Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Myles Turner and his teammates won the Skill Challenge on Saturday to the delight of the home crowd. Turner told HoopsHype he hadn’t practiced for the competition and that he was simply “going to go with the flow.” The nine-year veteran took time …
Myles Turner and his teammates won the Skill Challenge on Saturday to the delight of the home crowd. Turner told HoopsHype he hadn’t practiced for the competition and that he was simply “going to go with the flow.”
The nine-year veteran took time away from his busy schedule as an unofficial ambassador in Indianapolis to sit down and talk about the progression of his team, trade rumors, his partnership with STARRY, and more.
Jalen Green (30 points) and Amen Thompson (13 points, 13 rebounds) were dynamic, but Houston’s frantic comeback bid came up just short in Indiana.
On the second stop of a four-game road trip, the short-handed Houston Rockets ran out of steam in the second half in Tuesday’s 132-129 loss (box score) in Indiana. Houston (23-27) is four games below .500 for the first time in the 2023-24 NBA season.
The Rockets scored 75 points in the first half and led by as many as 10, but their shooting cooled significantly in a third quarter, which the Pacers (29-23) won by a decisive 38-24 margin. Pascal Siakam led the way with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting (68.8%).
Led by young guards Jalen Green and Amen Thompson, the Rockets fought back valiantly but couldn’t come any closer than three points during a frantic closing sequence. Houston finished on a 25-14 run over the final seven-plus minutes, including a 10-3 burst over the last three minutes.
Standout players for the Rockets included:
Green has scored at least 29 points in five of eight games.
Fred VanVleet (left adductor strain) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) both missed the game due to injury, although there is hope that both players could return within a week or so.
Here’s our look at Tuesday’s highlights and postgame interviews from Indiana, along with reaction by media members and fans. As the road trip continues with its back half, next up for Houston is Friday’s game at Toronto (17-33), where tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse gave love to star Pascal Siakam after a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The undermanned Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have a lot go right for them in Thursday’s 134-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Down five key pieces, including starters Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton, the Sixers just weren’t able to keep up with a tough Pacers team.
Joel Embiid had 31 points and seven rebounds on a night he was named an All-Star starter and Tyrese Maxey added 22 points for Philadelphia. However, the Pacers received a big night from their new star: Pascal Siakam.
Picking up his first win with Indiana since being acquired from the Toronto Raptors, Siakam delivered 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for Indiana. It was a big night for the 2-time All-Star which didn’t surprise Sixers coach Nick Nurse who knows him very well from their days in Toronto.
“He was good,” Nurse told reporters about Siakam. “He was very good. Obviously, he got going early, and when he does that, then you’re gonna see him play a really good–talk about his versatility. We got to him kind of late on some double teams on some things and when we did get them done, there was nobody to rotate out, which is why he had such a big assist numbers as well.”
Siakam’s versatility was on full display all night. The Pacers had lost their first three games with him in the fold, but Thursday was a big example of why Indiana acquired him. He can put the ball in the basket and he can make plays for others. An overall really solid night for him.
Of course, it didn’t help that the Sixers didn’t play with much energy and had a tough night overall, but Siakam still had a terrific night as Philadelphia couldn’t figure him out.
“We just again, we weren’t very good at guarding the initial action,” Nurse added. “If we would plug that with some help, we weren’t very good at guarding the next action out of that either. So it just was a lot of issues at the defensive end for sure.”
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The NBA trade deadline might already be over.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a fantastic week. It’s been a pretty busy one on the NBA side.
The Pacers trading for Pascal Siakam is the highlight of all of it. If you hadn’t seen, Indiana moved three first-round picks to Toronto to get back Siakam and a second-round pick.
RELATED: Trade grades from the Pascal Siakam deal between the Raptors and Pacers
That’s a great move for the Pacers. As our Prince Grimes wrote earlier in the week, it doesn’t quite put Indiana in contention. But it does make the team a bit more competitive than it already was. That’s a big plus when you have a borderline top-10 talent on your roster already in Tyrese Haliburton. Inching closer to contention is always the goal, even if you’re not quite there yet.
That’s a bigger discussion for down the line, though. For today, it feels like we should get ready for a quiet trade deadline. The Siakam deal may have zapped the market.
