|
|
NBA Rumors
The daily league-wide NBA rumors page
By InsideHoops.comUpdated Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 2 a.m. ET
The day before his short-handed Heat sought to even the score with the heavily favored Celtics, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra made an intriguing comment about his team's identity. After being deluged by Boston's 3-point shooting in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series, Spoelstra said his team needed to do a better job of letting it fly in order to keep pace. "I understand the math of it," Spoelstra said, before adding, "We're not going to shoot 50 of them. That's not realistic." Maybe 50 3-point shots wasn't quite realistic. But the upset-minded Heat did just fine with 43 attempts Wednesday night. And by finishing with a playoff franchise-record 23 treys, the Heat beat the Celtics 111-101 on the road in Game 2 to even the series at 1-1. - ESPN.com
Minnesota forward Naz Reid was named the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday night, becoming the first Timberwolves player to win the award. Reid, 24, averaged career highs of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds to help Minnesota finish with the second-best record in franchise history (56-26) and clinch the third seed in the Western Conference. - ESPN.com
RECENT NBA RUMORS
New Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez wasted no time making his feelings known about the roster -- and, specifically, the status of unrestricted free agent center Nic Claxton, who Fernandez said was a "priority" to retain in free agency. "Nic is a quote-unquote big that has defensive versatility," Fernandez said at his introductory news conference at the team's practice facility overlooking New York Harbor on Wednesday morning. "I believe he'll be Defensive Player of the Year. For us, he's a priority in this summer, and the way we can play through him -- obviously he's great in pick-and-roll, he's quick to the rim, he puts pressure on the rim -- but also his ability to play the dribble-handoff game which, as you guys know, lately in the NBA is a style that is very efficient. "When everybody touches the ball and everybody's involved, everybody's happier. You're harder to guard because there's more ... you're not that predictable to just play pick-and-roll. So he fits perfectly what we want to do moving forward." - ESPN.com
After a heartbreaking 101-99 loss in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, LeBron James was one of several Los Angeles Lakers players to criticize the officiating during his postgame comments. "I don't understand what's going on in the replay center, to be honest," James said. James has voiced his displeasure with the league's replay process several times this season, such as when his foot was ruled to be on the 3-point line in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and out of bounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. - ESPN.com
"D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive," James said. "What the f--- do we have a replay center for if it's going to go [like that]? It doesn't make sense to me." Russell was seemingly in agreement, writing on X after the game, "That's a foul we all saw it on national television." - ESPN.com
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey did not attend Monday's morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden due to an illness and will be listed as questionable for Game 2 against the New York Knicks. Maxey, 23, had 33 points in 44 minutes in Philadelphia's 111-104 loss in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series Saturday night, using his blazing speed to get to the rim at will, particularly in the second half. But when the team arrived Monday morning for shootaround, Maxey was the only player missing, with the team announcing his status change a short time later. - ESPN.com
LA Clippers coach Ty Lue said Kawhi Leonard will be out for Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series against the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. - ESPN.com
Following a second brief injury scare involving superstar center Joel Embiid in just over a week, Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after Saturday night's 111-104 Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden that there are no plans to shut down the reigning MVP. "He really is a warrior, and he's battling," Nurse said of Embiid. "I think he absolutely wants to play." Embiid left the game for the final 2:37 of the first half after a remarkable play that saw him throw down a ridiculous one-handed dunk after passing the ball to himself off the backboard. - ESPN.com
On Thursday, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. echoed those sentiments. "Certainly, we want Klay back," Dunleavy said. "I expressed that to him yesterday." He also added that he can't imagine a scenario in which Green doesn't return. Green still has $77 million and three years left on the contract extension he signed last summer. But much of the turbulence the Warriors experienced this season was by Green's doing. Kerr called the actions that ended in Green's indefinite suspension "unforgivable" at the time. "And yet I forgave him," Kerr said Thursday with a smile. - ESPN.com
LA Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard still has inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, and his status is questionable for Game 1 against the Dallas Mavericks. Lawrence Frank, LA Clippers president of basketball operations, said Leonard has yet to go through contact before Thursday's practice. Frank said Leonard's right knee, which has undergone surgeries to repair a torn ACL and meniscus, is structurally "solid and intact" but that the Clippers franchise star is experiencing "some very, very stubborn inflammation." - ESPN.com
