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Pacific Notes: Beal, Durant, Paul, Thompson, Tucker, Lakers

December 11th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns wing Bradley Beal will be in action for just the fourth time this season when Phoenix faces Golden State on Tuesday. He hasn’t played since Nov. 12 due to a back injury.

“I’m excited,” Beal told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic after Monday’s practice. “It’s been a process for sure. It’s been a game of patience, but definitely ready.”

However, it’s not a given that the team’s big three will all be in action at the same time. Kevin Durant is listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain. Beal will be playing with Devin Booker for the first time.

“I’m beyond excited (to play with Booker),” Beal said. “He’s playing at an elite level right now. It was tough the last couple of games just seeing him double teamed, triple teamed.”

Grayson Allen is listed as out due to a groin injury.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Warriors’ Chris Paul and Klay Thompson are expected to play on Tuesday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Paul missed the last game with an illness and Thompson sat out Sunday’s practice because he was under the weather. Both practiced on Monday in Phoenix.
P.J. Tucker has seen his playing time evaporate with the Clippers and it might be tough for him to break into the rotation again, Law Murray of The Athletic opines. Murray notes that Tucker lacks the height to deal with most big men, the athleticism to deal with most guards, and the offensive punch to be a helpful wing at this stage of his career. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that numerous contenders are looking at potentially acquiring Tucker.
The Lakers will hang an in-season tournament championship banner from the rafters. It will be unveiled Dec. 18 and will feature a different shape and color than the team’s 17 NBA championship banners, Marc Stein tweets.

NBA Announces All-Tournament Team

December 11th, 2023 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The All-Tournament Team of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament features Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Kevin Durant (Suns), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), LeBron James and Anthony Davis (both of the Lakers), the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the All-Tournament Team was selected by the media based on performance in both group play and the knockout rounds, with players chosen without regard to position. The full list of players receiving votes and the voters themselves can be found right here.

Antetokounmpo, Haliburton, James and Davis were all unanimous selections, which isn’t surprising considering their excellent play and how far they advanced in the tournament. The Lakers beat the Pacers in the final, with James claiming tournament MVP, Davis finishing second, and Haliburton third.

The Bucks fell in the semifinals to the Pacers, but Antetokounmpo put up his typical stellar numbers throughout the tournament, including averaging 36.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block while shooting 68.3% from the field in his two knockout appearances (37.2 minutes).

The final spot went to Durant, whose Suns narrowly lost in the quarterfinals to L.A. He received seven votes, with Brandon Ingram (four), Nikola Jokic (three), De’Aaron Fox (two), Damian Lillard (two), Jayson Tatum (one) and Myles Turner (one) also receiving consideration from the media panel.

Bradley Beal On Track To Return Tuesday

December 10th, 2023 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Bradley Beal practiced in full again on Sunday and is on track to return to action this Tuesday vs. Golden State, barring a setback, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

Beal’s Suns debut was delayed this fall due to back issues. He appeared in just three games for Phoenix in early November before those back problems flared up again, forcing the team to rule him out for at least three weeks.

Head coach Frank Vogel stated in mid-November and again this week that the Suns’ goal is to make sure Beal is 100% healthy before he’s cleared, so that he doesn’t have to be in and out of the lineup due to his back ailment. After the three-time All-Star began practicing in full earlier in the week, Vogel indicated that they wanted him to “stack together a few practices” to make sure his body was responding well to the increased work.

The Suns’ star trio of Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker has yet to suit up in the same game so far this season, as all three players have missed time due to injuries.

Booker was unavailable during Beal’s three-game cameo last month and there’s no guarantee Durant will be able to play on Tuesday if and when Beal returns. Durant missed Friday’s game due to a sprained left ankle and wasn’t a full participant in Sunday’s practice, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).

Phoenix has held its own with its big three banged up during the first quarter of the season. The team has a 12-10 record and sits at No. 7 in the Western Conference standings, just 1.5 games behind the No. 3 Mavericks.

Injury Notes: Beal, Suns, Porzingis, Harris, Adebayo, Jazz

December 8th, 2023 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Star guard Bradley Beal fully participated in the Suns‘ practice on Thursday, but he’s not quite ready to return from his back injury, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The team wants to get Beal some more practice reps before reinserting him into its lineup, according to head coach Frank Vogel.

“We want to see him stack together a few practices where he responds well,” Vogel said. “No timeline on how many that is or what that looks like, but we want to continue to make sure he’s responding well before we put him back in there. Stay away from being in and out.”

