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Cade Cunningham Returns Saturday

January 27th, 2024 at 11:48am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons are fully healthy for the first time this season, as Cade Cunningham is making his return to action after missing nearly three weeks due to a knee injury, per The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). After Monte Morris made his season debut on Wednesday, the Pistons will have their full rotation available on Saturday.

With Cunningham active, the Pistons turned to a starting lineup of Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, according to Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). When Cunningham was out, Killian Hayes drew the start in his place, averaging 4.4 points and 7.4 assists per game during that stretch. He’ll head back to the bench with Cunningham healthy.

Getting Cunningham back is undoubtedly a huge boost for a Pistons team whose second unit appears to be clicking more as of late. Morris helped in his return, and Detroit has looked better since acquiring veterans Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in a trade with the Wizards on Jan. 14. For what it’s worth, the Pistons are 2-3 since that trade, with the ninth-best offensive rating in the league in that stretch. They also haven’t lost a game by double digits since Jan. 10.

In 36 games (all starts) with Detroit this season, Cunningham holds averages of 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds. He leads the team in points and assists.

Malcolm Hill Signs 10-Day Deal With Pelicans

January 27th, 2024 at 11:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

JANUARY 27: The Pelicans issued a press release confirming the signing of Hill to a 10-day contract. The deal will cover the team’s next five games, running through February 5.

JANUARY 22: The Pelicans are signing swingman Malcolm Hill to a 10-day contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Hill is averaging 25.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in his past 10 games for the Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate in Birmingham. He was on the team’s training camp roster but was waived on Oct. 21.

Hill, 28, has 24 games of NBA experience across stints with the Hawks and Bulls, holding averages of 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. He spent time with Chicago last season on a two-way contract, but was waived in February.

New Orleans needed to add a player to its 15-man roster. The Pelicans dropped to 13 players, one below the limit, when they dealt Kira Lewis Jr. on Wednesday as part of the three-team agreement that sent Pascal Siakam to Indiana. They had a two-week window to add another player and get back to the 14-man minimum.

Atlantic Notes: Porter, Porzingis, Thomas, Claxton

January 27th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Tristan Tucker

A pathway to playing time for Jontay Porter quickly opened up after signing with the Raptors on a two-way contract in December, an opportunity he’s taking advantage of, writes Sportsnet.ca’s Michael Grange. Toronto traded away Precious Achiuwa, and then Jakob Poeltl got injured, resulting in Porter starting five games in a row for the Raptors.

Porter, 24, had a brief stint with the Grizzlies in 2020/21 but had his career set back by numerous knee injuries and hadn’t appeared in a game since May 2021. Now with the Raptors, some of his recent starts have been productive, including going for 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Chicago. He also had nine points, six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals against Utah.

“I’d have to write a book to write down all the things I’ve learned in this short period of time,” Porter said. “Every game, every matchup it seems like when I’m learning something new. A lot of the time it’s from mistakes I’m making, which, you know, it sucks to make mistakes, but at the same time, not having a lot of experience, I’m just happy to be out there. But I’m learning so that hopefully the next game out I can do better, eliminate those mistakes, and help our team win. But for the steady minutes and the steady gameplay, it’s just a blessing, man. And yeah, it’s been a lot of fun to just play basketball.”

Head coach Darko Rajakovic isn’t just handing out minutes, Grange writes, and Porter’s playing time will likely continue to fluctuate by virtue of the fact that he’s on a two-way contract. He’s also currently dealing with an eye injury. However, Grange points out that Rajakovic was an assistant in Memphis when Porter played there, and that level of comfortability helped Porter get acclimated.

