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Antetokounmpo, James Head All-Star Starters; Embiid Falls Short

January 26th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers forward LeBron James tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday with his 19th NBA All-Star selection. James, who currently shares the record with Abdul-Jabbar for most All-Star Games played with 18, was chosen as a starter, according to a league press release.

All of the starters were revealed on Thursday night.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the other starters chosen out of the Western Conference. James will serve as a team captain for the sixth straight year, since he received the most votes.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, named a team captain for the third time, heads the list of starters out of the Eastern Conference. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Nets forward Kevin Durant, Nets guard Kyrie Irving, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will join him, but the league’s second-leading scorer, Sixers center Joel Embiid (33.4 PPG), didn’t garner enough votes.

The starters are selected by a weighted voting process with the fan vote accounting for half of the final outcome. The player and media portions of the vote each counted for 25 percent. Three frontcourt players and two guards were selected from each conference.

Embiid finished third in the player and media voting among Eastern Conference frontcourt players but fourth in the fan voting. All voting results can be found here.

The game will be played Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. James and Antetokounmpo will choose their teams shortly before the game begins. James will set the league record for most All-Star appearances if he plays, since Abdul-Jabbar did not play in the 1973 game after being chosen.

The reserves, which are chosen by the league’s coaches, will be announced Feb. 2.

Bucks’ Antetokounmpo, Middleton Set To Return To Action

January 22nd, 2023 at 3:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and star swingman Khris Middleton are expected to be available for Milwaukee on Monday against the Pistons, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo has been sidelined since January 11 due to an ongoing knee issue. When healthy, he’s played like an MVP again for the 29-17 Bucks. The two-time MVP – also a former Defensive Player of the Year and six-time All-Star – has been averaging a career-high 31.0 PPG on .524/.245/.653 shooting splits, 11.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 0.9 BPG and 0.8 SPG through his 35 healthy games.

Middleton, a three-time All-Star himself, has missed all but seven games this season. The 6’7″ wing out of Texas A&M has most recently been shelved since December 15 with a knee injury of his own. In his seven healthy games, he has averaged 11.1 PPG on .325/.268/.895 shooting splits, plus 4.4 APG and 2.6 RPG, far cries from his 2021/22 season averages of 20.1 PPG, 5.4 APG and 5.4 RPG.

Antetokounmpo and Middleton are both listed as probable to return vs. Detroit.

Bucks Notes: Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lasry

January 17th, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo will sit out for the fourth consecutive game due to left knee soreness when the Bucks play Toronto on Tuesday, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.

However, it appears Antetokounmpo has a good chance to be back in action for the Bucks’ next game. Milwaukee doesn’t play again until Saturday, when it visits the Cavaliers. The team has gone 1-2 with Antetokounmpo resting his knee.

We have more on the Bucks:

Khris Middleton came back from wrist surgery, then dealt with a right knee injury. He admits it’s been a rough stretch for him physically, Nehm writes. “Rehab is tougher than actually playing games,” Middleton said. “More hours in the gym, harder stuff. Games are fun. You’re in and out. I won’t say easier, but games are supposed to be easier than practices and stuff like that, so I’m ready to put this (stuff) behind me and move on to the fun stuff.” Middleton has only appeared in seven games this season, with his most recent outing on Dec. 15.
A previous report revealed that team governor and co-owner Marc Lasry was looking to sell his stake in the franchise. Now, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that while he’s in no rush to sell off his portion of ownership, Lasry likely remains willing to sell at a high valuation. The Bucks have been valued by Forbes at $2.3 billion.
In case you missed it, the Bucks are among several teams interested in the Pistons’ leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic. Get the details here.

Injury Notes: Jokic, Giannis, Turner, Capela

January 14th, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

The right wrist injury that sidelined Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on Friday has been “bothering him for a while,” head coach Michael Malone said before the game, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter links). However, the team doesn’t seem to have any long-term concerns about that wrist issue, which doesn’t appear to be serious, Singer adds.

