NBA Bubble Update: Players show support for WNBA restart, as Clippers are bolstered by arrival of 3 squad members
The NBA bubble has heated up in terms of basketball action, with 5 scrimmages scheduled for Saturday. The LA Lakers beat Orlando Magic 119-112, while the Sacramento Kings were beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks 131-123. MVP candidates LeBron James and Giannis both had great games for their respective teams. So without further ado, let's get to the updates:
Players show support to WNBA by wearing hoodies
NBA players have been vocal in the past about their support for equal pay for WNBA players. They also showed that they care for their basketball skills as nearly every team in the NBA bubble built up hype for the women's league. This they did by wearing the orange official hoodie of the WNBA.
The likes of Victor Oladipo, Malcolm Brogdon, John Wall and Myles Turner were prominent among those who showed their pleasure at the restart of women's basketball.
Clippers bolstered by the arrival of squad at NBA bubble
The LA Clippers, who only named 15 out of an allowed 17 players to appear in games at the NBA bubble, took a number of hits during their preparation. Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac were both diagnosed with Covid-19 before they could make the trip to Orlando.
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The trio of Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley left the NBA bubble in the last couple of days to attend to urgent personal matters. The good news for the LA Clippers is that they will soon have a nearly full roster to field.
According to reports from various sources, Ivica Zubac is already in the NBA bubble and is going through the initial 2-day quarantine. Shamet and Harrell are expected to be back by the end of the day. Patrick Beverley, who exited the NBA bubble upon the death of a close friend, is expected back soon, while Lou Williams was with his grandfather in his last moments.
Houston Rockets' Austin Rivers is also back in the NBA bubble following a short trip away for an urgent family matter.
LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was full of praise for Kyle Kuzma, who had the hot hand for the team today as he scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Vogel believes the 4-month gap was beneficial to Kuzma in terms of confidence and getting his shot right.
Vogel was also vocal about the benefits of having Dion Waiters in the squad. Waiters put the game to bed with 2 daggers at the end of the 4th quarter and was generally impressive.
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