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Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Pritchard, White, Brown

November 9th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics made their offseason roster shakeup look seamless while getting off to a 5-0 start, but reality has set in with back-to-back losses, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The offense appeared out of sorts through much of Wednesday night’s battle with Philadelphia for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. A late run gave Boston a chance to tie the game on a three-point attempt by Kristaps Porzingis with five seconds left, but he said he jumped too high on the shot and it only grazed the rim.

“It’s gonna take time,” Porzingis said of the process of becoming a cohesive team. “But honestly we do have a lot of good moments, a lot of good moments where we find each other, where we hit each other with some good passes and start to reach each other more and more.”

Porzingis, who added that he’s looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity, has brought a lot of new options to the offense, Terada observes. His outside shooting creates more space for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and his post-up skills allow him to take advantage of smaller defenders. Everything is a work in progress as the Celtics try to incorporate Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but their offense still ranks among the top 10 in the league.

“It’s early, beginning of the season,” Porzingis said. “It’s honestly easy to play with those guys, very selfless. Now being up close I really feel that and see that from them. So, they just want to win. They want to do the right thing, and that makes it easy for everybody.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Boston is counting on Payton Pritchard to take over as the backup point guard after trading Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, but Pritchard has struggled badly with his shot in the early part of the season, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. He’s connecting at just 23.5% from the field and 15% from three-point range through the first seven games, and Robb wonders if he’s starting to lose confidence in his shot.
The Celtics welcomed Derrick White back on Wednesday after he missed two straight games for the birth of his second child, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. White missed the morning shootaround, but joined the team in time for the game and scored 19 points in 38 minutes. “I’m excited, excited to get back to the team,” he said. “Watching these last two games on TV wasn’t the most fun I’ve had, but it’s good to get back here with the guys.”
Brown is taking a business-like approach to the new in-season tournament, Himmelsbach adds. Boston will play its first game Friday night in Brooklyn and has upcoming tournament contests with Toronto, Orlando and Chicago. “I wouldn’t choose the word excited, but ready,” Brown said. “We’ll be ready. If there’s basketball to be played, our group will be ready.”

Suns Notes: Beal, Booker, Bates-Diop, Goodwin

November 9th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns didn’t consider exceeding Bradley Beal‘s minutes restriction when Wednesday’s game at Chicago went into overtime, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Beal was making his season debut after missing the team’s first seven games with a back injury, so there was no chance he was going to play more than 24 minutes, even with the game in doubt.

“I can be hard-headed and go play 30 minutes when I know I’m not supposed to,” Beal said. “But how will I feel after that? Probably not the greatest. So that’s why I lean on our staff and our doctors to be the voice for me. Because I’ll be hard-headed and go out there and play.”

Beal posted 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in his first regular season contest since being acquired from Washington in an offseason trade. Even on a subpar shooting night that saw him go 3-of-12 from the field, he showed the benefits he can provide for Phoenix’s offense.

“Just somebody else the defense is scared of,” Kevin Durant said. “Somebody who can score at all three levels. Brad going downhill is a problem. So, as much as we can get him going downhill and also just setting him up in iso so he can beat his man will be great for us. Tonight, he just got his feet wet. He’s on a restriction minute-wise, but as he comes off of that he’s going to be more and more confident. We’ve just got to give him the ball more.”

There’s more on the Suns:

Devin Booker worked out before Wednesday’s game, but there’s no indication of when he might play again, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. A report on Wednesday suggested that Booker may be able return from his right calf strain as soon as Friday, but coach Frank Vogel said he’s “making progress, but no firm timetable.”
Keita Bates-Diop‘s overtime heroics showed why Vogel has been trusting him as a starter for the past three games, Rankin adds in a full story. The 27-year-old forward, who was added in free agency this summer, sparked the Suns’ late comeback by drilling a three-pointer with 1:06 left in overtime to cut the Bulls’ lead to one point. He also forced DeMar DeRozan to take a difficult shot on Chicago’s final possession.
Jordan Goodwin wore a mask in Wednesday’s game after suffering a jaw contusion Sunday in Detroit, Rankin tweets.

Spurs Notes: Jones, Wembanyama, Vassell, Mavomo

November 9th, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have been better when Tre Jones is on the court, but he’s not complaining about being moved to a reserve role after starting last season, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Coach Gregg Popovich has opted for a non-traditional approach, starting Jeremy Sochan at point guard to create a super-sized lineup.

“I try to view it as, I see how our starting lineup is and how much height and length we have all around the court with that starting lineup,” Jones said. “I see the advantages it gives our team. It’s not hard feelings or anything about that. I’m trying to just be a spark off the bench for us. I’m trying to be a leader for us off the bench as well.”

