Kristaps Porzingis

Injury Updates: Curry, Martin, Kyrie, Celtics, Harris, Lyles, Hornets

November 15th, 2023 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry (knee) for at least one more game. The team announced in a press release (via Twitter) that Curry won’t play on Thursday vs. Oklahoma City.

However, the Warriors’ official statement confirmed that an MRI on Curry’s sore right knee showed no structural damage, which is what head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday. The plan is for the 35-year-old to be reevaluated later in the week, according to the club.

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

After missing the last 10 games due to left knee tendinosis, Heat forward Caleb Martin has been listed as available for Thursday’s game vs. Brooklyn, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin hasn’t played since Miami’s regular season opener, but will rejoin a team riding a six-game winning streak.
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who was originally listed as questionable, will miss Wednesday’s game in Washington due to a sprained left foot, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters, including Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). “Left foot is bothering him, sore,” Kidd said. “We’re just not taking any chances.”
The Celtics will be without a pair of key starters for their Wednesday showdown with Philadelphia. The team has ruled out Jaylen Brown (illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee contusion), tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Magic wing Gary Harris, who has missed the last five games due to a right groin strain, is listed as available for Wednesday’s game vs. Chicago, notes Dan Savage of OrlandoMagic.com (Twitter link). Harris averaged 18.6 minutes per game in Orlando’s first four contests this season before getting hurt in the fifth.
Kings forward Trey Lyles has been cleared to resume basketball activities, sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento (Twitter link). Lyles hasn’t played yet this season due to a left calf strain and will require a reconditioning period before being activated.
Hornets forwards Gordon Hayward (hamstring) and Brandon Miller (ankle) both missed Tuesday’s game, but head coach Steve Clifford doesn’t sound concerned about either injury, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Clifford said the team was being cautious with both players – especially Hayward, whose hamstring could turn into a “four-to-six” week injury by not playing it safe – and that he’s hopeful both will be back in action on Friday.

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Sixers, Porzingis, Poeltl

November 14th, 2023 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard Ben Simmons will remain sidelined for at least a little while longer due to a nerve impingement in the lower left side of his back, according to statements from the team and agent Bernie Lee (Twitter links via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).

As Lewis observes (via Twitter), Simmons required surgery in 2022 on multiple herniated disks on the right side of his back, then dealt with a nerve impingement. However, this issue is affecting the other side of his back and isn’t nearly as severe, Lee says. The club indicated an update on Simmons’ status will be provided in a week.

“He’s not experiencing anything similar to what he’s gone through in the past,” Lee said of his client, per Lewis (Twitter links). “And this is something that the expectation is that with the proper kind of rehab he’ll be able to resume his season in a short period of time without any issue.

“It definitely should be on the shorter side of things. It’s really a day-to-day kind of evaluation situation. What has to happen is the area has to calm down. Once it calms down there’s a period of reactivity that’s built into things.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Having acquired a handful of draft assets in their James Harden trade, how are the Sixers looking to use those assets on the trade market? President of basketball operations Daryl Morey spoke in a recent appearance on The Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast about what type of player the team would like to add. “I would say first off, they need to be pretty solid on both ends,” Morey said, per Marc Stein at Substack. “As you get into the playoffs, it gets very hard for your top guys to be elite one way. … The other thing would be we probably need them to have a bit of play-making — sort of connector, ball-movement aspects. We are a little short on that and it becomes more important in the playoffs as well.” As Stein notes, it’s perhaps no surprise, based on that description, that Raptors forward OG Anunoby “keeps coming up” as a potential 76ers target.
Rumors surfaced during his time with the Knicks that Kristaps Porzingis would be unhappy if he wasn’t treated as the “face of the franchise,” but the Celtics big man is satisfied with being a secondary option in Boston and says he was never focused on being the go-to guy. “Maybe it was falsely pushed,” Porzingis said of the old narrative, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I never felt that way because today’s league is, other than [Nikola] Jokic and [Joel] Embiid, it’s a guard league. It’s mostly guards and small forwards. So I knew that if I want to win, you’re going to have to play with somebody… It was never an issue for me.”
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl spoke to Oren Weisfeld of Yahoo Sports Canada about his first stint in Toronto, the experience of watching the team win a title without him in 2019, and what it’s been like to rejoin the franchise several years later.