Siakam was the main target for many teams out there across the league. He was connected to the Hawks, the Warriors, the Pacers and more. He’s off the board now and will be a Pacer for the foreseeable future. The question now becomes the main target from here.
There are a few options out there — none quite as accomplished as Siakam, but some pretty solid options nonetheless. That includes names like Kyle Kuzma, who the Wizards reportedly have “no immediate urgency,” to move, and Dejounte Murray, who has reportedly already been brought up in talks between the Hawks and Lakers.
If you’re looking for star movement, though, you should probably move on. There’s no blockbuster deal available for a star player on the table. Maybe there’s something that materializes like the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant deals did last year. But, as things stand, it’s quiet on the star watch front.
That’s not a bad thing. It means there are loads of teams trying to compete for the playoffs, which should make for some pretty good basketball across the board. This is what we should all want. After all, transactions are not the main event — the basketball is.
Hopefully, a quiet deadline means a really fun playoff run. We’ll see.
This dude is quite the hot commodity. He’s reportedly on the Milwaukee Bucks’ radar now as a trade target, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Milwaukee Bucks are among multiple teams who are registering interest in trading for Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/vlWUIMDPIp
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 19, 2024
There’s one big problem, though: The Bucks don’t have anything to give up. All of the team’s assets went away in the Damian Lillard trade.
Here’s what’s left in Milwaukee’s asset cupboard:
— A 2024 second-round pick from the Trail Blazers
— Milwaukee’s own 2027 second-round pick
That’s it, folks. Between the Damian Lillard trade and the Jrue Holiday trade before that one, there’s nothing else left to give. If Milwaukee had a promising prospect or two, that’d be one thing. But both MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson Jr. have had up-and-down seasons so far.
I can’t see this one happening for Milwaukee. The Bucks are likely going to just have to rock out with the team as is. But just the fact that Milwaukee is even still popping up in conversations like this is a sign of a couple things:
First, the team isn’t satisfied with where it is. That’s a good thing that Bucks fans should be confident about. It might also be mildly disconcerting because it’s clear Milwaukee probably can’t win a title as is.
Second, the price for Murray might not be that high right now. The Bucks reportedly registering interest means that Milwaukee seriously thinks there’s a shot at getting him. That means that other contenders might need to up their packages a bit more to make this happen with Atlanta.
Despite a relatively poor start to the season for USC, Bronny James is still on a lot of NBA team’s radars for next season, our own Bryan Kalbrosky writes, though it’s kind of unclear what that means.
“But his most recent game had the kind of stat line that could draw the attention of scouts around the NBA. Either way, according to league insider Shams Charania, the freshman guard is already on the radar for “multiple” franchises around the league (via Run It Back)
What exactly does it mean for Bronny to be on a draft board?
That much is unclear, especially considering that some draft boards are potentially expansive and include many names, but it is encouraging news for his future that teams beyond the Lakers have some exploratory interest. (For what it is worth, oddsmakers believe the Knicks are the most likely team to draft Bronny if the Lakers don’t.)”
This is so fascinating to me — mostly because I wonder if this is actually interest in Bronny or if it’s just a ploy to lure a 39-year-old LeBron James to whatever franchise drafts him.
Don’t get me wrong — Bronny is going to be a legit NBA prospect. But, man. I can’t help but feel like that LeBron factor plays into it.
This summer is going to be so fun, man. Can’t wait.
— Anthony Edwards has the best dunk of the season — again. This is unreal. Here’s more from Bryan.
— Le’Veon Bell defended Kyrie Irving better than some dudes in the NBA would by placing a single bet. This is hilarious. Blake Schuster has more.
— I’ve never seen someone be more disinterested in their job than Charles Barkley was on Thursday night. Cory Woodruff has more.
— This might be the craziest LeBron James stat. Wow.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us today. Have a great weekend. Let’s chat again on Monday.
-Sykes ✌️
Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse gives his thoughts on the Indiana Pacers acquiring Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.
CAMDEN, N.J. — With it being trade season on the NBA calendar, teams are figuring out their plans for the Feb. 8 trade deadline and looking to make a push toward the playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers pulled off a big deal on Wednesday when they acquired Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. The two-time All-Star is averaging 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists while shooting 52.2% from the floor this season.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse, obviously, has a wealth of experience with Siakam from their days together in Toronto, and he gave his thoughts on the trade.
