Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relented Wednesday and the national anthem will be played before home games this season after the NBA reiterated its “longstanding league policy” to include the song.
Mark Cuban resumes playing national anthem after NBA reiterates policy — WAVY.com
The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns attempts to block a shot by the Clippers’ Serge Ibaka during the first half of Wednesday’s game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard soars to the basket as the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns defends during the first half of Wednesday’s game in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) The Timberwolves’ Anthony…
Clippers snap two-game losing skid with win in Minnesota — Orange County Register
Editor’s note: This is the Wednesday Feb. 10 edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. Most everybody picked up a quarantine hobby. Robert Horry has a few. He’s got his day job as a commentator for Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN,…
Robert Horry weighs in about current Lakers’ role players — Orange County Register
Call them Joker and the Misfits. Rather than a championship contender on the rise, the Nuggets look more like a roster of mismatched parts. While center Nikola Jokic is playing like a legit MVP candidate, Denver is wasting his efforts. Too often, Joker’s teammates not only appear out of sync but as if they don’t…
Kiszla: Struggling Nuggets have two choices. Aggressively pursue trade for Bradley Beal, or wait until next year (again). — The Denver Post
New opponent. Same problem. The Nuggets’ third-quarter curse continues. On Monday, in a 125-112 loss to the Bucks, it was yet another second-half letdown that ultimately flipped momentum inside Ball Arena. The Nuggets led the majority of the first two quarters before getting outscored 34-26 in the third frame. The Nuggets (12-13), riding a three-game…
Nuggets’ third quarter woes persist in home loss to Bucks — The Denver Post
Stephen Curry was bottled up most of the night and the Warriors were sunk by turnovers as they lost to the Spurs, 105-100, in San Antonio Monday. With the loss, the Warriors (12-12) drop to 1-2 on this current four-game trip through Texas and are .500 for the first time since Jan. 23. They fall…
Steph Curry scores 32 but turnovers sink Warriors in loss to Spurs — Monterey Herald
Everywhere LaMelo Ball has played basketball, people have tried to change his 3-point shot.
Watch LaMelo knock down seven three-pointers, lift Hornets past Rockets — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors continue a six-game road trip (Feb. 2-11), their longest in the first half, Monday night when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. The Raptors have won seven in a row over the
Grizzlies, including the last two meetings in Memphis. Monday marks Toronto’s first trip to Memphis since a 122-114 victory Nov. 27, 2018. The Raptors play 10-of-15 games on the road in the month of February.
• Kyle Lowry needs 10 rebounds to pass Amir Johnson (2,836) for fourth on the franchise’s career rebounds list and is 13 away from passing Antonio Davis (2,839) for third. Lowry ranks first in Raptors history in assists (4,078) and third in scoring (10,101). Only three active players are inside the top-three all-time for a team in scoring, rebounds and assists, but none of those players are currently with that team; LeBron James (Cleveland), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) and Marc Gasol (Memphis).
• Chris Boucher scored a career-high 29 points (10-13 FG, 2-4 3PT, 7-13 FT) and matched a season best with 10 rebounds in a career-high 33 minutes off the bench Feb. 6 at Atlanta. He also tied his career high with seven offensive rebounds against the Hawks. Boucher became just the third reserve in franchise history to record 29 points and 10 rebounds in the same game, joining John Wallace (Nov. 18, 1997 vs. Boston) and Donyell Marshall (Mar. 13, 2005 vs. Philadelphia).
• Toronto had a season-low seven turnovers Saturday at Atlanta. The Raptors rank ninth in the NBA in turnovers per game (14.0) and have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in 19-of-23 games.
• Fred VanVleet (20.2) and Chris Boucher (13.9) rank second and third, respectively, in scoring this season among undrafted players – behind only Christian Wood (22.0). VanVleet has scored 20+ points 12 times, including a franchise-record 54 points Feb. 2 at Orlando, while Boucher has led the bench in scoring in a team-high 14 games. The duo combined for 54 points Saturday against the Hawks.
• Yuta Watanabe is averaging 3.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 17 games with the Raptors this season. He has scored in double figures twice, inlcuding a career-high 12 points Jan. 29 vs Sacramento. Watanabe joined the Raptors after two seasons as a two-way player with Memphis (2018-20).
