In the NBA’s Western Conference race, the Golden State Warriors (59-6) lead the San Antonio Spurs (56-10) by 3.5 games for the No. 1 seed. The NBA’s top two teams, both unbeaten at home and newly crowned division champions, play three more times in the regular season, starting in San Antonio on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The Warriors have lost 32 consecutive regular-season games at San Antonio, their last victory coming Feb. 14, 1997. (The Warriors did win at San Antonio during the 2013 playoffs.) The Spurs and Warriors also meet Thursday, April 7 at Golden State (10:30 p.m., TNT) and Sunday, April 10 at San Antonio (7 p.m., NBA TV).
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Raptors having excellent season
The Toronto Raptors (44-20) are closing in on the franchise’s first 50-win season and third consecutive trip to the playoffs. They are also within striking distance of the Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto trails Cleveland (47-18) by 2.5 games but owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the season series 2-1. The Raptors have won nine of 11 and wrap up a seven-game homestand tonight against Chicago (7:30 p.m. ET) before playing 10 of 17 on the road to close the season. The Cavaliers have eight home and nine road contests remaining among their 17 games, beginning tonight at Utah (10:30 p.m., ESPN) in the finale of a four-game road trip.
Unclear how long Jae Crowder will be out
In announcing that Jae Crowder will be sidelined by a high ankle sprain, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens suggested the fourth-year swingman would miss “a couple of weeks minimum.”
It’s the “minimum” part that left some Boston fans a bit uneasy. While even two weeks is a lengthy period for the team to navigate without possibly their best two-way player, a small sample of recent high-ankle sprains across the NBA suggests a recovery timeline that trends closer to 4-6 weeks.
Gordon Hayward injury update: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis
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The Utah Jazz today announced the following health update on forward Gordon Hayward, who has been suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot:
In consultation with the Jazz medical staff, it has been determined that the best course of action is for Hayward to undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation. As a result, he will not to play in tonight’s game vs. Cleveland. He is considered day-to-day, and further updates will be provided when appropriate.
Hayward (6-8, 225, Butler) has appeared in all 66 Jazz games this season (all starts), and leads the team in scoring (20.1) and assists (3.7), while adding 4.9 rebounds in a team-high 36.2 minutes per game. He is one of just four players in the NBA averaging at least 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting at least 35.0 percent from behind the three-point line. The 25-year-old career Jazzman was originally selected by Utah in the first round (ninth overall selection) of the 2010 NBA Draft.
Timberwolves announce several staff promotions
The Minnesota Timberwolves have promoted three staff members to leadership positions, including two to vice president positions.
Mike Welch has been promoted to Timberwolves and Lynx Vice President of Corporate Partnerships, Lindsay Milne to Timberwolves and Lynx Vice President of Marketing and Charlie Romans to Timberwolves Director of Membership Sales.
“We are extremely proud to announce the promotions for these three outstanding individuals,” Timberwolves President Chris Wright said. “As we look ahead to our future and what lies ahead, we are very excited to have Mike, Lindsay and Charlie leading three critical areas of our organization. They are passionate about our brands, are vested in who and what we are and they help drive our culture every day.”
In his new role, Welch will lead the day-to-day operations of the Corporate Partnership Sales and Activation teams.
As Timberwolves and Lynx Vice President of Marketing, Milne will oversee Timberwolves and Lynx branding, advertising, digital media, creative services, merchandising and events.
As Director of Timberwolves Season Memberships, Romans will oversee the day-to-day operations of the season membership team with an emphasis on growing the team’s season membership numbers.
Nuggets sign Axel Toupane to second 10-day contract
The Denver Nuggets have signed Raptors 905 guard-forward Axel Toupane to a second 10-day contract.
Toupane signed his initial 10-day contract with the Nuggets on March 3. In five games with the squad, he is averaging 4.6 points, 1.0 assists and 13.4 minutes.
In 32 games (14 starts) with Raptors 905 in the D-League this season, Toupane is averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.7 minutes. He has scored in double digits 26 times, has led the team in bench scoring on 11 occasions and has recorded two double-doubles.
Warriors clinch 2015-16 Pacific division title
The Golden State Warriors today clinched the 2015-16 Pacific Division title by virtue of the Cavs’ 114-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers this afternoon, giving the franchise its first back-to-back Pacific Division crowns since the club won consecutive division titles in 1974-75 and 1975-76.
Golden State has earned the franchise’s fourth Pacific Division championship since the NBA began using the current divisional format in 1970-71. Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr is the first head coach to win back-to-back division titles in his first two years at the helm since Tom Thibodeau earned consecutive Central Division titles with the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Among the four major professional sports leagues, the Warriors are the first Bay Area team to earn consecutive division crowns since the Oakland Athletics won back-to-back West Division titles in 2012 and 2013.
Timberwolves sign Greg Smith to second 10-day contract
The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed center Greg Smith to a second 10-day contract.
Smith signed his initial 10-day contract with the team on March 2. In a limited role, he has averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game over six contests with Minnesota.
Grizzlies sign Ray McCallum and Alex Stepheson to 10-day contracts
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Ray McCallum and center Alex Stepheson to 10-day contracts pursuant to the NBA’s hardship rule.
McCallum (6-3, 190) has appeared in 144 career games (43 starts) with the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs and averaged 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.0 minutes during his three-year NBA career. He played 31 games (three starts) for the Spurs this season and recorded 2.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes before he was waived on Feb. 29.
The 24-year-old has competed in 16 games (all starts) in the NBA Development League with the Reno Bighorns and Austin Spurs and posted 18.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.63 steals in 37.3 minutes. He completed six assignments to Austin this season and averaged 17.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.33 steals in nine contests.
A 2010 McDonald’s All-American, McCallum was drafted by Sacramento in the second round (36th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft following a three-year collegiate career at the University of Detroit Mercy where he played for his father, Titans head coach Ray McCallum, Sr. He was a three-time All-Horizon selection and was named the 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year after averaging 18.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.94 steals in 36.6 minutes in 33 games (all starts) as a junior.
Stepheson (6-10, 270) appeared in 31 games (all starts) for the D-League’s Iowa Energy and was named a 2016 D-League All-Star after averaging 15.9 points, a league-high 13.8 rebounds and 1.35 blocks in 34.2 minutes. The D-League leader in double-doubles (26) this season, Stepheson signed with the Los Angeles Clippers to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts on Feb. 20 and totaled two points, two rebounds and two blocks in 11 minutes over three contests.
Since finishing his collegiate career at the University of Southern California, the 28-year-old has played professionally in Greece, Slovenia and Turkey. During the 2014-15 season, he averaged 12.3 points and a league-leading 9.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes over 29 games (21 starts) for Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi.
Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles native made three appearances for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and also played three games for the Grizzlies during the 2015 preseason.
Mike Conley out 3-4 weeks with Achilles tendonitis
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After missing the last three games with left foot soreness, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley received an additional examination yesterday, which revealed Achilles tendonitis. Conley will remain out and will be re-evaluated in 3 to 4 weeks.
Conley has appeared in 56 games (all starts) this season for the Grizzlies and averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, a team-high 6.1 assists and 1.20 steals in 31.4 minutes. He’s a crucial part of the team. This injury is a big blow to the squad.