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Pacific Notes: Lakers’ Surge, Davis, Edwards, Curry

March 12th, 2023 at 8:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have a chance to reach the .500 mark with a win over the Knicks on Sunday night and excitement within the organization is building, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes.

The Lakers have won seven of their last nine games despite the absence of LeBron James. They beat Toronto on Friday even though Anthony Davis was held to eight points.

“It’s a good thing to see, man,” Davis said. “You sit back and, as I’m watching it, these guys are getting very comfortable. They were playing at a high level last night. And for me, seven shots, five shots, no shots, 20 shots – like, as long as we win, I’m fine, I’m happy.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Davis averaged 33 points in his previous five games but when the Raptors overloaded to him, the upgraded Lakers roster took advantage, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times notes. That’s the sign of a “smart basketball player,” according to coach Darvin Ham. “He understands what’s working, what’s not working, what’s being given and what’s being taken away. And the way he’s been playing, teams are perked up,” Ham said. “They’re on high, extra alert towards him and his capabilities and what he’s been doing. So, they’re going to put one, two, three guys around him at all times. … And the way he’s able to navigate all of that and accept what the defense is doing and look for other options… And now, we have a plethora of other options we can go to.”
In a subscriber-only story, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson describes how little-used Kessler Edwards boosted the Kings to the 40th win this season. Edwards had 12 points and seven rebounds against Phoenix on Saturday as Sacramento reached the 40-win mark for the first time since the 2005/06 season. The club holds a $1.9MM option on Edwards’ contract for next season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a hand injury but Warriors coach Steve Kerr was still impressed by his team’s overtime win over Milwaukee on Saturday, particularly the performance of his biggest star, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 36 points, 29 after halftime. “Steph was incredible, and he did against one of the great defenders in the league in Jrue Holiday,” Kerr said. “Jrue is an amazing player, so strong and quick and just never quits on any possession. It’s amazing watching those two guys battle. But Steph is fearless. It doesn’t matter if there’s a slow start or if he hasn’t had much going. He can ignite at any time.”

Pacific Notes: Green, Brooks, Warriors, Lakers, Clippers

March 11th, 2023 at 2:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors forward/center Draymond Green and Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks continued to trade barbs after Memphis blew out Golden State on Thursday night, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

At the end of the second quarter Brooks stole the ball and converted a contested layup over Green, then turned back and the two bumped chests. He eventually started jawing at Green and they had to be separated by an official, but Green remained silent.

“I kind of wanted that play, just to see what he was going to say,” Brooks said. “But he took the media approach with that and didn’t say nothing, which is cool. I was expecting him to talk a little bit more, but I guess he needs to get all his facts together and talk.”

Green downplayed the incident, saying Brooks was trying to bait him into his 16th technical foul, which would have resulted in a one-game suspension. According to MacMahon, Green also scoffed at the notion that the Warriors and Grizzlies are rivals, despite eliminating each other in the past two postseasons.

“One team has to win, and then another team has to win,” Green said. “That’s what creates a rivalry. Not because one team gets up for you and talk like they can beat you and then not. That doesn’t create a rivalry. Rivalries are created by you win, I win. Clearly, we’ve won four times, and I think their organization has zero championships, so I can’t consider that a rivalry.”

On his podcast, Green questioned whether Brooks’ teammates liked him. Brooks’ sneering retort was certainly valid, given the practice incident involving Green and Jordan Poole this past fall.

“Just the fact that he was trying to pin my teammates against me, that was a low blow,” Brooks said, per MacMahon. “So that’s what type of player he is. These are my guys. We grew it all together. I ain’t out there getting in physical altercations with my teammates. I sit there and talk to them, try to not break them down, but build them up.”

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The Warriors will continue to be shorthanded for Saturday’s home game against Milwaukee, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga, who sprained his right ankle in warmups prior to Thursday’s game, has been ruled out, while Andrew Wiggins remains away from the team for personal reasons.
Entering Friday’s victory over Toronto, the Lakers held the NBA’s top defensive rating since the trade deadline, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. While Dennis Schröder, Troy Brown and Austin Reaves have been solid perimeter contributors on defense, Goon points out that the tandem of Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis has been particularly effective, with excellent defensive numbers when they’re paired together. “Him being able to communicate but also to be able to react, that’s what makes him so unique,” Vanderbilt said. “He can do both. He can talk and he can react, too. For me being on the perimeter, having a guy like A.D. behind me, I can be a lot more aggressive, knowing that I have a second line of defense.” The Lakers have gone 8-3 since they reshaped their roster.
After a five-game losing streak, the Clippers have rebounded with back-to-back victories, and they believe they’re heading in the right direction, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “We’re figuring it out, I think we’re getting better game-by-game, definitely from these last two games,” Eric Gordon said Friday. “The sense of urgency is there. A lot of those losses came down to one possession and now we’re figuring it out a little bit more.” According to Greif, part of the team’s optimism stems from the health of Paul George, who says he can “do anything and everything I want to do” after dealing with a right knee injury last month.