Jones has been effective in his role off the bench, averaging 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 25.8 minutes per night through eight games. With the addition of Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio has a chance to be successful for the first time in Jones’ four seasons with the team, and he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to be part of that. Jones described the 7’4″ rookie as a “cheat code” and said he has changed the trajectory of the franchise.

“Very exciting times for our organization,” Jones said. “You can definitely feel a shift through the organization the last couple of years. You can feel it throughout the entire city even. Our city backs us up so much and supports us so much. You can feel that tremendously throughout all the people you run into, all the fans, everyone working for us in the organization, you can feel it all.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

Wembanyama is making a difference with 2.4 blocks per game, but the Spurs still have one of the league’s worst defenses, notes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Going into Wednesday’s game, San Antonio had a defensive rating of 110.9 during Wembanyama’s minutes, but it rises to 129.4 when he’s resting. “Size can translate into blocked shots, more rebounding, and that overall helps your defense,” Popovich said. “Length helps you with deflections and that sort of thing, keeping people out of the paint. So it’s been the emphasis since the beginning of training camp that we would behoove ourselves to improve defensively.”
Devin Vassell was limited to 12 minutes Wednesday in his return after missing two games with an adductor injury, Lopez tweets. Popovich said Vassell didn’t reaggravate the condition, but he’s being eased back into his regular role. San Antonio lost by 21 points in New York, so there was no need for Vassell to play extended minutes in the fourth quarter.
In a special report for ESPN, Leonard Solms examines the journey of Emmanuel Mavomo, who has become an assistant coach with the Spurs’ G League team in Austin after starting in the Basketball Africa League.

Central Notes: Giannis, Bucks, Knox, Caruso, Phillips, Terry

November 9th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was assessed a technical foul in the second quarter of Wednesday’s win over Detroit, was hit with a second technical and ejected from the game early in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo briefly stared down Isaiah Stewart after a dunk, prompting the ejection (Twitter video link via Stephen Watson of Bally Sports Wisconsin). Antetokounmpo and his teammates were surprised by the decision, as Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.

“He made like a little face and he took off running and he didn’t say a word,” Jae Crowder said. “I think that’s why he was so frustrated, like, ‘You really threw me out and I didn’t say anything?’ Like, the first tech, I think he would say he deserved it. He deserved that first tech. The second one was like, he didn’t say a word, so how do you throw him out for that? He definitely stared, but I don’t know if that’s a tech. I don’t know about that one.”

Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin didn’t criticize the officiating decision during his postgame comments, instead suggesting that he has a responsibility to make sure his star player doesn’t end up in that situation again.

“I think I just have to do a better job,” Griffin said. “Giannis doesn’t complain to the refs. He’s really respectful to the refs and I think I’m letting him down in that sense. I think I need to be a little more, just vocal, during the games when he’s getting hit and kind of stick up for him a little bit better. I’ve been dropping the ball on that.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Seth Partnow of The Athletic considers whether or not it’s too early to be concerned about Milwaukee’s major drop-off in defensive efficiency this fall. Although the Bucks are off to a 5-2 start, they rank 25th in the NBA in defensive rating (115.8) and are the only team with a winning record that has been outscored so far this season.
The one-year, minimum-salary deal that Kevin Knox signed with the Pistons is non-guaranteed, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If he plays out the contract, Knox would earn $2,144,320, the prorated portion of his minimum salary.
Alex Caruso isn’t one of the Bulls‘ “big three” stars, but his teammates know his value and rave about what he brings to the team — DeMar DeRozan tells Jamal Collier of ESPN he can envision Caruso winning a Defensive Player of the Year award.“He’s our Ray Lewis. He’s the Deion Sanders. He’s the Charles Woodson,” DeRozan said. “He definitely is one of those great, vocalist, communicators and competitors when it comes to that end of the ball.”
A crowded Bulls depth chart means there has been no room in the rotation early in the season for rookie forward Julian Phillips or second-year wing Dalen Terry. As Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes, the club intends to get both players some regular minutes in the G League and has mapped out the first month of the Windy City Bulls’ schedule to see how it coincides with Chicago’s schedule as it prepares a plan for those youngsters.

Knicks Notes: Embiid, Barrett, Robinson, Storylines

November 8th, 2023 at 10:49pm CST by Rory Maher

With all of their own first-round picks and swaps, plus some additional draft capital, the Knicks have been linked to multiple stars over the past year-plus, including Joel Embiid. The reigning MVP’s former Sixers teammate, P.J. Tucker, says Embiid is well aware of the rumors, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

“Of course, he hears it,” Tucker said Monday. “But you never know with these situations and how it’s going to play out, what guys are thinking, what’s happening behind closed doors. You never know.”