“I like his game,” Rajakovic said. “I think he’s a young player with potential and definitely we want to give him a chance. We’re learning a lot about the team, we’re building a new team over here, so we’re going to give him a really good look, so we know what he’s got to do.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis sprained his ankle and left Boston’s Thursday game against the Heat midway through the third quarter. Porzingis went straight to the locker room and the sprain diagnosis was made minutes later, but according to ESPN, Porzingis said postgame he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. “I just went to contest Bam [Adebayo]‘s shot and just landed on his foot and rolled my ankle,” Porzingis said. “Not too bad. Got me pretty good in the moment. But feeling pretty good now.“
The Nets have experienced a handful of recent close losses and Cam Thomas is frustrated by the “same exact stuff” that’s plaguing them during this stretch, NetsDaily’s Lucas Kaplan writes. Thomas hasn’t been able to crack Brooklyn’s closing lineup and said his fourth quarter minutes seem to be “random.” Additionally, when asked whether most of Brooklyn’s issues came on offense or defense, Thomas said to “ask the coach.”
Nic Claxton squared off against Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns on Thursday as the Nets took on the Wolves, holding his own in the matchup and finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. “I think I’m a great big man,” Claxton said via the New York Post’s Bridget Reilly. “Any time I have a matchup like that, one of the quote unquote top centers in the league, I always take it personal to go out and be the best version of myself. I’m an extremely competitive person. I love basketball and I love to compete so I bring that every single night.“

Bucks Notes: Rivers, Identity, Coaching Change Reactions

January 27th, 2024 at 9:51am CST by Tristan Tucker

New Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is expected to make his coaching debut with the organization on Monday against the Nuggets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Rivers was officially announced as head coach on Friday.

Assistant Joe Prunty has been serving as Milwaukee’s interim coach in the wake of Adrian Griffin‘s firing, leading the Bucks to a 1-1 record so far. Prunty will lead the Bucks once more as they take on the Pelicans on Saturday before Rivers takes over the head coaching role.

Rivers, 62, ranks ninth in NBA history in wins with 1,097. He coached the 2008 Celtics to a championship and was named Coach of the Year in 2000.

We have more Bucks notes:

Nearly halfway through the season, the Bucks haven’t landed on an identity and many players expressed disappointment in the fact they hadn’t played up to their full potential, even with 30+ wins, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski. “I just feel like winning games in a fashion we want to win and not feeling a certain way after a win, not feeling like…we won a lot of games to this point, but we’ve had a lot of games where we felt like we won and we didn’t play to our full potential,” Jae Crowder said. The top priorities for Rivers are to establish an identity and to improve on the defensive side of the ball, Owczarski writes.
Firing Griffin was a bold move for a contending team in the middle of the season, but as Lori Nickel of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes (subscription required), it’s the latest example of general manager Jon Horst‘s championship-or-nothing attitude. Even after delivering a title that ended a 50-year championship drought for the Bucks, Horst doesn’t appear to be satisfied with just one, not hesitating to move on from the likes of Griffin and Mike Budenholzer when things aren’t going right.
Forward Bobby Portis was among Milwaukee players who expressed optimism for what Rivers can bring to the organization. “Great voice. Someone obviously who has had success in this league, who has respect in this league,” Portis said, via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link). “… He’s on board with us and knows that the expectations of this team are really high and I think he’s ready for it.“

And-Ones: All-Star Questions, Lillard, Partizan, Wright

January 27th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Tristan Tucker

After Thursday’s announcement of the 2024 All-Star Game starters, there are several questions to be answered regarding the omissions and potential reserves. A panel of ESPN writers break down the starters and offer their takes on who should have been nominated to start, debating whether standouts like Kawhi Leonard, Jalen Brunson or Donovan Mitchell were wrongfully overlooked for starting spots.

Brunson is a popular pick for biggest snub in the All-Star Game after averaging 26.5 points and 6.4 assists per game for the surging Knicks. Some writers were surprised by Bucks guard Damian Lillard‘s inclusion as the Eastern Conference’s second guard next to Tyrese Haliburton.

