Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Curry, Leonard, Matthews, Haliburton

January 10th, 2021 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry could be in contention for a third MVP award if he keeps playing the way he has this week. After scoring 62 points last Sunday, Curry sparked the Warriors to a shocking comeback win over the Clippers Friday night. He hit nine 3-pointers, had 11 assists and went 13-for-24 from the field in the 38-point performance, leaving some teammates in awe, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“He’s making shots that you be like, ‘Whoa!'” Andrew Wiggins said. “There’s not a lot of shots that he can’t make. As soon as he steps over half, he’s a threat, so he causes a lot of attention. So when he gets rolling, you just sit back and watch and let him roll.”

Curry continues to add to his historically great numbers, Youngmisuk notes. Among the 78 players in NBA history with at least 100 30-point games, Curry has a .783 winning percentage, which ranks third all-time behind Larry Bird and Hal Greer.

“There’s not too much you have to say beyond it’s just who Steph is,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s been doing this for many, many years and one of the reasons he’s a two-time MVP and he’s a phenomenal basketball player. And usually with Steph when he has a tough game he bounces back [in] the next one. That’s part of his character, part of his competitiveness.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard called for the team to change its mindset after letting that game against Golden State slip away, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. was outscored 64-40 in the second half while taking just 12 shots in the paint. “I don’t feel like we took any, pretty much, good shots in that fourth quarter,” Leonard said. “Some of us didn’t know the play we were running but, yeah, we have to know what we’re running, execute it and then live with the make or misses.”
The Lakers‘ deep lineup creates a challenge for coach Frank Vogel, who has to find minutes for a variety of players, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Wesley Matthews, who is being used as a reserve for the first time in nearly a decade, said Vogel has made that transition easier. “When you know when you’re coming in, when you’re coming out, you can start usually preparing yourself and you can get ready and then you can start watching the game a little bit differently,” Matthews said. “He’s a great communicator so far with me and that really helps my curve here.”
Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton made his first career start Saturday with Richaun Holmes sidelined, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports. Coach Luke Walton and his staff have discussed using Haliburton as a starter, but haven’t committed to making the move permanent.

Unique Homecoming In Memphis For Gasol

January 9th, 2021 at 1:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Lakers center Marc Gasol, a three-time All-Star and the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year with the Grizzlies, had an interesting homecoming experience during a 108-94 defeat of Memphis this week, per Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Facing a FedExForum arena bereft of fans due to a raging pandemic, the 35-year-old big man noted that, “In your mind,” Gasol said, “the stands also are full.” Though Gasol was traded to the Raptors during the 2018/19 season en route to a title with Toronto, this marked his first game back at the arena where he became a star.

Caruso Never Tested Positive For COVID-19

January 8th, 2021 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Alex Caruso said he never tested positive for COVID-19, but someone he had seen around Christmas-time tested positive and he was placed under the league’s healthy and safety protocols because of contact tracing, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.

Caruso understands why the NBA set up those protocols but it was still a frustrating situation for him, Goon adds. The guard missed five games but returned to action for the Lakers on Thursday, playing 20 minutes and scoring eight points against San Antonio.

Alex Caruso Ready To Return

January 7th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Alex Caruso hasn’t played since December 27, having been held out of action due to the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but it sounds like he’ll make his return on Thursday night vs. San Antonio. Caruso – who resumed workouts earlier this week, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link) – is no longer listed on the Lakers’ injury report.

Harrell: Klutch Wasn't Reason I'm Here

January 4th, 2021 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers’ star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis are well-known clients of Klutch Sports but Montrezl Harrell, another client, insists that had nothing to with his decision to join the team, Lakers beat writer Harrison Faigen tweets. “First of all, my agency has nothing to do with my decision (to join the Lakers),” Harrell said. Harrell signed a two-year contract in November while jumping from one Los Angeles team to another.

Lakers Notes: Horton-Tucker, Caldwell-Pope, Davis, 2020

January 2nd, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Preseason sensation Talen Horton-Tucker hasn’t seen significant playing time since the regular season began, but that might change soon, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The Lakers are low on wing players with Alex Caruso in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dealing with a sprained left ankle he suffered Friday night.

“He’s a guy who’s young but seems like he’s been in the league for a while,” Anthony Davis said of the second-year shooting guard. “He likes to learn. He’s not afraid of the moment, and we have a guy who’s 19, 20? – something like that – where you can throw him in the fire and he’ll be ready to go, so we for sure got a steal in the draft with him.”

Horton-Tucker spent most of last season in the G League and didn’t make a strong impression on the coaching staff until the restart in Orlando. He was awed by the chance to match skills with veteran J.R. Smith in practice, but now he’s gotten used to facing NBA stars.

“It’s great just being around those guys to see where you are every day,” he said. “For me, it gives me a measuring stick. I wouldn’t say I’m still star struck.”

