General NBA insight – Page 33 – NBA Blog

Bucks convert contracts of Xavier Munford and Joel Bolomboy

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Xavier Munford to a Two-Way contract, and have converted forward Joel Bolomboy to a standard NBA contract. Munford, who attended training camp with the Bucks, had previously spent all season with the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. Bolomboy had been on a Two-Way contract with the Bucks since Oct. 20.

Munford, 25, is currently fourth in the NBA G League in scoring, averaging 24.1 points per game, and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.476). He has appeared in 20 games (19 starts) with the Herd this season and is also averaging a team-high 5.4 assists with 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent overall. In November, Munford was named to the 12-man USA roster for the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, where he averaged 13.0 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting in two games.

Undrafted out of Rhode Island in the 2014 NBA Draft, Munford spent last season between the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League and FC Barcelona Lassa (Spain). He played in 14 regular season games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2015-16 season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, and also appeared in all four of the Grizzlies playoff games in 2016.

Bolomboy has played in six games with the Bucks this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game. In nine games (all starts) with the Herd this season, Bolomboy averaged 15.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

The Bucks roster now stands at 17 players.

NBA Week 8 preview notes

DYNAMIC DONOVAN: As a freshman at Louisville in 2015-16, Donovan Mitchell started five games and averaged 7.4 points for the season. On Dec. 1, the Utah Jazz guard became the first NBA rookie to score at least 40 points in a game since Blake Griffin in 2011. The 6-3 Mitchell has developed rapidly over the last few years, allowing him to make an immediate impact after being selected with the 13th pick in NBA Draft 2017. He is averaging more than 16 points per game and leads all rookies in three-pointers made. With Mitchell sparking the offense, Utah has won five consecutive games to improve to 12-11. Mitchell faces several challenging opponents at shooting guard during Week 8, including a matchup against newly named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week James Harden and the West-leading Houston Rockets on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

SECOND HELPING: While Mitchell is one of many rookies making headlines, several talented second-year players are also turning heads this season. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown have helped fuel strong starts for their respective teams. Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray have produced big scoring games. Reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks remains a steady contributor, while Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn and Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis are finding their groove after offseason trades. Count Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray and Toronto Raptors big men Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam among the top second-year performers, too. The promising play from the NBA’s first- and second-year players sets the stage for a fantastic Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles.

NBA MEXICO CITY GAMES 2017: This week, the NBA will play two regular-season games in Mexico City for the second straight season. The Brooklyn Nets will participate in both games, meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday (10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) and the Miami Heat on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, NBA TV) at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico. All three teams will be playing regular-season games in Mexico for the first time. The matchups mark the 25th and 26th games – including the sixth and seventh regular-season games – in Mexico since 1992, the most held in any country outside the United States and Canada. Last season, the Phoenix Suns played two regular-season games in Mexico City, defeating the San Antonio Spurs and losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

— NBA Broadcasters Bulletin

NBA suspends referee Courtney Kirkland for one week, and Shaun Livingston for one game

NBA Official Courtney Kirkland has been removed from the league’s officiating rotation for one week and Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston has been suspended one game without pay for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, which began when Livingston aggressively approached Kirkland while protesting a non-call, occurred with 6:24 remaining in the second quarter of the Warriors’ 123-95 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday, Dec. 3 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

As part of the incident, Livingston and Kirkland bumped heads, and Livingston was assessed a technical foul and ejected for making contact with a game official. Upon league office review, it was determined that Kirkland moved toward Livingston and shared responsibility for the contact that occurred.

Kirkland’s suspension will begin tonight and run through Sunday, Dec. 10. He will be eligible to return to game action on Monday, Dec. 11.

Livingston will serve his suspension tonight when the Warriors play the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.

NBA notes from around the league

Houston guard James Harden has scored at least 20 points in each of his 21 games this season, the NBA’s longest season-opening streak since LeBron James’ 33-game run in 2012-13.

Utah has outscored opponents by an average of 22.8 points during its current four-game winning streak.

Orlando forward Aaron Gordon has become the first Magic player with multiple 40-point games in a season since Dwight Howard in 2010-11.

Minnesota guard Tyus Jones is averaging 11.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals in his last four games, a stretch that includes three starts in place of the injured Jeff Teague.

Portland ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 99.5 points per 100 possessions. Last season, the Trail Blazers ranked 21st and allowed 107.8 points per 100 possessions.

On Thursday, when Cleveland defeated Atlanta to extend its winning streak to 10 games, Cavaliers forward LeBron James passed Alex English (10,659) for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time list for field goals made.

In his last two games, Chicago guard Kris Dunn has totaled 43 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds and shot 70.4 percent from the field (19-of-27).

Denver swingman Will Barton scored a career-high 37 points in Thursday’s victory over Chicago, the highest-scoring game by a Nuggets reserve since J.R. Smith’s 41-point performance against Atlanta on Dec. 23, 2009.

The Nuggets will retire Fat Lever’s No. 12 jersey on Saturday, when they play host to the Los Angeles Lakers. The two-time All-Star recorded 43 triple-doubles, the eighth-highest total in NBA history.

— NBA Newsletter

J.J. Barea receives October NBA Cares Community Assist Award

Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea has received the October NBA Cares Community Assist Award in recognition of his continuous relief efforts in Puerto Rico following devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, the NBA announced today.

The award recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities.

