New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas came through with another double-double on Saturday, scoring 19 points and picking up 13 rebounds in a big defeat to Indiana. He produced a pair of assists as well and recorded one block with 8-for-15 shooting. Valanciunas has been eating glass for dinner all season and leads the league with 13 double-doubles. He's having a great campaign personally, but the team simply can't get anything going. Valanciunas should routinely collect another double-double in the next matchup against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, who are allowing the second-most rebounds per 48 minutes to centers this season.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas had his third consecutive game without a double-double in Wednesday's 113-98 loss to the Heat, going for 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and notching eight rebounds in 28 minutes. Valanciunas had posted 11 straight double-doubles before having 15 points and nine boards line in a revenge game against Memphis to close out last week, and he hasn't managed to return to double-double form. His night on Wednesday also included one block and two turnovers. Valanciunas has faced good rebounding teams lately but should now be set for a big performance on Friday against the Clippers, who have posted the fourth-worst rebounding rate in the league.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas continued his impressive start to the season with a 25-point, 15-rebound effort in a 108-100 loss to OKC on Wednesday. His shooting was a bit off as he went 9-for-20 from the field, but Valanciunas hit another three-pointer with three attempts and finished 6-for-7 at the charity stripe. His night at the office also included two assists, one steal and one block with zero turnovers in 39 minutes. Valanciunas is shooting an incredible 54.5 percent from deep this season, and he's been a walking double-double with averages of 20 points and 14 rebounds per game. He'll look to rock the Nets next and will enter Friday's matchup on a 10-game double-double streak.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas notched his eighth consecutive double-double in the team's 126-85 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday. He scored 20 points and racked up 15 boards in the contest while shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. He hit his only three-point attempt and he also compiled four assists in the game. The 29-year-old veteran is off to a fantastic start to the year. He's averaging 19.3 points per game and he's second in the league in rebounds per game (14.2), trailing only Rudy Gobert (17.3). Valanciunas and the Pels have a few days off before taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

After starting the season 0-for-2 in the double-double department, New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has achieved the feat in seven straight games. In a 112-99 loss to the Kings on Wednesday, the Lithuanian tallied 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two three-pointers in 29 minutes. Over this seven-game stretch, the big man is averaging 20.3 points on 53 percent shooting along with 15.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 stocks (steals+blocks). The Pelicans are a bad team that is losing most nights, and it's creating a fantasy gold mine for Valanciunas. New Orleans faces Golden State on national television Friday before a Week 4 schedule lining up to be very friendly for Valanciunas. He's going to have another great season.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas collected his sixth consecutive double-double in Tuesday's 112-100 loss to Phoenix, leading all scorers with 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. It was a superb night from start to finish for Valanciunas, as he shot 3-for-4 from downtown and registered one steal and two blocks on the defensive end. The 29-year-old also handed out a pair of assists, while shooting 9-for-16 overall from the field. Valanciunas had problems scoring the basketball in the first few games of the season but has now shot at least 56 percent from the field in three straight contests and it's allowed him to push his scoring average close to 20 per game. He's also getting 14.5 rebounds with 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks, so this could be a huge year for Valanciunas. He's set to have a monster game next against the Kings, who are allowing the second-most points in the league to the center position this season and whose rebounding rate stands at a lowly 47.7.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas had his way with the Knicks in a losing effort on Saturday. Valanciunas was too much for New York's paint defense, as he went off for a season-high 27 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field, chipping in one three-pointer for good measure. As he has been so far this season, the former lottery pick was a beast on the boards, pulling down 14 rebounds for his sixth double-digit rebound game in seven contests. Valanciunas has been one of the best draft values at the center spot early on, with averages of 19.4 points, 14.6 boards, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas continued his productive start to the campaign with a big performance on Friday against Sacramento, scoring a game-high 24 points with 13 rebounds, one assist, two steals and two blocks. He shot 10-for-14 from the field and 3-for-6 at the line with five turnovers in 32 minutes. Valanciunas, who was 1-for-2 from outside, has now registered four consecutive double-doubles and the streak includes a 20-20 game. He's fit in superbly in New Orleans and looks to be heading towards a career year. Zion Williamson (foot) will take away offensive touches from Valanciunas once he's ready to play, but the 29-year-old big man is currently averaging 18 points with only 46 percent shooting. His efficiency should improve as the season goes along and it will help him to keep up his numbers.

