Month: December 2014

Hornets still aim to make playoffs

Despite their very disappointing start, it’s far too early for the Charlotte Hornets to give up on making the playoffs. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting:

Hornets still aim to make playoffs

In seven of the the past 10 NBA seasons, the eighth and final seed in the East finished the regular season with a losing record. On average in that span, 39 victories got a team in the East into the playoffs.

Certainly it’s plausible the Hornets win 35 of their remaining 63 games. But they have to start closing out victories and Friday’s game, against the similarly struggling New York Knicks would be a good start.

“It’s a very long season. We still have a chance to win a lot of games,” point guard Kemba Walker said. “Things haven’t been going our way, but that happens. Last season we came back and won a lot of games. It’s going to click.

“It’s not insurmountable at all. People might not see it, but we’re getting a lot better as a team. Our chemistry is coming together.”

Kevin Durant shows respect for Sixers

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting some positive words about the 76ers from none other than Kevin Durant:

So how does Kevin Durant, the reigning NBA MVP, feel about the 1-17 Sixers?

They avoided the worst start in NBA history by posting their victory of the season, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 85-77, Wednesday night at the Target Center.

“They’ve been playing hard,” said Durant, whose Oklahoma City Thunder face the Sixers Friday night at Wells Fargo Center. “They’re a young team. We’ve been through it where it kind of tough to finish out game.

“But they’ve been in a lot of games. It’s just a matter of them finishing.”

Luol Deng dealing with hand injury

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on Miami Heat small forward Luol Deng:

Luol Deng dealing with hand injury

Luol Deng stressed Thursday that frustration over the Miami Heat’s injury situation should not be mistaken for panic, but the team’s starting small forward indicated his hand injury likely will cause him to miss time.

The team is listing Deng as questionable with a bruised right hand. Deng said he has bone bruises on the thumb and index finger.

X-rays came back negative Wednesday, but because of ongoing swelling, a possible MRI has been delayed, leaving Deng uncertain of his timetable.

“I wish I could tell you,” he said after Thursday’s light practice at AmericanAirlines Arena, before departing with the team for a five-game trip that opens Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Magic forward Kyle O`Quinn fined for hard foul on Blake Griffin

Orlando Magic forward Kyle O’Quinn has been fined $15,000 for making excessive contact above the shoulders with Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The foul on O’Quinn, for which he was assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected, occurred with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter of the Clippers’ 114-86 win over the Magic on Dec. 3, at Staples Center.

Thunder assign Mitch McGary to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned forward Mitch McGary to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

McGary, the 21st overall selection of the 2014 NBA Draft, has yet to appear in a regular season game for the Thunder.

Pelicans sign Dante Cunningham

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent forward Dante Cunningham.

Cunningham, 6-8, 230, was the 33rd overall pick out of Villanova in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. A five-year veteran, Cunningham has appeared in 366 career NBA games (41 starts) with Portland, Charlotte, Memphis and Minnesota, holding career averages of 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Cunningham will be available for the Pelicans’ game tonight at Golden State. He will wear #44.

New Orleans’ roster stands at 14.

Celtics assign Dwight Powell, Marcus Smart, James Young to D-League

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned forward Dwight Powell, guard Marcus Smart and guard/forward James Young to the Maine Red Claws.

Powell has appeared in one game for the Red Claws this season, an 81-80 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on November 17, and recorded 21 points on 9-16 (.563) shooting and a game-high 17 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. He scored six points in four minutes for the Celtics against the San Antonio Spurs on November 30 and is averaging 2.7 points in 2.3 minutes per game in three appearances with the team this season.

Smart has appeared in six games for the Celtics this season averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 17.7 minutes per game. Smart returned to the court against the Detroit Pistons on December 3 after missing the previous 10 games with a left ankle sprain and recorded two assists in just under five minutes of action. He netted a season-high of 12 points against Toronto on November 5.

Young has appeared in two contests for the Red Claws this season and is averaging 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block in 34.9 minutes per game. He recorded six points, one rebound and one block in six minutes for the Celtics against the Houston Rockets on November 1 and is averaging 2.8 points in 4.0 minutes per game with the team this season.

Heat assign Andre Dawkins to D-League

The Miami HEAT announced tonight that they have assigned guard Andre Dawkins to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Dawkins has appeared in three games with the HEAT this season totaling three points and one rebound in 13 minutes of action. He previously appeared in three preseason games with Miami and averaged 10.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 16.7 minutes while shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the field and 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range.

OKC Thunder are finally healthy

Here’s the Oklahoman reporting some good news about the OKC Thunder. That their players are healthy enough to stand up, jump, move around and many other things that are useful when playing pro basketball:

OKC Thunder are finally healthy

For the first time this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder has its entire roster healthy.

Each of the team’s 15 players participated in Wednesday’s practice, resulting in a packed set of adjacent courts inside the team’s training center, a scene that hasn’t been seen all season.

“It’s great that we have our entire roster able to participate in practice and have the chance to play in games,” said coach Scott Brooks.

Perry Jones, who has been sidelined since Nov. 4 with a knee contusion, became the last player to rejoin the team. His right knee will continue to be monitored but he is now available to play in games. Jones has appeared in only five games this season but was showing promise before sustaining his injury. He scored a career-high 32 points in a three-point road loss to the Clippers on Oct. 30 and had a 20-point performance two nights later at Denver.