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Nets Notes: Bridges, Simmons, Walker, Sharpe, Thomas

March 9th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Tristan Tucker

With multiple players injured for extended periods this season and the Nets declining offers of multiple first-round picks for him, the pressure has been on Mikal Bridges to be a star for Brooklyn, The New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes. Bridges is slumping as of late, averaging 15.6 points on 37.6% shooting in his past 10 games, and Lewis writes that it’s a result of not just being exhausted, but from getting a lack of offensive help elsewhere.

“You know it hurts when you don’t have [Cam Thomas] or [Cameron Johnson] where they’re double-teaming [him], and you expect him to be Superman. But he’s just not Superman,” interim head coach Kevin Ollie said. “All the game plan is to [stop] him, to take him out of the game. And in this opportunity, he can learn through this. Even through struggle, you have an opportunity to find a lesson in it, and I think he’ll find a lesson in it. When he gets in this situation again, he’ll be better equipped.”

Bridges is still having a career year, averaging bests in points, rebounds and assists. However, he hasn’t yet regained his post-2023 deadline self, when he averaged 26.1 points per game after being moved to Brooklyn. The recent slump isn’t helping, but the forward, who hasn’t missed a game since entering the NBA, insists it isn’t because he needs a break.

“No, it’s just between missing shots and schemes on other teams. It’s just a mix of that,” Bridges said. “It’s not too many times where I come off and it’s easy looks now. And it’s just part of growth, and some are just gonna make me better [and] make the team better when it’s all said and done. But just get through that hump. But no, it’s just between making and missing shots.”

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Ben Simmons being shut down for the season leaves his future with the organization in question, Lewis writes in a separate story. Simmons has played just 57 of a possible 192 regular season games for the Nets and his $40.3MM salary next season makes it hard to move the former All-Defensive Team member in a trade. Lewis speculates the Nets could consider a buyout. Ollie didn’t say whether Simmons would require another surgery, but Brooklyn has to determine whether he’s a sunk cost, Lewis writes. “I hope his mental is fine,” Bridges said. “I just know getting hurt isn’t fun at all. It gets with you mentally, so hope he’s just all right and just hope [for a] speedy recovery.“
Simmons’ career with the Nets may have been over before it started, The New York Post’s Dan Martin writes in a member-only article. Simmons was already showing a knack for unavailability before the Nets acquired him for James Harden. However, it’s worth noting Harden could’ve left for nothing in the offseason in 2022 if Brooklyn didn’t make the move, and taking a shot on a former top defender – who was 25 years old at the time – was a reasonable gamble.
Lonnie Walker has been a silver lining in an otherwise disappointing season for Brooklyn, Lewis writes (subscriber link). Walker is averaging 11.4 points while making 42.5% of his 5.1 three-point attempts per game after signing with Brooklyn on a one-year, minimum salary deal. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason.
Day’Ron Sharpe (right wrist contusion) and Cam Thomas (right ankle/midfoot sprain) are both available for the Nets in Saturday’s matchup against the Hornets, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). Sharpe missed the past two games with his injury, while Thomas hasn’t played since Feb. 26. Sharpe is averaging 7.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while Thomas is scoring 20.9 points per game for Brooklyn this season.

Jazz Sign Taevion Kinsey To 10-Day Deal

March 9th, 2024 at 11:40am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 9: The Jazz have officially signed Kinsey to a 10-day deal, according to a release from the team.

MARCH 8: The Jazz are signing free agent guard Taevion Kinsey to a 10-day contract, agent Scott Nichols tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Kinsey, 23, went undrafted in June after playing five college seasons at Marshall. As a “super senior” for the Thundering Herd in 2022/23, he averaged 22.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG on .542/.404/.744 shooting in 32 games (37.8 MPG), earning Sun Belt Player of the Year for his efforts.

A 6’5″ wing, Kinsey signed a training camp deal with Utah last summer and was waived before the ’23/24 season began. He’s been playing for the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 10.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .558/.468/.840 shooting in 25 regular season games (28.7 MPG).

As our tracker shows, the Jazz have an opening on their standard roster, so they won’t have to release anyone to sign Kinsey, who will earn $64,343 on the 10-day contract in addition to his NBAGL salary.

