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Heat Notes: Butler, Rozier, Love, Martin, Wright

April 29th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are trying not to focus on being shorthanded as they look for a way to upset the top-seeded Celtics, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. An already difficult task is being made even harder by the absence of starters Jimmy Butler, who sprained his MCL during a play-in game, and Terry Rozier, who has been sidelined with neck issues. In addition, Duncan Robinson has been limited by a lingering back injury he suffered late in the season.

“We have our guys, we have enough to get the job done,” coach Erik Spoelstra insisted after a 20-point loss in Game 3. “We understand the challenge and that’s what our competitors love about this series. We know we have to play hard and we also have to play well.”

Butler and Rozier have already been ruled out for tonight’s Game 4. Spoelstra told reporters on Sunday that Rozier is considered “day to day,” but no timetable has been set for his return. Butler was projected to miss “several weeks” after getting hurt on April 17, but he sounded optimistic in an interview with TNT’s Chris Haynes during Saturday’s game.

“I don’t know about a timeline, but we’ve been working,” Butler said. “I want to hoop. I want to get out here. I want some of this.”

There’s more from Miami:

Spoelstra appears to be pivoting away from Kevin Love, who is facing a bad matchup against Boston, Chiang adds. The veteran big man, who was limited to one four-minute stretch in Game 3, is minus-24 in his 23 minutes of action in the series. “I was looking for a spark once we were down 20,” Spoelstra said in explaining the decision to bench Love. “This is not an indictment on anybody. Things move fast in a playoff series.”
Caleb Martin plans to “just be assertive and not be passive” tonight after he followed a 21-point Game 2 with five points on four shots in Game 3, Chiang states in a separate story. Martin, who starred against Boston in last year’s conference finals, said he needs to look to score more often. “I think there were sometimes I passed up shots,” he said. “I felt like I was trying to get the ball moving a little bit more, being a little bit less aggressive in letting it go. So that’s on me. I can’t be as passive. I got to let the ball go.”
Delon Wright, who missed Game 3 for the birth of a baby girl, has returned to the team and will be on the active roster tonight, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Portis, Middleton, Horst

April 29th, 2024 at 11:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Trailing 3-1 in their series with Indiana, the Bucks‘ best hope for a comeback rests with the return of injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, writes Jim Owczarski of The Journal Sentinel. Both players sat out Sunday’s loss, but neither has been ruled out for the series, which resumes Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo, who has been sidelined since suffering a calf strain April 9, has been listed as doubtful for the first four games. However, there’s cause for optimism after the former MVP completed an intense workout Sunday morning.

“It went well,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He moved, he shot, he’s running now with no resistance. So those are all very good signs.” Rivers said he’s “optimistic” about Antetokounmpo’s chances to return at some point, adding, “Like I think there’s a chance for him to play in this series. I really do.”

Lillard aggravated his right Achilles tendon late in Game 3. He wore a walking boot for Saturday’s film session, but didn’t have it on as he sat on the bench for Sunday’s contest. He was officially listed as out with tendinitis in the Achilles tendon.

“Not shutting him down,” Rivers said. “That’s a fact. I can say that much for sure.”

There is “obviously pessimism” about the status of both players with a quick turnaround for Game 5, Shams Charania said this morning on Run It Back (video link).

There’s more on the Bucks:

Milwaukee lost an important part of its rotation on Sunday when Bobby Portis was ejected seven minutes into the game for an altercation with Andrew Nembhard (video link), notes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Although Nembhard pulled Portis’ arm, the officials determined during a video review that Portis’ push and open-handed strike were two separate hostile acts, meeting the standard for an ejection. “The emotions got the best of him,” Khris Middleton said. “I thought, for the most part of the year, he’s done a great job flirting with that line and not crossing over it. Tonight, it just crossed over at the worst time for us.”
Middleton played 40 minutes on Sunday despite pain in both ankles, Nehm adds. The veteran swingman was dealing with a sprained right ankle entering the game, and he hurt the left one when Myles Turner landed on it during a third quarter collision.
Sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer there’s a legitimate chance that general manager Jon Horst will leave the Bucks this summer to become head of basketball operations for the Pistons. Horst wasn’t on board with either of the team’s coaching hirings over the past year, according to O’Connor, as he preferred Nick Nurse when the organization opted for Adrian Griffin to please Antetokounmpo and he pushed for Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson when Rivers was brought in at midseason. O’Connor notes that Horst is a Michigan native who got his first front office job with the Pistons, and he might be more comfortable building a young team than refining Milwaukee’s aging roster.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic looks at the strategic adjustments made by Rivers and Indiana’s Rick Carlisle that have helped to shape the series.

