Key point about the Nuggets vs Timberwolves game tonight

The Nuggets and Timberwolves play in Minnesota tonight. The winner makes the NBA playoffs. The loser has to go home and stare at a wall. Or they can watch TV. Maybe eat something. Or hop on a plane and fly to an exotic overseas beach destination. Which sounds cool. But making the playoffs is better. Beaches can wait.

The Western conference playoff seeding situation is complicated. Regarding these two teams, here are the possibilities:

If the Nuggets win tonight, they will either be the 6 or 7 West seed.

If the Timberwolves win, they’ll be the 6, 7 or 8 West seed.

Why? Because a big stack of West playoff teams have almost identical records, and therefore tiebreaker rules come into effect.

Here’s what’s set in the West through Tuesday:
Rockets are the 1-seed.
Warriors are the 2-seed.
Blazers or Jazz are the 3-seed.
The rest will be determined tonight.

InsideHoops.com will turn things things up for the 2018 playoffs. Roll with us daily.

Raptors change Lorenzo Brown contract from two-way to standard

The Toronto Raptors have converted guard Lorenzo Brown to a standard NBA contract. Brown, who signed a two-way contract July 25, 2017, is now eligible to participate for the Raptors in the playoffs.

Brown has appeared in 14 games with the Raptors this season. Averaging 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 9.8 minutes. He scored a season-high 11 points Apr. 9 at Detroit and recorded a season-best five assists Jan. 11 vs. Cleveland.

Brown was selected as the 2017-18 MVP of the NBA G League on Apr. 10 after averaging team highs of 18.8 points, 8.9 assists and 1.78 steals in 32 games (all starts) for Raptors 905. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds and shot .468 from the field. Raptors 905 (31-19) went 25-7 with Brown in the lineup.

Unclear future for Jeff Hornacek in New York

The Knicks came into the season with a fairly limited roster. Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr, and a supporting cast. Then Porzingis suffered a season-ending injury. So it was bound to be a fairly lost season. Making it tough to judge the job a head coach does. So what’s Jeff Hornacek’s future in NYC look like? Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Hornacek will take the sidelines Wednesday with a 59-104 Knicks coaching record to face the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Then, Hornacek will likely face the firing line.

Lacking a vote of confidence from president Steve Mills or contract-extension talks, Hornacek looks like he is being set up as the fall guy for another depressing campaign that in some ways couldn’t have gone worse.

And the irony is the 28-53 record — already two games worse than last season’s final 31-51 mark — isn’t the coach’s fault. The Knicks could do worse — and possibly will — than Hornacek.

“John Wooden couldn’t win with this team,” one NBA scout told The Post. “But he’s just an OK coach — nothing special. A good person and smart basketball man, but there is more to the job. Both places [including Phoenix], there’s been some lack of discipline — whether that’s his fault or not.”

Full article

Dario Saric leaves game with facial injuries

The best thing teams who have clinched playoff spots can do in the final week of the regular season is stay healthy. Second best is to win or lose in order to best help themselves in regard to possible first round playoff opponents. But that first thing is most important. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on a key Sixer:

Dario Saric had a game-ending injury on the first play of Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

The 76ers power forward suffered a cut upper lip and a chipped left central incisor (big tooth) when he collided with Hawks power forward John Collins 13 seconds into the game. After falling to the court, Saric got up and immediately jogged to the locker room.

This was Saric’s third game back after missing the previous three with cellulitis in his right elbow.

Full article

Jaylen Brown scores 21 first quarter points vs Wizards

Jaylen Brown scores 21 first quarter points vs Wizards

Jaylen Brown is going to be a very important player for the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs, and he showed why Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards.

Brown dropped 21 points in the first quarter with most of his damage coming from the 3-point line, where he connected on five of seven attempts. He also shot 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while adding three steals and a rebound.

— NESN

On Raptors success this season

Maybe you could see it in Casey’s reaction to C.J. Miles’ great performance in a win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, when Miles made five of 10 three-pointers.

“It’s huge. We need more. We need more,” said Casey, speaking of Miles’ good gunning. “If we’re going to be a three-point-shooting team, we’ve got to be a three-point-making team … It’s great to see C.J. (shooting well). We need C.J.’s threes with the second unit, because I think he makes the second unit click.”