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a right MCL injury suffered in Wednesday's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Butler was hurt on the final play of the first quarter in Philadelphia. He remained in the game but scored a total of 12 points the rest of the way on 3-for-14 shooting, as Miami's offense dried up after taking a 12-point halftime lead, allowing Philadelphia to come from behind and close a 105-104 victory. - ESPN.com
San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder that will require surgery, the team announced Thursday. Collins suffered the injury in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Detroit Pistons. - ESPN.com
The Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter has been banned from the league after an investigation revealed he had disclosed confidential information to bettors, limited his participation in at least one game while he was with Raptors, and bet on NBA games while playing in the G League. The NBA said in a release announcing Porter's ban that its investigation remains open and that it is sharing information with federal authorities. ESPN reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI for comment. - ESPN.com
Grant Hill, the managing director of the United States men's basketball team, said the decision to release the team's roster happened to coincide with the United States Olympic Committee's weeklong event in New York City commemorating the Paris Olympics being 100 days away. But, Hill said, the decision also stemmed from another, more important reason: He and the rest of Team USA's leadership already had the group of 12 players they wanted for this year's team in place. "We knew," Hill said on a conference call Wednesday morning. "We didn't necessarily plan it that way, but we knew this was the team that we wanted and we also know that there'll be a lot of interest and a lot of people who will want to be along for this incredible journey we're about to be on. "So if we know, why wait?" - ESPN.com
It's hard to blame Hill and coach Steve Kerr for being excited about this team. The roster features four NBA MVPs (LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and reigning MVP Joel Embiid) and NBA Finals MVPs (James, Curry, Durant and Kawhi Leonard). All 12 players are former All-Stars -- including 11 from this season -- and eight have been named to at least one All-NBA team, a number likely to grow to 10 this year when Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are expected to join that list. - ESPN.com
The regular season ended for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday with Anthony Davis in the locker room receiving treatment for back spasms after being shoved while in the air late in L.A.'s 124-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis vowed he will be back on the court Tuesday when the postseason begins for the Lakers, who clinched the No. 8 seed and a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament -- a rematch with the No. 7 seed Pelicans. A first-round berth against the defending champion No. 2-seeded Denver Nuggets is on the line. - ESPN.com
The Milwaukee Bucks will enter the NBA playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and face the Indiana Pacers in the first round. The Bucks fell to the 3-seed after they were blown out by the Orlando Magic 113-88 in Sunday's regular-season finale, which earned them a matchup with a familiar foe. Milwaukee dropped four of its five games with Indiana this season, including a loss in the in-season tournament in November. "Indiana has had our number all year, so perfect opponent," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "They've played great against us. They have great confidence against us. We'll have great focus because we're going to have to." - ESPN.com
More than a minute of extra game time was added to the clock in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, an NBA spokesperson confirmed to ESPN. "We have confirmed that the game clock was inaccurately set in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies game last night at FedEx Forum," league spokesperson Tim Frank said in a statement Saturday. "After a shot clock violation, the clock was set at 2:20 when it should have been at 1:14. The error was not noticed in real time by the teams, the referees, the game clock operator or the stats crew. While unfortunate, the effort was not identified in time to resolve the situation in-game." - ESPN.com
Surviving both a Joel Embiid injury scare and a fourth-quarter push by Orlando, the 76ers took a significant step toward escaping the Eastern Conference play-in picture with a 125-113 victory over the Magic at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. Philadelphia (46-35) has now ripped off seven wins in a row and moved into a tie with the Magic -- now losers of three straight -- and Indiana Pacers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with just Sunday's games left to be played. All of that quickly faded into the background late in the second quarter, when Embiid -- playing in his fifth game since returning from a left meniscus procedure last month -- came up limping and grabbing at that left knee after making a basket. - ESPN.com
Karl-Anthony Towns returned from an 18-game absence due to a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee and helped spark the Minnesota Timberwolves to a critical 109-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Towns, who had been sidelined since March 4 and had surgery to repair the injury on March 12, started and had 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists. He hit a big 3-pointer with 2:29 to play to give Minnesota a 101-100 lead, and the Wolves held on down the stretch. - ESPN.com
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who hasn't played since March 4 because of a meniscus tear in his left knee, is expected to make his return at home vs. the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. - ESPN.com
