Month: March 2018

Win over Heat was key for Wizards

We’ve reached the part of the year where for many NBA teams, each win matters. The postseason isn’t here yet, but it’s still a pivotal moment for squads whose destiny may revolve around whether they qualify for the postseason or reach the lottery and possibly land a higher draft pick. As for teams that surely expect to reach the postseason, every win against an opponent in their conference with a similar record matters greatly. Here’s NBC Sports Washington with the latest on the Wizards:

The Wizards earned themselves a much-needed breather amid a hectic Eastern Conference playoff race on Tuesday night.

By beating the Miami Heat, Washington snapped their season-long three-game losing streak. It has been a tough few days with losses to the Warriors, Raptors and Pacers, but the Wizards are finally back in the win column.

With the win, the Wizards took a 2-1 lead on the Heat in their season series. They will play for a fourth and final time on Saturday. If the Wizards win that game, they will own the playoff tiebreaker for seeding purposes.

The Wizards moved to 37-28 on the season and 11-6 since John Wall went down with a left knee injury.

Full article

Grizzlies sign Xavier Rathan-Mayes to 10-day contract

The Grizzlies signed guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes (X-avier RUH-tan Mays) to a 10-day contract today, as a Call-Up from the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks.

Rathan-Mayes (6-4, 208) has appeared in 39 games (37 starts) for Westchester and has averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.10 steals in 35.7 minutes with 14 double-doubles and three triple-doubles. The 23-year-old Canadian native went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft following his junior year at Florida State University, where he was a 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Defensive Team selection.

Bucks sign Shabazz Muhammad

The Bucks signed Shabazz Muhammad today.

Muhammad appeared in 32 games (two starts) with the Minnesota Timberwolves this season and averaged 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game before being waived on March 1. The 25-year-old has spent his entire NBA career with the Timberwolves after being selected by Minnesota with the 14th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of UCLA. In 267 games (16 starts) over five seasons with the Timberwolves, Muhammad averaged 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47.0 percent from the field.

Muhammad will wear No. 15 for the Bucks.

Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Hawks sign Antonius Cleveland to second 10-day contract

The Hawks signed guard Antonius Cleveland to a second 10-day contract today.

Earlier this season, Cleveland was on a two-way contract with Dallas, appearing in 13 games with the Mavericks. In seven NBA G League games this season (six with the Santa Cruz Warriors and one with the Texas Legends), he’s averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 26.6 minutes (.547 FG%, .500 3FG%, .826 FT%).

Clippers sign Sean Kilpatrick to 10-day contract

The L.A. Clippers today signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract.

Kilpatrick, 28, has appeared in 39 games this season for the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 4.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.9 minutes. The 6’4”, 210-pound guard has appeared in 144 career games (24 starts) across four NBA seasons with Minnesota, Denver, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee, holding averages of 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.7 minutes. A four-year player out of Cincinnati, Kilpatrick was named to the AP All-American First Team in his senior season.

Pistons need serious rally to make playoffs

The Pistons got off to a nice start to the season, began to fade, traded for Blake Griffin, but have kept fading, and are now four games behind the Heat for the 8th spot in the Eastern conference. Detroit needs a serious rally starting fairly immediately if qualifying for the playoffs is something they aim to achieve this year. Here’s the Detroit News reporting after tonight’s results:

The result could be the death knell for the Pistons season: a 105-96 loss to the Heat on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena.

The loss is the second straight and eighth in the last 10 for the Pistons (29-34), who fell four games behind the Heat for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 19 games remaining.

Blake Griffin had his best game since the trade to the Pistons, with 31 points, four rebounds and six assists and Andre Drummond added 22 points and 18 rebounds. Reggie Bullock was the only other Piston in double figures with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Pistons needed more.

More defense. More scoring. More fight.

Full article

Pacers sign Trevor Booker

Pacers sign Trevor Booker

The Indiana Pacers signed veteran free agent Trevor Booker today.