The shorthanded Suns will also be without Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) and Grayson Allen (right groin strain) when they host Sacramento on Friday. However, as Rankin relays, Vogel referred to those injuries as “short-term” issues, suggesting Durant and Allen may not miss much – if any – additional time beyond Friday.

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

As expected, Kristaps Porzingis appears poised to return for the Celtics after missing four games due to a strained left calf. He’s considered probable to play in Friday’s game vs. New York, according to the team (Twitter link).
[Note: Porzingis has since been upgraded to available.]
Pistons forward Joe Harris, who has been sidelined since November 5 due to a shoulder injury, has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game in Orlando, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Spacing has been an issue this season for the Pistons, who rank 28th in the NBA in three-pointers per game, so the return of Harris, a career 43.6% three-point shooter, could be a boon.
Heat big man Bam Adebayo will miss a second consecutive game on Friday vs. Cleveland due to his left hip contusion, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Adebayo said earlier this week that he’s unsure about his return timeline.
The Jazz are close to getting some lineup reinforcements. Jordan Clarkson (right thigh contusion), who has missed the past three games, and Kelly Olynyk (right shoulder strain), who has been out for two in a row, are listed as questionable for Friday vs. the Clippers. Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring strain) will be unavailable for a seventh straight contest, but was a full practice participant on Thursday and just has to tick a couple more boxes before being cleared to return, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News explains.

Injury Notes: McCollum, James, Reddish, Murray, Markkanen, Durant, Connaughton

November 28th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, the team’s PR department tweets. McCollum has been out since Nov. 4 after being diagnosed with a collapsed lung. McCollum has missed New Orleans’ last 12 games.

Trey Murphy III (knee) and Matt Ryan (calf) have been upgraded to doubtful. Murphy, a starter most of last season, has yet to make his season debut. Ryan hasn’t played since Nov. 18.

We have more injury-related updates:

Lakers star LeBron James is listed as questionable to play against Detroit on Wednesday due to a left calf contusion, according to the team’s PR department (hat tip to Orange County Register’s Khobi Price). Cam Reddish (left groin strain) and Anthony Davis (left adductor) are listed as probable, while Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt will not play.
Jamal Murray has been upgraded to questionable for the Nuggets’ game against Houston on Wednesday, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. Murray has been out since Nov. 4 due to a hamstring strain.
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will miss at least two more games due to a left hamstring strain, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. He’ll be reevaluated after the team returns from its two-game road trip.
The Suns have listed Kevin Durant (right foot contusion) and Grayson Allen (illness) as questionable to play Wednesday against Toronto, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets.
Pat Connaughton exited the Bucks’ game on Tuesday early with a right ankle sprain, the team tweets.

Pacific Notes: Green, Durant, Clippers, Lakers

November 27th, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to the media on Sunday for the first time since he received a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock for several seconds, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green expressed no remorse for actions, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

“I don’t live my life with regrets,” Green said. “I’ll come to a teammate’s defense any time that I’m in a position to come to a teammate’s defense. … What matters to me is how the people that I care about feel, first and foremost. How are the people that I care about affected? How are the people I care about, what do they have to deal with? That’s it for me.”

Head coach Steve Kerr initially defended Green in the aftermath of the incident between Golden State and Minnesota, but he later changed his stance and said the forward’s behavior was “inexcusable” and the suspension was deserved. While Green didn’t outright disclose any specific details about the talks he had with Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., it’s pretty clear they want him to make better decisions going forward, according to Andrews.

“The consensus amongst all of us is that I’m going to be me no matter what. That’s not going to change,” Green said. “But in saying that, there’s always a better way that something can be done. So it’s figuring out a better way. That’s the consensus among all of us.”