New Orleans Pelicans centerJonas Valanciunas authored a dominant effort against the Timberwolves once again in Monday's victory. Valanciunas scored 22 points with a season-high 23 boards, three assists and a pair of blocks in 39 minutes. The big man imposed his will on the boards and now has an incredible 40 rebounds in the last two games played. A steady contributor in points, rebounds and blocks, as well as a sneaky source of assists, Valanciunas remains one of the most underrated centers in fantasy basketball. He'll go toe-to-toe with Atlanta's Clint Capela on Wednesday.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas may be in a new uniform, but he remains the double-double threat of old. Valanciunas logged his first double-double with his new organization during Saturday's loss to Minnesota, finishing with 20 points and 17 boards. In addition to logging an impressive 36 minutes, Valanciunas tossed in three steals and two assists for good measure. The sample size is drastically small, but Valanciunas is on pace to exceed the 30-minute mark average for the first time in his career. With New Orleans relatively thin on the glass with Zion Williamson (foot) sidelined, Valanciunas could bump himself up a tier in season-long appeal should he continue to see an elevated minutes total. He faces the T-Wolves again on Monday.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas has signed a two-year extension with the organization. He was acquired in late July in a deal that sent Steven Adams to Memphis. Valanciunas is coming off a career season in Memphis. He averaged 17.1 points and a career-high 12.5 rebounds per game. There is no reason to believe he shouldn't be able to continue succeeding in New Orleans. Obviously, the organization believes he will since they signed him to an extension before having Valanciunas play a regular season game.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade center Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for center Steven Adams, guard Eric Bledsoe and a swap of multiple draft choices, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday because no trade can become official until Aug. 6. The trade, first reported by ESPN, sends New Orleans' 10th and 40th overall draft choices to Memphis for the Grizzlies' 17th and 51st overall picks this year. Memphis also will receive a protected 2022 first-round choice from New Orleans. The deal comes on the heels of New Orleans' decision to hire Willie Green, their third head coach in three seasons, as the franchise faces mounting pressure to inspire confidence in star forward Zion Williamson after missing the playoffs his first two NBA campaigns. Valanciunas has played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging 12.9 and 9.2 points per game. The 29-year-old center from... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade center Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for center Steven Adams, guard Eric Bledsoe and an exchange of first-round choices in this week's draft, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday because no trade can become official until Aug. 6. The trade, first reported by ESPN, sends New Orleans' 10th and 40th overall draft choices to Memphis for the Grizzlies' 17th and 51st overall picks this year. Memphis also will receive a protected 2022 first-round choice from New Orleans. The deal comes on the heels of New Orleans' decision to hired new coach Willie Green and as the franchise faces mounting pressure to inspire confidence in star forward Zion Williamson after missing the playoffs with two different coaches in each of his first two NBA seasons. Valanciunas has played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging 12.9 and 9.2 points per game.... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies believe they have a great foundation after returning to the playoffs much faster than anyone outside the franchise expected. That makes losing their first-round series to the top-seeded Utah Jazz a little easier to take. “We definitely didn't want our season to end the way it did, but I mean we have a lot to be proud of," guard Ja Morant said after Memphis was eliminated in five games by Utah. "Our fight. We had an unbelievable season. We achieved one of our goals. ... We know what we got to do. Everybody's hungry for more.” Memphis exceeded expectations by finishing 38-34 to reach the NBA's new play-in tournament. The Grizzlies beat San Antonio, then the Golden State Warriors on the road to earn the No. 8 seed and snap a four-year playoff drought. That made the Grizzlies not only the youngest team this postseason but the youngest in the playoffs since Oklahoma City in 2011. They won Game 1 before falling in five games to the team that posted the NBA's best record... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies believe they have a great foundation after returning to the playoffs much faster than anyone outside the franchise expected. That makes losing their first-round series to the top-seeded Utah Jazz a little easier to take. “We definitely didn't want our season to end the way it did, but I mean we have a lot to be proud of," guard Ja Morant said after Memphis was eliminated in five games by Utah. "Our fight. We had an unbelievable season. We achieved one of our goals. ... We know what we got to do. Everybody's hungry for more.” Memphis exceeded expectations by finishing 38-34 to reach the NBA's new play-in tournament. The Grizzlies beat San Antonio, then the Golden State Warriors on the road to earn the No. 8 seed and snap a four-year playoff drought. That made the Grizzlies not only the youngest team this postseason but the youngest in the playoffs since Oklahoma City in 2011. They won Game 1 before falling in five games to the team that posted the NBA's best record... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. “I guess those eight days really helped,” Hardaway said after going 7 of 11 from 3-point range. “We didn’t know when we were going to play leading up to this point. Everybody just made sure they stayed locked in, made sure they took care of their bodies.” Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 of his 29 points while Dallas built a big first-half lead without much help from Luka Doncic, and the Mavericks returned from a weather-induced break with a 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. Dallas was playing for the first time in eight days after two postponements because of a wintry weather blast in Texas. Kristaps Porzingis didn't play after showing up on the injury report the day of the game with back stiffness. Doncic scored 14 of his 21 points after halftime in his first game since the soon-to-be 22-year-old became the first Dallas player to be voted an All-Star starter in consecutive seasons. The Slovenian star's franchise record of 14 consecutive games with at least 25 points ended. Two nights after falling behind by 31 at halftime in a 31-point loss to Phoenix, the Grizzlies were down 23 in the second quarter after scoring a season low for any quarter and trailing 26-13 after the first. Ja Morant had 22 points and... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally are back on a basketball court and hoping to get back to playing games. The Grizzlies returned to practice Wednesday night after having their last five games postponed because of contact tracing within the team and the length of time they were unable to practice. They had been allowed to do individual workouts with one coach over the past couple days, and coach Taylor Jenkins said it was great to be back. “It’s definitely been unique,” Jenkins said. “But I think our entire team, a lot of credit to our players, our staff to adjust obviously working really closely with the league on what are the best courses of action over the last dating back to when we were in Portland. But everyone’s handled it really well.” The NBA stopped play last March with the Grizzlies in Portland for a road game against the Trail Blazers the next night. They were in Portland again last week on a five-game winning streak only to have the first of a back-to-back with the Trail Blazers... [More]

Ja Morant will have a painful memory from his rookie season to help remind him — and the rest of the NBA — just how far ahead of schedule the Memphis Grizzlies' rebuilding project is.“How close I was to the playoffs,” Morant said Saturday after the Grizzlies' playoff hopes ended in a 126-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference's play-in game.“Obviously, now I feel like I kind of know what it takes to make it. We're some games away. I learned a lot through the amount of games I played this whole season. I say people try to put a lot of pressure on me, but I'm a rookie. Just turned 21 a couple days ago. At this point, I'm still learning.”The likely NBA rookie of the year capped off his season by scoring a career-best 35 points despite playing with a broken thumb the final four games of the NBA's restart in Florida. Only three Grizzlies rookies previously scored 35 or more in a regular-season game: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr.Better yet,... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies' rebuilding plan is ahead of even the most optimistic schedule,They have won more games before the All-Star break than predicted and currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.“We had high hopes for what this group could become, and I think it's fair to say that this group has already exceeded I think any realistic expectations that anyone had internally or externally,” Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman said Monday. Kleiman talked to reporters Monday for the first time since the trade deadline. The Grizzlies are 3-1 in February and have won 14 of their last 18 and are 27-26 overall — a game above what most sports books expected this season.It's a quick turnaround from just over a year ago when Memphis was breaking up the final pieces of a group that set a franchise record with seven straight playoff appearances that ended in 2017.The Grizzlies traded center Marc Gasol to Toronto. Then controlling owner Robert Pera shook... [More]