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Southeast Notes: Hawks, Ball, Heat, McClung

December 5th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

With Jalen Johnson unavailable due to a wrist injury, the Hawks have been experimenting a little more with different frontcourt combinations, including playing centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu alongside one another, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required).

The pairing is very much a work in progress, particularly on the offensive end, but it showed some intriguing potential against bigger teams like San Antonio and Milwaukee, according to Williams.

“There’s certain times in the game where that allows itself and there’s certain matchups where I think it pays dividends defensively,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “(Saturday vs. Milwaukee) was one of those nights).”

For his part, Okongwu is on board with the idea of handling power forward alongside Capela if it means he’ll get an opportunity to play a little more.

“Whatever it takes for me to be on the court longer, I’ll do it,” Okongwu said. “Playing the four, it’s obviously is an adjustment but nothing I can’t do.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball still has a noticeable limp and isn’t expected to return anytime soon, but he’s no longer wearing a walking boot, tweets Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. That’s a promising first step in Ball’s recovery from a severely sprained right ankle, which he’s scheduled to have reevaluated this week.
Buoyed by a seven-game winning streak in the first half of November, the Heat are 11-9 after 20 games, but many of their victories have come against subpar competition and they’ve lost four of their last five contests. Jimmy Butler kept coming back to one word when describing the team’s performance so far, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “We stand right where we don’t want to be, which is very mediocre, not good, not bad, not great, not any of those things,” Butler said. “Just mediocre. You talk about our offense has been mediocre. You talk about our defense has been mediocre. That’s the word I would use.”
Mac McClung, who has been playing for the Magic‘s G League affiliate this season, was named the NBAGL’s player of the month for November, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). McClung averaged 25.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in nine November contests for the Osceola Magic, but isn’t under contract with Orlando — the 2023 slam dunk champion remains an NBA free agent, available to sign with any team.

Tournament Notes: Haliburton, Pacers, Pelicans, Awards

December 5th, 2023 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

After missing Saturday’s win over Miami due to an upper respiratory infection, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton got off to a slow start in Monday’s in-season tournament quarterfinal and had to use an inhaler at halftime, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. He bounced back in a big way in the second half, registering his first career triple-double (26 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds) and leading Indiana to a comeback victory over the favored Celtics.

It was the first Pacers game this season that was nationally televised and it represented an opportunity for one of the NBA’s rising talents to show off his game for a wider audience, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic, who suggests that Haliburton’s star turn has been the best thing about the in-season tournament so far.

“You don’t play on national TV if you don’t win games,” Haliburton said. “The more we come out here and prove that, on a night-to-night basis, that we can win games, it’s gonna change. And that’s all that we’re about right now; changing how this organization is viewed and how we are as players viewed, and just coming out here and competing every night.”

The fourth-year guard has been the driving force of a Pacers offense that has a 123.6 rating, which is the top mark in the league by nearly four full points. He earned “MVP” chants from the home crowd in Indiana.

“I haven’t heard MVP chants, maybe when (Victor) Oladipo was here, but Ty’s really come in and taken over and it’s fun stuff,” Myles Turner said after the victory, per Bontemps.

Here’s more on the NBA’s in-season tournament:

Although Larry Nance Jr. is currently on the shelf, the Pelicans are otherwise as healthy as they’ve been since early in the 2022/23 season — they’re eager to make a run at show what this roster is capable of, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. That effort began with a quarterfinal win over Sacramento on Monday. Star forward Zion Williamson only scored 10 points in the victory, but New Orleans got at least 16 points apiece from five players, including the other four starters. “With their complete roster, they are the team that I could see challenging the Denver Nuggets for the top team in the West,” a league source told ESPN.
In an announcement on Monday (Twitter link), the league unveiled its new awards related to the in-season tournament, including the NBA Cup for the team that wins the event and the trophies for the tournament’s MVP and all-tournament team.
Players on two-way contracts will receive half the prize money that players on standard deals will receive in the in-season tournament, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That means a two-way player on the championship team would receive $250K rather than $500K, but that’s still a significant chunk of money for players who are earning just $559,782 this season. “It’s another good reason to be motivated,” Suns two-way player Saben Lee said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “But regardless, guys love to play basketball and compete at a high level.”
A few of the teams still alive in the tournament have open roster spots, so it’s worth noting that a player won’t be eligible to participate in the tournament final unless he’s added to the roster before the semifinals, according to Marks (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Bogdanovic, Cunningham, Dosunmu, LaVine, Caruso

December 4th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bojan Bogdanovic is likely to soon regain his starting role with the Pistons, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Bogdanovic, who could be a prime target at the trade deadline, made his season debut on Saturday after recovering from a calf strain and scored a team-high 22 points off the bench.

Pistons head coach Monty Williams said that when the team isn’t playing against two “bruisers” in the opposing lineup, it’s likely Bogdanovic will start at power forward when he gets in a rhythm. Against those bigger teams, Bogdanovic would start at small forward with Isaiah Stewart at power forward.

