Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Mazzulla, Thomas, Barrett
Kristaps Porzingis has already been ruled out of Monday’s in-season tournament quarterfinal at Indiana, but the Celtics are optimistic he’ll return to action this week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).
According to Woj, there’s “increasing confidence” that Porzingis will be available for the semifinal against either Milwaukee or New York if Boston advances past the Pacers. That would take place on Thursday if the Celtics win tonight, but if they lose and are eliminated, their next game would be a normal regular season contest on Friday.
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has ruffled some feathers amongst rival teams this season with some of his decisions, including intentionally fouling Bulls center Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter of a blowout victory last week when Boston was trying to secure a berth in the quarterfinal via point differential. Mazzulla says he’s not worried about being friendly with opposing coaches, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). “How do I say this nicely? I don’t care,” he said. “But I also have respect for people. Like I learn from every coach, I think they’re a lot of great coaches in the league. I’ve studied what other teams do. But as far as having an off-court relationship with a coach? I don’t. That’s like last on the list.”
- Nets guard Cam Thomas shot just 7-of-23 from the floor in Saturday’s victory over Orlando, which snapped the Magic’s nine-game winning streak. However, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, Thomas contributed in other ways in his second game back from an ankle injury, drawing double-teams while recording seven rebounds and a season-high five assists. “Look at the passes that he threw. He can play-make. He’s more than a scorer,” said head coach Jacque Vaughn. “He’s really taken a step on the defensive end of the floor, which makes me extremely happy as a coach that he wants to defend. He’s gotten better at defending.” Vaughn also praised Thomas’ preparation and ability to draw fouls.
- Knicks forward RJ Barrett had a strong start to the 2023/24 season interrupted by migraines, which caused him to miss three games, and he’s still trying to regain his prior form, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The 23-year-old is shooting just 34.4% from the field and 25.0% from long distance over the past seven games. “Having a week where you don’t play, it’s not ideal,” Barrett said. “But at the end of the day, I’ve also had a [few] weeks where I’ve been playing. No excuses; I’m kind of getting back to it.”
New York Notes: Randle, Brunson, Vaughn, Simmons, DSJ
Two-time Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle continues to thrive for New York despite dealing with lingering knee soreness, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. He has played in all 19 of the team’s games thus far this season after appearing in 77 of 82 last year.
“You almost come to expect that from him. If he can go, he’s going,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And I love that about him. He wanted to get out there, and he warmed up early to see how he would feel. And then he got with the medical people. But Julius, he gives you what he has. He doesn’t take days off.”
New York even wanted Randle to rest the knee earlier this week, Bondy notes, but Randle rejected the idea. He’s averaging 20.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 5.5 APG for New York.
“[I’ll play] all the time,” Randle said. “I think it’s more we just love to play. It’s not really about load management. We just love to play basketball. Me personally, I love to play basketball, so if I can play I’m going to play.”
There’s more out of the City That Never Sleeps:
- Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson has developed a gift for drawing charges, writes Bondy in a separate piece. He has already drawn 30 offensive fouls thus far this season. Bondy notes that he could be en route to a new NBA record. “Obviously I’m not meeting anybody at the rim. So I know I can impact the game that way,” Brunson told Bondy. “So whatever it takes to win, honestly. I find myself in that position and if I bail out, I’m bailing out on my teammates. So I got to be willing to take the contact and pray for the best.”
- Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn is helping a young, talented team develop at a pace that’s perhaps quicker than pundits may have anticipated, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber exclusive). Third-year shooting guard Cam Thomas is enjoying a breakout season and looks like a potential candidate for Most Improved Player honors if he can keep this output up. He’s currently averaging 26.1 PPG on .464/.343/.846 splits, along with 3.9 RPG and 2.3 APG.
- Oft-injured Nets forward Ben Simmons is still weeks away from returning to the lineup for Brooklyn, but reserve point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has returned, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Simmons has missed 12 straight contests with a lower back impingement. Smith had been dealing with a strained lower back for six games.
Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Maxey, Embiid, Thomas, Porzingis
The Raptors still appear to be figuring out their identity, trying to navigate their path through player development while simultaneously attempting to win now, according to The Athletic’s Eric Koreen. In order to fully develop budding star Scottie Barnes, Toronto needs to better optimize the lineups it is running, Koreen writes.
