Hoops Rumors

The Suns will be missing guards Devin Booker and Grayson Allen on Christmas Day. Both players were deemed unavailable for Wednesday’s game vs. Denver after sitting out the team’s practice on Tuesday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker was originally ruled out for two games after injuring his groin last Thursday, with the Suns referring to the ailment as groin … [Read more...] about Injury Notes: Booker, Allen, Tatum, Lakers, Wizards

Veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith returned to the Nets‘ starting lineup on Friday vs. San Antonio after missing three games due to a left calf contusion, an injury he admitted was related to a left ankle sprain that cost him several games in November and early December, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Same ankle, which kind of ran up my calf, changed the way I … [Read more...] about Eastern Notes: Finney-Smith, Celtics, Toppin, J. Johnson, Bagley

The Celtics still may have the best roster in the league, but they haven’t looked like the defending champions for the past two weeks, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games, including losses against the sub-.500 Bulls and the short-handed Magic. Coach Joe Mazzulla was candid about his team’s recent play after falling to Philadelphia on … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Tatum, Porzingis, Springer

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