ESPN’s writers seem to believe the Western Conference — so far loaded with the likes of Nikola Jokic and LeBron James — will win the All-Star Game. Outside of that, the writers preview what reserves are battling for All-Star nods this year. As mentioned in the article, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes, Paolo Banchero, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White and Jalen Williams are among the All-Star caliber players worthy of a nod.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Lillard is set to defend his three-point contest title during 2024 All-Star Weekend, according to Bleacher Report and TNT’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Lillard hit 26 of a potential 40 three-pointers last year to claim the crown in Utah.
Partizan Mozzart Bet is considering a tribute preseason match against the Warriors in honor of the late Dejan Milojevic, according to Eurohoops.net. The well-regarded coach left an impact on both Partizan and the Warriors, and now the Serbian club is considering pathways to honor his legacy. “That would be phenomenal for both clubs and Serbia. We will send them an invitation, and we are prepared to cover the expenses for the Golden State Warriors’ arrival and stay in our city. The event would be scheduled during the preseason. Dejan was beloved in that NBA team, and needless to say, he left an indelible mark on our club,” Partizan president Ostoja Mijailovic said.
Greek club Olympiacos signed former NBA center Moses Wright to a contract for the rest of the season, according to Eurohoops.net. The deal includes a team option for next season. Wright, 25, averaged 1.3 points across four NBA appearances with the Clippers and Mavericks in the 2021/22 season. He saw more action overseas, averaging 26.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in five games in Turkey this year.

Mavericks Notes: Luka, Kyrie, Kleber, Williams

January 26th, 2024 at 11:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks star Luka Doncic had a frustrating night on Wednesday against Phoenix, earning a technical foul for repeatedly complaining to the referees and then requesting that a heckling fan be ejected, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Both incidents came in the third quarter, with the Suns fan leaving voluntarily.

Wednesday marked Dallas’ third straight loss and fifth in its past seven games. Doncic’s frustration boiling over was noteworthy, according to Tim Cato of The Athletic, who says the front office is well aware that it needs to continue to surround its best player with more talent after adding multiple young role players over the summer.

Friday’s matchup with Atlanta went much differently for Doncic and the Mavs, however. The Slovenian scored a franchise-record 73 points, tied for the fourth-highest mark in NBA history, and became the first player to score 70-plus while shooting at least 75% from the field (he was 25-of-33 overall, including 8-of-13 from three and 15-of-16 from the line). He also contributed 10 rebounds and seven assists in 45 minutes during the five-point win (Twitter links via the Mavs and the NBA).

Guard Trae Young said Atlanta tried everything it could to stop Doncic, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com.

“He was hot. He was going. S–t, we were trying everything,” Young said. “We were trying to trap him. We started off with Jalen (Johnson) on him … Sometimes you just have to pick your poison.”

While Doncic said the performance was probably the best of his career, he was more focused on getting a win, per ESPN.com.

“We’ve been struggling lately,” he said. “Mindset was [to] get a win. We played great.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game on Friday with a right thumb sprain. That marked his 18th missed game of 2023/24, which means he’ll miss out on a $1MM bonus for appearing in 65-plus games, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The bonus had been considered unlikely after Irving appeared in 60 games last year, Marks adds. The three-time All-NBA guard will also be ineligible for end-of-season awards.
Big man Maxi Kleber‘s toe is still bothering him, which is why he sat out Friday’s game after missing 35 games with a right small toe dislocation. As Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News observes (via Twitter), Kleber’s ongoing toe problem is a “significant consideration” for the front office with the trade deadline set for February 8. The Mavericks have reportedly been looking for frontcourt help.
Forward Grant Williams had nothing but good things to say about the Mavs in a conversation with Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. Williams was acquired from Boston in a sign-and-trade last offseason. “I’m enjoying it,” Williams said of Dallas. “It’s a great organization, great team, bunch of guys that really want to win. It’s an opportunity to compete and step into a role that I didn’t have before. And performance-wise, I definitely want to be better, definitely want to get healthier, want to get in a good frame. But outside of that, I’m just focused on the day-to-day. We have a long season.”

Bucks Hire Doc Rivers As Head Coach

January 26th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Luke Adams

January 26: Rivers has officially been announced as new head coach of the Bucks, the team announced (via Twitter).

January 24: The Bucks are hiring Doc Rivers as their next head coach, according to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter links). The two sides have reached an agreement in principle, per Wojnarowski.

