NBA Blog: The NBA basketball blog section of InsideHoops.com. NBA news and NBA league and team blogs with news, info and more.
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The Philadelphia 76ers announced today the team has waived center Andrew Bogut.
Bogut was acquired as part of a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on February 23, 2017. He was never really going to be a part of the Sixers, so today’s news isn’t a huge surprise.
Bogut doesn’t score much, but he’s an excellent defender.
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New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today the team has waived guard Brandon Jennings, and signed free agent guard Chasson Randle to a contract.
Randle, 6-2, 185-pounds, appeared in eight games for Philadelphia this season, averaging 5.3 points over 9.3 minutes, before being waived on Feb. 23. Signed on Jan. 10 by the 76ers, the Stanford University product became the fourth-ever NBA Call-Up of the D-League’s Westchester Knicks, where he averaged 20.4 points, on 42.2-percent shooting, over 32.2 minutes in 20 games. Prior to the D-League, Randle appeared in three preseason games for New York before being waived on Oct. 21.
Jennings, 6-1, 170-pounds, was originally signed by the Knicks as a free agent on Jul. 8, 2016. He had averaged 8.6 points, 4.9 assists and 24.6 minutes in 58 games.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have waived guard José Calderón, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Calderón (6-3, 200) appeared in 24 games (11 starts) for the Lakers this season, averaging 3.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.
The Lakers roster now stands at 14.
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The Toronto Raptors announced Monday guard Kyle Lowry will have surgery Tuesday morning to remove loose bodies from his right wrist. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson in New York City.
Symptoms began following the February 15 contest versus Charlotte and Lowry has missed the past two games with the injury. Swelling is persistent with pain and limited joint range. The surgery is being done at this time with the intention to put Lowry in a position to get ready for the postseason.
Lowry is averaging 22.8 points, 6.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 37.7 minutes in 56 games this season.
According to the National Post, “with 23 games left in the regular season, it’s a big blow to a team looking to climb back up the Eastern Conference standings. Lowry is second on the Raptors with his average of 22.8 points and leads Toronto with 6.9 assists per game. The Raptors have averaged 113.2 points with Lowry on the floor this season compared to 105.1 without him. Defensively, they’ve allowed 105.1 points with Lowry in the game versus 108.6 without him.”
Triple-doubles: The NBA has produced 74 triple-doubles this season, which is four behind the single-season record of 78 set in 1988-89. It is also one behind the 2015-16 total of 75 for the second-most all time.
Dario Saric, 76ers: The Croatian forward has recorded four consecutive double-doubles, the longest streak by a rookie this season. In his last seven games, Saric is averaging 20.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves: Wiggins has scored 20 or more points in a franchise-record 17 consecutive games, while Towns has done so in each of the last 14 games. Those are the second- and third-longest active streaks in the NBA, respectively, behind Boston guard Isaiah Thomas’ 43 games in a row with at least 20 points.
Miami Heat: Miami has made 43 three-pointers during its current three-game winning streak, the most over any three-game span in team history. The Heat has also scored at least 100 points in 16 straight games, the franchise’s longest streak ever.
Mike Conley, Grizzlies: He scored 31 points in Sunday’s win over Denver, his sixth 30-point game of the season. Conley had five 30-point games in his first nine seasons combined.
Kawhi Leonard, Spurs: With 25 points in Sunday’s victory against the Lakers, Leonard posted his 27th game with at least that many points this season. He had 26 such games in his first five seasons combined.
DeMar DeRozan, Raptors: In two games since the All-Star break (both wins), Toronto’s all-time leading scorer has totaled 76 points, shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 27-of-28 from the free throw line.
— Via NBA Newsletter
A closer look at some upcoming national television games (all times Eastern):
Monday, Feb. 27: TNT debuts Players Only – a franchise with former NBA and WNBA players serving in all broadcast roles – for tonight’s doubleheader, which features Buck at Cavaliers (7 p.m.) and Pacers at Rockets (9:30 p.m.).
