Author: Inside Hoops

InsideHoops.com has been a world leader in NBA basketball coverage for over 20 years. Read our blog, but also be sure to read our main website on www.insidehoops.com

Cavs sign Sir’Dominic Pointer to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard/forward Sir’Dominic Pointer to a 10-day contract today.

Pointer (6-6, 192) has appeared in 41 games (13 starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 12.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.0 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Pointer played in Canton’s 108-106 double-overtime win over the Wisconsin Herd at Canton Memorial Civic Center this afternoon, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks in 33 minutes of action. The St. John’s product was selected by the Cavaliers with the 53rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has played three seasons with Canton, owning NBA G League career averages of 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks in 23.0 minutes per game over 132 career contests (48 starts).

According to Cleveland.com, “Pointer was informed of the call-up shortly after the game and is expected to drive from Canton, so he can be available in time for Cleveland’s game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.”

The Cavaliers’ roster now stands at 16, including two Two-Way players.

Caris LeVert scores 51 points against the Celtics

Nets shooting guard Caris LeVert wasn’t having a standout game last night in Boston against the Celtics. And then a switch was flipped, and he went absolutely wild, unleashing one of the most dramatic late-game performances we’ve seen in the NBA this season. Here’s the New York Post:

Caris LeVert led the way with a career performance to carry them to a 129-120 come-from-behind overtime win at TD Garden.

LeVert poured in a career-high 51 points, including 37 after the third quarter that saw the Nets trail by as much as 21.

The Nets hung up a team-record 51 points in the fourth quarter. LeVert had 26 of them, as well as every point for them in overtime as the Nets outscored the Celtics 11-2.

The Nets got 16 points and eight rebounds from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds from DeAndre Jordan and sparkplug play from little-used two-way Chris Chiozza.

The Nets are now 27-33, currently 7th in the Eastern conference, narrowly ahead of the 8th place Magic.

Kyrie Irving, who earlier Tuesday underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and Kevin Durant, who isn’t playing at all this season, have to be excited to see LeVert’s ability and potential.

Kelly Oubre Jr. undergoes knee surgery

Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee today.

Here’s the Arizona Republic:

Oubre had last season cut short with a hand injury that underwent surgery and kept him out Phoenix’s last 11 games. That came after he scored what was then a career-high 32 points in a road win against New Orleans in his hometown.

Oubre signed a two-year, $30-million deal in the offseason.

The Suns will re-evaluate his health status in four weeks. But the NBA regular season ends a few weeks after that, and barring a miracle, the Suns (24-37) won’t be making the playoffs this year. So don’t be surprised if Oubre doesn’t return until next season.

The Suns have been led in scoring this season by Devin Booker at 26.0 points per game, followed by Deandre Ayton at 19.2 PPG, then Oubre at 18.7 PPG.

Coby Karl named G League Coach of Month for February, 2020

South Bay Lakers Head Coach Coby Karl was named NBA G League Coach of the Month for games played in February, it was announced today. The award is the second of Karl’s career and his first since November 2017.

Karl led South Bay to a league-best 7-2 (.778) record in February, their best month of the season and best since November of 2017. For the month, South Bay led the league in points (130.8), points off turnovers (27.3), fast break points (23.2) and points in the paint (62.4). The team also ranked fifth in steals (9.8) and sixth in field goal percentage (.469).

Of South Bay’s seven wins in February, five came against teams currently in the top seven of the Western Conference. The team had their largest win in franchise history when they beat the Texas Legends, 140-98, on February 19 and had their best comeback win of the season when they overcame a 21-point deficit en route to a 152-148 win over the Iowa Wolves on February 23.

Knicks issue statement on the Spike Lee situation

The back-and-forth between the New York Knicks and Knicks superfan Spike Lee continued, with the team issuing the following statement this afternoon:

“The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a dedicated VIP entrance – which is used by every other celebrity who enters The Garden – is laughable. It’s disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama. He is welcome to come to The Garden anytime via the VIP or general entrance; just not through our employee entrance, which is what he and Jim agreed to last night when they shook hands.”

Along with the above statement, the Knicks also included a photo from yesterday showing Lee and Knicks owner James Dolan shaking hands.

On an ESPN TV appearance today, Lee said he’s done attending Knicks games for the season. But perhaps cooler heads will prevail.

Lee is easily the Knicks’ most famous and loyal fan.