Griffin had led Milwaukee to a 30-13 record, tied for the second-best mark in the league, but there were questions about his schemes on both ends of the court and his ability to connect with the Bucks players. The franchise felt that replacing Griffin with a veteran head coach would improve the Bucks’ title chances, sources tell Wojnarowski.

Rivers reportedly served as an informal consultant of sorts for Griffin, at the behest of the Bucks, beginning last month. He immediately emerged as the team’s top choice once the head coaching position opened up on Tuesday.

Rivers, 62, has enjoyed a long head coaching career that includes stints with the Magic, Celtics, Clippers, and Sixers. He has a 1,097-763 (.590) regular season record and a 111-104 (.516) mark in the postseason, including a championship with Boston in 2008.

While Rivers has long been considered one of the NBA’s top head coaches, his playoff track record has been spotty since that ’08 title with the Celtics. His teams made the postseason in 15 of the 16 subsequent seasons, but advanced beyond the second round just twice during that time. Rivers was let go by Philadelphia last spring following a third consecutive second-round exit.

Rivers joined ESPN as an analyst following his stint with the Sixers, but will step away from that job in order to attempt to lead Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to their second championship in the past four seasons.

The terms of Rivers’ contract with the Bucks aren’t yet known, but it’s expected to be a “very lucrative” deal, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). As Mannix observes, Milwaukee is now dedicating a significant chunk of money to the head coaching position, since the team is still paying both Griffin and former coach Mike Budenholzer.

It’s unclear how soon Rivers will be on the sidelines in Milwaukee. The Bucks host the Cavaliers on Wednesday night and again on Friday, then play one more home game vs. New Orleans on Saturday before heading out on a five-game road trip — assistant Joe Prunty will serve as the interim head coach until Rivers arrives.

Injury Notes: Zion, Suggs, Harris, Jones, Suns, J. Porter

January 26th, 2024 at 9:28pm CST by Rory Maher

After being considered a game-time decision leading into Friday’s contest vs. Oklahoma City, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was later ruled out with a bone contusion in his left foot, the team announced (via Twitter).

Williamson has a history of foot injuries, having missed the entire 2021/22 season with a broken fifth metatarsal on his right foot. Obviously though, this new injury is on the opposite foot, and there’s no indication that it will be a long-term issue — head coach Willie Green said imaging on Williamson’s foot “came back clean,” tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 4.8 APG in 36 games this season. Friday was his ninth missed game in ’23/24.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Starting Magic guard Jalen Suggs sustained a bruised left knee on Friday and was ruled out for the remainder of the matchup with Memphis, per the team (Twitter link). As a third-year former first-round pick, Suggs will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweets, Suggs isn’t the only Magic backcourt member injured at the moment. Veteran guard Gary Harris still isn’t doing contact work yet as he continues to recover from a right calf strain, per head coach Jamahl Mosley. Friday was Harris’ 11th consecutive missed game.
Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. was in “tremendous pain” after falling on his left wrist during Friday’s win over Atlanta, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Jones went straight to the locker room and was later ruled out with a left wrist sprain, per the Mavs (Twitter link).
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic exited Friday’s loss to Indiana due to left thumb injury and did not return, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. After the game, Nurkic said he jammed his thumb a few times, but X-rays were negative (Twitter link via Rankin). Guard Bradley Beal also exited Friday’s game after being inadvertently hit in the nose by Myles Turner, but he was able to return to the contest, Rankin adds. Head coach Frank Vogel said Beal may have suffered a broken nose, Rankin tweets. Beal said he didn’t feel any concussion symptoms but he couldn’t breathe out of his nose, with blood continuing to be an issue, per Rankin (Twitter link).
Raptors two-way big man Jontay Porter had to leave Friday’s game vs. the Clippers due to an eye injury he sustained earlier in the week vs. Memphis, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says Porter was cleared by an eye specialist on Friday and he has a follow-up appointment on Saturday (Twitter links).

