Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Phoenix Suns now 6-0 in Disney NBA Restart Bubble

The final Western conference playoff spot is still in play, with multiple teams chasing it. One of those squads, the Suns, had been playing a very unspectacular NBA regular season, but then showed up to Disney Wide World of Sports for the NBA restart and decided they’re actually as good as any team in the league. Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting:

Oklahoma City led by 15 points early, but the Suns surged back to remain undefeated in seeding games, winning, 128-101, Monday at The Field House in the Orlando Bubble.

Phoenix is now 6-0 in seeding games in the NBA restart.

All-Star Devin Booker scored 35 points in three quarters to tie Walter Davis for most 30-point games in Suns history with 90 as the Suns (32-39) are now a game behind Memphis (8th place) and just a half game behind ninth-place Portland.

Ayton didn’t get the start as he missed Sunday’s COVID-19 testing window…

The Suns (32-39) led by as many as 29 in winning their sixth consecutive game, the longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season.

No matter what happens this week in regard to the West’s final postseason spot, the Suns have to be proud of their play in this restart. And Suns fans have every reason to be legitimately excited about the team’s prospects heading into next season.

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac undergoes surgery for torn ACL

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery today on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal tear. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert LaPrade.

Isaac will be out indefinitely and his return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation. He suffered the injury on August 2 during the fourth quarter of the Magic’s victory against Sacramento.

Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) has played in 34 games (32 starts) this season for Orlando, averaging 11.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.4 apg., 2.29 blkpg. and 1.56 stlpg. in 28.8 minpg.

The Magic are currently playing the Sixers. If Orlando wins, they clinch the final-remaining Eastern conference playoff spot.

Earlier today, the Nets beat the Kings, which clinched a playoff spot for the Nets.

The Magic will also clinch a playoff spot if the Wizards lose tonight.

Heat guard Kendrick Nunn reportedly temporarily leaves NBA bubble for personal reasons

The Heat on Saturday will face the Suns without the services of guard Kendrick Nunn. Here’s the Miami Herald with a report:

Heat guard Kendrick Nunn will miss Saturday’s game against Phoenix for personal reasons and has left the NBA bubble, according to multiple sources. Erik Spoelstra did not mention any issue with Nunn during a Zoom session earlier in the day.

Nunn – who previously confirmed he tested positive for COVID-19 in June – has left the bubble for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, according to a source. He’s expected back soon, according to another source, but it’s undetermined how many days he would be required to quarantine when he returns.

Length of quarantines are up to the discretion of the NBA and depend on access to testing, where a player was during his absence and other factors. Nunn is expected to have access to testing while he’s away.

The Heat are currently 4th in the Eastern conference, one game above the 5-feed Pacers.

Nunn has started all 66 games he’s played this season, averaging 15.2 points and 3.3 assists.

The Heat are an unusual team in that their starting forwards average far more assists per game than their starting guards. But Nunn’s scoring and overall hustle is important.

We’ll presume that Nunn is expected to return sometime soon, since the playoffs aren’t far away. But there’s no official concrete info from the Heat on this just yet.

Dwyane Wade to try his hand as a game show host

Retired NBA players need things to do. Talking about basketball on TV or the radio is an obvious move. But there’s a world of business and entertainment to test the waters of as well. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

Just when you thought Dwyane Wade has done it all, the retired Miami Heat icon offers yet another spin move.

Fashion guru? Check. NBA television analyst? Check. Vintner? Check.

And now? Game show host.

Moving into a role where he will be the one passing out the cash (quite the contrast from the summer of 2016 and that ugly spat with Pat Riley), Wade will executive produce and host an American spinoff of the British game show, The Cube, for WarnerMedia.

The show will feature contestants performing various competitions within a confined cube. And if they need help, the Heat’s all-time leading scorer will be there to assist.

D-Wade continues to show versatility. Just not in the ways people expected.

Multiple Jazz stars will miss Friday game vs Spurs

Friday at 1 p.m. ET, the Jazz face the Spurs. But Utah will do so while giving plenty of rest to a number of key players. Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting:

Of course, with Thursday afternoon’s injury report, we may surmise that where the Jazz are going is to an immediate loss against the Spurs on Friday morning.