Celtics Notes: Hauser, Pritchard, Porzingis, Mazzulla

November 12th, 2023 at 11:56am CST by Arthur Hill

After a slow start to the season, Celtics reserve forward Sam Hauser has found his three-point stroke since the calendar flipped to November, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Hauser shot 3-of-15 from long distance in three October games, but he has been sizzling over his last six contests, connecting on 21-of-38 three-point attempts, including 4-of-6 in Saturday’s win over Toronto.

“It’s kind of my job,” he said. “It’s nothing crazy. Obviously it’s nice to see more go through than miss, so I’m really happy with that. But yeah, it’s my job, so I always have to be ready to make some shots.”

Hauser’s hot streak is providing a reliable weapon for a team that may have the best top six in the league, but entered the season with uncertainty about its bench. Hauser appears to have solidified his role in Boston’s rotation, as he’s playing a career-high 19.3 minutes through the first nine games.

“You can kind of dig your feet in a little bit you could say,” Hauser said. “And just knowing that your number’s going to get called more often this year than it was last year is pretty cool and you just want to make the most of it and kind of have gratitude with where you’re at.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Backup guard Payton Pritchard decided to stay away from social media during an early-season shooting slump, Terada adds in another story. Pritchard said he’s not bothered by the critics, even if he opts not to engage them online. “Keep hating,” he said. “This is just making me better. This is part of the journey. These slumps, I think end of the day will pay dividends and will make me a better player overall. Like I’m not hitting shots, so these last couple of games, I had to find other ways to impact it. So it’s making me an all-around player and not just a shooter.”
Kristaps Porzingis felt fine after playing in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. There had been questions about how often Porzingis would be used in those situations given his injury history, but he believes he can handle it. “I think last year I added a few things to my routine that I’ve been doing,” Porzingis said. “Honestly, I didn’t start the season in perfect shape. I think now I’m starting to feel the way I need to feel, and I’m still going to improve. Rhythm, feel, shot, everything is still going to get much better.”
The Raptors were upset that Joe Mazzulla used a coach’s challenge with a 27-point lead and 3:39 left in the game, Himmelsbach adds. Mazzulla defended his decision, saying he owes it to his players to keep coaching. “It was a clear opportunity for me to empower the players, let them know that I’m coaching you, and those minutes to me are just as important as the start of the game,” he said. “That’s what I told my players. I’ll always put them first.”

Injury Notes: Booker, Nets, Celtics, Fox, Magic

November 10th, 2023 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker (calf) remains unavailable for Friday’s in-season tournament game vs. the Lakers, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic tweets.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Suns are optimistic about getting Booker back at some point during their three-game home stand, which begins tonight. While Charania suggested a Friday return was a possibility, it appears that’s not in the cards — Phoenix’s home stand continues with games on Sunday (vs. Oklahoma City) and Wednesday (vs. Minnesota) before the club heads back out on the road.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Nets wing Cameron Johnson (calf) will be available on Friday in Boston for the first time since opening night, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links). However, Ben Simmons will remain on the shelf for a second consecutive game due to left hip soreness.
Celtics big man Al Horford, who didn’t play both ends of back-to-back sets last season, will be held out of Friday’s game, which is part of the team’s first back-to-back of 2023/24, notes Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, Horford’s frontcourt partner Kristaps Porzingis says he intends to play both Friday and Saturday, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston is listing Horford as out due to right knee injury management.
Kings star De’Aaron Fox will be unavailable for Friday’s in-season tournament game vs. Oklahoma City, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets. It’s the fifth straight contest Fox has missed as a result of his sprained right ankle.
While Magic wing Gary Harris missed his third consecutive game due to a right groin strain on Thursday, Markelle Fultz returned from the left knee ailment that cost him three games and reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup (Twitter link). Orlando didn’t appear to have any restrictions on Fultz during the Mexico City showcase — his 29 minutes were right in line with season average.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Pritchard, White, Brown

November 9th, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics made their offseason roster shakeup look seamless while getting off to a 5-0 start, but reality has set in with back-to-back losses, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The offense appeared out of sorts through much of Wednesday night’s battle with Philadelphia for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. A late run gave Boston a chance to tie the game on a three-point attempt by Kristaps Porzingis with five seconds left, but he said he jumped too high on the shot and it only grazed the rim.