Koreen observes Toronto’s lineups with cramped spacing aren’t doing much to advance Barnes’ development. Instead of having the opportunity to kick the ball out to shooters, Barnes is sometimes featured in lineups with multiple players who are not feared from beyond the arc.
Barnes also isn’t yet confident enough to singlehandedly run the floor and lineups that feature him and OG Anunoby as the only starters have struggled, per Koreen. Koreen acknowledges this is more of a roster construction issue than a minute-distribution issue, but suggests changes. Otto Porter Jr. is a player mentioned who could help alleviate spacing issues.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Tyrese Maxey continues to play at a superstar level for the Sixers, averaging 27.0 points and 6.7 assists through his first 18 games. Appearing on NBA Today (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Maxey’s development is one of the biggest storylines of the season and speculates that it may just keep Joel Embiid in Philadelphia for the long run. Windhorst says Maxey’s play is keeping the Sixers in title contention despite trading James Harden and because of their play, the chatter from fans and media surrounding Embiid potentially wanting out is dying down.
- The Nets are faced with a difficult decision regarding their starting lineup after a strong 26-point return from injury from Cam Thomas, writes the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez. Thomas began the season on the bench but was quickly inserted into the starting lineup due to his impressive scoring (26.8 PPG). After missing nine straight games due to injury, he was brought off the bench. But because the Nets’ offense runs through him, they’ll likely look to move him into the starting lineup again, meaning Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie or Dorian Finney-Smith are candidates to be benched moving forward, according to Sanchez.
- Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t played since Nov. 24 and while he still isn’t practicing, he’s been out on the court, tweets The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. Porzingis’s status remains up in the air for Boston’s in-season tournament quarterfinal on Monday against the Pacers. In 15 games this season, Porzingis has averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds.
New York Notes: Thomas, Nets, Simmons, Hartenstein, Knicks
The Nets are getting their leading scorer back on Thursday, as the team announced that guard Cam Thomas will return to action against Charlotte (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).
Thomas will be on a minutes restriction after missing the past nine games with a left ankle sprain, a team source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter).
The 27th pick of the 2021 draft, Thomas was having a breakout third season for Brooklyn prior to the injury, averaging career highs virtually every major statistic, including points (26.9), rebounds (3.8), assists (2.1) and minutes per game (32.4) through eight contests (seven starts). The 22-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2024.
Here’s more from the NBA’s two New York-based teams:
- Ben Simmons continues to be sidelined for the Nets — he’ll miss his 12th straight game on Thursday due to a nerve impingement in his lower left back, per the NBA’s official injury report. Dan Martin of The New York Post details how Brooklyn has begun to thrive without Simmons in the lineup, despite the team planning to build around his unique skill set in 2023/24. According to Martin, the Nets — who have won three straight — have gotten key contributions from different players “nearly every night” of late, including Royce O’Neale, Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson.
- When the Knicks signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16MM contract last year, they cited his shooting, play-making and passing as complementary skills to bruising center Mitchell Robinson. However, as Stefan Bondy writes in a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Hartenstein quickly learned last season that he needed to adapt his game to fit head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s system in order to stay in the rotation. “I think that’s a thing a lot of NBA players don’t do. That’s kind of how you whittle down the league,” Hartenstein said. “And for me, that was adjusting it to less of a finesse game and more of getting guys open [with screens], more of just crashing for the rebounds. Whereas before it was more passing, catching it in the pocket, playing off that.” Hartenstein doesn’t put up gaudy stats, but he thinks he’s in the conversation for being the best backup center in the league. When Bondy asked about his impending free agency in 2024, the 25-year-old said, “We’ll see what happens. I love New York, so we’ll see what happens.”
- The Knicks‘ schedule became more difficult after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, notes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). New York will play at Milwaukee on Tuesday for the quarterfinal matchup, meaning the Knicks will play the Bucks five times instead of four in ’23/24. If the Knicks and Celtics advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, they would have to play Boston a fifth time as well. Still, the Knicks view it as a chance to get better. “I don’t look at anything as a consequence,” forward Julius Randle said, per Popper. “Winning games, playing good basketball, got a chance to compete against the best. Who wouldn’t want that opportunity?”
