The following are the NFL transactions for Monday, February 27. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.
| WAIVER SYSTEM TRANSACTIONS | |||||
TERMINATIONS OF VESTED VETERANS | |||||
WASHINGTON | |||||
| McCain, Bobby | DB | Memphis | |||
| Wentz, Carson | QB | North Dakota State |
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be in town on Tuesday for the Los Angeles Clippers, who hope to put an overly busy weekend behind them.
The Clippers went toe-to-toe with the best team in the Western Conference on Sunday, only to feel the sting of defeat once more after losing in NBA history on Friday and enduring a scare on a team flight on Saturday.
The drama started on Friday, when Russell Westbrook made his debut, when the Clippers couldn’t keep a 14-point lead with 4:25 left and lost to the Sacramento Kings 176-175 in double overtime in a game that was more pinball than basketball. The game had the second most points scored in NBA history.
According to multiple reports, lightning struck the team plane on its way to Denver on Saturday morning shortly after takeoff. The following day, Los Angeles came back from an early 18-point deficit to lose again in overtime, this time by a score of 134-124.
Over a two-game stretch, the Clippers scored 149.5 points on average and lost both games.
Even though the team is attempting to secure a high playoff seed, anything goes, Los Angeles could use some normalcy at this point.
Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points for the Clippers, Paul George added 23 points for the Nuggets, and Westbrook scored 17 points for the Clippers. In his second game with the team, Westbrook also had four assists and five steals in 25 minutes.
Mason Plumlee started in place of center Ivica Zubac, who has missed the last two games with a strain to his right calf. He played 27 minutes and pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Timberwolves are coming into this matchup having lost their previous three games, the most recent of which was a 109-104 defeat at Golden State on Sunday. Anthony Edwards was held to 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting (26.3%), while Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 points. Edwards scores 24.7 points per game, which is a team-high.
In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves missed 10 of 21 free throw attempts and were 3 of 13 from three-point range.
Karl-Anthony Towns remains out for Minnesota with a calf injury, and Rudy Gobert, who averages 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, was unable to play on Sunday due to illness. Since late November, Towns has not played.
Before beginning a run of eight games against Eastern Conference teams that includes games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, Minnesota enters its second game of a four-game stretch in California.
When the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors meet in San Francisco on Tuesday night, longtime rivals Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson will attempt to bring their “A” games to the table.
In Sunday’s 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets at home, Lillard scored a career-high 71 points, 10 more than in any game before.
The native of Oakland shot 22-for-38 overall, 13-for-22 from three-point range, and 14-for-14 from the free-throw line, showing remarkable accuracy from all court distances.
Lillard’s 13 threes were a career high and were within one of Thompson’s 2018 Chicago game NBA record.
In addition, Thompson took advantage of the Rockets’ visit to get close to the record last week by going 12-for-17 on 3-point attempts in a 42-point performance on Friday.
With Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins out of the lineup, Thompson realized he needed to improve his offensive game and scored 32 points and six more 3-pointers on Sunday in a 109-104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home.
In the tight Western Conference standings, each team remained separated by one loss after Sunday’s victory. The Trail Blazers were actually helped by the Warriors, who on Sunday gave Minnesota its 32nd loss of the season, one more than Portland had.
After a victory in which the Warriors led by as many as 14 points, Golden State coach Steve Kerr was more concerned about his team’s standing—the Warriors were tied with Minnesota entering the game.
Green could come back on Tuesday. On Monday, he had an MRI, which revealed no damage, and he was able to practice.
With its victory over Houston, Portland ended a two-game losing streak. During a stretch in which Lillard has scored an average of 38.7 points, the Trail Blazers have only gone 10-12, and he has scored 30 or more points 17 times.
In a home game against the Utah Jazz last month, he scored 60 points, one shy of his career high of 61 set against the Warriors on January 20, 2020.
Lillard has scored 30 or more in four of his last five trips to the San Francisco Bay Area, including 34 in a loss on December 30 that was decided by a score of 118-112. However, he has never done so following a game with 71 points.
Will Hardy, like Quin Snyder, who played for the Utah Jazz before him, is a product of the Gregg Popovich NBA coaching tree.
Hardy still can’t believe that, as the Jazz play the Spurs for the second time in a row on Tuesday in Salt Lake City. The 35-year-old coaching phenom reminisces vividly about his upbringing in Richmond, Virginia, where he played Division III basketball and had to work his way up from the bottom to where he is now.