As Bondy notes, Embiid would have to request a trade for there to even be a remote chance of him landing in New York, and with the 76ers off to a 6-1 start, there’s certainly no indication that’s in the cards anytime soon. Tucker says any outside perception of dysfunction in Philadelphia is misguided.

“It wasn’t like that all,” he said. “The media is going to spin it how you want. But Philly has got a good team. We had a good team. … I think all the noise was just that: just noise.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

RJ Barrett has played well in each of the past two games since returning from a left knee injury, which the team has called patellar tendinopathy. As Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes, Barrett says he’s going to have to play through some soreness “for a little bit,” with the injury a result of wear and tear rather than a specific incident. “I’m going to have to live with the pain,” Barrett said. “Got to be mentally tough, fight through it.”
Center Mitchell Robinson is averaging a career-best 12.4 rebounds through eight games, drawing praise from head coach Tom Thibodeau in the process. “I think the big thing is it’s not just the offense. He’s added the defensive rebounding, he’s been a monster on the boards,” Thibodeau said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I think he’s the best offensive rebounder, we already established that. And then now he’s fourth in the league in rebounding. Every night he’s got bodies on him and he’s done a great job for us.”
Robinson’s incredible offensive rebounding prowess and improved “discipline and physicality” on defense are among the early-season storylines explored by Fred Katz of The Athletic, with Barrett also earning a spot due to his evolution as a decision-maker. Robinson’s defensive effort on Victor Wembanyama during Wednesday’s dismantling of the Spurs was particularly noteworthy, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link).

Injury Notes: Davis, Hayes, Jones, Herro, C. Thomas

November 8th, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously expressing optimism that he wouldn’t miss additional time with the injury, Lakers big man Anthony Davis was ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Houston due to left hip spasms, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

The Lakers were also without reserve center Jaxson Hayes, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain, McMenamin adds.

Davis initially sustained the injury on Monday against Miami, exiting the game in the third quarter. Sources tell McMenamin the Lakers are hopeful Davis will be back in action for Friday’s matchup in Phoenix.

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

The Pelicans were extremely shorthanded on Wednesday, with multiple rotation players sidelined for various reasons. A third starter — wing Herbert Jones — was ruled out ahead of the matchup vs. Minnesota due to a right fibula contusion, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. With so many players injured, all three of the team’s two-way players (Matt Ryan, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dereon Seabron) received first-quarter minutes, with Robinson-Earl getting a starting nod, Guillory adds (via Twitter). Robinson-Earl just signed his two-way deal with the Pelicans last week.
Heat guard Tyler Herro is off to a strong start in 2023/24, but unfortunately he sustained a right ankle sprain in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game vs. Memphis and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter). Bally Sports Heat has the video (Twitter link), with Herro landing on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot following a floater in the lane. Herro was unable to put weight on his leg after the injury and hopped to the locker room.
Another player off to a terrific start this season is Nets guard Cam Thomas. Unfortunately, he suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday vs. the Clippers and missed the remainder of the game, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links), who adds that Thomas will undergo an MRI on Thursday. The 2021 first-round pick rolled his ankle after stepping on P.J. Tucker‘s foot (Twitter video link via Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily).

Western Notes: Booker, Vassell, Jazz Starters, Jackson

November 8th, 2023 at 7:16pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns are optimistic that Devin Booker might return for the team’s upcoming homestand, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter video link via The Rally).

As Charania notes, Phoenix has home games on Friday, Sunday and next Wednesday. According to Charania, Friday is a possibility.

Booker has battled three different injuries this fall, with the latest being a right calf strain. He has appeared in just two of the Suns’ eight games thus far in 2023/24.

Fellow guard Bradley Beal made his Suns regular season debut on Wednesday after battling a back injury.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

After previously being listed as doubtful, Spurs guard Devin Vassell returned to action on Wednesday in New York, as first reported by Charania (via Twitter) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). However, Vassell did not return to the starting lineup: second-year guard Malaki Branham will continue in that role for now. Vassell missed the past two games with a left adductor strain.
Jazz center Walker Kessler is out at least two weeks with an elbow injury. Instead of replacing him with another big man, head coach Will Hardy decided to make a couple changes to the team’s starting lineup on Wednesday vs. Indiana. Rookie Keyonte George replaced Talen Horton-Tucker at point guard, while second-year wing Ochai Agbaji started at small forward, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News relays. “Keyonte has played really well,” Hardy said. “I think he’s shown a very quick learning curve on both ends of the floor.” Jordan Clarkson remained the starting shooting guard, with Lauri Markkanen (power forward) and John Collins (center) each sliding up a spot in the frontcourt.
G.G. Jackson, who is the youngest player in the NBA, likely won’t see many minutes for the Grizzlies. In fact, he’s only played one minute over their first seven games. However, the second-round pick is expected to have an expanded role with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League club, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I kind of got a little bit more lenience, so I got to become comfortable,” said Jackson, who is on a two-way contract.

