Hoops Rumors

Anfernee Simons said it was odd to find himself in the visitors’ locker room as he made his return to Portland Sunday night, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Simons spent the first seven years of his career with the Trail Blazers before the Celtics acquired him over the summer in a cost-cutting deal that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland. “It kind of felt a little weird,” … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Simons, Holiday, Brown, Gonzalez

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to NBA Communications (Twitter links). Leonard led the Clippers to three wins this past week while posting averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals. Leonard erupted for a career-high 55 points against the … [Read more...] about Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week

The Pacers have lost seven straight, including a 140-122 defeat at the hands of the Celtics on Friday. Guard Andrew Nembhard says the team needs to raise its intensity level. “Guys are fighting at times, but it’s not consistent,” Nembhard said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “It’s not sustained throughout the whole game. Fighting some times doesn’t mean making … [Read more...] about Pacers Notes: Losing Streak, Wiseman, Sheppard, Nesmith, Flight Delay

Multiple college coaches have reached out to Jazian Gortman‘s camp to see if the 22-year-old guard, who has been playing for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League, would have interest in playing NCAA ball, tweets Jeff Goodman of Field of 68. Gortman was part of the Overtime Elite program in 2022/23, went undrafted in 2023, and has spent multiple years since then playing in the … [Read more...] about And-Ones: Gortman, Bamba, All-Value Team, TV Ratings

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with a back issue this season, will miss a second straight game on Saturday as Toronto hosts the Celtics, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “We have a long-term plan for him,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said, “which consists of managing this injury and which consists of building his strength, which consists of him playing … [Read more...] about Injury Notes: Poeltl, Barrett, Dante, Sixers, Bradley, Brown

Cam Thomas went through a five-on-five workout for the Nets on Saturday and experienced no setbacks, writes the New York Post’s Brian Lewis (via Twitter). A hamstring injury has limited Thomas to just eight games this season. He hasn’t played since November 5, when he left the game less than six minutes into his night. In the seven games before that, the Nets guard averaged … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Powell, Gonzalez, Mamukelashvili

Sam Hauser rediscovering his long-distance shot could have a bigger impact on the Celtics than any potential trade before the deadline, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. After struggling from three-point range for most of the season, Hauser drilled 5-of-6 attempts in Friday’s win over Miami. “It’s great to see it go down,” Hauser said. “Always. It’s just kind of the way the … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Hauser, Tatum, Brown, Walsh, Queta

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points wrote on Friday that it “truly seems” as if Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving will be able to return from his ACL tear at some point in January. However, head coach Jason Kidd said this week that there’s still no specific timeline for Irving as he works his way through the rehab process, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “There’s no … [Read more...] about Southwest Notes: Irving, Zion, Borrego, Rockets