Nuggets Notes: Demoff, White House, Gordon, Jokic

March 9th, 2024 at 10:45am CST by Tristan Tucker

Kevin Demoff, president of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, was named president of team and media operations for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment on Thursday, meaning he’ll oversee the Nuggets and Colorado’s other KSE-owned teams,writes The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando.

The Nuggets’ basketball operations won’t be affected by the move, however. The Nuggets currently don’t have a president of basketball operations over general manager Calvin Booth and it will stay that way, tweets DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind. However, Demoff will “be in the room” for decisions, according to Wind (Twitter link).

“Initially, there’s not gonna be hardly any change. We’re just going to be including Kevin in certain conversations,” Nuggets governor Josh Kroenke said. “… Calvin has done an unbelievable job since he stepped in (after) Tim Connelly’s departure a year and a half ago now.”

Demoff’s responsibility to the Rams will not change, according to Durando, and he’ll be in both Los Angeles and Denver. A new practice facility for the Nuggets is part of KSE’s future planning, but there were no specific updates Thursday.

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The Nuggets, one game out of first place in the West, are solely focused on achieving the top spot in the conference, TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reports (Twitter link). As part of keeping their focus on that goal, they’re not visiting The White House as defending champions after the visit was rescheduled from January to March 18, one day before a crucial matchup with the Timberwolves. Haynes emphasizes the decision was made purely from a basketball standpoint.
Denver prevailed in a potential NBA Finals preview against the Celtics on Thursday, and superstar Nikola Jokic recorded a 32-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double in the victory. As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes, the Nuggets were relentless in exploiting Boston’s mistakes, with Jokic easily finding Aaron Gordon for backdoor lobs when facing double teams. Gordon was effusive in his praise of Jokic after the game. “He’s the center that I’ve always, the player that I’ve always dreamed of playing with,” Gordon said of Jokic. “He’s someone that sees the floor, someone that is super unselfish. And I think he likes just the fact that he can just throw it anywhere and I’ll go get it.“
Jokic sustained a minor injury against the Celtics, but it isn’t expected to cause any issues. Dealing with a right arm contusion, Jokic is listed as probable for Denver’s Saturday matchup against the Jazz, according to Wind (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Hartenstein, Brunson, Achiuwa

March 9th, 2024 at 9:31am CST by Tristan Tucker

Knicks forward OG Anunoby is at the final step of his injury rehabilitation process, practicing without limitations, as relayed by SNY’s Ian Begley. He’s scrimmaging five-on-five and taking contact.

“Just see how he responds the next day [after a practice], the doctor clears him, then he can go,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Getting Anunoby back from injury would be huge for a Knicks team that is only has a 2.5-game cushion on the East’s eighth seed. New York is 12-2 with Anunoby in the lineup this season and has gone just 8-9 since he went down with his elbow injury.

Anunoby has averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per night while shooting 51.6% from the field and 39.1% from deep in the 14 games he has played with New York so far.

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Isaiah Hartenstein was a huge factor in the Knicks defeating the Magic on Friday while holding Orlando to a league-wide season-low 74 points, Begley observes in the same story. Hartenstein had three blocks as he continues to play through Achilles soreness as part of his ramp-up plan to full strength. “Isaiah’s defense to start the game was top of the line,” Thibodeau said. “That’s as active as he’s been in quite a while so it was great to see.” By defeating the Magic, the Knicks moved back into the fourth seed in the East.
After missing the previous game with a knee contusion, Jalen Brunson returned for the Knicks and scored 26 points against the Magic while New York held Orlando to the lowest point total of any opponent since 2012, the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy observes. Brunson’s knee injury looked worse than it was, and he was back to making impact plays quickly. “I thought of a thousand different situations of what [the injury] could have been and I’m just glad it wasn’t,” Brunson said.
Precious Achiuwa, brought in alongside Anunoby, was also big in the win over the Magic, recording a career-high five blocks. He h as been crucial to the Knicks staying afloat despite numerous injuries, starting each of the past 17 games while averaging 12.8 points, 9.5 rebounds. 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals. Achiuwa expressed gratitude to supporting fans after the win. “Just being able to come back home and represent the city means a lot to me,” Achiuwa said, per Knicks on MSG (Twitter link). “I just want to say thank you, New York City – I love you guys.“

Pacific Notes: Russell, Davis, Kings, Monk, Suns

March 9th, 2024 at 8:18am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Lakers picked up their 11th win in their last 16 games on Friday against the Bucks despite not having LeBron James in the lineup. Guard D’Angelo Russell was a major factor in the win, scoring a season-high 44 points.

