Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Fournier, Durant, Harden

Raptors massive man Pascal Siakam erupted for 32 factors and eight rebounds towards Sacramento on Friday, his sixth sport after recovering from shoulder surgical procedure. He bounced again from a four-point sport towards Utah and Josh Lewenberg tweets that Siakam remains to be making an attempt to realize a rhythm.

“Final sport I felt like I used to be operating in mud the entire sport,” Siakam stated. “It’s simply waking up on daily basis persevering with to push ahead realizing it’s going to be robust, however as soon as I get that rhythm and my legs underneath me I do know what I can do, and I’ve to give attention to that.”

We’ve got extra from the Atlantic Division:

• Evan Fournier, the Knicks’ main sign-and-trade acquisition this summer time, hasn’t been taking part in in fourth quarters recently and it’s been an adjustment for the swingman, Mark Sanchez of the New York Post writes. “I feel the scenario proper now’s I don’t know what number of minutes I’m going to play, so I’ve to have the mindset of: If I’m going to play 20 minutes, then simply come out the gate with excessive vitality,” he stated. “Being very alert. Being ultra-aggressive. And making an attempt to have an effect.”
• Kevin Durant missed his first sport of the season on Friday as a consequence of a shoulder ailment. The Nets try to determine how a lot to play Durant and James Harden throughout the common season with out sporting them out previous to the postseason, in response to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I feel that we positively are going to search for our spots to guard them,” Brooklyn coach Steve Nash stated. “We simply need to be very strategic. We’re a brand new crew looking for itself and making an attempt to kind that identification. These guys are super-competitive, in order that they need to play. It’s a tough stability.”
• The league’s crackdown on offensive strikes during which gamers transfer into defender’s our bodies to attract fouls has affected Harden. He’s going to the road much less and making extra turnovers, Sanchez notes. Harden says he’s nonetheless getting used to the brand new parameters. “We’re in somewhat little bit of a funk proper now in a way of simply every little thing,” Harden stated.