Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Los Angeles Notes: James, Brooks, Reaves, Clippers, Westbrook

April 23rd, 2023 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James fired back at the Grizzlies and nemesis Dillon Brooks with a typical big-game performance on Saturday, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. Brooks got ejected for hitting James in the groin region, while the Lakers superstar delivered 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the 10-point Game 3 victory. “This is not my first rodeo, I’ve had this throughout my career with certain individuals,” he said.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

James didn’t want to share an opinion on whether Brooks’ ejection warranted a suspension for Monday’s Game 4, Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune relays. “I don’t know. I’m not part of the committee,” the Lakers star said. “If he’s in the lineup or he’s out of the lineup, we have to prepare no matter what. I look forward to the challenges that Monday will bring.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves is getting used to taking hits, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Reaves said he was struck in the face three or four times during Game 3. He shook off the blows and contributed 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. “I’m getting used to it,” said Reaves, a restricted free agent after the season.
There’s a simple reason why the Clippers are facing elimination — the Suns have their stars and they don’t, Law Murray of The Athletic notes. The Clippers are facing a 3-1 deficit with Kawhi Leonard sidelined the last two games and Paul George sitting out the entire series. That has put much more pressure on the remaining players, including four rotation members that joined the team in the last quarter of the regular season. “I think the biggest thing is acquiring four new guys during the trade deadline with only 21 games left,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “It makes it harder, because they’re still learning on the fly pretty much. And when Kawhi and PG both don’t play, it’s unfamiliar territory for the other guys.”
Russell Westbrook has averaged 31.7 points and 7.0 assists in the last three games and former teammate Kevin Durant said his former teammate is showing up his critics, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register writes. “When he retires, people are (going to) really tell the truth about how they feel about his game,” Durant said. “Right now, the fun thing to do is to make a joke out of Russ but the way he’s been playing since he got with the Clippers is showing everybody who he really is.”

Lakers Notes: Russell, Thompson, James, Brooks

April 22nd, 2023 at 2:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, reacquired by Los Angeles at the trade deadline, has had an underwhelming first postseason with L.A. to this point, but the team is hopeful he can turn that around posthaste, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

Broderick notes that Russell is connecting on an abysmal 32.1% of his field goals and 28.6% of his triples so far, while averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.5 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 0.5 SPG.

“It’s a make-or-miss league,” head coach Darvin Ham noted. “Sometimes you’re on. Sometimes you’re not. We’re just hopeful he’ll be on Saturday.”

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Reserve big man Tristan Thompson appreciates that he was added on the last day of the regular season to essentially be another locker room voice and positive influence on his new teammates, as he told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “If I help them become one percent better, it helps our team be better,” Thompson noted. “And that’s part of my role being here, is how can I help this team get one percent better?”
All-Star forward LeBron James has been dismissive of Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks‘ recent postgame smack-talking, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I’m not here for the bulls—,” James said following a team practice yesterday. “I’m ready to play and that’s it.” Following Memphis’ 103-93 Wednesday victory over L.A. to even their series at 1-1, Brooks held little back in his comments to gathered media, calling James “old” while opining that the 38-year-old was no longer his peak self.
In case you missed it, Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant was sidelined for the second game of Memphis’ series against L.A., and remains questionable ahead of Game 3 tonight.

Southwest Notes: Brooks, Wood, Nurse, Rockets

April 20th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks was up to his usual antics on Wednesday night after helping lead the Ja Morant-less team to a Game 2 victory that evened the series at 1-1. Speaking to reporters, Brooks said that Lakers star LeBron James told him four minutes into the third quarter that he was “dumb” for picking up his fourth foul, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. Brooks was all too happy to “get into a conversation” with James after that.

“I don’t care — he’s old. You know what I mean?” Brooks said of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. “I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40.”

While Brooks referred to James as a “legend,” he said he views the longtime superstar as “just another basketball player” when he competes against him and suggested that LeBron is well past his prime.

“He’s not at the same level that he was when he was on Cleveland winning championships, Miami,” Brooks said. “I wish I got to see that. It would have been a harder task, but I’m playing with what I’ve got. Just wear and tear on him throughout a seven-game series and see if he can take it. See if he wants to play the one-on-one battle or if he wants to be out on the sidelines shooting the basketball.”