Atlantic Notes: Hart, Reed, Dick, Barrett, Thomas, Smith
Knicks wing Josh Hart doesn’t agree with coach Tom Thibodeau‘s assessment of his role, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Hart, who signed a four-year, $81MM extension during the summer, believes he has a reduced role in the offense and doesn’t have the ball in his hands as often as he did last season. “I’m a rhythm player. So sometimes if I don’t touch the ball for four or five minutes running up and down the floor, just catch-and-shoot, I might as well be playing with a football,” Hart said.
However, his coach has an opposite view. “There really hasn’t been a change,” Thibodeau said. “To be honest, his usage is up. He’s handling the ball more. The way he’s being used is not any different than last year.”
Following the Knicks’ game against Charlotte on Tuesday, Hart made a point of telling the media he’s not unhappy, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. “Just so you know, I’m not a disgruntled player. Make sure y’all tweet that (stuff). Josh Hart said he’s not disgruntled.”
Katz detailed Hart’s usage in an in-depth piece on Tuesday.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Paul Reed was surprised that his comments about the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis during the morning shootaround on Monday went viral, as Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer details. The Sixers big man called Davis “a big flopper” and added, “he’s going to be flailing.” Reed soon found out his comments caused controversy. “I started checking Twitter and Instagram,” he said, “and I’m like, ‘Damn, people are really mad at me in the Lakers community.’” Reed and Davis wound up sharing the court for only three minutes in Philly’s blowout win.
- Raptors first-round pick Gradey Dick shot 6-for-33 over his first two games with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League team. Dick, who has appeared in 15 NBA games, told Blake Murphy of Sportsnet he’s not worried about his shot. “My confidence hasn’t dwindled at all,” Dick said. “I mean, I’ll go take the next 10 shots, I don’t really care. Because I know me as a shooter, and it’s not any cockiness, but at the same time I think it’s positive cockiness. I’ve put in enough work off the court and I’m still doing it now where I have that confidence and trust.”
- Knicks wing RJ Barrett says he’s still trying to get back in form after a bout with migraines, Bondy writes. Barrett has shot 33% of the field in the last five games after dealing with the severe headaches. “I didn’t pick up where I left off,” Barrett said. “That’s OK. Honestly, this was going to happen at some point during the season whether I got sick or not. So, I’m just doing what I do all the time, working my way out of it. Not worried.”
- Cam Thomas and Dennis Smith Jr. are getting close to returning, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn told Dan Martin of the New York Post. A sprained left ankle has sidelined Thomas since Nov. 8, while Smith has missed the last five games with a lower back sprain. They both participated in simulated-game activity after the team’s shootaround on Tuesday. “They’re both trending in the direction of hopefully playing with us soon,’’ Vaughn said. “The fact that they both participated is a good sign.”
New York Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Randle, Robinson, Claxton, Thomas
Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley have built chemistry during their second season together in the Knicks’ backcourt, as Fred Katz of The Athletic details. It’s especially notable in the screening Quickley does to create space for Brunson.
Whether they’ll remain together for the long haul remains to be seen. Quickley and the Knicks front office failed to reach a rookie scale extension agreement last month, which means Quickley will be a restricted free agent next summer.
We have more on the New York clubs:
- Julius Randle had a 28-point game against the Suns on Sunday but his inconsistent play is a big reason for the Knicks’ mediocre start, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. Randle, the team’s highest-salaried player at $28.2MM this season, is shooting 38.7% from the field and 69.2% from the free throw line.
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson took a hard fall against Phoenix on Sunday after he elevated for an offensive rebound during the third quarter. However, he’s apparently OK. Robinson went through practice on Monday, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, Katz tweets. Robinson was examined by the team’s trainers Sunday night.
- Nets center Nic Claxton, who aggravated a left ankle injury that has nagged him this season, is listed as questionable to play against Toronto on Tuesday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Cam Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points, is listed as doubtful. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8 due to a left ankle sprain.
Nets Notes: Claxton, Finney-Smith, Thomas, Whitehead, Irving
After missing eight games earlier this season with a high left ankle sprain, Nets center Nic Claxton twisted the ankle again Saturday night, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The injury happened late in the first quarter against Miami, and Claxton was able to walk to the locker room without assistance. He returned before the first half ended, but was held out of Sunday’s game.
