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Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Durant, Ellis, James, Knecht

November 19th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns owner Mat Ishbia told ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link) that he anticipates his team will be able to lock up Kevin Durant beyond his current contract, which expires in 2026.

“We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long-term,” Ishbia said. “We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix. That’s what we expect.”

Durant, 36, is currently sidelined by a left calf strain, but was averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game prior to the injury. Durant has a $57.4MM salary next season, the final year of his current contract. He declined to sign a one-year extension before the regular season but can sign a two-year deal during the 2025 offseason.

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Keon Ellis came off the bench and scored a career-high 33 points in a controversial one-point loss to Atlanta on Monday. The Kings guard made nine 3-pointers for shorthanded Sacramento. “The way he shot the ball tonight was definitely incredible and kept us in the game,” De’Aaron Fox told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He had big moments for us, and then getting to the line down the stretch, he was big for us.”
LeBron James‘ increased play-making is one of five takeaways from the Lakers’ current five-game winning streak that Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. James is averaging 9.2 assists per game, the second-highest mark of his career. Another of Buha’s takeaways is the improved play of Max Christie, though he may not hold onto his rotation spot once injured players return to action.
Dalton Knecht has scored 60 points in the last three games and The Athletic’s John Hollinger describes the rookie’s impact on the Lakers in his latest column. The 17th pick of the draft has made 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. He has filled a role for a much-needed shooter to balance the offense.

Spurs Notes: Paul, Castle, NBA Cup, Wembanyama

November 16th, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs point guard Chris Paul reached another milestone Friday night, handing out the 12,000th assist of his career, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. John Stockton may be out of reach at 15,806, but Paul is closing in on Jason Kidd’s second place total of 12,091. At age 39, Paul attributes his longevity to staying in top shape and studying the game.

“It’s training all day and all night,” he said. “The late-night massages. It’s getting up in the morning. It’s eating right. It’s training while you’re on vacation. It’s watching film day in and day out.”

Listed at 6’0″, Paul is by far the shortest player to reach 20 NBA seasons, McDonald adds. That list mostly includes big men, along with a few hyper-athletic wings. One of them is Paul’s close friend LeBron James, who met him after the game and discussed what it’s like to be in the twilight of their careers.

“Me and ‘Bron talked about it a little bit,” Paul said. “We don’t know how much longer it’s going to be, but I have so much gratitude for this game and the things I’ve been able to do and learn over the years.”

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James also talked briefly to Stephon Castle after the game ended, which made a strong impression on the rookie guard, McDonald states in a separate story. After the Lakers pulled out a narrow victory, James shared some advice on a few reads that Castle could have made. “I’ve been watching him since I was a kid,” Castle said. “So for him to come up to me and talk to me for even that little bit, it really meant a lot. … I really respect him and appreciate him for coming up and saying that to me. He didn’t really have to.”
Friday’s losses left the Spurs and Grizzlies as the only teams without an NBA Cup win since the tournament was introduced last season, McDonald adds in the same piece. San Antonio will get three more chances, hosting Oklahoma City on Tuesday and then traveling to Utah on November 26 and Phoenix on December 3.
Victor Wembanyama will miss Saturday’s game at Dallas with a right knee contusion, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Zach Collins will replace him in the starting lineup.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Christie, Draymond, Waters, Fox, Kings

November 16th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing four of their first five road games of the season, the Lakers were encouraged by their performance on Friday in San Antonio, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Anthony Davis scored 40 points and LeBron James set a personal record with his fourth consecutive triple-double as L.A. pulled out a five-point victory over the Spurs.

“That’s what we want to do,” Davis said. “We want to be just as good of a road team as we are a home team. And we can’t do that if we don’t come out and compete. We’ve been just a different team when we’ve been out on the road. The way we compete, share the ball, play together at home, is totally different than when we get on the other side on the road. So we did that tonight.”

As Woike writes, the play of reserve wing Max Christie was another positive sign for the Lakers. After falling out of the rotation as of late, Christie logged a season-high 30 minutes on Friday with Rui Hachimura out due to a sprained right ankle and was a plus-23 in those minutes, contributing 11 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals. the 21-year-old said it helped to know that head coach J.J. Redick still had faith in him.

