Magic Rumors

NBA Says Wednesday’s Games Will Be Rescheduled; Players To Discuss Next Steps

The NBA has announced in a press release that all three Game Fives scheduled to take place on Wednesday have been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Bucks players led a boycott of this afternoon’s game against the Magic, with the Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Lakers quickly deciding to follow suit. The protests stem from a desire to raise awareness of social and racial injustices and enact change, and come in response to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the NBA, team owners, and front offices didn’t see today’s wave of player boycotts coming — as a few hours ago, they expected all of today’s games to take place.

NBA players have called a meeting for Wednesday night in Orlando to discuss and determine potential next steps, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Chris Mannix of SI.com notes (via Twitter), some teams – including the Raptors – have discussed the possibility of leaving the bubble altogether. Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) hears that the Raptors and Celtics are leaning toward not playing Game 1 of their second-round series on Thursday.

Bucks Players Boycotting Game 5 Vs. Orlando

3:46pm: Bucks players are in their locker room attempting to contact Josh Kaul, the attorney general of Wisconsin, reports Charania (via Twitter). According to Charania, the Magic are refusing to accept the Bucks’ forfeit of today’s game.

“Some things are bigger than basketball,” Alex Lasry, the Bucks’ senior vice president and son of team owner Marc Lasry, said in a statement (via Twitter). “The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”


3:21pm: Bucks players have decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round series against the Magic this afternoon in protest of the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

As the Magic took the court for pregame warmups this afternoon, the Bucks remained in their locker room, prompting Orlando players and the game’s referees to eventually leave the floor. Charania and Wojnarowski reported that the Bucks were seriously considering a boycott as league and team officials gathered outside the team’s locker room.

The shooting of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is less than 50 miles south of Milwaukee.

The Bucks met before practice on Tuesday to discuss the incident and other social and racial justice issues, as Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Multiple players expressed reservations about being in the NBA’s Disney World bubble with more important things going on, with George Hill suggesting that players should never have gone to Orlando to restart the season.

“I think it was said by multiple people there’s nothing more important than getting social justice and getting the wrongs that are happening in our country right and creating real and lasting change,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said of the meeting. “There’s literally nothing more important.”

It’s also worth noting that Bucks swingman Sterling Brown has first-hand experience with police brutality and racial profiling, having been tased and arrested by Milwaukee police officers over a parking violation in 2018. He has an ongoing lawsuit against the city, alleging that the officers used excessive force and targeted him because he is Black.

Earlier reports had indicated that NBA players – particularly members of the Celtics and Raptors – were mulling the possibility of boycotting games. Now that the Bucks have done so, it’s unclear what sort of domino effect the decision might have or how exactly the league will handle it.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter) the NBA’s Operations Manual includes “failure to appear” language that would subject a team to a forfeit and a fine of up to $5MM. However, that doesn’t mean those penalties will be applied in this situation — especially if this isn’t the last game to be boycotted.

Aaron Gordon Out For Game 5

  • Magic forward Aaron Gordon (hamstring) has been ruled out for Game 5 against Milwaukee, the team announced today (via Twitter). We heard on Tuesday that Gordon was still having trouble running up and down the court and that the club didn’t want to risk him suffering a more serious injury. If Orlando loses today, Gordon’s season will be over without him getting a chance to play in the postseason.

Aaron Gordon Unlikely To Return For Game 5

  • Magic forward Aaron Gordon (hamstring) appears unlikely to be ready for Game 5 on Wednesday, according to head coach Steve Clifford, who says that Gordon is still unable to sprint up and down the court and the team doesn’t want to risk him suffering a more serious injury (Twitter links via Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel).

Gordon, MCW Remain Out For Game 4

  • Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Michael Carter-Williams (foot) will remain sidelined for the Magic in Game 4 against Milwaukee this afternoon, the team announced (via Twitter). Neither player has been active for a playoff game so far.

Ennis, Williams Fined For On-Court Altercation

Magic forward James Ennis and Bucks forward Marvin Williams have each been fined $15K for their involvement in an on-court altercation during Game 3, the NBA announced in a press release.

