Hoops Rumors

Led by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Pacers secured a top-four seed — and home-court advantage in the first round — in the Eastern Conference playoffs by defeating Cleveland on Thursday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. After starting the season with a 10-15 record, the Pacers have gone 39-16 … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Pacers, Jerome, Holland, Bucks

Wins by the Orlando, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Chicago on Friday night have locked in the playoff seeds for all six Eastern Conference playoff teams, along with the four play-in clubs. Here’s how the top 10 teams in the East will finish the regular season, as the NBA confirms (via Twitter): Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics New York Knicks Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Detroit … [Read more...] about Postseason Seeding Set For Eastern Conference

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart returns from a two-game league suspension tonight when his team hosts the Grizzlies. Stewart’s suspension was handed down due to his involvement in Detroit’s altercation with the Timberwolves on Sunday. The Pistons have reestablished themselves as a hard-nosed, defensive unit epitomized by their backup center. Stewart wants to set a defensive tone … [Read more...] about Eastern Notes: Stewart, Giannis, McCain, Flagg, Rajakovic

Bucks big man Bobby Portis returned from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday and made a statement. He recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench, helping lift Milwaukee to a win over the Timberwolves. “My only goal is to get to June,” Portis said, per ESPN. “How can we get to June? We haven’t been there in so long.” Minnesota led Milwaukee by 24 points in the … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Portis, Pistons, Bulls, Allen

Having been fully given the keys to the Bulls‘ offense in the wake of Chicago’s Zach LaVine deadline trade, guard Coby White has been playing at the highest level of his career of late, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The 6’5″ pro has scored at least 20 points in 16 of his last 17 games, and he and LaVine are now the only Chicago players ever to have racked up over 400 … [Read more...] about Central Notes: White, Porter, Cade