“He has a lot of belief in a lot of us and I think he definitely has a lot of belief in me and I can appreciate that coming from a head coach,” Christie said. “I know you know how I can play and I think tonight was a very good example of that, when I’m just out there playing free, playing the way I know I can play instead of just trying to over-complicate things.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Draymond Green‘s foul on Zach Edey in the third quarter of the Warriors‘ win over the Grizzlies on Friday has been upgraded to a flagrant 1, the league announced today (via Twitter). As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, the Grizzlies were upset that the foul wasn’t reviewed at the time after Green appeared to pin Edey’s lower leg to his body using his elbow and forearm, causing the big man to trip (video link). “It definitely wasn’t a basketball play,” Edey said.
Lindy Waters earned his second start of the season for the Warriors on Friday night, but left the game late in the first half and didn’t return after hyperextending his left knee while blocking a shot (video link). Brandin Podziemski started the second half in Waters’ place, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox blew past his previous career high of 44 points by pouring in a franchise-high 60 in a loss to Minnesota on Friday. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story, including quotes from Fox, his teammates, and head coach Mike Brown. “He’s an All-Star and the sky is the limit for him,” Brown said. “He knew we needed help. He put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line, but he did everything in his power to get us there.”
The Kings will be missing a pair of stars on Saturday vs. Utah, as both Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have been ruled out due to lower back tightness (Twitter link via Anderson). It’s DeRozan’s second consecutive missed game.

Western Notes: LeBron, Booker, Saric, Nnaji, Williams

November 14th, 2024 at 10:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

A story seemingly as old as time, or at least since 2003: LeBron James is playing at an All-Star level. Just a little over a month from his 40th birthday, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 45.9% on three-pointers.

Still, James continues to hint that retirement isn’t all that far off his radar. According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, James said he doesn’t expect to play much longer.

“It’s the mind,” James said of what will determine when he retires. “Wherever my mind is, is how the rest of my body is going to go, whatever the case may be. I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. One year, two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night that I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not. I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor.”

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The Suns are off to a 9-3 start, but Devin Booker‘s play has been up and down. He scored 31 points on Tuesday in a win but followed that up with just 18 points in a loss on Wednesday. Still, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes that there’s no reason to worry about Booker. He’s shooting just 43.4% from the field after connecting on 49.2% of his shots last season, but he’ll almost assuredly bounce back to his normal efficiency, Bourguet opines.
After playing in each of Denver’s first five games, Dario Saric is now out of the rotation. The Nuggets have won five straight games since benching Saric following a 2-3 start. Head coach Michael Malone confirmed the move, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando (Twitter link). “I don’t expect Dario to be walking around here with a smile and pom-poms like he loves this,” Malone said. “But to his credit, he’s been the ultimate teammate.“
On the other hand, Zeke Nnaji played only once in the first five games but has been part of the rotation during the Nuggets‘ five-game win streak. Malone addressed what Nnaji’s been bringing to the rotation, per Durando (Twitter link). “I think he’s been solid,” Malone said. “I think he’s going to continue to get an opportunity. He’s gotta go out there and just try to finish around the basket, knock down open threes. And most importantly obviously he’s gotta be the anchor of our defense if he’s playing backup five.“
The Thunder have been playing 6’5″ forward Jalen Williams at center while dealing with injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Without their traditional big men, their small-ball lineups are causing havoc, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman writes. They forced 23 turnovers against New Orleans on Wednesday. Kenrich Williams also saw minutes at the five off the bench and will continue to be leaned on moving forward, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated writes.

Pacific Notes: Kings, DeRozan, James, Beal

November 14th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings sixth man Malik Monk is out at least two weeks due to a right ankle sprain. Who will fill his role? It’ll be a collective effort, according to Kings head coach Mike Brown.

Sacramento lost by 20 points to the Spurs on Monday and the reserves were outscored 37-21.

“We’re definitely going to have to collectively step up,” Brown told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “There’s not one guy that can do it.”

Keon Ellis, Jordan McLaughlin, Doug McDermott, Trey Lyles and Alex Len are the reserves that Sacramento will rely on with Monk on the shelf. The backups accounted for 46 points in a 23-point win over Phoenix on Wednesday.

