Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Doc Rivers will coach Team Durant in 2021 NBA All-Star Game

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers and his staff will coach Team Durant in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

With tonight’s 112-105 home victory over the Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia (20-10, .667) clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 21, earning Rivers a spot as an NBA All-Star Game head coach for the third time. He guided the Eastern Conference in the 2008 and 2011 NBA All-Star Games as the Boston Celtics’ head coach.

Each head coach in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game will lead the team that includes the captain from the same conference. Rivers and his staff will coach the All-Star team captained by the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant. As previously announced, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and his staff will coach the All-Star team captained by the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.

Rivers is in his first season as the 76ers’ head coach after spending the previous seven seasons as the LA Clippers’ head coach. He is Philadelphia’s first NBA All-Star Game head coach since Larry Brown in 2001. Rivers ranks 10th on the league’s career wins list with a record of 963-691 (.582) in 22 NBA seasons. He led the Celtics to the NBA championship in the 2007-08 season.

The 70th NBA All-Star Game is part of NBA All-Star 2021, which will be held on one night, March 7. TNT’s NBA All-Star coverage will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax, followed by the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge and MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of the NBA All-Star Game will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with AT&T Slam Dunk taking place at halftime.

Rockets sign center Justin Patton from G League

The Houston Rockets have signed Justin Patton to a two-way contract. The center had been playing in the G League for the Westchester Knicks.

After earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors for Creighton, Patton (6-11, 241) was selected with the 16th overall pick by Chicago in the 2017 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to Minnesota. He was most recently with Milwaukee during training camp prior to this season.

In 83 career G League games, Patton has averaged 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 blocks. The 23-year-old ranked fourth in the G League with 2.8 bpg last season.

Quin Snyder will coach Team LeBron in 2021 NBA All-Star Game

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and his staff will coach Team LeBron in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Guiding the Jazz to a 24-5 record through Feb. 18, the best start in franchise history, Snyder earned the right to coach the Western Conference All-Star Team by virtue of having the best record in the conference.

The Jazz currently have the best net rating in the NBA (9.5) and are the only team that rank in the top five in offensive rating (116.5) and defensive rating (106.9). The team is off to a historic three-point shooting season, having knocked down 482, the most by any team in NBA history through 29 games. Utah is also the best rebounding team in the NBA, pulling down 48.7 boards per contest and this season have posted separate win streaks of 11 (Jan. 8 – Jan. 29) and nine (Feb. 2 – pres.), also having currently won 20 of their last 21 games.

The Mercer Island, Wash., native is in his seventh season as head coach of the Utah Jazz, owning an all-time record of 295-216 (.577). He’s helped guide Utah to four-straight postseasons and over the past five seasons (2016 – pres.), the team is 217-130 (.625), which is the sixth best record in the NBA and third-best in the West during that stretch.

On Jan. 27, Snyder helped Utah to a 116-104 win over Dallas in his 500th game as Utah’s head coach and also passed Frank Layden for the second most all-time wins in franchise history on Jan. 12 with a 117-87 victory at Cleveland and is now only five wins away from his 300th career win.

Snyder is the second-ever Jazz head coach to earn Western Conference All-Star Coaching duties, joining Frank Layden who coached in the 1984 All-Star Game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named a starter for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, the league announced today. This marks the fifth straight season that Antetokounmpo has been selected as an All-Star Game starter.

Fans, media and players once again determined the starters for the All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, with fans accounting for 50% of the vote while the media and players accounted for 25% each. Among Eastern Conference frontcourt players, Antetokounmpo received the second-most fan votes, the second-most player votes and the most media votes.

In his eighth NBA season, Antetokounmpo, the league’s two-time reigning Most Valuable Player and the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 28.2 points (7th in the NBA), 11.4 rebounds (7th in the NBA), 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 56.3% from the field. He’s one of only two players in the league this season averaging 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while his 19 doubles-doubles are tied for the fifth-most and his four triple-doubles rank as the fifth-most in the NBA.

Joining Antetokounmpo as starters for the 70th NBA All-Star Game are Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets), LeBron James (LA Lakers), Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers) and Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets).

