Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Trail Blazers to keep Carmelo Anthony for remainder of 2019-20 NBA season

The Portland Trail Blazers have amended the contract of forward Carmelo Anthony to be fully guaranteed for the 2019-20 season.

In eight games (all starts) since signing with the Trail Blazers on Nov. 19, Anthony, 35, has averaged 16.9 points (44.8% FG, 38.7% 3-PT, 86.4% FT), 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Anthony (6-8, 240) was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 1 after averaging 22.3 points (57.4% FG, 45.5% 3-PT, 88.9% FT), 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while helping Portland to a 3-0 record.

Bulls forward Otto Porter out at least two more weeks

 

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Chicago Bulls small forward Otto Porter Jr. has only played nine games this season and hasn’t played since November 6, and today it was confirmed by the team that he will miss at least a few more weeks.

An MRI on Porter’s left foot this Wednesday revealed continued bone edema.

Following a brief period of immobilization, Porter will engage in a program of non-impact activities and targeted therapy.

In two weeks, he will be examined again, and his status updated.

This season for the 8-14 Bulls, Porter in nine games, all as a starter, is averaging just 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 25.1 minutes per outing.

The team is being led in scoring by Zach LaVine at 22.5 points per game, but no other Bull is scoring as much as 14 PPG.

Chicago’s defense has been above average this NBA season, but their offense has been one of the least efficient in the league.

Marvin Bagley should return soon for Kings

Following his six-week evaluation by the team’s medical staff today, Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III (right thumb fracture) has been cleared to resume full-contact basketball activities.

Bagley will be listed as day-to-day moving forward.

This is great news for the Kings, who are still awaiting the return of point guard De’Aaron Fox.

Good game by Richaun Holmes in Kings loss to Blazers

 

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The Kings fell to the Trail Blazers 127-116 in Portland yesterday, but a bright spot for Sacramento was the play of big-man Richaun Holmes.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee:

The Kings (8-12) were playing without guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who joined point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Marvin Bagley III on the injured list. Bogdanovic was held out with a right knee contusion, but his left hamstring injury was improving, the team said. He is listed as day-to-day.

C.J. McCollum scored 33 points, Hassan Whiteside turned in a monster performance and Carmelo Anthony had another big game for the Blazers (9-13). Damian Lillard had 24 points and 10 assists. Whiteside put up 22 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots. Anthony finished with 20 points.

Richaun Holmes had a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost 12 in a row in Portland since posting their last win there on Dec. 8, 2012. Buddy Hield scored 23 points. Nemanja Bjelica had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Holmes shot 11 of 14 as the starting center in this game.

The Kings are now 8-12 for the season. They’ve only had Marvin Bagley in action for one game, and De’Aaron Fox for nine. Neither player is ready to return just yet.

In battle of East contenders, Celtics beat Heat 112-93

In a must-watch game of upper Eastern conference teams Wednesday, the Boston Celtics handed the Miami Heat a loss.

The Boston Herald had this to say:

Miami came in with a homewrecking reputation. The Heat was the first road team to win in Milwaukee and Toronto this year — the latter on Tuesday night.

And when the Celtics fell behind by 11 points in the second quarter last night, the locals appeared headed down a familiar path. Ultimately, they remain undefeated at home.

By the time Jaylen Brown had hit his sixth 3-pointer with just under six minutes left last night, though, the threat was cleared away. The Celtics beat Miami, 112-93, with the wing forward scoring a season-high 31 points — one shy of tying his career high. Brown also spent most of his night chasing and being chased by Miami’s Jimmy Butler.

The latter, who has led the Heat’s hot start, led both sides with 37 points and six 3-pointers.

The best East teams early this season have been the Bucks, followed in no particular order by the Raptors, Celtics, Sixers and Heat. Anytime any of these teams play each other is must-watch. And once the Pacers have Victor Oladipo back in action, they’ll be in that mix as well. They’re almost there right now.

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke out with sore oblique muscle

 

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The Memphis Grizzlies will be without forward Brandon Clarke on a week-to-week basis, the team announced yesterday.

In the first half of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Clarke aggravated a sore left oblique muscle, and was out for the remainder of the game.

Already playing without star rookie guard Ja Morant (back spasms), the Grizzlies, who have a 6-14 record through Tuesday’s games, will miss Clarke while he’s out.

Coming off the bench for 16 out of 18 games played, the 6-foot-8, 215-pounder is averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per outing. He’s currently leading all rookies in boards per game.

Wizards center Thomas Bryant out with foot injury

The Washington Wizards will be without starting center Thomas Bryant while he recovers from a stress reaction in his right foot.

Bryant started experiencing pain in his foot after the team’s December 1 road game against the Clippers.

The team says Bryant will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

With point guard John Wall out with a long-term injury, the Wizards are 6-12 this season and don’t look like a contender to make the playoffs. They’re getting an impressive 28.0 points per game from shooting guard Bradley Beal, with Bryant second at 12.8 PPG. But what’s interesting is, as a group the team’s offense has been one of the most efficient in the NBA. The issue is defense, and the Wizards are last in the entire NBA in that department.

Losing Bryant also means the team loses their only strong rebounder. He’s first on the squad at 8.5 RPG, while no other Wizards players are even grabbing 6 RPG.

It’s possible that rookie forward Rui Hachimura, who really does belong at the forward spot, will see some minutes at center while Bryant is out.

Shane Larkin wins EuroLeague MVP for month of November, 2019

Guard Shane Larkin played four NBA seasons, averaging 5.5 points and 2.9 assists per game while playing first for the Mavericks, then the Knicks, Nets and Celtics. These days, he’s doing big things overaseas.

Euroleaguebasketball.net today reported the following: “His was a perfect month of basketball. And by the time that Shane Larkin capped it off with a new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague scoring record, there was no doubt that the 27-year-old Anadolu Efes Istanbul guard was the only choice for MVP of November. Larkin, a 1.83-meter force of nature, was unstoppable as Efes won all five games to finish November holding first place exclusively. His totals of 131 points and 154 in performance index rating were unprecedented for a single month, and his fireworks display to end November put him firmly in the record books.”

Allen Crabbe undergoes non-surgical knee procedure

 

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Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Allen Crabbe underwent a non-surgical right knee procedure today.

He won’t play in tomorrow’s game against the Nets. But could return fairly soon, since the procedure didn’t involve surgery.

But Crabbe hasn’t played much this season: ten games, one start, averaging a modest 5.3 points in 18.9 minutes per outing.

A second round pick in 2013, Crabbe began his NBA career with the Trail Blazers, and in his third season started averaging double-digit points. He did that in his 4th season as well, then put up 13.2 points per game for the Nets in 2017-18, but injuries took their tole and it’s unclear if he ever fully recovered.

The wait continues.

The Hawks, enjoying a fine season from second-year star guard Trae Young but they’ve been playing without talented big-man John Collins (25-game suspension) and are just 5-16 this season.