NBA News Today: Nike signs Ja Morant to a new deal, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant named Players of the Week, and more
Nike have parted ways with Kyrie Irving and turned their attention to a younger NBA superstar. The shoe company has reportedly signed Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies to a new deal. As part of the new contract, Morant will have his first signature shoe with Nike.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant have been named the NBA Players of the Week. Davis has been playing like an MVP in the last few weeks, carrying the LA Lakers to an 8-2 record in their last 10 games. The Brooklyn Nets are also starting to hit their stride thanks in large part to Durant's performances.
On that note, here's the latest NBA news today, December 6, brought to you by Sportskeeda.
NBA fines Jordan Clarkson for throwing headband into stands
The NBA has slapped Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz with a $15,000 fine for throwing his headband into the stands. The incident happened on December 3 at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Clarkson was frustrated and tossed his headband with 1.6 seconds left in the game.
The former Sixth Man of the Year called out the officials following the game, which Utah went on to lose 116-111. The Jazz have cooled down over the past couple of weeks and are now 14-12.
"They make mistakes. I make mistakes; everybody makes mistakes down the line," Clarkson said. "But at some point, they've got to get held accountable. I get held accountable for missed shots, turnovers, late-game situations, everything. In that instance, we've all got to be held accountable."
Also Read: "We're teammates ... it's great" - Draymond Green describes his current working relationship with Jordan Poole
Nike signs Ja Morant to new deal after parting ways with Kyrie Irving
Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed that Ja Morant is expected to have a new shoe deal with Nike. Morant will have his first signature shoe after Nike parted ways with Kyrie Irving.
The shoe giant suspended their relationship with Irving last month amid the controversy over he promoted an antisemitic film. They canceled the release of Kyrie 8 before severing their ties with the Brooklyn Nets superstar.
Meanwhile, Morant is one of the best young NBA players today. He's already led the Memphis Grizzlies to the second-best record in the league last season. He's also in the MVP conversation this season, so Nike would be ecstatic about that.
Trae Young reacts to reports of rift with Nate McMillan
There's a reported rift in the Atlanta Hawks between coach Nate McMillan and franchise player Trae Young. It was leaked that McMillan gave Young the option of participating in a shootaround or missing their game last Friday. Young didn't play in Atlanta's win over the Denver Nuggets.
Young addressed the rumors in a postgame interview on Monday. He told reporters that it was not a big deal but was unhappy with it getting talked about in public.
"We're all grown men here, and there's sometimes we don't always agree," Young said. "And it's unfortunate that private situations and private conversations get out to the public, but I guess that's the world we live in now. Yeah, I'm just gonna just focus on basketball and focus on helping my team win."
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Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant named NBA Players of the Week
Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets have been named NBA Players of the Week. This was Davis' seventh Player of the Week award, while Durant finally had his 30th.
NBA Players of the Week for Week 7.
West: Anthony Davis (@Lakers)
East: Kevin Durant (@BrooklynNets) https://t.co/Jhp4ui2JmI
Davis led the LA Lakers to a 3-1 record last week. He averaged 37.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. He capped off his week with 55 points points and 17 rebounds against the Washington Wizards.
Absolutely Dominant.
Western Conference Player of the Week: @AntDavis23 https://t.co/2teMNkzcAH
Meanwhile, Durant averaged 33.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in four games last week. The Brooklyn Nets had a 3-1 record in that span, with Durant's 45-point performance against the Orlando Magic being the highlight of the week.
Yes, you read those numbers right.
@KDTrey5 is your Eastern Conference Player of the Week! https://t.co/gh90OTYMRy
Complete NBA scores for December 5
There were eight games on the NBA schedule on Monday. It was headlined by the Dallas Mavericks blowing out the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers handing the Golden State Warriors their second home loss of the season.
Kawhi Leonard marked his return with a game-winner over the Charlotte Hornets. The Milwaukee Bucks, OKC Thunder, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies all earned wins, while the Houston Rockets outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers in double overtime.
Here are the complete results for December 6:
- LA Clippers def. Charlotte Hornets 119-117
- Milwaukee Bucks def. Orlando Magic 109-102
- OKC Thunder def. Atlanta Hawks 121-114
- Boston Celtics def. Toronto Raptors 116-110
- Houston Rockets def. Philadelphia 76ers 132-123 OT2
- Memphis Grizzlies def. 101-93
- Dallas Mavericks def. Phoenix Suns 130-111
- Indiana Pacers def. Golden State Warriors 112-104
Also Read: "The best player on the court even with 2 guys with 6 MVPs and 5 Finals MVP" - Shannon Sharpe declares Anthony Davis an MVP candidate