Tag: Charlotte Hornets

Derrick White earns huge contract bonus with first quarter 3-pointer against the Hornets

Derrick White made himself an extra $500,000 with a first quarter 3-pointer Monday night against the Hornets.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White triggered a $500 thousand contract bonus Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets when he sank his first 3-pointer of the game, a clean look from the corner. It was his 185th made 3 for the season, the threshold for said bonus.

The Celtics inherited White’s contract when they traded for the Colorado native at the 2022 NBA trade deadline. Prior to joining Boston, his career-high was 84 made 3s in a single season. This year, White is make 2.7 3s per game on 6.8 attempts. At the time of this writing he’s shooting 40.1% from deep, too.

White could rack up a few more contract bonuses before the season ends. He is eligible for a pay boost if he hits 70 played games, something he is likely to do. Likewise, if White is named to an NBA All-Defense team, he will be in line for another bonus.

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The latest 2024 NBA mock draft from ESPN has UConn’s Donovan Clingan in top-3

The UConn big man is skyrocketing up draft boards.

There’s been a lot of buzz about the 2024 NBA Draft and how mocks have players from overseas in a lot of the top spots.

But could one of the breakout stars from March Madness be a lottery pick?

UConn big man Donovan Clingan has made his presence very much felt during the men’s NCAA tournament. In our latest 2024 NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, he had Clingan going No. 6 overall to the rebuilding Toronto Raptors. And in the latest ESPN mock, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have him going No. 3 to the Charlotte Hornets.

How could that play out? Here’s their take:

Clingan’s dominance in the Big East championship game and the NCAA tournament has NBA teams asking just how high he could be drafted thanks to his late-season surge after recovering from foot injuries that plagued him early in the campaign. He has upside to tap into with his perimeter shooting, which is a possible part of his game down the road. (The Milwaukee Bucks’ Brook Lopez didn’t start shooting 3s until he was age 28.) One general manager asked ESPN recently, “Rudy Gobert or Donovan Clingan?” regarding who will be the more impactful defensive player, which highlights a college player being compared to a three-time NBA defensive player of the year winner.

There will be plenty of debate between now and June regarding who is the better prospect: Clingan or ESPN’s projected No. 2 pick Alex Sarr. (And Sarr is now firmly in the conversation at No. 1, as well.) Clingan has one or two more games to make his case at the Final Four in Arizona next weekend, and he would surely benefit greatly from a strong showing against Edey should the two meet in the championship game. In a draft lacking in star power at the top, Clingan looks as close to a surefire bet to be a highly productive starter and a major impact performer as you’ll find.

There you have it! Don’t forget to check out our latest NBA Mock Draft from Kalbrosky!

Former Vols’ NBA results for March 27

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Wednesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Wednesday, while two were inactive.

The Clippers defeated Philadelphia, 108-107, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tobias Harris started at forward for the 76ers and totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 38 minutes.

He converted 5-of-9 field goal attempts, 2-of-3 three-point attempts and 2-for-2 free throw attempts.

Charlotte defeated Cleveland, 118-111, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Grant Williams recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes for the Hornets.

He converted 6-of-8 field goal attempts, 2-for-2 three-point attempts and 2-for-4 free throw attempts.

Golden State defeated Orlando, 101-93, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Admiral Schofield did not play for the Magic due to a coach’s decision.

Chicago defeated Indiana, 125-99, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Julian Phillips was inactive for the Bulls.

Recap: OKC Blue split back-to-back against Greensboro Swarm with 112-95 win

Recap: OKC Blue split back-to-back against Greensboro Swarm with 112-95 win.

The G League’s OKC Blue collected a 112-95 win over the Greensboro Swarm on Saturday. The road win improved the Blue’s record to 18-13.

The Blue leaves Greensboro with a split of their back-to-back contests. Their six-game win streak was snapped on Friday by the Swarm.

After trailing 33-31 following the first quarter, the Blue scored 32 points and limited the Swarm to 17 points in the second frame to enter halftime with a 63-50 advantage.

The Blue created space on the scoreboard with a 27-point third frame in which they led by as many as 26. OKC entered the fourth quarter with a 90-69 lead, rendering it inconsequential.