Heat Notes: Rozier, Butler, Jaquez, Love

January 26th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Rory Maher

On Tuesday, the Heat traded Kyle Lowry and their 2027 first-round pick to Charlotte for veteran guard Terry Rozier, who was having a career season in an expanded role for a team losing lots of games.

On Wednesday, Rozier had a physical and made his Heat debut, a home loss to the undermanned Grizzlies, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. On Thursday, Miami was eviscerated at home by the Celtics, Chiang adds in another story. Rozier struggled in both games after a whirlwind few days.

Thursday marked Miami’s fifth straight loss — its worst stretch of basketball since March 2021, when the team lost six straight. Trading for Rozier was an acknowledgement that the Heat needed more offensive firepower, and while he and everyone around the team realize he won’t be averaging 18.3 shots per game like he did with the Hornets, head coach Erik Spoelstra still wants him to get in the paint and be assertive, according to Chiang.

“It’s clear to see the positives with Terry,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “He brings us a burst, a speed, a quickness, his ability to get into the paint. I think that’s going to continue to get better once he understands how important it is to our offense and how we want him to be him and be aggressive.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic likes what Rozier will bring Miami on offense, with his ability to drive and take (and make) pull-up threes both valuable traits for a team that doesn’t generate many points in either of those areas. However, he has questions about Rozier’s defense compared to Lowry’s, and thinks the possibility of giving up an unprotected pick in 2028 (it’s lottery protected in 2027 and will become unprotected in ’28 if it doesn’t convey) for Rozier probably wasn’t worth it.
Star forward Jimmy Butler spoke to the media after Thursday’s loss for the first time since the trade of close friend Lowry. He said the players’ performance has been abysmal lately and the onus is on them to compete much harder than they have been on both ends of the court, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). Butler does think Rozier’s addition can help the team, however. “I mean, I think it can be a positive thing, a new face, yes,” Butler said. “The scoring that he brings, the leadership that he brings, he’s played in the playoffs a bunch with that Boston team. And I mean he’s just a hell of a player. He’s smiling. He’s happy. And I think that’s going to become very contagious. He’s going to be the ring leader for that.”
Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez will be available on Saturday against the Knicks after missing the past six games with a groin injury, the team announced (via Twitter). Jaquez won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December for his second straight monthly award.
Veteran big man Kevin Love was out for the back-to-back this week due to an illness (Twitter link via Winderman) but he isn’t on the injury report for Saturday’s matchup with New York, which means he should be back in action. As Winderman observes, Thomas Bryant took Love’s minutes when he was out, over second-year forward/center Nikola Jovic.

NBA Announces Schedule Adjustments After Warriors Postponements

January 26th, 2024 at 5:22pm CST by Rory Maher

After the Warriors had two games postponed last week due to the sudden and tragic passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, the NBA announced on Friday that it has rescheduled four games, including the two Golden State contests (Twitter link).

Originally scheduled for January 17, the Warriors will now play at the Jazz on February 15 at 8:00 p.m. CT. Golden State’s other game, a home contest vs. the Mavericks originally scheduled for Jan. 19, has been rescheduled to April 2 at 9:00 p.m. CT.

To accommodate for those schedule changes, the league moved two other games around. The Hawks were originally going to play at the Mavericks on April 5, but it has been moved to April 4 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Warriors and Mavericks game that had been set for April 2 has also been rescheduled to April 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

On Monday, when the Warriors returned to practice, head coach Steve Kerr said the team had been too devastated to play in the immediate aftermath of Milojevic suffering a heart attack at a team dinner last Tuesday.

“It’s the saddest thing I have ever been a part of in the NBA,” Kerr said. “… The last five days have been full of the shock. The emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world.”

Counseling has been offered to the players and staff, particularly to those who witnessed the event.

Milojevic, 46, was beloved in his native Serbia and throughout the NBA. The Warriors will wear a “DM” patch for the rest of the season to honor Milojevic. The team also paid tribute to Milojevic with a ceremony before Wednesday’s game, the team’s first since the incident (video link from Kendra Andrews of ESPN).