And-Ones: Paris Games, Ntilikina, Porter Jr., Broadcast Rights

April 29th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Victor Wembanyama will return home next winter as the Spurs and Pacers meet for a pair of games in Paris, the NBA announced (via Twitter). The contests, which are scheduled for January 23 and 25, will mark the league’s first time playing two regular season games in the city in the same season.

“Playing in Paris has been an incredible experience for our organization in the past and we are thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of The NBA Paris Games 2025,” Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a press release. “Thanks to our deep international history, we are fortunate to have Spurs fans in France, across Europe and around the world. We are excited to continue to honor that legacy by purposefully connecting and engaging with our fans in France on and off the court.”

These will be the fourth and fifth games in France for the Spurs, who played in Paris in 2003 and 2006 and traveled to Lyon in 2006. In addition to Wembanyama, the team’s roster features 2023 draft pick Sidy Cissoko, a native of Saint-Maurice.

The games will mark the first trip to France for the Pacers, who also issued a press release about the event. They will be the second and third regular season games in Europe and the 10th and 11th international contests for Indiana.

“The Pacers enjoy tremendous support from fans globally, and we are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the NBA’s efforts to continue bringing the game to new generations of fans all around the world,” said Kevin Pritchard, the team’s president of basketball operations.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard Frank Ntilikina has resumed training with an eye on representing France in the Olympics, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Ntilikina, who only appeared in five games for Charlotte before being waived in February, talked about his plans in an interview with SKWEEK. “Everything is going in the right direction,” he said. “We are all very confident about my form, two months before the start of the training camp.”
If he doesn’t get an NBA opportunity this summer, Kevin Porter Jr. is interested in spending another season with PAOK in Greece, Askounis adds in a separate story. After sitting out most of the year while dealing with an assault charge, Porter joined PAOK early this month and helped the team reach the playoffs in Greece’s top-tier division. “I am very grateful,” he said. “It is very family-oriented here. That is what I needed to get out of the shell I was in. So, I can’t see myself playing for any club overseas besides PAOK, no matter the league. If it is not the NBA, I will probably be here again.”
Andrew Marchand and Richard Deitsch of The Athletic examine the NBA’s new arrangement with Amazon Prime Video and speculate on whether it means the end of the league’s long-running relationship with TNT.

Wolves Notes: Finch, Conley, Edwards, Reid

April 29th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves‘ only major injury concern after their first-round series involves head coach Chris Finch, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Finch suffered a ruptured patella tendon in his right leg during a collision with Mike Conley late in Sunday’s game (video link). Conley was dribbling along the sidelines when Devin Booker bumped him into Finch, who fell to the court in pain.

“I didn’t see him at first, I was just trying to push the ball up the floor and Book hip checked me out of bounds,” Conley said.

The injury capped a memorable day for Finch, who finished third in the Coach of the Year balloting, then won his first playoff series as a head coach. He was able to celebrate with the team in the locker room, sitting on a chair as players gathered around him. Finch had to use crutches as he left the arena, and no announcement has been made about treatment plans. The series sweep gives him a few days to rest before the start of the second round.

“Prayers up for him,” Conley said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. We’ll do it for him and we’ll keep it moving.”

There’s more on the Wolves:

Anthony Edwards has been considered a future star, but his performance against Phoenix shows he’s in that category already, observes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Edwards scored 40 points on Sunday to finish off the Suns, and he served as the team’s emotional leader throughout the series with a mixture of highlight plays and trash talking. “He’s the face of the league,” Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters after the game. “He hates when I say it, but it’s true. Like I said, ‘Future so bright, got to put the sunglasses on.’”
It took time for Edwards to earn Finch’s trust, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Although he was the top pick in the 2020 draft, Edwards’ game was unrefined when he entered the league, which caused friction with his coach. “Imma be honest. At first it was like, up and down,” Edwards said. “He don’t want me doing this. He want me to do this. We fighting. Which is like a regular coach-player relationship. … But probably the end of my second year, going into those playoffs, we gained each other’s trust. We took off ever since then.”
Naz Reid was honored to be selected as Sixth Man of the Year earlier this week, Krawczynski tweets. It’s a significant accomplishment for a player who never averaged more than 20 minutes per game before this season. “To get this award is a monumental moment for myself,” Reid said, “just to see how far I’ve come since I started this journey.”