The Blue shot 43% from the field and went 15-of-38 (39.5%) from 3. They shot 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. They had 27 assists on 36 baskets. Six Blue players scored double-digit points.

Meanwhile, the Swarm shot 42% from the field and went 13-of-32 (40.6%) from 3. They had 22 assists on 35 baskets. Five Swarm players scored double-digit points.

Some notable individual performances from both sides:

  • Keyontae Johnson: 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 5-of-7 from 3, four rebounds, three assists
  • Ousmane Dieng: 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting, 3-of-8 from 3, six rebounds, three assists
  • Olivier Sarr: 10 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks
  • Adam Flagler: 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 2-of-5 from 3, five assists
  • RJ Hunter: 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-8 from 3, five assists, two rebounds
  • Marcus Garrett: 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 5-of-6 from 3, six rebounds, three assists
  • Terrell Brown Jr.: 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists
  • Marques Bolden: 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds

The full highlights from the Blue’s 17-point win over the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate can be watched below:

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Recap: OKC Blue’s six-game win streak snapped in 113-110 loss to Greensboro Swarm

Recap: OKC Blue’s six-game win streak snapped in 113-110 loss to Greensboro Swarm.

The G League’s OKC Blue saw their six-game win streak snapped in a 113-110 loss to the Greensboro Swarm on Friday. The road loss dropped the Blue’s record to 17-13 on the season.

The Blue exited the first quarter in a 33-27 deficit. A 40-point second frame helped turn it around as OKC entered halftime with a 67-60 lead.

The Swarm scored 27 points in the third quarter to cut the Blue’s lead to three points entering the final frame. After OKC built a 110-104 lead, Greensboro capped off the comeback win with a 9-0 run in the final 3:35 of the contest.

The Blue shot 51% from the field and went 14-of-36 (38.9%) from 3. They had 29 assists on 42 baskets. Six Blue players scored double-digit points.

Meanwhile, the Swarm shot 44% from the field and went 19-of-38 (50%) from 3. They had 28 assists on 39 baskets. Six Swarm players scored double-digit points.

Some notable individual performances from both sides:

  • Ousmane Dieng: 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting, 1-of-5 from 3, seven rebounds, five assists
  • Olivier Sarr: 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, 2-of-2 from 3, 13 rebounds, five blocks
  • Adam Flagler: 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 4-of-9 from 3, six rebounds, three assists
  • Keyontae Johnson: 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 1-of-3 from 3, six assists, five rebounds
  • RJ Hunter: 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 5-of-12 from 3
  • Kent Bazemore: 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 3-of-6 from 3, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals
  • Jaylen Sims: 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 3-of-4 from 3, nine assists, four rebounds

The full highlights from the Blue’s three-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate can be watched below:

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Former Vols’ NBA results for March 19

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Tuesday.

Two former Vols competed in the NBA on Tuesday as their respective teams went head-to-head against each other.

Orlando defeated Charlotte, 112-92, at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Orlando won its fourth consecutive game.

Grant Williams, who joined the Hornets at the NBA trade deadline, totaled five points, three assists and one assist in 23 minutes. He was traded to Charlotte from Dallas and was a first-round selection (No. 22 overall) by Boston in the 2019 NBA draft.

He converted 2-of-6 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 free throw attempts.

Admiral Schofield recorded five points, one rebound and one steal for the Magic in six minutes.

He converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts and 1-for-1 three-point attempts.

Former Vols’ NBA results for March 11

A look at how former Vols performed in the NBA on Monday.

Three former Vols competed in the NBA on Monday.

Detroit defeated Charlotte, 114-97, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Grant Williams started at forward for the Hornets. He totaled 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes.

Williams converted 6-of-13 field goal attempts, 2-for-5 three-point attempts and 8-of-9 free throw attempts.

Dallas defeated Chicago, 127-92, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Julian Phillips recorded 11 points, three rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes for the Bulls.

He converted 3-of-7 field goal attempts, 2-for-3 three-point attempts and 3-of-3 free throw attempts.