Kaiser Permanente and the NBA are honoring Barea for his work to immediately initiate aid for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Coordinating five trips to the territory where he was born and raised, Barea used the Mavericks’ team plane, with help from owner Mark Cuban, to personally deliver much-needed supplies in the days after the hurricane. Working with partners in North Texas, Barea has provided more than 100,000 pounds of supplies to the island, including 32 generators, 14,000 pounds of water, 10,000 pounds of food and 3,000 pounds of medical supplies, diapers, clothing, cleaning products and toiletries on the first trip alone.

Barea also launched a fundraiser on YouCaring.com for families affected by the hurricane that has raised more than $250,000, and personally raised nearly $500,000. Additionally, he worked with the Mavericks to donate 100 percent of all single-game ticket sales from their Oct. 25 game against the Memphis Grizzlies to Puerto Rico, generating an additional $114,000 for the island’s recovery.

“Puerto Rico is such a small island and I think help is going to be needed there for at least the next year, maybe longer,” said Barea. “This effort is something I will carry with me forever, and anything I can do to help people put things back in order is a must for me.”

Before the Mavericks’ home game against the Boston Celtics tonight, NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier will present the award to Barea during an oncourt ceremony. In addition, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will donate $10,000 to the J.J. Barea Foundation.

NBA notes, Nov. 2, 2017

Boston, which has won six consecutive games since an 0-2 start, leads the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 95.1 points per 100 possessions. During the winning streak, the Celtics are permitting 90.0 points per game.

Toronto visits Utah on Friday, Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass. The Raptors and Jazz had an NBA-high seven international players each on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season (active and inactive).

The LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin has made at least two three-pointers in all seven games this season. He did it nine times all of last season, appearing in 61 games.

In Indiana’s first four wins of the season, Domantas Sabonis shot 28-of-29 from the field (96.6 percent). The Pacers are now 5-3 and riding a three-game winning streak.

Utah’s Donovan Mitchell finished with 28 points off the bench in Wednesday’s overtime victory over Portland, the highest-scoring game by a Jazz rookie reserve in 37 years.

— Via NBA News newsletter

NBA milestone watch

LeBron James, Cavaliers: On Wednesday, the four-time MVP became the sixth player to record 400 regular-season games with at least 30 points, joining Michael Jordan (562), Wilt Chamberlain (515), Karl Malone (435), Kobe Bryant (431) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (429). James needs eight points to reach 29,000 for his career.

Carmelo Anthony, Thunder: Anthony needs 53 points to pass Hall of Famer and former teammate Allen Iverson (24,368) for 24th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Gregg Popovich, Spurs: The San Antonio coach enters tonight’s game against Golden State (8 p.m. ET, TNT) needing one victory to tie Phil Jackson (1,155) for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list.

Kemba Walker, Hornets: The 2017 All-Star has passed Glen Rice for the most 25-point games in franchise history (110).

– Via NBA News newsletter

NBA notes, Oct. 26, 2017

Cleveland’s Isaiah Thomas guest-starred as himself on Wednesday’s episode of Law & Order: SVU, one of his favorite television shows. “To be a part of SVU is something I’ll tell people about forever,” Thomas said.

Brooklyn is the first team to score at least 115 points in each of its first five games since the 1985-86 Pistons. The Nets have opened 3-0 at home for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

With San Antonio’s 4-0 start, coach Gregg Popovich has moved within two victories of passing Phil Jackson (1,155) for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list.

Cleveland’s LeBron James needs 75 points to become the seventh player in NBA history to reach the 29,000-point mark.

On Wednesday, 24-year-old Andre Drummond of Detroit became the second-youngest player to reach 5,000 career rebounds. Dwight Howard did it at age 23 in 2009.

— Via NBA News newsletter

The legendary Connie Hawkins has died

The Phoenix Suns have released the statement below following last night’s passing of Suns legend and Basketball Hall of Famer, Connie Hawkins.

“’The Hawk’ revolutionized the game and remains to this day an icon of the sport and one of basketball’s great innovators. His unique combination of size, grace and athleticism was well ahead of its time and his signature style of play is now a hallmark of the modern game.

A flip of the coin changed the Suns’ fortunes and he helped put Phoenix on the map as the city’s first professional sports superstar. Rightfully, he became the first Suns player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and his No. 42 hangs in the rafters at Talking Stick Resort Arena as part of our Ring of Honor.

Connie’s passion for the game was only matched by his desire to give back to the Phoenix community, a role which he played proudly as a Suns community ambassador, spreading warmth and kindness to everyone he encountered. We will miss Hawk dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends as we mourn the passing of a true Suns legend.”

Australian bball teams set to play exhibitions vs NBA squads

NBA preseason games against non-NBA opponents are always interesting, in that for the NBA team the event is a mere warmup in preparation for the regular season, while for the non-NBA team it’s a chance to win respect, gain some fame, impress their home fans, and treat the game as an important contest. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

The Sydney Kings’ team website is billing its exhibition game against the Utah Jazz Monday night at Vivint Arena as the “Match Up to end all Match Ups.”

While that’s probably overselling a contest that will take place in early October, the occasion is a historic one, as it marks the first time a team from Australia’s National Basketball League will have taken on an NBA squad.

The game is the opening act of a trio of contests between the NBA and NBL over the next two weeks that will also see Melbourne United play the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brisbane Bullets face the Phoenix Suns.

Kings head coach Andrew Gaze, a legend in Australian basketball who played in five Olympic games and had NBA stints with the old Washington Bullets and the San Antonio Spurs, is confident these contests will have a big impact on hoops in his country, regardless of what the scoreboard may say when the final buzzers sound.

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