- Bucks forward Khris Middleton made his long-awaited return from wrist surgery early this month, but now swelling in his knee has sidelined him, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. “I would say way better than I was last week when I stopped playing,” Middleton said Saturday. “A lot of swelling in my knee went down. Just taking it day-by-day. Just trying to make sure the next time I go back out there I’ll be out there for the long run.” Middleton missed his fifth consecutive game on Sunday, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
- Bucks center Brook Lopez was sidelined much of last season due to a back injury. Lopez has not only been healthy this season, he has emerged as a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He told Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated that he’s humbled to be in that discussion. “Absolutely it would mean something, it would be a great honor,” Lopez said. “I’ve had a very interesting career arc. The changes I’ve had to make to my game to stay in the league, I’m proud of that and I’m proud of the player I’ve become. It would definitely be an honor.”
When we took a closer look at the Western Conference earlier this week, we pointed out that the No. 1 seed had changed hands many times this season, with eight different teams holding it at some point and five of those clubs spending at least six days as the West’s top team.
That hasn’t been the case in the Eastern Conference, where the Celtics and Bucks have essentially shared the top seed all season. According to Basketball-Reference, Milwaukee held it from October 24 to November 13, Boston had it from November 14 to December 17, and the two teams have traded it back and forth during the past week.
Milwaukee and Boston have made a strong case to be considered the East’s most serious championship threats. The Celtics have been especially impressive, posting the NBA’s best offensive rating (116.6) and net rating (+6.0) while getting an MVP-caliber performance from Jayson Tatum. They’ve also spent most of the season playing without their best rim protector, Robert Williams, and could have an even higher ceiling now that he’s back.
The Bucks have stuck right there with them though, buoyed by the league’s third-best defense and an MVP candidate of their own in forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Like Boston, Milwaukee has gotten off to a strong start despite playing shorthanded — All-Star forward Khris Middleton has been limited to seven games and has struggled mightily in those appearances, so the Bucks could presumably reach another gear if and when they’re fully healthy and firing on all cylinders.
Both the Celtics and Bucks have been up and down in recent weeks, however. Boston has lost five of seven games and actually has the NBA’s worst offensive rating (107.0) during the month of December. Milwaukee has lost four of its last seven.
As the East’s leaders have struggled, several other would-be contenders have closed the gap at the top of the standings, starting with the Cavaliers. The offseason addition of Donovan Mitchell has helped Cleveland take a step forward this season, while the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has led the NBA’s best defense (107.2 rating).
Cleveland’s +6.0 net rating is tied with Boston for the league’s best mark. The Cavs also have a pair of victories over Boston under their belts already this season and beat Milwaukee on Wednesday, proving they can hang with the East’s top clubs.
Meanwhile, two teams expected to be title contenders before the season began have been on fire lately after getting off to sluggish starts — the Nets have won eight games in a row and 12 of their last 13, while the Sixers are riding their own seven-game winning streak. Brooklyn is now within two games of the East’s top seed, while Philadelphia is just three games out.
The Nets’ offense has looked in recent weeks like the well-oiled machine that we thought it could be, as they comfortably lead the NBA with a 120.4 offensive rating in December. Kevin Durant has played some of the best basketball of his career, Kyrie Irving is staying out of the news and playing great basketball following his return from an eight-game suspension, and Ben Simmons is looking a whole lot more comfortable on both ends of the court after a concerning start to the season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Philadelphia has been most effective on the defensive end of the ball, trailing only the Cavs with a 108.3 defensive rating, but James Harden and Joel Embiid have been clicking on offense lately too. In a win over the Clippers on Friday, Embiid racked up 44 points while Harden had 21 assists. The offense should take another step forward once Tyrese Maxey returns from a foot injury.
The East’s top five seeds look like the best bets to come out of the conference, but we should also mention the Knicks (18-15), who have the East’s best net rating (+10.2) in December, along with the Hawks (17-16), Pacers (17-16), Heat (16-17), and Raptors (15-18), who are lurking in play-in territory for now.
We want to know what you think. Which team do you expect to finish the regular season holding the East’s No. 1 seed? Will the same club represent the conference in the NBA Finals, or will another team make a deeper playoff run? Do you consider the East to be as wide open as the West, or are there fewer real title threats here beyond the top few seeds?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have avoided a major injury after falling awkwardly on his right hand during Friday’s loss to Brooklyn, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that X-rays on Antetokounmpo’s hand came back clean.
“Mostly means he’s OK,” Budenholzer said. “I’m sure he may be a little bit sore, a little bit banged up.”