Suns Notes: Vogel, Jones, Offseason Priorities, Second Apron, Beal

April 29th, 2024 at 8:07am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will take “a hard look” at a coaching change after being swept out of the playoffs by Minnesota, sources tell Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic. If Frank Vogel is retained, management will consider making adjustments to his staff, according to the authors, who add that general manager James Jones will be kept in his current role.

Vogel still has four seasons remaining on the $31MM contract he received when he was hired last June. He was 49-33 in his first year with Phoenix and the team made a late charge to claim the sixth seed in the West, but there were concerns by the end of the season that his voice was no longer resonating with his players, Charania and Haller write.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported before Sunday’s game that Vogel’s future is in jeopardy. In a meeting with reporters before the contest, Vogel expressed confidence that he will remain the team’s coach (video link), telling reporters, “I’ve got full confidence from (owner) Mat Ishbia.”

But Charania and Haller wonder how patient Ishbia will be after spending heavily to add Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to form a Big Three alongside Devin Booker. That approach was shaky throughout the regular season, and it fell apart completely in the playoffs against the less experienced Timberwolves.

The Suns already have to replace lead assistant Kevin Young, who was in charge of the team’s offensive game plans. Young accepted the head coaching job at BYU two weeks ago, but agreed to remain with Phoenix through the end of its playoff run.

There’s more from Phoenix:

The Suns plan to keep the core of the team together and build around Booker, Durant, Beal, Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkic and Royce O’Neale, according to Charania and Haller. Allen recently agreed to a four-year, $70MM extension, but O’Neale, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, will have to be re-signed. The team will also be on the lookout for available veterans to help build a more professional atmosphere in the locker room, sources tell the authors.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 expects a “cooling-off period” before Ishbia makes any decisions about his coaching staff (Twitter link). He also notes that finding a traditional point guard will be necessary this offseason as neither Booker or Beal appeared fully comfortable filling that role. Gambadoro also sees a need for a backup center and more size at the wing, pointing out that Phoenix was out-rebounded by a 185-130 margin during the four-game series.
The Suns’ offseason options will be limited because they’re now operating under full second-apron rules, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Among those restrictions, the team can’t aggregate players in trades or take back more money than is sent out in any deal. The Suns won’t have access to the mid-level exception and can only sign their draft picks and add players on minimum contracts.
Although Beal is widely considered to be untradeable with a contract that pays him $161MM over the next three seasons, Sam Vecenie of the Athletic believes the Suns could find a market if they decide to move him (Twitter link). He sees possible interest from the Kings if they lose Malik Monk in free agency, the Bulls if they trade DeMar DeRozan, or the Sixers if they can’t land a significant free agent with their available cap space. Beal still has a no-trade clause though and would have to approve any deal.

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Hart, Embiid, Robinson, Porzingis

April 28th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson broke Bernard King‘s franchise record on Sunday with 47 points in New York’s Game 4 win over the Sixers. Brunson didn’t shoot well in the first two games of the series but has averaged 43 points and 11.5 assists in the last two games.

“You expect him to make every shot. He’s a great player,” Knicks forward OG Anunoby said. “Even when he was cold the first couple of games, you knew he was going to turn it around. Just ’cause we see him every day. It was going to turn around eventually.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Josh Hart didn’t have a field goal in the Knicks’ victory but he made his presence felt in many other areas. He grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked three shots, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. “I mean, I had to do something,” Hart said. “I had five turnovers, didn’t make a shot, didn’t hit any free throws, missed two free throws late that were big. So offensively it just wasn’t there today. But when you have that, you have to try to figure out ways to still make an impact in the game. And for me that was rebounding and pushing. Offensive rebound, trying to get extra possessions. Looked athletic on a couple of blocks, so that was nice.”
Sixers star Joel Embiid called out Philadelphia’s home crowd after the loss, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links). The arena had plenty of fans rooting for the visitors. “Obviously you got a lot of Knicks fans and they’re down the road and I’ve never seen it and I’ve been here for 10 years. Yeah, it kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town,” he said. “They’ve always shown up and I don’t think that should happen. Yeah. It’s not okay.”
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson sat out Game 4 due to an ankle injury suffered in the previous game. Robinson warmed up prior to the contest but couldn’t go. Afterward, he was spotted leaving the locker room in a walking boot, Katz tweets.
Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis has scored 18 points in each of the team’s first-round victories over Miami. He was held to six points in Boston’s Game 2 loss. Getting Porzingis involved in the offense is crucial, Jayson Tatum told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “He’s probably our most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “So no doubt in my mind, I knew he was going to have a better game and bounce back.”

