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Kyrie Irving suffers broken bone in jaw

A CT scan at the Cleveland Clinic following the Cavaliers game Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena vs. the Milwaukee Bucks revealed that Cavs guard Kyrie Irving sustained a small left maxillary fracture.

Irving did not fly with the team to New York City after the game so he could be fitted with a protective mask.

He will travel to New York City today and will be available to play vs. the Knicks tonight at Madison Square Garden.

According to the Associated Press, “Irving was injured when he was knocked down in the first quarter by Bucks forward forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who was called for a foul. Irving’s face slammed into the floor, and he writhed in pain for several minutes before getting up and making two free throws. He stayed in the game. At the end of the quarter, last season’s NBA rookie of the year sat on the bench with a towel on his face, but he played 36 minutes and finished with a team-high 26 points. Following the game, the Cavs indicated Irving would be on the flight to New York, but a CT scan at the Cleveland Clinic revealed what the team described as “a small left maxillary fracture.”

Dirk Nowitzki making progress in recovery

Dirk Nowitzki ran through a long set of shooting and running drills before Friday’s game at Toronto and went through some of the Mavericks’ shootaround earlier in the day.

The next step in his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery: taking part in a practice.

That could come next week.

For now, Nowitzki spends a lot of his time running to midcourt, turning around, running back to the corner or the wing outside the 3-point line, and shooting a jump shot.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)

Dion Waiters expected to return Tuesday for Cavaliers

Cleveland guard Dion Waiters is expected to return from a sprained left ankle for the Cavaliers’ game Tuesday night against Toronto.

Waiters, the former Syracuse player taken with the No. 4 pick in the draft, hasn’t played since being injured against Portland on Dec. 1. He has missed seven straight games and won’t play Saturday when Cleveland visits New York. Waiters is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 points.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Hornets forward Jason Smith out at least two weeks

After missing time earlier this year with a left shoulder strain, New Orleans Hornets forward Jason Smith is now out for at least two weeks with a sprained right shoulder, the result of a play in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s 92-88 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With 10:01 to go in the fourth quarter, and the score tied at 62-62, Smith blocked a dunk attempt by Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, incurring the injury.

“Jason won’t play; he’s got a shoulder injury that could keep him out for up to two weeks,” Hornets Coach Monty Williams said Friday night. “It’s not a great thing for our team, but in light of what’s going on in the world, we’re doing OK.”Williams said his front-line rotation for the foreseeable future will not change.

— Reported by Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Timberwolves guard Malcolm Lee out indefinitely with knee injury

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that guard Malcolm Lee has suffered a chrondal injury in his right knee and will be out indefinitely. Lee and the organization are in the process of further evaluating the injury to determine the next steps for treatment. Once a determination is made, an update to his status will be provided. The injury occurred in the second quarter of Minnesota’s 108-105 win vs. Denver on Wednesday night.

Lee, a second-year guard from UCLA, is averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game this season. He has started 12 of the last 13 games for Minnesota and has appeared in 16 games overall. Lee scored a career-high 10 points at Philadelphia on Dec. 4.

Rockets re-assign Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones to D-League

The Houston Rockets today re-assigned rookies Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the 51st and 52nd of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while Motiejunas and Jones are two of 34 NBA players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Motiejunas (7-0, 222, Kaunas, Lithuania) returns to the Vipers having played in two games for the team in November, averaging 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 37.0 minutes. Originally selected in the first round (20th overall) by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2011 NBA Draft and later traded to Houston, Motiejunas has appeared in four games for the Rockets this season, scoring three points in 10 minutes.

Jones (6-9, 252, Kentucky) rejoins the Vipers following a two-game assignment earlier in the season. In those two games he averaged 22.5 points, 17.5 rebounds, 1.0 block and 36.0 minutes. Jones has appeared in eight games for the Rockets this season, averaging 4.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 10.0 minutes. Selected in the first round (18th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Rockets, Jones averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 76 career games for the Wildcats. A member of the 2012 NCAA Championship team, Jones earned Second-Team All-SEC honors last season and was selected the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2010-11.

Motiejunas and Jones are expected to join the Vipers today and be available on Saturday, Dec. 15 when the team travels to face the Texas Legends at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Trail Blazers assign Victor Claver and Joel Freeland to D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned forwards Victor Claver and Joel Freeland to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey.