After all, with four starters — Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Royce O’Neale — slated to sit out due to rest, left peroneal (ankle tendon) strain, right knee soreness, and right calf soreness, respectively, defeating even ninth-place San Antonio would take some doing.

Anyway, that’s the bad news. Now, a look back at the previous pretty good, really bad, somewhat less bad, and somewhat kind of good news …

After the Jazz opened up with a win against the Pelicans, some observers wondered if Utah was potentially capable of securing the Western Conference’s postseason No. 3 seed. Then, after back-to-back losses to the Thunder (wholly dispiriting) and Lakers (merely disappointing), the panic brigade began disseminating widespread missives on the inevitability of the seventh seed. And after a victory over the Grizzlies that was discouraging for how competitive it was, but also encouraging for the signs of progress evident within, the general assessment of the Jazz now is …

Who knows?

Leading scorers for the Jazz this season:
Donovan Mitchell 24.0 PPG
Bojan Bogdanovic 20.2
Rudy Gobert 15.1
Jordan Clarkson 15.0
Mike Conley 14.4

And for the Spurs:
DeMar DeRozan 22.2 PPG
LaMarcus Aldridge 18.9
Patty Mills 11.6
Bryn Forbes 11.2
Derrick White 11.0

With the Jazz also without Bojan Bogdanovic (injured), this is a good opportunity for the Spurs to snag a win and keep their playoff hopes alive. But they face an uphill battle in a crowded West.

Meanwhile, Utah sits 4th in the West and already clinched a postseason spot.

Pacers fall to red-hot Suns, who have won four straight games

The Suns are hot. And not just because their team name is “the Suns.” And not because they’re in Florida in the summertime. But because they’re winning a lot lately. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on Pacers play today in the Disney NBA bubble:

[The Indiana Pacers are] 3-1 and were held well under their 119.3 scoring average in their first three games, 114-99.

T.J. Warren (16 points, 11 rebounds) couldn’t keep up his torrid scoring pace against the team that traded him to Indiana last summer for cash considerations. He missed his first 4 shots and then went 6-for-8 before foul trouble cooled him off in the third quarter. He had been averaging 39+ points per game in the “bubble.”

Devin Booker (20 points, 10 assists) and DeAndre Ayton (23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks) were the primary threats, though the Pacers took a 75-72 lead on Justin Holiday’s 3. Cameron Payne (15 points) did them in during a 21-0 run.

It wasted a strong effort from Malcolm Brogdon (game-high 25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) for Indiana.

In the win for the Suns, center Deandre Ayton had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, Devin Booker had 20 points and 10 assists, Dario Saric had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, Cameron Payne scored 15 off the bench, and starting forward Cameron Johnson had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

With Jimmy Butler out, Heat fall to Bucks

Playing without Jimmy Butler and getting outscored by 20 points in the 4th against a team like the Bucks is a pretty solid recipe for losing a basketball game. And that’s what the Heat did, falling 130-116 to a Bucks team that has now clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern conference. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on Butler but also guard Goran Dragic, who missed the game as well:

Butler has now missed two consecutive games. Coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to Thursday’s game there has already been an X-ray and MRI done on Butler’s injured foot, and “at this point, it’s rest and recovery.”

“Jimmy, his foot is sore,” Spoelstra said. “We want to make sure that he’s feeling like he did even a week ago.”

Meanwhile, Dragic limped off the court with 5.2 seconds to play in Tuesday’s victory over the Boston Celtics after landing awkwardly on his left ankle. The Heat announced later that night that an X-ray on his injured ankle returned negative.

“Goran, obviously you saw at the end of the game with a sprained ankle,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Moving around a lot better, had a really good day yesterday and today of treatment.”

In the win for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 33 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, though he did commit six turnovers. Khris Middleton also scored 33 points, plus six rebounds and an impressive eight assists. While Brook Lopez added 17 points.

In the loss for the Heat, Duncan Robinson shot well for 21 points, as did Tyler Herro who had 20 off the bench.

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. suffers season-ending knee injury

The Memphis Grizzlies today provided the following medical update on Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr.:

In Monday’s game against the Pelicans, Jaren Jackson Jr. experienced an unstable landing after making contact with an opposing player while contesting a shot. Subsequent medical evaluation revealed a meniscus tear in his left knee, which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.

Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “it’s the same knee he injured on Feb. 21 against the Lakers that caused him to miss nine games.”

