Hoops Rumors

Promising Sixers rookie guard Jared McCain took a hard fall late in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia’s Wednesday preseason game against the Nets. He was down for a while, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), but he was able to get up under his own power. Head coach Nick Nurse said McCain went to the hospital to be evaluated and the Sixers announced he’d be checked … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: McCain, Yabusele, Raptors Injuries, Shead, Walker

The Celtics have been careful with Al Horford throughout the preseason, but he saw plenty of action Tuesday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Playing for the first time since the NBA Finals, the 38-year-old big man logged 23 minutes in a loss to Toronto. Horford has been scrimmaging and conditioning with the team since camp opened, but coach Joe Mazzulla opted to … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Horford, C. Thomas, Hayes, George

Discussing Paul George‘s hyperextended knee on Tuesday, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters that “everything checks out OK” so far. Nurse added the team will do imaging later in the day and confirmed that George won’t be active for Wednesday’s preseason contest vs. Brooklyn, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. After completing an MRI on George’s injured knee, the 76ers … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: George, Nets, Walsh, Raptors

Unlike the regular season schedule, which is entirely controlled by the NBA, teams around the league dictate their own schedules for preseason, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details. “It is a fascinating, not well-known part of the NBA ecosystem,” said Warriors chief revenue officer John Beaven. “We’re pretty pleased that control has remained with us. We lean into it. I … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Preseason, Abu Dhabi, China, Nakase

Jayson Tatum was reluctant to go into specifics, but he admits he altered his shooting motion after struggling to make three-pointers during last season’s playoffs and the Summer Olympics, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Celtics star talked about “staying forward, keeping my shoulders forward” to get more power, but didn’t offer any further explanation. The … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Tatum, Scrubb, Walker, Davison

Celtics big man Al Horford sat out Boston’s preseason games vs. Denver in Abu Dhabi, but he’ll make his 2024/25 debut this weekend, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. The Celtics have back-to-back home games this weekend vs. Philadelphia and Toronto. “Just ramping him up,” Mazzulla said of Horford. “We’re still talking about that. He’ll definitely play in one of them, maybe two, … [Read more...] about Horford To Make Preseason Debut This Weekend

Guerschon Yabusele scored 15 points for the Sixers in their exhibition game against the New Zealand Breakers on Monday and it was a special night for him, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I’m not going to lie, it felt amazing,” Yabusele said. “It’s been a long road, but happy to be here.” Yabusele signed a one-year contract with the Sixers in late August. He … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Yabusele, Knicks’ Starters, Shamet, Nets

Scottie Barnes and Kelly Olynyk played less than 100 minutes together after Olynyk was acquired by the Raptors at the trade deadline. Barnes will make his preeseason debut on Friday and anticipates he could be an ideal pick-and-roll partner for the veteran big man, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “I think we’ve been working on that a lot. You play with different lines … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Olynyk, Barrett, Tillman, Celtics Sale, Lowry