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The Utah Jazz have assigned center Udoka Azubuike to the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team.
Azubuike (7-0, 270, Kansas) has appeared in 12 games with the Jazz this season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.1 minutes per game.
The Stars will begin their season on Wednesday, Feb. 10 against the Erie BayHawks at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.
Russell Westbrook returned to action for the Wizards, but didn’t last the full game. Via the Washington Times:
The grin across Rajon Rondo’s face was almost as large as the Atlanta Hawks’ lead.
As Russell Westbrook was ejected from the Wizards’ 116-100 loss to the Hawks, Rondo celebrated the moment by waving goodbye to the Wizards guard. Moments earlier, Rondo egged Westbrook on with a slight forearm to the chest on a boxout — leading a furious Westbrook to shove the 34-year-old guard and earn his second technical.
Despite getting three players back from coronavirus-related absences, the Wizards were blown out Friday as they fell to 3-12, the worst record in the league.
Washington drew six technicals in what was a frustrating night for the Wizards. Center Robin Lopez was also thrown out, drawing two technicals back-to-back from the bench for arguing a delay of game call in the second quarter.
Trae Young’s offense was in full effect in the win, with the Hawks guard putting up 41 points. Also for Atlanta, forward John Collins had 17 points and eight rebounds, while center Clint Capela had a double-double: 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
Although the Wizard lost, this was a step in the right direction in the health department as the team welcomed Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans and Moe Wagner back to action.
As has been the case all season, the Heat injury/inactive list is a crowded place these days. Via the Miami Herald:
The Heat, which has played without several key players during a disastrous three-week January stretch, could get Jimmy Butler back on Saturday while awaiting the return of a few other rotation players.
The Heat listed Butler as questionable for Saturday’s 8 p.m. home game against Sacramento, but there is optimism he will play. If he surprisingly doesn’t, a return appears likely by Monday at the latest. The five-time All-Star, who missed time while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, has not played since the Heat’s Jan. 9 road win over the Washington Wizards.
The Heat, which had only 10 players available in Thursday’s loss to the Clippers, listed nine others on the injury report for the Kings game
The Heat are on a five-game losing streak and are just 6-12 this season. But to judge them by that right now would be ridiculous. Duncan Robinson has played in all 18 games, and Bam Adebayo 16, but Goran Dragic 14, Kendrick Nunn 13, Tyler Herro 11, Avery Bradley eight, and Butler just six.
On a very positive note, Adebayo has having a special season, averaging 20.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent center Norvel Pelle.
Pelle (6’10”, 231) spent the 2019-20 season with the Philadelphia 76ers, originally signing a two-way contract with the team on July 2, 2019, before having his contract converted to a standard deal on Feb. 7, 2020. In 24 games off the bench, Pelle recorded averages of 2.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 9.7 minutes per game. He registered multiple blocks in 11 of the 24 games he saw action in, including a season-high four blocks on Nov. 29, 2019, at New York. He also appeared in one playoff game for the Sixers in their first round playoff series against Boston.
Per the New York Post, “the Nets have been looking for interior help since trading away center Jarrett Allen in the megadeal for James Harden. While they’ve been linked with a number of veteran Cleveland big men like Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee, those are only targets. Pelle is a Net, albeit a low-risk, high-upside flier who brings a 7–foot-3 1/2 wingspan, athleticism and rim protection.”
Prior to his NBA career, the 27-year-old played professionally for six years (2013-19), competing overseas in Italy, Lebanon and Taiwan and in the NBA G League in four stints with the Delaware Blue Coats. In 83 career NBA G League games (38 starts), Pelle averaged 8.7 points on 63.5 percent shooting from the field, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 18.1 minutes per contest and earned NBA G League All-Defensive Team honors at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
Pelle was born in Antigua and Barbuda, attended high school in California and has played for the Lebanese national team.
It’s been a rough time lately for Bradley Beal and a Wizards team that is missing a lot of key players. Yesterday’s did-not-play list included Russell Westbrook, among others. The latest struggle saw them lose 124-106 to the Pelicans last night. Via the Washington Post:
Beal more than made up for a sluggish first quarter by scoring 24 in the third quarter alone, finishing with 47 points on 17-for-37 shooting. Lopez added 14.