The incident occurred with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter of Saturday’s contest, with Ennis and Williams battling for position and quickly getting tangled up. Both players began shoving each other and were subsequently ejected after the scuffle.

Williams has stated he has no interest in apologizing to Ennis and described the situation as one where he defended himself as a man, as relayed by Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).

Milwaukee defeated Orlando 121-107 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 35 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Ennis, a starter, recorded one point and two rebounds prior to being ejected, while Williams grabbed two rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

The Bucks currently lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled to be aired by NBA TV on Monday.

Gordon, Carter-Williams To Miss Game 3

Aaron Gordon and Michael Carter-Williams will miss the Magic’s Game 3 contest against the Bucks on Saturday, Iliana Limón Romero of the Orlando Sentinel writes.

Gordon (strained left hamstring) and Carter-Williams (strained tendon, left foot) have both been sidelined since early August with their respective ailments. As Orlando tries to upset the Bucks, the East’s No. 1 seed, the return of Gordon and Carter-Williams in the series would help matters.

Orlando is hopeful that Gordon, who has been out since Aug. 5,  can return for Game 4.

“He’s doing a lot better. He just wouldn’t be able to get up and down the floor, frankly,” Magic head coach Steve Clifford. “He’s made good progress and he’ll do his work today and tomorrow and then we’re hoping maybe there’s a chance (he can play) by Monday.”

 Meanwhile, Carter-Williams has not played since Aug. 4 and Clifford indicated he’s further behind Gordon in recovery.

“I would say (Carter-Williams) is definitely behind Aaron still,” Clifford. “Mike hasn’t even been able to do more on the floor than just shoot spot-ups. So he’s doing a little bit more, but for sure, Aaron’s closer than Mike is.”

2020 NBA Draft Picks By Team

In addition to claiming the top three spots in the 2020 NBA draft based on this year’s lottery results, the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Hornets are three of eight teams that will own more than two draft picks this fall.

As our full 2020 draft order shows, the Sixers lead the way with five picks, while the Kings, Pelicans, and Celtics have four apiece. Like Minnesota, Golden State, and Charlotte, the Knicks also hold three selections. On the other end of the spectrum, the Rockets are the only team without a 2020 draft pick.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2020 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (5): 21, 34, 36, 49, 58
  • Sacramento Kings (4): 12, 35, 43, 52
  • New Orleans Pelicans (4): 13, 39, 42, 60
  • Boston Celtics (4): 14, 26, 30, 47
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (3): 1, 17, 33
  • Golden State Warriors (3): 2, 48, 51
  • Charlotte Hornets (3): 3, 32, 56
  • New York Knicks (3): 8, 27, 38

Teams with two picks:

  • Chicago Bulls: 4, 44
  • Atlanta Hawks: 6, 50
  • Washington Wizards: 9, 37
  • San Antonio Spurs: 11, 41
  • Orlando Magic: 15, 45
  • Portland Trail Blazers: 16, 46
  • Dallas Mavericks: 18, 31
  • Brooklyn Nets: 19, 55
  • Oklahoma City Thunder: 25, 53
  • Toronto Raptors: 29, 59

Teams with one pick:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers: 5
  • Detroit Pistons: 7
  • Phoenix Suns: 10
  • Miami Heat: 20
  • Denver Nuggets: 22
  • Utah Jazz: 23
  • Milwaukee Bucks: 24
  • Los Angeles Lakers: 28
  • Memphis Grizzlies: 40
  • Indiana Pacers: 54
  • Los Angeles Clippers: 57

Teams with no picks:

  • Houston Rockets

Gordon, MCW Remain Sidelined For Game 2

Gordon's Availability for Game 2 Against Bucks Is Unclear

Magic head coach Steve Clifford told reporters on Wednesday that forward Aaron Gordon played 2-on-2 after practice, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Clifford also mentioned that Gordon’s availability for Game 2 against the Bucks will be determined by how his hamstring is feeling on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Gordon missed Game 1 on Tuesday with a left strained hamstring, which he suffered back on August 5. This season, the Magic forward is averaging 14.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 3.7 APG.