Author: Inside Hoops

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Kawhi Leonard and Clippers play Raptors in Toronto tomorrow

Tomorrow, the Clippers (18-7) visit the Raptors (16-7).

And it isn’t just a visit to say hello. They’ll play a basketball game. Against each other. And it’ll be televised nationally on ESPN. You should watch.

Here’s the OC Register on Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who tomorrow will be playing his first game in Toronto since leaving the team in free agency this past summer after helping the Raptors win the 2019 NBA championship, their first-ever league title in franchise history:

In recent years, the 6-foot-7 forward has been hampered by lingering effects of a quadriceps injury that limited him to only nine games in his final season with the San Antonio Spurs in 2016-17. After being traded to Toronto, he was put on a “load management” schedule last season and played only 60 regular-season games before suiting up for all 24 games in the postseason, when he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and claimed his second NBA title and second NBA Finals MVP.

Now, he’s averaging 25.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 18 games for the 18-7 Clippers (who are 14-4 with Leonard in the lineup). In the first meeting with Toronto on Nov. 11, Leonard had 12 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in a 98-88 victory.

And here’s the Toronto Star:

It’ll be surprising if the vast majority folks who make it to their seats by the appointed time don’t shower Leonard with an unequivocally raucous welcome back. He’s the reigning NBA Finals MVP, after all — Toronto’s first and only. He’s the bringer of rings, the elite addition to Masai Ujiri’s carefully curated collection of talent that transformed a perennial playoff pretender into a title defender.

Even though his time in Toronto was brief, he’ll probably be showered with cheers. At least, as he receives his championship ring.  He arrived in Toronto, was easily the team’s best player as they won the championship, then packed his things and kept it moving. Fans wish he had stayed. But he made history, and for that reason, for Raptors fans he’s a hero.

 

 

 

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In Bulls news, Otto Porter Jr. will miss at least four more weeks

Chicago Bulls small forward Otto Porter Jr. hasn’t played since November 6, and the team today confirmed he is not close to returning to action.

Porter Jr, the team says, underwent an examination yesterday which confirmed the bone injury and healing response in Porter’s left foot to be consistent with a small fracture that has become more clearly defined in recent weeks.

Porter will continue his current period of immobilization and progress as tolerated over the next four weeks, and then re-evaluated.

Porter is listed at 6-foot-8, 198 pounds. He is 26 years old, played college ball at Georgetown, was drafted third overall by the Wizards in 2013, and played multiple seasons for Washington before his time with the Bulls. His NBA career average is 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

The Bulls are 8-17 this season, which is the East’s 11th best team record.

Malcolm Brogdon back quickly for Pacers

The Pacers have a big game tonight, and they reportedly will have point guard Malcolm Brodgon active for the event. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

Malcolm Brogdon is set to return to the Pacers just in time for the team’s toughest two-game stretch to this point in the season.

Brogdon sat out the Pacers’ 104-103 victory over the Knicks due to an injury to his right pinkie finger. The Pacers’ point guard said he dislocated the finger and tore a ligament in it after hitting it off the shoe of Pistons guard Langston Galloway. Brogdon finished that game with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.

However, Brogdon said he is confident that he will be able to play Monday night against the Clippers. His time off in New York was a product of “pain balance.”

Brogdon has been a big part of the Pacers (15-8) success this season. He leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game and in assists at 7.7 per game.

Anthony Davis scores 50 points in Lakers win vs Timberwolves

On Sunday, the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 142-125. The star of the night was big-man Anthony Davis, who is having as good a season as almost any players in the league.

Shooting 20 for 29, Davis put up 50 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block and just one turnover in 39 minutes of action.

LeBron James also had himself a game: 32 points and 13 assists. And off the Lakers bench, Alex Caruso earned himself a mention: 6 of 11, 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

But Davis, who has gotten attention all season for his defense just as much as his offense, had as good a game as anyone has put up in the league so far this season.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the following: “Davis became the third player to post 50 points on the Wolves this season while James was no slouch either with 32 points and 13 assists. Davis was an especially efficient 20 of 29 shooting and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. He did a lot of work around the basket, and the Wolves had no answer for him defensively. ”

From the OC Register: “Davis’ prolific, proficient output — combined with James’ 32 points in 28 minutes — mitigated a productive night offensively by the Timberwolves, who shot 51.8 percent, had eight players score in double-digits and needed only until the start of the fourth quarter to exceed opponents’ 103.7 points-per-game scoring average against the Lakers.”

 

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The fascinating matchup of Joel Embiid vs. Marc Gasol

On Sunday, the Sixers, playing at home in Philly, handled the Raptors, 110-104.

In the win, Tobias Harris scored 26 points, Matisse Thybulle added 20 off the bench, and Ben Simmons put up 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Sixers center Joel Embiid had a rough day, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists — but seven turnovers.

In the loss, Kyle Lowry scored 26, while starting center Marc Gasol had a miserable statline of 0 for 6 shooting, 0 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes.

