Category: Sports News

Gap year, huh? Who cares! No one is turning down the volume on the Lakers. No one is turning down the heat.

The scrutinizing and psychoanalyzing continues like Luka Doncic screaming at the refs — incessantly, and with impressive stamina. About as loudly too. “Our losses,” Lakers coach JJ Redick recently said, “are louder than other teams' because we’re the Lakers.”

Every other team in the NBA gets graded on a curve; bad breaks and reasonable expectations are accounted for in the score at season’s end.

The Lakers are a pass-fail upper-level course; they either win a championship or they fail.

They’re 37-24 but still would consider dropping the class if they could — but they can’t. So they’re forging on, trying to figure it out, their window closing and their fans’ frustration growing.

“I think it's awesome,” guard Austin Reaves said of the bright — no, blinding — lights trained constantly on the team.

“I think it's one of the best — if not the best organization — in all of sports. With that comes …”

Great responsibility? Golden opportunity?

“… honestly, chaos.”

By which Reaves meant: “If it’s good, it’s great. And if it’s bad, it’s miserable. They expect to win games, the fans do. And that’s what we’re here to do, we’re here to win and win at a high level. We know that.”

That’s why Redick signed up to come coach them, he said. “My own personal psychosis,” he called it. He swears he wants the smoke.

Read more:All five starters score in double figures as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

“The reality is everybody is going to always have an opinion,” Redick said Tuesday before his team toughed out a 110-101 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are healthier than they have been but still are 19-44. “Since pro sports have existed, everybody has always had an opinion. There’s been sports talk, there’s been barber shops, chat rooms. Everybody’s had an opinion. Now, everybody’s opinion is more easily accessible. It’s just more amplified now, but it’s normal.”

And then he interrupted a question to return to a previous query about his play calling, needing to rebut the strangers on the internet picking apart his work. “I’m always fascinated by that, by the way,” Redick said. “How do you know we’re calling plays or not calling plays? … That’s fascinating. That’s really interesting.”

That’s the Lakers. Interesting, even when they aren’t necessarily, basketball-wise. The front office chose to protect future cap space and draft capital rather than substantively improve the team now around Doncic and LeBron James. And the players play like they realize most of them likely are not part of long-term plans.

And who else but the Lakers to provide some spice during the drab stretch of the season between the trade deadline and the playoffs?

There’s no team with a greater ratio of molehills turned into mountains, so of course it was national news when Redick and Doncic had a disagreement on the bench during Saturday’s win at the Golden State Warriors. It was no big deal, and they laughed about it later, Redick insisted Tuesday.

“I didn’t feel any tension. He was like, ‘Nah, I didn’t care about it,’" Redick said of Doncic. "You do it and you move on.”

Move on, knowing every interaction and play call and result will be dissected and debated.

So Doncic can lead the league in scoring (32.4 points per game) and average the third-most assists (8.6) but have his defensive limitations and incessant and unproductive banter with officials get the most attention from some critics.

And so the Lakers, 1½ games out of third place, are impressing no one. Not when they’re 14-18 against teams that are .500 or better. Not when they’re 1-8 against the league’s top four teams, those losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics coming by an average of 20 points.

A bummer for the Lakers that they’ll have to face good teams in the playoffs.

Competent teams with heart and want-to, like the Denver Nuggets, who are next on the docket Thursday.

Read more:Lakers hope comeback win over Pelicans gives the team a timely boost

At 38-24 and a half-game ahead of the Lakers, star center Nikola Jokic’s squad is always formidable — and looking to avenge a loss to Redick’s team in their first matchup, 115-107 in a game Jokic didn’t play.

An ‘A’ game from the Lakers in Denver? Now, that would be worth talking about. That would be pretty interesting — though we’ll be digging in and discussing it, either way. With the volume cranked all the way up.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Oh, man, am I ready for the Spurs to be home. Probably not as ready as they are after all the time on the road, but excited all the same.