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

Caldwell-Pope didn’t need a walking boot as he left the arena Friday and isn’t concerned that the ankle will be a long-term problem, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Ankle is fine,” he said. “X-rays was negative, just a little sprain. And hopefully I can go in a couple days. We’re gonna treat it for the next couple days until we get to Memphis and see how we go from there.”
Davis is one of the best shooting big men in the league, and coach Frank Vogel wants him to put up more shots from long distance, Buha adds in the same piece. Davis shot a career-high 3.5 three-pointers per game last season and the plan is for him to increase that number. “Coach wants me to shoot at least five, average five, a game this year,” Davis said. “… Sometimes I pass up for a better shot. But I just got to shoot it. Any time I can shoot a high volume, I usually shoot pretty well from the field.”
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times talks to Lakers players about the highs and lows of 2020, which included a 17th NBA title, the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and the havoc created by COVID-19.

Matthews Adjusting To Bench Role

January 1st, 2021 at 3:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Lakers wing Wesley Matthews, a longtime starter in the NBA, is adjusting to his new role coming off the bench, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. “We don’t worry about Wes,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s a knockdown shooter and a great defender. Just excited that he’s in a Lakers uniform and what kind of things he’s gonna give us throughout the year.”

Lakers Show Off Depth Without Davis

December 29th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After the Lakers had their first All-Star player absence, their deep roster showed its mettle in a 127-91 Anthony Davis-free route of the Timberwolves Sunday, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “The expectation and the norm for us, for most of the league, is that there will be guys out,” head coach Frank Vogel noted. “We just have to make sure we understand that’s the norm and don’t let it slow us down at all.” Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker all scored in double digits, along with Los Angeles’s remaining healthy All-Star, LeBron James.

Injury/Coronavirus Updates: Craig, Butler, Okongwu, Snell, Caruso, Anthony

December 28th, 2020 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks swingman Torrey Craig suffered a nasal fracture on Sunday against the Knicks and won’t play against the Heat on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets. Craig signed with Milwaukee last month after the Nuggets failed to extend a qualifying offer.

We have more injury and COVID-19 news:

Heat star Jimmy Butler is doubtful to play against the Bucks on Tuesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Butler sprained an ankle during the team’s game on Friday.
Hawks rookie big man Onyeka Okongwu (left foot inflammation) and guard Tony Snell (right foot inflammation) have been cleared to progress to live contact workouts, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets.
Alex Caruso became the first Lakers player to miss a game due to COVID-19 protocols. Caruso sat out against Portland on Monday. Coach Frank Vogel said no other players or staff members were held out due to contact tracing, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony wasn’t with his team due to the same reason, as Casey Holdahl tweets.

Pacific Notes: Davis, Warriors, Moore, Kings

December 27th, 2020 at 7:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers superstar Anthony Davis missed the team’s game against the Timberwolves on Sunday due to a right calf strain, an injury he sustained in the team’s season opener against the Clippers and re-aggravated against the Mavericks on Christmas, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes.

The team will be cautious with his return, as the 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks en route to his first-ever NBA championship.

“Well, we just want to be responsible with it,” coach Frank Vogel said. “…We want to take advantage of our depth and be intelligent with this injury.”

Los Angeles has plenty of frontcourt pieces besides Davis, including LeBron James, Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell. The team remains one of the deepest in the league as it seeks its second straight title and fourth since 2009.

Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines what’s concerning about the Warriors‘ start to the season, along with what’s not. Golden State has suffered two straight blowout losses to start the campaign, struggling on both ends of the floor. The team is also coping with the losses of Draymond Green (foot), Klay Thompson (torn Achilles; out for season) and Marquese Chriss, who suffered a broken fibula in practice and will also miss the season. “I’ve got to stay on them and continue to work, find ways to get better organized and look like a five-man unit,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re just scattered right now. It just looks like we’re a series of moving parts.”
Suns guard E’Twaun Moore is staying ready despite not making the team’s rotation in the first two games, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “To his credit, when I talked to him about it, he handled it about as good as anybody I’ve ever seen,” coach Monty Williams said. “It’s one of the reasons why we wanted him on the team. He’s going to be ready when he’s called on, but he handled it like a champion.”
The Kings have recorded two straight wins, the franchise’s best start to a season in 17 years, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. As Jones notes, players on Sacramento fully expected this to happen, taking a 124-122 win over Denver on Wednesday and 106-103 win over Phoenix on Saturday. “Why not?” Marvin Bagley III asked. “They tie their shoes the same way we tie ours. They practice the same way we practice. Why not? We have a good team, a great team. I know for myself, I’m not satisfied. I want to keep continuing to push, keep continuing to get better, continue to keep winning. Nobody’s surprised over here.”