Hoops Rumors

Doug Smith of The Toronto Star reported last week that the Raptors have signaled their interest in getting involved in a potential Jimmy Butler trade as a facilitator. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), it’s not just a Butler deal that Toronto is open to facilitating. The Raptors have let it be known around the league that they’re willing to help … [Read more...] about Raptors Rumors: Facilitation, Brown, Boucher, Mitchell, Olynyk

Jamal Murray isn’t fazed by criticism. The Nuggets guard signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension in September and feels it comes with the territory, he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “I’m totally ready for it,” Murray said. “That’s why I literally signed up for it.” Murray understands that with the big contract numbers comes increased scrutiny. He’s … [Read more...] about Western Notes: Murray, Moody, Powell, Williamson, Missi

For the second time in three seasons, the Timberwolves have struggled to develop chemistry following a massive offseason trade, Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes. “It’s an adjustment, but we want to be winning games while we’re figuring it out,” Julius Randle said. “We show phases of being able to do that.” MacMahon explores the various reasons for Minnesota’s troubles, including … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Wolves, Dillingham, Murray, Westbrook, Simons

The Timberwolves are out of excuses after losing to the shorthanded Warriors on Wednesday, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Nearly everything went wrong for Minnesota, including a slow start at the beginning of the game that saw the Wolves down 13-0 early. “They came out how we should’ve come out,” said Donte DiVincenzo, who scored 28 points to go along with nine assists … [Read more...] about Northwest Notes: Wolves, Edwards, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Camara, Murray

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and point guard Russell Westbrook recorded triple-doubles in the same game on Friday for the second time this season, leading the team to a victory over the shorthanded Nets. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, the duo made NBA history by become the first pair of teammates to have 25-point triple-doubles in the same regular season game. … [Read more...] about Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Westbrook, Gordon, MPJ, Fernandez