Will Hardy, now 18, would be amazed to see how quickly he rose through the coaching ranks and established himself as a household name. The current Will Hardy coached in the Spurs’ system for years before making a brief stop in Boston on his way to Utah, where he has led a rebuilding Jazz team to an unexpected 31-31 record.
Hardy, whose Jazz team rallied to defeat the Spurs 118-102 on Saturday, is considered to be at home by Popovich.
Popovich claimed that when he brought Hardy onto the court with the players, he was impressed by his presence, behavior, wisdom, and even his wry sense of humor, all of which “commanded respect.” Hardy was promoted to bench coach as a result of that, which helped him gain Popovich’s trust.
After the Jazz acquired him as just one of many pieces in the Donovan Mitchell trade, Hardy has been credited with helping Lauri Markkanen, a leading candidate for Most Improved Player, develop into an All-Star this season. Markkanen is a leading candidate for the award. He has also helped young players like Walker Kessler begin to reach their full potential earlier than most expected.
All of that was on display on Saturday when Utah overcame a 14-point deficit to earn a lopsided victory over San Antonio. Despite the fact that the team traded away three key players at the trade deadline as a result of their offseason overhaul, it was their third win in four games.
Although he still finds it surprising that he is now coaching at the same level as his mentor, Hardy is enjoying the experience.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks will continue their six-game homestand by hosting the Indiana Pacers on the second day of a four-game road trip. They will be looking to get back on track.
On Sunday, Dallas lost the second game of its home stretch, falling 111-108 to the Los Angeles Lakers despite having a lead of up to 27 points.
Dallas looks to overcome the growing pains brought on by roster changes in the final weeks of the regular season, most notably the addition of Kyrie Irving as part of a trade that brought Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie to Brooklyn.
The Mavericks have lost four of their last five games since Irving joined the team, despite winning their first two. They had lost three straight before the All-Star break, but they bounced back with a rout of the San Antonio Spurs, who were in last place, on Thursday and then fell short against the Lakers.
During the slide, there hasn’t been a consistent scoring option to go along with Irving and Luka Doncic, who is tied with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid for the NBA scoring lead with 33.1 points per game. With the exception of Doncic and Irving, none of the Mavericks’ three starters scored more than six points in Sunday’s defeat, making it the second time in their last four contests.
In contrast, Indiana enters Dallas having won its second game in three attempts, the team’s best run since losing 16 of 18 games from January 11 to February 13.
Ten of those 18 games were played without point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the Pacers.
Haliburton has recorded consecutive double-doubles since the All-Star break, posting 22 points, 14 assists, and three steals in an overtime loss to Boston on Wednesday. His 10.2 assists per game ranks second in the NBA. He added 15 points and 14 assists in Indiana’s 121-108 victory over Orlando on Saturday to kick off the road trip.
The offensive chemistry between Haliburton and big man Myles Turner, who scored a game-high 24 points in Saturday’s victory, was praised by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Turner is scoring 18.1 points per game, more than 3.5 more than his career high for the season. He is shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 40.2% from 3-point range, both career highs.
His career-high of 40 points against Boston was followed by his 24 points on Saturday.
It’s likely that the Denver Nuggets’ leading scorers are thrilled to have the Houston Rockets on the schedule.
On Tuesday, not only will Denver be attempting to defeat Houston, which they will be hosting, for the tenth time in a row, but the Rockets’ defense also sprung major leaks in its first two games after the All-Star break.
In the Golden State Warriors’ 116-101 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday, Klay Thompson scored 42 points while making 12 3-pointers. Two nights later, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard scored 71 points and made 13 3-pointers in a 131-114 victory over Houston.
Lillard has the eighth-most points in NBA history. Stephen Silas, the coach of the Rockets, praised Lillard while expressing his disappointment with the outcome.
Tari Eason, a rookie from Houston, was unhappy to be a part of a defense that gave up 71 points to just one player.
With the worst record in the NBA, the Rockets have lost nine games in a row and 29 of their last 33.
Denver leads Memphis Grizzlies by 5 1/2 games and has the best record in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets have won five of their last six games and nine of their last 12, including the overtime victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, which was 134-124.
Nikola Jokic, the two-time defending MVP, had 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists for his 99th triple-double of his career and his 23rd this season. In an effort to join Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird as the only players to win three consecutive MVP awards, Jokic has recorded 14 triple-doubles in his last 19 games.
In 54 games, Jokic has been averaging 24.8 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 10.0 assists.
Jamal Murray scored 21 points and had 12 assists against the Clippers, while Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds.