“It’s gonna take time,” Porzingis said of the process of becoming a cohesive team. “But honestly we do have a lot of good moments, a lot of good moments where we find each other, where we hit each other with some good passes and start to reach each other more and more.”

Porzingis, who added that he’s looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity, has brought a lot of new options to the offense, Terada observes. His outside shooting creates more space for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and his post-up skills allow him to take advantage of smaller defenders. Everything is a work in progress as the Celtics try to incorporate Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, but their offense still ranks among the top 10 in the league.

“It’s early, beginning of the season,” Porzingis said. “It’s honestly easy to play with those guys, very selfless. Now being up close I really feel that and see that from them. So, they just want to win. They want to do the right thing, and that makes it easy for everybody.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Boston is counting on Payton Pritchard to take over as the backup point guard after trading Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, but Pritchard has struggled badly with his shot in the early part of the season, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. He’s connecting at just 23.5% from the field and 15% from three-point range through the first seven games, and Robb wonders if he’s starting to lose confidence in his shot.
The Celtics welcomed Derrick White back on Wednesday after he missed two straight games for the birth of his second child, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. White missed the morning shootaround, but joined the team in time for the game and scored 19 points in 38 minutes. “I’m excited, excited to get back to the team,” he said. “Watching these last two games on TV wasn’t the most fun I’ve had, but it’s good to get back here with the guys.”
Brown is taking a business-like approach to the new in-season tournament, Himmelsbach adds. Boston will play its first game Friday night in Brooklyn and has upcoming tournament contests with Toronto, Orlando and Chicago. “I wouldn’t choose the word excited, but ready,” Brown said. “We’ll be ready. If there’s basketball to be played, our group will be ready.”

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Tournament, TPE, Queta

November 4th, 2023 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are the NBA’s only unbeaten team and Kristaps Porzingis believes they’re just scratching the surface of how good they can become, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston underwent major roster changes during the offseason, but the adjustment has gone smoothly with several dominant performances on the way to a 4-0 start.

Himmelsbach notes that the new Big Three of Porzingis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have outscored opponents by 33.2 points per 100 possessions in the 86 minutes they’ve been on the court together. They’ve also shown a willingness to be unselfish and let whoever has the hot hand on a given night take the most shots.

“We’re still building chemistry,” Porzingis said. “Even though we have some glimpses of really good plays and passes, we’re still building chemistry. I’m still catching up on the little nuances and little things that JT likes to do, that JB likes to do, and just still, like, figuring each other out, you know? It might look like it’s already really good because we’re just beating these teams easily, but it’s going to get much, much better.”

There’s more from Boston:

Porzingis had plenty of experience with tournaments while growing up in Europe, and he believes the NBA’s new in-season tourney will eventually catch on with fans and players, Himmelsbach adds. “Although I know a lot of people are a little bit skeptical, I think it’s going to be a huge success and I look forward to hopefully winning it,” Porzingis said. Tournament play began throughout the league last night, but the Celtics won’t play their first round robin game until Friday at Brooklyn.
Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman could be a name to watch if the Celtics decide to use the $6.2MM traded player exception they generated in the Grant Williams deal, Brian Robb of MassLive suggests in a mailbag column. Tillman has a $1.93MM expiring contract and Memphis may decide to move him if the team can’t overcome its 0-6 start. Robb mentions Thunder forward Kenrich Williams, Pacers center Jalen Smith and Raptors center Precious Achiuwa as other possibilities who would fit into that TPE.
Neemias Queta will miss his third straight game tonight due to injury management for his right foot, per Souichi Terada of MassLive, but coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters it’s mostly a precautionary measure. Terada points out that Boston’s schedule has been light so far, and there will be a greater need for the two-way center once games start to stack up.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Horford, P. Williams, Nets

October 31st, 2023 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Kristaps Porzingis‘ former Wizards teammates and head coach Wes Unseld Jr. had nothing but praise for the big man after facing him on Monday for the first time since his trade to the Celtics, per Jay King and Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Unseld referred to Porzingis as a “great human being,” Kyle Kuzma said he “left a lasting impact on me,” and Deni Avdija said “you’d love coming to work with him.”

That affection is mutual, according to Porzingis, who admitted on Monday that he didn’t enter the offseason expecting to leave D.C.

