NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes underwent a successful procedure today at Kaiser Permanente to repair a right eye laceration. The injury was sustained during the second quarter of Wednesday night’s contest versus Orlando.
Additionally, Holmes underwent concussion screening and was subsequently cleared of any concussive event.
Holmes will be listed as out for the team’s next two games at Charlotte and at Cleveland
Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill, who left Sunday’s game vs. Charlotte with a right hamstring injury, underwent an MRI on Monday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. The MRI revealed a right hamstring tendon tear.
Hill will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Upon further examination, a CT scan revealed that Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has a pneumothorax (right lung), the team announced today. Per MayoClinic.org, a pneumothorax is a collapsed lung.
McCollum sustained the injury during the 4th quarter of Portland’s game versus Boston on December 4.
He will be further evaluated before a prognosis is determined and his status will be updated accordingly.
McCollum did not travel with the team for Wednesday’s game at Golden State.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Some Houston Rockets team notes as the squad enjoys their current six-game winning streak:
Christian Wood has scored 20+ points in four of the past five games after doing so four times prior this season… he is averaging 19.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.8 bpg during the Rockets six-game winning streak.
Jae’Sean Tate has recorded 7+ assists in three of the past four games after not doing so prior this season and four times as a rookie in 2020-21… he is averaging 16.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.00 spg and 1.00 bpg during Houston’s six-game winning streak.
The Rockets have won six in a row, which is the longest active winning streak in the NBA… Houston has also won five straight at Toyota Center for the first time since 12/16/19-1/11/20 and is 6-5 at home overall this season.
Houston is averaging 5.2 more 3-pointers made than opponents during the six-game winning streak… the Rockets are 7-3 when having more 3FGM than the opposition this season.
The Knicks are still finding their way this season. Via the New York Post:
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is not ready to make a Kemba Walker reversal, but said he won’t hesitate to make more changes if the losing continues.
Among other factors, Thibodeau said he doesn’t have “a big enough sample size.”
“If we’re not performing well, look, there may be more changes coming,” Thibodeau said. “I want to make sure that — I do have respect for [Walker]. He’s part of the team and right now we have a rotation. He’s not in the rotation but he’s working in practice, he’s doing all the things he should be doing. As I mentioned before when I made that decision, I view Kemba as a starter.’’
Following the hideous 114-99 Garden rout by the Nuggets on Saturday, Thibodeau said there are two factors he looks at regarding decision-making: “Is the intensity part right? Is the execution part right?”
The Knicks are 11-12 so far this season. Their leading scorers are Julius Randle at 20.1 points per game, RJ Barrett at 14.0 ppg, and Evan Fournier at 13.3 ppg.
The Pelicans keep racking up losses, but they enjoyed a nice performance from Brandon Ingram Sunday. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
As the third quarter neared an end, Brandon Ingram drove to the basket and absorbed contact. He earned a trip to the free-throw line, where he scored his 32nd and 33rd points of the game.
Ingram scored a season-high 40 points, but on the second leg of New Orleans’ Texas two step, he received little help.
Ingram converted 15 of 28 field goals. His teammates combined to go 25 of 66.
The Pelicans lost to the Houston Rockets 118-108 on Sunday at Toyota Center.
They were unable to keep the positive momentum from their win over the Dallas Mavericks two nights earlier going, as they fell to the Rockets, one of the few teams that came into Sunday’s game below New Orleans (7-19) in the Western Conference standings.
The Denver Nuggets yesterday (Saturday, December 4) signed guard Davon Reed to a 10-day contract, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced.
Reed, 6-5, 208, has appeared in seven games (all starts) this season with the Nuggets’ G-League affiliate Grand Rapids Gold, averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.14 steals while shooting 42.9% from three in 35.8 minutes per game. He also played for the Nuggets in both this year’s preseason and Vegas Summer League entry.
Reed, 26, has appeared in 31 career NBA games for the Phoenix Suns (21 games in 2017-18) and Indiana Pacers (10 games in 2018-19), owning career averages of 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.3 minutes. He has appeared in 93 career G-League games (89 starts) for Northern Arizona, Fort Worth, Sioux Falls and Grand Rapids, averaging 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
The New Jersey Native was drafted with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He spent four years at the University of Miami where he was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and ACC All-Third Team in 2017.
Reed will wear #9 for the Nuggets.
There is reportedly an interesting possible candidate for the newly vacant Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations job. Via the New York Post:
Knicks general manager Scott Perry already has emerged as a candidate to replace fired Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey, according a report by Yahoo Sports.
Olshey was axed Friday after an independent investigation determined he violated the team’s code of conduct. The Blazers announced last month they had hired a private law firm to investigate “concerns around the workplace environment by non-player personnel at the practice facility.”
Perry, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Knicks before this season, was a member of the Pistons’ front office when current Portland coach Chauncey Billups played for Detroit. Chicago Bulls GM Marc Eversley also is expected to be considered for the post, according to the report.
As with all fully rebuilding teams, the Orlando Magic are a team for the future. Here’s the Via the Orlando Sentinel on their latest:
The Orlando Magic found themselves in a familiar position during their 118-116 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
After trailing by as many as 13 late in the fourth quarter, the Magic (5-19) used a second-half surge similar to their recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to get back into the game.
The Magic went on a 13-0 run to tie the score at 114 with 47 seconds left, but unlike their game against the Nuggets and more in line with their matchup against the 76ers, they didn’t complete the comeback attempt despite holding the Rockets (6-16) to 4 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes.
“If we would’ve played the whole game like we played the last two minutes, we would’ve won the game by 30,” said Cole Anthony, who had game-highs of 26 points and 7 assists. “That’s personally what I think.”
The Magic are 5-10 this season, which is the second worst record in the Eastern conference, just ahead of the 4-18 Detroit Pistons.
The leading Magic scorers so far in 2021-22 are Anthony at 20.2 points per game, then Franz Wagner at 13.6 ppg and Wendell Carter Jr. at 13.1 ppg.
Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez underwent back surgery today in Los Angeles.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins with oversight by Bucks team physician Dr. William Raasch of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network.
Lopez has been sidelined since the Bucks’ regular season opening win vs. Brooklyn on Oct. 19, where he tallied eight points, five rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes of action.
Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “no timeline for a potential return was provided, though Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer believes Lopez will play again at some point. Lopez, 33, had been sidelined with what was characterized as back soreness on the league injury reports since playing in the Bucks’ season opener Oct. 19. Two days later in Miami, Lopez participated in a shootaround but then was scratched from the game. Budenholzer said no specific incident occurred in Miami either.”
Lopez will continue to be listed as out. There is no estimated return date yet.