- Forward Robert Covington is heating up in his second stint with the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Covington, who was part of the James Harden blockbuster trade with the Clippers, averaged 15 points and six rebounds in the last two games. “The more and more games I get under my belt, the more and more I’m going to get comfortable within the offense and defense,” said Covington, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Patrick Beverley nearly led the Sixers to an unlikely win Friday night in Boston with three starters sidelined, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Playing without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who both missed the game due to illness, and Nicolas Batum, who was ruled out shortly before game time with a hyperextended right index finger, Philadelphia was able to hang around and almost pull out a road victory.
“Well, I think the biggest positive is I thought we outplayed them,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I thought we outplayed them. We gave ourselves a chance to win. We didn’t get many good bounces there the last two, three minutes of the game.”
The Sixers got a much-needed lift from Beverley, the veteran guard who was signed this summer to upgrade the defense and provide fiery leadership. Beverley did a little bit of everything on Friday, sinking 10 of 15 shots and delivering season highs with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He said he doesn’t alter his approach when his high-scoring teammates aren’t available.
“I don’t think my mindset really changes,” Beverley said. “I want to go out there and try to impact the game, impact winning.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Marcus Morris is one of the few players who have been on both sides of the Celtics-Sixers rivalry, Pompey notes in a separate story. Morris is still a fan favorite in Boston, but the North Philadelphia native was thrilled to return home as part of the James Harden trade last month. “Philly is my hometown,” he said. “So playing for the Sixers is everything. My time here in Boston was great. The fans here were great. I loved playing here. But if there was a side I had to choose, it would be Philly.”
- Embiid’s absence allowed third-string center Mohamed Bamba to play nearly 20 minutes and post season highs with 11 points and six rebounds, Pompey states in another piece. Bamba told reporters he feels like he has “a raw deal” in Philadelphia after signing as a free agent this summer, but he tries to be ready when opportunities arise. “It’s not easy to do,” he said of not playing regularly. “People think you’re not playing, you should be able to come in if you’re healthy and be ready to go. But a lot of basketball is having rhythm, having that continuity with the guys you’re out there with. I think being out there is a big part of it. But these guys make it easy for me to come in.”
- Friday marked the first time this season the Sixers were able to remain competitive without Embiid, following blowouts in the previous two games he missed, Pompey adds. “The last couple of games without Embiid, we felt like we were really soft all together,” Morris said. “We were trying to make it a point with this game with Embiid on the court or without him on the court to come out and be aggressive and play aggressive, even if we are not making shots.”
The Raptors still appear to be figuring out their identity, trying to navigate their path through player development while simultaneously attempting to win now, according to The Athletic’s Eric Koreen. In order to fully develop budding star Scottie Barnes, Toronto needs to better optimize the lineups it is running, Koreen writes.
Koreen observes Toronto’s lineups with cramped spacing aren’t doing much to advance Barnes’ development. Instead of having the opportunity to kick the ball out to shooters, Barnes is sometimes featured in lineups with multiple players who are not feared from beyond the arc.
Barnes also isn’t yet confident enough to singlehandedly run the floor and lineups that feature him and OG Anunoby as the only starters have struggled, per Koreen. Koreen acknowledges this is more of a roster construction issue than a minute-distribution issue, but suggests changes. Otto Porter Jr. is a player mentioned who could help alleviate spacing issues.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Tyrese Maxey continues to play at a superstar level for the Sixers, averaging 27.0 points and 6.7 assists through his first 18 games. Appearing on NBA Today (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Maxey’s development is one of the biggest storylines of the season and speculates that it may just keep Joel Embiid in Philadelphia for the long run. Windhorst says Maxey’s play is keeping the Sixers in title contention despite trading James Harden and because of their play, the chatter from fans and media surrounding Embiid potentially wanting out is dying down.
- The Nets are faced with a difficult decision regarding their starting lineup after a strong 26-point return from injury from Cam Thomas, writes the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez. Thomas began the season on the bench but was quickly inserted into the starting lineup due to his impressive scoring (26.8 PPG). After missing nine straight games due to injury, he was brought off the bench. But because the Nets’ offense runs through him, they’ll likely look to move him into the starting lineup again, meaning Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie or Dorian Finney-Smith are candidates to be benched moving forward, according to Sanchez.
- Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t played since Nov. 24 and while he still isn’t practicing, he’s been out on the court, tweets The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. Porzingis’s status remains up in the air for Boston’s in-season tournament quarterfinal on Monday against the Pacers. In 15 games this season, Porzingis has averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Sixers wing Kelly Oubre was a full practice participant on Thursday and also did some extra work after practice, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre hasn’t played since November 10 after being struck by a vehicle. There was initially some optimism that he could be upgraded from out to questionable for Friday’s matchup with Boston, but sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium that the veteran swingman is targeting a return next week, possibly Wednesday against Washington or Friday against Atlanta (Twitter link).
