Hoops Rumors

The Celtics didn’t provide many details about the viral illness that forced Kristaps Porzingis to miss the last eight games, and it turns out that even Porzingis wasn’t sure what he was dealing with, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. After returning for Saturday’s 115-113 win at Brooklyn, Porzingis told reporters it was “extremely frustrating” to not have a definite diagnosis. … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Pritchard, Tatum, Brown

The defending champion Celtics formally clinched a spot in the 2025 NBA playoffs on Friday, the league confirmed (via Twitter). Boston is now assured of a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference. Entering the day, the Celtics needed a win over the Heat as well as a Hawks loss to the Clippers in order to secure their playoff spot. They registered a 103-91 victory in Miami, … [Read more...] about Celtics Officially Clinch Playoff Berth

After suffering a hip strain in the second half of a victory over Denver on Monday, Thunder All-Star forward Jalen Williams was ruled out for Wednesday’s road contest against Boston, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Aaron Wiggins drew the start in Williams’ absence With their 118-112 win over Boston on Wednesday, the Thunder have ensured they’ll avoid the play-in … [Read more...] about Injury Notes: Williams, Giddey, Porzingis, LeBron

Landry Shamet dislocated his shoulder during the preseason and could have opted for season-ending surgery. The Knicks guard instead chose to rehab the injury and so far, that decision is paying dividends, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Shamet was waived in October, then re-signed with the club in December. Shamet is currently getting steady minutes due to injuries … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Shamet, Nurse, Tatum, Fernandez

Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the bottom of the league’s standings down the stretch because of the effect that “race” will have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2025 first round. However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second … [Read more...] about 2025’s Most Valuable Traded Second-Round Picks

This Friday, March 14, represents the next key deadline in the Celtics‘ sale process, according to Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, who report that prospective owners have until the end of the day on Friday to submit their revised bids for the franchise. The deadline for potential buyers to submit their initial offers was January 23. Reports at the time … [Read more...] about Revised Bids From Prospective Celtics Owners Due Friday

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse believes the team is on the cusp of figuring out its new treatment plan for star center Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelpahi Inquirer. At the end of February, Embiid was shut down for the rest of the season with left knee swelling. “…I think they are getting closer to that,” Nurse said on Saturday. “I think there’s another [evaluation] … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Horford, Raptors

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed a fifth consecutive game on Saturday due to patellar tendinopathy affecting his left knee, but he’s doing “well,” according to head coach J.J. Redick, who told reporters that Hachimura is going through the return-to-play process and doing more on-court work (Twitter link via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group). The plan, Redick … [Read more...] about Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Hayes, Doncic, Redick

Quentin Grimes has been traded three times since February 2024, but he’s not letting that impact his play, as Jared Weiss of The Athletic details. As we wrote on Thursday, Grimes is looking like a keeper for the Sixers, having averaged 16.8 points per game in his first 12 appearances with the team. “It’s tough. As soon as you get comfortable, you get traded,” Grimes said. “But … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Grimes, Celtics, Thomas, Martin