After arriving in a blockbuster offseason trade, Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has agreed on a four-year, $135 million contract extension, his agent, Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management, told ESPN on Wednesday. Holiday is declining his $37.3 million player option for 2024-25 to sign a long-term deal that'll take him through the 2027-28 season, Glushon said. The Celtics announced Holiday's extension Thursday but did not disclose financial terms. - ESPN.com
Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns isn't planning to play Wednesday night after being cleared for full-contact activity, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, but a return this weekend is possible. Towns has been out since March 4 and underwent surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee four weeks ago. - ESPN.com
Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young is nearing a return and could play as soon as Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Young had been sidelined since surgery to repair a torn ligament in a finger on Feb. 27. He resumed practicing this week. - ESPN.com
Anthony Davis aggravated a left eye injury and was ruled out of the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Davis was inadvertently hit in the face by Wolves forward Kyle Anderson late in the first quarter when scoring off an offensive rebound. Davis immediately went to the floor after the play and covered his face with his hands. The putback dunk gave L.A. a 35-30 lead with 24.2 seconds remaining in the first. - ESPN.com
Khris Middleton left the Milwaukee Bucks' 122-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday after getting hit in the mouth midway through the second quarter. Middleton fell to the floor after New York's Donte DiVincenzo inadvertently hit him in the face. As Middleton was lying on his stomach, Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein fell after hitting a shot and landed on the Bucks forward's back. - ESPN.com
The 13-member [Basketball Hall of Fame] class announced Saturday includes former Lakers, Grizzlies and Warriors executive Jerry West, who was already inducted as a player and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team. Also in the class: players Seimone Augustus, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Dick Barnett and Michele Timms; coaches Charles Smith, Harley Redin and Bo Ryan; broadcaster/coach Doug Collins; and owner Herb Simon. The 2024 class will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in August. "It's mind-blowing for me," Carter said. "I enjoyed playing the game of basketball every day. I'm just overjoyed." Carter, 47, was an eight-time All-Star and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Toronto Raptors. He had the longest career in NBA history, playing 22 seasons for the Raptors, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Hawks, Magic, Kings and Suns, and finished with 25,728 career points, good for 21st in league history. - AP via ESPN.com
The 76ers would have had the final 10 days of the regular season to prepare for the 7-8 play-in game, one they would have been playing either back here on the shores of Biscayne Bay or in Indianapolis against Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. But in a game that featured several wild swings, including multiple double-digit runs in both directions and Miami outscoring Philadelphia by a combined 21-4 over the final minute of the first three quarters, it was the 76ers -- led by Tyrese Maxey's 37 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, plus 29 from Embiid and 18 from Kelly Oubre Jr. -- who found a way to pull it out in the end. As a result, Embiid -- who played 32 minutes Thursday after playing 29 in his first game back in Tuesday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder -- could have a chance to get a full week off before the playoffs, presuming Philadelphia is able to get up to the sixth spot in the standings. The added benefit: Philadelphia avoiding the Boston Celtics until the Eastern Conference finals. - ESPN.com
Golden State Warriors players Draymond Green and Klay Thompson stood, faced the crowd in Houston and yelled, "Warrrriors, come out to play!" The phrase was the same one Rockets forward Tari Eason wore on his shirt before Thursday's game. But after the Warriors beat the Rockets 133-110 -- a game with massive play-in implications -- Eason exited the arena shirtless, with a vest and a big diamond chain on. "That's pretty lame, especially if you're not even playing," Thompson said. "It's one thing if you are out there playing, out there competing and you can back it up. But you're just going to be trolling from the sideline? What are you doing? The time we talk smack, we're out there competing. That's all I have to say about that." - ESPN.com
After two months of rehabilitation to attempt a return to the New York Knicks, All-NBA forward Julius Randle will undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery, the team announced Thursday. Randle, who has been out since dislocating his shoulder on Jan. 27, had been relentlessly rehabilitating to resume playing prior to the Eastern Conference playoffs. Doctors warned him recently that continued instability in the shoulder made it unsafe for him to play again this season, sources told ESPN. - ESPN.com
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson did not play the final 7:24 of Wednesday night's 117-108 loss to the Orlando Magic because of a finger injury on his left hand. Williamson had the middle finger of his left shooting hand taped up as he took questions from reporters following the game, but didn't want to speculate on the extent of the injury. "I don't want to say anything that's not right, to be honest," Williamson said. "But yeah, I tweaked it a little bit. I'll have more information on it [Thursday] morning and I'm going to get it looked at and go from there." - ESPN.com
