Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

No All-Star spots for Carmelo Anthony or Paul George

Russell Westbrook has been chosen as a reserve for this year’s NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Tuesday. With Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams falling short of making the team, Westbrook is the only Oklahoma City Thunder player to be named a reserve. No Thunder players will start.

This will be the seventh All-Star appearance of Westbrook’s career. The last time he missed out on the game, excluding his injury-ridden 2013-14, was during 2010, his second season.

Westbrook was averaging 24.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and a league-leading 10.1 assists heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, bringing him close to a triple-double average for what would be a second consecutive season. He became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double last year.

“If I make it, then that’ll be a blessing,” Westbrook said of All-Star last week. “If I don’t, then I’ll go on vacation with my family.”

— Norman Transcript

Mavs sign Kyle Collinsworth to second 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Kyle Collinsworth to a second 10-day contract.

Collinsworth (6-6, 210) originally signed a two-way contract with Dallas on Dec. 19 but was waived by the team on Jan. 10 after appearing in four games. He then signed a 10-day contract with the club on Jan. 13.

The former BYU guard has appeared in six games for Dallas this season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game. On the final day of his first 10-day contract (Jan. 22), he recorded four points (2-2 FGs), four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Dallas’ 98-75 win over Washington.

Collinsworth has also played in 55 games (34 starts) for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, over the past two seasons (2016-18). In 19 games (18 starts) for the Legends in 2017-18, he averaged 11.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 35.7 minutes per game.

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, Collinsworth competed for Dallas at the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He spent the 2016 preseason with the Mavericks before being waived by the team on Oct. 22, 2016.

A native of Provo, Utah, Collinsworth played four years at BYU and averaged 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.9 minutes per game in 140 games. He was a three-time First Team All-WCC selection (2014-16) and set the NCAA career triple-double record with 12.

Timberwolves to host Flip Saunders Night on Feb. 15, 2018

Timberwolves to host Flip Saunders Night on Feb. 15, 2018

The Minnesota Timberwolves will host “Flip Saunders Night” at home in Target Center on Thursday, February 15. The visiting team for that game is the Lakers.

That night, the Timberwolves will unveil a permanent banner in Target Center to honor the memory of Flip.

“Flip meant so much to our organization as a coach, but he meant so much more to all of us as a friend,” said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. “His impact on our organization and what he meant to the Minnesota basketball community is something that will always be with us. It is appropriate that we honor the man who meant so much to us with of a banner in our home arena that will forever fortify his memory.”

All fans in attendance will receive a Flip Saunders commemorative coin. The back story behind giving a coin is this: One of Flip’s trademarks during his tenure with the Wolves was to create a new team coin each season for players and front office staff, then randomly give them to people he would encounter as a way to include fans on that season’s journey.

“Minnesota has always been our family’s home”, said Debbie Saunders, widow of Flip Saunders. “Flip not only had a passion for the Timberwolves but for basketball in the State of Minnesota. We are incredibly grateful to the Timberwolves for memorializing Flip in such a moving way and having his memory live on inside Target Center forever.”

Saunders compiled an overall record of 427-392 (.521) in 12 seasons covering two different stints with the organization.

Lakers free throws are a struggle

A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on

Hitting free throws is generally the easiest part of an NBA game. There is no defense. It’s just the player, unguarded, standing at the same place every time, shooting at a basket that doesn’t move or anything. But for whatever reason, there will always be pro players who find free throw shooting to be a struggle. And this season, many of those players are on the Lakers. Here’s the OC Register reporting:

When the Lakers were merely a bad free throw shooting team, Luke Walton insisted they would improve through repetition. The foul shots they made in practice would eventually start falling in games.

After Friday’s 2-for-14 debacle, the Lakers coach is ready to pull out the big guns.

“We have another meditation scheduled on the books for when we get back from this road trip,” Walton said…

The Lakers 68.8 percent percentage from the line is the worst in the NBA. Oklahoma City, which ranks 29th, shoots nearly 2 points better, at 70.4 percent.

“It is very confusing,” Walton said. “Free throws are more mental than anything. We talk about it, we work on it.”

Full article

Thunder score 148 points vs Cavs

The Thunder offense has been disappointing most of this season. But the Cavs defense has been absolutely miserable, and it only seems to be getting worse, at least via the eye test. With Kevin Love playing just three minutes due to illness, LeBron and the rest of the Cavs put up 124 points Saturday afternoon, yet still lost by 24. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

The third quarter started, and LeBron James, seeking an illustrious mark, was stuck on nine points.

