Rockets Hope For Replay After Loss To Spurs
The NBA hasn’t replayed part of a game in more than a decade, but the Rockets believe they have a strong case for one after Tuesday’s double-overtime loss in San Antonio, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Houston was denied two important points when a dunk by James Harden was disallowed with 7:50 left in the game. The ball went through the hoop, but got caught in the net and popped out in front of the basket. After some initial confusion, officials ruled it no basket. The dunk would have increased the Rockets’ lead to 15 points.
Team sources told MacMahon after the game they are optimistic the league will review the situation and either award them the victory or demand a replay of the final 7:50 of regulation.
“When the play happened, Harden goes in for a dunk, and then the ball appears to us to pop back through the net,” crew chief James Capers explained to a pool reporter after the game. “When that happens, that is basket interference. To have a successful field goal, it must clear the net. We have since come in here and looked at the play. He dunked it so hard that the net carried it back over the rim a second time, so in fact it did clear the net and should have been a successful field goal.”
“As to could the play have been reviewed, it is a reviewable matter, but you have a window of 30 seconds to challenge the play during that timeout that he had and while they were protesting the call, trying to get clarification of it, that window passed. So therefore, it elapsed, and they were not able to do it.”
“I heard that they said the ball hit James and went back through, so it was a goaltend on James. I challenged that, and I didn’t get a response,” D’Antoni said. “Then another guy said it wasn’t a goaltend; it went out of bounds on us. And I said, ‘Well, I challenge that.’ Can’t do that.”
The Rockets may file a formal protest, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, but are waiting to see if the league takes action first.
The last time the NBA ordered that part of a game be replayed came in 2008, according to MacMahon. The Hawks defeated the Heat in overtime, but the official scorer mistakenly determined that Miami center Shaquille O’Neal fouled out with 51.9 seconds to go, so that portion of the game was replayed when the teams met again.
Latest On Zion Williamson’s Recovery
Zion Williamson‘s NBA regular season debut is getting closer, but it’s still not imminent.
According to Kristen Ledlow of TNT (Twitter link), the Pelicans‘ much-hyped rookie “turned a corner” in his rehab process, but the club continues to err on the side of caution. As such, Williamson’s return will “definitely” come outside the initial six-to-eight-week window provided by the Pels.
A source tells Andrew Lopez of ESPN that Williamson has begun doing some on-court work, including “light walkthroughs” with the team, as well as spot shooting. In addition to needing to ramp up that on-court work and begin taking contact, the No. 1 overall pick will also have to reach certain conditioning benchmarks before he makes his debut, Lopez writes.
The Pelicans announced Williamson’s original six-to-eight-week timetable back on October 21, so the eight-week mark would fall on December 16. It’s safe to say we won’t see Williamson on the court before then, which means his earliest possible target date would be on December 17, when the Pelicans host Brooklyn.
There’s certainly no guarantee that Williamson will be back for that game against the Nets, but if he can make it back during that following week, it’d be good news for NBA fans. The Pelicans are participating in one of the NBA’s five Christmas Day games this year, and a healthy Zion would make that matchup vs. Denver a whole lot more interesting.
Pau Gasol To Join Blazers’ Coaching Staff
After being waived last month by the Trail Blazers, Pau Gasol intends to join the team’s coaching staff, head coach Terry Stotts confirmed tonight to reporters, including Casey Holdahl (Twitter link). Gasol is currently in Spain, but when he returns, he’ll officially come aboard Stotts’ staff.
Gasol, who continues to rehab a foot injury, was released by the Blazers before appearing in a single game for the team. At the time of that move, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Portland and Gasol were working on a potential coaching role for the veteran big man.
Taking on a coaching role doesn’t necessarily mean Gasol has decided to retire as a player. However, between his foot issues and his age (39), the odds may be against an NBA comeback at this point. The six-time All-Star played 77 games for the Spurs in 2017/18, but was limited to 30 games last season due to injuries.
It’s not yet clear when Gasol will return from Spain, tweets Mark Medina of USA Today.
Thomas Bryant Out At Least Three Weeks With Foot Injury
Wizards center Thomas Bryant is expected to be sidelined until at least Christmas, with the team announcing today in a press release that he has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot. According to the Wizards, Bryant will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
Bryant, 22, had a modest breakout season a year ago after being claimed off waivers from the Lakers by the Wizards. He had been building on last year’s success in the early going in 2019/20, averaging career bests in PPG (13.9), RPG (8.5), APG (2.7), and a handful of other categories through 18 games (all starts).
With Bryant sidelined, the Wizards find themselves somewhat shorthanded at the five. Veteran big man Ian Mahinmi has been unable to take the court so far this season due to an Achilles injury, while Moritz Wagner missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and is out tonight as well.
Wagner should see heavy minutes at center when he’s ready to return. Until then, the team may rely more heavily smaller lineups, with forwards like Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura as the bigs. A roster move is also possible, though Washington doesn’t currently have an open spot.
Carmelo Anthony Was Prepared To Retire Before Portland Offer Arrived
Carmelo Anthony had spent over a year without a basketball team before the Trail Blazers gave him a call. The 10-time All-Star had been preparing himself for the retirement up until that point, as he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (link via Nick Friedell of ESPN.com).
“I was preparin’ myself,” Anthony said of the idea of having played his last NBA game. “And I had prepared myself to kinda just walk away from the game — if the right situation didn’t come about.”
Still, Anthony always knew that he could still contribute in the league. He simply needed the right opportunity.