As the Grizzlies prepare to resume their first-round series in Los Angeles on Saturday, here’s more from around the Southwest:

Comments made by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison during his end-of-season media session didn’t inspire confidence that the team will re-sign free agent center Christian Wood, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. Harrison praised Wood’s impact, especially on the offensive end, but alluded to concerns about the big man’s defense. “Just because you’re an efficient scorer, there’s more to the game than just that, so I think it’s important to note that,” Harrison said.
While Houston has widely been considered the most likely landing spot for Nick Nurse if the Raptors‘ head coach leaves Toronto, Marc Stein says on Substack that he recently got his “first whiff of pessimism” about the Rockets‘ chances of hiring Nurse in the event that he becomes available.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic solicited opinions from scouts on several potential free agent targets for the Rockets, including Cameron Johnson, Jerami Grant, Dillon Brooks, and Fred VanVleet.

Ja Morant Ruled Out For Game 2

April 19th, 2023 at 5:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant will miss tonight’s game due to lingering soreness in his right hand, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).

Morant hurt his hand when he crashed to the court after colliding with the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 1. Morant had to leave the game, but X-rays on his hand were negative.

Morant had been listed as questionable for Game 2, and a report Tuesday night indicated that the Grizzlies were pessimistic about his availability. He told media members that he was feeling intense pain in the hand following the Game 1 loss.

The injury appears to be a reaggravation of a bruise that Morant suffered during the final week of the regular season.

The Lakers and Grizzlies don’t play again until Saturday, so Morant will have three more days to attempt to recover for Game 3.

Lakers Notes: Preparation, Davis, Hachimura, Role Players

April 18th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ja Morant is listed as questionable for Game 2 on Wednesday, which makes the Lakers‘ preparations a little more complicated, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register writes.

“It’s difficult,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “It’s so big of a question mark. You don’t know if he’s going to play, if he’s not going to play. We just take care of our work and prepare for everything, every possible outcome, both ways. So that’s really the plan going forward.”

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Anthony Davis sparked the defensive effort against the Grizzlies and Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. in Game 1. Davis racked up 12 rebounds, seven blocks and three steals while committing just one foul. He also made defensive contributions that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. “On the offensive end, for him, people are double teaming him. And he always makes the right decision and always tries to find the right man or the open man,” Dennis Schröder told Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “But on the defensive end, he’s our anchor. He does so much for us.”
Rui Hachimura, a restricted free agent after the season, erupted for 29 points in 30 minutes in Game 1. Memphis guard Desmond Bane is skeptical that Hachimura can come close to that production again in the series, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. “It’s probably the best game of his career. It’s a seven-game series. Let’s see if he can do it again Wednesday,” Bane said.
With Reaves, another restricted free agent, and Hachimura leading the way, the Lakers’ role players made a huge impact in Game 1. Davis believes those players are the key to a deep playoff run, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes. “We’re going to continue to need those guys,” Davis said. “I think the playoffs is all about, obviously, guys are keying in on the stars, me and (LeBron James), trying to figure out how they can take us out the game. But you win playoff games with your role players.”

Injury Updates: Morant, Payne, James, Davis, George, Gobert, Jokic

April 18th, 2023 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is officially listed as questionable to play in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Lakers, the team’s PR department tweets. Morant is dealing with right hand soreness. He landed hard on the court while committing a charge during the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Adrian Wojnarowski said on the “NBA on ESPN” show that he “does not sense a great deal of optimism” that Morant will play on Wednesday (Twitter link). An MRI on Monday revealed an aggravation of soft tissue bruising in Morant’s hand. He originally injured the hand in the Grizzlies’ April 7 win over Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

We have more injury-related updates:

Suns reserve guard Cameron Payne won’t play in Game 2 against the Clippers on Tuesday, Chris Haynes of TNT tweets. Payne hasn’t played since April 7 due to a back injury.
Both members of the Lakers’ dynamic duo popped up on the injury report submitted the team’s PR department, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. However, they are listed as probable for Game 2 against Memphis, with LeBron James dealing with right foot soreness and Anthony Davis nursing a right foot stress injury.
Clippers forward Paul George did a mix of conditioning and shooting drills during a workout prior to the team’s shootaround on Tuesday, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports. George is recovering from a sprained right knee and it remains uncertain whether he’ll play at all during the first-round series.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is listed as questionable to play in Game 2 of their series against the Nuggets on Wednesday due to back spasms, the team’s PR department tweets.
While it would be surprising if he didn’t play in Game 2, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is also listed as questionable due to a right wrist sprain, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets. Jokic participated in practice on Tuesday and didn’t seem to think the sprain was overly serious.

Ja Morant Suffers Hand Injury, Game 2 Status Questionable

April 16th, 2023 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant suffered an injury to his right hand and wrist midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Lakers on Sunday (ESPN video link).

X-rays were negative but “he’s in some pain,” coach Taylor Jenkins told Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) and other media members afterward. The medical staff is still evaluating his hand and wrist. Morant already had a nagging injury to the hand before he crashed into Anthony Davis and was called for charging.