• Jonas Valanciunas will face his former team for just the second time Monday night. Valanciunas averaged 11.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 25.1 minutes in 470 games during seven seasons with the Raptors (2012-19). He was picked fifth overall by Toronto in the 2011 NBA Draft and still ranks second on the
team’s all-time rebounds list (3,961) and third in blocks (479).
• Chris Boucher and Dillon Brooks were teammates at Oregon for two seasons (2015-17). The Canadian duo helped the Ducks to consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Final Four in 2017.
INJURY REPORT AT 5:30 P.M. MONDAY
8:00 (ET) TOR@MEM Memphis Grizzlies Clarke, Brandon Out Injury/Illness – Right Calf; Soreness Jackson Jr., Jaren Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Meniscus Surgery Recovery McDermott, Sean Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Bone Bruise Melton, De’Anthony Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness
Porter, Jontay Out G League – On Assignment Tillie, Killian Out Injury/Illness – Left Foot; Soreness Winslow, Justise Out Injury/Illness – Left Hip; Displacement
Toronto Raptors Anunoby, OG Out Injury/Illness – Left Calf; Strain
Flynn, Malachi Out G League – On Assignment Harris, Jalen Out G League – Two-Way McCaw, Patrick Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Surgery – rehabilitation
INJURY REPORT 1:30 P.M. MONDAY
08:00 (ET) TOR@MEM Memphis Grizzlies Clarke, Brandon Out Injury/Illness – Right Calf; Soreness
Jackson Jr., Jaren Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Meniscus Surgery Recovery
McDermott, Sean Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Bone Bruise
Melton, De’Anthony Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness
Porter, Jontay Out G League – On Assignment
Tillie, Killian Out Injury/Illness – Left Foot; Soreness
Winslow, Justise Out Injury/Illness – Left Hip; Displacement
Toronto Raptors Anunoby, OG Out Injury/Illness – Left Calf; Strain
Flynn, Malachi Out G League – On Assignment
Harris, Jalen Out G League – Two-Way
McCaw, Patrick Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Surgery – rehabilitation
The projected worth of the largest offer sheet Horton-Tucker could sign: $82,767,203.
Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker could get poison-pill offer sheet in free agency — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
Buddy Hield added 22 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-110.
De’Aaron Fox scores 36, leads Kings past Clippers for fourth straight win — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
LOS ANGELES (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 36 points, Buddy Hield added 22 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-110 on Sunday for their fourth straight victory.The Kings are 7-1 since suffering a 19-point drubbing by the Clippers on Jan. 20.Lou Williams scored 23 points off the bench for the Clippers, who dropped two in a row for the first time this season. Kawhi Leonard had 20 points and 10 rebounds as LA played without injured Paul George. The Clippers’ reserves outscored the starters, 57-53.Neither team led by more than nine points in the back-and-forth affair that featured 11 ties. Nicolas Batum’s potential tying 3-pointer missed in the closing seconds for the Clippers. Williams’ pair of free throws tied the game for the last time at 103-all. From there, the Kings stayed in front. Leonard cut Sacramento’s lead to 107-106, but Harrison Barnes scored off his own offensive rebound.Rookie Tyrese Haliburton hit back-to-back 3-pointers that put the Kings ahead by five early in the fourth. Williams scored five points in a 7-0 run that put the Clippers ahead 97-95.Fox answered with consecutive 3-pointers to take back a 103-101 lead for the Kings.Los Angeles rallied from a seven-point deficit in the third to lead 80-79, helped by nine straight points from four different players. Fox scored Sacramento’s final six points of the quarter.TIP-INSKings: They improved to 5-5 on the road and 3-4 against the West away from home. … Were playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating Denver on Saturday.Clippers: George missed his second straight game with what was initially described as a sore right foot. More specifically, it’s a bone edema in his toe, which is a buildup of fluid within the bone marrow. There is no timetable for his return as he awaits the swelling to go down, coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s a little disappointed, especially the way he’s been playing,” Lue said.UP NEXTKings: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday.Clippers: Visit Minnesota on Wednesday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Streaking Kings win 4th straight, beat Clippers 113-110 — The China Post, Taiwan
The view from left field 