“So if I were just to go to a team and to a situation just to be on the team and it didn’t work out, it was gonna come back on me anyway. Like, the blame is gonna be on me anyway. So a situation like Portland, where I could just come in and just play my game and have a group of guys that really want me, and the organization that want me,” Anthony explained.
“There’s no better feelin’ than when you feel wanted. And I think that’s what kinda keeps me motivated and understandin’, like, this situation is — it is and was the best situation for me.”
Melo was named Western Conference player of the week on Monday. He’s averaging 17.7 points per game and Portland is 3-3 since Anthony arrived.
“I feel good,” Anthony said. “Just because I’m 35 years old and I’m supposed to be, you know, the book says you’re supposed to be about to retire around this time? Like — like, no, I’ve always been against all odds. … I just had a year off. … I had a year off restin’ my body.
“The most important part about that is I rested my mind right. I got my mind right. And I don’t think people understand how strong that is. When you’re able to get your mind right, everything else flows.”
NBA’s Waiver Claims Order Changes Today
December 1 is a relatively minor day on the NBA calendar, but it will change the way waiver claims are processed for the rest of the season. Starting today, the waiver claim order will be determined by the current NBA standings, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Up until now, the order had been set by where teams finished last season.
The change is especially significant for the Warriors, who are now first in line after previously being 28th. Devastated by injuries and free agent losses, Golden State is off to a 4-16 start, which is the worst record in the league. However, their ability to make any move is restricted by a hard cap that was imposed with the sign-and-trade that brought D’Angelo Russell to the Bay Area.
Next in line are the Hawks (4-16), Knicks (4-15), Cavaliers (5-14) and Grizzlies (5-13). You can follow changes to the order all season long on our Reverse Standings.
Nine waiver claims have been made since the league’s new year began in July. These moves typically involve fringe players, and a couple of them are no longer on the roster of the teams that claimed them. Tyrone Wallace has been claimed twice — by the Timberwolves in July after the Clippers waived him and by the Hawks in October after he was cut by Minnesota.
Today also marks an important guarantee date for two players, Marks adds. Heat rookie Kendrick Nunn will see his guarantee increase from $300K to $450K once the deadline passes at 5pm Eastern Time (Twitter link). Nunn signed a three-year, $5MM contract at the end of last season, including a $1.4MM salary for this year that will become fully guaranteed along with all league salaries on January 7. Nunn is a surprise Rookie of the Year candidate, starting all 18 games and averaging 16.4 PPG.
Bucks forward Dragan Bender will see his guarantee rise from $600K to $800K if he stays on the roster past the 5pm deadline (Twitter link). He has a two-year, $3.5MM deal with partial guarantees, but has only gotten into two games so far. He will receive $1.68MM if he remains with the team through January 7.
Al-Farouq Aminu Out Indefinitely With Torn Meniscus
Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu has a torn meniscus in his right knee, the team announced on Twitter. An MRI revealed the damage. He will be evaluated further to determine how the injury will be treated and how long he will be out of action.
Aminu, 29, signed a three-year, $29MM deal with Orlando in July. He is playing 21.1 minutes per night through 18 games, mostly in a reserve role, and is averaging 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
The news is the latest injury blow to a Magic team already missing starting center Nikola Vucevic, along with Michael Carter-Williams. It should mean more minutes for Aaron Gordon, who returned from an ankle injury this week, and Jonathan Isaac, as well as a potential opportunity for third-year forward Wesley Iwundu.
Orlando is carrying an open roster spot that could be filled if depth becomes an issue, points out Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Ja Morant Sidelined With Back Spasms
Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant will be out of action on a “week-to-week basis” with back spasms, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The star point guard first hurt his back in Monday’s game at Indiana when he collided with a camera operator after a layup attempt, writes David Cobb of The Commercial Appeal. He was helped off the court and appeared to be pointing to the middle of his upper back, Cobb adds, but later returned to the game.
Morant scored just 11 points against the Jazz last night, shooting 4 of 13 from the field, and appeared to be bothered by back pain. He is off to a strong start in his first NBA season, averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists through 17 games.
Morant’s absence provides an opportunity for Tyus Jones, who came to Memphis this summer when the Timberwolves declined to match a three-year, $24MM offer sheet. He is averaging 19.3 minutes per night as a backup to Morant. Marko Guduric and De’Anthony Melton should also get an increase in playing time.
Wizards’ C.J. Miles Could Miss Rest Of Season With Wrist Injury
The Wizards could be without forward C.J. Miles for the rest of the season as he heads to see a specialist about damaged ligaments in his left wrist, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post reports (Twitter link).
Miles, 32, will see a specialist on Monday and if he needs to undergo surgery, he would miss the remainder of the season. He was recently ruled out for Washington’s upcoming road trip due to the wrist injury before the severity was known.
In 10 games this season, Miles has averaged 6.4 PPG while shooting 32.2% from the field. The veteran was seeing just over 16 minutes per contest.
While Miles has not been a focal point of the offense, he provides scoring punch and floor spacing off the bench that the Wizards would need to replace.
Alex Poythress Signing With Turkish Team
Alex Poythress, a two-way player with the Hawks last season, will sign with Galatasaray in Istanbul, Turkey, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Poythress began the season with the Jilin Northeast Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Poythress got into 21 games for Atlanta last year, averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per night. The 26-year-old power forward started his NBA career in April of 2017, appearing in six games with the Sixers. He joined the Pacers on a two-way deal the following season and played 25 games.
Poythress will replace former NBA center Ben Moore on the Galatasaray roster. Moore, who played two games for the Pacers during the 2017/18 season, asked to be released from his commitment with the Turkish team so he could return to the United States and be closer to his family following the death of his grandfather. He plans to seek a spot in the G League.