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Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan departed Wednesday’s game with lower back tightness, Anderson tweets. Acquired by Sacramento in a sign-and-trade, DeRozan is averaging 22.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 12 starts. DeRozan, 35, played 79 games for Chicago last season.
LeBron James continues to pile up records and milestones. The Lakers superstar reached another one on Wednesday, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record three straight triple-doubles. James, who will turn 40 next month, had 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in a win over Memphis. “Just being very patient and taking what the defense gives me,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’ve been doing it for a while. So, I understand time and score. I understand the waves and the swings of the game. So, it’s nothing new to me.”
Bradley Beal‘s first season with the Suns was marred by injuries and under-performance. He admitted to The Athletic’s Fred Katz that it took a mental toll on him. “I was in a funk (last season),” Beal said. “Not gonna lie. I was in a funk.” Part of the reason was the lack of a true point guard. “We didn’t love it as a team (last season),” Beal said. “The dynamic we had — we didn’t have a (point guard), which everybody crucified us on. It was tough. It was very tough. Everybody was kinda out of position last year, not necessarily what made them who they are.” Beal had 28 points in an overtime loss to Sacramento on Sunday and 24 points in a win over Utah on Tuesday but didn’t play against Sacramento on Wednesday due to a calf injury.

L.A. Notes: Davis, LeBron, Koloko, George, Dunn

November 13th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

One of J.J. Redick’s most significant changes since taking over as head coach of the Lakers has been making Anthony Davis the “hub” of the offense, write Dave McMenamin and Matt Williams of ESPN. Davis is seeing more touches than ever, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in his production. He’s averaging 30 points and 10 rebounds through nine games while shooting 55% from the field, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only Laker to reach those marks.

“He’s done a good job of putting me in spots to be successful,” Davis said of Redick. “My teammates have done a good job of giving me the ball where I’m most comfortable. Obviously they’re encouraging me to try to go get it, but I’m still continuously trying to play the right way.”

Davis’ increased involvement has taken opportunities away from LeBron James, the authors add. Redick is stationing James off the ball more frequently, and his 24.8% usage rate would be the lowest of his career. He’s screening more often and getting the ball off screens as Redick tries to preserve James’ energy as he nears his 40th birthday.

“We’re not going to rely on LeBron James iso fourth-quarter ball,” Redick said. “Like, that’s not who our identity is going to be. So, I think it starts with the thing that was presented to the team on the first day: Here’s our identity offensively; here’s our identity defensively; and then your system should help emphasize those things. And so that’s where we’ve been particularly deliberate.”

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Christian Koloko will become the Lakers‘ backup center while Jaxson Hayes is sidelined with an ankle injury, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Koloko has only appeared in two games since being medically cleared to return to the NBA, but he’ll have a larger role until Hayes is reevaluated in another week or two. “Disappointed. Feel for Jaxson, especially after the last two games he had for us,” Redick said.
On his Podcast P show, Paul George clarified comments he made about Clippers fans during a recent visit to Los Angeles (Twitter video link). “I did not call Clippers ‘the B team,’” he stated. “I said it felt like the B team because everywhere you go in L.A., people say, ‘You should be a Laker.’ That wasn’t minimizing. … I was a Clipper. That’s who I chose to play for. I wasn’t comparing them or saying they were underneath the Lakers. It’s just how L.A. interprets that or how L.A. treats players that are in L.A.”
The Clippers made a change to their starting lineup tonight in Houston, replacing Terance Mann with Kris Dunn, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Coach Tyronn Lue said after the game that he plans to continue using the new lineup (Twitter link).

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Reddish, Knecht

November 11th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers star Anthony Davis will visit an ophthalmologist today after getting poked in his left eye during Sunday’s game, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Sources tell McMenamin that Davis experienced swelling in the eye and had difficulty keeping it open. He wasn’t able to return to the game, but the appointment is considered “precautionary,” McMenamin adds.

The play occurred in the third quarter when Davis blocked a dunk attempt by Toronto center Jakob Poeltl, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. As they met at the rim, Davis was inadvertently hit in the eye and fell to the court. Coach J.J. Redick told reporters that Davis was experiencing issues with his vision after the incident.

