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LeBron James: Lakers Have “A Lot” To Fix

November 28th, 2023 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

It was a historic night on Monday for Lakers star LeBron James, who became the NBA’s all-time leader in total regular season and postseason minutes, reaching 66,319 and surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (66,297). However, James also suffered the worst loss of his 21-year NBA career, as his team was on the losing end of a 44-point blowout in Philadelphia.

Asked after the game what the Lakers need to do to avoid more defeats like Monday’s, LeBron didn’t offer any specifics, but he also didn’t exactly express that the club would be fine with some minor tweaks, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“What needs to change in order for that not to happen again?” he said. “Um, a lot.”

Responding to a follow-up question about whether there’s anything in particular the Lakers need to focus on, James replied, “No. A lot.”

The Lakers have a 10-8 record, but their advanced stats haven’t been particularly impressive — their minus-1.9 net rating ranks 21st in the NBA, and they have the league’s 25th-best offensive rating (110.5). It has been an underwhelming few weeks for a team that made the Western Conference Finals last spring and has title aspirations this season.

Injuries are partly to blame for the Lakers’ poor start, as Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), Gabe Vincent (knee), Cam Reddish (groin), and Rui Hachimura (nasal fracture) all remain unavailable. Still, Monday’s effort was a disappointing one, with Anthony Davis suggesting after the game that a film session might be necessary before Wednesday’s contest in Detroit.

“We’ve got to look at it, embrace it, own it,” Davis said. “Guys don’t take it personal for whatever’s said in the film, and then move on from it.”

According to McMenamin, former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel conducted regular film sessions, but they sometimes became “volatile” when a player interpreted an instruction as a “pointed attack rather than a teaching moment.” Davis doesn’t think that will be an issue with this group.

“You’re sitting there and watching film … it’s also in front of the entire team, the coaching staff,” Davis said. “I don’t think we have guys who probably will take it personal. But if they do, that’s probably another conversation.”

Groups, Hosts Announced For 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

November 28th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

The 2024 Olympic qualifying tournaments will take place in Spain, Latvia, Greece, and Puerto Rico and will be played from July 2-7, FIBA confirmed on Monday.

A total of 12 men’s basketball teams will compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and eight of those spots have already been claimed. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, and the U.S. have punched their tickets to Paris.

Twenty-four nations will compete in four six-team tournaments this July for the right to secure one of the final four Olympic basketball berths. In addition to confirming the host cities, FIBA also completed the draw for each of those tournaments on Monday. Here are those results:

Valencia, Spain

Group A: Angola, Lebanon, Spain
Group B: Bahamas, Finland, Poland

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Group A: Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Mexico
Group B: Bahrain, Italy, Puerto Rico

Riga, Latvia

Group A: Georgia, Latvia, Philippines
Group B: Brazil, Cameroon, Montenegro

Piraeus, Greece

Group A: Croatia, New Zealand, Slovenia
Group B: Dominican Republic, Egypt, Greece

Each team will play two round robin games against the other teams in each group. At that point, the third-place teams in each group will be eliminated, while the first-place team from Group A will face the second-place team in Group B — and vice versa.

The winners of those semifinal matchups will then play one another in the final and the winner of that game will clinch a spot in the Olympics, which are scheduled to begin on July 26, 2024.

Filip Petrusev Officially Signs With Olympiacos

November 28th, 2023 at 7:21am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, former Sixers and Kings big man Filip Petrusev has returned to the EuroLeague, officially signing with Olympiacos, according to a press release from the Greek club.

Petrusev’s deal with Olympiacos was reported when he was waived by Sacramento last week. As we relayed over the weekend, the Serbian agreed to a three-year contract from the team. It reportedly includes a third-year club option and NBA outs.

The 50th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Petrusev remained overseas for two seasons before signing a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the 76ers during the 2023 offseason. He received a partial guarantee (approximately $560K) and survived a preseason roster crunch, but was sent to the Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster just eight days into the regular season and then flipped to the Kings in a separate deal.