“We know we’re a lot better than what our record is showing, and we can’t feed into that,” Beal said. “We can’t think that’s the type of team we are — granted, reality is reality. But we also believe that we’re better than that, we’re shorthanded, we haven’t played in two weeks. We’re still getting back. It’s no excuse, 100 percent . . . but we can’t feed into being 3-11.”
Despite Beal’s effort, he couldn’t make up for a roster missing six key contributors — Deni Avdija, Davis Bertans, Troy Brown Jr., Rui Hachimura, Ish Smith and Moe Wagner. Brooks is not sure when they will get out of league protocols and rejoin the team, but all six players are now back on court and working out.
Jordan Bell, signed last week to a 10-day contract, started to give the Wizards more size against Zion Williamson and Steven Adams. But the 6-foot-8 forward could only do so much — Bell had a team-high 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.
Beal scored 47. The rest of the Wizards starting lineup yesterday scored 25.
The Pelicans continued to get monster performances from their pair of starting forwards. Brandon Ingram shot 12/19 and hit 7/12 threes for 32 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Zion Williamson shot 12/16 for 32 points.
Suns point guard Chris Paul had himself a big scoring night against his former Thunder team, scoring 32 points, but it was in a 102-97 losing effort. Via the Arizona Republic:
Blowing a 17-point lead, Phoenix succumbed to offensive fouls, a horrid stretch of 3-point shooting and Deandre Ayton scoring just five points in a 102-97 loss Wednesday night to Oklahoma City at Phoenix Suns Arena.
“Down the stretch, we had unbelievably poor finish,” said a frustrated and upset Suns coach Monty Williams. “We got open shots. We’re missing shots under the basket. It’s just poor. Poor execution and poor finishing. That’s it.”
The Suns (8-8) are 1-5 in their last six games…
Chris Paul scored a season-high 32 in his first game against the Thunder (8-9) since the trade that brought him and Abdel Nader to Phoenix, but lost to his former team that ended a five-game road trip with a stunning victory.
The Suns have been pretty good defensively this season, but surprisingly, their offense is merely average for the league so far this season.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been fined $25,000 for striking Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. in the groin area, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
The incident, for which Murray received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected, occurred with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter of the Nuggets’ 117-113 victory over the Mavericks on Jan. 25 at American Airlines Center.
Former Knicks player Harthorne Wingo has died. Via New York Newsday:
The names of the players on the last Knicks championship team, the 1972-73 squad, still echo through Madison Square Garden, with six of their jerseys hanging in the rafters. And while he was not one of the stars like Walt Frazier or Willis Reed, Harthorne Wingo was for a time nearly as familiar.
As the Knicks moved from a powerhouse to a struggling franchise, the chants of “De-fense” were swapped with a cry of “Harthorne Wingo,” for the popular 6-9 forward. The Knicks announced on Monday that Wingo passed away Saturday at the age of 73.
It was no coincidence that he captured the hearts of New Yorkers and not just for his name. Wingo, who had grown up in North Carolina, was one of the early students to integrate high schools and sports in the state. He then played a year at Friendship Junior College before deciding to move up to New York, where he displayed his athleticism on the courts at Rucker Park. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in the Rucker Pro League.
Via the New York Post:
Wingo, a North Carolina native, played four seasons with the 1970s Knicks before going overseas. Wingo was a bit player on the 1972-73 championship team playing in 13 games, averaging four minutes.
But later on, the undrafted 6-foot-6 forward became a fan favorite and was immortalized in the Beastie Boys song “Lay It On Me” with the lyric: “My favorite New York Knick was Harthorne Wingo.” …
Wingo was tall and gangly and known for an awkward jump shot that captivated fans when it actually went in. His career scoring average was 4.8 points, but he played in all 82 games in the 1974-75 season, shooting 46 percent.
Wingo’s NBA career was short, but he was well-liked and a fan favorite. He will be missed.
The NBA announced today that Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between Monday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 24.