Grizzlies sign Anthony Tolliver, waive Jordan Bell

The Memphis Grizzlies yesterday signed forward Anthony Tolliver to a 10-day contract.

The team also waived forward/center Jordan Bell.

Tolliver (6-8, 240) has appeared in 706 games (101 starts) and has averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes while shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range in 12 NBA seasons since going unselected in the 2007 NBA Draft. The 34-year-old Creighton alum has competed in 42 games (nine starts) with Portland and Sacramento this season and has averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes.

Tolliver will wear jersey #44 for the Grizzlies.

Bell (6-8, 216) averaged 5.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.5 minutes in two appearances for Memphis after he was acquired from Houston on Feb. 6. The 25-year-old University of Oregon product holds career averages of 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.0 minutes in 154 games (16 starts) over three seasons with Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis.

Pistons sign Donta Hall to another 10-day contract

The Detroit Pistons today signed forward/center Donta Hall to a second 10-day contract.

Hall has played three games for the Pistons so far, averaging 1.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game.

Listed at 6-foot-9, 229 pounds, Hall has spent most of this season playing in the G League for the Pistons’ G League affiliate team, the Grand Rapids Drive. For the Drive, Hall averaged 15.4 points (66% FG), 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals in 28.6 minutes per game.

Hall played four seasons of college basketball at the University of Alabama, where he put up modest stats: 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 135 games. Those sort of numbers usually point to a career overseas. But Hall has earned himself a good opportunity lately.

Impressive recent play from Sixers guard Shake Milton

It’s always fun when a backup gets handed additional responsibility while a starter is out, and then goes ahead and exceeds all expectations. Here’s NBC Sports Philly on the recent play of Sixers guard Shake Milton:

The second-year guard has taken over as the starting point guard with Ben Simmons out and on Sunday put up a career-high 39 points — including hitting 7 of 9 from deep — on the road against the Clippers in front of a national audience.

Milton also made history, making 13 consecutive threes over the course of three games to tie an NBA record. Brent Price and Terry Mills, both in 1996, also reached that mark…

Milton is the ninth player in franchise history to score at least 39 points in a game in his second NBA season. The last to do so was Joel Embiid, who dropped a then career-high 46 on the Lakers in 2017. Before that, you’d have to go back to Allen Iverson dropping 43 against the Timberwolves in 1998.

As a rookie last season, Milton averaged 4.4 points in 13.4 minutes per game. This season, he’s putting up 8.8 points in 17.8 minutes per game, on much-improved shooting.

The Sixers are 37-24, which is the 5th best record in the Eastern conference.

Nikola Mirotic named EuroLeague MVP for month of February, 2020

Here’s an overseas basketball update on a name familiar to NBA fans, from Euroleaguebasketball.net:

After a perfect month that he began and ended with game-winning shots on the road, forward Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona is Euroleague Basketball’s choice as MVP for February in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Few players have ever had a go-to month quite like Mirotic’s February, when his last-shot heroics ensured that Barca qualified early for this season’s playoffs. With four victories in February – three of them on the road, and all against teams positioned for the playoffs at tipoff time – Barca extended its current streak to seven wins total, the team’s longest in almost five years.

Mirotic played in the NBA between 2014-19, mostly for the Bulls, but also the Pelicans and Bucks, and averaged double-digit points each season. His NBA career average was 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 42.3% FG and 35.9% from three-point range.

Suns lose again, now to Warriors

The Suns got off to a good start this NBA season. Then things started going downhill. Very downhill. We’re talking about a really long hill. Here’s the Arizona Republic:

Marquese Chriss followed up a missed shot with an emphatic dunk in the fourth quarter, stared into the stands – and there was no reaction.

That’s how lifeless the Phoenix Suns were.

Facing the worst team in the Western Conference that had only eight available players, Phoenix lost embarrassing fashion, 115-99, before 16,395 fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

The Suns (24-37) cleared the bench with 1:42 left to a half empty arena that housed perhaps Phoenix’s worst loss of the season.

The Suns shot 40%, gave up 17 points off 20 turnovers and blew an 18-point lead in losing a third straight game, all at home, at the halfway mark of a six-game homestand.

In the win, Eric Paschall scored 25 points off the bench, starting guard Damion Lee had 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists and no turnovers, and Andrew Wiggins shot just 6 of 20 but still filled the stat-sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. The Warriors had 30 assists on their 41 made field goals.

The Suns are now 24-37 this season, which is the third-worst record in the Western conference.