Claxton was originally listed as probable for Sunday, but was downgraded to questionable before being ruled out less than an hour before tip-off. As he did during Claxton’s prolonged absence, coach Jacque Vaughn opted for a small-ball lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith getting the start in the middle. The 6’7″ forward has become a valuable long-distance threat for Brooklyn, ranking fourth in shooting percentage among players with at least 90 three-point attempts, and Vaughn is urging Finney-Smith to keep seeking his shots no matter what position he’s playing.
“He’s going to get opportunities, and hopefully we unleashed that mentally when I said to him ‘Shoot eight threes, bro. Go ahead, shoot them. We want you to shoot them, we believe in you. You’ve done it in the past,’” Vaughn said. “The last three, five years he was 40-something percent on corner 3s. … So he has the résumé behind it and we want to encourage him to keep shooting.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- The Nets are hoping to get some practice time for Cam Thomas, who missed his eighth straight game Sunday with a sprained ankle, Lewis adds, but a crowded schedule is preventing the team from having any official practice days. Vaughn indicated that he might have to get creative with Thomas, who would rank ninth in the league scoring race at 26.9 PPG if he had played enough to qualify. “Yeah, you didn’t participate in shootaround or whatever we had this walk-through [Sunday, Monday’s] an off day, so that kind of puts him in a tough position for us to schedule an actual practice for him,” Vaughn said. “So hopefully we’ll get to a point where we can simulate some things with some video guys and also with some G-League guys maybe in this week coming up.”
- First-round picks Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney were thrilled to make their NBA debuts late in Saturday’s game, Lewis states in a separate story. “I feel like a healthy Dariq Whitehead can be very special,” said Whitehead, who missed Summer League and training camp after foot surgery. “So just knowing that if I get my feet under me, get everything right in terms of the other problems that come with it — shin splints, and stuff like that — then I think I’ll be 100% fine, ready to go. I’ve definitely been feeling great.”
- After Kevin Durant talked about his Nets experience over the weekend, Kyrie Irving offered his perspective on what went wrong in Brooklyn. In a video posted by Clippers beat writer Tomer Azarly, Irving said, “It’s kind of like the girl that got away. … Looking back, you got a great bad wife, kids and you’re like, ‘Tss.’ I don’t wanna second guess it, I don’t wanna get in trouble with my wife. I’m not thinking about nobody else, baby.”
Injury Notes: Embiid, Nets, Lyles, Fultz, LeVert
Sixers center Joel Embiid will be sidelined for Wednesday’s game in Minnesota due to left hip soreness, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
While Embiid has been frequently impacted by injuries over the course of his career, there’s no indication at this point that his hip issue is a cause for any real concern. Wednesday’s contest is the second night of a back-to-back set and it will be the first game that the reigning MVP has missed this season. He played 41 minutes in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Cleveland.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Nets guard Ben Simmons (back nerve impingement) is making progress in his recovery and has begun “light individual court work,” but he’ll be sidelined for at least seven-to-10 more days, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn offered a more positive update on Cam Thomas, who has made “significant improvement” in his recovery from a left ankle sprain and has been cleared for increased on-court work. He’s expected to be integrated into team activities next week, according to the club. Guard Dennis Smith Jr., meanwhile, is day to day with a lower back sprain.
- Kings forward Trey Lyles, who has yet to play this season due to a left calf strain, appears to be on the verge of his season debut. According to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, Lyles is expected to be active on Wednesday vs. New Orleans, while Keegan Murray (lower back soreness) will likely be ruled out. Both players were listed as questionable in the NBA’s most recent injury report.
- Magic guard Markelle Fultz is unavailable for a seventh straight game on Wednesday vs. Denver due to left knee tendinitis, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
- In addition to missing Donovan Mitchell for the past three games, the Cavaliers have also been without Caris LeVert, who is dealing with knee soreness, for their past two contests, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs haven’t missed a beat without the two guards, however, and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.