Petrusev, 23, ultimately appeared in just three games in his NBA rookie season — one for Philadelphia and two for Sacramento. As Eurohoops relays, the forward/center said this week that Kings teammate and former Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov helped convince him to return to Europe and join the Greek club, which will give him a chance to play more regularly.

According to Eurohoops, Petrusev isn’t ruling out the possibility of playing again in the NBA down the road, but believes it will be better for his growth to take on a key role in the EuroLeague rather than sitting on the bench in the NBA. And if he does decide to return stateside eventually, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, rather than having a single team control his rights.

“I didn’t give up on the NBA dream because it didn’t go well this year,” Petrusev said. “I’m young, there’s time for everything. I might come back in two or three years. If I want to return to the NBA, I can go anywhere and not just to the Sixers, where it was my only choice.”

Petrusev joins an Olympiacos roster that features many former NBA players, including Isaiah Canaan, Ignas Brazdeikis, Nigel Williams-Goss, and Naz Mitrou-Long, among others. He previously played in the EuroLeague from 2021-23 as a member of Anadolu Efes and Crvena Zvezda.

Atlantic Notes: Morris, Oubre, Nets, Siakam

November 27th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marcus Morris is trying to stay positive with the Sixers, even though he’s played a limited role since being traded from the Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster. Morris scored 16 points in 20 minutes during the team’s blowout victory over the Lakers on Monday but has played eight or fewer minutes in six of 10 games this season.

“Just naturally being a 12-year starter, something like that, trying to find my ways,” he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s a little, you know what I’m saying? I didn’t expect it to go that way. You know it’s a challenge. I’m up for the challenge. So like I said, whatever is thrown my way, I accept it and try to help in any capacity that I can.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

In the same story, Pompey reports that Kelly Oubre participated in the Sixers’ practice on Sunday. Oubre, who is recovering from broken ribs suffered when he was struck by a vehicle while walking, also participated in the team’s shootaround on Monday, Pompey tweets.
The Nets may not only need to beat Toronto on Tuesday to advance to the in-season tournament quarterfinals — they may have to run up the score to win a tiebreaker, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Brooklyn is 2-1 entering the final game of its group stage. “Oh, I don’t know all the particular rules. I know we’ve got to win by a certain amount,” guard Spencer Dinwiddie said.
Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, is being posted up more by the new coaching staff and it’s working, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. He’s posting up nearly 17% of his possessions, compared to just 10.3% of his possessions last season. According to NBA.com, Siakam is shooting 60.9% on his post-up attempts. “It’s a natural progression of our team. We’re not forcing any post-ups, we’re not calling plays to post up. But if there’s a mismatch in transition or him recognizing that he can get it down there, we’ll take it,” coach Darko Rajakovic said.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Road Trip, Tournament, Jovic

November 27th, 2023 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaime Jaquez entered the league surrounded by trade rumors. The Heat rookie tried to take it all in stride, he told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Jaquez, the 18th pick of the draft, was often mentioned as a part of the package that could go to Portland for Damian Lillard before the Bucks swooped in and acquired the perennial All-Star guard.

“Welcome to the league. That’s the job you’re in. I tried to stay focused,” Jaquez said. “I was in Miami and being professional. I’m here right now, so that’s what I’m going to focus on. Stay present and in the moment. Whatever happens will happen. Look on the bright side and enjoy it.”

Jaquez is off to a solid start in his pro career, averaging 11.2 points per game on 50.7% shooting.

