has only been 23 days since that timeline was confirmed, so if Williams is able to make it back for one of the next two games, he’ll be returning ahead of schedule.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said on Thursday that Williams was progressing well and would travel with the Celtics after participating in some 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages and doing contact work this week (Twitter links via Jay King of The Athletic).
The Celtics have a 2-0 lead over the Nets as the series moves to Brooklyn, so there’s no urgency to rush Williams back if he’s not quite ready yet. Still, it sounds like there’s a decent chance both teams could get reinforcements by Game 4, with Ben Simmons also targeting a return on Monday.
Hornets Fire James Borrego
11:56am: The Hornets officially announced in a press release that they’ve relieved Borrego of his duties as head coach.
“I want to thank JB for his hard work and commitment during these past four seasons,” president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “Beyond his work as a coach, he is a tremendous person. I wish him and his family the best in the future. These decisions are always difficult. Having said that, we have a talented, young core of players which has me very excited about the future of the Hornets. We will begin the search for our new head coach immediately.”
10:46am: The Hornets are dismissing head coach James Borrego, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Borrego is just one year removed from signing a contract extension with Charlotte. After having his option for 2021/22 picked up, Borrego agreed to a new deal that reportedly tacked on at least two years to his previous contract. However, it appears the Hornets are letting him go before that contract even takes effect.
A former Spurs assistant, Borrego was hired to replace Steve Clifford in 2018. He led the team to a 39-43 record in his first year, then posted a 23-42 mark in year two after losing Kemba Walker in free agency.
In the last two years, however, the Hornets had been taking positive steps forward, led by young cornerstones LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, in addition to veteran additions like Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier.
Charlotte went 33-39 in 2020/21 and 43-39 this season, despite missing Hayward due to injuries for a significant portion of this year. In both 2021 and 2022, the team made the play-in tournament, but was blown out in its first game and eliminated from playoff contention.
As Wojnarowski observes (via Twitter), the decision to move on from Borrego is somewhat surprising, but it seems that Hornets leadership decided that the team’s poor play-in showings and lack of playoff berths negated the positive development shown by Ball, Bridges, and – prior to his 2021 departure – Devonte’ Graham.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report wrote earlier this month that there had been some speculation about the possibility of the Hornets replacing Borrego if the team didn’t make the playoffs, but Fischer said at the time there was a “heavier dose of optimism” that the head coach would stick around. One rival assistant GM told Bleacher Report “it would make no sense” to fire him, given the progress he had made with the team’s young core.
The Hornets will be the third team this offseason to launch a search for a new head coach, joining the Lakers and Kings.
Bucks’ Khris Middleton Out At Least Two Weeks
6:55pm: The team confirmed Wojnarowski’s report in a press release, adding that Middleton will receive daily treatment and evaluation prior to the next status update in approximately two weeks.
5:35pm: Bucks All-Star wing Khris Middleton has an MCL sprain in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the first-round series against the Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, Wojnarowski adds, and is sidelined indefinitely, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Middleton’s injury could have a major impact on the outcome of the Eastern Conference playoffs and seriously jeopardizes Milwaukee’s chances of defending its crown.
Middleton suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday and underwent an MRI on Thursday.
“Obviously Khris is one of the best players on the team,” MVP finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo said after the game. “If he’s not able to be with us, it going to be a tremendous loss for us.”
The third-seeded Bucks lost home-court advantage with their Game 2 loss and now must defeat the sixth-seeded Bulls three times without their second-best player in order to advance. Middleton was rather quiet in Game 1, contributing 11 points and eight assists while committing seven turnovers. He had 18 points and eight assists in 33 minutes during Game 2 before he was hurt.
Middleton played a monstrous role in last year’s playoffs, averaging 23.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 5.1 APG during Milwaukee’s 23-game run. Without him, the Bucks will have to squeeze more production out of Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, while Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday must shoulder even more of the scoring and playmaking burden.
Milwaukee did have some positive news on the injury front. Bobby Portis, who sustained a right eye abrasion in the first quarter of Game 2 and didn’t return, is not on the Game 3 injury report, Jim Owczarski of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Luka Doncic Out For Game 3, Targeting Game 4 Return
4:50pm: Doncic won’t play tonight, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The Mavs are planning to bring back Doncic for Saturday’s Game 4, Marc Stein tweets.