Injury Notes: AD, Schröder, Isaac, Embiid, Simons, Vassell

March 1st, 2023 at 10:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said star big man Anthony Davis was held out of Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City for precautionary reasons and it had been planned for “weeks,” writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

“He’s frustrated as hell,” Ham said of Davis. “He wants to be out there, but he also understands the process of us managing his foot the right way. And again … it’s a stress reaction, so anything could set that thing off. The more stress you put on it, the more it’s gonna react. I’m not saying it flared up or anything. He’s absolutely playing pain-free. It’s just something we’re monitoring that we want to be extra careful and cautious about.”

The Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so that likely played a significant factor in the team’s thinking. Point guard Dennis Schröder, who was starting in place of the injured D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain), sprained his left ankle on Wednesday night, but he had the ankle retaped and was able to return to the game, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links).

Schröder had called Wednesday’s matchup with the Thunder a “must-win” game, per Goon (via Twitter), and he toughed out the injury and finished with a game-high 26 points, six assists, two steals and was plus-16 in the six-point victory.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Magic big man Jonathan Isaac missed his third straight game on Wednesday night with a right hamstring/adductor strain, but he did rejoin the team in Milwaukee and was able to go through parts of Tuesday’s practice, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Price reports that the Magic are “operating with an abundance of caution” due to the amount of time Isaac has missed the past few years. The 25-year-old has played 11 games thus far in ’22/23.
Sixers star Joel Embiid was ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Miami due to left foot soreness, tweets Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Despite missing their best player, the Sixers trounced the Heat by 25 points. It’s worth noting that it was the front end of a back-to-back, so the Sixers were likely just being cautious with Embiid; they play in Dallas on Thursday.
Anfernee Simons returned to the Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup on Wednesday night, the team announced (via Twitter). The fifth-year guard was dealing with a Grade 2 right ankle sprain, but he returned to action fairly quickly; he was technically out 15 days, but only missed three games due to the All-Star break.
Spurs guard/forward Devin Vassell is listed as probable for Thursday’s home game against Indiana, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell has been sidelined since January 2 after undergoing a left knee procedure. His potential return was anticipated, as coach Gregg Popovich previously said the team was hoping he would return on Thursday.

Pacific Notes: Davis, Lakers, Fox, Clippers

March 1st, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With LeBron James expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Lakers need the version of Anthony Davis they got in the bubble in 2020, who can “single-handedly change games on the defensive end,” writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Although the Lakers lost in Memphis on Tuesday, they got Davis at his best in that game, according to Mannix, who points to the big man’s stat line (28 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks) as one he’ll have to replicate a few more times if Los Angeles is going to move up the standings and clinch a play-in or playoff spot.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis won’t be available in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. As Mannix relays (via Twitter), the team announced today that Davis (right foot stress injury) will join James and D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) on the sidelines, leaving L.A. shorthanded in a crucial game. The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols this week.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The Lakers certainly aren’t throwing in the towel following James’ injury diagnosis. Head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday that the team remains focused on winning enough games to claim at least a play-in spot and ideally a top-six seed in the West. “The mission hasn’t changed for us, so the goal of securing a playoff spot is still very much alive,” Ham said, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “It’s unfortunate that ‘Bron went down, but injuries are a real part of our sport and it’s next man up. You got to step up and hold down the fort until he returns.”
The Kings got good news on Tuesday night, as the MRI on De’Aaron Fox‘s sore left wrist revealed no significant damage, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Fox, who was out for Tuesday’s game, is day-to-day and Sacramento is optimistic that he won’t miss much – if any – more time.
The Clippers have lost three consecutive games since the All-Star break and are still trying to figure out how to best use their recently added veterans, including point guard Russell Westbrook, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. As Greif outlines, Eric Gordon, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann are among the players whose roles still need to be sorted out, and head coach Tyronn Lue will have to determine whether to continue starting Marcus Morris, who has struggled as of late and played just 21 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. “We definitely do feel that we have the deepest team,” Gordon said, “but … the chemistry has to be there.”

