NBA Notes: Cavs, Craig Porter Jr, Magic, Paolo Banchero, Bulls

Cavaliers

Veteran point guard Lonzo Ball was a DNP-CD on Monday as the Cavaliers picked up an impressive road win in San Antonio. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said the decision was about both lineup flexibility and the bigger picture, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“We wanted to look at some different combinations,” Atkinson said, “but also with Zo, I have a big picture thing of just keeping him healthy and fresh.”

Atkinson added that with the Cavs playing every other day, it made sense to find Ball a night off where possible. He spoke with Ball beforehand, and the veteran guard was on board.

In Ball’s place, Craig Porter Jr. delivered solid minutes as the backup point guard. Porter finished with six rebounds and four assists in 15 minutes, and Cleveland outscored the Spurs by 12 points during his time on the floor — exactly the margin of victory in the 113–101 win.

Magic

Paolo Banchero hasn’t quite looked like himself since returning from a left groin strain suffered November 12, as relayed by Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. After averaging 23.3 points through his first 11 games, Banchero entered Monday averaging 17.5 points on reduced efficiency over his previous 10 contests.

Still, the former No. 1 overall pick showed flashes Monday in Toronto, posting the fourth triple-double of his career with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Magic, however, blew a sizable lead and lost by one. Banchero went scoreless in the fourth quarter and missed a step-back three at the buzzer. Head coach Jamahl Mosley pointed instead to Toronto’s 21 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points.

Bulls

Coby White exited Monday’s game against Minnesota with a right calf injury and did not return. White has already missed significant time this season due to calf issues, and the setback comes as his name continues to surface in trade rumors ahead of unrestricted free agency, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.