The Rodeo Road Trip was a huge success and nearly perfect, sans the loss in Madison Square Garden.

That said, following up the loss with a throttling two nights later put some icing on the cake. Sure, the 76ers were on a limited roster, but it was how the Spurs played that transcended the rival or location of the opponent.

One interesting fact- Victor Wembanyama took only five shots.

When your top player can have a lower scoring game and your team is up by over 30, you’ve got the gears turning nicely. It’s not that Wemby had a bad game — he was hinting at a 5×5 pretty early on — but he certainly didn’t have to be the scoring focal point to make his presence known.

In fact, at the end of it all, Devin Vassell walked off the court with the second highest plus/minus in franchise history. His +43 was only two points below Tim Duncan’s +45. You’re always in good company when being roped into a conversation with The Bog Fundamental.

In addition, eight Spurs scored in double digits, which is closer to par for the course considering that eight Spurs players currently maintain scoring averaging in double digits. If this trend stands, it will be the first time in NBA history for that accomplishment.

But shared scoring and even keeled playing has become more the norm for the Silver & Black. The Spurs are winning over 70% of their games whether Wemby suits up or not. The team went 10-4 when he was sidelined in from mid-November to mid-December. By comparison, they are 34-13 when he has been available.

No matter who starts, who plays, or who serves as the team’s high scorer, it will be great to be back in the Frost Bank Center, celebrating the team’s return, and cheering them on with 18,418 fans.

Go Spurs Go!

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The Phoenix Suns have a very good big-picture “problem” right now.

The status of Mark Williams’ injury does not change the point of this piece. He has, to this point, been the healthiest he has of his career. This article was in progress before this announcement came out, for what it’s worth. This is more about this trio of centers coexisting in the short-term, but also discussing a tough decision this summer.

Oso Ighodaro is routinely looking like the best center on the Suns roster of late, and Jordan Ott is rewarding him. That reward comes to the detriment of Mark Williams’ time on the floor. With Williams out tonight and Nick Richards now out of the picture, that leaves Khaman Maluach as their backup center to Oso Ighodaro, who will shift into the starting lineup.

In Tuesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings, Ighodaro delivered one of his strongest games of the season, finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds in a performance that helped Phoenix complete a season series sweep and fortify a balanced attack on both ends.

Last night’s performance wasn’t a fluke or one-off. It’s who he has morphed into after a slow start to the season.

This season has seen Ighodaro evolve from a role player into something closer to a defensive anchor and offensive facilitator, the kind of glue guy that isn’t always obvious in highlight reels but impacts the flow of a game. He is one of the few Suns players to see consistent minutes across most of the schedule, and his ability to set screens, read cuts, make plays out of short rolls, and contest at the rim has made the Suns tougher to dissect for opposing defenses. He’s an easy player to take for granted.

At just 23 years old, Ighodaro has the length, motor, and IQ to be a disruptive presence on both ends of the floor. His season averages (around 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on about 63.5 percent shooting) may not jump off the stat sheet, but they hide the nuance of his role, especially how he makes life easier for Phoenix’s primary creators and how his activity on defense frequently leads to transition opportunities.

Ighodaro’s rise, however, complicates things when you look at the other pieces at the Suns’ disposal.

Mark Williams entered this season as Phoenix’s presumptive starting center and center of the future after they dealt two first-round picks to acquire him. As we all know, he will be a restricted free agent this offseason, which means the team will have to weigh his performance, fit, and injury history when negotiations come. At full strength, Williams offers size, finishing ability, and rebounding that a contending team needs, but that same size and impact are now being challenged by Ighodaro’s ascendance. Williams has been solid, but he has his moments where he can fade. I’m not sure a heavy investment at the center position makes sense with Oso Ighodaro and lottery pick, Khaman Maluach patiently waiting.

Maluach has not been rushed. His development has been methodical, with much of his early seasoning coming through the G League and spot minutes in Phoenix. That approach was intentional, and Maluach was seen as raw when he arrived, and the team has tried to ease him into physical NBA action rather than bury him under early expectations. With Richards shipped out and Williams out, this will serve as an opportunity for him to show he can make an impact in meaningful minutes.