Los Angeles Notes: Jackson, Hyland, Westbrook, Vanderbilt, Russell

February 27th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Reggie Jackson anticipated he’d get traded by the Clippers, he told Law Murray of The Athletic. Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, who waived him. He then signed with another Western Conference contender, the Nuggets.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson said. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

In the same story, Bones Hyland told Murray that he’s glad Russell Westbrook signed with the Clippers, even though his playing time might be cut. “I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
Jarred Vanderbilt lifted the Lakers during their comeback from a 27-point deficit against Dallas with 15 points. 17 rebounds and four steals. The deadline addition from Utah has already impacted the team’s season, Anthony Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “His value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us,” Davis said. Vanderbilt looks like a steal in the three-way trade with Minnesota and the Jazz, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, because he addresses the Lakers’ need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward.
D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for the Lakers’ game against Memphis on Tuesday, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
In case you missed it, LeBron James is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a foot injury. Get the details here.

Injury Updates: Davis, James, Doncic, Wiggins, Gobert, Haliburton

January 29th, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers will play without both of their superstars against the Nets on Monday, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.

LeBron James has a sore left ankle ankle, while Anthony Davis will rest his right foot. It’s the first game of a back-to-back, so they both could return on Tuesday against the Knicks.

We have more notable injury updates:

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is listed as questionable to play against Detroit on Monday, the team’s PR department tweets. Doncic suffered a left ankle sprain three minutes into their game against Phoenix on Thursday. He missed their loss to Utah on Saturday.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who missed the last two games due to a non-COVID illness, is not listed on the injury report for Monday’s game against Oklahoma City, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert is listed as questionable to play against Sacramento on Monday due to right groin soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. Gobert played 36 minutes in Minnesota’s victory over the Kings on Saturday.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton hopes to practice Tuesday and Wednesday with “the aim to play this weekend,” according to coach Rick Carlisle, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Indiana plays home games against the Lakers, Kings and Cavaliers later this week. Haliburton has missed 10 games due to knee and elbow injuries.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Hachimura, Pelinka, Walker, Reaves

January 25th, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are using Anthony Davis off the bench in his return to action tonight after he missed five-and-a-half weeks with right foot issues, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It marks just the sixth time in Davis’ career that he will be a reserve and the first since the 2013/14 season. Team doctors gave him clearance to play after watching his pre-game warmup.

“I’m happy for him, first and foremost,” coach Darvin Ham said. “I know how frustrating this process has been for him, especially at the level at which he was playing. I’m just happy for him, and definitely happy for us. We’ll get him out there, we won’t go too crazy with his minutes, and see how he responds.”

Davis will be kept on a restriction for a while, expected to begin at about 20-24 minutes per game. Ham told reporters he plans to arrange Davis’ playing time so he’s available late in the fourth quarter in case games are close. He also expressed confidence that Davis is fully ready to return after completing rehab.

“He’s gone through some rigorous therapy, weight training, weight-bearing exercises, activity on the court — both individually and some group workouts,” Ham said. “We would save him from himself if we thought there was any type of threat or harm that he could do to himself. So he had these boxes that he had to check, and he’s checked all of them. So we feel comfortable with him appearing tonight.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

Newly acquired Rui Hachimura should take minutes away from Troy Brown, Wenyen Gabriel and Juan Toscano-Anderson in the Lakers’ frontcourt, Jovan Buha of The Athletic states in a discussion with fellow Athletic writer Josh Robbins about Monday’s trade. Buha sees Hachimura as an upgrade in terms of size and athleticism, though Robbins cautions that he focused too much on scoring with the Wizards and didn’t develop other parts of his game.
After the Hachimura deal, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said the Lakers will only consider trading their 2027 or 2029 first-round picks if the deal makes them a championship “front-runner,” but Buha observes in a separate story that there doesn’t appear to be an available trade that would do that. Pelinka promised that the team will remain active in the trade market, but Buha doesn’t believe expectations should be high.
Lonnie Walker and Austin Reaves will both be reevaluated Friday before the Lakers leave on a five-game road trip, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Walker, who was listed as questionable for tonight’s game, has left knee tendinitis, while Reaves is recovering from a strained left hamstring.

Anthony Davis Set To Return On Wednesday

January 25th, 2023 at 7:06am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star Anthony Davis is on track to make his return from a foot injury on Wednesday night, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

According to McMenamin, Davis intends to suit up in Los Angeles against the Spurs as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks in his pregame warmups.