Antetokounmpo injured his hand in the third quarter when he attempted to make his way to the basket and was spun to the ground by Nets forward Royce O’Neale (video link). Antetokounmpo told reporters that he considered it to be a clean, hard foul, though Budenholzer was less certain.
“I thought it was close to excessive,” Budenholzer said. “Borderline or close. The referees didn’t review it and didn’t think it was and I respect that decision and call. Felt like he kind of grabbed him and threw him down but it was probably a good, hard NBA foul.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Heat star Jimmy Butler sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Indiana and tried to play through it before eventually leaving the game in the fourth quarter, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Butler, who has already missed 12 games this season due to health issues, will be evaluated on Saturday to determine the severity of the sprain, Reynolds adds.
- Domantas Sabonis exited the Kings‘ loss to Washington on Friday in the fourth quarter due to what appeared to be a right hand injury, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter links). Head coach Mike Brown was unable to provide an update after the game, but as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee notes, it would be a major blow for the Kings if Sabonis has to miss any time. He has been on a tear as of late (19.9 PPG, 16.1 RPG, and 7.5 APG in his last 10 games) and the team hasn’t gotten consistent production from its backup centers.
- Already missing starting center Anthony Davis, the Lakers saw fill-in starter Thomas Bryant leave Friday’s loss to Charlotte in the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury, according to Janis Carr of The Southern California News Group, who says Bryant was holding the shoulder “in obvious pain.” Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game that Bryant was still being evaluated and that there was no update yet, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant raised eyebrows earlier this week when he was asked by ESPN’s Malika Andrews in an NBA Today interview (video link) which teams around the league had caught his eye as opponents Memphis will have to “run through” to win a title. After Morant named the Celtics and fell silent, Andrews observed that he didn’t mention any Western Conference teams.
“Nah,” Morant said. “I’m fine in the West.”
Speaking to reporters later in the week, Morant didn’t back off those comments at all, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. In fact, while the All-NBA guard identified the Bucks as another team he might add to his list, he doubled down on his feelings about his Western rivals.
“Honestly, I don’t care about anybody else feedback but ours,” Morant said. “That’s how we feel. That’s how confident we are in our abilities and where we think we stand in the Western Conference.”
Here’s more out of Memphis:
- Although the Suns were missing leading scorer Devin Booker, Memphis’ 25-blowout win over Phoenix on Friday showed just how good the Grizzlies can be when they’re at full strength, Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. Desmond Bane was only 4-of-13 from the floor in his return from a toe injury, but he “played decisively and looked fluid in his movements,” according to Cole. The starting five of Morant, Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Steven Adams had a plus-44.8 net rating in its first 11 minutes together this season.
- During ESPN’s broadcast of Friday’s game in Phoenix, Danny Green said he’s aiming to return from his ACL tear before February’s All-Star break, according to Evan Barnes of The Commercial Appeal. Green added that he did some 1-on-1 work on Friday for the first time during his recovery. “The knee is going smoothly,” the 35-year-old swingman said. “We’re in a good pace and hopefully you’ll see me before the break. That’s the target right now.”
- Based on the current construction of the Grizzlies’ roster, Cole believes a healthy Green would likely take John Konchar‘s rotation minutes (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies will be in action on Christmas Day for the first time in franchise history. Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores what it means for the team to finally be considered one of the NBA’s marquee attractions.
After making his season debut on December 2 following offseason wrist surgery, Bucks wing Khris Middleton has now missed four consecutive games with right knee soreness. Head coach Mike Budenholzer provided an update on Middleton’s status ahead of Friday’s game against the Nets, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I think, I would say he is making progress, probably not at the rate we had hoped,” Budenholzer said. “To be able to get work in, to be ready to play — it’s really still, he only played I think four, five games — so there’s still that being ready for an NBA game and all that goes into that. So, we’ll see how the next 24, 48 hours go. … But I think overall we’re encouraged. And I think he’s in a good place and he’ll play when he’s ready. It’s a long season. We have to be patient. It’s hard for Khris. It’s hard for us, but just keep the big picture in mind always.”
While Budenholzer is typically vague when giving health updates, hopefully the fact that Middleton’s knee has been slow to respond doesn’t keep him out of action for much longer. Through seven games (24.6 MPG), the three-time All-Star is averaging 11.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 4.4 APG.
Here are some more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers isn’t confident that Tyrese Maxey will return for Sunday’s matchup against the Knicks, but he provided an encouraging update on Friday, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s making great progress,” Rivers said. “[He] had a great workout [Thursday], so he’s close.” The third-year guard has been sidelined since November 18 after suffering a foot fracture.
