- Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari still had pain in his right hand as he returned to the court Friday, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. He played 24 minutes and scored 11 points, but played with black tape wrapped around the hand. Gallinari had missed 18 games with a non-displaced fracture. “Listen, he was OK,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He was better in the second half. I thought his rhythm may have upset other rhythms. You never know. We need him, and we’re going to use him.”
It looks like Milos Teodosic‘s rookie season may be coming to an early end. The Clippers announced today that the point guard suffered a tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. According to the club, Teodosic will be sidelined “indefinitely” and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The Clippers’ playoff hopes remain very much alive — with seven games left to play, the team is only a game behind the Jazz, 1.5 games behind the Timberwolves, and two games back of the Pelicans. Still, if the Clips are unable to sneak into the postseason, Teodosic’s season figures to be over — the regular season comes to an end on April 11, and he’s due to be re-evaluated on April 13.
- While Teodosic’s season is over, the Clippers will get injured forward Danilo Gallinari back on Friday night, per Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Gallinari, the team’s prized 2017 free agent acquisition, has been bothered by injuries all season and has been out since February 22 with a hand issue.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart is making progress in rehabbing a torn ligament in his right thumb and hopes to be available for the second round of the playoffs, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
A cast on his hand was recently replaced by a splint with an opening at the top that allows him to move his thumb, and he has been able to do some light exercises with the injured digit. Smart tore the ligament earlier this month and underwent surgery March 16. His original prognosis had him out six to eight weeks, which sets a potential return about the time of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“Definitely right now, that’s what we’re shooting for,” he said. “The way it’s going now, we’re on the right path. Hopefully nothing happens where it gets delayed.”
There are more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Kevin Love has been placed in concussion protocol and will miss tonight’s game, the Cavaliers announced on their website. He suffered a front tooth sublexation last night and experienced concussion-like symptoms at halftime.
- After missing nearly four weeks with a strained groin, Lakers forward Brandon Ingram expects to return tonight, tweets Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum Sports Net.
- Coach Luke Walton says Lakers rookie Josh Hart has looked good in three-on-three games and may be cleared to play Friday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).
- John Wall, who has been sidelined since having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late January, may be able to return tomorrow, according to a tweet from the Wizards. Coach Scott Brooks said Wall will participate in the team’s shootaround and a decision will be based on how the knee responds. He is officially listed as questionable.
- Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari is targeting Friday to return from a fractured right hand, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. “I hope to play a few minutes against Portland [Friday],” Gallinari said in an interview with Italian outlet Sky Sport. “The hand is not completely healed, but we’ll see how I can help the team in the games left in the regular season. I will try to bite the bullet for the playoff race. The franchise asked me to grit my teeth and play. I will try to do that.”
- After re-injuring his right ankle Monday, Celtics forward Marcus Morris will sit out tonight’s game, according to a tweet from the team. He will probably return Saturday, according to Himmelsbach (Twitter link).
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens provided an another update on Gordon Hayward, saying he’s still limited to the Alter-G treadmill and hasn’t been cleared to run on the court (Twitter link). “There will be nothing more exciting for him than being able to get back out on the basketball court,” Stevens said (Twitter link).
- Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman may be cleared to return to action after a hip flexor injury. He tweeted an image of himself accompanied by the word, “finally.”
- Jazz center Tony Bradley has cleared concussion protocol, tweets Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News.
The feeling around the NBA is that Jeff Hornacek won’t return as the Knicks’ head coach for the 2018/19 season, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to Berman, people around the league view Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson as a pair of potential top targets for the Knicks if they seek out a new coach.
Hornacek’s spot on the hot seat is nothing new — since the Knicks fell out of playoff contention earlier this season, rumors have swirled about the possibility of a head coaching change in New York. Rivers and Jackson have even been mentioned as possible candidates before, including by Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News and Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Still, Hornacek’s hold on his job appears more precarious than ever over the last week, according to Berman, who points to a handful of recent incidents to illustrate that Knicks veterans probably don’t expect to be playing for the current head coach much longer. As Berman observes, Hornacek handing Tim Hardaway Jr. the clipboard during one timeout and Trey Burke waving off Hornacek’s attempts to call another timeout were both unusual moments that took place during Monday’s loss to the Hornets.
Additionally, Kyle O’Quinn screamed profanities at his head coach during Friday’s game in New York, and a confrontation between Hornacek and veteran center Joakim Noah earlier this season ultimately led to Noah’s dismissal from the team. According to Berman, big man Kristaps Porzingis also “cursed out” Hornacek during a practice late last season, not long before Porzingis skipped his exit meeting.
