Tag: Adam Mokoka

Blue’s Adam Mokoka on OKC’s loss to Capitanes in Mexico City, Shabazz Napier’s big night

The French shooting guard also touched on the impact of elevation on the Blue’s outing, and the possibility of NBA expansion south of the border.

The OKC Blue fell to the Capitanes in Mexico City due to an offensive explosion by former UConn standout and current Capitanes guard Shabazz Napier. The Roxbury native went off for 40 points in the Capitanes’ 118-116 overtime win on Friday.

But Blue wing Adam Mokoka isn’t looking for something or someone to blame for OKC’s 21-point lead evaporating under the pressure of Napier’s assault.

“The elevation for sure is hitting us,” he explained, “but we’re not going to make excuses. I feel like they came on really hard in the third quarter — that’s when we had some trouble.”

The altitude has been a thorn in the side of teams visiting the new home arena of the Capitanes.

“We still tried to fight to the end, but (Napier) was hitting big shots, and that’s part of the game,” he added.

The game ended on a basket by Capitanes wing Caio Pacheco.

Mokoka had enjoyed his visit to the Mexican capital, which has been the renewed subject of a potential expansion team for the NBA in the not-too-distant future.

“That would be a great opportunity for Mexico to get an NBA team,” related the French shooting guard.

“They are doing pretty good with the G League team, and I like the resources, the infrastructure, and the people, and (their) energy is really great.”

Good enough to power the Capitanes to back-to-back wins in their home arena, though the Blue took Mexico City to the brink twice in a row.

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Former Luke Kornet teammate Adam Mokoka reveals the recent origin of the ‘Korntest’

Adam Mokoka, a teammate of the Celtics center’s from their time with the Chicago Bulls, revealed Kornet developed the unorthodox method recently.

Boston Celtics backup center Luke Kornet has made an impression on his teammates with his intelligence, hard work, and sense of humor around the NBA, particularly during his time with the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics Wire recently caught up with fellow Bulls alum Adam Mokoka at a G League tilt between the Oklahoma City Blue (Mokoka’s current squad) and the Capitanes in Mexico City, and the French shooting guard had plenty of good things to say about his former teammate.

“He’s a really good guy on and off of the court,” shared Mokoka. “Luke is quiet, but he’s funny and really smart.”

“He was our team captain when I was there in Chicago,” added the Blue wing.

Mokoka is aware of Kornet’s unorthodox method of trying to stymie shooters on the perimeter — the so-called eclipse, Kornet Kontest, or Korntest, as it has been various dubbed — but has not tried it himself, at least yet.

“I’ve just seen it, he wasn’t doing it in Chicago,” explained the Paris native. “I feel like if it is working, it’s pretty smart.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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OKC Thunder news: Adam Mokoka waived, Scotty Hopson signed

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived Adam Mokoka and signed Scotty Hopson.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Saturday they had signed guard Scotty Hopson and waived guard Adam Mokoka.

The Thunder signed Mokoka on Wednesday, but he did not appear in a preseason game for the team.

Hopson played in one game with the Thunder last season. In 32 games last season with the G League OKC Blue, Hopson averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

This move is likely designed to gain the G League rights of the 33-year-old and place him on the OKC Blue roster when their season begins in November.

The Thunder have done a similar move with several other players throughout training camp and preseason — quickly sign and release them — to gain their G League rights.

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OKC Thunder news: Adam Mokoka signed, Abdul Gaddy waived

The Thunder continues to recycle through marginal NBA players to gain their G League rights.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to rotate through their end-of-the-bench roster spot as the team made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday.

The first was the waiving of Abdul Gaddy. The Thunder signed Gaddy on Monday, and he appeared in one preseason game. Gaddy previously spent time with the OKC Blue and summer league team.

The second was the signing of guard Adam Mokoka. Mokaka played in 25 games with the Chicago Bulls from 2019-21 and spent last season with Nanterre 92, with which he appeared in 25 games and averaged 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists

Both moves were made to acquire the G League rights of the players to sign them onto the Blue when their season starts in November.

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