Author: Inside Hoops

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Anthony Davis will play in Lakers vs Bucks game tonight

The biggest game of the NBA season so far is the Lakers vs Bucks matchup on TNT at 8 p.m. ET tonight. Both teams are 24-4, and are the current favorites, if you had to make a prediction today, to reach the 2020 NBA Finals.

While the Bucks are without injured guard Eric Bledsoe, the Lakers will have forward Anthony Davis in action, said the team this evening.

Per ESPN.com, “Davis did not play in the Lakers’ loss at Indiana on Tuesday due to the mild ankle sprain. It was the second game Davis has missed this season. He is leading the team in points (27.4), rebounds (9.3) and blocks (2.6) per game.”

It’s a must-watch game. Tune in.

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) logo revealed

The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin play in March 2020, today unveiled the league’s official logo. The new logo, which features the silhouette of a basketball player taking a jump shot on a vibrant green, yellow, red and royal blue background, celebrates the Pan-African footprint of the league, Africa’s diversity and the continent’s rich basketball heritage.

The announcement was made today by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall prior to the BAL qualifier game at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda in the presence of Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Rwanda Minister of Sport Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, FIBA Africa and BAL Board President Anibal Manave, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, two-time NBA All-Star and South Sudan Basketball Federation President Luol Deng, and former NBA player Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria).

The BAL logo is inspired by the NBA and FIBA’s commitment to establishing the BAL as a world-class professional league that champions inclusion and youth development, provides an entertaining product for fans of all ages, and drives economic growth across the continent.

Minutes scarce for talented Raptors big man Chris Boucher

Talented Raptors forward Chris Boucher deserves more minutes. But head coach Nick Nurse has tough decisions to make in order for that to happen. Here’s the Toronto Star reporting:

“It’s not an easy thing to figure out,” Nurse said. “If you say you want to give someone more minutes that means you are taking some away from somebody else, and I don’t really know who that is right now.

“Do I chip a couple away from Pascal (Siakam)? Maybe. I certainly don’t think OG (Anunoby) is in position to have his (clipped). He’s wanting more the way it is. Serge (Ibaka) has been pretty low. Marc (Gasol) has been pretty low.

“There is not a lot of free minutes there. I will keep thinking about how I am going to figure out how to expand his role.”

There are worse problems for a coach to have.

Suns center Deandre Ayton returns from suspension

The Phoenix Suns have their young center back, as Deandre Ayton returned to action yesterday. Here’s Arizona Sports reporting:

In his first time speaking to the media since being suspended 25 games, Deandre Ayton commented on testing positive for a diuretic.

“I know what I did,” he said to the assembled media before Tuesday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, his return game. “It was the biggest mistake, and unintentional mistake that happened in my life and it’s just something to learn from and just build from it. It’s a mistake and everybody makes mistakes.

“It’s just how you bounce back. I think that’s what everybody is waiting for. I already did my time so I’m here.”

Ayton returned on a night in which the Suns faced a tough task — a visit to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. And although Ayton’s shot was a bit off, he put up nice numbers: 18 points and 12 rebounds in just 24 minutes. Despite this, the Clippers, who had three scorers put up 20 or more points, came away with a 120-99 win.

Still, getting Ayton back is a win for Phoenix.

The next Suns game is Friday on the road against the Thunder.

 

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Jazz guard Mike Conley dealing with left hamstring injury

Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley was evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Wednesday and the following was determined:

Conley reinjured his left hamstring during Utah’s game against Orlando in Salt Lake City last night. He will be reevaluated during the team’s upcoming road trip. Any further updates will be provided when necessary.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Conley missed five games after experiencing hamstring tightness, which was frustrating for the Jazz point guard. “That’s why they’re like, ‘Be patient, be patient, don’t push it.’ And I’m just trying to push it every day,” Conley said before his return.”

Conley has appeared in 22 games (all starts) in his first season with Utah, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per contest.

 

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Stephen Curry reportedly attends Kanye West’s Sunday Service

For those of you who enjoy keeping up with off-court pop culture news, especially when it involves Kanye West, here’s the San Jose Mercury News:

You may have heard of Sunday Service, a weekly gospel concert led by rapper Kanye West that has attracted a who’s who of celebrities — including Brad Pitt, Katy Perry and Idris Elba, among others… Steph Curry is the latest celebrity to attend the music performance/spiritual service.

There is no word yet on exactly when Steph may return to action for the Warriors.

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura injured, out at least five games

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura suffered a groin injury late in the first half of last night’s 133-119 win at Detroit. He is out for the next five games and will be re-evaluated when the team returns from their upcoming road stretch.

According to the Washington Post, “Hachimura, who has averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds through 25 games, sustained the injury in the closing seconds of Monday night’s win over the Pistons. As Hachimura attempted to secure a defensive rebound, teammate Isaac Bonga accidentally made contact, kicking Hachimura between his legs.”

Hachimura, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound rookie from Japan, was drafted 9th overall by the Wizards in 2019, and has started all 25 games he’s played in.

 

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Wizards sign Anzejs Pasecniks to two-way contract

The Washington Wizards signed center Anzejs Pasecniks to a two-way contract today.

And in a related move, the team waived guard Chris Chiozza.

Pasecniks, a 7-1 center from Latvia, has played in 12 games (two starts) with the Capital City Go-Go this season, averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .604 from the field. Pasecniks had scored at least 10 points in each of the Go-Go’s last four games, most recently posting 16 points and four rebounds in a win over the Lakeland Magic on December 13.

Pasecniks was a member of the Wizards’ 2019 Summer League team, where he appeared in four games (two starts) and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also appeared in one preseason game with the Wizards this season, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in a win over the 76ers. He was originally selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on draft night.

Chris Chiozza played in 10 games with the Wizards this season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. The second-year pro also started in seven games for the Go-Go this season, where he averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.

Myles Turner adjusting to changing role with Pacers

The Pacers have been a success story this season, which is impressive considering they are still awaiting the return to action of shooting guard Victor Oladipo. A key development this year has been a change in the squad’s frontcourt, and one that definitely affects Myles Turner. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

Being defended by smaller players because he’s now sharing the starting lineup with Domantas Sabonis, he’s not just posting and having his number called. It’s how he’s posting up.

No longer do most of his looks in the offense come via the pick-and-roll (or pop). That’s for Sabonis, who is being defended by the slower players at his position on offense at the 5. Turner, listed as the center, is being defended by 4s and offensively faces up better. His defenders are now mostly quicker, smaller and more laterally capable.

When Malcolm Brogdon or T.J. McConnell call for a ball screen, they want slow-footed Alex Len (Hawks) who’d be defending Sabonis or Daniel Theis (Celtics) or Nik Vucevic (Magic). They wouldn’t call for Turner, who’d be defended by John Collins (when he returns from suspension for the Hawks) in that scenario, or Jaylen Brown (Celtics) or Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac (Magic).

The Pacers haven’t gotten much attention this season but they’ve played as well as many of the East’s best squads. Especially on the defensive side of the floor – and Turner is a big part of that.