“I went into the summer thinking I would like to stay (in Washington) long term and that was my home, but in the NBA, everything changes so fast,” Porzingis said. “You can get traded at any time, and I could have gotten traded during the season. You never know. So it just happened this way and I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario during the summer, honestly. I miss that place, but they had a different route they wanted to go and I completely understand that.”

Although Porzingis may not have initially been eager to leave Washington, he has been a seamless fit so far in Boston, as King and Robbins outline. His ability to stretch the floor and to score in the low post has helped diversify the Celtics’ offense, and he provides added rim protection on the defensive end of the court.

“He just changes our late-game frequency,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said on Monday. “In New York (last Wednesday) we posted a little bit, and (in the) last game we were able to continue to play out of the post. And it forces teams to kind of match up with us a little bit more traditionally and it allows us to kind of get to our spots.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Celtics big man Al Horford spoke to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com about his new role coming off the bench, how much longer he may want to continue playing, and why he’s unlikely to go ring-chasing in free agency during his final years in the NBA.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who was the only starter with a negative plus/minus rating (-7) in Monday’s win over Indiana, needs to figure things out sooner rather than later, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. While developing the former lottery pick has been a priority in recent years, the Bulls are very much in win-now mode and Williams will be a free agent at season’s end, so the team can’t afford to be patient for much longer. “I don’t think there’s anything with Patrick that’s, ‘Hey just wait on me,'” head coach Billy Donovan said. “He wants to help the team, but he also knows he needs to figure it out on his end.”
Although there’s optimism in Brooklyn about a bounce-back season for Ben Simmons, the Nets still need to figure out how to maximize his abilities when he’s sharing the court with center Nic Claxton, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Head coach Jacque Vaughn believes lineups featuring Simmons and Claxton – who has been out since opening night due to an ankle injury – can make up for their lack of spacing by turning defensive stops into fast-break opportunities. “It’s staring us in the face that we are better at playing in transition and in full-court basketball than in the half court,” Vaughn said. “And the sooner we realize that as a group, the better off we’re going to be.”

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Brown, White

October 26th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis was showered with profane chants by a New York crowd that used to love him, but that made his Celtics debut even sweeter, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Porzingis posted 30 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on Wednesday and led a late comeback as Boston showed why it’s one of the early-season favorites to capture the NBA title.

“That was awesome, I’m not going to lie,” Porzingis said. “Playing here at the Garden is always special as the home team, obviously, but also on the road here it’s really fun. At one point it got really crazy when the fans got into it and they made the comeback. But we stayed poised, we stayed calm and we were able to finish out the game.”

Porzingis displayed the versatility he brings to the offense, scoring in a variety of ways while setting a record for most points by a player in his first game with the Celtics. He hit five of the team’s 12 three-pointers on the night, was 9-of-10 from the foul line and sank a game-changing three that gave Boston the lead for good with 1:29 remaining.

“He just makes us that much more dynamic obviously with his size, ability to shoot, make plays off the dribble,” Jayson Tatum said. “Obviously, he can shoot from wherever. I mean, he’s really good. He’s really, really good. We’re lucky to have him.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Jrue Holiday also played his first game with the team Wednesday, and although he only had nine points, he made an immediate impact with his defense, Bontemps adds. Holiday blocked three shots in 34 minutes and contributed to a frustrating night for Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, who shot a combined 11-of-43 from the field.
Al Horford came off the bench against the Knicks, but coach Joe Mazzulla indicated that his starting lineups may vary, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. The Celtics have six players who are used to being starters, and Holiday said they held a meeting to discuss the situation. “Us six went together and talked about it,” he said. “And honestly, it’s about what we can do for the team. No matter who starts, no matter who finishes, we all want to win. We’re all on the same page. So when it comes down to it, winning is our only option and the only thing we really want to do.”
It wasn’t a great night for Jaylen Brown, who was in his first game as the NBA’s highest-paid player after signing a super-max contract this summer, notes Tara Sullivan of The Boston Globe. Brown committed two horrible turnovers late in the game that helped the Knicks build a six-point lead, and Sullivan observes that he seemed to have trouble fitting into an offense that now includes Porzingis and Holiday. “It was just one game, we know how special he is,” Tatum said. “Everyone is going to have not great shooting nights, he still impacted the game in other ways. He had some key rebounds, loose balls at the end to give us more possessions. I’m not going to shoot the ball some nights, it’s all about impacting the game in other ways. JB is going to be fine, he’ll probably have a great game on Friday.”
Although Derrick White didn’t reach an extension before Monday’s deadline, he’s hoping for a long future in Boston, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Eastern Notes: Okoro, Horford, Matthews, P. Williams, Raptors

October 25th, 2023 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro‘s representatives had “productive” talks ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline, but the two sides decided it was best to wait until next summer to address the forward’s contract situation, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Sources tell Fedor that the conversations about a new deal for Okoro were in the neighborhood of the deal signed by Mavericks wing Josh Green (three years, $41MM). However, the Cavaliers want to wait and see how the former lottery pick fits with this year’s roster following the offseason additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang, since he no longer projects to be a starter.