Davis has been sidelined since December 16 due to a bone spur and stress reaction in his right foot. The Lakers, who were 12-16 when Davis went down, have held their own without one of their two superstars available, going 10-10 in their last 20 games and remaining very much in the play-in hunt.

At 22-26, the Lakers are 13th in the Western Conference, but they’re only three games back of the fifth-seeded Clippers.

As McMenamin outlines, the plan on Wednesday is for Davis to be on a restriction of about 20-to-24 minutes. The Lakers’ next game isn’t until Saturday in Boston, so the team will have a couple days off to assess how the big man’s foot responds to his return to action.

In addition to getting Davis back, the Lakers will have more reinforcements in their frontcourt when they host the Spurs — newly acquired forward Rui Hachimura will be available to make his debut with his new team, head coach Darvin Ham told McMenamin and other reporters on Tuesday.

With Davis just coming off a major injury and Hachimura working on getting acclimated to a new situation, the Lakers’ rotation on Wednesday will be a work in progress. According to a previous report, the plan is for Hachimura to join the starting frontcourt alongside Davis and LeBron James, but that may not happen right away.

Pacific Notes: Smith, Davis, Wall, Clippers

January 22nd, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Smith holds no ill will against the Suns, the team that picked him in the lottery in 2020, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Smith was dealt last February to the Pacers after never emerging as a regular rotation player in Phoenix.

“My time here was fun,” Smith said of the Suns. “I had no bad blood here. Obviously, I didn’t play much, but at the end of the day, I was around a great group of guys. Hall of Fame guys. Being able to be a part of that championship run team.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Davis “looked phenomenal” going through a full contact scrimmage on Saturday, according to Lakers coach Darvin Ham, Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell tweets. Davis scrimmaged against the ‘stay ready’ group, which included coaching staffers and low-minute players. Davis has been out since Dec. 16 due to a foot injury.
Clippers guard John Wall calls his time with the Rockets organization “beyond trash” after what he experienced there, Alex Kennedy of Basketball News relays. Wall described in detail his two years in Houston on the “Run Your Race” podcast. Wall sat out last season after the Rockets told him he would have a limited role. “The coach (Stephen Silas) was like, ‘Man, you don’t deserve that, you should be a starter, but this is what they want to do,'” Wall said. “Well, I’m not doing that. I said I’ll rehab, I’ll work out every day, I’ll stick around the team, I’ll come to meetings, I’ll fly with ya’ll and I’ll mentor the guys. So, that’s what I’m doing. Then, it got to the point where they were like, ‘Don’t come around.’ They didn’t want me around.”
The Clippers have won their last two games and coach Tyronn Lue believes they can go on an extended run if their defense improves, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. “Offensively, we know we’re going to be able to score the basketball,” Lue said. “That’s very encouraging. Just now defensively we have to do a better job of locking in and understanding our principles.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, Walker, Reaves, Trade Market

January 21st, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

After ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on Friday that Anthony Davis could be back in action at some point next week, a series of other reporters confirmed that news, including Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Mark Medina of NBA.com (Twitter link), and Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

The general consensus among those reporters is that if everything proceeds according to plan with Davis’ recovery from a foot injury and he remains pain-free, he could play as early as Tuesday or Wednesday in one of the Lakers’ home games. However, a return next Saturday in Boston for the start of the team’s five-game road trip may be the safer bet.

According to Woike, the Lakers have to share an official timeline for Davis’ recovery, with head coach Darvin Ham telling reporters on Friday only that the big man would go through a “1-on-0” workout on Saturday as he ramps up toward group practices with contact.

“We’ve maintained throughout the process there’s no timeline.” Ham said before the team’s win over Memphis. “And we’re just throwing different things at him.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Injured wing Lonnie Walker (knee), who is due to be reevaluated on Saturday, appears to be getting close to a return and is being classified as day-to-day, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Lakers guard Austin Reaves isn’t as close as Walker to making it back on the court. The plan is for Reaves to be reevaluated late next week, Ham said on Friday (link via Woike).
The Lakers are one of many potential buyers around the NBA who are hoping that more sellers will emerge and begin to engage more seriously in trade discussions starting next week, Wojnarowski said in an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown (YouTube video link). “I don’t think there’s any big, big deals for the Lakers out there, but I do think they’re going to be active around the edges to try to improve this team,” Woj said.