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Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors Thread

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Although Kobe Bryant's injured finger has given him some trouble recently, the retiring superstar has made a point of playing when visiting an arena for the last time. The new-look Memphis Grizzlies have other things to worry about besides Bryant's retirement tour Wednesday night when they go after their eighth straight win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the first of a home-and-home set. Bryant suffered a dislocated right middle finger at the end of a 119-113 home loss to San Antonio on Friday, but managed to play at least 24 minutes in his final appearances at Chicago on Sunday and Milwaukee on Monday. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 11:40:pm EST

The Slam Dunk Contest ended more than a week ago, but clearly, nobody has told Orlando Magic skywalker Aaron Gordon or his table-setting pal Elfrid Payton: [ Top half of your Yahoo Fantasy Hoops league? Enter free contest to win share of $10K ] ... and, clearly, nobody should. With the left , y'all. While Gordon's third-quarter flush popped eyes and dropped jaws, it wasn't his only big-time finish of Tuesday's tilt with the Philadelphia 76ers. He'd also made his presence felt earlier on, starting the break with defensive effort and finishing it on the other end with authority: Gordon continued to impress with his athleticism and stat-stuffing game, finishing with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 30 minutes of work in Orlando's 124-115 win over the 76ers. Center Nikola Vucevic led the way with 35 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Magic, who took care of business in what coach Scott Skiles had called a "must-win" game for their playoff hopes to improve to to 25-30, drawing them within four games of the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Gordon, who exploded onto the national stage with his duel against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine during the highlight of All-Star Weekend in Toronto, has taken on a larger role for Orlando since coach Scott Skiles inserted him into the starting lineup last month. He's nearly averaging a double-double — 9.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals in 29.8 minutes per game — since entering the starting five. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball] The warts on the 20-year-old power forward's game are plain to see; he's shooting just 40.7 percent from the field, 28.9 percent on 2-pointers taken outside the restricted area and 24.1 percent from 3-point range, since his elevation into the starting lineup. Still, his energy, athleticism and defensive activity can still make him a difference-maker for a Magic club that recently traded away versatile young forward Tobias Harris in part due to its belief that Gordon should get more opportunities. Whether Gordon will improve the touch on his jumper and help propel the Magic into the postseason remains to be seen, but based on what we've seen thus far, it seems like a pretty good idea to tell Aaron Gordon to spread his wings; he's special in the air. More NBA coverage: - - - - - - - Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YourManDevine Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL , "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 10:33:pm EST

With a 37-18 record on the season and a 17-5 mark since the start of 2016, the Raptors are firmly in the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference standings and rank in the top-10 in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. These accomplishments so far are absolutely worthy of praise. The Raptors aren't perfect, though, and the most pressing area of improvement right now is pretty obvious after looking at the team's individual plus-minus total over since Jan. 1. PLAYER MINS (GP) +/- Patrick Patterson 602 (22) 220 Cory Joseph 558 (22) 166 Terrence Ross 543 (22) 140 Bismack Biyombo 429 (22) 136 Kyle Lowry 847 (22) 110 DeMar DeRozan 780 (22) 34 Jonas Valanciunas 582 (22) 32 James Johnson 305 (17) 4 Luis Scola 441 (22) -69 The Raptors have just one player that's a minus during that span, and it's not particularly close. There's a reason general manager Masai Ujiri was reportedly interested in acquiring a power forward, before deciding there wasn't an option out there that was worthy of shaking up the current roster and standing pat as the trade deadline passed last Thursday. Toronto has been consistently outscored with Luis Scola on the court over the last six weeks as the regular season has started to take its toll on the 35-year-old veteran after a strong start to the campaign. Specifically, the issues are on the defensive end of the floor. The Raptors are allowing 115.6 points per 100 possessions when Scola plays and 100.4 points per 100 possessions when he doesn't. That's a startling difference. It's not all on Scola, though. Scola and Valanciunas are simply not a good match defensively. When they're Toronto's frontcourt pair, the Raptors are being outscored by 10.5 points per 100 possessions since Jan. 1. So what's the quick fix? Swapping Patterson into the starting lineup is the conventional move, but the Raptors have had great success with the Lowry-Joseph-Ross-Patterson-Biyombo lineup at the start of the second and fourth quarters. However, Patterson and Valanciunas are a much better combination than Scola and Valanciunas. It's also worthwhile to see how Scola plays next to Biyombo for an extended period of time. Biyombo can help Scola defensively, while Scola is more of a faciliator and offensive conduit than Patterson. So should the Raptors inquire about Jason Thompson, a power forward who was recently released by the Golden State Warriors? Sure. They would need to cut a player off the current roster, most likely Anthony Bennett, but Thompson could provide some added frontcourt depth. When DeMarre Carroll returns from injury, which is expected to be sometime in the nex month, he can take some power forward minutes, too. This is far from a fatal flaw for the Raptors, they're playing great despite Scola's big minus number, but it's in their best interest to see if this an opportunity to get even better. More NBA coverage from Yahoo Canada Sports: - - - - - - - Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports . Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 6:45:pm EST

The Memphis Grizzlies announced Tuesday that center Marc Gasol underwent successful surgery on Saturday to repair a fracture in his right foot and will not return this season. Gasol finished the year with averages of 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.35 blocks in 34.4 minutes in 52 games. "Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 6:42:pm EST

Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic has been ruled out indefinitely as he recovers from right Achilles tendon surgery he underwent last April. If all goes well during a period of rest and strengthening, Pekovic could return to play this season. ''While we've made significant strides with Nikola since his surgery, we've come to the conclusion that to ensure he has the best opportunity for sustained success on the court, we need to continue to focus on his rehab and make that the priority,'' Timberwolves vice president of sports performance Arnie Kander said Tuesday. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 3:30:pm EST

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