- Suns star Devin Booker has been dealing with groin soreness since Saturday’s victory over New Orleans, with Friday marking his third straight missed game. Head coach Monty Williams isn’t sure when the shooting guard will be back in action, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “He’s been shooting the last couple of days. Not moving as much, but is progressing a bit…he’s chomping at the bit. As you can imagine, Book’s frustrated when he can’t play,” Williams said, adding that he wouldn’t speculate about whether Booker would play on Sunday.
- The Wizards announced that guard Delon Wright, who has missed the team’s past 29 games with a hamstring injury, would be back in action on Friday against Sacramento, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Wright should bolster the Wizards’ defense, which ranks 22nd in the NBA.
- Jae’Sean Tate has been sidelined since October 30 due to a right ankle injury, having made just three appearances for the Rockets thus far this season. However, head coach Stephen Silas said on Friday that the forward’s return “looks like it will be pretty soon,” tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo staged a “frontal assault” on the Cavaliers Wednesday night, overpowering a strong interior defense for 45 points and 14 rebounds, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. But Milwaukee lost the Central Division showdown, and Vardon suggests it might not be in the team’s best interests for Antetokounmpo to play that physical style.
The Bucks are missing Khris Middleton, who is sidelined with a sore right knee, which limits their options on offense. Vardon notes that Middleton was also absent during last season’s playoffs when Antetokounmpo adopted a similar approach in a seven-game loss to the Celtics.
“Even when Khris is out there, that’s what I do, I try to get as many easy ones as I can,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s part of my game, I try to score a lot in the paint, but obviously when Khris is playing the game is a lot easier for everybody. We know he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot, he’s going to make a lot of decisions, he’s going to make shots. He’s one of the guys that down the stretch when we need a shot, he’s going to get the ball most likely. But even if he is not out there, my game doesn’t really change.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Wednesday’s victory was important for a young Cavaliers team that’s trying to prove it belongs with the other contenders in the East, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Unlike the previous two meetings with Milwaukee, Cleveland led almost the entire way and was able to hold off several Bucks’ rallies. “Tonight, I think, was a great step for us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We showed a lot of poise. We kept our composure. But the thing that was most impressive to me is we continue to do it together. There was no splintering. There was not one guy trying to do it on his own.”
- The Pistons believe they’re better than their league-worst 8-26 record, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Coach Dwane Casey said pride is necessary to avoid the mistakes that have been leading to losses, such as turnovers, defensive lapses and poor showings coming out of halftime.
- Gabe York, who plays for the Pacers‘ G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, caught another bad break this week in his quest to earn an NBA roster spot, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. An illness forced York, who has been named G League Player of the Week twice this season, to miss the Mad Ants’ game at the G League Showcase in Las Vegas. York contracted COVID-19 last season when he was set to sign a 10-day contract with the Magic.
Bucks forward Joe Ingles is scheduled to play his first game for his new club on Monday against the Pelicans, after missing the team’s first two months of games while finishing up his rehabilitation from a January 30 ACL tear. Ingles departed the Jazz in free agency this summer to link up with the 2021 champs on a one-season, $6.48MM deal.
The 35-year-old sat down with Eric Nehm of The Athletic for an extensive conversation about his ACL recovery and upcoming return to the hardwood, his new teammates, his expectations for himself, and his incessant chattiness.
Ingles is already made a positive impression on his teammates and coaches away from the court. Milwaukee is hoping that on the court he can help the team with floor spacing and frisky defense. For his career, he’s averaging 8.6 PPG on .449/.408/.768 shooting, plus 3.8 APG and 3.2 RPG.
“He’s just, he’s a good basketball player,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “That’s just an all-encompassing thing. His passing is probably the thing that stands out most. We always need 3-point shooting and guys that can knock it down in different environments, in different situations. So, his 3-point shooting, I think is going to be really helpful for us. We feel like he’s smart, tough, a little bit edgy defender.”
Here are a few quotes from Ingles from the Nehm piece, well worth reading in full.
On his extended rehab from his first major NBA injury:
“It’s brutal, man, to be honest. I would look at other guys getting injured in the NBA and it’s not that you don’t feel something for them, but I don’t know what they’re going through. You hope they’re well, you hope they’re good mentally, physically, all that, but yeah, I mean, it was brutal. It’s f—ing brutal. I had some bad days.