The Grizzlies have lost their first three games at the Disney NBA bubble for the season restart. They’re currently 8th in the Western conference, but the Trail Blazers and Spurs are just two game behind them in the standings.

Per ESPN.com, “the eighth and ninth-place teams in the West will play against one another in a play-in tournament later this month at the conclusion of the eight seeding games — assuming there are four games or fewer between the two teams, something that is all but guaranteed to happen now.”

Jackson Jr. is one of the team’s key young stars. His season average is 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, shooting 46.9% FG and 39.4% from three-point range.

The team being without him puts even more pressure on the shoulders of star rookie guard Ja Morant.

Jazz show life but fall to Lakers, 116-108

Monday night on national TV, the Jazz faced the Lakers, and hung around, but Anthony Davis’ dominance was too much to handle. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

For exactly 30 minutes on Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Disney World, the Utah Jazz looked like a completely different team from the one that was altogether befuddled in a 16-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Saturday.

The new week brought a new Jazz squad, as they were aggressive in getting into the lane, moving the ball and they caught some fire from distance in the second quarter after an 0-for-9 start in the first.

But then suddenly at the midway point of the third quarter, the wheels came off. Up by four at 71-67, Utah surrendered a 14-0 run in less than five minutes, and the new double-digit deficit was too much to overcome in an eventual 116-108 loss.

The defeat moved the Jazz to 42-25 overall on the season and 1-2 during the NBA’s restart in Orlando.

And the Salt Lake Tribune:

What are the Jazz playing for here, exactly?

After tonight’s loss, they’re now in fifth, half a game below the Houston Rockets for the four seed. That means they’d play the Rockets again in the playoffs in the first round, if things started today.

Normally, you’d say that they’re playing for home court positioning. But everyone’s playing in Orlando this year, and I have a hard time believing that the virtual fans are making the Jazz play better or worse. Sorry, virtual fans. The Jazz’s home-court advantage is usually one of the best — if not the best — in the NBA, but it simply won’t matter this year.

So given that, the only reason the Jazz are playing right now is to

A) avoid the seventh seed, which would mean playing the Clippers in the first round

B) figure things out so that they can play well in the playoffs while staying healthy

C) find the best matchup they can in the first round and throughout the playoffs

And the OC Register:

The Lakers (51-15) are a better team when Davis is a focal point. And while LeBron James (22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) got in on the action, particularly in the fourth quarter, it was no coincidence that Davis’ most assertive game so far in the restart was also the Lakers’ most convincing win.

The added emphasis on getting Davis rolling early was part coaching script, part teammates feeding him, and part Davis himself, feeling unsatisfied after his 14-point effort two nights before.

“I have to play better basketball than I did to help the team win,” Davis said. “Even though I was making the right plays, I still have to be aggressive. I didn’t like the way I performed. … So it was a collective effort to come out more aggressive.”

In the win for the Lakers, Davis shot 13/28 for 42 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals, while LeBron James shot 9/16 for 22 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

In the loss, Donovan Mitchell shot 9/22 plus 11/12 free throws for 33 points, while Mike Conley hit 8/17 shots for 24 points and eight assists. But 21 turnovers and just 10 combined points from their starting forwards made it tough for Utah.

Almost every key Nets player will miss Tuesday’s game vs Bucks

The Nets will be without an extraordinary number of players tomorrow in their game against a Bucks team that boasts the best record in the NBA. But somebody has to suit up. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Add Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen to the Nets’ already lengthy injury report.

LeVert (thigh contusion), Harris (hamstring and back tightness) and Allen, who is out due to “unusual circumstances,” will all sit out when the Nets play the league-best Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Reminder: This team is already without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince and Wilson Chandler. That means against Milwaukee, the Nets will lack their top eight scorers…

The Nets have also yet to make a decision on Jamal Crawford, who has yet to play a scrimmage or a game for the team in the Orlando bubble. Vaughn said the performance team will make a decision Tuesday morning.

They could trot out a starting lineup of Chris Chiozza, Garrett Temple, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Justin Anderson and Rodions Kurucs. All of those players, except the veteran Temple, saw time in the G-League this season.

The Nets are currently in 8th place in the Eastern conference, and as short-handed as they are, it would take a small miracle for the 9th place Wizards — who are also missing star players — to go on a big-enough run to swipe that 8th spot.