Month: December 2017

Raptors suspend Serge Ibaka one game

Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka has been suspended by the team for one game after a violation of team rules.

The suspension stems from an altercation between Ibaka and a Raptors team staff member after their December 27 game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri: “Both parties have apologized. We’ve discussed this internally as a team, and we won’t be discussing it any further.” … “Now we’re focused on moving forward together, and we look forward to having Serge back in the lineup.”

Ibaka won’t play tonight (Friday) night against the Hawks.

Draymond Green says Kevin Durant is Defensive Player of Year

When discussing Kevin Durant, we usually think of his scoring ability first, overall superstar skills second, and then maybe people stop and remember that he’s also a good defensive player. The guy has super-long arms and legs that flail around everywhere on defense. He’s a presence on that end of the court. And this season, maybe more than ever before. Here’s the San Francisco Reporting:

Count the reigning Defensive Player of the Year among those who think Kevin Durant should be the Defensive Player of the Year front-runner.

“If I had a vote, I’d vote for him right now,” Green said.

Long known more for his scoring than his defense, Durant is putting together his best defensive season to date. A player who had never averaged more than 1.6 blocks per game is second in the NBA behind Indiana’s Myles Turner with 2.3. With Stephen Curry out the past 10 games with a sprained right ankle, Durant has anchored a league-best defense.

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Clippers dominate in win vs Kings

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The Clippers are 14-19 and should get power forward Blake Griffin back in action pretty soon. The Kings are 11-22 and pretty much just building for the future. The two sides did battle yesterday, and LAC came away with a convincing win. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting:

The Kings, young and old, had a part in a 122-95 beating the Los Angeles Clippers handed them Tuesday night at Staples Center.

The Clippers had their way most of the night as Sacramento’s defense allowed season highs in points for a quarter (41 in the second), half (71 in the first) and be reserves(72)…

The Kings (11-22) watched Milos Teodosic post 10 assists, a season high for the rookie. Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points, also his season high…

The Kings scored 30 points in the first quarter, but offered no resistance on defense. So while the Kings’ shots stopped falling, the Clippers continued to score at will.

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Pistons guard Reggie Jackson sprains ankle

The Pistons are 19-14 this season, which is the 4th best winning percentage in the Eastern conference. They’ve stumbled lately, however. The squad was putting up more wins earlier in the season. Although they’ve won two in a row, they’ve secured victories in just five of their last 10. And now guard Reggie Jackson is hurt. Results on his injury should be known today. Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson will undergo an MRI Wednesday to determine the severity of the sprained right ankle he suffered during Tuesday’s 107-83 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena.

Jackson was injured with 5:25 to play in the third quarter, when he jumped to make a pass and landed on Myles Turner’s foot, twisting the ankle.

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game that X-rays came back negative.

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Raptors vs Thunder an anticipated matchup

The Raptors are 23-9, which is the second best record in the Eastern conference. The Thunder are 19-15, tying them for the West’s 5th best winning percentage – though OKC are on a five-game winning streak and have been recently playing their best basketball of the season. The two teams battle tonight in OKC. It’s a matchup worth watching. Here’s the Norman Transcript reporting:

The Toronto Raptors have run through the Eastern Conference with a similar core and thus, a similar type of isolation-heavy offense over the past few years. But the Oklahoma City Thunder’s next opponent will look different than many fans might expect come Wednesday night.

Even with players like point guard Kyle Lowry and binge scorer DeMar DeRozan carrying over, the Raptors have implemented far more motion into their offense this year. They’re taking 36 percent fewer mid-range shots. And lately, DeRozan, who spent the first eight years of his career dominating on long 2s, has taken his success to the 3-point line. He’s hit 13 triples over the past three games.

It will be a special task for OKC defensive stopper Andre Roberson, who has guarded DeRozan well historically, but who will have to deal with a different type of player come Wednesday.

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Hassan Whiteside returns to action for Heat

The Heat are 18-16 this season, and winners of seven of their last 10 games. They’re led in scoring by Goran Dragic (16.4 ppg), Hassan Whiteside (14.4 ppg), Dion Waiters (14.3 ppg), Josh Richardson (12.2 ppg) and Tyler Johnson (11.5). The team got a boost yesterday as Whiteside made his return from injury. Here’s the Palm Beach Post reporting:

Hassan Whiteside returns to action for Heat

The Magic entered on an eight-game losing streak and Heat center Hassan Whiteside returned from injury.

It was supposed to be easy. But it wasn’t.

The Heat (18-16) rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the struggling and shorthanded Magic 107-89 on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami closed the game on a 60-32 run to make it look easier than it was against Orlando (11-24).

Whiteside finished with seven points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes in his return after missing 13 consecutive games with a bone bruise on his left knee. He spent the final 17 minutes and eight seconds of the game on the bench.

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Utah Jazz City Edition uniforms

The Utah Jazz have released their final 2017-18 uniform design today, their “City Edition” uniforms.

The team describes the design as the result of inspiration from the natural beauty and wonders of their home state. And accompanying the new jerseys is a new alternate matching court design.Both the new uniforms and new court design will make their debut on January 30 as the team hosts the Warriors.

“Our family is proud to have the Jazz jersey represent various parts of the state we all love,” said Greg Miller, NBA Board of Governors member for the Utah Jazz. “This year we feature the red rocks and canyon lands of Utah where we have spent so much time as a family.”

The “City Edition” Jazz uniforms are the only ones with the word “UTAH” across the chest. The team says that the color range, including gold and deep burgandy, represent famous rock formations, canyons, vistas, etc. found throughout southern Utah.

Here’s the design:

No Chris Paul or Blake Griffin in Clippers vs Rockets Friday

It’s always fun to see how a star player performs against his former team. But that gift will not be presented to us on Friday. Here’s the LA Times reporting:

Friday night was supposed to a matchup between the new-look Clippers and former teammate Chris Paul, who requested a trade to the Houston Rockets last summer because he no longer wanted to be a part of the team’s future.

But that matchup will not happen because Paul is out after straining his left adductor during Wednesday night in the loss to the Lakers…

It just won’t be the same without Blake Griffin (left knee), Danilo Gallinari (partially torn left glute), Wesley Johnson (sore left foot) and Patrick Beverley (season-ending right knee surgery).

Besides Paul being out for the Rockets, they won’t have forward Luc Mbah a Moute (dislocated right shoulder). He joined the Rockets as a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Clippers. The Rockets also have listed center Clint Capela as doubtful with a bruised left heel.

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Jayson Tatum having excellent rookie season

The Celtics are a super-impressive 26-7 this season. Far better than anyone expected, considering one of their key stars, new addition Gordon Hayward, suffered a serious injury mere minutes into Game 1. Also impressive has been the play of rookie forward Jayson Tatum. Although he was a high draft pick, it’s still generally safe to assume that rookies aren’t ready to be serious contributors on winning teams. But Tatum has been an essential part of Celtics success. Here’s NESN reporting:

Jayson Tatum having excellent rookie season

Jayson Tatum has exceeded expectations in his rookie season.

The 19-year-old forward has been a mainstay in the Boston Celtics’ starting lineup throughout the season, and he’s become one of the leading contenders for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Through 33 games, Tatum is averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

While Tatum seemingly has impressed in all facets of the game, his stellar 3-point shooting has been the biggest surprise. After being a 34 percent shooter from beyond the arc in his freshman campaign at Duke, Tatum currently boasts the league’s highest 3-point percentage with a 51.5-percent clip.

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