Injury Notes: LaRavia, Reddish, Watanabe, DSJ, Thomas
Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia is undergoing a procedure to address a corneal abrasion of his left eye, the team announced in a press release on Tuesday (Twitter link). According to the club, LaRavia will be reevaluated in about two or three weeks, so he won’t return until sometime in December, at the earliest.
It’s the latest in a growing list of injuries for the Grizzlies, who are missing big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke due to long-term ailments and have also had Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Xavier Tillman go down recently.
The Grizzlies are already carrying one extra player on their standard roster while Ja Morant is on the suspended list, but could qualify for another roster spot via the hardship provision. A team can apply for a hardship exception when it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games due to injury or illness, assuming those players will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Wednesday’s game vs. Houston will be the third straight that Smart, Kennard, and Tillman have missed, so the Grizzlies could request a hardship exception after that contest if they want to try to add some extra depth.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Lakers forward Cam Reddish left Tuesday’s win over Utah early due to a groin injury and didn’t return. He’ll undergo further evaluation on Wednesday to assess the severity of the injury, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Head coach Darvin Ham said that second-year guard Max Christie could play a “really prominent” role on Wednesday vs. Dallas if Reddish can’t go, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
- Suns forward Yuta Watanabe, who was unavailable for a second straight game on Tuesday, has a “deep” thigh bruise that head coach Frank Vogel described as “really painful,” per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Watanabe’s return timeline is unclear.
- Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr., affected by a lower back sprain, underwent an MRI on Tuesday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Smith will be out for a second consecutive game on Wednesday.
- Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn added that the team should have an update on injured guard Cam Thomas (ankle sprain) later this week, according to Lewis. “He is heading in the right direction,” Vaughn said of Thomas. “Unless we wanted to be extremely proficient in giving him an MRI to compare to, to my knowledge he won’t need another MRI. He’s building towards getting back on the floor.”
Nets Notes: Bridges, LaVine, Thomas, Johnson, Simmons
Mikal Bridges has individual handshakes and greetings with people throughout the Nets‘ organization. He hopes that positive energy will help build the team’s culture.
“I think it’s just being who I am, that’s how culture starts,” Bridges told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Bringing in good people. I think there’s nothing else to it. Just bringing energy, being who I am and just be nice. Basically be myself and hopefully people will follow.”
As Fischer writes, the 27-year-old wing is friendly with many players around the league, including stars. Brooklyn hopes Bridges’ personality and “malleable” game will make the Nets an attractive option for a star player in the future.
“I’m friends with a lot of people. I think friendships help. Obviously, if I think it’s a good option, then yeah.” said Bridges, adding that he’s not proactively recruiting players around the league. “I’m just trying to win now and do what it takes. You can talk about all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybe this,’ but you can’t control that. Other than that just trying to win now. I’m more locked in on the guys here.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- If Zach LaVine is traded, he’s unlikely to land with Brooklyn, sources tell Fischer. Based on Fischer’s wording, it’s unclear if LaVine is uninterested in the Nets or they’re uninterested in him (or both).
- Guard Cam Thomas will be reevaluated next week after spraining his left ankle. While he’s in “good spirits” and is making progress, he says sustaining the injury was discouraging, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Of course it’s frustrating. I was playing real well, helping the team, we were competing. What was I, number six or seven in scoring at the time? So obviously it’s frustrating,” said Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points in eight games. “But at the end of day, everything happens for a reason. So I’m going to just try to rehab as best I can, just so I can get back to that level of play I was at, that’s the only thing I’m looking forward to.”
- Forward Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 20 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando, also contributing five rebounds and three steals. It was a much-needed boost to a Nets team playing without Thomas and Ben Simmons (back), writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Johnson missed seven consecutive games after getting injured in the season opener, but he seems to be rounding into form, says Reilly.
- The Nets can no longer rely on Simmons as a focal point after his latest injury, a nerve impingement in his lower left back that will sideline him for at least another week, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com opines. Assuming Simmons is fully healthy when he returns, Kaplan thinks he’ll return to the starting lineup because he’s the highest-paid player on the team. But that would be a mistake, in Kaplan’s view, because Simmons negatively impacts the half-court offense, which has looked better without him. Kaplan believes Simmons should be a “low-minute, spark-plug point-center that pushes the pace relentlessly” off the bench.