Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

NBA scrimmage schedule, with TV listings for the scrimmages on NBATV

NBA scrimmages begin today, with different teams scrimmaging against each other. It’s sort of like the NBA restart version of a preseason.

They will be televised on either NBA TV or NBA League Pass. See below.

First, the complete dates, times and team matchups for the scrimmages:

THE NBA TV SCRIMMAGE SCHEDULE

These are the 16 scrimmages (games, basically) that will be televised on NBATV.

All times Eastern (ET).

Wednesday, July 22

Orlando Magic vs. LA Clippers (3 p.m.)

Washington Wizards vs. Denver Nuggets (5 p.m. — Tape Delayed)

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Brooklyn Nets (7 p.m.)

Sacramento Kings vs. Miami Heat (9 p.m. — Tape Delayed)

Thursday, July 23

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Indiana Pacers (3:30 p.m.)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7 p.m.)

Friday, July 24

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Boston Celtics (5 p.m.)

Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, July 25

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Orlando Magic (Noon)

Miami Heat vs. Utah Jazz (4 p.m.)

Sunday, July 26

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Noon)

Indiana Pacers vs. Dallas Mavericks (4 p.m.)

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Toronto Raptors (6 p.m.)

Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8 p.m.)

Monday, July 27

Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers (3 p.m.)

Utah Jazz vs. Brooklyn Nets (5:30 p.m.)

From http://www.insidehoops.com

Tuesday, July 28

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Miami Heat (2 p.m.)

San Antonio Spurs vs. Indiana Pacers (4 p.m.)

Kings forward Marvin Bagley out with foot injury

During an intra-squad scrimmage on July 19, Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III sustained a right foot injury. Evaluation of his MRI results by a foot specialist today confirmed a lateral right foot sprain.

The team has decided to hold Bagley III out for the remainder of the season.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee:

This represents the latest setback for a player who has appeared in only 75 games over two seasons since the Kings selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft following his freshman year at Duke. His second season has been especially difficult for the 21-year-old big man.

Bagley missed 22 games after breaking his thumb in the season opener against the Phoenix Suns in October. His return to action lasted only eight games before he suffered a left midfoot sprain that caused him to miss 29 of the last 33 games before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the 2019-20 season, Bagley III has accrued averages of 14.2 points (.467 FG%, .806 FT%), 7.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 25.7 minutes per game in 13 games (6 starts) for the Kings during the 2019-20 season.

In EuroLeague news, Jordan Mickey signs with Khimki Moscow Region

Here’s Euroleague.net reporting on Jordan Mickey:

Khimki Moscow Region and center Jordan Mickey are together again after the sides put pen to paper on a new one-year contract on Tuesday. Mickey (2.03 meters, 25 years old) arrives from Real Madrid, where he averaged 9.0 points on 67.7% two-point shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season. He also helped Los Blancos win the Spanish Copa del Rey title.

Mickey played briefly in the NBA between 2015-18, suiting up for the Celtics and Heat, for a career average of 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Grizzlies forward Justise Winslow done for season with hip injury

During Monday’s practice, Memphis Grizzlies forward Justise Winslow fell after absorbing contact during an intra-squad scrimmage. Medical evaluation revealed a hip injury, which will cause him to miss the rest of the season.

Winslow is expected to make a full recovery, the team says.

Injuries have wrecked his season. After being traded by the Heat to the Grizzlies in February, Winslow has yet to suit up for Memphis.

Today, Winslow tweeted the following: “Last night during a scrimmage, I experienced a contact injury in my hip that unfortunately will keep me out until next season. I was excited to join my brothers on the court & will be supporting them throughout. I’m focused on coming back 100% towards a full recovery.”

The Grizzlies, who at 32-33 are 8th in the Western conference, are one of 22 teams the NBA has included in their restart plan. League scrimmages begin this week, and “seeding games” for the playoffs start next Thursday, July 30.

The latest test results on NBA players for coronavirus / COVID-19

Of the 346 players tested for COVID-19 on the NBA campus since test results were last announced on July 13, zero have returned confirmed positive tests.