Morant said he re-injured his hand, not his wrist, on the play. Asked if there’s a chance he won’t be able to play in Game 2, Morant responded “yes,” Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian tweets. Game 2 is scheduled to be played on Wednesday in Memphis.

If Morant needs to miss any games, it would obviously be a huge blow to the Grizzlies’ chances to advancing. The seventh-seeded Lakers took complete command after Morant departed to the locker room and collected a 128-112 victory. No. 2 seed Memphis is already playing without starting center Steven Adams, who is expected to miss the entire postseason due to a knee injury.

Morant had a rough outing prior to the injury. He scored 18 points in 30 minutes but only had two assists, compared to six turnovers.

D'Angelo Russell Not Dwelling On Forgettable Play-In Showing

April 16th, 2023 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

D’Angelo Russell didn’t make the postseason during his first stint with the Lakers, so after rejoining the team at the February trade deadline, he’s excited to make his playoff debut for Los Angeles — even after a forgettable play-in performance in which he made 1-of-9 shots and was benched down the stretch. “We needed to win, honestly. We needed to win,” Russell said of Tuesday’s play-in game, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “For me to dwell on it and be upset or confidence low, I don’t think that’s the right approach. Definitely want to do anything and everything I can do to not be in that position in the future.”

Anthony Davis Says Lakers Don't Feel Like Underdogs

April 15th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The seventh-seeded Lakers had to go through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs, but they don’t feel like underdogs against No. 2 seed Memphis, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. is playing its best basketball of the season, winning 10 of its last 12 games. “I think seeding doesn’t matter,” Anthony Davis said. “Once you get in, it’s all about matchups and things like that.”

Poll: Western Conference’s First Round Playoff Series

April 15th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After calling for your predictions for the four first round series in the Eastern Conference earlier in the day, we’re pivoting to the West this afternoon.

Here are the four first round series in the Western Conference:

Denver Nuggets (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8)

Unlike in the East, where there are a handful of overwhelming favorites at the top of the conference, the Western Conference field appears more wide open as the playoffs begin. The Nuggets are heavily favored in this series, but their betting line (-550, per BetOnline.ag) isn’t anywhere close to the -1200 and -1300 lines we were seeing in the East.

As good as the Nuggets were this season, they weren’t playing their best basketball down the stretch, having lost five of their last seven games and 10 of their last 17 entering the postseason. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, had a disappointing year, but have a lot of high-end talent on their roster, including three-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and ascendant All-Star Anthony Edwards.

A Timberwolves team playing to its full potential could give Denver trouble, but we haven’t seen that often this season. It would be a major upset if Tim Connelly‘s new team can get past his old one.

Memphis Grizzlies (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7)

After incorporating their trade-deadline acquisitions on February 11, the Lakers went 18-8 to close the regular season, which would translate to a 57-win pace over 82 games.

Throw in the fact that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are relatively healthy and two key members of the Grizzlies‘ frontcourt (Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke) aren’t, and it’s easy to understand why Memphis is only a slight favorite (-142) over Los Angeles (+122) in this series.

Still, the Grizzlies had the best net rating (+4.0) in the West this season and history is working in their favor — as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the NBA’s No. 7 and No. 8 playoff seeds have lost 95 of 100 first round series in the last 25 years. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and company won’t be intimidated by the Lakers’ star power.

Sacramento Kings (3) vs. Golden State Warriors (6)

The Kings‘ reward for snapping a 16-season playoff drought is a first-round matchup against the defending champions, who have won titles in four of the last eight years.

The Warriors‘ impressive track record in the postseason has made them betting favorites (-265) in this series over Sacramento (+225). Golden State has had an up-and-down year, but has a huge experience edge in this matchup and seemed to be hitting its stride at the right time in the season’s final weeks. With Andrew Wiggins set to be available for Game 1, the roster is at full strength and will present a tough challenge for the higher-seeded Kings.

Still, the Kings have been exceeding expectations all season long, and their home crowd should be whipped into a frenzy for the first NBA playoff basketball in Sacramento since 2006. This has a chance to be a very fun series.

Phoenix Suns (4) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (5)

The key for both of these star-studded rosters is staying healthy. Suns forward Kevin Durant and guard Chris Paul have battled multiple injuries over the years, including this season, as have Clippers forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Suns have the health advantage entering this series, with George considered unlikely to play vs. Phoenix as he recovers from a sprained knee.

Even if PG13 can return to action before the series ends, the Clippers will be in tough against a Phoenix team that has looked incredibly dangerous with Durant on the court. The former MVP has only played in eight games for the Suns since being acquired at the trade deadline, but they’ve won all eight, outscoring opponents by a total of 88 points in those contests.

The Suns are considered strong betting favorites, with a -465 line at BetOnline.ag.