For now, Ighodaro sits at the tip of the spear in Phoenix’s frontcourt. His performances have changed how Ott deploys personnel, how opponents match up, and how the Suns think about the position going forward. Williams’ contributions give the team stability, and Maluach’s development provides optimism for years beyond this one.

Balancing all three is not simple. But it is a sign of organizational depth, and the kind of complexity a team on the rise usually welcomes, even if it keeps fans talking. In the meantime, all the focus is on optimizing this current version of the Suns’ center rotation, which looks as strong and promising as ever.

1. Lack of Effort

Coming off a blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, the Celtics got a taste of their own medicine against the Charlotte Hornets, getting crushed 118-89. This game was a rough watch all the way around. It felt like the Hornets had a 20+ point lead in this game from the start and the Celtics just didn’t match the intensity.

In the postgame press conference, Joe Mazzulla stressed the fact that Boston was 4-18 on layups in the first half and went 11-33 for the game. Charlotte also finished with 22 fast break points, showcasing Boston’s lack of transition defense.

2. Awful Shooting Night

The missed layups were a small part of the overall issue with the Celtics offense. Boston shot 30-79 (38%) from the field and 10-36 (28%) from three. Boston’s offense was so bad at the half that Brown and White had 30 of Celtics 43 points.

I credit the Hornets defense for really stepping up big and locking down the Celtics in this game. They were able to get great contests on Boston’s shot attempts from beyond the arc, but it also just felt like one of those games where the Celtics couldn’t buy a bucket. In addition to the Celtics struggles, Charlotte also outshot Boston in this game, shooting 41-89 (46%) from the field and 19-49 (39%) from three.

3. Lost the Turnover Battle

One of the best parts of Boston’s game this season has been their ability to both force turnovers while also not giving them up. The Celtics lead the NBA in giving up the least amount of turnovers with 12.2 a game this season and rank 2nd in turnover ratio at 12.8%. In this game against the Hornets however, the Celtics lost the turnover battle, giving up 15 and only forcing 4.

Boston just had too many careless possessions that the Hornets turned into 10 steals and 21 points off turnovers. Some of them were great defensive plays from Charlotte, but a lot of them were just them kicking the ball out of bounds, bad passes, and sloppy play that looked like the Celtics were not prepared to play.

4. Nothing From the Bench

The Hornets bench absolutely dominated the Celtics bench, outscoring them 44-26. Coby White was the main contributor for Charlotte, scoring 17 points on 6-9 shooting while Luka Garza led Boston with 9 points. The biggest problem for the C’s bench was the lack of production from Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic had a tough night in 17 minutes where he finished with 7 points on 2-10 shooting. Pritchard on the other hand finished with zero points for the second time in three games on 0-6 shooting. I feel like there has to be an injury that Pritchard sustained at some point since coming off the west coast road trip where he dominated to goose eggs twice in a week just feels off.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary to see them struggle, but Boston will need more than 7 combined points out of this pair if they want to make any serious noise against contenders.

5. Derrick White Scoring

In all the negative to take away from this game, Derrick White’s scoring was a real positive. He finished with 29 points on 9-17 shooting. In his last 6 games, White’s shooting has really started to turn around, shooting 42% from the field and 40% from three.

White had 17 of his 25 points in the first half and looked really confident when it came to his floater game. The three point shoot also looked really good despite finishing 3-9 overall. With the playoffs looming, it’s good to see White look like his shot is coming back.

6. Jaylen Brown Weird Night

On the surface it looked like a solid night: 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, he shot 7-19 from the field, had 3 turnovers and finished as a -20. It was an uncharacteristic night to say the least for Brown, but he did make some incredible plays, including a poster dunk on Moussa Diabaté, but he also had some baffling shot selection and bad turnovers.