James was isolated against Paul George — who was nearly a Cleveland player last summer until trade talks broke down between the Cavs and Pacers. George expertly stayed in front of the driving James, with him and Steven Adams meeting James at the rim. Another miss, James’ fourth within six feet of the rim.

Nothing came easy for the king in a 148-124 Thunder blowout.

James needed 25 points to become the seventh player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. Instead, James was subbed out with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter and the Thunder ahead by 26.

James finished with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 0-of-4 from 3-point range.

Full article

Pelicans sign DeAndre Liggins to second 10-day contract

Pelicans sign DeAndre Liggins to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans today signed DeAndre Liggins to a second 10-day contract.

The 6-foot-6, 209-pound guard, who signed his first Pelicans 10-day contract on January 10, has appeared in just one game with the Pelicans during that first 10-day stretch, putting up four points, one rebound and one assist in 11 minutes.

The Pelicans are 23-21, which is tied for the 7th best record in the Western conference.

There are currently 18 players on the Pelicans’ roster.

Recent Pelicans-related news: The NBA a few days ago announced that Pelicans teammates Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins were named starters for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Feb. 18 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Pistons news: Season-ending surgery for forward Jon Leuer

 

 

A post shared by Jon Leuer (@jonleuer30) on

Forward Jon Leuer has played in just eight games for the Pistons (22-21) this season. And that’ll be it for him in 2017-18. Here’s the Detroit News reporting:

After suffering a sprained left ankle on Oct. 31, the condition worsened, as a later exam revealed bone fragments and other issues. Leuer has missed the last 35 games and has decided to have season-ending ankle surgery, he told The Detroit News on Friday.

Leuer, 28, has scheduled the procedure for next Friday and will have a four-month rehabilitation process.

“It’s extremely frustrating. Disappointing, anger, all those emotions … we were trying to do whatever we could to avoid this,” Leuer told The News. “I knew even a month and a half ago when I saw the specialist that he kind of suggested (surgery) right away, but we wanted to see if we could try to manage the pain and hopefully get through the season.

“As I tried to progress, time and time again, I never even got really close to being able to practice or do full basketball activities.”

Full article

Raptors coach Casey wants Kyle Lowry in All-Star game

A post shared by Toronto Raptors (@raptors) on

The Raptors are 30-13 this season. A very impressive team that is doing it on both ends of the floor. They’re better than they were in the past. Will DeMar DeRozan be their only All-Star? Not if Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has anything to say about it. Kyle Lowry isn’t shooting as well or scoring as much this season, but he’s still one of the main reasons why Toronto is close to the top of league standings. Here’s the Toronto Star reporting:

Raptors coach Casey wants Kyle Lowry in All-Star game

Lowry finished eighth among Eastern Conference guards in voting for starters done by fans, the media and players and the only way he’ll get to the Feb. 18 game in Los Angeles is to be chosen by coaches as a reserve.

That’s where Casey comes in.

“I’ve been texting coaches and going to be in tough with a lot of coaches to get him in,” the Raptors bench boss said Friday morning. “He should be in on his own merits, I shouldn’t have to do that because he is an all-star.

“If you find five other better guards, point guards in our conference than Kyle then I want to see them. I think the basketball gods will do the right thing and get him in.”

Eastern Conference coaches have to name two guards, two forwards and a centre along with two “wild cards” for voting that will be announced Tuesday night.

Full article

Warriors rookie Jordan Bell injured

The Warriors are an NBA-best 32-9, and outscoring opponents by an NBA-best 9.1 points per game. While the team’s success does revolve around their multiple big-name stars, talented rookie big-man Jordan Bell has contributed very solid play in 14.4 minutes per games. But they’ll be without his services for a while. Here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

Warriors rookie Jordan Bell injured

The Warriors ruled out rookie forward Jordan Bell for at least two weeks, after an MRI taken on Thursday confirmed he had inflammation in his sprained left ankle.

According to that timetable, Bell will miss at least the next five games beginning when the Warriors (37-9) play the Houston Rockets (31-12) on Saturday. Bell will also sit out for the Warriors’ three-game homestand against New York (Jan. 23), Minnesota (Jan. 25) and Boston (Jan. 27) followed by a game in Utah (Jan. 30). Bell could return as early as Feb. 2 in Sacramento, though the Warriors will not have clarity on Bell’s progress until then. Though the Warriors’ medical staff plans to further analyze Bell’s MRI, they had enough information to offer the initial timetable.

Full article