We have more on the Heat:

The Heat went 7-3 during a rugged stretch in which they played nine road games. Back home for seven of their next eight games, coach Erik Spoelstra saw a lot of positives from that 10-game gauntlet, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “Overall, we did what we set out to do, which is get to a higher level as a basketball team,” Spoelstra said. “We wanted to push ourselves to a different level than where we were and these two road trips pushed us to a better level.”
It’s rare to call any game a must-win in November but in terms of the in-season tournament, the Heat have to defeat Milwaukee on Tuesday to give themselves a chance to claim a quarterfinal spot, Chiang notes. Miami is currently tied for second place with the Knicks with a 2-1 record. The Bucks are undefeated in three tournament games. “I think we thought early on that this was good for the league and you don’t know what to expect until you’re actually in it. … It’s definitely piquing everybody’s interest,” Spoelstra said
Some apparent disparaging comments made by second-year forward Nikola Jovic were taken out of context, he told Chiang and other reporters. An interview with the Serbian media was translated to English on Reddit. Among those comments, Jovic supposedly claimed he deserved to play and was being “misused.” He also talked about playing center in the G League and occasionally with the Heat and supposedly commented, “Everything I’m good at, they don’t seem to use, and what I’m worse at, they seem to force it.” Jovic said after Monday’s practice he simply told the Serbian media he was better at power forward than center, adding “Basically what I said, this team is playing great without me and minute-wise I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. This team is playing great, so there’s no point of even playing me right now. And I get it, I totally get it.”
Jimmy Butler is questionable to play on Tuesday due to an ankle injury, while Tyler Herro remains sidelined due to his ankle issues, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.

Community Shootaround: Bottom Of The Standings

November 27th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA had a very intriguing matchup between two streaking teams on Monday night.

Don’t look at the top of the standings. This was a duel for the bottom of the barrel.

The Wizards brought a nine-game losing streak to Detroit on Monday. The Pistons had been drowning in even more misery, looking to end a 13-game slide. Washington won the game with ease as Detroit matched the longest losing streak in its franchise history.

While teams have only played about 20 percent of their schedules, it’s tough to imagine either club overcoming its awful start and challenging for a play-in spot.

They’re not the only franchises in danger of a “going nowhere” season. The Bulls have done little to dispel the notion that they need a major rebuild. They entered the week with only one fewer loss than those floundering Wizards and Pistons.

The Hornets have only won a handful of games and LaMelo Ball had to depart early in their last game due to an ankle injury.

Over in the West, Victor Wembanyama mania has died down. The Spurs have dropped 12 straight despite the addition of the highly-touted rookie.

The Grizzlies, saddled by injuries and awaiting the return of Ja Morant from suspension, have only one fewer loss than San Antonio. The Trail Blazers were expected to struggle after trading Damian Lillard and that’s been the case so far, as they’ve won only four games.

The Jazz, mainly due to a soft defense, have also gotten off to a very slow start.

That brings us to our topic of the day: Considering what’s happened in the first two months of the season, which teams do you believe will finish with the worst records in each conference? Do you think any of the above-mentioned teams can turn things around and make the postseason?

Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Central Notes: Pacers, Pistons, Middleton, LeBron

November 27th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers lead the league in scoring and points allowed. That may make them a favorite among fantasy basketball players, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle wants to see more intensity on the defensive end. He’s threatening to reduce playing time for his offensively gifted group if they don’t take the opposite end of the court more seriously, he told Dustik Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.

“I can just start pulling guys out of the game, and it could get ugly and maybe that’s what has to happen,” Carlisle said. “We got guys on the bench that would be more than willing to do that kind of stuff. … We’re trying to develop a culture where people want to do the hard things.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pistons coach Monty Williams confirmed a team meeting was held after the team’s 13th straight loss, which occurred against the Pacers on Friday night, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News tweets. He suggested that individuals took their share of the blame during that discussion. “There’s certain levels to those meetings. (It) was important because it was a level of team accountability,” Williams said. “There wasn’t any finger-pointing. When I got word of it, it wasn’t like anybody was saying ‘You, you, you.’ It’s like, ‘I have to do better.’”
Bucks forward Khris Middleton is questionable to play against Miami on Tuesday due to left Achilles tendinitis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Middleton has already missed four games this season and coach Adrian Griffin has kept his minutes down — Middleton is averaging 11.6 points in 19.8 minutes per night.
LeBron James counts the championship he brought to the Cavaliers in 2016 as one of his most cherished memories, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Spent 11 years here and being able to come back after my Miami stint and win a championship here for this franchise, for this city, I think it was a 52-year [title] drought or something like that in the city of Cleveland for any sports team, I think that was just something that I will never forget no matter how old I get,” James said. “I’ll always remember that moment.”