Green, who also complained about being harshly penalized in part due to his past transgressions, won’t be on a minutes restriction when he returns for Tuesday’s matchup in Sacramento since he wasn’t injured, Andrews notes.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Suns star Kevin Durant missed his second straight game on Sunday in New York due to right foot soreness, as ESPN.com relays. Durant, who warmed up before contest before being ruled out, is considered day-to-day. Phoenix’s next game isn’t until Wednesday in Toronto, so he’ll have some extra rest the next couple days.
Saturday’s decisive victory over Dallas showcased the Clippers‘ depth, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. With James Harden and Kawhi Leonard struggling for a second consecutive game, the Clips got key contributions from Russell Westbrook (14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds, seven assists), Terance Mann (17 points on 7-of-14 shooting), Norman Powell (15 points without missing a shot), and Ivica Zubac (11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, 14 rebounds), Greif writes.
With Cam Reddish (left adductor), Rui Hachimura (nasal fracture), Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) all sidelined on Saturday in Cleveland, the Lakers used a shortened eight-man rotation, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Head coach Darvin Ham says they need to “weather the storm” until they get some players back. “You have to see the glass half full always, so I’d rather this happen now with some of our guys as opposed to late March, April going into that money time,” Ham said. “We just have to weather the storm. That’s why you try to put together a deep roster. I think the plan for our team that we put together and tried to execute this summer is coming to fruition. We’re needing these pieces, being deep at every position allows you a chance to weather all of this to try to get through it at the highest level possible.” After starting the season 3-5, the Lakers have won seven of their past nine games and hold a 10-7 record.

Kevin Durant: “No Consistency, No Continuity” In Brooklyn

November 25th, 2023 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant asked the Nets for a trade in the summer of 2022 because he believed there was too much chaos to ever compete for a title, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Durant was looking for an opportunity to win more rings when he left the Warriors as a free agent in 2019, and he thought he found it when he teamed up with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. However, the following three-and-a-half years were marked more by injuries, coaching changes and off-court news rather than significant wins.

“In Brooklyn? Yeah, it just wasn’t no consistency, no continuity on who we were as a team,” Durant said. “And when you want to win a championship, you’ve got to build an identity from Day 1, and it was just a lot of circumstances that were out of the players’ control that got in the way of us building our continuity. That’s just the business of basketball. That’s just the NBA in general. But we all got better as individual players, and we learned a lot from that experience — everybody from executives to players — and we can go about our NBA experience with more knowledge now.”

Durant sat out his first season with the Nets as a result of a ruptured Achilles he suffered in the 2019 playoffs, and the rest of his time there was marked by organizational instability. Players grew unhappy with head coach Kenny Atkinson, who was replaced by Steve Nash. Durant eventually called for Nash to be fired, and another coaching change came last November when the front office parted with Nash and gave the job to Jacque Vaughn.

Roster moves were frequent as well, with the highlight being the acquisition of James Harden from Houston in a 2021 blockbuster trade. However, Durant, Irving and Harden only played 16 games together before the trio was broken up when Harden was shipped to Philadelphia in February of 2022. His replacement, Ben Simmons, only saw 441 minutes in 24 games with Durant and Irving before they were both traded nine months ago.

“It’s always about next-man-up mentality in this league,” Durant said, recalling the adversity in Brooklyn. “Guys get hurt, guys not in the lineup. You get paid to be a pro for a reason. Guys have got to step up and just play the games. … You see the character of a team when you’re mixing lineups and got to fight through adversity like that.”

Durant’s first trade request wasn’t heeded right away, and he played most of last season with the Nets. Management didn’t relent until the Suns agreed to include Miles Bridges in their offer shortly before the deadline.

Although he had to wait, Durant is happy to be in Phoenix where he’s part of a new Big Three with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — although much like in Brooklyn, injuries have prevented them all from playing together. He said he never gave any thought to holding out at the start of last season to try to force Brooklyn into making a deal.

“I did try [to move earlier], they just refused to get rid of me,” Durant said. “I tried, but time ran out. I wasn’t going to miss no games because of this whole thing. So once the season rolled around, I was just like, whatever happens, it happens, and I just get ready for the season. So it worked out perfect timing, the way it’s supposed to.”

Suns Notes: Lee, Durant, Eubanks, Watanabe, Tournament

November 24th, 2023 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns wing Damion Lee, who underwent right knee surgery last month, is still using crutches, but will be “off of them very soon,” head coach Frank Vogel said on Thursday (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

At the time of Lee’s procedure, the Suns didn’t offer any sort of timetable for his recovery process, simply stating that more updates would be provided “as appropriate.” Asked on Thursday if he had a sense of whether the 31-year-old might be able to return in December or January, Vogel still wasn’t able to share any specifics.

“This year hopefully though,” Vogel said, referring to the 2023/24 season (Twitter link via Rankin).