Speaking to Fedor on Wednesday, Okoro said he felt like he “should have gotten an extension” but that playing out his contract year won’t affect the way he approaches the season.

“Of course, I wanted an extension, but it happened the way it happened,” he said. “I love Cleveland. I love being here. I love being around the players, coaches, front office staff, trainers. Built great relationships. I don’t take it as a big deal.”

Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

Celtics big man Al Horford told reporters on Wednesday that he won’t be in the starting lineup when the team’s season tips off in New York tonight, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). That suggests Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will both start alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. For what it’s worth, head coach Joe Mazzulla said over the weekend that the Celtics will use multiple starting lineups this season, while Tatum said today that the team essentially has “six starters” (Twitter links via Jared Weiss of The Athletic and Bontemps).
Hawks swingman Wesley Matthews underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed a mild right calf strain, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to the Hawks, Matthews will be reevaluated in two weeks, so he’ll miss at least Atlanta’s first seven games of the regular season.
While Bulls forward Patrick Williams admitted on Monday that he would “obviously” like to have “a big contract,” he vowed that his lack of rookie scale extension won’t be a distraction at all this season, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Anything personal in my life that I’ve been going through, any time I step between those four lines, it’s gone,” Williams said.
Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at the Raptors‘ roster, exploring the team’s cap and tax situation as well as potential next steps for Jeff Dowtin, who didn’t make the regular season cut.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Salary Issues, Starting Lineup

October 19th, 2023 at 12:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are facing a massive payroll in upcoming seasons, but they’re willing to spend big to compete for a title, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. After coming close several times over the last seven years, including last season’s Game 7 loss to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston is committed to hanging another banner in the rafters.

The front office began overhauling the roster in late June when it acquired Kristaps Porzingis from Washington in a three-team deal. Porzingis provides coach Joe Mazzulla with the low-post threat he has been lacking, as Bontemps notes that Porzingis posted up 263 times last season, which was more per game than the entire Celtics team.

“Especially when (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) are playing, I felt like all the doors are open for me,” Porzingis said. “They take so much attention on themselves. For me, it was just like, honestly, it’s very, very fun to play, play like this and, and also emphasize the ball movement and, and getting everyone involved. I think once we click on all those things, it’s gonna be so hard to stop us.”

The Celtics gave Porzingis a two-year extension worth $60MM and signed Brown to a record-setting super-max deal that could pay him $300MM+ over five years. With Tatum eligible for an extension next summer and Jrue Holiday headed for free agency, Boston is committed to spending whatever it takes despite the second apron penalties contained in the new CBA.

“You’ve got to pay a good price for things, right?” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said. ” That’s the way it goes. We’re trying to win a championship.”

There’s more from Boston:

Mazzulla has been experimenting with Porzingis during the preseason to see all the ways he can impact the offense, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Mazzulla is also trusting his players to figure out how they can benefit from the attention Porzingis draws from defenses. “I don’t know if you saw, one of the timeouts, all five guys on the floor were communicating with each other. That stuff is more important,” the head coach said after Tuesday’s game. “The more they can understand who’s guarding them and how to get each other the ball and where they need to get it, that really will help us.”
With the season opener less than a week away, the Celtics don’t have a set lineup, observes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Holiday came off the bench in the team’s first preseason game, and Al Horford filled that role on Tuesday. Mazzulla stated that he will often let matchups determine his starting five.
John Hollinger of the Athletic puts the Celtics at the top in his ranking of the best teams in the East with a projected record of 57-25. He notes that the team already had a solid foundation in place before adding Porzingis and Holiday, and now it has the versatility to adapt to almost any style of play. Boston also has two future first-round picks to trade, along with its 2031 first-rounder next summer, so there’s flexibility to keep improving.

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