3:55pm: Mavericks guard Luka Doncic appears unlikely to return for Game 3 against Utah on Thursday night, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Doncic is dealing with a strained left calf that he suffered in the team’s regular season finale. He was officially listed as questionable for Game 3 and has increased his activity in recent days after a report earlier this week indicated there was optimism Doncic would be able to suit up for Game 3 or Game 4 — it seems Mavs fans will have to wait at least one more game.
“We’ll see how he feels at game time,” coach Jason Kidd said on Thursday, adding that he expected Doncic to go through his normal pregame warmup routine. The All-NBA guard went through an extended individual workout after Dallas’ shootaround and said he was “feeling great” after the session.
Wojnarowski and MacMahon note that Thursday is 11 days removed from when Doncic was injured, and the average NBA player missed 16 days this season with a calf strain, per InStreetClothes.com. The Jazz will host Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on Saturday before the series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5 next Monday.
“He is a player that has so much ahead of him in his future, so him being smart about it is key,” said Mavs guard Jalen Brunson, whose career-high 41 points keyed the Game 2 win. “I think it just shows the trust that he has in us as well. He trusts us. He’s just making the best decision for himself. As teammates, we respect that.”
Dallas will continue to rely on Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie in Doncic’s absence. The series between the fourth and fifth seeds is currently tied at one game apiece.
Potential No. 1 Pick Chet Holmgren Enters Draft
Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren has declared for the 2022 NBA draft, he told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Holmgren is the No. 1 overall prospect on ESPN’s best available players list.
“After a season where we accomplished a lot of great things as both a team and an individual, I feel like I’m in a position to be able to chase my lifelong dream to play in the NBA,” Holmgren told ESPN.
The seven-foot, 195-pound freshman averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.7 blocks on .607/.390/.717 shooting in 32 games (26.9 minutes) this season. Holmgren won numerous accolades for his standout season, including second-team All-America, West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-WCC, among others.
Holmgren said he hopes he lands with a team that will be a good fit for him, even if it isn’t atop the draft board.
“I understand basketball is a business and going No. 1 doesn’t mean nearly as much as finding a good fit and the right situation,” Holmgren told Wojnarowski. “At the end of the day, I’m hoping for whatever is best for me and my future, and if that’s at No. 1, then that’s great.”
One of the more polarizing and unique top prospects, Holmgren has great length and defensive instincts along with guard-like skills. Holmgren, who turns 20 next month, is a good ball-handler who moves with fluidity and has developed an outside shot, but struggles against stronger, more physically dominant players, according to ESPN’s Mike Schmitz.
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reports (via Twitter) that Holmgren has picked Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management to be his agent. Duffy represents several players, including Mavs star Luka Doncic (per RealGM).
Devin Booker Could Be Out 2-3 Weeks With Hamstring Strain
Suns star Devin Booker has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and could miss two to three weeks, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Reports on Wednesday indicated that Booker was unlikely to play in Games 3 and 4 of Phoenix’s series against New Orleans — now it sounds like the injury could sideline him beyond that.
After scoring 31 points in the first half of the Suns’ Game 2 loss on Tuesday, Booker left the game in the third quarter due to the injury and didn’t return. Booker underwent an MRI on Wednesday and the Suns initially deemed it to be a mild hamstring strain, but were still evaluating the results.
As Windhorst explains, a typical recovery period for a player with a Grade 1 hamstring strain is between 14-21 days. However, sources tell ESPN that Pelicans head coach Willie Green is warning his players to expect Booker back sooner than that.
Booker missed seven games earlier this season due to a hamstring strain that affected his left leg. He also played through a hamstring injury during last year’s NBA Finals and has dealt with a few other hamstring issues over the years, though none have been too significant — this year’s seven-game absence was his longest stretch on the sidelines.
The top-seeded Suns, who went 8-6 this season without Booker, will still be favored over the Pelicans even without their leading scorer, but they don’t have a huge margin for error as they head to New Orleans with the series tied at one game apiece.
In 68 regular season games this season (34.5 MPG), Booker averaged 26.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.1 SPG on .466/.383/.868 shooting. He was outstanding during the team’s run to the Finals last season and carried that strong play into this postseason, averaging 28 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 4.5 APG on .526/.579/.833 shooting in the first two games of the series (32.5 MPG). Game 3 tips off at 8:30pm CT on Friday night.