Tuesday, Feb. 28: Warriors at Wizards, 7 p.m., NBA TV – Despite back-to-back losses, Washington is tied for the second-best record in the NBA since Dec. 30 at 19-7. Golden State, the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season, is a league-best 21-4 during that stretch.
Wednesday, March 1: Four of the seven teams currently boasting a .610 winning percentage or better will be in action during ESPN’s doubleheader. The Eastern Conference’s top two teams, Cleveland and Boston, match up in the opener at TD Garden at 8 p.m., followed by the Rockets visiting the Clippers at 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 2: Thunder at Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m., TNT – Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook has 29 triple-doubles this season, which is two behind Wilt Chamberlain (31 in 1967-68) for the second-highest total in a single season.
Friday, March 3: Spurs at Pelicans, 9:30 p.m., ESPN – San Antonio big men LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol and New Orleans big men DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis have combined for 18 All-Star selections.
Saturday, March 4: Clippers at Bulls, 8:30 p.m., ABC – LA’s Blake Griffin is averaging 26.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 11 games this month.
Sunday, March 5: Warriors at Knicks, 3:30 p.m., ABC – Four years ago (Feb. 27, 2013), Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 54 points at Madison Square Garden. That performance, the first of his five career 50-point games, remains a career high.
— Via NBA Newsletter
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Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki begins the week on the verge of a major milestone.
The 13-time NBA All-Star from Germany needs 67 points to reach 30,000 for his career, a mark achieved by only the five players ahead of him on the league’s all-time scoring list: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
Nowitzki, the NBA’s active scoring leader and the highest-scoring player born outside the United States, is set to join Malone and Bryant as the only players to score 30,000 points with one franchise. The 38-year-old Nowitzki has spent his entire 19-year career with the Mavericks; the only player in NBA history with a longer tenure with one team is Bryant, who played 20 seasons with the Lakers.
Dallas plays six of its next seven games at home, beginning tonight against Miami at American Airlines Center. Nowitzki is averaging 18.1 points over his last seven games, putting his season average at 13.8 points.
— Via NBA Newsletter
Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed guard Brianté Weber to a 10-day contract. Weber joins the Hornets after signing two consecutive 10-day contracts with the Golden State Warriors.
This season with Golden State, Weber played in seven contests and averaged 1.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 6.6 minutes per game. In his NBA career, the 6-2 guard has appeared in 14 games (four starts) over two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat and Warriors, averaging 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest. Weber appeared in two postseason games with the Heat, logging six minutes of action during the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
The Virginia Commonwealth University product also played with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League this season. The 24-year-old appeared in 31 games (all starts) posting averages of 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 3.3 steals in 36.8 minutes per game. Weber was named NBA D-League Player of the Month in January, and was also selected as a 2016-17 NBA D-League All-Star.
The Hornets roster now stands at 15 players.
Well, this isn’t good. Sixers center Joel “The Process” Embiid is dealing with a lingering knee issue. Hoping for the best. Here’s CSN Philly reporting:
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Joel Embiid on Monday will have an MRI on his injured left knee and is now listed as out indefinitely.
Embiid has been experiencing swelling and soreness in the left knee injury that has caused him to miss 16 out of the last 17 games. Bryan Colangelo announced back on Feb. 11 that Embiid has a minor meniscal tear. In his most recent press conference last Friday, Colangelo had targeted this Friday’s home game against the Knicks as a possibility for Embiid’s return. Now, that isn’t the case.
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The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on Luis Scola.
Scola, who signed as a free agent with the Nets on July 13, 2016, appeared in 36 games for Brooklyn this season, recording averages of 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
In 743 career NBA games with the Nets, Raptors, Pacers, Suns and Rockets, the 10-year NBA veteran has averaged 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 25.6 minutes per game.
The Nets are 9-49 this season, which is the worst record in the league.