Latest news with #Nuggets
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
King, Andrew poised to debut for Tall Blacks in Asia Cup
A member of Otago basketball's royal family and a son of St Kevin's College have been named in the Tall Blacks squad for the Asia Cup. Both rising guard Mojave King and former Otago Nuggets centre Jack Andrew will be on debut when New Zealand play at the tournament in Jeddah next month. They will be joined by fellow newcomer Dontae Russo-Nance, who played for the Nuggets last year but is now with the Manawatu Jets. The selection of Dunedin-born King, in particular, in the 11-man Asia Cup squad is a significant moment for New Zealand hoops. King, 23, the son of Nuggets great Leonard King and former Otago basketballer Tracey Paul, and grandson of late Otago hoops stalwart John Paul, has spent more of his life in Australia but he has declared his hand for the land of his birth. He became just the third New Zealander drafted into the NBA when he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and his rights are now with the New Orleans Pelicans. King, who plays for the Tauranga Whai in the NBL, has impressed Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell. "We always knew that Mojave was very talented," Flavell said. "When you look at the Tall Blacks in the past, we've had to have a guy that can score, shoot the ball and get hot. And we know Mojave can put on 10-12 points in a short period of time." King averaged 8.5 points for the Breakers in the Australian league last season. He then averaged 22.2 points for the Whai, shooting at a decent 38% clip from three-point range. "His role for us is going to be scoring," Flavell said. "Mojave has that unique skillset that I think past Tall Black teams have really leaned on to carry some of that scoring load." There will be whoops of joy around the halls of an Oamaru school at Andrew's debut selection. Andrew, 24, was a stand-out at St Kevin's before playing 80 games for the Nuggets — helping them win the NBL championship in 2022 — and having two spells with the Perth Wildcats. He flourished when he moved to the Taranaki Airs this year, posting 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game . "Jack has had a phenomenal jump this season," Flavell said. "He just really seemed to grow in confidence as well. For a big man to actually run and have a high activity rate — that's something that we really like about him. "He's been the first man down the floor, he's been active on the glass, and he's had great success in tandem with Carlin (Davison) off the pick and roll. I think those two have been one of the most dynamic duos." Leading Tall Blacks including Shea Ili, Tai Webster, Hyrum Harris and Yanni Wetzell are unavailable for the Asia Cup, leaving Jordan Ngatai (84 caps) and Tohi Smith-Milner (69) as the senior men. New Zealand are in group D with Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Iraq. Before the tournament, they have three games in China at the Solidarity Cup and Four Nations tournaments, for which they will also have New Zealand under-19 star Hayden Jones, Jordan Hunt and Luca Yates on the roster. One of those three players will become the 12th and final member of the Asia Cup squad. Tall Blacks Asia Cup squad Jack Andrew, Taylor Britt, Flynn Cameron, Max Darling, Carlin Davison, Ben Gold, Mojave King, Taine Murray, Jordan Ngatai, Dontae Russo-Nance, Tohi Smith-Milner Gold has been selected for Asia Cup only. Jordan Hunt, Hayden Jones and Luca Yates will join squad for preceding Solidarity Cup and Four Nations.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
It's official: The Clippers sign Bradley Beal
LAS VEGAS — The Clippers signed guard Bradley Beal on Friday after the final two years of his contract were bought out by the Phoenix Suns earlier this week and he cleared waivers. Beal, 32, is a three-time All-Star and 13-year NBA veteran. He signed a two-year contract worth $11 million, with a player option for 2026-27, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein. Beal averaged 17 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 32.1 minutes while starting 38 of 53 games for the Suns last season. Beal shot 50% from the floor, 39% from 3-point range and 80% from the foul line. Beal joins a veteran Clippers roster led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Beal will get a chance to move past his two disappointing, injury-riddled seasons in Phoenix. 'Players of this caliber are very rare, and they're hard to come by,' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said in a statement. 'He's been the best player on his team. You can put him in so many different spots and he'll find ways to score: out of pick-and-roll, coming off screens, catch-and-shoot. He can create his own or he can play off the ball. He's a great cutter. He's also a great playmaker who is going to make everybody else better.' The Clippers' bid to remain unbeaten in NBA Summer League play was derailed by a slow start Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets. After scoring only 11 points in the first quarter while falling behind by double digits, the Clippers eventually trailed by 25 late in the third quarter only to see a furious fourth-quarter rally fall short in an 81-76 loss. Jordan Miller had a game-high 23 points with 14 rebounds for the Clippers. Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Cam Christie each scored 16 while Trentyn Flowers had 12 points for L.A. The Clippers (3-1) shot only 36% from the field and 23.7% from three-point range. Christie and Flowers shot a combined four of 21 from deep. The Nuggets (1-3) did not fare much better, shooting 38.7% from the field and 30% from three-point range. DaRon Holmes III led the Nuggets with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Spencer Jones contributed 17 points and six rebounds in the win. The Clippers will play in a consolation game against the Memphis Grizzlies at 5 p.m. Sunday. Bronny James scored a game-high 18 points and had five assists in an 87-78 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night in Las Vegas. The Lakers (1-3), who led 26-21 after the first quarter, committed 21 turnovers that led to 24 points for the Celtics, who outscored L.A. 19-9 in the second quarter. Boston opened a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. DJ Steward contributed 14 points and five assists for the Lakers while Christian Koloko and Cole Swider each scored 12. Boston was led by Jordan Walsh's 17 points and six rebounds. Hugo Gonzalez scored 13 for the Celtics. The Lakers shot 44.3% from the field but only 21.4% (six of 28) from three-point range. The Nuggets shot 38.7% from the field and 31.8% from deep. The Lakers completed Summer League play against the Denver Nuggets in the Friday nightcap. Six teams went unbeaten in four games in Las Vegas, with the Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings advancing to a two-day tournament to determine a champion. The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves also went unbeaten but did not advance to the tournament based on tiebreakers, the first of which is point differential. Toronto was seeded first and will play No. 4 Sacramento at 1 p.m. Saturday in the first semifinal while No. 2 Oklahoma City plays No. 3 Charlotte at 4 p.m. The winners will play at 7 p.m. Sunday for the title. New Orleans rookie Derik Queen is likely to miss at least the start of training camp after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. He was injured Tuesday during a Summer League game and the team said he will be evaluated again in approximately 12 weeks.
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be backup center amid speculation over NBA future
Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A backup plan to bring in a backup center to spell Nikola Jokic no longer appears necessary. The Denver Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be with the team when the season starts amid speculation over his NBA future. Denver's trade with Sacramento to acquire the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas for Dario Saric became official last weekend. Leading up that, reports emerged of Valanciunas being courted by the Greek EuroLeague club team, Panathinaikos. It's led to a confusing situation given that Valanciunas still has two years remaining on his NBA deal that would pay him a total of more than $20 million. Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer attempted to tamp down any conjecture over Valanciunas' arrival during a news conference Friday that was set up to introduce Cam Johnson. 'There's been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,' Tenzer said of Valanciunas. So, no concerns that Valanciunas might not be with the Nuggets to start the season? 'No concerns,' Tenzer said. The trade for the 33-year-old Valanciunas looks to be the icing on a productive offseason that saw the front-office tandem of Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace remodel the team. The moves were in the wake of a Game 7 loss to NBA champion Oklahoma City in the second round. The Nuggets also picked up Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. — a key contributor to their title run in 2023 — to Brooklyn. Denver added Bruce Brown, who was part of their championship run, and shooting guard/small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. Tenzer said they've have had productive talks with Valanciunas, who's slated to play for Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer. Someone from the Nuggets may even venture over there. 'Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,' Wallace explained. "We'll approach it at that time.' Valanciunas is coming off a season in which he split time between Washington and Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and two assists over 81 games. Denver is counting on him to give Jokic the occasional breather. The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season. A three-time NBA MVP, Jokic turned in a historic season where became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. His vision and feel for the game could take Johnson's performance to another level. Johnson averaged 18.8 points for the Nets last season. 'His best ability is just understanding where he is in space and where his teammates are in space at all times,' Johnson said of Jokic. 'I find a spot, and there's a high chance that he's going to put the pass on time, on target.' As for where Johnson might live in the Mile High city, he and Porter have chatted about possibly swapping houses. 'I don't know if it will happen, but it's being discussed right now,' Johnson said. 'Obviously, when you get traded, everything's flying around, everything's moving. As the next couple of weeks wind down, we'll start to become a little bit more established in our new markets and figure all that stuff out.' He's already received a warm welcome — and not even in Denver, either. While the former Phoenix Suns forward was having breakfast in Arizona, a table of Nuggets fans recognized him and wished him luck. 'The reception has been incredible,' Johnson said. 'It has been really positive for me. Just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I'll do everything in my power to contribute to.' ___ AP NBA: recommended Item 1 of 3
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be backup center amid speculation over NBA future