The rosters for the NBA All-Star Game will be determined through the NBA All-Star Draft, where the two team captains, Durant and James, will select from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference and make their picks without regard to conference affiliation. The reserves for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, selected by the NBA head coaches, will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

LeBron James named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter and team captain

LeBron James has been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7 in Atlanta.

James’ 17 All-Star selections are the third most in NBA history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18). James, the leading scorer in All-Star Game history (385 points), is set to extend his record for consecutive All-Star starts to 17 – a streak that began in his second NBA season, 2004-05.

As one of the NBA All-Star Game starters who led their respective conferences in fan votes during NBA All-Star Voting 2021, James will serve as a team captain for the Team LeBron vs. Team Durant matchup and draft the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET. LeBron will be serving as a team captain for the 4th year in a row.

Along with James (frontcourt), the Western Conference starter pool includes the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (guard), the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić (guard), the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić (frontcourt) and the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (frontcourt).

In the Eastern Conference, Kevin Durant (frontcourt) is joined in the starter pool by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (frontcourt), the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal (guard), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (frontcourt) and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving (guard).

Kyrie Irving named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and guard Kyrie Irving have been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Durant and the Lakers’ LeBron James will serve as team captains for the Team Durant vs. Team LeBron matchup and draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. ET.

Irving has been named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career and has been selected as a starter for the fifth time. The 2014 All-Star Game MVP has averaged 28.3 points (seventh in the league and fourth in the East), 4.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.3 minutes per game while shooting 53.4 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the free-throw line (seventh in the league) across 20 games.

Irving is currently on pace to become just the fourth player in NBA history to average 25.0 or more points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, 40.0 percent shooting from 3-point range and 90.0 percent shooting from the free-throw line, which was previously accomplished twice by Larry Bird (1986-87 and 1987-88) and once by Stephen Curry (2015-16) and Durant (2012-13).

Irving is averaging career highs in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, offensive rating (121.6), net rating (8.2) and effective field goal percentage (61.0 percent), while tallying 25 or more points 16 times this season, including seven games of 30 or more points.

Durant and Irving are the fifth and sixth Nets to ever be selected as All-Star Game starters, joining Jason Kidd (2008), Vince Carter (2005), Kenny Anderson (1994) and Derrick Coleman (1994), and just the second pair of Nets selected to start an All-Star Game together, joining Anderson and Coleman, who were selected to start the 1994 All-Star Game in Minnesota.

Kevin Durant named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter and team captain

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and guard Kyrie Irving have been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Durant and the Lakers’ LeBron James will serve as team captains for the Team Durant vs. Team LeBron matchup and draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. ET.

Durant has been named an All-Star for the 11th time in his career and an All-Star Game starter for the ninth time. He has been selected as an All-Star for the 11th straight season that he has played (2010-21), with the lone exception being the 2020 All-Star Game after he missed the 2019-20 season due to injury.

The only active player with more All-Star Game selections than Durant is LeBron James (selected for the 17th time tonight). A two-time All-Star Game MVP (2012 and 2019) who holds the second-highest scoring average in All-Star Game history (25.0 points per game), Durant has helped lead Brooklyn to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference (18-12) while registering averages of 29.0 points (sixth in the league and third in the East), 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in 35.8 minutes per game and shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from 3-point range and 86.9 percent from the free-throw line across 19 games.

Durant began the 2020-21 season by scoring 20 or more points in 17 straight games, the longest stretch of 20-point games to open a season in his career and tied for the third-longest stretch at any point in a season in Nets history.

Durant averaged 30.6 points per game through his first 15 games this season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60 with the Philadelphia Warriors) as the only players to average 30.0 points per game through their first 15 games with a new team in NBA history.

Durant and Irving are the fifth and sixth Nets to ever be selected as All-Star Game starters, joining Jason Kidd (2008), Vince Carter (2005), Kenny Anderson (1994) and Derrick Coleman (1994), and just the second pair of Nets selected to start an All-Star Game together, joining Anderson and Coleman, who were selected to start the 1994 All-Star Game in Minnesota.

Joel Embiid named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

The NBA announced today that Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers was named an Eastern Conference starter for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. It’s Embiid’s fourth consecutive All-Star selection after being named a starter in each of the past three seasons.

He’s the first 76ers player to be named a starter in four straight All-Star Games since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson started seven straight from 2000-06.

