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Jordan Clarkson gets first triple-double by a Jazz player in very long time

Per the Deseret News:

Despite the Utah Jazz leading the Dallas Mavericks by as many as 39 points, the Delta Center was packed through the final minutes on Monday night as fans hoped to watch history.

Those who decided to see this one through to the end saw a nearly 16-year drought come to an end as Jordan Clarkson became the first Jazz player since Carlos Boozer on Feb. 13, 2008 to record a triple-double in the regular season (Ricky Rubio did it in the playoffs in 2018).

With 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, the Jazz’s longest tenured player earned his first career triple-double and became just the 38th player to record one coming off the bench.

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Hornets fall to Nuggets, lose 11th straight game

Per the Charlotte Observer:

With the never-ending game of musical injury chairs in full motion once again, this time courtesy of Terry Rozier’s illness, Steve Clifford relied on his decades of experience Monday night.

It’s probably the best method for the Charlotte Hornets coach to keep his sanity.

“That’s one thing as I’ve gotten older, is I’ve gotten better,” Clifford said. “You have to have a feel for your team, and you have to know you are not going to coach a team that is 17-12 the same way you coach a team that’s 5-23. You can’t, you know?

“And you can still be firm, you can be demanding. But I do think NBA players, they do know what’s right and they know what’s wrong. And how you deal with them, message with them is everything. This is a brutal trip, even if you have everybody.”

But the Hornets don’t and that was very evident after halftime, when the Denver Nuggets mashed their foot on the gas pedal and left Charlotte’s makeshift rotation in the mountain dust. Things unraveled quickly in the third quarter of the Hornets’ 111-93 defeat to the Nuggets at Ball Arena, ensuring the visitors would begin 2024 in the same fashion 2023 ended — adding another number in the wrong column.

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Spurs sign forward Mamadi Diakite to two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday signed forward Mamadi Diakite to a two-way contract.

Diakite, 6-9, 225, most recently appeared in 19 regular season and Showcase Cup games (5 starts) for the G League’s Westchester Knicks, averaging 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.05 blocks per game. The 26-year-old has appeared in 49 NBA games with Milwaukee, Oklahoma City and Cleveland and was part of the Bucks’ 2021 NBA Championship team.

Originally from Conakry, Guinea, he went undrafted in 2020 after spending five years at the University of Virginia where he helped the Cavaliers capture the 2019 NCAA National Championship as a redshirt junior and was named 2019-20 ACC All-Defensive and All-ACC Second Team as a redshirt senior, averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in 30 games (all starts).

Diakite will wear No. 29 for the Spurs.

San Antonio’s roster now stands at 18.

Celtics enter 2024 with NBA-best 26-6 record

Per the Boston Herald:

Jaylen Brown stole a pass in the backcourt, took a dribble toward the rim and had the presence of mind to lay it off to Derrick White in the lane. The Celtics guard isn’t typically known for his athleticism, but took the pass, took a step and hammered it home for a one-handed tomahawk dunk.

White stopped upon landing and took a brief moment to look at his Celtics teammates on the bench. Luke Kornet lost his mind again. White, back in his first NBA home facing the team that drafted him, was showing off a bit. And the Celtics were laughing their way into a big new year by leaving 2023 with a bang.

The Celtics won but struggled against a pair of lower-tier teams to end last week at TD Garden. Not so much on Sunday night. Victor Wembanyama looked the part of a future star, but he and his five-win Spurs were no match for the best team in the NBA. The Celtics celebrated the new year with a dominant 134-101 victory in San Antonio.

The Celtics’ New Year’s resolution for 2024? Keep playing like this, and they could be on a parade around Boston in June.

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Rockets playing good basketball to enter 2024

Per the Houston Chronicle:

The Houston Rockets, after three years in the Western Conference cellar, are now (mercifully) back into playoff contention as they enter 2024 at an even 15-15. But that doesn’t mean the present outlook is completely rosy for Ime Udoka’s squad as we turn the calendar to January.

The Rockets enter their New Year’s Day tilt against the (suddenly surging!) Detroit Pistons with five losses in their last seven games. They are currently without a pair of injured starters in Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks. This is a team that is far better than last year’s 60-loss abomination. But the expected growing pains of Udoka’s first season are increasingly present in recent weeks.

We shouldn’t be too harsh on the Rockets despite their recent swoon. ‘Phase 2’ of the franchise’s rebuild is off to a relatively roaring start, and regardless, this isn’t the time of year for skepticism. So, instead of focusing on recent losses, let’s turn the page forward, offering Udoka and Co. a fresh set of New Year’s resolutions for the rest of the season.

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On what comes next for the Bulls

Per the Chicago Tribune:

January will be a formative month for the future of this franchise. Although executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas often prefers the methodical approach, this is a time for decisiveness. Over the next six weeks, the front office will be forced to determine which players to build around — a decision that will be equally informed by injury recoveries, game results and the trade market.