Detroit Pistons reserve point guard Malachi Flynn gave a rare 50-point performance in Wednesday night's 121-113 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was just the third game of 50 points or more by a player off the bench since starters were first tracked in 1970-71. Jamal Crawford scored 51 for the Phoenix Suns in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019, and Nick Anderson had 50 for the Orlando Magic in a win over the New Jersey Nets in 1993. - ESPN.com
Steve Clifford is stepping down as the Charlotte Hornets' coach at the end of the season and is working to finalize a front office role with the franchise, sources told ESPN. Clifford, who informed his assistants and players of the news Wednesday morning, will coach the Hornets' final seven games beginning Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, sources said. Charlotte's new executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were open to bringing him back as coach next season, but Clifford, 62, decided he wasn't prepared to commit to the year-round grind of head coaching for the 2024-2025 season, sources said. - ESPN.com
When Joel Embiid barreled down the court inside the final 30 seconds of Tuesday night's game against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the sellout crowd inside Wells Fargo Center rose to its feet. Meanwhile, 76ers coach Nick Nurse held his breath. "Go faster?" Nurse said postgame, when asked what was going through his mind when he saw Embiid driving the paint in the closing moments of a one-point game after swiping the ball from Thunder guard Josh Giddey. Seconds after the steal, Embiid, in his first game in eight weeks after undergoing a procedure on the lateral meniscus in his left knee, jumped into Thunder center Chet Holmgren at the rim. The collision sent the rookie into the photographers behind the basket and Embiid to the free throw line. "Man, I was trying to get the and-one," Embiid said postgame. - ESPN.com
LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings due to right knee soreness. Leonard returned home to Los Angeles on Monday to receive more treatment. Coach Ty Lue said the team first learned of Leonard's right knee soreness after a 130-118 win over Charlotte on Sunday. His status for Thursday's game against Denver, which is the start of a home back-to-back for the Clippers, is uncertain. - ESPN.com
Rajon Rondo officially announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons. During an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, Rondo was quick with a response when asked by host Matt Barnes if the NBA has seen the last of him. "Absolutely," the 38-year-old point guard said. "Yeah, I'm done. I can't. I'd rather spend time with my kids." - ESPN.com
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk -- one of the frontrunners for NBA Sixth Man of the Year -- has suffered a sprained right MCL and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Monk, who was injured after Luka Doncic landed on his knee in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, will likely need the Kings to advance in the Western Conference playoffs to return this season. - ESPN.com
Indiana had a clever troll aimed at Los Angeles fans in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers camera put a crying filter on Lakers fans, posting the clip after their win. The two teams faced off twice this season before Friday -- once last Sunday and in the in-season tournament championship in December. Los Angeles was victorious each time, but struggled offensively this time around, snapping its five-game winning streak. - ESPN.com
On Wednesday, Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum said he feels for fans when he doesn't hit their parlays. "I guess I do feel bad when I don't hit people's parlays. I don't want them to lose money," Tatum told reporters at the Celtics' shootaround. When money is on the line, fans don't have an issue reminding the player they've betted on what they must accomplish for a big payday. Tatum said he hears it all from the crowd while in action. "Fans yell s--- all the time, 'shoot one more 3, get one more rebound, get 25 before the half is over,'" Tatum said. - ESPN.com
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is no longer selling his controlling stake in the franchise to minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, he announced Thursday. Taylor alleges Lore and Rodriguez failed to meet certain contractual deadlines and obligations of the sale process, which began in 2021. Sources told ESPN that the relationship between Taylor and his successors -- Lore and Rodriguez -- disintegrated over the past two years. - ESPN.com
Golden State star Draymond Green on Thursday expressed regret for again being ejected -- this time, less than four minutes into the game -- in the Warriors' victory against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. "It just can't happen," Green said on "The Draymond Green Show" podcast Thursday. "I said what I said. I deserved to be kicked out at that point. If I'm all the way honest with y'all, kind of was trying to turn my body and angle it to go to the bench, but I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body. ... But, yeah, it just can't happen." - ESPN.com
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry watched from the bench as his team took blow after blow from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter of their eventual 114-110 loss on Sunday night. He was ready and expecting to come back in, but he remained on the bench for 11 straight minutes. After being subbed out of the game with four minutes left in the third quarter, Curry didn't re-enter until just over six minutes left in the fourth. He gave them a push, but the damage was already done. "I want to play as many minutes as I'm fresh and able to, so I'm a little bit [surprised] knowing that they were going on a run," said Curry, who ended up playing just 30 minutes. "Our lead was withering away." - ESPN.com