A big part of Toronto’s offensive transformation this season has started from behind the arc — and not only, as Casey said, with Miles spreading the floor for Toronto’s vaunted bench mob. A year after ranking among the league’s bottom 10 teams in three-pointers attempted and made — a behind-the-times stat that had president Masai Ujiri demanding change — this year the Raptors are chucking at franchise record-shattering levels. Heading into Monday’s games only one playoff-bound team had shot more threes than the Raptors (that’d be Houston). Only two playoff-bound teams had made more threes than Toronto (Houston and Cleveland).

— Toronto Star

Hornets name Mitch Kupchak president and GM

Charlotte Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan announced today that the team has named Mitch Kupchak President of Basketball Operations & General Manager.

Kupchak, who brings more than 30 years of NBA front office experience to Charlotte, including 17 seasons as an NBA General Manager, will be responsible for leading the organization’s day-to-day basketball operations.

“In every role and in every stop during his tenure in the NBA, Mitch Kupchak has brought the highest levels of success to his teams. He’s a proven winner,” Jordan said. “Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte.”

“I’m excited to join the Hornets organization and I want to thank Michael for this opportunity,” said Kupchak. “I am well aware of the passion for basketball in Charlotte and throughout the entire state of North Carolina‎, and I am confident that we can build the Hornets into a successful team that our great fans can be proud of.”

Kupchak joins the Hornets after a very distinguished and successful career as a front office executive and player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He began working in the team’s front office in 1986 under two NBA Hall-of-Famers: legendary NBA executive Jerry West and Bill Sharman, the first person to win a championship as a player, coach and executive. Kupchak was named general manager in 2000, serving in that capacity for 17 seasons. During Kupchak’s tenure as general manager, the Lakers won four NBA Championships and six Western Conference Championships, posting a 747-607 (.552) regular-season record and winning 63 percent (111-66) of their postseason contests.

Cavaliers sign Okaro White

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Okaro White to a contract for the remainder of the season, which ends next week.

White (6-8, 204) signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers on March 18. He has played in six games (four starts) with the Miami Heat this season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game. The second-year forward from Florida State has appeared in 41 career games (four starts) with the Heat, holding averages of 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes.

Prior to his stint with Miami, White was a NBA G League All-Star in 2016-17 after averaging 18.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 33.0 minutes over his 23 appearances with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also played professionally with Aris B.C. of the Greek Basketball League where he was the Greek Basketball Player of the Year in 2015-16 and was a member of Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna in Italy in 2014-15.

Grizzlies sign MarShon Brooks to multi-year contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard MarShon Brooks to a multi-year contract.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Brooks will sign for the remainder of the season and return to the Grizzlies for the 2018-19 campaign with a fully guaranteed deal, Yahoo Sports reported.”

Brooks signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on March 27.

Brooks (6-5, 200) has appeared in three games as a reserve for the Grizzlies and has averaged 23.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.67 steals in 25.3 minutes while shooting 57.1 percent from the field, 64.7 percent from three-point range and 84.6 percent from the free throw line. Brooks has recorded the most points (70) in franchise history of any player in his first three games with the team and is just the second Grizzlies player to average at least 20 points per game in his first three contests (Lorenzen Wright in 2001-02).

The 29-year-old led Memphis with 21 points in 21 minutes in his season debut on March 27, a 108-103 victory over Portland, his first NBA game in nearly four years (April 16, 2014). He then scored 24 points in 18 minutes on March 30 at Utah and a season-high 25 points in 36 minutes on April 4 at New Orleans. Brooks is the first player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in his first three games with the club; no other Grizzlies player had scored at least 20 points in his first two games with the team.

Before signing a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies, Brooks starred for three seasons with the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he appeared in 36 games (28 starts) during the 2017-18 season and averaged 36.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.00 steals in 37.6 minutes while leading the team to a 26-12 regular season record.

Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at Providence, Brooks has appeared in 167 regular season games (49 starts) during his three-year NBA career and has averaged 8.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 17.7 minutes for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. He was named to the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie Team with the Nets. The Long Branch, New Jersey native also has played in the NBA G League for the Maine Red Claws and Santa Cruz Warriors and has competed internationally for Emporio Armani Milano in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.