Everything turns on a decision that might not even be in the front office’s hands: whether or not to finally split from Zach LaVine.

After missing the last 15 games with a foot injury, LaVine could begin practicing with the Bulls within the next week. Coach Billy Donovan said LaVine will stay home from the back-to-back trip to Philadelphia and New York to ramp up his training with team staff. He remains on track for his original recovery timeline with a potential return to the court by mid-January.

But what does that even mean? Donovan and team leaders like DeMar DeRozan have insisted LaVine wasn’t the problem and winning 10 of their 15 games without the maximum contract star is an unfortunate coincidence. LaVine insists he’s prepared and eager to mold his play around the style that has brought the Bulls success in his absence.

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Knicks sign Miles McBride to contract extension

The New York Knicks have signed guard Miles McBride to a contract extension.

Per the NY Post:

Miles McBride agreed to a three-year, $13 million extension, multiple sources confirmed to The Post.

The deal is fully guaranteed and frontloaded, decreasing in annual salary each year, which helps McBride from a cash value standpoint, sources said.

McBride, a defensive-minded point guard, has been used sparingly since getting drafted 36th overall in 2021.

But he should get an increased role after the team dealt Immanuel Quickley in a package to Toronto, leaving McBride as probably the first backup point guard after Jalen Brunson.

McBride, 23-years-old (6-1, 195-pounds), is averaging 1.9 points (50-percent FG; 41.2-percent 3PT) in 18 games for the New York Knicks this season. He holds career averages of 2.8 points and 1.0 assists over 10.0 minutes per game in 122 games (four starts) in parts of three seasons with the Knicks. McBride is also averaging 19.0 points, 4.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds in two games this season for the Westchester Knicks, the official NBA G League affiliate of the New York Knicks.

The Cincinnati, OH-native, was originally selected by Oklahoma City with the 36th pick of the 2020 NBA draft before being traded to the New York Knicks. A two-year standout at West Virginia, McBride recorded 12.6 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds over 28.0 minutes in 60 games (30 starts). He was also named to the 2020-21 All-Big 12 Second Team and the 2019-20 Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Knicks trade RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley to Raptors for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday that they have acquired guard Immanuel Quickley, guard-forward RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round draft pick (via Detroit) from the New York Knicks in exchange for guard-forward OG Anunoby, forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn.

“We’re excited about welcoming Immanuel and RJ to our team. Immanuel is a young, talented playmaker who we believe will provide a spark on both ends of the court. RJ is a versatile wing who is, of course, well-known in his hometown, and seeing him in a Raptors uniform will be a special moment for our fans and for all Canadians,” Toronto vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri said. “It’s never easy to say goodbye, especially when players like OG and Malachi have spent their careers with our team. We wish Precious, Malachi and OG all the best.”

Quickley, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, is averaging a career-high 15.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 24.0 minutes in 30 contests this season. He is shooting .454 (152-335) from the floor, including .395 (64-162) from beyond the arc, and scored in double figures in 23 games.

In his fourth season, Quickley was a finalist for the 2022-23 KIA NBA Sixth Man of the Year and was named to the 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In 253 career games (27 starts) with the Knicks, he averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 24.1 minutes.

New York acquired Quickley’s draft rights after he was picked 25th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020 NBA Draft. A native of Havre de Grace, Maryland, Quickley played two seasons at Kentucky (2018-20), earning SEC Player of the Year and All-SEC First Team honours as a sophomore.

Barrett, 6-foot-7, 224 pounds, is averaging 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 29.5 minutes in 26 games (all starts) this season. He is shooting .423 (164-388) from the field, .331 (43-130) from three-point range, and scored 20 or more points 10 times. Barrett had a season-high 27 points Dec. 11 against the Raptors.

A native of Toronto, Barrett is in his fifth NBA season and owns career averages of 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 33.2 minutes in 297 games (296 starts) with New York. He was picked third overall by the Knicks in the 2019 NBA Draft after one season at Duke (2018-19) where he was first-team All-ACC selection.

Anunoby was picked 23rd overall by the Raptors in the 2017 NBA Draft. He averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 28.7 minutes in 395 games (321 starts) over seven seasons with Toronto. Anunoby helped the Raptors capture their first NBA championship in 2019 and was an All-Defensive Second Team selection last season.

Achiuwa averaged 8.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 21.6 minutes in 153 games (40 starts) with Toronto after he was acquired from Miami in August 2021.

Flynn was picked 29th overall by the Raptors in the 2020 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.0 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 15.0 minutes in 175 career games (21 starts).

Injury update on Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart

Detroit Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart, who suffered a right great toe sprain during the team’s game against Philadelphia on December 15, is expected to be sidelined the next 10-14 days to allow for rest and rehabilitation.

He had been playing to pain tolerance since the injury was originally sustained and missed last night’s game at Boston.

Stewart will be re-evaluated periodically.