Brown said postgame this is a “flush it” type of game and “today was not the best example of Celtic basketball, and we all can be better. And being a leader, I take accountability.”

7. Neemias Queta Injury?

Neemias Queta only played 16 minutes in this game and finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds coming off his career night against Philadelphia on Sunday where he had 27 points and 17 rebounds. The reason for his low minute total came in the first two minutes of the game when he was subbed out by Joe Mazzulla and the athletic trainer came over to check on his knee.

Queta would come back in and play 6 minutes in both the second and third quarters so it didn’t feel like anything serious. He didn’t look his best tonight but when asked about it postgame, Mazzulla said that “he’s good” in regards to the potential injury. There doesn’t seem to be a concern about Queta for right now, but it will be something monitor moving forward.

8. Luka Garza Looked Solid

In the absence of Queta, Luka Garza played some spot minutes in the first quarter and the entirety of the fourth quarter. In this time, he played pretty well, finishing with 9 points on 3-5 shooting. If Queta does have to miss time with this knee injury, it will give Garza a chance to come back in the rotation as the first big off the bench.

His full offensive bag was on display in the fourth quarter where he showed off a deceleration step, a tough shot underneath the basket, and a three pointer. I have faith that Garza will be able to hold up if there is an injury to Queta and the addition of Jayson Tatum at some point will bring more possibilities as a small ball center option.

9. Hugo Gonzalez, Fan Favorite

Coming into this game, Hugo Gonzalez had a career night against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday where he finished with career highs across the board with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 steals. In this matchup, he had another solid game with 8 points and 6 rebounds, but what was really interesting about his performance was the crowd’s reaction.

Being in the building covering this game, there was a different energy when Hugo entered the game. He got a loud ovation from the crowd every time he touched the ball and it felt like the TD Garden crowd was going crazy. When he knocked down two three pointers in the first quarter, it felt like the crowd was cheering just a little bit louder. When he made a big defensive stop on Coby White, the crowd went berserk.

It might not pickup on the broadcast but you could feel it in the building. Hugo Gonzalez is quickly climbing up the ranks in Celtics fans love and could reach “fan favorite” status if he has any notable playoff performances.

10. Hornets are legit

Don’t look now, but the Charlotte Hornets are becoming a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. With their win over the Celtics, they are now 12-3 in their last 15 games and have slayed some of the best teams in the NBA including the Spurs and Rockets. This game was their 6th win in a row and a common theme in all of them is that they have come by a margin of 15+ points. It is tied for the longest streak in NBA history and no team had reached this milestone since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.

Charlotte got 56 points out of their three core young players in Kon Knueppel (20), LaMelo Ball (18), and Brandon Miller (18). They also got big contributions out of their depth guys in Coby White and Moussa Diabaté. The Hornets currently sit in 9th place in the Eastern Conference so they would have to escape the Play-In Tournament but if they make the playoffs, they will be a dangerous first round opponent. It would be cool to see a potential matchup between Charlotte and Boston in Round 1, but I would be nervous to face them.

Over the years, the Hornets just seem to have the Celtics number in random points of the season. Former Celtics assistant coach and current Hornets head coach Charles Lee has done an incredible job defending Mazzulla Ball at times and in a playoff setting with nothing to lose for Charlotte, it could be a dog fight.

The Trae Young experience in Washington, D.C. unofficially began earlier this week, when the 6-foot-2 point guard earned his first ejection from the bench before ever playing a minute for his new team. Now comes his first game for the Washington Wizards.

Young appears ready to make his debut for a new NBA team after the Atlanta Hawks traded him to Washington in January. The 27-year-old has not played in an NBA game in more than two months due to injury, and the Wizards' years-long rebuild and tanking tendencies didn't necessitate a hasty return.

But Young offered recent hints he was closing in on playing again this season and there are indications his first game with the Wizards could be as early as their matchup against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, March 5 in D.C.

Here's a breakdown of Trae Young's injury status and situation heading into Thursday's game between the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz: