Inside Hoops – Page 647 – NBA Blog

Suns sign Elijah Millsap

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Elijah Millsap to a multiyear contract. The two-year NBA veteran played with the Northern Arizona Suns this season and was the Suns’ NBA Development League affiliate’s leading scorer in the team’s inaugural campaign.

A 6-6, 215-pound guard, Millsap averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes over 67 games in two seasons with the Utah Jazz from 2014-16. Millsap has six double-digit scoring performances in his NBA career with a high of 17 points versus the L.A. Lakers on Feb. 25, 2015.

The 49th GATORADE Call-Up in the NBA this season, Millsap averaged a team-high 19.7 points in addition to 7.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 50 games (all starts) with the NAZ Suns this season. The 29-year-old led the NAZ Suns with 13 double-doubles and had the highest-scoring game in team history with a career-high 38 points in the season finale at Reno on April 1. This marked Millsap’s sixth NBA D-League season as he also played with Tulsa in 2010-11, Los Angeles from 2011-14 and Bakersfield in 2014-15. A 2012 NBA D-League All-Star, Millsap has averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 205 total D-League appearances.

A native of Grambling, Louisiana, Millsap began his college career at Louisiana-Lafayette before playing his final season at UAB where he earned All-Conference USA first-team honors after averaging 16.1 points and 9.5 rebounds in 2009-10. In addition to his time in the NBA and D-League, Millsap has played professionally for clubs in Israel and the Philippines. He is the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks forward and four-time NBA All-Star Paul Millsap.

Millsap will wear number 22. The Suns’ roster now stands at 15

Tony Romo joining Dallas Mavericks for a day

The Dallas Mavericks had a rough season and face an uncertain future, but for one day they’re going to have fun and let Tony Romo, a football player, suit up and presumably amuse the fans. Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting:

Tony Romo’s football career appears to be over, but he’ll be a professional athlete for at least one more game.

Sources have confirmed an ESPN report that Romo will be a Dallas Maverick for a day.

Romo will be in full uniform for the Mavericks’ final home game of the season Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets. The former Cowboys franchise quarterback has frequently attended Mavericks games throughout his NFL career.

Season over for Sixers guard Sergio Rodriguez

The NBA regular season ends Wednesday, and the Sixers will wrap things up with yet another player unable to be on the floor. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

76ers reserve point guard Sergio Rodriguez will miss the remaining three games of the season with a left hamstring strain.

Rodriguez has already missed six games with the injury. The Sixers’ remaining games are against the Milwaukee Bucks (Saturday) and Indiana Pacers (Monday) at Wells Fargo Center before facing the New York Knicks (Wednesday) at Madison Square Garden.

Pelicans sign Quinn Cook for rest of season

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Quinn Cook for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, which ends this coming Wednesday.

Cook, 6-2, 179, who was originally signed by New Orleans on March 19, has appeared in six games with the Pelicans, averaging 2.7 points and 1.0 assists in 6.0 minutes per contest. Cook has played in a total of 11 NBA games this season (five with Dallas), posting averages of 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 10.3 minutes per contest.

Rockets begin resting up for playoffs

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting on the Rockets, who have begun a resting pattern as they prepare for the upcoming playoffs, which begin a week from tomorrow.

The Rockets on Friday began mixing in rest days for some of their regulars, giving starting center Clint Capela the night off and making plans to have sixth man Eric Gordon sit out either Sunday in Sacramento or Monday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

James Harden, Pat Beverley and Trevor Ariza are expected to play through the remaining games, though likely with reduced playing time.

“We want to have some dress rehearsals, we want to keep our rotation similar, but possibly less minutes,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Bucks need to play loose

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel with an update on the Bucks, who probably should have clinched a playoff spot by now yet, through Thursday’s games, still haven’t done so:

It’s tightening up time for the Milwaukee Bucks.

That may be part of the problem in the team’s current three-game slide.

The Bucks are so close to their goal of reaching the playoffs that they aren’t playing as freely as they did while winning 14 of 17 games and vaulting into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference race.

Now they have slipped to sixth and the danger is they could slide out of the playoffs if they can’t cure what has been ailing them in the last week.

Blake Griffin putting up monster games lately

The Clippers are hot lately, winning eight of their last ten games. And power forward Blake Griffin has put up some monster games this past week. Here’s the OC Register reporting:

Before DeAndre Jordan disappeared into the night Wednesday following another Clippers victory, he passed Blake Griffin in the hall to the team’s postgame interview room.

“Yo, Beast!” Jordan exclaimed.

“That’s what we call him,” Chris Paul had said moments earlier.

It’s a moniker Griffin has lived up to over his past three games, averaging 33 points on 73 percent shooting while scoring more than 30 points in three consecutive appearances for the first time since February of 2014.

“He’s just been crazy aggressive,” Paul said. “Crazy efficient. … So we are going to keep feeding him.”

Sergio Rodriguez hopes to return to Sixers

Is there a place for a veteran guard like Sergio Rodriguez on the young Sixers next season? Too soon to tell. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Rodriguez will become a free agent on July 1. He wants to return to the Sixers. He is averaging 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 22.3 minutes this season. He was playing his best basketball before he got hurt.

Rodriguez had 12 points and seven assists against the Chicago Bulls on March 24. Two days later, he finished with 16 points while making 4 of 7 three-pointers against the Indiana Pacers.

“Let’s see how it goes,” he said of his future. “It’s going to take a long time, because [free agency] is in July. You are not going to know anything. I don’t want to rush myself.”

Seth Curry return date uncertain

As the season winds down, it would be nice for the Mavs to get one more dose of action from guard Seth Curry. But his return date isn’t known yet. Here’s the Dallas Morning News with the latest:

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said he doesn’t expect guard Seth Curry to miss all of the remaining four games, but he was unsure when he might return.

Curry sat out the last three games and the hope is that another day of rest Thursday will allow him to play Friday against the Spurs.

“I don’t have a medical degree,” Carlisle said. “But it’s a bruise. The thing keeps getting hit. We want to get him some more games with all the progress he’s made this year. We want him and all our players to finish strong.”

Kevin Durant likely to return Saturday

Following multiple workout sessions in recent days – including 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages – forward Kevin Durant has been cleared by the team’s medical and athletic training staffs to return to full-team practices.

If he does not suffer any setbacks following tomorrow’s practice, it is anticipated that Durant will play in Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena.

Durant has missed the last 19 games after suffering a Grade 2 left MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise against the Washington Wizards on February 28.