Enjoy this video of the best fairly recent NBA Christmas Day dunks:
Category: NBA News Blog
NBA news blog
Bradley Beal returns, but Wizards lose 10th straight game
The good news is, Bradley Beal is back in action for the Washington Wizards. The bad news is, his return couldn’t prevent the team from losing their 10th game in a row. Via the Washington Post:
Sunday’s game ended with drama appropriate of a Hollywood script, but the Lakers emerged as the heroes. They prevailed, 119-117, to hand Washington its 10th straight loss, making it 41 days since the Wizards have won on the road.
A back-and-forth thriller in the fourth quarter came down to one scrambled possession.
James had the ball just inside the half-court line when Deni Avdija and Kuzma trapped him in a double team, forcing a turnover out of James that he ended up sending off Kuzma’s leg. A scramble for the ball ended up with James recovering and getting the ball to former Wizard Thomas Bryant for a smooth, go-ahead dunk with less than eight seconds to play. Kuzma missed a desperation three-pointer on the other end to end it.
“I felt like they were not at our level,” a visibly agitated Kristaps Porzingis said, trying to find his words. “We just lost the game. Obviously LeBron did his thing and played well, but — some mental mistakes from us. I don’t know what to say. It’s tough, it’s tough, it’s tough. But, yeah, we’re going to get out of it.
“If [Kuzma’s three-pointer] went in, it would have been a completely different movie. Nobody wants to be in this position, but we’re going to have to find a way out, to dig our way out of this.”
The Wizards are 11-20 this season, which ties them with the Orlando Magic for the 12th best record in the Eastern conference.
Celtics’ Al Horford fined by NBA
Boston Celtics forward-center Al Horford has been fined $25,000 for making unnecessary and excessive contact to the lower body of Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
The contact, for which Horford was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, occurred with 10:39 remaining in the third quarter of Boston’s 117-109 loss to Orlando on Dec. 16 at TD Garden.
Anthony Davis exits early in Lakers win over Nuggets
Via the OC Register:
The start of the second half featured a concerning moment for Lakers fans everywhere: Anthony Davis didn’t come back out on the court.
Teammates, coaches and team officials have tied the success of the franchise to Davis’ high performance and good health – which has been seen too infrequently over the past two years. Davis sitting out the second half Friday night against the Denver Nuggets with a right foot injury struck as an ill omen.
Except something funny happened: It didn’t slow down the Lakers.
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, the two stars who have often seemed like a clunky on-court fit, powered a surprising 126-108 victory against the Nuggets, the third-place team in the Western Conference. After two disappointing overtime losses in their previous three games against high-level opponents, the Lakers (12-16) came out hungry and hustling, in spite of a size advantage that never really became an issue.
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham undergoes season-ending surgery
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham underwent surgery on Friday, December 16 to stabilize and promote complete healing of a left tibial stress fracture.
The surgery was performed by Dr. David Porter and Dr. Mark Ritter of Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics (Carmel, IN) in consultation with team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Moutzouros of Henry Ford Health, who was also present.
The 6-foot-6 guard is expected to miss the remainder of the season with doctors anticipating a recovery and return to full basketball activities this offseason.
Per the Detroit Free Press, “the 2021 No. 1 overall pick was initially shut down for five games after Nov. 9 for what the team characterized as “shin soreness,” but there was suspicion a stress fracture was the cause of the underlying soreness Cunningham had been dealing with for an extended period of time. He averaged 19.9 points on poor efficiency (41.5% on field goals, 27.9% on 3-pointers) with 6.2 rebounds and six assists a game in 12 appearances this season.”
Celtics center Robert Williams set to make season debut
Boston Celtics center Robert Williams, who has not played yet this season, per multiple reports, plans to make his 2022-23 debut this Friday against the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics boast a league-best 22-7 record through Wednesday’s games. They’re being led in scoring by Jayson Tatum at 30.2 PPG, Jaylen Brown at 26.6 PPG, and Malcolm Brogdon at 13.9 PPG.
At 9-20, the Magic have the 3rd worst record in the NBA, but they’re playing well lately and are riding a four-game winning streak.
Hawks center Clint Capela out with calf strain
Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela, who suffered a right calf injury during the fourth quarter of last night’s game at Orlando, underwent an MRI earlier today in Charlotte. The MRI revealed a right calf strain.
Capela is expected to miss approximately one to two weeks and his return to play will be updated as appropriate.
Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber injured with hamstring tear
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber suffered a tear of his right hamstring at practice on Tuesday, December 13.
Treatment options are being considered.
At this time, there is no timetable for Kleber’s return and updates will be given when appropriate.
Pistons guard Cade Cunningham to undergo season-ending surgery
Via the Detroit Free Press:
Cade Cunningham made the right decision for himself and for the Detroit Pistons. But that doesn’t mean it was an easy decision.
Cunningham, who will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left shin later this week, took a few weeks to make the biggest decision of his young NBA career. He had been dealing with shin soreness off and on since at least last season, but the team didn’t suspect there was a more severe cause until it flared up again toward the start of this season. There was a chance his shin would’ve healed after an extended period of rest, but surgery should ultimately fix the issue for good.
Cunningham will miss the rest of the season. His final game came Nov. 9, and he only played in 12 games before the team decided to shut him down. It’s an unfortunate development for a rebuilding Pistons team that expected to be better this season, with Cunningham, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021, leading the way. While they don’t anticipate Cunningham’s surgery negatively impacting their rebuild long term, they will have to navigate the near future without him.
Charlotte Hornets to honor Paul Silas with a commemorative patch
The Charlotte Hornets announced today the team’s plans to honor the legacy of former head coach Paul Silas, who passed away during the weekend.
Prior to Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit, the Hornets will hold a moment of silence and show a video tribute in recognition of Silas.
Starting with tomorrow’s game and throughout the remainder of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Hornets coaching staff will have a commemorative “Silas” patch on the left sleeve of the pullovers they wear on the bench. The commemorative black patch is in the shape of the traditional Hornets cell pattern with the pattern’s outline and the “Silas” wordmark in teal.
ABOUT PAUL SILAS
Paul Silas spent eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets across two different stints with the franchise. During his first tenure, in which he spent two-and-a-half seasons as an assistant coach before becoming interim head coach to conclude the 1998-99 season, he posted a record of 161-120 (.573). In each of his three full seasons, the Hornets won at least 44 games and made the playoffs, advancing to the second round in both 2000-01 and 2001-02. He returned to Charlotte to once again become interim head coach during the 2010-11 season and remained the team’s head coach in 2011-12.
Silas ranks third in franchise history in games coached (401), games won (193) and winning percentage (.481), and is the all-time leader in each of the three categories for playoff games with an overall record of 11-12 (.478) in 23 games total. He is the only head coach in franchise history to lead the team to three playoff appearances and two Eastern Conference Semifinals appearances. The team’s three straight playoff berths from 1999-2000 through 2001-02 is the only time in franchise history that the Hornets have gone to the playoffs in three straight seasons.
Following four years at Creighton in which he became one of only five players in NCAA history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in his college career, Silas played 16 seasons in the NBA, where he was a three-time NBA Champion (1973-74 Celtics, 1975-76 Celtics and 1978-79 SuperSonics) and a two-time NBA All-Star (1971-72 and 1974-75). He retired after the 1979-80 season and immediately became head coach of the San Diego Clippers, spending three seasons in the role. In 12 seasons overall as an NBA head coach, Silas had a career record of 387-488 (.442).