NBA News Today: Drake throws a petty shot at LA Clippers, Killian Hayes and Moe Wagner come to blows, and more
Renowned rapper Drake took a petty shot at the LA Clippers on social media on Tuesday in a brief back-and-forth with the franchise.
In other news, a fight broke out in the Orlando Magic versus Detroit Pistons game on Wednesday night that led to multiple players being ejected.
On that note, here is the latest news from around the NBA as of Dec. 29, 2022.
Drake throws petty shot at LA Clippers
The Toronto Raptors have had a down year after their surprise 48-win season last season. Following Tuesday night’s 124-113 loss to the LA Clippers, the Raptors are just 15-19 and 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors have also fallen to 0-5 against their former superstar forward Kawhi Leonard since he left for the LA Clippers in 2019 free agency. This prompted the Clippers to take a light-hearted shot at the Raptors' global ambassador, Drake.
The Clippers posted a video of Drake chatting with Leonard and fellow former Raptor wing Norman Powell after the game, with the following caption:
“Kawhi and Norm with a fan,” the Clippers' post was captioned.
This prompted Drake to fire back in the comments, calling out the Clippers for their long-term failure to win an NBA title.
“Win a ring,” Drake responded.
Someone is mad. https://t.co/ijgVwOlqFP
The Raptors’ 2019 title with Kawhi Leonard marked just their first championship in franchise history. However, they were able to an NBA championship in their lone season with Leonard on their roster. Meanwhile, the Clippers have not yet reached an NBA Finals since they signed Leonard in 2019. The franchise is still yet to win its first championship.
Killian Hayes and Moe Wagner come to blows
The Detroit Pistons' matchup versus the Orlando Magic on Wednesday wasn’t expected to draw many headlines. However, that all changed after a fight broke out in the first half that led to three players being ejected.
The fight occurred as Orlando Magic big man Moe Wagner and Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes fought for a loose ball that was heading out of bounds. Hayes and Wagner, along with Pistons forward Hamidou Diallo, then all engaged in a shoving match. This resulted in Hayes punching Wagner in the back of the head and all three players being ejected from the game.
Things getting heated in Detroit 😳 https://t.co/y6kuUP7DCq
Wagner finished with seven points and four rebounds, and Hayes finished with five points, two rebounds and three assists. Meanwhile, Diallo added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench before being ejected.
Detroit went on to win 121-101. However, they still have the worst record in the NBA at 9-28. Meanwhile, Orlando fell to 13-23 and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
It remains to be seen what additional punishment the NBA will hand out in relation to the incident.
Also read: Fans go berserk as Killian Hayes and Moe Wagner come to blows
Kawhi Leonard praises former teammate OG Anunoby
As previously mentioned, Kawhi Leonard played only one season with Toronto, which was during their championship run in the 2018-2019 season. During that time, Raptors forward OG Anunoby was only a second-year bench player and did not play for Toronto in the playoffs due to injury. However, since Leonard’s departure to LA in 2019 in free agency, Anunoby has developed into one of the premier two-way forwards in the NBA.
When asked about his former teammate’s progression, following the Clippers’ win over Toronto on Tuesday, Leonard raved about Anunoby’s work ethic.
"Just able to start games, play games," Leonard said.
"When I was here, he wasn't really in the rotation like that. He worked on his game, stroke is looking a lot different, playing more consistent basketball. He wants to be better, and that's the number one thing you need from a player on your team. Just somebody that wants to get better, and obviously puts in the work to match what they're saying."
This is pretty high praise from Leonard, who is known to be rather reserved in regards to handing out praise.
Anunoby is averaging 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and a league-best 2.2 steals per game on 48.1% shooting.
Devin Booker out at least 4 weeks with groin injury
The Phoenix Suns received a tough injury update in regards to their All-Star shooting guard, Devin Booker, who has been nursing a groin injury. According to a recent test, Booker has been diagnosed with a left groin strain and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
INJURY UPDATE: Further evaluation has confirmed that Devin Booker has sustained a left groin strain. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Booker previously missed Phoenix’s three games leading up to Christmas due to groin soreness. He then decided to return for the Suns’ Christmas Day matchup against Denver. However, Booker was only able to play just over four minutes in the game before exiting with groin soreness again. He finished with just two points on 1-for-2 (50.0%) shooting.
Booker then missed the Suns’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night as he was in Phoenix getting evaluated, according to coach Monty Williams.
“He’s getting more evaluation back in Phoenix. He can get the best care back there,” Williams said.
The Suns are 20-16 and fifth in the Western Conference. However, they are just 2-7 without Booker this season. So it may be difficult for them to stay afloat in the tough West without their star.
Booker is averaging 27.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game on 47.7% shooting this season.
Zach LaVine has fans in Dallas Mavericks’ front office
Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic has been doing his best to carry the Mavs this season. Doncic is second in the league in scoring at 33.7 points per game. However, Dallas is still just 19-16 and seventh in the Western Conference. This has led to some speculation about who Dallas could acquire to be Doncic’s co-star in Dallas. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the answer might be disgruntled Chicago Bulls All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine.
During a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast, MacMahon explained that LaVine has some fans within the Mavericks organization.
“I just know that there are fans of him that hold prominent positions within the Mavericks,” MacMahon said.
“Again, I’m not sitting here and telling you there’s some great consensus. I think there’s enough fans of him where I wouldn’t totally rule it out,” MacMahon continued.
The Chicago Bulls are just 15-19 and 10th in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, there have been reports that LaVine is growing frustrated with his role in Chicago. There have also been reports that Chicago is considering a full-on rebuild. So perhaps if the Mavericks include enough picks in a deal, they could land the 27-year-old star.
LaVine is averaging 22.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 45.2% shooting. He is currently under contract until 2027 after signing a five-year, $215 million contract extension with the Bulls this past offseason.
Also read: Zach LaVine trade: Top 3 potential landing spots for the Chicago Bulls All-Star as rumblings of discontent grow