According to Pompey, X-rays on Nicolas Batum‘s injured finger were negative and he plans to play against the Celtics. Star center Joel Embiid is questionable with an illness, but head coach Nick Nurse thinks he’ll be ready to go, Pompey adds.
Here are a few more injury notes:
- Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards sustained a bruised right hip on Tuesday against Oklahoma City after taking a hard fall, causing him to exit the game, according to an Associated Press report relayed by ESPN.com. Edwards is officially listed as doubtful for Thursday’s game against Utah, but forward Kyle Anderson indicated the fourth-year guard won’t play, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Free agent addition Troy Brown is likely to start in Edwards’ place, Krawczynski adds (via Twitter).
- Making his return from a hamstring injury on Wednesday, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray contributed 16 points (on 4-of-14 shooting), six rebounds and six assists in 22 minutes. However, he appeared to roll his right ankle and might miss Friday’s contest in Phoenix, writes Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. Murray said he was “frustrated” by the ankle injury, which he iced throughout the game when he wasn’t playing.
- The Suns got good and bad news on Wednesday. Kevin Durant returned from a two-game absence in the loss to Toronto, but Devin Booker suffered a right ankle injury after landing on Dennis Schröder‘s foot, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. It’s unclear if Booker will miss time with the injury, but he had his worst game of the season trying to play through it yesterday.
- Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has been ruled out of Thursday’s game against the Clippers, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The former No. 1 overall pick is dealing with right finger soreness. Golden State will be shorthanded, as Chris Paul (leg contusion) and Gary Payton II (calf) are also out.
Nicolas Batum‘s impact on the Sixers‘ defense has made him the most valuable player the team received in the James Harden trade, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The versatile swingman not only moved into the starting lineup, he routinely guards the opposition’s top scorer, a list that so far has included Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James and Brandon Ingram.
“It’s super valuable in a lot of ways, and he just does a lot of it by working,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Like he’s up the floor picking up full court. He’s in denial a lot. So the guy doesn’t even get it. That’s the easiest way to guard somebody if they don’t have the ball.”
Batum’s next assignment will be Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, but that’s only if he’s able to play Friday at Boston. Batum didn’t return to Wednesday’s game after he hyperextended his right index finger in the third quarter, reaggravating an existing injury.
“We will see (Thursday),” he said. “It’s new so I don’t know what’s going to happen. … We haven’t had an X-ray yet. It’s more like we will see what happens (Thursday).”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- At age 35, Patrick Beverley is posting the lowest scoring average of his career at 3.3 points per game, but he continues to help the Sixers through a combination of defense, leadership and finding ways to motivate himself, Pompey notes in a separate story. On Monday, it involved a confrontation with former Lakers teammate Austin Reaves that led to them being separated by officials. Beverley, who is still seething about Reaves doing the “too small” gesture after scoring on him last season, commented about the matchup on his podcast. “Every time I see the Lakers until I retire — whatever team Austin Reaves is on — I’m on his ass,” Beverley said.
- Danuel House missed his third straight game Wednesday with a left quadriceps strain, Pompey states in the same piece. House tested the injury at the morning shootaround, and Nurse is hoping he’ll be able to participate in today’s practice. “We’ve been over a week now since he’s done anything, practice or game-wise,” Nurse said after the game. “I didn’t think it was much there. So it’s a little bit disappointing. But tomorrow we shall see if we can make some progress.”
- Tyrese Maxey‘s playing time has increased dramatically under Nurse, who was known for leaning heavily on his core players in Toronto, Pompey adds. Maxey is averaging 38.4 minutes per night, which would be the most since Jimmy Butler reached 38.7 with the Bulls nine years ago.
Executives around the NBA continue to monitor Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, who were considered trade candidates during the offseason, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Rival executives believe Brooklyn will seek the equivalent of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith, though they hope that cost will drop closer to the deadline, according to Scotto, who adds that some execs who spoke to HoopsHype think the Nets would want a protected first-round pick for O’Neale. Finney-Smith still has multiple years left on his contract, while O’Neale is on an expiring deal.
Teams are also eyeing Nic Claxton and are curious to see whether Brooklyn is willing to roll the dice on re-signing him as an unrestricted free agent next summer, since he won’t become extension-eligible before then. For now, the Nets view Claxton as part of their core and wouldn’t be inclined to move him unless they get an offer that blows them away, Scotto explains.
Finally, some NBA executives think that veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie might be available on the trade market later this season — and they think he’d have some value. “Dinwiddie can help a team and make big shots,” one exec told Scotto.
Scotto has more trade rumors and notes from around the Eastern Conference. Let’s dive in…
- Rival teams are keeping an eye on whether or not the Knicks will make Immanuel Quickley available, according to Scotto, who says the guard was seeking about $25MM per year on a rookie scale extension before the season, while New York offered approximately $18MM annually. “I think Quickley might be New York’s best trade asset besides Jalen Brunson,” one league executive told HoopsHype.