Boston defeated Portland, 121-99, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Jaden Springer played two minutes and recorded one block for the Celtics.

Nets’ Cam Thomas scores 31 points in return from injury at Hornets

After Saturday’s 110-99 loss at the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas addressed the team’s lack of effort on defense.

The Brooklyn Nets have seen their season go off the rails over the second half of the season as they can’t seem to establish any rhythm for a playoff-level finish. One of the few bright spots for a team seemingly destined to finish this season outside of the play-in tournament has been guard Cam Thomas.

Thomas, in just his third season out of LSU after being taken by the Nets with the 27th overall pick in the 2021, made his return to the lineup for Saturday’s 110-99 loss at the Charlotte Hornets after missing six games with a right ankle/midfoot sprain. Not only did he score 31 points in 30 minutes of playing time, but he seemed to be the only reason that Brooklyn was competitive in the contest.

Much has been made about Thomas on the defensive end of the flor and while most scorers have some flaw in their defensive game, Thomas clearly has a huge impact on the Nets’ offense. When Thomas is on the floor, as many saw on Saturday, the offense has another guy to go when Mikal Bridges or Dennis Schroder cannot find an opening in the defense through the pick-and-roll or whatever the offensive play call was for that possession.

Against Charlotte, Thomas scored at least 30 points for the 10th time this season and yet, he wasn’t able to get much help from his teammates in terms of shotmaking and the team’s overall defense was porous at best. Thomas pointed towards effort being the reason that the Nets are losing games at this point of the season:

“Just effort, man. That’s all it is to it when you try to keep somebody in front. Some of it is game as far as when they come and peel, we mess up the coverage sometimes as a whole, but at some point, you just got to take the challenge and guard your man one-on-one. If he make it over you, he make it over you. So, just force the toughest shot you can.”

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Nets full injury report for Saturday matchup at Hornets

Here is the full injury report for the Brooklyn Nets heading into their matchup at the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

The Brooklyn Nets started their six-game road trip on the wrong foot as they dropped a winnable game at the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. As Brooklyn continues with the rest of its road trip, they will be trying to get back on the winning path knowing that they will likely get some important players back.

In the Nets’ initial injury report released on Friday, Brooklyn saw that they will be getting healthier at an important point of their season. The Nets announced that backup center Day’Ron Sharpe (right wrist contusion) and guard Cam Thomas (right ankle/midfoot sprain) are probable for Saturday’s matchup at the Charlotte Hornets.

What was clear in Thursday’s loss at the Pistons was that Brooklyn was missing Thomas’ ability to score and Sharpe’s ability to rebound and protect the rim off the bench. Thomas is likely to return after missing the past six games and Sharpe should come back to the lineup after being out for the past two games.

Assuming that Thomas and Sharpe are able to go, the Nets will be happy to have both of them back given how impactful both players are within Brooklyn’s rotation. Sharpshooting forward Cam Johnson remains out with his right ankle sprain, but there is a possibility that he returns to the lineup during this road trip.

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Former Arkansas standouts Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. swap jerseys after NBA meeting

Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. swapped jerseys with each other on Tuesday after their second meeting in the NBA.

Former Arkansas standouts Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. swapped jerseys with each other on Tuesday after their second meeting in the NBA this season.

Black and the Orlando Magic emerged victorious over Smith and the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Black was one of six Magic players who finished in double figures, producing 10 points and five rebounds in the 101-89 win. Smith didn’t play.

The Magic improved to 2-0 against the Hornets this season with the win after taking the first meeting on Nov. 26 in Orlando. The division foes will play two more times: March 19 and April 5.

Of course, the two rookies were teammates last season at Arkansas and helped the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. They declared for the NBA draft after strong freshman campaigns and were both selected in the first round.

Black, the sixth pick, is averaging five points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 40% shooting from 3-point range in 56 appearances with the Magic. He ranks seventh in starts (31) and is second in defensive rating (108.4) among rookies with at least 30 appearances.

Smith was the 27th pick by the Hornets and is averaging 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 45.1% shooting from 3-point range. He leads the rookie class in 3-point percentage and is among 13 first-year players to make at least 50 3s (51).

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