Hoops Rumors

Big man Zeke Nnaji has largely been outside of the Nuggets‘ rotation in 2024/25. However, a knee injury to Peyton Watson has opened up minutes at backup power forward, and Nnaji has been performing well of late, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “This is probably the first time in a while that he has an opportunity to play big minutes, important … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Nnaji, DiVincenzo, Clark, Avdija

Ater the Nuggets had a nine-game winning streak snapped by the Lakers Saturday night, Nikola Jokic suggested that the extended success may have been a mirage, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Many of those victories came during a soft part of the schedule, and the opposition is about to get much tougher with a four-game trip to Indiana, Milwaukee, Detroit and … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Nuggets, George, Trail Blazers, Williams

As expected, Rockets forward Jabari Smith returned to action on Friday vs. Minnesota in the team’s first game after the All-Star break. Smith had been out since January 1 due to a fractured hand. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Smith had started each of his first 188 NBA regular season games, but he came off the bench on Friday for the first time in his professional … [Read more...] about Western Notes: Smith, Thybulle, Kuminga, Nuggets, Suns

Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook hasn’t played in February, having missed seven games before the All-Star break due to a hamstring injury. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, that forced Christian Braun into the starting lineup, where he immediately played some of the best basketball of his career. In Westbrook’s absence, Braun averaged 19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.9 … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Braun, Clingan, Randle, DiVincenzo

Nuggets guard Julian Strawther will participate in the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend on Friday, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). According to the league, Strawther is replacing Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, who won’t be available to take part due to a sprained right ankle. Henderson suffered that injury on Monday in Denver and has been ruled out for … [Read more...] about Julian Strawther Replaces Scoot Henderson For Rising Stars