Booker, a 6-8, 228-pound forward, is in his eighth season in the NBA. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 (first round, 23rd overall) out of Clemson University, Booker was traded to the Washington Wizards on draft night and spent four seasons with the Wizards before signing with the Utah Jazz in July 2014. Most recently, Booker signed with the Brooklyn Nets in July 2016 before being traded to Philadelphia on Dec. 7, 2017. He was waived by the 76ers on March 1.

“As we head into this final stretch of the season Trevor will add to the depth of our roster,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “Not only is he a solid player and a solid team player, his character fits with our team and what we are trying to accomplish.”

Booker has career averages of 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. For the 2017-18 season, he is averaging 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over 51 games.

Booker will wear jersey #20 and is expected to be in uniform with the Pacers when they face the Milwaukee Bucks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday.

Suns sign Shaquille Harrison to second 10-day contract

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Shaquille Harrison to a second 10-day contract.

Harrison signed his initial 10-day contract with the Suns on February 21.

Harrison has appeared in five games with the Suns, the first five games of his NBA career, totaling nine points, 10 rebounds, eight steals and seven assists in 43 minutes. In Wednesday’s win at Memphis, Harrison recorded seven points, five rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block. Harrison also had four steals in his NBA debut on February 23 against the LA Clippers; he and Alvan Adams are the only players in Suns history to record multiple performances of at least four steals through four career games.

A 6-4, 190-pound guard, Harrison was originally called up from the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League. In 36 games with the NAZ Suns this season, he averaged 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals (10th in G League). In five games after taking over the starting point guard role on February 2, Harrison averaged 14.0 points on 48.3 percent shooting, 9.2 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals, guiding the NAZ Suns to a 4-1 record in those games. On February 9 at the South Bay Lakers, Harrison scored 25 points and dished out a career-high 12 assists.

The 33rd GATORADE Call-Up in the NBA this season and league-high fourth from the NAZ Suns, Harrison has averaged 10.3 points on 45.8 percent shooting, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 84 career G League games, all with the NAZ Suns over the past two seasons.

The 24-year-old went unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of Tulsa. In addition to two seasons with the Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, Harrison participated in Phoenix’s training camp prior to the 2016-17 season and played for the Suns’ Summer League team in 2017, averaging 10.3 points on 61.1 percent shooting in three games.

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Harrison left Tulsa as the only player in Golden Hurricane basketball history to start every game in a four-year career. He averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 133 games for his career, finishing second in program history with 461 career assists and third with 244 steals.

Thunder sign Corey Brewer

The OKC Thunder signed free agent guard/forward Corey Brewer today.

According to the Norman Transcript, it is a minimum-salary contract.

Brewer (6-9, 186) has appeared in 765 career games (291 starts) and registered career averages of 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.24 steals in 23.2 minutes with Minnesota, Dallas, Denver, Houston and most recently the Los Angeles Lakers. The 11-year NBA veteran holds the sixth-best steal-to-turnover ratio off the bench in NBA history (1.10) and ranks sixth among active players in steal percentage (2.68).

More from the Norman Transcript: “The Thunder have been on the lookout for a wing ever since starting shooting guard Andre Roberson suffered a season-ending knee injury Jan. 27. Brewer struggled to find playing time with the 27-34 Lakers, averaging 3.7 points while shooting 45 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point land in 12.9 minutes a game, but he fits the body type and style Oklahoma City values. ”

The 2011 NBA Champion was originally drafted 7th overall by Minnesota in the 2007 NBA Draft and this season has appeared in 54 games (two starts) with the Lakers, averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.

In three years at the University of Florida, Brewer helped guide the Gators to two National Championships (2006 and 2007), appearing in 108 games (106 starts) and averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.63 steals in 27.2 minutes. The Tennessee native was also named NCAA Most Outstanding Player in 2007 and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 2006 and 2007.