Bradley Beal To Make Suns Regular Season Debut On Wednesday

November 8th, 2023 at 6:10pm CST by Luke Adams

November 8: Beal will play on Wednesday but he’ll be on a minutes restriction, Vogel told reporters, including Rankin (Twitter video link).

November 7: Suns guard Bradley Beal is getting closer to making his regular season debut for his new team, having gone through a full practice on Tuesday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Beal, who appeared in just two preseason games and has missed Phoenix’s first seven regular season contests due to back issues, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game in Chicago. Rankin suggests the former Wizard is “on course” to play vs. the Bulls, barring a setback.

“He got some good work in yesterday, he got some live work in today,” head coach Frank Vogel said (Twitter video link via Rankin). “He looks good, we’ve just got to make sure we see how he feels from the work today, see how his body responds to it.”

Vogel added with a smile that it was “awesome” to see Beal go through a full practice after the three-time All-Star was limited in workouts for weeks.

“It’s great to see him doing his thing in a Suns uniform and soon our fans will get a chance to see that as well,” Vogel said.

While Beal is seemingly on the verge of suiting up for the Suns, Devin Booker has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game due to his right calf strain and his return doesn’t appear imminent. According to Rankin, Vogel said that Booker didn’t take part in practice at all today except for some light shooting at the end of the session.

Jamal Murray Likely Out 3-4 Weeks With Hamstring Strain

November 8th, 2023 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will likely be out three-to-four weeks due to his right hamstring strain, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Murray sustained the injury in the second quarter of Saturday’s game vs. Chicago. In addition to missing the rest of that contest, he also sat out Monday’s game and will likely be sidelined for the remainder of November, according to Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski’s report lines up with what head coach Michael Malone said on Monday.

“We’ll kind of continue to talk to our doctors, but his injury is not a one- or two-game injury,” Malone said. “That’s what I do know. This will be something that will be longer than we would like.

“… You have to have the big picture in mind and make sure we’re putting him in position to get healthy before he comes back. Because this is an injury that, if you keep having recurring hamstring injuries or soft tissue injuries, they can linger and become even worse. And that’s the one thing we do not want to happen.”

It’s a tough blow for Murray, who missed the entire 2021/22 season with a torn ACL. His return last season was well worth the wait, however, as he had a spectacular playoff run in helping Denver win its first title.

Through six healthy games, Murray was averaging 18.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 8.7 APG on .436/.438/.842 shooting (34.4 MPG). Denver’s starting point guard is under contract through ’24/25.

Murray is one of the players who would become eligible for a super-max veteran extension – worth 35% of the cap instead of 30% – if he earns All-NBA honors in ’23/24. But the league instituted a games-played requirement (min. 65) to make All-NBA teams going forward, and the 26-year-old will likely be out at least 12-to-14 games with the hamstring strain. Even assuming he has an All-NBA caliber season, it could be challenging for him to play at least 65 games.

Reggie Jackson has been starting in Murray’s place, with Collin Gillespie receiving minutes at backup point guard. Rookie first-rounder Julian Strawther has also been receiving more run and playing well. The defending champions are currently 7-1 ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with Golden State.

Walker Kessler Out At Least Two Weeks With Elbow Sprain

November 8th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year center Walker Kessler suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the Jazz announced in a press release.

According to the Jazz, Kessler initially sustained the injury during the team’s season opener on October 25. However, the injury wasn’t formally diagnosed until recently, when the 22-year-old underwent an MRI. He had been playing through discomfort the past couple weeks.

While it’s obviously unfortunate that Kessler was injured, it doesn’t sound like the UCL sprain will require surgery. The 7’1″ big man will be resting and participating in non-contact activities over the next two weeks in order to facilitate his recovery process, per the team.

Tony Jones of The Athletic first reported that Kessler would likely be out multiple games with an elbow injury.

Kessler, the 22nd overall pick in 2022, was an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2022/23 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 9.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 2.3 BPG while shooting 72.0% from the field across 74 games (40 starts, 23.0 MPG). He was particularly effective in the second half of last season once he became Utah’s full-time starting center, averaging 11.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 2.9 BPG in 34 games (29.0 MPG).

The Jazz have gotten off to a slow start in 2023/24, currently sitting with a 2-6 record. Kessler’s numbers are down compared to his rookie season as well — he has averaged 8.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 2.1 BPG while shooting 54.9% from the floor through eight games (24.0 MPG). Obviously, the elbow injury may have been negatively impacting his performance.

With Kessler sidelined for at least the next seven games, frontcourt players like Kelly Olynyk, Omer Yurtseven and Luka Samanic figure to move up on the depth chart.