Embiid is also the seventh player in franchise history to be named an All-Star starter at least four times. The only 76ers with more starting selections are Hall of Famers Julius Erving (11), Dolph Schayes (11) and Iverson (eight).

Embiid, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are the only players to be named starters in each of the last four All-Star Games. In his fifth NBA season, Embiid has helped lead the 76ers to an Eastern Conference-best 19-10 record, holding averages of 29.7 points (fourth in the NBA, second in the East), 10.8 rebounds (12th in the NBA, seventh in the East), 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game. No player in NBA history has posted such averages for a full season.

Over his last 12 games, Embiid has scored no fewer than 25 points, joining Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Iverson as the only 76ers ever to score 25 plus in a dozen-or-more consecutive games. Over that span, Embiid is averaging 34.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .543 from the field and .400 from three-point range.

Embiid leads the league with averages of 9.7 free throws made and 11.3 free throws attempted per game. Just eight players have ever made better than 9.7 free throws per game for a full season, all Hall of Famers. His 222 made free throws are second in the NBA to Atlanta’s Trae Young, while the two are the only NBA players to make at least 200 free throws.

He and fellow 2021 All-Star starters Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokić are the only NBA players averaging at least 25 points and 10 rebounds this season. Embiid posted such averages in 2018-19 and is seeking to become the second 76er in franchise history to do so in multiple seasons, joining Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. The last 76er to average 29-plus points in a season was Iverson in 2005-06, while he and Chamberlain are the only Philadelphia players to do so.

Embiid leads the team with 20 20-point games, 12 30-point performances and two 40-point nights. His 15 double-doubles are 11th in the NBA and tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference, while his seven 30-point, 10-rebound outings are tied for the most in the NBA.

In the Eastern Conference frontcourt, Embiid finished second in media voting and third in both fan and player voting.

Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the NBA All-Star Game starters, while current NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each.

After all votes were tallied, players were ranked in each conference by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups – fan votes, player votes and media votes. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging his weighted rank from the fan votes, the player votes and the media votes. The two guards and three frontcourt players with the best score in each conference were named NBA All-Star Game starters.

TNT will announce the NBA All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 23. The head coaches of each All-Star team will be the coaches of the teams with the best record in each conference through games played on Sunday, Feb. 21.

Nikola Jokic named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter

The NBA announced today that Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has been selected as a starter for the 2021 NBA All-Star game on Sunday, Mar. 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

He becomes the first Nugget to start in an All-Star game since Carmelo Anthony in 2011 and joins Alex English and David Thompson as the only Nugget players to be selected to three straight NBA All-Star games.

Jokić, 25, is averaging 27.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.57 steals (all career-highs), while shooting .570 from the field and .402 from three in 35.9 minutes per game. He has recorded the most double-doubles (25) in the NBA this season and became just the second player since 1976 to post a double-double in each of the first 20 games of a season (B. Walton).

Among the NBA ranks, Jokić is first in PER (31.48), third in triple doubles (6), fifth in assists (8.6), sixth in steals (1.57), eighth in points (27.4) and eighth in rebounds (11.1). He is also tied for the league lead with three games of 40+ points.

Jokić won Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in December/January, averaging 27.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.80 steals while shooting .565 from the field in the month of January. It was the second time in his career he averaged at least 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting above 55.0% from the field in a month (min. 10 games) and he is the only center since 1983 to record those numbers.

On Dec. 29th at Sacramento, Jokić recorded his 44th career triple-double with 26 points (9-14 FG’s), 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes, overtaking Fat Lever for the most triple-doubles in franchise history. He now has 47 career triple-doubles, ranking him ninth all-time in NBA history. Jokić also became the first center since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 to record 50 points and 10 assists in a game after he posted a career-high 50 points (20-33 FG’s, 3-6 3FG’s, 7-7 FT’s), 12 assists, eight rebounds and three blocks in 41 minutes at Sacramento on Feb. 6th.

The Sombor, Serbia native was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 409 career games (368 starts) over six seasons with Denver, averaging 17.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.10 steals per game.

This marks the third NBA All-Star selection for Jokić and he becomes the fifth Nuggets player to be selected to three or more All-Star games (Anthony, English, Mutombo, Thompson).