“I just know that he got poked in it,” Redick said. “He was having trouble seeing. Obviously taking a little bit of trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to get your clear vision back. But other than that, no update.”

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LeBron James posted 19 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds Sunday night, making him oldest player in NBA history with triple-doubles in back-to-back games, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). With his 40th birthday approaching next month, James talked about the effort that goes into remaining one of the league’s top players. “It’s pretty cool that with the amount of miles I’ve put on the tires, lack of tread on these tires, and I’m still able to get up and down the highway and do it at a high level,” James said. “I just try to give everything to the game outside of the game before the game even starts, if that makes sense. I arrive here four to five hours before the game, and I’m already doing all the things to put me in position to be the best I can be when the fans are here and the ball is tipped and everybody’s going crazy.” James added that he “won’t do it until the wheels fall off, I’ll tell you that.”
Redick is impressed by the way Cam Reddish has adapted his game for the good of the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Reddish made his second straight start on Sunday night, and he appears comfortable in that role. “You just kind of have to have a long-term view and really embrace the things required for that specific team to get on the floor,” Redick said. “And for us, having a defensive presence guarding the primary matchup, primary scorer, those are the things that we need Cam to do. I told him early in preseason, I said, ‘look, we’re going to figure out the offensive part of it and where we can have you feel like you have a role there. But full stop for you to get on the floor, it has to be on the defensive end.’ And over the last week, he’s really embraced that.”
Dalton Knecht hasn’t lost his confidence despite a rough start to his NBA career, Price adds. The first-round pick is a three-point shooting specialist, but he’s connecting at just 27.8% from beyond the arc in his first nine games. “I’m not speaking for him, but I think for shooters, it’s hard mentally when you get off to a slow start shooting the ball,” Redick said. “It can kind of weigh on you. I’ve talked to him about it, he believes the next shot’s going in every single time. And so do I.”

Pacific Notes: Melton, Reddish, Bronny, Suns

November 9th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton said it felt “amazing” to be back on the court Friday night after missing five games due to a back strain, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. He was able to play 18 minutes, contributing 10 points, two rebounds and three assists as he moved right back into coach Steve Kerr‘s expanded rotation.

“Aggravation and they wanted to be cautious about it,” Melton said of the injury. “They just want to make sure I’m staying strong right now. Staying solid in terms of everything. Not worrying about necessarily being out there all the time, but the long haul.”

Melton experienced back pain while playing for Philadelphia last season and was unavailable for 40 of the final 45 regular season games. Golden State was aware of his physical issues when it signed him in free agency this summer, and the team’s medical staff is being careful in how it’s handling him.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in what they do,” Melton said, “and they’ve gotten me this far, so I’m in it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach J.J. Redick considers his starting lineup to be “fluid,” per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register, so any changes like Friday’s move to replace D’Angelo Russell with Cam Reddish may not be permanent. Reddish put up modest stats with three points and five rebounds, but he impacted the game on defense, particularly in his matchups with Paul George. “Every team is different, every coach is different,” Reddish said. “I just go out there and do what (Redick) tells me to do. In my past life, I was going out there doing what I wanted to do. That doesn’t necessarily work all the time.”
Several members of the Lakers showed up Saturday night to support Bronny James in his first G League game, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The group included Redick, general manager Rob Pelinka, Russell, Anthony Davis and of course Bronny’s father, LeBron James. He posted six points, three rebounds and four assists for South Bay.
Rookie Ryan Dunn could be coach Mike Budenholzer‘s choice to replace Kevin Durant in the Suns‘ starting lineup while he’s recovering from a calf strain, suggests Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Royce O’Neale is a more experienced option, Rankin adds, but Budenholzer seems to prefer using him off the bench. Rankin states that the injury could also result in more playing time for Josh Okogie, who made his season debut on Friday, and Bol Bol, who has yet to play this season.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Redick, Lakers, Durant, Beal

November 7th, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr entered training camp with “a level of demand and rigor” people in the organization hadn’t witnessed the past couple seasons, and that commitment to accountability has carried over into the start of the 2024/25 season, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

On Wednesday night, Golden State improved to 7-1 after an impressive six-point victory over the defending champion Celtics in Boston. With about five minutes left the second quarter, Stephen Curry attempted a full-court pass to Kyle Anderson that was stolen, leading to a five-point swing after Jayson Tatum converted a three-pointer. Kerr, who has been focused on reducing the team’s turnovers, was very unhappy with the play.