In the event that a player on the NBA campus returns a confirmed positive test in the future, he will be isolated until he is cleared for leaving isolation under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association.

Orlando Magic reportedly lay off 31 full-time employees

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting that dozens of Magic employees recently lost their jobs:

The Orlando Magic acknowledged Saturday the organization has laid off 31 full-time employees from a staff of about 300 workers.

Magic CEO Alex Martins said in a statement that the franchise, like many organizations across the country, had to take cost-cutting measures due to the adverse financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The layoffs were first reported by The Athletic.

“Our business, as well as many others like us, are significantly impacted due to COVID-19. We have had to make some very difficult business decisions in these unprecedented times. Due to this reality we have had to make the very hard decision to evaluate our overall structure, reorganize and reduce our headcount,” Martins wrote…

In mid-March, the Magic ownership group — the DeVos family — funded a $2 million compensation package to pay 1,800 hourly workers for the Magic, Amway Center, Lakeland Magic and Orlando Solar Bears for remaining regular-season games those part-time employees otherwise would have worked.

Full Article

Nets sign Justin Anderson as Substitute Player for NBA restart

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Justin Anderson as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.

The Nets are incredibly short-handed going into the NBA restart, which tips off July 30 at the single-location NBA campus at Disney Wide World of Sports in Florida, with 22 participating teams.

Anderson (6’5”, 231) was previously signed to a 10-day contract with Brooklyn on Jan. 6 and appeared in three games. He also saw action in 16 games (14 starts) this season with Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, averaging a team-high 20.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.6 minutes per game en route to All-NBA G League Third Team honors.

The Montross, Va., native has appeared in 219 games across five NBA seasons with Dallas (2015-17), Philadelphia (2017-18), Atlanta (2018-19) and Brooklyn (2020), recording averages of 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per contest. He has also seen action in 38 career NBA G League games, registering averages of 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.5 minutes per game.

With a 30-34 record, the Nets sit 7th in the Eastern conference, above the 8th place Magic and 9th place Wizards. Although Orlando is a healthy squad, the Wizards are without backcourt stars John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Nets face a tough road during the “seeding games” they’ll be playing, but the Wizards, who are 5.5 games out of the 8th spot, face an incredibly difficult task.

Anderson was originally selected by the Mavericks with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft following a three-year (2012-15) collegiate career at the University of Virginia. While playing for the Cavaliers, Anderson earned National Basketball Coaches Association All-America Third Team honors and was named to the All-ACC Second Team as a junior. He was also named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as a sophomore.

NBA news: Wizards sign Jarrod Uthoff as Substitute Player

The Washington Wizards today signed forward Jarrod Uthoff (pronounced “YOU-toff”) as a substitute player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Uthoff (6-9, 221) spent most of the season with the Memphis Hustle (the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate), where he appeared in 34 games (all starts) and averaged 18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34.9 minutes. The 26-year-old was also named to the Western Conference Midseason All-NBA G League Team in February. Uthoff saw limited action in four games with the Memphis Grizzlies after signing a 10-day contract on Feb. 27.

His previous NBA stop included a nine-game stint with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2016-17 season, where he averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.8 minutes. Uthoff originally went undrafted out of the University of Iowa in 2016, where he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team as a senior.

Zion Williamson leaves NBA Disney restart campus to attend family matter

Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson departed Orlando this morning to attend to an urgent family medical matter. He intends to rejoin the team in Orlando for the NBA restart at a later date.

“We fully support Zion’s decision to leave the NBA campus to be with his family,” said Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “Out of respect for the Williamson family, we will have no further comment at this time.”

Spurs forward Trey Lyles out for remainder of season

San Antonio Spurs forward Trey Lyles underwent an appendectomy earlier today in Orlando, Fla.

In his first year with San Antonio, Lyles averaged 6.4 points to go along with a career-high 5.7 rebounds while shooting a career-best .387 from the three-point line. The fifth-year forward had appeared in all 63 games thus far and made 53 starts.

Lyles will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season.