While it may be true that Jokic has been dealing with the ailment for a while, the impact on his performance hasn’t exactly been noticeable. In his last 10 games, he has averaged 24.9 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 10.9 APG on .625/.524/.889 shooting.

Jokic and the Nuggets made the decision to sit him on Friday to let the wrist “calm down” a little, according to Malone, who expressed optimism that the two-time MVP will be available again on Sunday.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the league:

Another former MVP has been dealing with a nagging injury, and it will sideline him on Saturday — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for a second consecutive game due to left knee soreness, head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). Antetokounmpo scored single-digit points last Friday for the first time all season, then did it again on Wednesday, so it certainly seems like the knee pain has been bothering him.
Pacers center Myles Turner missed a second straight game on Friday due to back spasms, and while head coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t expect to be a long-term problem, he said the big man is unlikely to play on Saturday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “It will be days, not hours, how about that?” Carlisle said. “There’s no concern that this will be anything but a minor thing. (Saturday) is maybe a reach. … Next week is more likely, but we’ll see.”
Hawks center Clint Capela missed his ninth consecutive game on Friday due to a right calf strain. Capela is making steady progress, but is still feeling some soreness in his calf, and as long as that’s the case, the injury isn’t healed, according to head coach Nate McMillan, who said there’s still no timeline for the 28-year-old’s return (Twitter links via Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal Constitution).

Central Notes: Mitchell, Bayno, Jackson, Antetokounmpo

January 9th, 2023 at 8:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell hopes he’ll get a warm reception when he returns to play in Utah on Tuesday for the first time since the Jazz traded him, he told Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“I don’t know what the response will be. I hope it’s cheers,” the Cavs star said. “We did a lot of great things there. Obviously, we didn’t accomplish our end goal. But I had a lot of positives despite not winning a championship. That’s not easy. Only one team does it. We had five cracks at it, and we missed.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno is back on the bench and traveling again after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. “Thank God I got this while I was with an NBA team,” he said. “When you have good employer health insurance, it makes a huge difference.” The cancer was discovered during a screening while the Pistons were participating in the Summer League.
Pacers big man Isaiah Jackson, who had fallen out of the rotation, had an eventful and busy week, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes. He was sent to Fort Wayne in the G League and played back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday. He then played 15 minutes, contributing 12 points and two blocks, in Indiana’s game against Portland on Friday. “A little tired, but I feel like that’s all mental for me right now,” he said on Sunday. “I just want to see how hard I can push myself. … I was like I might as well just to keep that momentum up. I feel good for the most part.”
The Bucks have hit a rough patch but Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t panicking, as he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Even though we’ve lost a few games, we’re still second or third in the East,” he said. “There’s no reason to panic but there’s a reason for us to be urgent, have urgency in the way we practice and the way we play the game. But we have a chance, so as long as we get better every single day, we have a chance to be great when it matters the most.” Milwaukee has dropped six of its last nine games.

Central Notes: Antetokounmpo, Holiday, LaVine, Drummond, Mitchell

January 3rd, 2023 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday are both available to play for the Bucks tonight against Washington, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Antetokounmpo sat out Sunday’s loss to Washington due to left knee soreness. Holiday has not played since Christmas Day due to a non-COVID illness.

The Bucks have listed Khris Middleton (right knee soreness) and George Hill (non-COVID illness) as out.