Magic’s Terrence Ross Would Welcome Trade
Magic swingman Terrence Ross initially expected to be traded in March 2021 when the team moved Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. However, Ross remained in Orlando through that trade deadline and through the 2022 deadline too.
With just one year remaining on his contract with the Magic, Ross hasn’t explicitly requested a trade, but he has made it clear he’d welcome a change of scenery, according to Price. Asked if he plans to talk to the front office about wanting to be dealt, Ross told The Orlando Sentinel that the Magic are “well aware of that, so there’s no point,” adding that it’s up to the team to make that decision.
“We’re definitely in different spots,” Ross said. “I feel like I’m a part of that old regime, and they’re going in a different direction. I don’t know what they’ve got in store for me. It’s hard to say. They don’t really let me know too much about what they’re doing. I’m kind of here just along for the ride.”
Ross averaged just 23.0 minutes per game in 63 appearances for the Magic in 2021/22, which was his lowest MPG average since he joined the team in 2017. He fell out of the rotation entirely at times down the stretch as Orlando leaned further into developing its young players.
Of course, Ross’ play this season didn’t help matters — his .397 FG% and .292 3PT% were both career lows. If his three-point percentage had been more in line with his career rate (36.1%), it presumably would’ve been easier for the Magic to move him at the deadline.
Now that he’s on a relatively reasonable ($11.5MM) expiring contract, it will be interesting to see whether there’s a team willing to send the Magic an asset or two this offseason to acquire Ross and bet on a bounce-back season. For his part, the 31-year-old wing says he’d like to be part of a team that’s not going through a rebuild.
“If I was younger (or) one contract before this, it would be a different story,” Ross said during an appearance on the Outta Pocket podcast. “… But I’ve kind of already done that, I’ve been through a few rebuilds already. I’m 10 years in. Time is kind of going against me at this point, so I don’t really want to stay in another rebuild.
Ross added that he’s had fun and had “some good runs” in Orlando, but that he’s prepared to transition into a new situation, preferably on a playoff team.
“At least being on a contender and just helping a team and bringing some of the knowledge I have of being a vet,” Ross said on the Outta Pocket podcast. “Coming off the bench and get buckets.”
Ben Simmons Plans To Make Nets Debut In Game 4
APRIL 21: Simmons plans to make his Nets debut in Game 4 on Monday as long as he has no setbacks between now and then, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
APRIL 20: Game 4 of the Nets‘ series vs. Boston on Monday appears to be a “realistic target” for Ben Simmons to make his Brooklyn debut, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).
As Wojnarowski explains, the possibility of Simmons returning for Game 3 on Saturday hasn’t been ruled out, but there may not be enough time for the three-time All-Star to clear all the hurdles he needs to by then. Based on his progress in practices this week and the expectation that he’ll continue to further accelerate his ramp-up process in the coming days, Game 4 is a more viable target date, Woj says.
Acquired in February’s James Harden blockbuster, Simmons has yet to suit up for the Nets, largely due to a herniated disk in his back. But he has been making steady forward progress in his recovery from that injury since receiving an epidural last month, and participated in a 4-on-4 scrimmage this week for the first time since becoming a Net.
Head coach Steve Nash has consistently stressed that there’s no timeline for Simmons’ return and repeatedly told reporters that the 25-year-old still has to go through several stages of the ramp-up process before being cleared. However, while he reiterated on Wednesday that the team doesn’t have a set timeline for Simmons, Nash shifted his tone a little and hinted that a return could be close.
“There’s no other way than him to say, ‘I’m ready,'” Nash said when asked about a timetable, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “Especially after an absence this long. So whenever he is ready, it’s going to have to be on him to say, ‘I feel comfortable. I feel ready to go. I want to play and I want to contribute.’
“We can’t push him places when you have been out this long. It’s got to be something where he is definitely comfortable and ready to play.”
Before arriving in Brooklyn, Simmons sat out the entire season as a Sixer due to mental health issues and a desire to be traded. He hasn’t played since last June when Philadelphia was eliminated by Atlanta in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If he returns during the Nets/Celtics series, Simmons will almost certainly play a more limited role than he did with the 76ers.