But the Embiid vs Gasol matchup is fascinating. Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting, prior to today’s game:

In six regular-season games between the two bigs, only one of them since Gasol became a Raptor, Embiid has shot just 29% against Gasol’s defence. In the past three regular-season meetings, not including last night’s game, Embiid is a combined 8-for-39 against Gasol including that 0-for-11 in the only previous meeting this year when Embiid didn’t even get one from the free throw line where he was 0-for-3 for the first, and probably last, scoreless game of his NBA career.

The Sixers and Raptors are right next to each other in the East standings, and their records could be close all season. This will be worth paying attention to, right through the postseason.

 

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Nets stay hot, beat Nuggets 105-102

We’ll be writing about this ourselves later tonight, but for right now, here’s the Denver Post reporting:

Brooklyn guard Spencer Dinwiddie bullied his way to the rack twice in the final minute as the Nets hung on to beat the Nuggets 105-102. The loss dropped Denver to 14-7 and 1-2 on this road trip with a matchup at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

“They dominated the paint 66-22,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “That third quarter was a joke. … Seemed like it was layup lines out there. We took away the 3-point line, but there was no resistance at the rim.”

The loss spoiled a strong 3-point shooting night from Jerami Grant, who poured in five of Denver’s 18 makes. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 45 points, but Brooklyn’s relentless inside attack undermined their productivity.

The Nets have looked like a blatantly better team with Spencer Dinwiddie running the show lately. Kyrie Irving isn’t set to return just yet, but once he does, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson will have some interesting decisions to make.

Rough stretch lately for the Jazz

The Jazz are a modest 13-10 this season. They’re only outscoring opponents by 0.5 points per game. Will they turn things up a notch anytime soon?

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune:

After losing three in a row and five of six against some of the league’s top teams — such as the Bucks, Pacers, Raptors, Sixers, and Lakers — the Utah Jazz got back on the winning track Saturday against the struggling Grizzlies.

Thing is, Utah’s upcoming schedule is fairly loaded with struggling teams, providing the Jazz a chance to continue to sort out some of their lingering issues while simultaneously putting some notches in the win column.

Of their 10 remaining games in December, only two — in Miami against the Heat on Dec. 23, and in Los Angeles vs. the Clippers on Dec. 28 — are against teams with winning records at the moment.

New point guard Mike Conley hasn’t had the effect the Jazz hoped for so far. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting just 36.9% from the field.

As a team, they’ve been above average in defense, but disappointing on offense. The coming weeks will tell more about just how seriously they should be taken as a playoff contender. There is much work to be done.

Gordon Hayward returning soon for Celtics

 

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Gordon Hayward’s return date for the Boston Celtics is soon. Very soon. Possibly even tomorrow.

Here’s Boston.com reporting:

Celtics forward Gordon Hayward says he could return from his left fractured hand as early as Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Tomorrow is a possibility,” a smiling Hayward said Sunday at the Auerbach Center. “We’ll see how I feel when I wake up and go through shootaround.”

Hayward returned to practice Sunday for the first time since suffering the injury in the second quarter of a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 9.

And here’s the Boston Herald:

And once he takes the court again, Hayward can do it with the knowledge that unless the screws in his hand start to bother him, he won’t have to have them removed. Instead, the greatest challenge now, beyond tolerance to pain whenever someone whacks him on the hand, is getting back into basketball shape.

The Celtics are 16-5 this season, which through Saturday’s games places them third best in the entire league.

Bucks winning streak reaches 14 games

 

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The Milwaukee Bucks are on a 14-game winning streak. They’ve won 18 of their last 19 games, with the only loss in that stretch coming on the road in Utah against the Jazz.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the following: “On Friday night at Fiserv Forum, those philosophies met head-to-head as the Bucks and Clippers squared off. Yes, they played a month prior in Los Angeles, but Leonard and George sat out that night. This matchup, then, was understandably hyped as a clash between two teams in the upper echelon of the NBA at full strength for the first time. By the time the final buzzer sounded, a clear and emphatic statement had been made that will be heard league-wide. The Bucks, with contributions from up and down their roster, had orchestrated a devastating masterpiece, trouncing the Clippers, 119-91, for their league-leading 14th win in a row.”

Through Friday’s games, the Bucks have the NBA’s second best offensive rating and the best defensive rating. This is serious.

If the regular season ended today, I’d have to give the league MVP award to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

This squad is must-watch right now.

Next up, a home game on Monday against the Orlando Magic who are a respectable 11-11 so far this season but like everyone else in the league faces an uphill battle slowing this Milwaukee squad down.

After NBA career, Enes Kanter could become WWE wrestler

Very few athletes are tough enough to become WWE wrestlers. But NBA players aren’t like most athletes.

TMZ.com reports the following:

Enes Kanter already has a sick retirement plan in place when his NBA career comes to an end … telling TMZ Sports he’s already in talks to join WWE full time!!!

Of course, the Boston Celtics star is no stranger to the squared circle — he VERY briefly held the 24/7 Championship at Monday Night Raw back in September, but then lost it moments later to R-Truth.

Kanter is listed at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, which by wrestler standards places him on the lighter side when taking his height into account. But it’s still easy to visualize him as a future wrestler. And almost as importantly, it seems like he’d have a lot of fun and would put his heart into it. So here’s hoping it happens.

But for now, the Celtics center, still just 27 years old, has many NBA years left to play.