New York Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Randle, Robinson, Claxton, Thomas

November 27th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley have built chemistry during their second season together in the Knicks’ backcourt, as Fred Katz of The Athletic details. It’s especially notable in the screening Quickley does to create space for Brunson.

Whether they’ll remain together for the long haul remains to be seen. Quickley and the Knicks front office failed to reach a rookie scale extension agreement last month, which means Quickley will be a restricted free agent next summer.

We have more on the New York clubs:

Julius Randle had a 28-point game against the Suns on Sunday but his inconsistent play is a big reason for the Knicks’ mediocre start, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. Randle, the team’s highest-salaried player at $28.2MM this season, is shooting 38.7% from the field and 69.2% from the free throw line.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson took a hard fall against Phoenix on Sunday after he elevated for an offensive rebound during the third quarter. However, he’s apparently OK. Robinson went through practice on Monday, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, Katz tweets. Robinson was examined by the team’s trainers Sunday night.
Nets center Nic Claxton, who aggravated a left ankle injury that has nagged him this season, is listed as questionable to play against Toronto on Tuesday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Cam Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points, is listed as doubtful. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8 due to a left ankle sprain.

Injury Notes: McCollum, Markkanen, Luka, Nuggets, Williams

November 27th, 2023 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum has been ruled out of Monday’s contest in Utah, which will be his 12th consecutive missed game. However, the 32-year-old veteran is aiming to return to action later this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that McCollum could play either Wednesday against Philadelphia or Friday vs. San Antonio.

McCollum, who has been out since Nov. 4 with a collapsed lung, is averaging 21.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG on .440/.380/.742 shooting through six games this season. He was a full practice participant last week.

Another marquee player will be also sidelined for the matchup between the Pelicans and Jazz. Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out for the second straight game, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

As Larsen observes (via Twitter), Markkanen was previously listed as having a sore left hamstring, but the injury is now classified as a strain — it’s possible the All-Star forward may have undergone some imaging to confirm the diagnosis. On a more positive note, Jordan Clarkson will return tonight after missing the previous game due to an illness.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Mavericks received good news on Monday, as the left thumb injury that Luka Doncic sustained on Saturday isn’t serious. After undergoing an MRI, Doncic was diagnosed with a low-grade sprain and he will be available for Tuesday’s matchup with Houston, though he did wear a wrap on his thumb during Monday’s practice, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscriber link). Rookie center Dereck Lively practiced as well, but he’s questionable with a lower back contusion, Townsend adds.
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will miss his second straight game on Monday due to a right heel strain, while reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is questionable due to lower back pain, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. As we previously relayed, Jamal Murray is out tonight, but he could return later this week.
Thunder wing Jalen Williams is available for Tuesday’s matchup vs. the Wolves, according to Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder (Twitter link). Last season’s runner-up for Rookie of the Year has missed three consecutive games with a left hip strain.

Devin Booker, Paolo Banchero Named Players Of The Week

November 27th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns guard Devin Booker and Magic forward Paolo Banchero have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Booker, who won for the Western Conference, led Phoenix to a 4-0 week. He averaged 30.3 points, 7.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block on .481/.429/.902 shooting in his four appearances, including a game-winning three-pointer over the Knicks on Sunday. The Suns have won seven straight and currently hold an 11-6 record.

Banchero, the East’s winner, guided Orlando to a perfect 4-0 week. The 2023 Rookie of the Year averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 block on .544/.526/.625 shooting in four games, including victories over Denver and Boston. Like the Suns, the Magic have also won seven consecutive games, and are now 12-5.

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerami Grant and Brandon Ingram, while Jarrett Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Banchero’s teammate Franz Wagner were nominated in the East.