Nuggets Notes: Paint Issues, Footwear, Murray, Gordon

April 28th, 2024 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets failed to complete a sweep of the Lakers on Saturday night, losing Game 4 by a score of 119-108. Head coach Michael Malone fumed over the way his team played in the lane, The Athletic’s Tony Jones writes.

“The paint was a joke,” Malone said. “In every huddle, we were like a broken record (Saturday). Everything was paint, paint, paint. We have to be better at defending the paint. We gave up 72 points in the paint overall. We gave up 42 points by halftime, which is an unbelievable number. They shot 64 percent in the paint.

“It starts with our defense in transition. There were too many blow-bys off the dribble. I didn’t think we played with the physicality we needed. I didn’t think we played with enough urgency. This did not seem like a closeout game.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

It wasn’t the shoes that caused the Nuggets to lose but some of them didn’t have their usual footwear during the pregame warmups on Saturday. There was a mix-up in getting several players’ insoles onto the early bus to the arena, so some took some pregame shots without them, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “Is it ideal? No,” Malone said. “But hopefully we can figure that out and make sure it never happens again. If you want to dig into stuff and say, well, we lost because for some strange reason our players didn’t have their shoes when they got here for their normal warmups, that we had guys out there shooting around with flip-flops, is it ideal? No. But I’m not an excuse guy.”
Is a leg injury bothering Jamal Murray? The Denver Post’s Matt Schubert poses that question, noting that Murray was seen clutching the back of his leg on Saturday. Murray is averaging 21.5 points per game for the series but he’s struggled with his efficiency, making 38% of his overall field goal attempts and 20.8% of his 3-point tries. Indeed, Murray has been listed as questionable to play on Monday due to a left calf strain, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.
Aaron Gordon had a quiet night, posting seven points and three rebounds in 42 minutes. However, Gordon’s 29-point, 15-rebound eruption in Game 3 is another example of what a steal the Nuggets made when they acquired the power forward from Orlando in 2021, Jones opines. Gordon’s value on and off the court is undeniable because of his ability to play off of Nikola Jokic and Murray. The Nuggets gave up Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a protected 2025 first-round pick in that deal three years ago.

Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Turnovers, Nance Jr., Series Deficit, Williamson

April 28th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Brandon Ingram missed 12 games with a bone bruise in his left knee late in the regular season. With the Pelicans trailing the Thunder 3-0 in their first-round series, Ingram admits he’s not playing at 100%, William Guillory of The Athletic writes.

“I feel like I’ve had spurts where I feel good, but not completely. I’m not happy with none of my performances from the playoffs,” Ingram said. “I don’t think I’m myself completely. I’ll continue to push forward and try to find mine. But I can’t just worry about myself. I’ve got to worry about my teammates … making sure they’re in rhythm. If they’re in rhythm, they’ll find me in rhythm, too.”

We have more on the Pelicans:

In the same story, Guillory notes that the team is averaging more turnovers per game (17.7) than every other playoff team and its total turnovers (53) are only three fewer than its total number of assists (56). The Pelicans committed 21 turnovers in their 106-85 Game 3 loss. “The turnovers and the lack of confidence shooting the ball when we have open looks, that’s difficult (to overcome),” coach Willie Green said. “It’s been difficult to generate points. … We can’t kill ourselves with the turnovers, and that’s what we did (in Game 3).”
Larry Nance Jr. started the second half at center in place of Jonas Valanciunas. The latter wound up playing just 12 minutes, Sports Illustrated’s Kade Kimble notes. The league’s new Coach of the Year forced Green to make an adjustment. “It’s just a matter of forcing the opponent to pivot. They’ve forced us to pivot at different times this series. There’s a push-pull with that,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Whatever they choose to do, we gotta be able to attack it and adapt to it.”
The Pelicans have been swept only once in franchise history, falling to Golden State in the 2014/15 playoffs. Even if New Orleans manages to extend the series by winning Game 4 on Monday night, there’s no miraculous comeback in the cards for this year’s group, Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune opines.
Zion Williamson won’t come to the Pelicans’ rescue, at least not on Monday. He’s listed as out for Game 4 due to his left hamstring strain, according to a team press release.

Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Named Coach Of Year

April 28th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mark Daigneault of the Thunder has been selected as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).

Daigneault coached one of the league’s youngest rosters to the top spot in the Western Conference this season, compiling a 57-25 record. It has been a remarkable turnaround in recent years for the Thunder, who won just 24 games in 2021/22 and 40 in ’22/23.

While there was an expectation that Oklahoma City would take another step forward this season, the team’s preseason over/under projection was 44.5 wins — the Thunder surpassed that mark with more than a month left in the season.

Daigneault, who also earned Coach of the Year honors this season from the National Basketball Coaches Association, won the NBA’s official COY award in a landslide, racking up 89 first-place votes, compared to 10 for all the remaining candidates. He had nine second-place votes and one third-place vote for 473 (of a maximum 495) points (Twitter link).

The Magic‘s Jamahl Mosley was the runner-up with four first-place votes and 158 points. Chris Finch of the Timberwolves wound up third with 105 points, followed by the Celtics‘ Joe Mazzulla (79 points) and the Knicks‘ Tom Thibodeau (59 points).

Daigneault, in his fourth season as the Thunder’s head coach, joins Scott Brooks (2009/10) as the only coaches in franchise history to earn the award.

Mavericks Notes: Washington, Gafford, Harrison, Clippers

April 28th, 2024 at 4:27pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

During the Mavericks’ hard-fought 101-90 Game 3 victory over the Clippers on Friday, power forward P.J. Washington emerged as something of a cult hero for Dallas, providing tough defense and having the backs of his star players, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Washington’s tough, physical play eventually resulted in an ejection following a fracas with Clippers reserve guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had pulled on All-Star Mavericks guard Luka Doncic‘s arm during a play, and the two subsequently got into it before Washington, who grew up in Dallas, stepped in.

“Always got to protect 77 at all costs,” Washington told MacMahon, referring to Doncic’s jersey number. “So I mean obviously it was a hard foul and then he pushed him afterwards, so I was right there and I just had to step into it.”

Washington and Westbrook were both kicked out of the contest following the dispute. Washington finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

“The things he does, he’s a team player,” Doncic said. “He helps all of us. I’m just really happy we’ve got him on our team.”

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The Mavericks became a sneaky playoff contender thanks to two relatively unheralded trade additions at the deadline, MacMahon writes in a separate piece. Rim-rolling big men Daniel Gafford and Washington have already made a big impact for Dallas on both ends of the hardwood, helping the club establish a frontline presence it had previously lacked. Team president Nico Harrison reflected on how the high-flying duo has made Dallas, up 2-1 against the loaded Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, a major threat in the West — not just this season, but beyond it, too. “It wasn’t really about winning right now,” Harrison told MacMahon. “It was just about continuing to build it. It’s like every step is, how do we continue to get better? And we’re not built for just right now; we’re built for the next three playoff runs.”
During their Game 3 victory, the Mavericks showcased the new, lob-heavy style of play that has made them so difficult to defeat thus far in the playoffs, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic. Dallas’ physicality, athleticism and strength has reinvigorated the team, a year after it missed the play-in tournament entirely. Dallas is allowing the Clippers to shoot just 51.6% at the rim in this series, thanks to the sturdy paint protection of newly-acquired Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II.
Gafford explained how he shook off a disappointing first two games against the Clippers for an assertive early run in Game 3, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. He notched eight points, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a defense-first performance, while playing through an ailing back. “Game 1, I got hit in the mouth. Game 2, my back almost gave out on me,” Gafford said. “From the time I’ve been in the league, I’ve learned not to pay attention to any of the outside noise… I pay attention to the inner circle, and that’s my team at the end of the day. We all we got. It’s us against the world. We’re one of the best teams in the league and we’re trying to fight for something.” Gafford is in the first season of a three-year, $40.2MM deal he inked while with the Wizards, and if he keeps up this play, he’ll be a steal.