We have more from the Central Division:

Zach LaVine, in the first season of a five-year max contract, admits he needs to do a better job giving consistent effort on the defensive end, he told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “That might just be finishing plays as well as the possession goes on,’’ the Bulls’ wing said. “Getting a rebound, one more contest, one more rotation, one more effort … and you know, you can take that on the chin and say, ‘Yeah, there’s been possessions where if I have to make that last rotation, I have to give a better effort toward that.’ That’s something I do have to be better at.’’
Bulls center Andre Drummond thought he’d spend his entire career with the team that drafted him, the Pistons, he told Mike Curtis of the Detroit News (subscription required). “For me, (Detroit) was always a place that I thought I was going to be for my entire career. But, it didn’t go that way,” he said. “They had other plans; I think they wanted to restart their team again and it’s never any hard feelings. I know the way of the business. It’s always love. I love (Pistons owner) Tom Gores. I love his family. I love the city of Detroit and I love the staff there.” Drummond played seven-and-a-half seasons with Detroit before he was traded to Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell‘s 71-point eruption on Monday has washed away his disappointing postseason performances with Utah last season, Michael Pina of The Ringer writes. The 25-year-old Mitchell has been as efficient offensively as he’s ever been during his career. If he can sustain that, the Cavaliers got a special talent that rarely gets traded, particularly before the player reaches age 30.

International Notes: Parker, Dorsey, Vildoza, Antetokounmpo, Doncic

January 2nd, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The EuroLeague may be the next stop for Jabari Parker, according to a Eurohoops story. Parker spent eight years in the NBA, including 12 games with the Celtics last season, but he hasn’t played since being released last January.

“Jabari is looking for overseas opportunities now,” Parker’s agent, Nuno Pedroso, said in an interview with Mozzart Sport. “He was close to signing with two NBA teams, but it didn’t work out and now we (are) checking options overseas.”

Pedroso also denied a recent report linking Parker to Partizan Belgrade, saying, “Regarding Partizan, nothing is on the table or close to it. We just inform them that he’s available. News that there are advanced talks is not true.”

Parker, 27, was the second pick in the 2014 draft, but a pair of torn knee ligaments hampered his career. After spending his first four seasons with Milwaukee, he bounced around the league with short stays in Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento and Boston. He averaged just 9.3 minutes per game with the Celtics in 2021/22 before being released in January in advance of his contract becoming guaranteed.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Tyler Dorsey, who was waived by the Mavericks last week, will see if he can land a 10-day NBA contract before considering his options overseas, sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Barkas cites three EuroLeague teams — Fenerbahce, Olympiacos and AS Monaco — that have shown interest in Dorsey, a 26-year-old wing who was averaging 24.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 17 games this season with the G League Texas Legends. Teams can begin offering 10-day contracts on Thursday.
Luca Vildoza, who appeared in seven games for the Bucks during last year’s playoffs, has earned EuroLeague Player of the Month honors for December, according to another Eurohoops story. Vildoza signed with KK Crvena Zvezda in mid-October when Milwaukee released him before the start of the regular season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic will square off in Athens, Greece, this summer before the start of the FIBA World Cup, per a Eurohoops report. Antetokounmpo’s Greek team will host Slovenia in an August 4 exhibition game that will mark the stars’ first meeting in an international competition.

Injury Updates: Payne, Shamet, Jovic, Green, Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Middleton, Hill

January 1st, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns reserve guards Cameron Payne (right foot strain) and Landry Shamet (sore right Achilles) have seen their statuses updated to probable for Monday’s game against the Knicks, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link). Payne has been unavailable since December 13, while Shamet has been sidelined since Christmas Day.

Long-term, Phoenix is still without All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker (groin strain) and power forwards Cameron Johnson (right meniscus surgery) and Jae Crowder. Crowder has been away from the Suns all season while hoping for a trade.

We have more injury-related news:

While getting some run with the Heat‘s G League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, rookie Miami power forward Nikola Jovic has been sidelined with back spasms, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
Mavericks shooting guard Josh Green (sprained right elbow) remains shelved for a Monday matchup against the Rockets, the team announced (Twitter link). The elbow was reportedly reassessed on Friday. Dallas also confirmed that Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain), expected to miss at least another week, and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring surgery), out indefinitely, remain unavailable.
The Bucks could be missing their three best players on Sunday night as they square off against the Wizards, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (via Twitter). Khris Middleton (sore right knee) and Jrue Holiday (non-coronavirus illness) will miss the contest against Washington, while All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (sore left knee) and reserve point guard George Hill (non-coronavirus illness) are both questionable to play.