We have more from the Central Division:

Even in the midst of the Pistons’ franchise-record 17-game losing streak, Cade Cunningham is showing an improved 3-point stroke, according to Edwards. Cunningham has made 35% of his attempts, compared to 31.4% during his rookie season. He has also converted at least half of his 3-point tries in five of the last seven games. “It was more of a legs thing for me,” Cunningham said of his rookie struggles. “I was playing a lot of minutes, a lot of minutes that I had never played in an NBA season before and had to adjust to stepping back to the NBA 3-point line.”
With Zach LaVine sidelined due to a right foot ailment, Ayo Dosunmu has seen a minutes bump and he’s seized the opportunity, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago notes. The Bulls have won two straight with Dosunmu averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game while shooting 70.6%. “I think you can see a different player right now than maybe he was a year ago,” coach Billy Donovan said. Dosunmu re-signed with Chicago on a three-year, $21MM deal this offseason.
Speaking of LaVine, Donovan said on Monday the high-scoring wing “a lot better today than he was when he was first diagnosed.” LaVine is rehabbing and doing some individual on-court work. As for Alex Caruso, Donovan said “there’s nothing structurally wrong” with the left toe Caruso injured against New Orleans on Saturday, according to Johnson (Twitter links).

Suns Notes: Booker, Little, Gordon, Beal

December 4th, 2023 at 9:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have defeated the Suns twice already this season heading into their in-season tournament quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday night. However, Phoenix didn’t have Devin Booker available in either of those games.

That will change in the third meeting, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Booker, who has dealt with ankle and calf injuries, is ready to go after posting 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on Saturday against Memphis.

“Missing any game is tough, I’m excited for this one,” Booker said. “I know they’re playing well as of now. They’re back healthy. They have their roster back. It’ll be a heavyweight match in L.A. A lot on the line. Winner goes to Vegas. I think everyone is looking forward to it. It should be fun.”

We have more on the Suns:

Nassir Little has seen action in 14 games off the bench since being acquired from Portland as part of the three-team Damian Lillard blockbuster. Little is adjusting to his role with a contender after being moved from the rebuilding Trail Blazers, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports notes. “In the league, especially on a team like this, you gotta be able to stay ready,” said Little, who is signed through the 2026/27 season. “At full strength, there’s gonna be guys who are good enough to be rotation players who may not be playing, but you can’t take that as an insult. You have to just understand kind of what the situation is and make sure you stay in shape, make sure you continue to work on your game.”
Eric Gordon is listed as questionable to play on Tuesday due to a knee injury, Rankin tweets. Gordon didn’t play against Memphis on Saturday after seeing 33 minutes of action the previous night against Denver.
Bradley Beal remains out due to his lingering back issues. That will be the 18th game he’s missed this season, which already will make him ineligible for any end-of-season awards, Bourguet tweets. The new CBA requires a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for those awards.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Harden, Nurse, Morey, Embiid

December 4th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers forward Kelly Oubre has been cleared to play on Wednesday after going through a full practice on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Oubre has been sidelined since Nov. 10 due to injuries suffered in a reported hit-and-run accident. Oubre, who was signed to a one-year contract as a free agent, was off to a hot start before the incident, averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Oubre was reluctant to share details about it due to an ongoing police investigation. However, he’s upset that some people have expressed doubts about his story.

“This was and is a very traumatic situation for me and my family,” Oubre said. “I just wish that my life wasn’t The Truman Show, where everybody can kind of watch it and have their own opinion about my life. This is very hard for us to have to deal with — and for me to miss being on the court, which keeps me sane. A lot of people are very inconsiderate and insensitive to try to worry about video cameras and [stuff] about something that happened with my life, and it’s very detrimental to me and missing time with my job.”

We have more on the Sixers:

James Harden told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he was promised a max deal by the Sixers front office. However, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack post that he spoke to a Sixers source on Monday who refuted Harden’s claim. According to Stein’s source, no such promise was made after Harden agreed to a two-year deal with a player option in the summer of 2022.
The 76ers have thrived since the Harden trade and Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports details how coach Nick Nurse and top exec Daryl Morey put plans in motion even before the deal was made. They were tweaking schemes in order to maximize the team’s potential without the mercurial guard. Nurse also gave Joel Embiid advice on how he could be more effective in the postseason. “Just having more variety and less predictability,” Nurse said. “Not having the same rhythm to every game, not doing the same thing over and over, just making things a little bit more unpredictable. That way [opponents] don’t know what’s coming as much, and you’re hard to prepare for.”
Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were both at Sixers practice on Monday after missing Friday’s game at Boston due to illness, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Magic’s Mosley, Timberwolves’ Finch Earn Coach Of Month Honors

December 4th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic‘s Jamahl Mosley has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). The Timberwolves‘ Chris Finch earned Western Conference Coach of the Month honors.

This is the first time that Mosley has won the league’s monthly award for coaches. It’s also the first time a Magic head coach has received the honor since Steve Clifford in March/April 2019. During October and November, Mosley guided Orlando to a 13-5 record, which was second-best in the Eastern Conference and third-best in the NBA. The Magic went 11-3 in November.