In his fifth NBA season, it’s Embiid’s fifth career Player of the Week selection. Embiid joins Hall of Famers Charles Barkley (six times) and Allen Iverson (20) as the only players ever to earn the award at least five times as 76ers since its inception in 1979-80.
Embiid led the 76ers to a 3-0 week, with two wins over Boston and one over Detroit, producing at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in each contest. He posted no fewer than 33 points and 10 rebounds in any game. The last Philadelphia player to tally 33-10 in three straight games was Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain from Dec. 16-20, 1967.
He made 12-or-more free throws in all three games last week and attempted at least 15 in each. For the week, Embiid led the NBA with 113 total points (37.7 per game) and 43 made free throws, while shooting .611 from the field, .444 from beyond the arc and .811 from the free-throw line. On the season, Embiid’s average of 8.9 made free throws per game leads the league, while his 27.7 points per contest rank fifth and his rebounding average of 11.5 sits seventh. He, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokić are the only NBA players averaging at least 25 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
In last Wednesday’s 117-109 home win over Boston, Embiid posted 42 points (12-19 FG, 17-21 FT) and collected 10 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. It was his second 40-point game in eight days, and he, Washington’s Bradley Beal and Boston’s Jaylen Brown are the only NBA players with multiple 40-point efforts this season. Embiid is the only player to post 40 points and 10 rebounds in game this season, and he’s done so twice. He turned the ball over just once against the Celtics, the second time since 1979-80 a 76er has posted 40 points and 10 rebounds with one-or-fewer turnovers. The only other such performance was also by Embiid on March 17, 2019 at Milwaukee.
The 76ers hosted the Celtics again last Friday night to complete a two-game series. In a 122-110 victory, Embiid notched 38 points (11-15 FG, 2-2 3FG, 14-15 FT), collected 11 rebounds and handed out three assists. It was his fifth straight game (regular season or playoffs) against Boston with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, dating back to Aug. 19, 2020. Embiid and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players since 1976-77 with five straight 30-point, 10-rebound games against the Celtics.
Embiid closed out his week with a 33-point (10-20 FG, 12-17 FT), 14-rebound, two-block effort in a 114-110 win at Detroit, kicking off a two-game road series. It was his third consecutive 30-point, 10-rebound performance, marking the fourth time in his career he’s posted at least 30-10 in three-or-more straight games. The only other 76ers ever with as many such three-game streaks as Embiid are Barkley and Chamberlain. Further, it was the 50th 30-point, 10-rebound effort of Embiid’s career, a mark he reached within 223 career games. The only player to reach 50 such career games sooner than Embiid is Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, who did so in 190 contests.
Jokić wins the award for the first time this season and has now earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors seven times in his career, tying him with Alex English for the second most in franchise history.
Jokić, 25, averaged 29.0 points, 14.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.70 steals while shooting .522 from the field and .778 from the charity stripe. He helped lead the Nuggets to a 3-0 week, including a home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and back-to-back road wins over the Phoenix Suns on consecutive nights. The 3-0 week also moved Denver’s record over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Jokić started the week by registering 27 points (12-21 FG’s), 12 rebounds, six assists and one steal in a home win over the Thunder, his first career game with 27+ points, 12+ rebounds and 6+ assists in 28 minutes or less. Denver then headed to Phoenix for a back-to-back where he put up a stat-line of 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes as the Nuggets won in overtime. Jokić followed that performance up the next night with another massive game, finishing with 29 points, a career-high 22 rebounds, six assists and one steal in 42 minutes as the Nuggets prevailed in double overtime. He became one of five players all-time to record 350 points, 125 rebounds and 125 assists in the first 15 games of a season.
Jokić leads the NBA in total assists and is second in assists per game, while averaging 25.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.90 steals in 35.7 minutes. He has also produced a double-double in all 16 games, becoming one of five players since 1976 to record a double-double in each of the first 16 games (Walton, Antetokounmpo, M. Malone, D. Sabonis).
The National Basketball Association game scheduled for this Wednesday, January 27, 2021 between the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum has been postponed in accordance with the league’s Health and Safety Protocols.
The game is being postponed due to contact tracing within the Grizzlies and the length of time preceding the game during which Memphis will be unable to practice.