Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Bulls center Luke Kornet suffers major injury in practice

Chicago Bulls center Luke Kornet suffered a recent injury in practice that has turned out to essentially be season-ending.

Kornet sustained a left foot and ankle injury during February 21 Bulls practice. Subsequent testing revealed that he has a severe ankle sprain and fracture of his fifth metatarsal.

He is estimated to be out 6-to-8 weeks. The final Bulls game of the regular season is around seven weeks from now.

In 15.5 minutes per game this season, Kornet is averaging 6.0 points.

The Bulls are 20-39 this season and have lost nine of their last 10 games.

Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon out with elbow injury

Atlanta Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon underwent a non-surgical procedure to address right elbow pain today.

He will miss the next three games (tomorrow vs. Brooklyn, Saturday vs. Portland, Monday vs. Memphis), will be re-evaluated on Monday.

In six games played for the Hawks this season, Dedmon is averaging 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game. Earlier this season, he played 34 games for the Kings, for whom he averaged 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.

The Hawks are 17-43 this season.

Heat took some unexpected losses recently

The Heat are having an outstanding season. But some of their recent losses are on the unexpected side of things. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

When asked to explain Monday’s ugly overtime loss to the Cavaliers, Heat guard Goran Dragic attempted to simplify a confusing result.

“They shut us down on offense, and we just didn’t play defense,” Dragic said.

Both things are true, with the Cavaliers rallying from a 22-point third-quarter deficit. But there’s only one side of the court that Heat coaches and players were pointing to as the reason for another road loss — defense.

“It looks and it sounds like a broken record,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat returning to Miami to face the Timberwolves on Wednesday to begin a five-game homestand. “Either myself or Bam [Adebayo] or [Udonis Haslem] or whoever, Jimmy [Butler], you want to bring anybody in here and talk after one of these road games, we all sound the same. We have an idea every game on the road what it tends to be: When the shots go dry, do we have the ability to sustain defensively and get enough stops to change the momentum.” …

With Monday’s loss, the Heat fell to 13-18 on the road for the season. In its past 15 road games, Miami is 4-11 with losses to these sub-.500 teams: Wizards, Knicks, Kings, Hawks, and Cavaliers.

The Heat were without Jimmy Butler and some other key players, so it’s not a total surprise that they took a loss. Chalk it up to some minor bumps in the road over the course of a very successful season that should only get better once the team is fully healthy again and also learns to make the most of some impressive recent additions to the their bench.

D’Angelo Russell has brought mid-range jumpers to the Timberwolves

The mid-range jumper is a fascinating topic in the NBA these days. Many people frown upon it. But here’s the thing: It’s a good shot if the player shooting it is actually good at shooting mid-range jumpers, and takes them at the right time.

So, yes, it can be a good shot! And in other cases, it is not.

Your mind is blown, right?

Anyway, here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

The trade for D’Angelo Russell has meant the return of the mid-range jumper for the 2019-20 Wolves.

He’s attempted 13 shots from between 16 feet and the three point line in just four games with Minnesota, out of 71 total attempts – 18.3% of his total shots. Russell connected on just 1 of the first 7 of those before trying six more in Monday’s loss at Dallas – making three.

That 18.3% small sample size mark is higher than it was pre-trade with Golden State (14.3%) and his career mark (13.2%), but both those numbers would still be more than triple the Wolves’ team rate this season. All would also be far higher than the number posted with the Wolves this year by Andrew Wiggins (8.5%), the man Russell was traded for and a frequent long two hoister in previous seasons.

It’ll be fun watching Russell and center Karl-Anthony Towns develop chemistry as the season continues. And the question this summer will be, who will be alongside them.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal going wild lately

Time to give Wizards guard Bradley Beal some extra attention. He’s certainly earned it. Here’s the Washington Post with a look at his recent play:

The NBA hath no fury like Bradley Beal scorned. While his team remains a defensively challenged work in progress, Beal, with an assist from the All-Star Game balloting results, has succeeded in keeping the Washington Wizards relevant. That’s no small feat for the leader of a rebuilding squad that’s 16 games under .500.

In the 10 games since Beal learned he was not voted an all-star reserve by the league’s coaches, the eighth-year pro has averaged 36 points to increase his scoring average to 30.1, second only to Houston’s James Harden (35.3). Beal has posted new career highs in consecutive games, with 53 points on Sunday against the Bulls and 55 in Monday’s overtime loss to the Bucks.