The NBA on Sunday suspended Utah Jazz guard Kris Dunn for two games and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. for one, the result of a fight the two had during a game the previous night. In a statement, NBA head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Dunn was disciplined for "initiating an altercation and throwing a punch" at Smith, who was suspended the one game for fighting. - ESPN.com
The Trail Blazers started five rookies in Saturday's 114-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets, only the second time that has happened since starters were first tracked on NBA box scores more than 50 years ago. Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in the draft, was in the lineup along with Duop Reath, Kris Murray, Toumani Camara and Rayan Rupert against the reigning NBA champions. - ESPN.com
LA Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook will return to the lineup some time next week, coach Ty Lue said before his team's 125-117 win at Portland on Friday night. Westbrook could be back to game action as soon as Monday against the Indiana Pacers, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Monday's game against the Pacers will mark three weeks from when Westbrook underwent surgery to repair a fractured left hand he suffered March 1 against Washington. - ESPN.com
The G League Ignite will not play after this season. The league made the announcement Thursday, saying it was shutting down the Henderson, Nevada-based Ignite because of "the changing basketball landscape, including the NCAA's Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy and the advent of collectives and the transfer portal" as its primary reasons. - AP via ESPN.com
Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics with a left hamstring injury, sources confirmed to ESPN. Antetokounmpo was not with the team at shootaround Wednesday morning and did not travel to Boston. He will rejoin the team back in Milwaukee on Thursday, where the Bucks are playing the second game of a back-to-back against the Brooklyn Nets. - ESPN.com
Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have lost the financial backing of the Carlyle Group with one payment left to claim majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to current owner Glen Taylor. That payment was set to close a process that began in April 2021 for Lore and Rodriguez to purchase the Timberwolves in installments. Lore and Rodriguez previously purchased two installments of 20% at a $1.5 billion valuation for the franchise. They exercised their rights to buy an additional 40% of the franchise earlier this year. - ESPN.com
The San Antonio Spurs put on quite the show Sunday night in one of their homes away from home. Playing at the Moody Center just 80 miles up Interstate 35 from the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs stormed back from a 10-point deficit with just under six minutes to play to force overtime and come away with a 122-115 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Victor Wembanyama had 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 blocks, 7 assists and several clutch plays for San Antonio. He had the go-ahead dunk in overtime as well as a crucial block on Nets guard Dennis Schroder with 25.4 left to help preserve the lead. - ESPN.com
Forward Khris Middleton, playing in his first game after a 16-game absence, found his rhythm right away, scoring 22 points as the Milwaukee Bucks -- sans star Giannis Antetokounmpo -- beat the Phoenix Suns 140-129 on Sunday. Middleton, who hadn't played since Feb. 16 because of a sprained ankle, also had seven assists in 25 minutes. He knocked down his first field goal attempt -- a 3-pointer with 11:10 left in the first quarter -- and rolled from there as the Bucks were able to win without Antetokounmpo, who was a late scratch before Sunday's game with left hamstring soreness. "For a guy that missed that many games to look that good was pretty impressive," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Middleton after the game. - ESPN.com
The last two minutes of the game clock in the Golden State Warriors' 128-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night took more than 20 minutes of real time to play out thanks to a series of replay reviews and shot-clock malfunctions. The delays began with 1:50 remaining in the fourth, with the Lakers trailing 124-120, when L.A. coach Darvin Ham challenged an out-of-bounds call that granted the Warriors possession while Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins both went for the rebound. While the officials were reviewing the out-of-bounds call, they determined that the corner 3-pointer LeBron James made on the previous trip down the court with 2:07 remaining did not count. The Lakers ended up winning the challenge -- Hayes and Wiggins faced off for a jump ball -- but lost points in the process. - ESPN.com
Joel Embiid has been reevaluated by doctors and they are "happy with the progress" the 76ers center is making following meniscus surgery on his left knee, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse said Saturday. "I think there's always stages of how these things progress," Nurse said before the Sixers' 109-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets. "Everyone wants to know 'Well how long is it going to be?" And they give a wide range because of that, because everyone heals differently. We're just trying to take it as it comes, get him healthy and get him back when he's ready to go." - ESPN.com
