There are positive signs that the Pistons–Raptors game in Tampa will be played on Wednesday but Toronto will have to go without three starters. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby have been ruled out under the league’s health and safety protocols, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw will also be sidelined by the protocols. Jalen Harris and Donta Hall have been recalled from the G League bubble in Orlando, Lewenberg adds.
A majority of the coaching staff, including head coach Nick Nurse, will also miss the game, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. Those coaches were placed under the protocols prior to the team’s game on Friday. Sergio Scariolo will once again run the team on Wednesday. The Raptors, who had their game against Chicago on Sunday postponed, were originally scheduled to face Detroit on Tuesday.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Marcus Smart is “getting a lot closer” to returning to action, according to Celtics coach Brad Stevens. Mark Murphy of the Boston Globe tweets that Smart will benefit from additional team practice time after the All-Star break. Smart has been out since January 30 due to a Grade 1 left calf strain.
- Tom Thibodeau has established himself as a serious candidate for Coach of the Year in his first season with the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Knicks players have been impressed with how hard the staff works and it has resulted in a winning record entering Tuesday’s game.
- The Sixers have been given the go-ahead by the city of Philadelphia to bring back crowds in a limited capacity, the team tweets. The team will be allowed to have crowds at 15% capacity, or approximately 3,100 fans.
- Knicks guard Derrick Rose missed the team’s game against San Antonio on Tuesday after being placed under the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets.
Celtics will look a lot better with Smart back in the lineup. Kemba looks great tonight too. Front court player away from actually contending for the ECF.
Maybe with Smart coming back, Boston will finally stop using these dumb multibig lineups that make no sense?
Thompson and Theis should never ever be on the court at the same time. It’s so awful. Lol
Thibs as a coach of the year candidate is laughable
Ha
Why …. who’s better.
They went from laughing stock to a playoff team with no big additions to the roster. He deserves consideration at least. Who would you pick?
Could of used Rose against Spurs. Just a bad gm, better he rests I guess. Knicks should bring in Drummond. What we got to lose. Trade Noel for value, he’s a FA. And see what Drummond can do till end of yr. Let Mitch heal right. Good to see Nttilikina get mins. Best thing for Frank is to play in another city.
Again…Noel is better than Drummond…or at least, I would much rather have Noel than Drummond
Noel is a FA. He wants to get paid cause he missed out on contract before. He is not a true C to me. We don’t need to pay a backup C big. Cause Mitch is about to play 36 mins a gm (21 yrs old). So trading Noel now gives us good value back. For a player we aren’t going to resign. Cause another team also may offer him a good contract in FA.
Too much confidence in Mitchell minutes… the Nix would do well to bring back Noel or at least Gibson.
Didnt say they shouldn’t consider trading him. Just said I’d rather have him than Drummond
If the season finished today (of course it doesn’t), with the Knicks in the playoffs, Thibs has as good a claim as anyone to be COY. The only competition is Snyder (likely winner, just based on history). Who else? Monte out west. Nash should get mentioned, but won’t. Rivers shouldn’t get mentioned, but will.
Thibs has to be in COY conversation. Still a ways to go. Rivers (Celtics), Williams (Suns), Snyder (Jazz) all are there too. If thing stay the course. Suns, Knicks, Sixers have made biggest turn around. And Thibs has done it with basically the same roster. Suns added CP3 as starting PG. Jazz already a solid playoff team. Suns already proven talent. Sixers already a playoff team. I’d say Thibs is doing pretty good. 31 more gms.