“This is a theme with our team,” Kerr said. “We can’t be the same team we were five or six years ago and give away five or six possessions in the name of creating chaos. Everyone else is playing fast and shooting threes, too, these days.

“Boston shot 20 more threes than we did in the second half. So it’s tough to win if you are giving away possessions. I’ve been all over Steph and Draymond (Green). It’s incumbent upon them because they are our leaders and they’re the guys who handle the ball most. They gotta cut back on their bad decisions like that.”

As Slater writes, Kerr’s reaction — and Curry accepting and learning from the critique — are emblematic of the strong start to the season. Notably, the two-time MVP did not commit another turnover for the remainder of the contest.

“The beauty with Steph is he lets me yell at him, which sets the tone,” Kerr said. “He accepted it. He knew it.”

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While Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised LeBron James‘ performance following Wednesday’s 131-114 loss in Memphis, he was critical of the rest of the team’s effort, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James scored a game-high 39 points on 15-of-24 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, who has opened the season in a shooting slump, only played six minutes in the second half and 22 overall, marking a season low. “Just level of compete, attention to detail, some of the things we’ve talked with him about for a couple of weeks,” Redick said when asked why he limited Russell’s role. “And at times, he’s been really good with that stuff. And other times, it’s just reverting back to certain habits. But it wasn’t like a punishment. It just felt for us to have a chance to win this game, that was the route we wanted to take.” After starting the season 3-0, the Lakers have gone 1-4 over their past five games.
It’s only been eight games, but Kevin Durant has been playing at an MVP level for the 7-1 Suns, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (subscription required). In addition to being the fulcrum of Phoenix’s crunch-time offense, the 14-time All-Star is also filling up the stat sheet, averaging 27.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.4 BPG on .551/.420/.813 shooting in 39.0 MPG.
Suns guard Bradley Beal has been hampered by a nagging right elbow injury, and his current usage rate (18.1%) would mark a career low. But Beal has been efficient offensively and is finding other ways to contribute, particularly taking on challenging defensive assignments, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, who notes that Devin Booker recently called Beal the “heart” of the team.

Lakers Notes: Koloko, Hood-Schifino, LeBron, Bronny, Redick

October 31st, 2024 at 3:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Center Christian Koloko, who is on a two-way contract with the Lakers, recently received medical clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel to resume his career. The 24-year-old big man missed all of last season with a career-threatening blood clot issue, which his agent said was corrected with surgery.

While he received medical clearance from the league, Koloko still needs to work on his conditioning before having a chance to make his Lakers debut. According to head coach JJ Redick, Koloko will open the 2024/25 season with the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN).

Here’s more on the Lakers:

The Lakers chose to decline their 2025/26 team option on second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, which means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the Lakers have $176MM in salary committed to their roster for next season, about $10MM below the projected luxury tax line. That means they could have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception in 2025, with D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes among the team’s other free agents.
After opening the season with three straight home victories, the Lakers have now dropped two straight road contests. As Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes, Wednesday night was LeBron James‘ worst loss in Cleveland against his former team, the Cavaliers, with the Lakers losing by 24 points. James grew up 35 miles south of Cleveland in Akron, OH. “I just don’t think we matched their intensity with energy and effort,” James said. “It’s never good to take a step backwards, but we did that. And now we got to figure out how we can, take two steps forward next time.”
The lopsided victory had Cavs fans chanting to see another Akron product, according to McMenamin of ESPN. James’ eldest son Bronny James scored his first NBA points late in the fourth quarter. “It was insane,” Bronny said of the reception after finishing with two points, two assists and one steal in five minutes. “Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it’s all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here. Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure.”
The Lakers appreciated that Redick took private and public responsibility for the team’s first loss on Monday in Phoenix, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. That doesn’t mean the team agreed with Redick’s assessment, but the players respected the sentiment. “He let out a nice little F word, which just shows how much he cares,” guard Austin Reaves said of Redick’s post-game demeanor. “His passion is on another level. You can tell every single second of every day that he’s locked into the betterment of our group.”