Injury Notes: Giannis, Butler, Sabonis, Bryant

December 24th, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have avoided a major injury after falling awkwardly on his right hand during Friday’s loss to Brooklyn, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that X-rays on Antetokounmpo’s hand came back clean.

“Mostly means he’s OK,” Budenholzer said. “I’m sure he may be a little bit sore, a little bit banged up.”

Antetokounmpo injured his hand in the third quarter when he attempted to make his way to the basket and was spun to the ground by Nets forward Royce O’Neale (video link). Antetokounmpo told reporters that he considered it to be a clean, hard foul, though Budenholzer was less certain.

“I thought it was close to excessive,” Budenholzer said. “Borderline or close. The referees didn’t review it and didn’t think it was and I respect that decision and call. Felt like he kind of grabbed him and threw him down but it was probably a good, hard NBA foul.”

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

Heat star Jimmy Butler sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Indiana and tried to play through it before eventually leaving the game in the fourth quarter, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Butler, who has already missed 12 games this season due to health issues, will be evaluated on Saturday to determine the severity of the sprain, Reynolds adds.
Domantas Sabonis exited the Kings‘ loss to Washington on Friday in the fourth quarter due to what appeared to be a right hand injury, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter links). Head coach Mike Brown was unable to provide an update after the game, but as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee notes, it would be a major blow for the Kings if Sabonis has to miss any time. He has been on a tear as of late (19.9 PPG, 16.1 RPG, and 7.5 APG in his last 10 games) and the team hasn’t gotten consistent production from its backup centers.
Already missing starting center Anthony Davis, the Lakers saw fill-in starter Thomas Bryant leave Friday’s loss to Charlotte in the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury, according to Janis Carr of The Southern California News Group, who says Bryant was holding the shoulder “in obvious pain.” Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game that Bryant was still being evaluated and that there was no update yet, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Central Notes: Antetokounmpo, Bickerstaff, Pistons, York

December 22nd, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo staged a “frontal assault” on the Cavaliers Wednesday night, overpowering a strong interior defense for 45 points and 14 rebounds, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. But Milwaukee lost the Central Division showdown, and Vardon suggests it might not be in the team’s best interests for Antetokounmpo to play that physical style.

The Bucks are missing Khris Middleton, who is sidelined with a sore right knee, which limits their options on offense. Vardon notes that Middleton was also absent during last season’s playoffs when Antetokounmpo adopted a similar approach in a seven-game loss to the Celtics.

“Even when Khris is out there, that’s what I do, I try to get as many easy ones as I can,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s part of my game, I try to score a lot in the paint, but obviously when Khris is playing the game is a lot easier for everybody. We know he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot, he’s going to make a lot of decisions, he’s going to make shots. He’s one of the guys that down the stretch when we need a shot, he’s going to get the ball most likely. But even if he is not out there, my game doesn’t really change.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Wednesday’s victory was important for a young Cavaliers team that’s trying to prove it belongs with the other contenders in the East, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Unlike the previous two meetings with Milwaukee, Cleveland led almost the entire way and was able to hold off several Bucks’ rallies. “Tonight, I think, was a great step for us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We showed a lot of poise. We kept our composure. But the thing that was most impressive to me is we continue to do it together. There was no splintering. There was not one guy trying to do it on his own.”
The Pistons believe they’re better than their league-worst 8-26 record, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Coach Dwane Casey said pride is necessary to avoid the mistakes that have been leading to losses, such as turnovers, defensive lapses and poor showings coming out of halftime.
Gabe York, who plays for the Pacers‘ G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, caught another bad break this week in his quest to earn an NBA roster spot, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. An illness forced York, who has been named G League Player of the Week twice this season, to miss the Mad Ants’ game at the G League Showcase in Las Vegas. York contracted COVID-19 last season when he was set to sign a 10-day contract with the Magic.