Tyrese Martin's Battle for a Playoff Roster Spot Continues, Castle records an NBA First
Tyrese Martin
On Monday, Martin scored four points on 2-of-6 shooting, including 0-of-3 from three and 0-of-2 from the line in the Philadelphia 76ers 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two-way player logged 17 minutes as he continues to fight for an NBA Standard contract and a spot on the 76ers playoff roster. In the same game, his fellow two-way teammates, Dalen Terry (nine points in 19 minutes) and Mar'Jon Beauchamp (eight points in five minutes) each were productive for the 76ers.
On Tuesday, both Martin and Beauchamp did not play due to a Coach's Decision. Terry scored five points and added four assists in 22 minutes, his most playing time since February 1st.
Martin can play in just 10 of the 76ers’ 17 remaining games because of the restrictions in his two-way contract. Philadelphia is seemingly all but assured a spot in the play-in tournament, though it trails the Miami Heay by a game and a half for the sixth seed and a direct playoff berth.
Stephon Castle
In what could of been an NBA Finals preview on Tuesday, Castle supplied a dagger three against the Celtics:
Castle nearly put up a double-double and flirted with a triple-double against Boston, scoring 18 points, pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out six assists in 34 minutes of work. For the first time in his career, Castle has connected on three three-pointers in back-to-back games. In 55 games played this season, the 2024 Big East Freshman of the Year is averaging 16.4 points, 6.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. The 6.9 assists is 10th best in the NBA, while the 4.9 rebounds is tied for fourth most by a point guard, only trailing Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham and Russell Westbrook.
Donovan Clingan
The Bristol Central graduate recorded his 26th double-double of the season, 33rd of his career, in the Portland Trail Blazers 103-101 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night. Clingan scored 11 points and brought down 11 rebounds, while swatting three shots, including two right here on LaMelo Ball:
The Trail Blazers are 10th in the Western Conference, a game and a half behind the Warriors for 9th. If Clingan and Portland can move up, they’d host a play-in tournament game next month.
Cam Spencer
We all know and love Cam Spencer for his three-point shooting, but he’s also an elite passer who takes care of the ball. Through 62 games, Spencer has 340 assists and just 83 turnovers, giving him a 4.1 assists-to-turnover ratio that’s tied for sixth in the NBA. Spencer is averaging a Grizzlies best 5.5 assists per game this season and has 17 games with zero turnovers committed. With Memphis on a five-game losing streak and seven games out of playoff contention, we likely have just a month left to watch Cam Spencer make plays like these:
James Bouknight (G League)
Bouknight was scoring hot from three in the Mexico City Capitanes' (No NBA affiliate) 115-112 overtime victory against the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate) on Tuesday. Bouknight converted on 9-of-15 from the field, including 7-of-10 from behind the arc. The seven triples ties a season high, marking the third time this season Bouknight has reached that mark. The sharpshooter has now made 95 three-pointers this season, the fifth-most in the G League.
Tristen Newton (G League)
In a low-scoring game, Newton tied a team-high 15 points on Tuesday night in the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets’ G League affiliate) 94-86 loss to the Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs’ G League affiliate). Newton shot 5-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three and 1-of-3 from the free throw line. He also finished with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 34 minutes. Newton has recorded at least four assists in 33 out of 48 games played this season.
Tage Thompson
Thompson’s career-best 11-game point streak came to an end in the Buffalo Sabres’ 6–3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. The Sabres are a perfect 8 and 0 since the Olympic break and now lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by four points atop the Eastern Conference.
Samson Johnson (G League)
After four consecutive off days, Samson Johnson and the Noblesville Boom (Indiana Pacers’ G League affiliate) returned to action. Johnson started and scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes, but the Motor City Cruise (Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate) came away with a 135–131 victory.
Liam McNeeley
On Monday, McNeeley was called back up to the Charlotte Hornets, though the move appears to give him additional time to heal and rehab his left ankle sprain, as he was inactive both of the Hornets games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
McNeeley, who played just 12 minutes in his last game action on March 7th with the Greensboro Swarm (Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate), has returned from his ankle sprain multiple times this season, only to suffer setbacks shortly after. Earlier this season. he was also recalled to Charlotte on February 9th but did not appear in a game with the Hornets as he worked his way back from that same left ankle injury. McNeeley’s last NBA appearance came back on January 28th.
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