DENVER (AP) — A backup plan to bring in a backup center to spell Nikola Jokic no longer appears necessary. The Denver Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be with the team when the season starts amid speculation over his NBA future. Denver's trade with Sacramento to acquire the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas for Dario Saric became official last weekend. Leading up that, reports emerged of Valanciunas being courted by the Greek EuroLeague club team, Panathinaikos. It's led to a confusing situation given that Valanciunas still has two years remaining on his NBA deal that would pay him a total of more than $20 million. Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer attempted to tamp down any conjecture over Valanciunas' arrival during a news conference Friday that was set up to introduce Cam Johnson . 'There's been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,' Tenzer said of Valanciunas. So, no concerns that Valanciunas might not be with the Nuggets to start the season? 'No concerns,' Tenzer said. The trade for the 33-year-old Valanciunas looks to be the icing on a productive offseason that saw the front-office tandem of Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace remodel the team. The moves were in the wake of a Game 7 loss to NBA champion Oklahoma City in the second round. The Nuggets also picked up Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. — a key contributor to their title run in 2023 — to Brooklyn. Denver added Bruce Brown, who was part of their championship run, and shooting guard/small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. Tenzer said they've have had productive talks with Valanciunas, who's slated to play for Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer. Someone from the Nuggets may even venture over there. 'Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,' Wallace explained. 'We'll approach it at that time.' Valanciunas is coming off a season in which he split time between Washington and Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and two assists over 81 games. Denver is counting on him to give Jokic the occasional breather. The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season. A three-time NBA MVP, Jokic turned in a historic season where became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. His vision and feel for the game could take Johnson's performance to another level. Johnson averaged 18.8 points for the Nets last season. 'His best ability is just understanding where he is in space and where his teammates are in space at all times,' Johnson said of Jokic. 'I find a spot, and there's a high chance that he's going to put the pass on time, on target.' As for where Johnson might live in the Mile High city, he and Porter have chatted about possibly swapping houses. 'I don't know if it will happen, but it's being discussed right now,' Johnson said. 'Obviously, when you get traded, everything's flying around, everything's moving. As the next couple of weeks wind down, we'll start to become a little bit more established in our new markets and figure all that stuff out.' He's already received a warm welcome — and not even in Denver, either. While the former Phoenix Suns forward was having breakfast in Arizona, a table of Nuggets fans recognized him and wished him luck. 'The reception has been incredible,' Johnson said. 'It has been really positive for me. Just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I'll do everything in my power to contribute to.' ___ AP NBA:
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be backup center amid speculation over NBA future
DENVER (AP) — A backup plan to bring in a backup center to spell Nikola Jokic no longer appears necessary. The Denver Nuggets expect Jonas Valanciunas to be with the team when the season starts amid speculation over his NBA future. Denver's trade with Sacramento to acquire the 6-foot-11 Valanciunas for Dario Saric became official last weekend. Leading up that, reports emerged of Valanciunas being courted by the Greek EuroLeague club team, Panathinaikos. It's led to a confusing situation given that Valanciunas still has two years remaining on his NBA deal that would pay him a total of more than $20 million. 'There's been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him excited to be a Nugget,' Tenzer said of Valanciunas. So, no concerns that Valanciunas might not be with the Nuggets to start the season? 'No concerns,' Tenzer said. The trade for the 33-year-old Valanciunas looks to be the icing on a productive offseason that saw the front-office tandem of Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace remodel the team. The moves were in the wake of a Game 7 loss to NBA champion Oklahoma City in the second round. The Nuggets also picked up Johnson in a deal that sent Michael Porter Jr. — a key contributor to their title run in 2023 — to Brooklyn. Denver added Bruce Brown, who was part of their championship run, and shooting guard/small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. Tenzer said they've have had productive talks with Valanciunas, who's slated to play for Lithuania at FIBA EuroBasket this summer. Someone from the Nuggets may even venture over there. 'Their plan is for him to get here sooner than later, but still working through that,' Wallace explained. "We'll approach it at that time.' Valanciunas is coming off a season in which he split time between Washington and Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and two assists over 81 games. Denver is counting on him to give Jokic the occasional breather. The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season. A three-time NBA MVP, Jokic turned in a historic season where became the first NBA center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists. His vision and feel for the game could take Johnson's performance to another level. Johnson averaged 18.8 points for the Nets last season. 'His best ability is just understanding where he is in space and where his teammates are in space at all times,' Johnson said of Jokic. 'I find a spot, and there's a high chance that he's going to put the pass on time, on target.' As for where Johnson might live in the Mile High city, he and Porter have chatted about possibly swapping houses. 'I don't know if it will happen, but it's being discussed right now,' Johnson said. 'Obviously, when you get traded, everything's flying around, everything's moving. As the next couple of weeks wind down, we'll start to become a little bit more established in our new markets and figure all that stuff out.' He's already received a warm welcome — and not even in Denver, either. While the former Phoenix Suns forward was having breakfast in Arizona, a table of Nuggets fans recognized him and wished him luck. 'The reception has been incredible,' Johnson said. 'It has been really positive for me. Just a chance at winning is something that I really relish and something that I'll do everything in my power to contribute to.' ___
