Hoops Rumors

Sam Presti and the Thunder were voted as the NBA’s best front office by a panel of 40 executives (team presidents, general managers, VPs, and assistant GMs) across the league who were polled by Sam Amick, John Hollinger, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. As The Athletic’s trio explains, each respondent picked their top five NBA front offices and points were awarded in the same … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Top Front Offices, Daniels, NBA Cup, Rookies

Celtics star Jayson Tatum will be sidelined for Thursday’s matchup vs. Detroit due to right patella tendinopathy, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. Tatum, who also missed his first game of the season last week against the Pistons, was initially listed as questionable before being ruled out. As Terada writes, Boston is likely just being cautious with the All-NBA forward — the … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Raptors, McCain, Sixers

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez struck a threatening tone after their loss to the Bucks on Sunday. After seeing his defense allow 67 second-half points, Fernandez had a pointed message for his players. “If our guys who wear a Brooklyn Nets jersey don’t play harder defense, they don’t have a place in our roster,” he said, per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. The Nets shot over … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Fernandez, Nets Trade Talks, Celtics Offense, Hart, Towns

Ahead of an eventual win for his new team over his old one, Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart reflected on the Celtics’ decision to trade him as part of the three-team deal that sent center Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. The Celtics went on to win the title in the first year after the trade. As Bobby Manning of CLNS Media (Twitter video link) relays, Smart was surprisingly generous … [Read more...] about Southwest Notes: Smart, Grizzlies, Sheppard, Thompson

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has been fined $25K for making a throat-slash gesture during Wednesday’s game against Detroit, the NBA announced (via Twitter). As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe describes, Brown’s reaction came after he dunked the ball, and it was directed at Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart to send a message that the Celtics wouldn’t be intimidated. “Just caught … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Brown, Porzingis, Hauser, Pritchard

Klay Thompson is averaging just 12.6 points per game with career-worst shooting percentages of 38.1% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc through his first 19 games with the Mavericks. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst writes in an Insider-only story, Thompson has started every game he has played so far for Dallas, but hasn’t always been part of the team’s closing lineup. “Klay … [Read more...] about Southwest Notes: Thompson, Mavs, Smart, Wembanyama

Following the conclusion of the group play games in the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the eight teams advancing to the knockout round have been set, and the quarterfinal games have been scheduled. After the Warriors, Rockets, and Hawks previously clinched spots in the knockout round, the Thunder, Mavericks, Bucks, Knicks, and Magic joined them as a result of Tuesday’s outcomes. The … [Read more...] about Knockout Round Matchups Set For NBA Cup; Games Scheduled For Non-Quarterfinalists

The Rockets’ Ime Udoka and Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson have been named the league’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, NBA Communications tweets. Udoka took Western Conference honors as Houston finished the month with a 14-6 record. Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and JJ Redick (Lakers) were the other … [Read more...] about Udoka, Atkinson Earn Coaches Of The Month Honors