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Miami Heat guard Dru Smith suffered a Third Degree ACL Sprain in his right knee during Miami’s win at Cleveland on November 22.
Smith will miss the remainder of the season.
Smith has appeared in nine games with the HEAT this season averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.00 steals and 14.5 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line.
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guards Jaylen Nowell and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts.
Nowell (6-4, 201) has appeared in 184 regular season games (three starts) in four NBA seasons and has averaged 9.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 17.0 minutes for the Minnesota Timberwolves since he was selected 43rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. This season, the 24-year-old has started three games for the Stockton Kings during the NBA G League Showcase Cup and has averaged 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals in 24.3 minutes.
A native of Seattle, Nowell played collegiately at Washington, where he was named the 2018-19 Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Harrison (6-4, 195), a member of the Grizzlies’ 2023 training camp roster, has appeared in 180 regular season games (23 starts) in six NBA seasons and has averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.4 minutes for the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers since he went unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft. The 29-year-old also competed in eight postseason games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season and signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies during the 2021-22 season.
The Kansas City, Mo. native, who played collegiately at Tulsa, also has appeared in 143 games for four NBA G League teams. He was named the 2021-22 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the Delaware Blue Coats.
The Brooklyn Nets have announced the following medical updates.
Ben Simmons (left lower back nerve impingement) is continuing to improve with treatment and has begun light individual court work. Simmons, who has missed the past six games, will have his status updated again in 7-10 days.
Cam Thomas (left ankle sprain) has made significant improvement and has been cleared for increased on-court activity. He is expected to be integrated into team activities next week as he progresses with his return-to-play program. Thomas, who sustained the ankle sprain on Nov. 8, has missed the past five games.
Dennis Smith Jr. underwent an MRI, which confirmed the previous diagnosis of a lower back sprain. Smith, who has missed one game with the injury (Nov. 19 vs. Philadelphia), will continue to receive treatment and is currently listed as day-to-day.
The Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed center Ibou Badji to a two-way contract.
Earlier today, the team waived two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea.
Bouyea appeared in six games for the Trail Blazers and two games for the Rip City Remix this season.
In six games this season with the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, Badji has averaged 3.5 points (71.4% FG, 33.3% FT), 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 15.3 minutes per game. During the 2022-23 season, he posted 7.4 points (61.8% FG, 66.7% FT), 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.6 blocks in seven games (all starts) for the Herd prior to signing with the Trail Blazers. A native of Senegal, he also played for the country in the 2019 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup and averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in seven games.
Badji originally signed a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers on Nov. 18, 2022. He was re-signed on July 6, 2023 and later waived on Oct. 24, 2023.
The Denver Nuggets and Head Coach Michael Malone have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke and General Manager Calvin Booth announced today.
“We are thrilled to announce this extension with Coach Malone and to keep him leading the Nuggets for years to come,” said KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke. “To see our team continue to improve year after year, culminating with our ultimate goal of an NBA Championship is exactly what we all envisioned on the day we hired Michael in 2015. This extension is extremely well deserved and there’s no question about the commitment and dedication that Michael has shown to our organization.”
“I’m excited to continue working alongside Coach Malone as we look towards the future with our core intact and a lot of young talent to develop as well,” stated General Manager Calvin Booth. “Michael has proven he is the right coach for our team and there is no doubt he will continue to keep pushing and striving for more after last season’s Championship run.”
Detroit Pistons injury updates:
Pistons guard Monte Morris underwent a PRP injection on Friday, November 17 as Pistons medical staff continues to treat and rehab a right quad strain. He will be re-evaluated again in 6-8 weeks.
Per the Detroit Free Press today, on Morris: “The 28-year-old guard arrived in Detroit in June, when he was traded from the Washington Wizards. His outside shooting, low turnover rate and veteran experience was expected to immediately lift a young Pistons backcourt. His season debut may not come until late January.”
Jalen Duren (right ankle) is expected to return to practice this week.
Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanović (right calf strain) has begun a return to play progression and is cleared for full basketball contact. He will continue these progressions and begin practicing with the team in the upcoming days.
The Memphis Grizzlies today provided the following medical update:
After further assessment, Luke Kennard will be re-evaluated in two weeks as he continues to recover from his left knee bone bruise.
Additionally, in connection with his left knee injury recovery, Xavier Tillman Sr. is considered week-to-week.
The following is a medical update on Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler:
Kessler (left elbow ulnar collateral ligament sprain) continues to make progress and has been cleared to begin basketball contact this week. The injury was sustained during Utah’s season-opening game against Sacramento on Oct. 25. He will be reevaluated in one week.
Per the Boston Herald:
As chaos hit its climax in the final seconds, Kristaps Porzingis kept his cool. With the Celtics leading the Grizzlies by two during a wild sequence, the ball found Ziaire Williams, whose desperation game-tying shot found Porzingis’ hand.
Porzingis stood in satisfaction of the moment and seemed to send some trash talk in Williams’ direction as he lay on the court. His Celtics teammates swarmed him. And they all stood there for a moment to ensure the victory was secured.
Somehow, the Celtics survived.
For a second consecutive game, the Celtics were not at their best. Against an inferior Grizzlies team missing eight players, they were caught in another rockfight. It was emotional, physical, frustrating and sloppy, a game deserving of Marcus Smart, who was sitting on the Memphis bench all night due to an injury. But once again, the C’s found a way. Porzingis’ sixth block of the game clinched a gutsy 102-100 victory in Memphis.
Per the Pioneer Press:
As he’s been during much of his recent stretch of strong offensive play, Karl-Anthony Towns was quick and decisive when it mattered most Saturday in New Orleans.
With Minnesota trailing by one in the final 10 seconds of the game, Towns quickly attacked the smaller Dyson Daniels, got to the edge of the paint and threw a floater off the glass to give Minnesota a one-point edge.
“It was a real skilled move. He’s got a lot of skill,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters postgame. “We’ve really been harping on him trying to clean up his game offensively. And he’s got so much talent that if he just focuses on the simple things done really, really well, he doesn’t need to kind of create a lot of extra activity around his game. … And he’s really taken to that, so that would be a clear example.”
Brandon Ingram missed a decent look a few seconds later, and Minnesota escaped New Orleans with a 121-120 victory Saturday.