The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward T.J. Warren to a second 10-day contract. Since signing an original 10-day contract on March 6 with the Timberwolves, Warren is averaging 4.8 points on 47.4% shooting (9-of-19) and 2.0 rebounds in four games (16.1 minutes per game). - InsideHoops.com
In a meeting with the NBA's competition committee on Tuesday, the league office outlined an increased officiating focus on offensive players hunting out fouls and veering off pathways to the basket into defenders -- and how those points of emphasis have impacted a decrease in league scoring, according to a memo shared with teams and obtained by ESPN on Friday. Those officiating focuses -- that were outlined in January and February point of emphasis memos that the league shared with referees and team officials -- are believed to have contributed to a recent decline in league scoring. In the memo, the league describes itself as continuing to "evaluate the state of offensive vs. defensive balance with a focus on legal guarding position and level of contact on pathway plays to the basket." - ESPN.com
Veteran forward Taj Gibson is signing a deal for the rest of the season with the Detroit Pistons, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. - ESPN.com
The Philadelphia 76ers are planning to sign former Charlotte Hornets first-round pick Kai Jones to a 10-day contract Friday, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. - ESPN.com
Ben Simmons has had back surgery for the second time in three years, with he and the Brooklyn Nets hoping this procedure will provide the relief he needs to complete a full season. The Nets said Simmons had a microscopic partial discectomy Thursday to alleviate the pinched nerve in his lower back. The surgery was performed at UHealth Jackson Memorial Medical Center by Dr. Timur Urakov, in consultation with Dr. Barth Green. - AP via ESPN.com
Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett is mourning the death of his younger brother, Nathan Barrett. The Barrett family said in a statement that Nathan died Tuesday. The statement, released Thursday by the Raptors and Canada Basketball, did not disclose a cause of death or Nathan's age. - ESPN.com
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic's streak of seven straight triple-doubles was snapped Wednesday, when he exited a 109-99 win over the Golden State Warriors early due to left hamstring soreness. Doncic finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists before checking out with 6:46 remaining in the game. The Mavs announced soon afterward that he would not return. Doncic had a heating pad on his left hamstring prior to checking into the game 22 seconds earlier. He exited during the timeout after he threw an alley-oop to center Daniel Gafford, wincing when he landed awkwardly. He informed coach Jason Kidd that he needed to leave the game and headed to the locker room. - ESPN.com
Amid a considerable franchise turnaround, Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has agreed on a four-year contract extension that'll take him through the 2027-28 season, it was announced Tuesday. "Jamahl and his staff have done a tremendous job not only this season, but since we hired him back in 2021," Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. "His preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players, and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off. We are very happy to have Jamahl lead the Magic for years to come." - ESPN.com
The Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday but lost leading scorer Alperen Sengun to injury. The star big man hurt his right knee injury when he landed awkwardly while challenging a shot by the Kings' Domantas Sabonis with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter of an eventual 112-104 win in Sacramento, California. - ESPN.com
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sat out the LA Clippers' 124-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in their second early-afternoon game in two days. The NBA scheduled the Clippers to tip off at noon Pacific time Sunday after they beat Chicago 112-102 with a 1 p.m. start time Saturday. Factoring in the hour lost to daylight saving time, that was two tipoffs in 22 hours for the Clippers (41-22), who decided not to put those demands on the lingering injuries nursed by Leonard and George. "Very extreme," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "That's why we're just so excited to get to the Intuit Dome next year, get our own place." - ESPN.com
The NBA on Sunday fined Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert $100,000 for making a money gesture at an official and criticizing officiating on Friday night. NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars announced that "the fine takes into account Gobert's past instances of conduct detrimental to the NBA with regard to publicly criticizing the officiating." - ESPN.com
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn right labrum, the team announced Saturday. Mathurin's loss is a significant blow to the bench of the NBA's top-rated offensive team. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles next week, the team said. - ESPN.com
RELATED TO OUR NBA RUMORS PAGE
Also read our basketball blog, where most NBA news updates appear during the day.
ABOUT OUR NBA RUMORS PAGE
The InsideHoops.com NBA rumors page features the biggest NBA news and rumors stories from around the league. We've updated this page literally almost every day since the 2000-01 season. There is usually one main morning update, and sometimes a second afternoon or evening update. On special occassions, like around the trade deadline, the draft, or the approach and first week or so of free agency, updates are more frequent. Sometimes 5 or 10 times a day. And literally every hour or two on the biggest days of the basketball year. But in general what you should do is bookmark this page and make it a daily read. Because then you'll know everything all the hot stories that matter most.