The two players will join the Stampede today, Dec. 14, and will be active in advance of the team’s contests against the Santa Cruz Warriors tonight and tomorrow, Dec. 15, in Boise.

Claver played with the Stampede on Dec. 7 and 8, posting averages of 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.00 steal and 33.5 minutes in the two contests. Claver has appeared in six games with Portland this season, and averages 0.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 10.2 minutes per contest. Claver was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 22nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, and signed with Portland on July 11, 2012.

In 12 games this year with the Trail Blazers, Freeland is averaging 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 10.2 minutes per game. Freeland signed with Portland on July 13, 2012, after being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 30th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

Thunder re-assign Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder today re-assigned Daniel Orton and Jeremy Lamb to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the 47th and 48th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while the players are among 33 NBA players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Lamb (6-5, 180, Connecticut) rejoins Tulsa having played in five games for the 66ers on assignment this season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 37.8 minutes. In eight games for the Thunder this season, Lamb is averaging 2.1 points and 4.3 minutes.

Orton (6-10, 255, Kentucky) returns to the 66ers having played in seven games for the team on assignment, averaging 11.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 31.0 minutes. The first GATORADE Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA D-League season, Orton has appeared in one game for the Thunder this season, scoring two points in two minutes.

Lamb and Orton are expected to join Tulsa today and be available to play when the 66ers travel to play the Bakersfield Jam at 9 p.m. ET.

Memphis Grizzlies hire John Hollinger of ESPN

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today the hiring of John Hollinger as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Stu Lash as Director of Player Personnel and Basketball Development. Hollinger and Lash will work with General Manager Chris Wallace on basketball-related matters.

“We are thrilled to have John and Stu join the Grizzlies,” Grizzlies CEO & Managing Partner Jason Levien said. “Both of these individuals will provide innovative and unique perspectives that bolster the organization’s future.”

Hollinger joins the Grizzlies organization by way of ESPN, where he was best known as an NBA Insider columnist on ESPN.com at the forefront of basketball’s analytics movement. He is the inventor of advanced statistics such as Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Offensive Efficiency, Defensive Efficiency and Pace Factor, as well as several other tools that analyze and forecast team and player performance.

Before joining ESPN, Hollinger covered the NBA for SI.com, Oregonlive.com and The New York Sun. He also authored four annual editions of the Pro Basketball Forecast. He first gained notoriety nearly 20 years ago as the creator of Alleyoop.com, a Web site devoted to basketball analytics. Hollinger is a native of New Jersey, where he played on his high school basketball team, and graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in Economics and Environmental Science.

“It is clear to me that this is an organization that is focused on building thoughtful decision-making processes and establishing a forward-thinking culture of sustained success,” Hollinger said. “Working in Memphis and being part of the new vision and leadership was an opportunity I just could not pass up.”

Lash comes to the Grizzlies after serving as Vice President of Basketball for Lagardere Unlimited since 2009. Lash spent five NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets where he worked with the front office and coaching staffs, including serving as the scouting and video coordinator. He was responsible for draft analysis, scouting efforts, scouting schedules and upcoming game preparation. Lash graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

In addition, the Grizzlies announced that longtime Grizzlies’ employee Chantal Hassard will assume the expanded role of Director of Team Operations. Hassard, now in her 18th season, will manage the team’s administration systems and development while working closely with the coaching staff. In addition, Hassard will serve as the team’s player development representative providing Grizzlies players with educational programs and critical support services.

Brandon Roy back to practice, says retirement not on mind

Brandon Roy has returned to practice on a limited, no-contact basis with the Minnesota Timberwolves a month after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee – an accomplishment by itself given the chronic problems he’s had.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Star decided to revive his career in Minnesota this season. Roy said the latest knee trouble didn’t prompt him to consider retirement, like he did a year ago when he was with Portland.

”I never thought about walking away. It was just, for me, do I want to go through another procedure? Or do I want to play through it?” Roy said Thursday.

Roy said he felt fine in training camp, but he banged knees with another player in an exhibition game against Milwaukee on Oct. 26, and the discomfort worsened after another collision in a game against Indiana on Nov. 9. He had the operation on Nov. 19.

— Reported by Dave Campbell of the Associated Press