“That’s D-Lo man, just play-making, constantly thinking the game,” head coach Darvin Ham said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “He kept his word when I told him to take over the game. I told him in the first half, stay aggressive. I need you to be aggressive all night. And he did that.”

Russell is averaging 18.1 points and 6.2 assists per game this season while knocking down a career-best 42.4% of his 6.7 three-point attempts per contest.

“On the floor, I’ve always felt like I was capable of doing things, [and] getting hot makes it a little more exciting,” Russell said. “Off the floor, obviously you all know what I’ve been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but mold me into the killer that you all see today. I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke. … I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk in, I’m confident.”

The Lakers re-signed Russell last offseason and he holds an $18.7MM player option for next season. While the Lakers reportedly explored trading Russell at the deadline, reports suggested the guard was more valuable to them than other teams. Given that he’s averaging 21.6 points after the deadline, it’ll be interesting to monitor how other teams value him in the offseason.

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Lakers star center Anthony Davis said he “couldn’t really move” his left shoulder after the win against Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link). Ham told reporters that Davis will be evaluated by the medical staff and an update will be provided later Saturday. The big man is averaging 24.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks this season while having appeared in 61 of L.A.’s 65 games thus far.
The Kings defeated the Lakers in dominant fashion on Wednesday before barely beating a Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs team on Thursday. It’s this sort of unevenness that has defined Sacramento’s season, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Even though the difference between this and last year’s team that snapped a 16-year postseason drought is just a .004 difference in win percentage, the Kings are fighting to avoid the play-in after finishing at No. 3 last year. Home losses to Charlotte and Portland are among a large selection of missed opportunities for a Kings team that has shown it can hang with the best, Amick writes.
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels recently provided the Kings with bulletin-board material after Sacramento defeated Minnesota in overtime on March 1, Amick writes in the same story. McDaniels said following the loss that he felt confident his team could defeat the Kings four times in a row if the two were to square off. Malik Monk responded to McDaniels’ claims. “[The Timberwolves] ain’t won a playoff series [since 2004], so I don’t think they can talk,” Monk said. “They’re in the same boat as us, basically. They ain’t won a playoff series, and we ain’t won a playoff series [since 2004], so you can’t really talk. That’s just him being a competitor, though.“
The Suns are entering a potentially season-defining stretch starting on Saturday when they face the Celtics. As Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin writes, the 37-26 Suns take on the Celtics twice in their next three games, along with the Cavaliers in Cleveland on March 11 and the Bucks in Milwaukee on March 17. Star guard Devin Booker is working his way back from injury, doing his first on-court work Friday since the injury, per Rankin, but he’s listed as doubtful for Saturday’s tilt against Boston. The Suns are 0.5 games ahead of the Kings for sixth in the West before Saturday’s slate of games.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Richardson, Hornets

March 8th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Led by Kyle Kuzma‘s 28 points (14 in the fourth quarter), nine assists and eight rebounds, plus double-doubles from Deni Avdija and Richaun Holmes, the Wizards snapped their franchise record-tying 16-game losing streak on Friday vs. Charlotte. They outscored the Hornets 44-24 in the final period to win by 12, with 44 points representing a season high for any quarter, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link), interim head coach Brian Keefe singled out little-used reserve Anthony Gill as a key to the comeback victory due to his “contagious energy.” Kuzma said it meant “a lot” to finally get a win, tweets Robbins.

“I’m a little emotionally drained right now,” Kumza said. “But it meant a lot for us to pick that up, being in a big slump for a long time. … I’m just happy for everybody in the locker room to get that dub.”