The Knicks are expected to wait until after the regular season to make any announcements regarding their coaching situation, but at this point, Hornacek’s days in the position appear numbered.
Danilo Gallinari, identified this week by head coach Doc Rivers as the player the Clippers have missed the most this season, is targeting Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee for his potential return, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, who passes along comments Gallinari made to Italian outlet Sky Sport. The veteran forward indicated that he hopes to get back on the court after the Clippers’ current road trip ends, but before the end of this month.
Gallinari, the Clippers’ major free agent addition of 2017, has been limited to 19 games this season as he has battled a variety of injuries. His latest ailment, a right hand fracture, has sidelined him for the last month.
- Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo left Wednesday’s game against the Clippers with a right ankle sprain. While no recovery timetable has been announced for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks figure to play it safe with their franchise player. He is considered doubtful to play on Friday vs. Chicago, according to the team (Twitter link).
- Clippers forward Montrezl Harrel has been a steady presence for the team this season, averaging a career-high 10.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 64 games. Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes that Harrell has been one of the most efficient scorers in the entire NBA in the 16.2 minutes per game he averages. Harrell is set to hit restricted free agency this summer.
Barring a miracle, the 31-39 Pistons won’t make the playoffs this season, but Blake Griffin remains optimistic about the club’s longer-term outlook. In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Griffin said that he thinks the team will be “very good” next season.
“This summer we will have a chance to really jell, figure stuff out,” Griffin said. “I think the ceiling of this team is very, very high. We have a lot of different guys who can do a lot of different things who can affect the game in a lot of different ways. Getting Reggie [Jackson] back will be huge.”
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While the Pistons have struggled since acquiring Griffin, getting a full offseason with the new-look roster in place could pay off. Last season, the Pelicans were unable to make a late-season run after trading for DeMarcus Cousins at the deadline, but New Orleans – with and without Cousins – has looked much better this year. The Pistons will be looking to follow that model.
As for Griffin, he discussed a few other aspects of his midseason change of address with Spears, acknowledging that he would have approached free agency a little differently last July if he knew the Clippers would consider trading him just a few months later. Here are a few more of Griffin’s noteworthy comments from the conversation:
On the Clippers’ decision to trade him:
“You always hear guys say that, ‘Basketball is a business,’ and all that. It’s so much different when you have had a relationship with a certain amount of people for so long and been at a place for so long. Someone always promises you this is what we are doing and six months later … It shows people’s true colors. Other than that, at the end of the day, you have to realize it’s a business.”
On why it didn’t take him long to get over being traded:
“If I wasn’t happy with where I was at or excited to be here, it would take a little bit longer. But as soon as I got here to Detroit, the franchise, the way they go about taking care of the players, the way they do everything, is first-class. So, that makes the transition much easier. Stan [Van Gundy] and the whole staff has been awesome. I’m not looking back.
“I haven’t put much thought into it, to be honest. I’ve been so focused on making this transition and [adjusting] to this change that I haven’t put that much thought into it. I never want to be in a place where I’m not wanted. Coming here made me realize what a franchise looks like.”
On what advice he would give to stars entering free agency:
“You have to make the best decision for you, personally. If fans are upset, if one or two people are not super-supportive or aren’t on board with that, you have to live with it. You have to be somewhere where you enjoy it.”
Danilo Gallinari‘s injury-riddled season has been the Clippers’ biggest issue, coach Doc Rivers told Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register and other media members. Gallinari hasn’t played since February 22nd and has only appeared in 19 games. He was acquired in a deal with the Nuggets last summer with the expectation that he’d solidify the small forward spot. “Overall, of the guys we’ve missed [most], it’s ‘Gallo,’” Rivers said. “It’s not even close.” Hand and gluteus maximus injuries have sidelined Gallinari, who has averaged 15.9 PPG when he’s been able to take the court.
- Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was fined $15K for criticizing the officials in the team’s loss to the Rockets on Thursday, per ESPN. Rivers was critical of the referees’ lack of calls for his team.
- Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans were prepared for the G League this season and were not expecting significant minutes with the Clippers. A rash of injuries have given Thornwell and Evans key roles, in which they have excelled, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Milos Teodosic granted reporters, including Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register, a rare interview to discuss his decision to leave Europe and join the Clippers this past offseason. Prior to this season, Teodosic was regarded by many as the best basketball talent not signed to an NBA deal.
Injuries have slowed Teodosic this year but the 30-year-old has shown more than a few glimpses of his creative passing ability. In 37 games (30 starts), the Serbian point guard is averaging 9.3 PPG and 5.0 APG. While he wishes he came to the NBA earlier in his career, Teodosic said he would have retired with regrets if he didn’t join the Clippers.