“Obviously, some really good days. The good days were good because I was able to tick a lot of boxes and kind of keep moving forward with my knee, but the fact of like missing the game, missing my teammates. I was living in Utah but had been traded, so I really didn’t have a team. It was the first time in my life that I hadn’t been in a text group with the guys. You miss that stuff and that was the stuff that I probably didn’t realize as much.”
On his support system while recovering:
“I mean, [wife] Renae and the kids were like the backbone of everything. I rehabbed as much as I rehabbed and it’s probably why I’m back a bit soon like Renae was the backbone. I was out of the house eight-to-five most days; it was a brutal day-to-day process as you’re ticking those boxes, but you get to a certain point and kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel a little bit and it still hasn’t hit home yet, probably not until Monday when I’m out there warming up.”
On his feelings ahead of his return:
“I’ll be excited. It will be fun to get back out there and nervous because, like I said, playing with new guys, guys I’ve never played with, in a real game. New Orleans is not going to give a f— that it’s my first game. That part of it is the nerves and stuff, but also, once I get out there, I think I’ll be fine. It’s that natural, it’s like riding a bike once I’m back out there. I’ll be fine, but there will be nerves.
“But at the end of the day, I know I’ve done the work. I was telling someone earlier, I’ve worked my ass off for the last 11 months. I’m very lucky that I have a wife and kids that have told me to get out the door and spend as much time as you need and do it, rehab, recovery. And I think that is part of getting back a bit earlier. There is a process to it and I’m lucky that I’ve had that. I don’t know other people’s situations, but it’s tough. She’s got three kids and she’s at home alone, but she’s still like, ‘Keep going, keep going. Keep getting out of the house. Keep doing more and more.’ If I wanted to do some extra work with the staff, I was able to.”
DECEMBER 17: Ingles completed his workout today and will make his season debut on Monday, his agent Mark Bartelstein confirms to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 16: Bucks forward Joe Ingles is targeting Monday’s game in New Orleans for his season debut, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Ingles suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in January as a member of the Jazz and underwent surgery to repair the ligament in early February. After missing the rest of the 2021/22 season, the veteran signed a one-year, $6.48MM contract with the Bucks over the summer while he continued his rehab process. That process has extended into the early part of the ’22/23 season.
According to Wojnarowski, there’s just one hurdle left for Ingles to clear — he’ll take part in a 5-on-5 workout on Saturday and if he comes through that session feeling good, the plan is for him to be available for Milwaukee on Monday.
The Bucks began the season with several rotation players sidelined, including star forward Khris Middleton and swingman Pat Connaughton. With Ingles on the verge of returning, the team is nearly at full strength for the first time this fall.
A 40.8% career three-point shooter who can handle the ball and has plenty of postseason experience, Ingles could emerge as a useful contributor for the Bucks, who have championship aspirations. Still, we should probably keep our expectations in check, since Ingles is 35 years old and players returning from ACL tears typically don’t immediately look like their old selves upon returning.
- The Bucks will be without Khris Middleton on Saturday vs. Utah due to right knee soreness, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links). Giannis Antetokounmpo has also been added to the team’s injury report as questionable due to left knee soreness.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is the choice for Most Valuable Player one-third of the way through the 2022/23 NBA season, Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com argues in an early-season award ballot. Tatum is averaging over 30 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game with terrific shooting numbers and is a candidate for an All-Defensive spot on the other end of the floor, according to Duncan, who contends that doing all that for the NBA’s best team makes the MVP award Tatum’s to lose.
Duncan also checks in on the NBA’s other award races, selecting Bucks center Brook Lopez as the top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the early Rookie of the Year frontrunner, and Bucks forward/center Bobby Portis as his Sixth Man of the Year choice, among others.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Which teams should be throwing in the towel on 2022/23 and focusing on next year’s draft? John Hollinger of The Athletic breaks down the potential tankers, ranging from the “pull the plug already” group (the Pistons and Hornets) to the “one injury away” tier, which includes playoff hopefuls like the Heat, Mavericks, and Raptors.
- A panel of SI.com basketball writers – including Howard Beck, Chris Mannix, and Chris Herring – prepared for NBA trade season by identifying a player they expect to be moved, picking an intriguing team to watch, and naming a trade they’d like to see happen this season. Three of the five panelists pointed to a Bradley Beal deal as one they’re hoping for, even if it’s probably unlikely in the first season of his five-year contract with the Wizards.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer poses and explores nine questions related to the trade market, including whether the league-wide parity we’ve seen so far this season will catalyze or stifle negotiations. Like those SI.com writers, Pina would welcome some action on the Beal front, referring to the union between the All-Star guard and the Wizards as “the most frustrating dead-end relationship in the entire NBA.”