Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Blake Griffin putting up monster games lately

The Clippers are hot lately, winning eight of their last ten games. And power forward Blake Griffin has put up some monster games this past week. Here’s the OC Register reporting:

Blake Griffin putting up monster games lately

Before DeAndre Jordan disappeared into the night Wednesday following another Clippers victory, he passed Blake Griffin in the hall to the team’s postgame interview room.

“Yo, Beast!” Jordan exclaimed.

“That’s what we call him,” Chris Paul had said moments earlier.

It’s a moniker Griffin has lived up to over his past three games, averaging 33 points on 73 percent shooting while scoring more than 30 points in three consecutive appearances for the first time since February of 2014.

“He’s just been crazy aggressive,” Paul said. “Crazy efficient. … So we are going to keep feeding him.”

Sergio Rodriguez hopes to return to Sixers

Is there a place for a veteran guard like Sergio Rodriguez on the young Sixers next season? Too soon to tell. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Sergio Rodriguez hopes to return to Sixers

Rodriguez will become a free agent on July 1. He wants to return to the Sixers. He is averaging 7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 22.3 minutes this season. He was playing his best basketball before he got hurt.

Rodriguez had 12 points and seven assists against the Chicago Bulls on March 24. Two days later, he finished with 16 points while making 4 of 7 three-pointers against the Indiana Pacers.

“Let’s see how it goes,” he said of his future. “It’s going to take a long time, because [free agency] is in July. You are not going to know anything. I don’t want to rush myself.”

Seth Curry return date uncertain

As the season winds down, it would be nice for the Mavs to get one more dose of action from guard Seth Curry. But his return date isn’t known yet. Here’s the Dallas Morning News with the latest:

Seth Curry return date uncertain

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said he doesn’t expect guard Seth Curry to miss all of the remaining four games, but he was unsure when he might return.

Curry sat out the last three games and the hope is that another day of rest Thursday will allow him to play Friday against the Spurs.

“I don’t have a medical degree,” Carlisle said. “But it’s a bruise. The thing keeps getting hit. We want to get him some more games with all the progress he’s made this year. We want him and all our players to finish strong.”

Kevin Durant likely to return Saturday

Following multiple workout sessions in recent days – including 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 scrimmages – forward Kevin Durant has been cleared by the team’s medical and athletic training staffs to return to full-team practices.

If he does not suffer any setbacks following tomorrow’s practice, it is anticipated that Durant will play in Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena.

Durant has missed the last 19 games after suffering a Grade 2 left MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise against the Washington Wizards on February 28.

Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala to sit out Wednesday

As the NBA regular season winds down, teams with championship hopes have their eye on postseason health. Here’s the Bay Area News Group with the latest on the Warriors:

Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala to sit out Wednesday

The Warriors will complete their final back-to-back of the season (playoffs included) on Wednesday night in Phoenix, taking an overnight flight there after their Tuesday night home game against the Timberwolves.

Steve Kerr is taking that opportunity to rest two of his main guys. Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala will both sit out the road game against the Suns.

“The training staff told me Draymond could really use the night off. The numbers show it. I talked to Draymond. He admits it, too. So it’ll be good.”

Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac will play in 2017 Summer League

Here’s the OC Register reporting on some key young Lakers,who will likely participate in 2017 Summer League action:

As the Lakers’ two youngest players sat next to each other at their respective lockers before a recent game, Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac fully realized the mistake of putting too much stock in how they perform in Las Vegas this summer.

They will play on the Lakers’ Summer League team in July for the second consecutive year, but both stressed their growth hinges more on their offseason training regimen than cashing out big in Sin City.

The Lakers (22-55) enter Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs (59-17) at AT&T Center with Zubac nursing a season-ending right ankle injury and Ingram on a minutes restriction because of tendinitis in his right knee. But after showing enough growth in their rookie seasons to have the Lakers optimistic about their long-term trajectory, Ingram and Zubac offered a sneak preview that could Lakers fans believing they hit the jackpot.

Ingram boastfully predicted he will average 40 points in summer league while Zubac will average 30.

“He’ll take a couple of threes, a couple of hook shots and call it a day,” Ingram said of Zubac.

Nikola Jokic an offensive talent for Nuggets

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on a very talented, important part of the Nuggets:

Nikola Jokic an offensive talent for Nuggets

Nikola Jokic makes little secret about what side of the basketball he prefers.

“Offense will always beat defense,” Jokic said back in January, a couple weeks before he arrived in New Orleans during all-star weekend to showcase a skill set with more varied components than a bowl of gumbo.

Jokic will never be known for his defensive prowess the way he is for his passing and playmaking ability, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone pointed to several ways the 22-year-old big man can make improvements as a defender.

“Getting stronger is one,” Malone said before Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans. “Obviously he’s never going to be Karl Malone. We don’t want him to be that. But he can work on his body and get it as strong as possible.”

Danilo Gallinari may become free agent this summer

Here’s the Palm Beach Post reporting on a talented Nuggets forward who may be an option for the Heat this offseason:

Danilo Gallinari may become free agent this summer

Did Heat fans get a glimpse of the future on Sunday?

Denver’s 6-foot-10 wing man, Danilo Gallinari, who dropped 29 on Miami in the Nuggets’ win, is expected to decline his $16.1 million player option this summer and become a free agent. He likely will be second best player at his position behind Utah’s Gordon Hayward.

But is he a viable option if the Heat cannot sign Hayward?

Gallinari, 28, is having his second best scoring season, averaging 17.7 points, a bit under the 19.5 points he averaged in 2015-16. Both years he averaged a little more than five rebounds and two assists per game.

Nets sign Archie Goodwin to multi-year contract

Nets sign Archie Goodwin to multi-year contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed Archie Goodwin to a multi-year contract.

Goodwin was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the Nets on March 15 and signed a second 10-day contract on March 25. In seven games with Brooklyn, Goodwin has averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 12.4 minutes per game while shooting 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the field.

In 160 games in four NBA seasons with Brooklyn, New Orleans and Phoenix, Goodwin has recorded averages of 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.4 minutes per game.

Goodwin was selected with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Suns via Golden State on draft night. He spent one year at the University of Kentucky, earning SEC All-Freshman team honors.