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In a full story for The Athletic, Robbins writes that the Wizards intentionally went down the path of rebuilding to avoid the mediocrity of the past several seasons, but that doesn’t mean the poor results thus far in 2023/24 have been easy to stomach. Even after tonight’s victory, Washington is just 10-53, a half-game behind Detroit for the worst record in the NBA. Everyone involved — the team, front office, owner and fans — will have to exercise patience to see if the new front office under president Michael Winger will eventually be able to build a contender, but it will take some lottery luck in the future as well, Robbins notes.
Heat swingman Josh Richardson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Wednesday. He has a $3.1MM player option for 2024/25. “It’s a shame,” Spoelstra said of Richardson, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “But some of these things happen. You can’t control it. He had really a great spirit going into it and the surgery went really well. We’ll just look forward to rehabbing him and getting him ready for next year.”
LaMelo Ball is far more likely to return this season for the Hornets than second-year center Mark Williams, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer states in a mailbag column. According to Boone, Ball has been “doing just about everything except playing in actual games,” which suggests he could return at some point. The fourth-year guard has had another injury-plagued campaign, appearing in just 22 games due to ankle issues after being limited to 36 last season. Williams, who has only played 19 games due to a back injury, hasn’t been participating in any team-related on-court activities, and Boone would be stunned if he actually plays again in ’23/24. Boone also discusses who might be the primary backup point guard behind Ball and Grant Williams‘ future with the team, among other topics.

Injury Notes: Curry, LeBron, Wembanyama, Brunson

March 8th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Rory Maher

A league source who spoke to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area said there’s an expectation Stephen Curry will likely miss seven-to-10 days (Twitter link). The Warriors‘ two-time MVP rolled his right ankle late in Thursday’s loss to Chicago and was unable to return to the game, with an MRI reportedly coming back clean.

If that timeline is accurate, Curry would likely miss at least three games, and possibly a fourth next Saturday vs. the Lakers. We won’t know that for sure until we see how the 35-year-old heals over the coming days, but Curry has already been ruled out for Saturday’s contest vs. San Antonio, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Lakers superstar LeBron James will be sidelined for Friday’s home game vs. Milwaukee, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. The 39-year-old has been dealing with left ankle soreness for several weeks, and will miss his ninth game of the season against the Bucks after previously being listed as questionable. Prior to the game, head coach Darvin Ham said James was experiencing “severe soreness” in the ankle and is considered “day-to-day,” per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links). The ongoing injury will reportedly have to be managed for the remainder of the season, though there’s an expectation that James won’t need to miss extended time.
After spraining his right ankle against Houston on Tuesday, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama missed Thursday’s loss in Sacramento and has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in San Francisco, but head coach Gregg Popovich thinks the Rookie of the Year frontrunner will be ready to go for Monday’s home game vs. Golden State, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter links). As Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscriber link), Wembanyama rode in a van back to San Antonio to be evaluated — in part due to its proximity to Houston — instead of traveling on the road trip. The Spurs are 0-7 thus far this season without their best player.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson was able to return to action on Friday vs. Orlando after missing Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta with a knee contusion, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The All-Star point guard sustained the injury less than a minute into Sunday’s victory over Cleveland, but it thankfully turned out to be relatively minor. Brunon, 27, has missed five games thus far in 2023/24, putting him in strong contention for a spot on his first All-NBA team.

Timberwolves Notes: Edwards, Conley, Towns, More

March 8th, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Rory Maher

On Thursday in Indianapolis — Minnesota’s first game without injured big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who is undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee — the Timberwolves were led by an incredible performance from Anthony Edwards, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

The fourth-year guard put up 44 points (on 18-of-35 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks and zero turnovers in the two-point victory. He also had a gravity-defying block to seal the game, hitting his head on the rim in the process (Twitter video link via the Wolves).

“I ain’t never jumped that high in my life,” Edwards said.

The 22-year-old wing will be even more vital to Minnesota’s playoff chances with Towns’ return timeline clouded by the surgery.

“We know that’s how he’s wired. He likes that. He wants that. He’s not afraid of that,” head coach Chris Finch said, per Krawczynski. “Then it’s all about making the right plays and making shots along the way. He did both tonight.”

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Veteran point guard Mike Conley tells Hanif Abdurraqib of ESPN that he’s been working with Edwards to improve the 22-year-old’s leadership. “There’s always some challenges,” Conley stresses. “Just due to our age differences, there are some ways I’m not going to relate. Some things that once worked for me aren’t going to work for Ant. And so I’ve had to learn personalities, learn what buttons to press, how to get across to everyone, and how to communicate. Ant has been receptive, he’s been open to improving on the court, and it has been smooth.” Conley also discussed his new two-year extension, the possibility of finishing his career in Minnesota, and the city’s enthusiasm for the team’s success, which reminds him of his time in Memphis.
It appeared as though Towns was finally settling into an ideal role with Minnesota before tearing his meniscus, according to Seerat Sohi of The Ringer, who says the Wolves will have to figure out ways to evolve without their four-time All-Star. Sohi suggests the team will need its wings to defend bigger players than they have been for much of the season, and a more aggressive defensive scheme could be utilized with the 7’0″ forward/center on the shelf.
La Velle E. Neale III of The Star Tribune argues the Wolves will still be successful without Towns — at least for the rest of the regular season — because the former No. 1 pick isn’t among their three most valuable players. Neale says Minnesota’s “true top three” is led by Edwards, Conley, and Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert.

