Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Miami Heat change starting lineup

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It’s always fascinating to keep up with lineup changes in the league. One change can make or break a player’s career. Sure, superstars will always get big money and big minutes, but plenty of players who are the 4th or 5th best starter on a team are a coach’s decision away from being bumped to a 6th or 7th man role, and suddenly that huge contract they hoped for in the future is in doubt. And before you ask, no, the photo above doesn’t really have anything to do with lineup changes. It’s just an enjoyable photo. As for the Heat, here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk were back in the Miami Heat’s starting lineup for the first time since October and Justise Winslow was shuffled to the bench when the Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.

Without comment from coach Erik Spoelstra, the Heat announced the shuffle an hour before the opening tip, a switch that also moved first-round pick Bam Adebayo back to the bench after he had been starting in the injury absence of center Hassan Whiteside.

Olynyk’s only previous start had been the season-opening Oct. 18 road loss to the Orlando Magic, when he started alongside Whiteside in the power rotation.

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Stephen Curry out with sprained ankle

Stephen Curry underwent an MRI today in Charlotte, the results of which confirmed that he suffered a sprained right ankle in last night’s game at New Orleans. The MRI indicated that the ankle is stable and structurally intact.

He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

And here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

According to that timeline, Curry will miss at least five games, beginning with Wednesday’s night contest against the Charlotte Hornets in what would have marked a homecoming appearance. Curry will then miss games in Detroit (Friday), a homestand against Portland (Dec. 11) and Dallas (Dec. 14) as well as a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 18).

The Warriors will have a heavy task in absorbing the absence of Curry, who has averaged 26.3 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range along with 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Still, the Warriors were relieved of the news since the MRI indicated that the ankle is stable and structurally intact.

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Pistons, Avery Bradley in mini-slump

The Pistons are 14-9, which is one of the best records in the league, but they’re currently on a 3-game losing streak. Also happening lately is, shooting guard Avery Bradley has been missing lots of shots. For more, here’s the Detroit News:

Avery Bradley chased Tony Parker around. He stalked Patty Mills’ dribble. He tried to shoot the gaps on passing lanes and get a steal on a drive to the basket.

It was the least he could do in Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, because he wasn’t able to get much done on the offensive end. Bradley managed three points, on just 1-of-9 shooting, in the Pistons’ 96-93 loss.

There wasn’t much different about Bradley’s approach; the shots just weren’t falling. He’s mired in a mini-slump over the past three games, notching just 7.3 points and hitting just 27 percent on field goals (9-of-33) and 1-of-13 on 3-pointers.

That’s a significant drop from his previous 12 games, when he posted 18.3 points, hitting 47-percent from the field and from beyond the arc.

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Ryan Anderson should return soon

The Rockets are one of the best teams in the NBA this season, and they should have a key piece back in action soon. Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting:

Ryan Anderson should return soon from back issue

The Rockets listed forward Ryan Anderson as questionable to play against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, with his availability to be determined how the tightness in his lower back responds to two practices since he left Sunday’s game. But Anderson has improved so much since his back “locked up” that he was cleared to practice on Tuesday at UCLA.

“It’s feeling a lot better,” Anderson, who had a neck injury in the 2013-14 season, but has not had issues with his back, said.

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This week in Utah Jazz history

Dec. 4, 1993: The Jazz retired uniform No. 35 in honor of Darrell Griffith. Griffith, nicknamed “Golden Griff” and Dr. Dunkenstein,” averaged 16.2 points during his career with Utah.

Dec. 5, 2000: Karl Malone converted a finger roll in the lane for two points, moving past Wilt Chamberlain and into second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list… Malone scored 31 points in Utah’s 98-84 win over Toronto, giving him 31,443 career points, 24 more than Chamberlain’s 31,419 points.

Dec. 7, 1982: The Utah Jazz, in a 137-121 loss at Portland, set an NBA record for free throw percentage in a game, connecting on all 39 of their attempts from the line.

Dec. 9, 1988: Jerry Sloan was named head coach of the Utah Jazz, replacing Frank Layden, who resigned as head coach. Sloan’s coaching tenure was the longest term of service with one team in NBA history. The Jazz retired No. 1 in honor of Frank Layden on December 9, 1988.

Dec. 10, 1981: The Jazz hired Frank Layden as head coach.

– Jazz team notes

NBA Week 8 preview notes

DYNAMIC DONOVAN: As a freshman at Louisville in 2015-16, Donovan Mitchell started five games and averaged 7.4 points for the season. On Dec. 1, the Utah Jazz guard became the first NBA rookie to score at least 40 points in a game since Blake Griffin in 2011. The 6-3 Mitchell has developed rapidly over the last few years, allowing him to make an immediate impact after being selected with the 13th pick in NBA Draft 2017. He is averaging more than 16 points per game and leads all rookies in three-pointers made. With Mitchell sparking the offense, Utah has won five consecutive games to improve to 12-11. Mitchell faces several challenging opponents at shooting guard during Week 8, including a matchup against newly named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week James Harden and the West-leading Houston Rockets on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

SECOND HELPING: While Mitchell is one of many rookies making headlines, several talented second-year players are also turning heads this season. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown have helped fuel strong starts for their respective teams. Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray have produced big scoring games. Reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks remains a steady contributor, while Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn and Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis are finding their groove after offseason trades. Count Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield, San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray and Toronto Raptors big men Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam among the top second-year performers, too. The promising play from the NBA’s first- and second-year players sets the stage for a fantastic Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles.

NBA MEXICO CITY GAMES 2017: This week, the NBA will play two regular-season games in Mexico City for the second straight season. The Brooklyn Nets will participate in both games, meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday (10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass) and the Miami Heat on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, NBA TV) at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico. All three teams will be playing regular-season games in Mexico for the first time. The matchups mark the 25th and 26th games – including the sixth and seventh regular-season games – in Mexico since 1992, the most held in any country outside the United States and Canada. Last season, the Phoenix Suns played two regular-season games in Mexico City, defeating the San Antonio Spurs and losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

— NBA Broadcasters Bulletin

Hornets begin stretch of home games

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The Hornets are just 8-13 so far this season, which is the 12th best record in the Eastern conference. The upcoming week will provide an interesting variety tests at home which may help determine which direction they’re headed. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting the latest:

This is a big week for the Hornets, with four consecutive home games (Magic, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers) over six days. The Hornets have been terrible on the road this season (1-10), but are 7-3 at Spectrum Center.

Ten of the Hornets’ next 13 games are in Charlotte. What has to change to get this team right?

“We’ve got to change our approach. We have to have carryover from (what’s instructed in) shootarounds to the games,” Walker said. “Coach (Steve Clifford) and the staff give us a great game plan each and every night to execute, and we haven’t been doing that.

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Cavs and Derrick Rose discuss future

It remains unclear if Derrick Rose will return to the Cavs. A guess is, he probably will. But nobody can make an educated guess on this. Only Rose knows if he wants to continue playing pro basketball, and also earning massive sneaker contract money in the process. Here’s ESPN.com reporting the latest:

Cavs and Derrick Rose discuss future

Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue on Saturday said there has been positive dialogue between Derrick Rose and the organization, as Rose continues to ponder his future in the NBA.

Speaking before Cleveland’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Lue did not want to delve into further details about the recent communication between parties, directing media members to speak with Cavs general manager Koby Altman.

When asked about Lue’s comments, Altman, who was attending Saturday’s game, affirmed that the dialogue with Rose and his representatives has been positive, acknowledging there would likely be another update regarding his status in the near future.

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