Inside Hoops – Page 115 – NBA Blog

Prepare for some Patrick Beverley-related fun

Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

Bulls guard Patrick Beverley had studied the schedule weeks in advance.

After the Lakers traded Beverley at the deadline in February, the Magic bought out his contract and his hometown Bulls eventually signed him, he knew exactly what was coming.

Two games against the Lakers in four days, starting Sunday at Crypto Arena. Or, as Beverley initially stated, his chance to eliminate them from their current play-in standing in the Western Conference.

Let the revenge tour begin.

‘‘That’s fine. He can try,’’ Lakers big man Anthony Davis told Los Angeles-area media about Beverley’s comments. ‘‘He can come try. We’ll see Sunday.’’

FULL ARTICLE

Jalen Brunson says he loved his time with Mavericks

Via the NY Post:

Fans of the struggling Mavericks may not want to hear it, but Jalen Brunson says he had hoped to stay in Dallas.

The Knicks star point guard spoke highly of his former team — which he opted to leave in free agency last summer — in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, despite opting to leave Dallas for the Big Apple during free agency last year.

“I wanted that role of being with the Mavericks for the long haul of my career. I truly loved that place,” Brunson told Haynes. “I can’t say anything bad about Dallas, but obviously I wish things would’ve happened differently.”

FULL ARTICLE

In big-time NBA battle, Nuggets beat Bucks

Via the Denver Post:

Age is just a number like Jeff Green is just a basketball player.

When the 36-year-old launched himself into thin air on Saturday, soaring over and above Giannis Antetokounmpo for a gravity-defying jam, there was no telling what city he’d land in.

“Oh, man,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “That was impressive.”

On the strength of Green’s hops, Nikola Jokic’s brilliance, Jamal Murray’s marksmanship, and a tenacious defensive effort that stymied Antetokounmpo in the second half, the Nuggets throttled the Bucks, 129-106, on Saturday evening.

For a team stuck in neutral, eagerly awaiting the start of the postseason yet with a few meaningful games still left, it was an emphatic statement of how dangerous the Nuggets can be when they commit defensively. Milwaukee scored 40 points in the second half, and the Nuggets outrebounded their opponent, 48-40.

“That is big-time defense against a very good offensive team,” Malone said.

FULL ARTICLE

In tight Western conference race, Clippers fall to Pelicans

Via the Los Angeles Times:

The Clippers need a strong regular-season finale if they want to avoid the play-in tournament or keep home-court advantage for a first-round series.

With beginnings like the one on Saturday, that will be more challenging to accomplish.

The Clippers were defeated by the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening five minutes of the first quarter by a score of nine.

An 11-point hole had widened to a 19-point margin two minutes into the second quarter.

The third quarter had hardly begun when their 12-point deficit had grown to 18.

The Clippers would eventually lose 131-110, and the second half’s focus shifted to what was happening off the court because the suspense had all but been taken out of the game. Four minutes remained in the third quarter when Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was elbowed in the face by Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram. Team executives promptly got up from their seats to pursue Him down the arena tunnel.

FULL ARTICLE

Nets guard Ben Simmons likely won’t play again this season

Via the NY Post:

During a reevaluation on Friday, injured Nets point forward Ben Simmons was found to have a nerve impingement in his back.

Until the Nets decide on the most effective long-term course of treatment, Simmons will continue to be out.

Yet with only nine regular-season games remaining and the Nets having stumbled into the play-in, it seems almost probable that the 26-year-old Simmons won’t play again until next year.

Simmons said in November that it would take him an entire year and a half to fully heal from a nerve injury.

FULL ARTICLE

Rockets sign D.J. Augustin

For the remainder of the season, the Houston Rockets have signed guard D.J. Augustin as a free agent.

Charlotte originally selected Augustin (6-0, 183) as the ninth overall choice in the 2008 NBA Draft. He has made 334 starts over 976 games and has a career average of 9.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds. Augustin had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.44 and a 39.6% 3-point shooting percentage over the previous two seasons.

This is Augustin’s second stint with the Rockets; he played in 34 games to begin last season and 20 games in the second half before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers in March 2022.

Pistons sign Eugene Omoruyi for remainder of season

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Eugene Omoruyi to a contract. This follows two 10-day-contract stints with the club.

Omoruyi, 6-7, 244, has averaged 8.8 points (46% FG), 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 21.3 minutes over 10 games with Detroit. He also appeared in 23 games (two starts) with Oklahoma City this season and averaged 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.6 steals in 11.8 minutes per game.

Per the Detroit News, “his presence has given Detroit another able body with so many of the team’s rotation players unavailable due to injuries. Omoruyi will receive plenty of time to show more of his skillsets with Isaiah Stewart sidelined for the majority of the rest of the season due to a left shoulder impingement and Jalen Duren’s availability in question because of cervical whiplash.”

A native of Orangeville, Ontario, Omoruyi holds career NBA clips of 5.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.6 steals in 37 games (five starts) over two NBA seasons with Dallas, Detroit and Oklahoma City. Omoruyi began his collegiate career at Rutgers University where he played three seasons. He played his final season at the University of Oregon where he was named All-Pac-12 First Team and helped the Ducks to the 2021 NCAA Sweet 16. In 121 career games, he averaged 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.8 minutes per game.

Ja Morant returns to action for Grizzlies

Ja Morant is back. And anyone who likes exciting basketball is better for it. Via the Commercial Appeal:

A storybook finish was in the making when the Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

The electric FedExForum was magnified with the return of Ja Morant after serving an eight-game suspension. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said he wanted to keep Morant in the low 20s of minutes. His math worked out perfectly when Morant entered the game with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter after playing 19 minutes.

Morant entered the game with a lineup that included Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard and Santi Aldama, and the Rockets’ defense had no answers. The Grizzlies pulled away in the final minute to secure a 130-125 victory against the Rockets.

The Grizzlies are 45-27 this season, which is the 2nd best record in the Western conference.

Karl-Anthony Towns makes long-awaited return for Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns is finally back in action. Via the Pioneer Press:

After missing the previous 52 games with a calf strain suffered in late November, Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns made his much-anticipated return to action Wednesday in front of a packed Target Center crowd eager to see its all-star big back in uniform.

He did not disappoint.

While appearing to be short of wind at various points, Towns’ production was strong throughout. He made his first two 3-point tries and showed few to no signs of rust. Towns finished with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting, and Minnesota outscored Atlanta by 13 during his 26 minutes of action.

And with 3.6 seconds left and Minnesotan trailing by a point, Towns received the ball in the middle of the floor. At that point, the big said, “the game was over.”

The Timberwolves are 37-37 this season, which ties them with the Thunder for the 7th best record in the Western conference.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson out at least two more weeks

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the following medical updates:

Recent medical imaging on Jose Alvarado, who has missed the last 10 games due to a stress reaction in his right tibia, showed incremental improvement. He will continue his rehabilitation process and will be re-examined in 2-3 weeks.

Following re-evaluation on his right hamstring strain, Zion Williamson has been cleared to return to on-court activities. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Via the Times-Picayune:

Williamson has played in 29 games this season. He is averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was named an All-Star but was unable to play in the game because of injury.

The Pelicans had a 23-13 record before Williamson got hurt in the team’s first game of 2023. They have gone 12-24 in the new year, which is the third-worst record in the Western Conference during that time.

New Orleans has struggled to score without Williamson. It ranks 26th in points scored per 100 possessions since Williamson got hurt.