OKLAHOMA CITY -- Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen was ejected from an NBA Cup quarterfinal game against Oklahoma City on Wednesday night after he shoved Thunder center Chet Holmgren and knocked him to the floor. The Thunder led 94-58 with 5:18 left in the third quarter when Allen and Holmgren collided while Holmgren appeared to be setting a screen. Allen extended both arms, knocking Holmgren to the floor.
We move into the second week of December with a big event on the horizon. The NBA Cup is in the knockout rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, then the semifinal is Saturday and the Final is the following Tuesday. For the teams that didn't make the knockout rounds, the NBA scheduled two games during the week to make sure each team plays 82 games. But the result is a very light Week 8 schedule, with more sparse game nights.
Paolo Banchero is set to make his return for the Orlando Magic on Friday against the Miami Heat. The Magic star power forward had missed 10 straight games with a left groin strain. Banchero suffered the injury during the Magic's win against the Knicks in New York on Nov. 12. The Magic started playing their best basketball of the season one game before Banchero suffered his injury. They have won seven of the 10 games that Banchero missed.
"I guess it's fitting that it came on the eve of Thanksgiving," Spoelstra told reporters. "I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years. I'm having a helluva time. I love what I do. I love coaching. I love this profession. I love working for this organization. I love working for, and with, amazing players and staff -- too many to count over the years."
Nic Claxton had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists for his first NBA triple-double and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics 113-105 on Friday night for their first victory in the NBA Cup in-season tournament. Michael Porter Jr. scored 33 points, and Noah Clowney had 19 to help Brooklyn snap a nine-game losing streak against Boston. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points but was limited to 32 minutes because of trouble.
The Nets set the early tone, sharing the ball and defending with energy as Boston struggled to find its footing and fell behind by seven. But the floor tilted fast. The Nets went cold while Boston's shooters heated up and ripped off a 16-3 run to end the first. Brooklyn's offense flatlined for the final 2:39, turning an encouraging open into a 28-22 deficit.
Cunningham was 13 for 18 from the field and made all six of his free throws to help lead Detroit to its fifth straight victory and a 7-2 record. The All-Star point guard has averaged 29.8 points and 11.2 assists while shooting 54% from the field during the streak. Ausar Thompson had 14 points, and Caris Levert added 10 for the Pistons. They have won their last four meetings against Brooklyn.
However, with a depleted Cavs squad, it became more a matter of handling Mobley and supporting pieces like De'Andre Hunter and Jaylon Tyson. While the Cavaliers' size might lead some to believe they would outclass Toronto, it was worth noting that the Cavs have been struggling with rebounding too, ranking in the bottom five league-wide ( averaging 40.7) alongside the Raptors (who are averaging 38.0).
The purpose of simulating the NBA season ahead of time is generally to see how often various things are likely to happen, from the weakest teams winning the draft lottery to the best ones taking home the Larry O'Brien Trophy. It can also be fun to go through individual runs of the simulation to give an idea of what unlikely events could become reality based on random chance.
