Spurs sign Gorgui Dieng to second 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs have signed center Gorgui Dieng to a second 10-day contract.

Dieng, 6-10/265, started this season with the Spurs, appearing in 13 games and averaging 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 11.6 minutes before being waived on Jan. 5. He signed the first 10-day contract on Jan. 8. The 10-year NBA veteran has played in 611 total games and holds career averages of 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.3 minutes with Minnesota, Memphis, Atlanta and San Antonio. The native of Senegal was originally selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Utah Jazz and before being dealt to the Timberwolves on draft night.

The Spurs roster currently stands at 17 players.

Mavericks forward Christian Wood out with thumb fracture

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that forward Christian Wood has sustained a fracture of his left thumb. The injury occurred in the second quarter of last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Wood will be re-evaluated next week.

Per ESPN.com, “Wood, a summer trade acquisition who opened the season as a sixth man but has been starting at center over the past month, ranks second on for Dallas behind superstar Luka Doncic in scoring (18.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.4).”

Kings sign PJ Dozier to second 10-day contract

The Sacramento Kings have signed PJ Dozier to a second 10-day contract.

Dozier signed a 10-day contract with Sacramento on Jan. 9 and has appeared in three games for the Kings. Prior to joining the Kings this season, Dozier played for the Iowa Wolves, the Minnesota Timberwolves G-League affiliate, where he averaged 18.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 36.8 minutes per game in the regular season.

The 26-year-old has seen action in 108 regular season NBA games and 12 NBA playoff games. Dozier, a Columbia, South Carolina, native played for the Denver Nuggets from 2019-2022.

Lakers must currently play mistake-free basketball, says LeBron James

Via ESPN.com:

The Sacramento Kings ended Wednesday night’s game on an 8-3 run in the final minute to beat the Lakers 116-111, handing L.A. its third loss in the past week by a total of 10 points.

Afterward, LeBron James said the Lakers have “zero room for error” given the injuries the team is dealing with.

“We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”

James led L.A. with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and was on the floor more than any other Laker — logging 36 minutes, 30 seconds of playing time.

Former NBA player and coach Chris Ford has died

Ford Family Statement

The Ford family is sad to announce the passing of Chris on January 17, 2023. Chris was beloved by his family, friends, and teammates. He had a great love for his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the entire Celtics family. He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life.

Boston Celtics Statement

As a player and coach, Chris Ford’s career spanned over a decade of Celtics basketball, and he made his mark every step of the way. He was a member of three NBA World Championship Boston Celtics teams, one as a key player on the 1981 Champions, and subsequently as an assistant coach for the 1984 and 1986 champs. Ford went on to become the team’s eleventh head coach, leading his former teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to multiple playoff appearances in the trio’s final days together. ‘Doc,’ as he was affectionately known by his teammates, was a fundamentally versatile all-around guard. He was voted the team’s MVP in his first season with the Celtics, and he is famously credited with scoring the NBA’s first three-point basket. Ford joined an elite group of Celtics’ personnel (Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and K.C. Jones) who have earned championship rings as both a player and coach with the organization. The Boston Celtics sends their deepest sympathies to the Ford family and their many friends.

PER THE DETROIT NEWS: “Chris Ford, a member of the Detroit Pistons’ top 50 players of all-time who later made the first 3-pointer in NBA history, has died. Ford, who reportedly recently suffered a heart attack, died Tuesday. He was 74. Ford was the 17th overall pick by the Pistons in the 1972 NBA Draft out of Villanova, and played seven of his 11 seasons with Detroit. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged double-digits in scoring in seasons for the Pistons, including 12.3 points in the 1976-77 season. In 1978-79, he was averaging 11 points when Detroit traded him to Boston for Earl Tatum.”

Hawks sign Donovan Williams to two-way contract

The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Donovan Williams to a two-way contract.

Williams appeared in 26 total games (19 starts) for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League this season, tallying 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 28.6 minutes (.481 FG%, .407 3FG%, .658 FT%). He scored 20-or-more points six times, including pouring in a career-best 30 points in a win on Nov. 23, 2022, over the Raptors 905.

The 6-6 guard saw action in five games with the Brooklyn Nets during the NBA 2K23 Summer League in Las Vegas, registering 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.8 minutes (.667 FG%, .750 3FG%, .750 FT%). Undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Williams was signed by the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 12, 2022, before being placed on waivers on Oct. 16, 2022.

A native of Houston, Texas, Williams suited up for the Texas Longhorns for two seasons (2019-21) before transferring to UNLV (2021-22). In his three collegiate seasons, he appeared in 68 games (14 starts), owning averages of 7.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.4 minutes (.435 FG%, .338 3FG%, .667 FT%). During the 2021-22 campaign as a Runnin’ Rebel, he saw action in 27 games (13 starts) and recorded career highs of 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in a career-best 22.3 minutes (.488 FG%, .436 3FG%).

Williams will wear No. 4 with the Hawks.

Raptors sign Joe Wieskamp to second 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed guard-forward Joe Wieskamp to a second 10-day contract.

Wieskamp, 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, appeared in one game with Toronto’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905, during his first 10-day contract with the Raptors. He posted 19 points (6-9 FG, 4-6 3PT, 2-2 FT) and seven rebounds in the 905’s 122-119 win over Capital City on Jan. 9.

A native of Muscatine, Iowa, Wieskamp averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 29.4 minutes in 13 games (two regular season/11 Showcase Cup) with the Wisconsin Herd in the NBA G League this season. He shot .494 (79-160) from the field, .402 (33-82) from three-point range and .769 (20-26) from the free throw line.

Wieskamp was picked 41st overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by San Antonio. He appeared in 29 contests for the Spurs last season, averaging 2.1 points and 7.1 minutes.

Prior to being drafted, Wieskamp spent three collegiate seasons at Iowa (2018-21), where he was named All-Big Ten Second Team as a junior. He was also voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2019.

Utah Jazz home arena to once again be named Delta Center starting July 2023

The Delta Center is coming back to Utah. The global airline will assume the naming rights for Utah’s premier sports and entertainment center – which is home to the Utah Jazz and more than 320 evenings of events each year – effective July 2023 as part of a multi-year partnership between the two organizations.

This agreement is a homecoming for Delta, harkening back to the arena’s original opening in 1991 when the airline held the naming rights as part of its first sponsorship with the NBA franchise. Within the long-term agreement, Delta will serve as the Official Airline of the Utah Jazz, adding to its current role as an Official Community Partner of the team. Delta will also hold numerous sponsorship and branding rights with the team, including media, hospitality and employee engagement extensions.

Weekly Rockets notes: Jan. 16, 2023

HOUSTON ROCKETS TEAM NOTES

Alperen Sengun is averaging 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists over the past three games… he recorded the first triple-double of his career at Sacramento on 1/11 and surpassed Kevin Porter Jr. as the youngest Rocket with one in franchise history at 20 years, 170 days.

KJ Martin has scored 20-plus points in two of the past three games and five times overall this season after doing so six times his first two seasons combined… he is one of four players averaging at least 10.0 ppg while shooting 55.0% or better from the floor in fewer than 25.0 mpg this season.

After wrapping up a four-game road trip tonight at the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston will play six of its next eight games at Toyota Center from 1/18-2/3.

The Rockets have shot 45.0% or better from the floor in each of the past three games after doing so once the six games prior… since the start of last season, 24 of Houston’s 30 wins have come when shooting at least 45.0%.