Hoops Rumors

Merry Christmas from the Hoops Rumors staff! As usual, the NBA has a five-game slate on tap for Christmas Day, with many of the league’s top teams and biggest stars in action on December 25. Here’s today’s schedule: 11:00 am CT: San Antonio Spurs (15-14) at New York Knicks (19-10) 1:30 pm CT: Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14) at Dallas Mavericks (19-10) 4:00 pm CT: Philadelphia … [Read more...] about Community Shootaround: Christmas Day Games

Head coach Joe Mazzulla had to be restrained from approaching official Justin Van Duyne after the Celtics lost to Chicago on Thursday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Mazzulla was angry about being whistled for a technical foul for coming onto the court after a jump ball was called following a loose-ball battle between Payton Pritchard and Ayo Dosunmu. Although … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Brown, Springer, Horford

Nikola Jokic has a commanding lead in ESPN’s first straw poll of the season on the MVP race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Nuggets center captured 57 first-place votes among the 100 ballots, giving him 827 total points. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 24 first-place votes and 678 points, followed by Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo, who topped 19 … [Read more...] about And-Ones: MVP Race, Redick, Birch, Obst

Celtics star Jayson Tatum grew up as a huge admirer of Kobe Bryant, so he was excited about the chance to join the Lakers in the 2017 draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. However, Tatum never got a tryout with L.A., which held the second overall pick, even though he was one considered one of the draft’s top prospects following a stellar freshman season at … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Porzingis, Trade Priority

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been fined $35K, while Nets center Nic Claxton has been fined $25K, the NBA announced today in a pair of press releases (Twitter links). Mazzulla was hit with his fine for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language” toward a referee in Boston’s loss to the Bulls on Thursday. The Celtics’ coach came onto the court at the end … [Read more...] about Celtics’ Mazzulla, Nets’ Claxton Fined By NBA

Although not much has gone right for the Sixers this year, the growing bond between rookie Philadelphia guard Jared McCain and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry is one of the bright spots. In a new piece, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examined the relationship between the 38-year-old former All-Star and the 20-year-old Duke alum. “I call him Unc Lowry,” McCain said of … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Guards, Celtics, Johnson

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2024 on Wednesday. Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $9.14 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $8 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $8.3 billion, while the Lakers come … [Read more...] about Warriors Remain Atop 2024 NBA Franchise Valuations

The NBA has scheduled an arbitration hearing regarding the Knicks/Raptors dispute for late July, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). As Bondy points out, that means the hearing will occur nearly two years after the Knicks initially filed a lawsuit against the Raptors and over a year after a U.S. District Court judge referred the matter back to the … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Knicks/Raptors Dispute, Shamet, Simmons, Beekman, Celtics

Jordan Walsh impressed Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla with his willingness to play in Thursday’s win over Detroit, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The second-year forward was given the option to miss the game because of bruised ribs, but the team was already without Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser. Walsh decided to play, even though it meant additional stress on his aching … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Walsh, Porzingis, Pritchard, Springer