Finch also gained the honor the first time. He’s the third Timberwolves head coach to win the award and the first since Kevin McHale in January 2009. The team’s 14-4 start marked the best 18-game record to begin a season in Timberwolves history. Finch also led Minnesota to a 13-2 record in November.

J.B. Bickerstaff (Cavaliers), Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) and Nick Nurse (Sixers) were the other nominees in the East. Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Jason Kidd (Mavericks), Michael Malone (Nuggets) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) were the other nominees in the West (Twitter link).

Tyrese Haliburton To Play In Tournament Quarterfinal

December 4th, 2023 at 5:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Barring a last-minute setback, the Pacers will have their best player available for their in-season tournament quarterfinal game against the Celtics tonight.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said he expects Tyrese Haliburton to play, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Haliburton sat out Indiana’s 144-129 win over Miami on Saturday due to a right knee bone bruise and an upper respiratory infection.

Haliburton is averaging 27.0 points and 11.8 assists for the league’s high-scoring team while shooting 51.9% from the field. The Pacers emerged as the No. 2 seed in the East after the group stage, while the Celtics — who are the current favorites among oddsmakers to win the tournament — grabbed the third seed.

The winner of the quarterfinal matchup will face the survivor of the Knicks–Bucks game on Tuesday in the semifinals of the inaugural tournament. Reaching the semifinals guarantees each player a $100K bonus.

Obi Toppin, who was listed as questionable to play due to an ankle injury, is also expected to play, according to Carlisle.

Injury Notes: Grant, Simons, Duarte, Hachimura, Wolves

December 4th, 2023 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, Portland announced on Monday (via Twitter). Grant sustained the injury during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Utah and did not return, per the team.

Grant, who re-signed with Portland on a five-year, $160MM contract over the summer, is averaging 22.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .437/.412/.830 shooting in 19 games this season.

In other injury news for the Blazers, guard Anfernee Simons is nearing a return, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Simons, who has been out since Oct. 25 after tearing a ligament in his thumb and undergoing surgery, practiced on Monday and is considered day-to-day, according to Highkin.

Here are some more injury notes from around the league:

Kings wing Chris Duarte will miss Monday’s in-season quarterfinal matchup against New Orleans due to knee soreness, league sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (Twitter link). It will be the second straight absence for the former first-round pick, who is averaging 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.1 minutes in his first season with Sacramento.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was cleared for Saturday’s contest against Houston, but head coach Darvin Ham opted to be cautious and held him out after he missed a week due to nasal fracture surgery. “In all likelihood” Hachimura will play in Tuesday’s quarterfinal against the Suns, Ham said on Monday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). Hachimura practiced today while wearing a face mask and he thinks he’ll be ready tomorrow, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was a partial practice participant on Monday and is day-to-day after missing the past two games with a hip injury, head coach Chris Finch told reporters, including Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). Jaden McDaniels (ankle sprain) did not practice and will not play this week, but the team is hopeful he might be able to practice next week, Finch added. As for Jordan McLaughlin, who has missed the past month with a knee sprain, he was a full practice participant and he could return as soon as later this week, according to Hine.

Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Month

December 4th, 2023 at 3:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA’s players of the month, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link). Jokic won for the Western conference, while Tatum won for the East.

A two-time MVP and the reigning Finals MVP, Jokic put up staggering averages of 29.0 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.2 steals on .571/.316/.800 shooting in 18 games played in October and November (33.7 minutes). Denver went 12-6 in games he played and 13-6 overall the past two months.

Jokic, 28, currently leads the league in total points, rebounds and assists. On a per-game basis, he’s eighth in points, first in rebounds and third in assists.

Tatum, meanwhile, averaged 27.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals on .494/.361/.807 shooting in 18 games played in October and November (37.0 minutes). Boston went 14-4 in those games, which tied Minnesota for the best record in the league over that span (both clubs are now 15-4).

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alperen Sengun, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Brunson, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell were nominated in the East.

Chet Holmgren, Jaime Jaquez Named Rookies Of The Month

December 4th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren and Heat wing Jaime Jaquez have been named the rookies of the month for the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter). Since the 2023/24 season started in late October, the awards count games played in both October and November.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holmgren missed all of last season due to a foot injury. In his first taste of regular season action, he filled the stat sheet in impressive fashion, averaging 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks on .537/.410/.871 shooting in 18 games over the past two months (30.0 minutes).

The Thunder are currently 13-6, the No. 2 seed in the West. Holmgren is tied for second on the team in points per game, and leads OKC in rebounding and blocked shots.

Jaquez, who was selected No. 18 overall in this year’s draft, has stepped into a major rotation role for Miami and fit in seamlessly, averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals on .529/.390/.875 shooting in his first 19 games, including four starts (26.6 minutes).

The Heat have dealt with several injuries again this fall and are currently 11-9, the No. 7 seed in the East.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Jordan Hawkins, Dereck Lively and Victor Wembanyama, while Brandon Miller, Craig Porter Jr. and Ausar Thompson were nominated in the East. Porter, who went undrafted out of Wichita State, is the lone player on a two-way contract who was nominated — all the others were first-round picks.