Here’s more on the Suns:

Star forward Kevin Durant has been listed as questionable for Friday’s game in Memphis due to right foot soreness, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. It sounds like a decision will be made on his availability closer to game time.
[UPDATE: Durant has been ruled out, per Rankin.]
Suns big man Drew Eubanks, who left Wednesday’s game due to a left ankle injury, has been ruled out for Friday, with the team designating the ailment as a sprain, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. In addition to Lee and Bradley Beal (back), who are sidelined with longer-term injuries, the Suns will also still be without Yuta Watanabe, who will miss a fourth consecutive contest due to a quad contusion.
Phoenix is playing its final in-season tournament game on Friday vs. Memphis and remains in the hunt for the Western Conference’s wild card spot despite losing Group A to the Lakers, Rankin writes. A victory would result in a 3-1 record in group play, but it may need to be a blowout win to advance to the tournament quarterfinals, since they’d almost certainly need to win a point differential tiebreaker (Twitter link).

Jabari Smith Talks Offseason, Rockets’ Start, Defense

November 19th, 2023 at 1:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rising young Rockets power forward Jabari Smith Jr. had an active summer. His offseason included workouts alongside three current NBA greats, he said during an extensive conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.

Smith got in some summer run next to Suns forward Kevin Durant, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Smith met up with Durant in Los Angeles.

“Before a pickup, (Durant) was working out and I just jumped in with him and his trainer,” Smith said. “It was pretty good. He pays a lot of attention to detail. It was good for me to see with just how hard you got to work, how consistent you got to be and how important it is to focus on the little things.”

He worked out with Tatum and Leonard separately from Durant.

“We played some one-on-one,” Smith said of Tatum and Leonard. “It was good to compete against them and learn from them. Like it was with KD, it was about observing their attention to detail. Everything that they do is the same.”

Through 10 games this season with Houston, the 6’10” big man is averaging 12.0 PPG on .467/.354/.556 shooting, along with 7.0 RPG and 1.2 APG.

Medina and Smith touched on a wide variety of topics, and their full conversation is well worth reading in full. Here are some highlights:

On what compelled him to explore yoga as part of his offseason prep:

“Recommendations from older players and people that also play in the league. It also came from players that are out of the league now that say they wish they would’ve done it earlier. I wanted to take the initiative to do it now. It’s made a big difference with my flexibility, my mobility and my overall recovery.”

On how head coach Ime Udoka and his staff has already impacted Smith and the Rockets, who are off to a fast 6-4 start:

“Just helping me learn the game and learn it fast. I take all that I can that I can learn from them. They’ve been around the game for a long time. It’s about the consistency and having a routine. They always preach routine. They tell me to trust in my work and trust in who I am and not to lose any confidence.”

On how he approaches defense against smaller star players:

“Just stop them, make it hard with them and be physical with them. Just try to go out with our principles and tendencies and make it tough on them. It’s going to be hard to shut them down with how good they are. So you just try to slow them down and make it hard for them.”

Pacific Notes: Booker, Wiggins, Kerr, Green, Plumlee

November 12th, 2023 at 4:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Suns guard Devin Booker continues to progress from his right calf strain injury, which has sidelined him for the past four games, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. He could return at some point this week.

“[Booker is] increasing his work on the floor with his shooting, the intensity, speed and intensity of it, but still not ready yet,” Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel said.

Phoenix has struggled without Booker in general, but has really had difficulty during the minutes All-Star forward Kevin Durant has sat. As Rankin notes, the Lakers went on a 19-2 run against the Suns on Friday with Durant on the bench, en route to an eventual 122-119 comeback victory.

Although Phoenix is just three weeks into the 2023/24 season, the team’s issues are already at least somewhat concerning, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. Phoenix has blown three fourth quarter leads already this year, and fissures seem to be appearing with regards to the team’s chemistry among its new players, plus its lackluster defense. Booker remains doubtful for Sunday’s matchup against the Thunder, Rankin writes in a separate piece.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Despite forward Andrew Wiggins‘ early-season struggles, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will not consider removing the swingman from his starting five, reports Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Through 10 games, the 6’7″ swingman is averaging just 11.0 PPG on .411/.167/.529 shooting.
The Warriors were frustrated by a retroactively called technical foul that caused the ejection of power forward Draymond Green in a 118-110 loss to the Cavaliers, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Referees assessed Green his second technical foul minutes after a confrontation with Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell. “I am the same person that got suspended from the [2016] NBA Finals for flagrant fouls that were all called from after the game,” Green told Andrews. “Nothing surprises me.”
Clippers reserve center Mason Plumlee will be reassessed in four weeks as he continues to recover from an MCL sprain, per Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 6’11” big man is reportedly expected to miss “multiple months” with the ailment.