- The Hawks still have some trade interest in Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, says Scotto. De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela were mentioned during the offseason as possible trade candidates for Atlanta and Scotto believes one or both players could be available again before February’s deadline. However, the Mavericks‘ interest in Capela has diminished due to the strong play of rookie Dereck Lively, Scotto notes.
- Multiple “playoff-caliber” teams have been in touch with the Hornets to gauge the potential availability of veteran forward Gordon Hayward, per Scotto.
- Scotto also reports that teams have expressed some exploratory interest in Sixers wing KJ Martin, who was part of the James Harden blockbuster earlier this month. Martin has played a limited role in Philadelphia but is coming off a solid year in Houston.
- Paul Reed was surprised that his comments about the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis during the morning shootaround on Monday went viral, as Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer details. The Sixers big man called Davis “a big flopper” and added, “he’s going to be flailing.” Reed soon found out his comments caused controversy. “I started checking Twitter and Instagram,” he said, “and I’m like, ‘Damn, people are really mad at me in the Lakers community.’” Reed and Davis wound up sharing the court for only three minutes in Philly’s blowout win.
The NBA in-season tournament will reach the quarterfinal stage next week and the eight qualifiers and their seeds were finalized on Tuesday. The 22 teams that failed to advance had two holes in their schedules that needed to be filled.
Those matchups were determined late Tuesday evening, with each team receiving a home and away contest, NBA Communications tweets. The newly-scheduled games will take place next Wednesday (December 6) and Friday (Dec. 8).
The Cavaliers and Magic, who missed the quarterfinals despite their 3-1 tournament records, will face each other in Cleveland on Wednesday. Cleveland will then visit the Heat (2-2 tournament) on Friday.
The Nets, who also had a 3-1 tournament record, wound up with a road game against the Hawks (1-3) and home game against the Wizards (0-4)
The Sixers, who finished 2-2 in the tournament, drew a road game against the Wizards and a home game against the Hawks.
In the West, the Timberwolves were the only 3-1 tournament team that didn’t reach the quarterfinals. They’ll host the Spurs (0-4) and visit the Grizzlies (0-4).
The defending champion Nuggets will visit Los Angeles to face the Clippers (1-3), then head home to take on the Rockets (2-2). The Warriors, who were knocked out of contention by Sacramento on Tuesday, drew a home game against the Trail Blazers (1-3) and a road contest against the Thunder (1-3).
Here’s the full schedule for next Wednesday and Friday:
Wednesday, Dec. 6
- Orlando at Cleveland
- Memphis at Detroit
- Miami at Toronto
- Philadelphia at Washington
- Brooklyn at Atlanta
- San Antonio at Minnesota
- Charlotte at Chicago
- Oklahoma City at Houston
- Utah at Dallas
- Portland at Golden State
- Denver at LA Clippers
Friday, Dec. 8
- Toronto at Charlotte
- Detroit at Orlando
- Atlanta at Philadelphia
- Washington at Brooklyn
- Cleveland at Miami
- Minnesota at Memphis
- Golden State at Oklahoma City
- Chicago at San Antonio
- Houston at Denver
- LA Clippers at Utah
- Dallas at Portland
Two more regular season games will be added to the NBA’s schedule after the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament are complete, since the four teams that lose those matchups will require an 82nd game on their respective schedules.
There’s some good news and bad news on the injury front for the Hornets. The team confirmed (via Twitter) that star guard LaMelo Ball will be unavailable on Tuesday in New York for Charlotte’s final round robin game in the in-season tournament, as he’s been ruled out due to a right ankle strain.
However, guard James Bouknight, who has spent the entire season recovering from knee surgery that he underwent last month, has been cleared to return and will be active for the first time on Tuesday. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), Bouknight described himself as “excited (and) anxious,” noting that it has been quite some time since he played.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Heat still have a chance to claim a spot in the quarterfinals of the in-season tournament with a win over Milwaukee tonight, but if they’re going to do it, they’ll need to do it without Jimmy Butler. He has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest due to a sprained right ankle, per the team (Twitter link).
- With CJ McCollum reportedly nearing a return for the Pelicans, will Trey Murphy be right behind him? Christian Clark of NOLA.com hears from multiple sources that there’s optimism Murphy could make his season debut next week. Murphy underwent surgery in September to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.
- Cam Reddish, who has missed the Lakers‘ past three games with a groin strain, is “extremely close” to returning, head coach Darvin Ham said on Monday, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
- Sixers forward Kelly Oubre won’t play on Wednesday, but head coach Nick Nurse isn’t ruling out the possibility that Oubre could be back in action on Friday, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. Oubre, who hasn’t played since November 10 after being struck by a vehicle, took part in contact drills in practice on Tuesday.
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.
- 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.