Projected First-Rounder Bobi Klintman To Enter NBA Draft

March 8th, 2024 at 4:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Swedish forward Bobi Klintman, who spent the 2022/23 season with Wake Forest before heading to Australia in ’23/24 to play for the NBL’s Cairns Taipans, plans to enter the 2024 NBA draft, he tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

“I hope that NBA teams that watched me saw I wasn’t afraid to take on a challenge,” Klintman said. “The path I took is one only a few players are willing to take. It’s harder than the college route. Hopefully NBA teams saw that I’m tough. I’m ready to play through pain if needed. I wanted to prove I could excel playing a physical brand of basketball, and I believe I did that.”

Klintman, a 6’10” combo forward, is currently ranked No. 22 on ESPN’s best available prospects list. He is hoping to become the first Swedish player selected in the first round, Givony writes.

In 23 NBL games this season (21.3 MPG), Klintman averaged 9.7 PPG and 4.8 RPG while posting a .443/.357/.793 shooting line.

According to Givony, Klintman has intriguing upside due to his combination of size, length, athleticism and production. The 21-year-old was an early entrant last year, but was projected to be a second-round pick, so he withdrew his name and tried to boost his stock by joining the NBL’s Next Stars program. It seems like the move paid off — he’s up 26 spots on ESPN’s list compared to 2023.

Suns Notes: Wainright, Booker, Durant, Ishbia

March 8th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Ish Wainright, who returned to the Suns on a two-way contract earlier this week after being waived by Phoenix in October and by Portland in January, jokingly referred to Devin Booker as the “president of Arizona” and said it was Booker who first called him with the news that the team was re-signing him (Twitter video link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports).

Wainright went on to say that he received calls from several former coaches and teammates after he was waived by the Trail Blazers in January, providing encouragement and assuring him that he’d get another shot in the NBA. Booker was among those who reached out, with Suns head coach Frank Vogel and team owner Mat Ishbia also remaining in touch.

The 29-year-old forward had been working out in Phoenix since being let go by Portland and is thrilled to be back on the Suns’ roster.

“This whole time we stayed in contact, ’cause I know what they want to build here and I wanted to be a part of it,” Wainright said (Twitter links via Bourguet).

Vogel told reporters that the Suns are excited to have Wainright back, referring to him as a talented player and a “really good culture guy” with a strong work ethic, adding that he benefits from already knowing the team’s system (Twitter video link).

Here’s more on the Suns:

Booker, who is recovering from a right ankle sprain, did some on-court work on Friday, but will be listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game vs. Boston, according to Vogel (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).
Kevin Durant spoke to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report about how he stays motivated, his belief in the Suns, and his desire to continue establishing chemistry not just with star teammates Booker and Bradley Beal but with the entire roster. “I think we’re starting to build something and form an identity. And that takes time and reps,” Durant said. “Our coaching staff is doing a great job. I’m not promising anything, but I like our chances against anybody.”
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN takes an in-depth look at Mat Ishbia‘s “topsy-turvy” first year owning the Suns and considers what comes next for the club. Ishbia told ESPN that he intends to do “whatever it takes to win” and isn’t concerned about the limitations that operating above the second tax apron will impose on the franchise. “I understand all the rules that come with the second apron. I understand exactly what the CBA tried to do,” he said. “I read it, I know it inside and out, and we made a calculated decision that we think the team with the best players wins. Would I rather have Brad Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker than just having two of those guys? I’d rather have all three a hundred times out of a hundred, and I don’t think there’s another GM or owner or CEO that wouldn’t say that exact same thing.”
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports passes along some of the notable quotes from Ishbia’s Thursday press conference with Adam Silver, where the NBA announced that Phoenix will host the 2027 All-Star Game. We relayed Ishbia’s comments about free-agents-to-be Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale in a separate story.

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