The high-octane performance against Los Angeles came one game after Denver had a season-low performance against the Grizzlies on the road in a 112-94 loss.
In late November, Murray scored 28.5 points per game in consecutive victories over Houston at home. However, due to pain in his low back, he is listed as questionable for Tuesday.
Alperen Sengun, the Houston big man, recorded his first double-double since Feb. 8 against Portland with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Due to defensive issues, Sengun did not play in the Trail Blazers’ fourth quarter.
Jalen Green, the Rockets’ leading scorer (21.8 points per game), has been out of the last two games with a groin injury.
Willie Cauley-Stein, a seasoned center, is expected to sign a 10-day contract with Houston.
When the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, one of the powerhouses of the Western Conference, LeBron James will be unable to play due to an injury.
The Lakers won 122-121 in Los Angeles last month thanks to a 41-point fourth quarter explosion and a go-ahead three-point play by Dennis Schroder with seven seconds left. This will be the first of two meetings between the teams over eight days.
Russell Westbrook scored 29 points for the Lakers in that game. He is no longer a part of the team, but Anthony Davis, who was injured in that game, has come back to help Los Angeles win three straight games, including a remarkable comeback win over Dallas on Sunday, 111-108.
Against the Mavericks, Davis scored 30 points. Jarred Vanderbilt contributed with a double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds, and Malik Beasley, a newcomer, added eight points.
James scored 26 points in the victory, but in the third quarter, he stepped on an opponent’s foot and twisted his right foot. He was able to finish the game, but it was obvious that he was still in pain.
Even though James acknowledged the significance of each, he had left the possibility open that he might miss one or both of the Lakers’ upcoming games against Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Due to soreness in his right foot, James was officially listed as out for the game against the Grizzlies on Monday.
The Lakers also made the announcement that starting point guard D’Angelo Russell is not expected to play in the Memphis game because of a right ankle sprain. Russell missed the Dallas game.
The Grizzlies, like the Lakers, are coming off one of their best performances of the season. In what was billed as a possible preview of the Western Conference finals, they blitzed the Denver Nuggets, the best team in the West, on Saturday night with a 38-22 second-quarter performance that resulted in a comfortable 112-94 victory.
With 23 points, Ja Morant led the winning team. With a group of Western teams, including the Lakers, poised to challenge the Grizzlies and Nuggets in the playoffs, Tyus Jones led in tempered enthusiasm with 17 points off the bench.
On a four-game road trip that begins on Wednesday in Houston, the Grizzlies will take on the Nuggets, Lakers, and the newly restocked Los Angeles Clippers.
Taking a different look at the Western playoff picture, the Lakers and Grizzlies will take the court.
Los Angeles started the week in 12th place in the West despite having two significant victories over Dallas and Golden State following the All-Star break. With just 21 games remaining, that was a game out of the final playoff play-in spot and 2 1/2 out of a top-six landing.
In contrast, Memphis’ victory over Denver only reduced the Nuggets’ lead by one game to 5 1/2 games. Only one head-to-head match remains between the teams, on Friday in Denver.
When the Toronto Raptors come to Chicago on Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls hope to gain on a team that is ahead of them in the playoff race.
After beating the Washington Wizards 102-82 at home on Sunday, the Bulls moved up to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games behind the Raptors, who were in ninth place.
Sunday’s 118-93 road defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the Raptors’ season-best four-game winning streak.
The Raptors have won seven of their last nine games despite the loss.
This season, the home team has won both meetings between the Bulls and Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan, a longtime member of the Raptors, scored 29 points on Sunday to lead the Bulls to their second victory in a row over the Wizards.
Chicago’s scrappy play was the key to their victory.
16 Wizards turnovers led to 25 points for the Bulls, who held them to 15 points in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls were just half a game ahead of the 10th-place Wizards after Sunday’s loss.
Although Patrick Beverley did not score in his second game for Chicago after signing as a free agent, he did have five rebounds and one blocked shot. However, Beverley has already made a positive impact on the Bulls.
Additionally, the Raptors are playing teams that are close to them in the standings during a crucial stretch of their schedule. They play two consecutive road games against the Wizards on Thursday and Saturday following their game against Chicago.
However, the Raptors were put to the test in the game against the Cavaliers.
Fred VanVleet, who had his third child after missing three games straight, was not present for the Raptors’ game.
On Sunday, the Raptors were led by 25 points from Pascal Siakam. Scottie Barnes scored 12 points while Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and 9 rebounds.
The Milwaukee Bucks keep winning despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence.
