NBA Jazz trade with Hawks for big man Collins

NEW YORK, United States - The NBA's Utah Jazz obtained forward John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for swingman Rudy Gay and a future NBA Draft pick, according to multiple reports on Monday.

The deal, which cannot be completed until July 6 under league rules as a new free agency period looms, opens a $25.3 million trade exception, the largest in the NBA, for the Hawks, according to reports by ESPN and The Athletic.

Collins, a 25-year-old Utah native entering his seventh NBA campaign, averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocked shots a game for Atlanta this past season.

With the Jazz, Collins will be on a frontline alongside Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen, last year's NBA Most Improved Player with a career-best 25.6 points a game, and All-Rookie center Walker Kessler, who averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots -- fourth-most in the NBA -- per game.

The Hawks have a year to use the trade exception, which could be used to help Atlanta keep free agents or chase available talent to add alongside All-Star guard Trae Young.

Gay, 36, is a 17-year NBA veteran who averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds a game in a reserve role for the Jazz last season.

Utah went 37-45 last season, three games behind Oklahoma City for the final Western Conference play-in berth.

Atlanta went 41-41 and grabbed the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs after a play-in triumph over Miami, but the Hawks were ousted by Boston in the opening round of the playoffs.

Agence France-Presse

Gregg Popovich ties Pat Riley for road wins as Spurs beat Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS — Under coach Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs have been consistent winners. That includes when they go on the road — and anywhere they play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points, Rudy Gay added 22 and the Spurs held on to give Popovich another milestone victory in a 116-113 win against the Timberwolves on Friday night.


Popovich earned his 520th career win on the road, tying Pat Riley for the most in NBA history.

“We got through some stuff and it’s always good to win on the road,” Popovich said. “It’s always difficult to do, but when you do it feels pretty good.”



The win also continued San Antonio’s mastery of Minnesota. The Spurs have won 16 of the past 18 games between the teams. San Antonio is 59-25 in the series since Popovich took over as coach for the 1996-97 season.

Marco Belinelli added 19 points off the bench for San Antonio, which played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan because of left ankle soreness.

“Coach Pop said don’t think about it and play basketball, and we’ve got to win the game no matter what,” forward Davis Bertans said.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for the Timberwolves but fouled out after only 21 minutes. Derrick Rose chipped in 23 points and Taj Gibson added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota.

Another matchup between the familiar foes was tight throughout, with 27 lead changes and 17 ties. It also featured a heavy dose of fouls on both sides. The teams combined for 53 personal fouls and 67 free throws.

“We’re a no-excuse team,” Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said. “We made our own mistakes at times. We had opportunities to win. So, there’s nothing on the officials.”

Towns picked up his fourth foul less than two minutes into the second half, and again went to the bench. Josh Okogie had six points and Jeff Teague added five as Minnesota used a 14-1 run to take a 77-67 lead.

The Spurs responded with a 13-2 spurt of their own as Bertans hit a pair of 3-pointers.

“We had a 10-point lead. We didn’t close out the show,” Towns said. “We didn’t do what we needed to do to come out with a win. That’s the disappointing thing about tonight. That’s our next step in maturation of our team.”



The Wolves led 90-88 to start the fourth, but Bertans opened the quarter with another 3. San Antonio led by seven in the fourth, but Minnesota clawed back within one with 30.3 seconds left on Rose’s layup.

Belinelli hit two free throws and Rose’s 3 at the buzzer was off the mark.

TIP-INS

Spurs: Popovich is third in NBA history with 1,224 wins overall. He passed Jerry Sloan for third place on Jan. 10. … San Antonio entered 4-17 this season when trailing after three quarters.

Timberwolves: Tyus Jones missed the game with a left ankle sprain sustained Tuesday at Philadelphia. Robert Covington missed his eighth straight game with a right knee bone bruise. … Andrew Wiggins passed Sam Mitchell for second place on the franchise’s career scoring list. Wiggins has 7,174 points. Kevin Garnett is first with 19,201 points in a Wolves uniform. … After scoring his 10,000th career point on Tuesday, Rose got his 3,000th assist on Friday. … Minnesota announced that Jerry Sichting was hired as an assistant coach. It is Sichting’s third stint with the Wolves. He spent 10 years with the team from 1995-2005 and two seasons from 2007-09.

ON THE MEND

DeRozan said he expects to play Sunday “without a doubt” even though he’s “a little banged up.”

“I pride myself in not missing a practice, not missing a game,” he said. “When you play a lot of minutes, a lot of things accumulate that you’ve got to deal with, so it was kind of good just to get a rest. Don’t play until Sunday, get some treatment. So, a couple days for me is going to be big.”


DeRozan began the day 20th in the league in points per game (21.7) and 13th in assists (6.4).

TOWNS FOULS

It was the sixth time Towns has fouled out this season, and the second time against San Antonio. He entered tied for first in the NBA in fouls per game at 3.8

“I’m going to save my money because whatever I say won’t change anything,” Towns said.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Return home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Timberwolves: Host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Gay scores 26 to lead Kings past Rockets, 106-91

SACRAMENTO, California—Rudy Gay scored 26 points in his first home game since coming over in a trade from Toronto to lead the Sacramento Kings past the Houston Rockets 106-91 Sunday (California time).

Gay added five rebounds and four assists. He finished 10-for-20 shooting in a dazzling home debut for the Kings, who had lost eight of their past 10 games.

DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Isaiah Thomas added 19 points and eight assists to help Sacramento hold on to the lead for most of the final three quarters.

James Harden twisted his left ankle early in the third quarter but finished with 25 points, and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 10 rebounds while battling foul trouble in a disappointing end to Houston’s cramped three-game road trip. The Rockets lost at Portland on Thursday and won at Golden State on Friday.

Portland’s Damian Lillard hit a spinning fadeaway shot with one-tenth of a second left in overtime to lift the Trail Blazers over the Detroit Pistons 111-109.

Lillard was guarded well by Rodney Stuckey as he tried to drive to the basket, but he was able to hit a tough fadeaway from about eight feet. Detroit couldn’t get off a shot before the buzzer.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points for Portland and Lillard finished with 23 points.

At Memphis, Tennessee, Kevin Love had 30 points and nine rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves hit a season-high 12 3-pointers in beating the Memphis Grizzlies 101-93.

The victory ended Minnesota’s 11-game losing streak to the Grizzlies and also gave the Timberwolves their third win in the last four.

The Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 106-102 for their fifth straight game after Eric Bledsoe scored seven of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Bledsoe added eight rebounds and eight assists, Goran Dragic scored 21 points, and Channing Frye added 20 for the Suns.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points, including 20 in the second half, and Klay Thompson added 19 for the Warriors.

In other games, the Oklahoma City Thunder downed the Orlando Magic 101-98 and the Denver Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 102-93.

source: sports.inquirer.net