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Larry Nance Jr., who fractured the second metacarpal on his left hand in last night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, had successful surgery today to repair the fracture. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steven S. Shin.
Nance Jr. is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
The third-year pro started all eight games this season, with averages of 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
Despite their loss of Gordon Hayward at the start of the season, the Celtics are off to an excellent start. And they’re about to get better as new addition Marcus Morris is ready to make his season debut. Here’s ESPN Boston reporting:
Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris will make his 2017-18 season debut during Friday night’s visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morris, acquired this summer in a swap that sent Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons, missed the start of Boston’s training camp while on trial for aggravated assault in Arizona. He played in only one exhibition game after being acquitted and the team held him out of game action at the start of the regular season while Morris both got himself in better shape and battled knee soreness.
“Very excited, man,” Morris said at Boston’s shootaround Friday morning. “This will be a good game for me to come back, anyway. I’m excited to come back.”
Boston, which has won six consecutive games since an 0-2 start, leads the NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing 95.1 points per 100 possessions. During the winning streak, the Celtics are permitting 90.0 points per game.
Toronto visits Utah on Friday, Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass. The Raptors and Jazz had an NBA-high seven international players each on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season (active and inactive).
The LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin has made at least two three-pointers in all seven games this season. He did it nine times all of last season, appearing in 61 games.
In Indiana’s first four wins of the season, Domantas Sabonis shot 28-of-29 from the field (96.6 percent). The Pacers are now 5-3 and riding a three-game winning streak.
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell finished with 28 points off the bench in Wednesday’s overtime victory over Portland, the highest-scoring game by a Jazz rookie reserve in 37 years.
— Via NBA News newsletter
LeBron James, Cavaliers: On Wednesday, the four-time MVP became the sixth player to record 400 regular-season games with at least 30 points, joining Michael Jordan (562), Wilt Chamberlain (515), Karl Malone (435), Kobe Bryant (431) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (429). James needs eight points to reach 29,000 for his career.
Carmelo Anthony, Thunder: Anthony needs 53 points to pass Hall of Famer and former teammate Allen Iverson (24,368) for 24th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Gregg Popovich, Spurs: The San Antonio coach enters tonight’s game against Golden State (8 p.m. ET, TNT) needing one victory to tie Phil Jackson (1,155) for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list.
Kemba Walker, Hornets: The 2017 All-Star has passed Glen Rice for the most 25-point games in franchise history (110).
– Via NBA News newsletter
Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward Jarell Martin.
Martin (6-10, 239) has started six of his seven appearances this season and averaged 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.29 blocks in 23.9 minutes, all career highs. Selected with the 25th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Louisiana State University, the Baton Rouge native has competed in 76 career games (nine starts) with the Grizzlies and averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.5 minutes.
In addition, the 23-year-old has appeared in 32 games (25 starts) in two seasons with the NBA G League’s Iowa Energy (now Wolves) and averaged 15.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 28.4 minutes.
Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward Jarell Martin. Martin is now signed through the 2018-19 season.
Martin (6-10, 239) has started six of his seven appearances this season and averaged 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.29 blocks in 23.9 minutes, all career highs. Selected with the 25th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Louisiana State University, the Baton Rouge native has competed in 76 career games (nine starts) with the Grizzlies and averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.5 minutes.
In addition, the 23-year-old has appeared in 32 games (25 starts) in two seasons with the NBA G League’s Iowa Energy (now Wolves) and averaged 15.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 28.4 minutes.
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the team has exercised the third-year options on the contracts of guard-forward Ben Simmons, forward Dario Šarić and guard-forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, as well as the fourth-year option on the contract of guard-forward Justin Anderson.
By exercising their options, these players will be under contract with the Sixers for the 2018-19 season.
Simmons, the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, is in the midst of his first NBA season. He became just the third player ever to post a triple-double within the first four games of his career when he registered 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Detroit on Oct. 23. The Australia native began his career with double-doubles in his first four games as he was the first player to do so since Shaquille O’Neal notched double-doubles in his first 11 career contests in 1992-93.
Šarić, who was acquired by Philadelphia in a draft-night trade in 2014 after being selected 12th overall by the Orlando Magic, joined teammate Joel Embiid on the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team a season ago, after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his debut season, the Croatia native played in 81 games (36 starts) and averaged 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He was the 11th rookie in franchise history to score at least 1,000 points (1,068) and the first foreign-born member of the group.