“I’m a winner, so you can throw those 55 out with the last 53,” Beal said after becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 50 points on consecutive days and have his team lose both games.

The Wizards are 20-36 this season, and despite Beal’s heroics have lost three straight games.

Still, both he and his team have been fun to watch lately.

Lakers sign Markieff Morris, waive DeMarcus Cousins

The Los Angeles Lakers signed forward Markieff Morris and waived center DeMarcus Cousins today.

In 623 career games (347 starts) for Phoenix, Washington, Oklahoma City and Detroit, Morris has averaged 11.6 points (.449 FG%), 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.7 minutes per game. He played in 44 games (16 starts) for the Pistons this season, notching 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.5 minutes while shooting a career-best 39.7 percent from three-point range.

The Kansas University product owns 46 career double-doubles and has scored 20 or more points on 78 occasions. In 24 NBA Playoff games (19 starts) for the Wizards and Thunder, Morris has totaled 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block per game.

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. out with knee injury

The Memphis Grizzlies will be without starting forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for the near future.

In Friday’s game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, Jackson Jr. sustained an injury while challenging a shot late in the second quarter, and did not return for the second half. Subsequent imaging revealed that the injury is a sprained left knee.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal adds:

It’s a blow to the Grizzlies, who remain 3.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 8 seed in the West. Rookie Brandon Clarke started the second half on Friday and could start on Monday. Clarke started on Nov. 4 when Jackson missed a game because of injury.

Jackson Jr. will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Ben Simmons dealing with back issue

Sixers point guard Ben Simmons has a back issue. It’s unclear whether it’s a minor injury that will quickly disappear, or something more. Here’s NBC Sports Philly reporting:

Ben Simmons, who missed the first game after the All-Star break Thursday with lower back soreness, left Saturday’s game not even five minutes in and did not return. Simmons will undergo further testing in Philadelphia Sunday, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Serena Winters…

The All-Star point guard appeared to reaggravate the injury on a drive against Brook Lopez. After a foul was called on Lopez, Simmons could be seen attempting to stretch his back out. After Simmons made 1 of 2 from the line, Matisse Thybulle fouled Khris Middleton to get a stoppage so Simmons could go back to the locker room.

Here’s hoping it’s a minor issue.

Will Ray Allen be at Kevin Garnett’s Celtics jersey retirement?

Will Ray Allen be at Kevin Garnett’s Celtics jersey retirement ceremony next season?

Doc Rivers hopes so.

Here’s Boston.com reporting:

Doc Rivers isn’t a fan of the lingering beef between Ray Allen and some of his former Celtics teammates.

“I just think we won a title with Ray and we need to get over it,” said Rivers, who coached the team to a championship in 2008.

Rivers, who currently coaches the Los Angeles Clippers and spoke to members of the media Saturday, said he hopes “everyone is there” when Kevin Garnett gets his jersey retired next year. That includes Allen, and Rivers told reporters he’ll “make the right calls” to try to get that to happen, though he doesn’t have any guarantees.

It would be fitting for Allen to be there. We hope Doc gets his wish.

Kendrick Nunn has a unique memory of the 2018 NBA draft

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on Heat guard Kendrick Nunn’s unique memory of the 2018 draft:

Kendrick Nunn doesn’t have a physical, written-out list of all the guards taken in the 2018 NBA draft. He does feel confident, however, he can name everyone who was picked in the draft last year.

He remembers seeing names called while he waited at home to see if someone would take a flier on him. No one did, so Nunn spent almost all of his first season as a professional playing in the NBA G League before the Miami Heat signed him on the final day of the regular season last year. It’s easy for him to remember Collin Sexton was in the draft, taken No. 8 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. All he could do was laugh — then cackle — when asked whether he likes to go up against the guard.

“Yeah, I do — most definitely,” Nunn admitted. “I don’t have to say much about that. When I get a chance to go up against those guys, I’m going to show up and give it all I got.

“I don’t have a written list, but I remember because I was watching that and I just remembered from the top of my head.”

The Heat are 36-20 this season, and Nunn has started in all 53 games he’s played in this season, averaging an impressive 15.5 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Nunn is a cool success story. And a player we enjoy watching.