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Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been fined $25,000 for making incidental contact with a game official during live action, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
The incident, for which Budenholzer was assessed a technical foul and ejected, occurred with 6:27 remaining in the second quarter of Atlanta’s 109-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Quicken Loans Arena.
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry were today named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 22.
James helped the Cavaliers to a 2-1 week, which included wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, behind averages of 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists. James shot 57.1 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from three-point range, and 87.5 percent from the foul line. During the Cavaliers’ 115-100 win over the Bucks on Nov. 19, James’ versatility and efficiency were on display as he scored 27 points (9-of-13 field goals) and added nine rebounds and six assists.
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Curry led the Warriors to a 4-0 week behind 30.8 points (second in the NBA), 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals (third in the NBA). Curry shot 50.6 percent from the field and 96.0 percent from the foul line, and connected on a league high 17 three-point field goals. During the Warriors’ 124-117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 19, he accounted for 40 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Warriors will look to become the first team in NBA history to open a season 16-0 when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s Kevin Love, Indiana’s Paul George and C.J. Miles, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, New York’s Kristaps Porzingis, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Philadelphia’s Jahlil Okafor and Phoenix’s Brandon Knight.
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The 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors tied the NBA record for best start to a season by improving to 15-0 with tonight’s 118-105 win at Denver, equaling the mark set by the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 1993-94 Houston Rockets.
The Warriors are the first defending champion in NBA history to begin the season 15-0.
Dating back to 2014-15, the Warriors have won 19 consecutive regular-season games, extending a franchise-record streak and becoming the 10th team in NBA history to win 19-straight regular-season contests. The Warriors are the first team to post win streaks of at least 15 games in consecutive seasons since the Spurs did so in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Golden State also improved upon its best road start in club history at 7-0 away from home, tying the second-longest road win streak in team annals.
The Warriors, who posted a franchise-best record of 67-15 before capturing the 2015 NBA title, are now 82-15 (.845) in the regular season dating back to 2014-15 and 98-20 (.831) including the playoffs.
The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has assigned forward Cameron Bairstow to the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the Flexible Assignment Rule.
Bairstow (6-9, 259) has appeared in two games for the Bulls this season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per game.
Here’s the Toronto Star reporting good news but also bad news on the 8-6 Raptors, who center Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 12.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 27.3 minutes per game this season:
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Big win. Big loss.
Unleashing a barrage of three-point shots against a woefully inept opponent, the Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak with a 102-91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night but the victory came at a substantial cost.
Jonas Valanciunas could be lost for a substantial stretch after suffering a broken finger on his left hand when he was fouled by Kobe Bryant driving to the basket in the final minute of the second quarter.
The team said he suffered a fractured finger on his left, non-shooting hand and that he will have further testing before any timeline for rehabilitation or a return is offered.
Center Timofey Mozgov experienced a strained right deltoid during the second quarter of last night’s game against Milwaukee at The Q. Additional examination and MRI today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health confirmed the strain. Mozgov will be OUT approximately 10 days to two weeks.
Guard Mo Williams missed last night’s game vs the Bucks and received additional examination and MRI today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, which showed posterior right ankle inflammation, along with continued soreness. He is listed as OUT for tomorrow’s game at The Q against Atlanta and doubtful for Monday’s contest vs. Orlando, also at The Q.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived guard Jimmer Fredette.
Fredette, 6-2, 195, who was re-signed by New Orleans on November 10 after the team received a hardship exception from the NBA, appeared in 13 minutes over four games. Originally signed by New Orleans on July 24, 2014, the BYU product appeared in 50 games for the Pelicans in the 2014-15 season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.2 assists in 10.2 minutes per game.
New Orleans’ roster now stands at 15.
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When a team with the exact same core of players that has proven to be successful in the very recent past under a certain coach stops performing up to expectations, what often happens?
The head coach gets fired, that’s what.
And that’s what is going down with the Houston Rockets, who are off to a 4-7 start and have reportedly fired head coach Kevin McHale, per a Yahoo Sports report.
McHale delivered the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals a year ago, but four straight blowout losses and a roster struggling to respond with effort pushed the organization to make a move to salvage what had been expected to be a season of championship contention.
Only 11 games into the season, the move reflects owner Leslie Alexander’s seriousness about winning within the present window with James Harden and Dwight Howard. Alexander and management, including executives Daryl Morey and Gersson Rosas, made the decision on Tuesday to replace McHale, league sources said.
McHale signed a three-year contract extension a year ago and is owed approximately $12 million.
A look at Rockets player shooting percentages this season is alarming: James Harden 37.2%, Trevor Ariza 33.6%, newly-acquired guard Ty Lawson 33.3%, Patrick Beverley 34.2%, Corey Brewer 29.9%.
Even worse, the team’s quality of play so far has actually appeared worse than their 4-7 record would suggest. The Rockets have been one of the lowest-rated squads in the league this short season both offensively and defensively per 100 possessions.
And per the Washington Post:
The symbol of Houston’s disastrous start has been Ty Lawson, a mercurial point guard the Rockets dealt for this summer after a tumultuous prior 12 months with the Denver Nuggets. Lawson – the player who organized Tuesday’s players-only meeting – has been awful thus far, averaging just 8.9 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 33.3 percent overall and 27.3 percent from three-point range. The combination of two ball-dominant guards in Lawson and James Harden, last year’s league MVP runner-up, has made for an awkward pairing.
The Rockets certainly have the roster needed to bounce back. But if it happens, it’ll be under new leadership.
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Nuggets Forward Wilson Chandler underwent successful surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip, Nuggets General Manager and Executive Vice President Tim Connelly announced today.
The arthroscopic surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, New York.
Chandler has missed all 10 games this season and will miss the remainder of the season.
He is expected to make a full and complete recovery for the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker underwent an MRI this morning to address discomfort in his right foot. The scan revealed a mid-foot (talonavicular joint) sprain. Parker will undergo additional testing today and did not accompany the team on this week’s three-game road trip. His status will be updated as appropriate.
Parker returned to action on Nov. 4 after missing the final 57 games of the 2014-15 season and the first four games of this season while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. He has averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game in five appearances this season, including season highs of 12 points and 30 minutes in Saturday’s double-overtime win over Cleveland.