Luwawu-Cabarrot was drafted by the Sixers with the 24th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. He went on to appear in 69 games (19 starts), averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as a rookie in 2016-17. The 6-6 swingman from France, started the last 18 games of the season while averaging 12.9 points in those contests. He produced a 23-point performance at Toronto on April 2 and a career-high 24-point outing vs. Indiana on April 10.
Anderson, who was acquired by the Sixers on Feb. 23, 2017 from the Dallas Mavericks, has appeared in 29 games for Philadelphia. His best outing as a Sixer came on April 12 at New York, when he tallied a career-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Against his former team on Mar. 17, Anderson scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 26 minutes. As a member of the 76ers, he has increased his scoring, rebounding and assist averages as well as his field goal and three-point percentages. The third-year man out of Virginia was originally selected by Dallas with the 21st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The Boston Celtics have exercised both the third-year rookie scale option on Jaylen Brown and the fourth-year rookie scale option on Terry Rozier III.
Selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Brown, 21, has averaged 7.3 points (44.9% FG, 33.9% 3-PT, 67.5% FT), 3.1 rebounds and 18.5 minutes in 85 career games (27 starts). Named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team in 2016-17, Brown is currently producing 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.00 steal through the first seven games (all starts) of his second NBA season.
Now in his third NBA season after being selected by Boston with the 16th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, Rozier III, 23, has averaged 4.6 points (35.1% FG, 31.1% 3-PT, 76.5% FT), 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 120 career games over two-plus NBA seasons. In seven games in 2017-18, Rozier III has recorded 9.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 24.6 minutes.
The Sacramento Kings have exercised its 2018-19 options on center Willie Cauley-Stein, guards Buddy Hield and Malachi Richardson, forward Skal Labissiere, and center Georgios Papagiannis, according to Kings General Manager Vlade Divac.
Cauley-Stein is entering his third season with the Kings after being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. An All-Rookie Second Team honoree as a rookie, Cauley-Stein has registered 7.7 points (.544 FG%, .656 FT%) and 5.0 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest over 145 career games played (started 64).
An 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie First Team honoree, Buddy Hield amassed 10.6 points (.422 FG%, .384 3pt%, .852 FT%), 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 23.2 minutes per game in 82 games with New Orleans and Sacramento after being selected sixth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Pelicans.
Richardson enters his second season with the Kings after being with the 22nd overall pick in 2016 NBA Draft and registered 3.6 points (.412 FG%, .286 3pt%, .789 FT%) and 1.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game in 22 games played.
Selected 28th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, Labissiere enters his second season with the Kings. As a rookie during the 2016-17 season, Labissiere averaged 8.8 points (.537 FG%, .375 3pt%, .703 FT%), 4.9 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game in 33 games played (started 12).
Papagiannis also enters his second season with the Kings after being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and averaged 5.6 points (.549 FG%, .857 FT%), 3.9 rebounds in 16.1 minutes in 22 games played.
Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has exercised its fourth-year option on forward Frank Kaminsky.
“We’re happy to have Frank as a part of what we’re developing here in Charlotte,” Cho said. “His work ethic and commitment to improvement are showing early returns this season and we look forward to what the future holds for Frank.”
The 7-0 Wisconsin product is in his third NBA season after appearing in 156 games (19 starts) in his first two seasons in Charlotte. In five games this season, Kaminsky is averaging 14.2 points per game on 45.6% shooting, a mark good for sixth in the NBA in bench scoring. He holds career averages of 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.7 minutes per game in 161 contests. Kaminsky was selected by the Hornets ninth overall in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.
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The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the team has signed forward Josh Smith after receiving an injury hardship exemption by the NBA.
Smith, 6-9, 225, most recently played for Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association, appearing in 26 games in China, Smith averaged 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 blocks.
A 12-year NBA veteran, Smith has appeared in 891 career regular season games (772 starts) with Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers, holding career averages of 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game. Additionally, Smith has appeared in 73 career postseason games (60 starts), averaging 14.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in 31.6 minutes.
Selected 17th overall by Atlanta in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), Smith was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in 2010.
Smith will wear #5 and be available for New Orleans’ game tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Smoothie King Center.