NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
The Sacramento Kings will be without guard-forward DaQuan Jeffries for at least the next six weeks.
An MRI conducted this morning on Jeffries confirmed that he suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain during live 4-on-4 play on December 29 as part of his return to play progression.
The Kings are off to a 3-1 start this season. They’ve been led in scoring so far by De’Aaron Fox at 20.3 points per game, Buddy Hield at 16.3 PPG, and Harrison Barnes and Marvin Bagley each at 13.8 PPG.
Portland Trail Blazers forward/center Zach Collins underwent revision ankle surgery today to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture, it was announced by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
Collins previously underwent ankle surgery on September 1.
Injuries limited Collins to just 11 games played last season. That was due to a shoulder injury.
Collins is out indefinitely and his status will be updated accordingly.
The Toronto Raptors are off to an 0-3 start. Which isn’t a huge deal, because three games don’t tell a full tale of what’s to come in an entire season. But there are some issues to watch. Here’s the Toronto Sun on star forward Pascal Siakam:
Siakam has had a weird start. He’s looked far more energetic and locked-in and appears to be having more fun than he did in the bubble, but he’s also been a bit error-prone, has been mad at the officiating and has completely faded the later into games he gets. Is it fatigue? Frustration? This wasn’t the Siakam we saw to start the 2019-20 campaign. That Siakam was a Top 10 MVP candidate after the first month or so…
Siakam is -39 in the second half of the first three games, +6 in the first two quarters, has not gotten to the free throw line once in the first or fourth quarter of any game and committed five fouls in the final seven minutes of Tuesday’s loss.
He also hasn’t been the all-world defender he has been the past few seasons (torched by Brandon Ingram, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons).
Through three games, Kyle Lowry is averaging 19.3 points and 9.7 assists. Siakam is second in scoring at 18.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.7 APG, but he’s shooting just 39.3% FG. Guard Fred VanVleet’s shot has also been missing: he’s putting up 14.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 6.0 APG but on just 36.4% FG.
Again, it’s too early to care much about exact numbers. But for now, the Raptors aren’t hot out of the gates.
Toronto’s next game is tomorrow on the road against the Knicks.
Knicks forward Julius Randle had himself a game tonight. Via the New York Daily News:
They’re not the most talented team on most nights, but efficient 3-point shooting, a commitment to defense and Julius Randle’s all-around excellence has the Knicks on a two-game winning streak.
Randle, the once-maligned power forward, posted an exquisite triple-double in Tuesday’s 95-86 victory in Cleveland, dropping 28 points with 12 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. He again served as the Knicks’ top playmaker, and countered sporadic sloppy play (nine turnovers) with early All-Star production. The Knicks used the eighth overall pick last month on Randle’s potential replacement, Obi Toppin. But with Toppin injured, Randle continues to solidify his position as the franchise’s top player.
Randle did commit nine turnovers. But let’s overlook that for today.
The Knicks started Elfrid Payton and R.J. Barrett at guard, Reggie Bullock and Randle at forward, and Mitchell Robinson at center. Three players received bench minutes: Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel and Frank Ntilikina.
The Celtics lost Gordon Hayward in free agency this offseason, and haven’t had starting point guard Kemba Walker in action yet. Via Boston.com:
Kemba Walker still doesn’t have a timeline to return to Celtics’ lineup as he recovers from a stem-cell injection in his left knee.
Walker received the experimental treatment in early October. Prior to the season, he told reporters the injection “definitely calmed my knee down a lot.” …
“No update that I’ve received, other than that he’s progressing,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.
The Celtics enjoyed a win tonight, beating the Pacers 116-111. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown started in the backcourt, and Jayson Tatum, Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis in the frontcourt.
One week into the new season, the Clippers are a work in progress. And per ESPN.com, forward Kawhi Leonard is currently out on a day-to-day basis:
The LA Clippers will attempt to rebound from their most lopsided loss in franchise history without Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard will not suit up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night as the All-Star forward misses his second straight game due to a mouth laceration. Leonard suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ win in Denver on Christmas night. The injury required eight stitches to close.
The Clippers are at home tonight, hosting the 2-1 Minnesota Timberwolves.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love left Sunday night’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter and did not return to action after reaggravating a right calf strain initially diagnosed during the preseason.
Further examination and an MRI administered on Monday at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health confirmed the injury.
Love will undergo a series of treatment and rehabilitation and will be reassessed in approximately three to four weeks.
The Cavs are off to a surprise 3-0 start this NBA season. Leading them in scoring is Collin Sexton at 27.0 points per game, Andre Drummond at 20.3 PPG, Darius Garland at 19.0 PPG, and Cedi Osman at 15.7 PPG. Love has been off to a quiet start, which can presumably be blamed on injury.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised their fourth-year option on Josh Okogie and the third-year option on Jarrett Culver.
Okogie, 22, has averaged 8.1 points, on 40.6% shooting and 3.6 rebounds per contest in 139 games (83 starts) for the Timberwolves. He was named to Team World at the Rising Stars Game for the second-straight year as part of the 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Okogie was drafted by the Wolves in the first round (20th overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Culver, 21, posted averages of 9.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per contest in 63 games (35 starts) last season, his first in the NBA. The Wolves originally acquired the draft rights to the 6-7 guard from the Phoenix Suns on July 6, 2019.
The Washington Wizards have exercised their their third-year option on Rui Hachimura and their fourth-year contract option on Troy Brown Jr.
Hachimura is reportedly making around $4.69 million this season and due to earn around $4.9 million next season.
Brown Jr. is reportedly earning around $3.37 million this season and make around $5.17 million next season.
Brown Jr. has appeared in 124 career games (32 starts) and has compiled career averages of 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Last season, Brown Jr. averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 69 games (22 starts). He was originally selected by the Wizards with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Hachimura was named to 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds on .466 shooting from the field. Hachimura led all rookies in rebounds per game and finished fifth in scoring among rookies on the season. He also led all rookies with 18 games of at least 10+ points and seven or more rebounds. Hachimura was selected ninth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The NBA announced today that it has fined Daryl Morey, Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations, $50,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule.
The fine is in response to a since deleted social media post Morey made on December 20 regarding the Houston Rockets’ James Harden.