Inside Hoops – Page 994 – NBA Blog

Sacramento Kings file game protest

The National Basketball Association announced today that the Sacramento Kings have protested the team’s 111-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 13 at FedExForum.

The basis for the Kings’ protest is that Courtney Lee’s game-winning shot should have been disqualified as having been made after time expired.

Under the protest procedures in the NBA Constitution, Memphis and Sacramento each will have an opportunity to submit evidence in support of its position and the protest will be decided by December 2.

According to the Associated Press, “Memphis won 111-110 on Thursday on Courtney Lee’s last-second basket. The play was reviewed on the court by officials. They not only checked whether Lee got the shot off before the buzzer, but whether the Kings tipped the inbounds pass. That would have started the clock earlier, causing time to run out before Lee’s attempt.”

Video: Cavs hit 9-of-9 three-pointers in first quarter vs Hawks

Sunday was a fun day in Cleveland, as the Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 127-94. The home squad put up an epic first quarter, outscoring the Hawks 41-25, and hitting an amazing 9-of-9 three-pointers. The Cavs finished the game 19-of-31 (61.3%) from outside the arc. Enjoy these video highlights of their wild first quarter:

According to the Associated Press, “the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to go 9 for 9 or better from behind the arc in a quarter, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.”

Andre Drummond dealing with foul issues

Pistons center Andre Drummond dealing with foul issues

The Detroit Pistons are off to a 3-7 start this season, including a 1-5 road record. Their scoring mostly comes from forward Greg Monroe (16.8 ppg on 51.4% shooting) and guard Brandon Jennings (16.2 ppg on 45.1% shooting). Center Andre Drummond gets rebounds (11.2 rpg) and blocks (1.6 bpg), but offensively needs improvement, and he also has to work on fouls. Specifically, not committing them. Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

Josh Smith was the one primarily stuck with the futile task of containing Zach Randolph’s rebounding, but that wasn’t really the problem in the Detroit Pistons’ 95-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Andre Drummond’s continuing foul issues rose up again, and what seemed like an early-season nuisance has turned into a more significant concern as the Pistons’ center was limited to 20 minutes by five fouls.

Drummond had two first-quarter fouls for the ninth time in 10 games, and against the powerhouse Grizzlies front line, his absence threw the rotations askew. Greg Monroe had to shift to center, primarily against Marc Gasol, and Smith was charged with containing Randolph.

Gasol and Randolph combined for 40 points and 30 rebounds — Randolph alone had 13 offensive rebounds — and the Pistons were hard-pressed to stop them with one of the NBA’s premier rebounders foul-addled again.

Damian Lillard shines in Blazers win vs Nets

Damian Lillard shines in Blazers win vs Nets

The Portland Trail Blazers are 7-3, including a 6-1 record at home. Here’s the Oregonian reporting the latest:

With LaMarcus Aldridge home sick and Nicolas Batum on the bench in a suit there were some holes to fill for the Trail Blazers heading into Saturday’s meeting with Brooklyn Nets.

Damian Lillard provided another impressive performance recording 28 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, but the key to the 97-87 win came from an unexpected source: the Blazers young reserves.

“It was definitely a team win because we needed everybody’s contributions,” Stotts said. “It just goes to show you that the young guys are getting better.”

Against the Nets, the “young guys” were a necessity. Wesley Matthews (3-for-13) and Chris Kaman (3-for-11) both struggled shooting the ball while Robin Lopez missed his first three shots and couldn’t found his rhythm early. Other than Lillard, who was sensational throughout, the Blazers regulars struggled.

Lakers assign Jordan Clarkson and Xavier Henry to D-League

Jordan Clarkson and Xavier Henry have been assigned to the Los Angeles
D-Fenders from the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced today.

Clarkson, a second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has appeared in eight games for the Lakers this season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.4 minutes. Clarkson played two seasons at the University of Tulsa, before transferring to Missouri where he appeared in 35 games and averaged 17.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes.

Henry has appeared in seven games this season for the Lakers, scoring 1.3 points per contest. A product of Kansas University, Henry appeared in 43 games for the Lakers in 2013-14, averaging 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.

Thunder recall Grant Jerrett from D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has recalled forward Grant Jerrett from the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Jerrett has not appeared in a game for Oklahoma City this season while recovering from offseason surgery on his left ankle.

Celtics assign Dwight Powell and James Young to D-League

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned rookies Dwight Powell and James Young to the Maine Red Claws.

Powell, a 6’11” forward out of Stanford, appeared in six contests for the Celtics during the preseason and averaged 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game over that span.

Young, a 6’6” guard/forward out of Kentucky, appeared in two games for the team during the preseason and averaged 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal in 22.7 minutes per game. He made his NBA debut against the Houston Rockets on November 1 and has averaged 4.5 points in 4.7 minutes over his two appearances this season.

Sixers sign Robert Covington, waive Chris Johnson

Sixers sign Robert Covington, waive Chris Johnson

The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent forward Robert Covington today. The first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Development League Draft by the Grand Rapids Drive, Covington is the fifth D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2014-15 D-League season.

In a related move, the Sixers waived Chris Johnson.

As a rookie last season, Covington saw action in seven games for the Houston Rockets while spending most of his time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. In 42 games (41 starts) for the Vipers, Covington averaged 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 34 minutes per game while also averaging 3.2 3-pointers made on 37.0% shooting.

In addition to being named the 2014 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, Covington also earned D-League First Team honors and won the MVP award at the D-League All-Star game after scoring a record 33 points in helping his team to victory.

Covington was eligible for the 2013 NBA Draft following a standout four-year career at Tennessee State. He earned Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors as a senior and a sophomore and First Team distinction as a junior.

Warriors recall Justin Holiday and Ognjen Kuzmic from D-League

The Golden State Warriors have recalled guard Justin Holiday and center Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, the team announced today. The duo helped lead Santa Cruz to a 122-95 season-opening victory over the Los Angeles D-Fenders last night in Santa Cruz.

Holiday scored a team-high 26 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 36 minutes. Kuzmic finished with six points, a team-high 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 29 minutes.

Thunder assign Grant Jerrett to D-League

Thunder assign Grant Jerrett to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder have assigned forward Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League, Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.

During the 2013-14 season with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, Jerrett appeared in 27 games (25 starts) and averaged 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per contest. He is yet to appear in a game as a member of the Thunder.

The Thunder secured the rights to Jerrett on draft night after he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 40th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.