“Listen, Pascal is obviously a really good player,” said Nurse. “Two-way player, versatile. I think what does he provide for them? I mean, he obviously gives them a little more size. They play a lot of guards and play — he’ll probably help them a little bit matchup-wise. He can defend multiple positions.”
The Pacers have a great deal of talent led by Tyrese Haliburton who is quickly becoming one of the better point guards in the NBA. He’s averaging 23.6 points and 12.5 assists. With the addition of Siakam, Indiana is looking to push its way into the title conversation in the Eastern Conference.
“He can score buckets, man,” Nurse said. “He can get the ball in the basket when you need them. So, it’ll be interesting to see how he fits in. I don’t know with the pace they’re playing and the style they’re playing, he certainly can run, right? He certainly can run and play in the open floor so it should be interesting to see him do that again.”
The Sixers will get a look at Siakam in a Pacers uniform on Jan. 25 to begin a five-game road trip.
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The Indiana Pacers just got a lot more interesting.
Pascal Siakam was expected to be one of the big dominoes of the NBA’s trade deadline coming up in a few weeks.
Now, he’s off the board.
Siakam has reportedly been traded in a three-team deal by the Raptors to the Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown and a handful of first-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans also snuck into the deal, too, sending Kira Lewis to Toronto and a second-round pick to the Pacers.
The Pacers were considered one of the teams heading into the deadline that seemed prime to make a big move. That big move has come a bit earlier than anticipated.
BREAKING: The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a trade to acquire All-Star F Pascal Siakam in a deal that will send Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors. New Orleans will be a third team in deal, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 17, 2024
Let’s dive into trade grades.
Pascal Siakam’s stressful wait for a trade is FINALLY over.
There have been well-sourced rumors for a long time that Pascal Siakam was not long for the Toronto Raptors. The two-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion didn’t seem entirely happy in Toronto, especially given the organization’s struggles since getting that fateful championship.
Wednesday afternoon had to be a wonderful reprieve for both parties.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors traded Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for the princely sum of three first-round picks and solid glue guys like Bruce Brown. With all the trade consternation surrounding Siakam lately, you can’t help but feel happy for him to finally move onto greener pastures:
BREAKING: The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a trade to acquire All-Star F Pascal Siakam in a deal that will send Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors. New Orleans will be a third team in deal, sending Kira Lewis to the Raptors.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 17, 2024
Siakam should be a wonderful big-man fit with Tyrese Haliburton’s rising Pacers. Meanwhile, a Toronto full-scale rebuild is now completely underway. At least Siakam could find his way back onto a new team that might be a championship contender soon enough.
This was a huge move for the Pacers!
The Indiana Pacers made a swing for the fences and acquired two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.
Although it is still unclear if Siakam will sign a contract extension with the Pacers or if he will test free agency this offseason, Indiana will instantly become one of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference once Tyrese Haliburton can return from his injury.
When this team is fully healthy, they have a fascinating starting lineup that could potentially make a run much like they did during the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.
Here is what they will likely have on the court when their ideal starting five is ready to play together:
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Pacers trading for Pascal Siakam.
The Indiana Pacers have landed Pascal Siakam via a trade that sends Bruce Brown Jr. and three first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors.
NBA Twitter was quick to react to the biggest trade news of the season so far.
This mock trade suggested by Bleacher Report has the Brooklyn Nets trading a haul for Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam.
While the Brooklyn Nets have their roster set for the most part, they were reportedly looking for a franchise-altering kind of trade when Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard was still available to any team by the Miami Heat. Now that Lillard reportedly only wants to play for the Heat, the Nets have turned their attention elsewhere this offseason.
What if Brooklyn were still looking for a trade that could accelerate the current rebuilding process so that they can give themselves a better chance of making the playoffs this upcoming season and possibly achieve more? There is a player who’s future is uncertain that could make a difference for Brooklyn’s winning prospects.
In this mock trade suggested by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Nets would be trading for a player who would be the star-level player that the organization is looking for who could also take some of the scoring burden off of Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