While the Bucks are hopeful that Antetokounmpo will be able to play again after suffering a minor knee injury, they are also excited to have the opportunity to extend the NBA’s longest winning streak to 15 games on Tuesday night when they play the Brooklyn Nets.
Antetokounmpo’s absence leaves Milwaukee 7-5.
In his two previous games, he has played 15 minutes. Antetokounmpo missed six minutes of a 12-point win in Chicago because of a sprained right wrist. He missed nine minutes of a 29-point win over Miami because of a right knee injury in the first quarter.
In a 104-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee outlasted Antetokounmpo and won the kind of game it might play in the playoffs. With big performances from Jrue Holiday and former Net Brook Lopez, the Bucks were able to withstand their star’s absence. For the fourth-longest run in team history, the club matched the 1972-73 team.
Holiday pulled down the crucial steal with 11 seconds remaining against Phoenix’s Devin Booker in addition to scoring 33 points. With 24.8 seconds remaining, Lopez scored 22 points and also made the game-tying layup after receiving a feed from Khris Middleton.
Antetokounmpo has scored 31.9 points per game during the streak, including 50 points against New Orleans on Jan. 29 and 54 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 4 in a comeback victory. Additionally, during the streak, he has scored at least 30 points nine times.
Holiday is averaging 20.2 during the streak and 28.0 over his past four games, in addition to his recent performances.
The Nets had the NBA’s longest season-long winning streak before Milwaukee’s current run, when they won 12 straight games. One of those victories took place on December 23, when Brooklyn shot 49.5% in a 118-100 home victory over the Bucks, who only made 9 of 37 attempts at 3-point shooting.
Following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets are now trying to figure out their new roster on the fly in order to avoid falling further behind in the race for the playoffs.
Brooklyn has gone 9-14 since Durant’s knee injury and the two stars’ trade requests coincided with the winning streak. Since their home win over the Los Angeles Lakers on January 30 by 17 points, the Nets are also 3-7. They suffered a 129-127 defeat at Atlanta on Sunday and now face Milwaukee before traveling to the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in three games.
On Sunday, the Nets overcame an 18-point deficit to lose on a Trae Young game-winning shot at the final buzzer. In their 131-87 victory over Chicago on Friday, they scored just 29 points in the first half, leading to their defeat on Sunday.
Cameron Johnson had his best game since joining the Nets in the Durant trade, scoring 27 points against Atlanta. Since the trade, Mikal Bridges has added 24 points and scored 20 points in three games, including a 45-point performance against Miami on February 15.
In the last 26 regular-season meetings, Milwaukee is 20-6.
When the Atlanta Hawks take on the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, Quin Snyder will make his coaching debut.
After Nate McMillan was let go during the All-Star break, Snyder takes over. The Hawks won two straight games under interim coach Joe Prunty, including the thrilling 129-127 victory over Brooklyn on Sunday.
Snyder, who signed a contract with Atlanta for five years, is best known for his eight years as a bench player for Utah from 2014 to 22. He led the Jazz to six straight playoff appearances, leading the team to a 52-20 record and the best record in the NBA in 2020-21.
Snyder’s ability to coexist with Atlanta star Trae Young, who frequently argued with McMillan, may be the key. Young is one of the most explosive offensive players in the league, despite his weaknesses on defense, averaging 27.0 points and 10.2 assists. On Sunday, he scored the game-winning basket as time ran out to defeat the Nets.
Dejounte Murray stated that the players will determine Atlanta’s fate.
Since the All-Star Game, the Wizards have lost two consecutive games. Washington has just lost to Chicago, 102-82, on Sunday. Kristaps Porzingis (sore left knee) and Monte Morris (sore lower back) were both late scratches for the Wizards’ game.
Bradley Beal leads the Wizards with an average of 22.7 points and 5.3 assists. His field goal percentage is 51.5 percent, a career high. Beal has averaged 21.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per 30 games against Atlanta.
This will be the first of four meetings between the rivals in the Eastern Conference over the next six weeks due to a scheduling error. The Hawks have won the series in consecutive seasons, winning it 3-1 last year. The last six meetings between the teams have been won by the Hawks, while Washington hasn’t won in Atlanta since Dec. 5, 2018.
In order to finish in the top six in the Eastern Conference, both teams currently have a chance to advance to the playoff play-in. No. 1 is Atlanta. 8 and were 2 1/2 games behind sixth-place New York going into Monday. No. 1 is Washington. 10 with Chicago trailing by just half a game; Atlanta is 2 1/2 games ahead of the Wizards.
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