Warriors center Kevon Looney has served as a surprise iron man for Golden State this season, Monte Poole of NBC Sports writes. Looney is one of six NBA players to start in every one of their team’s games, joining Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Mikal Bridges, Franz Wagner and Saddiq Bey.
“Loon just does his work every single day,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s the ultimate pro. He understands his body. He understands what it takes to maintain his health and his conditioning, and he’s worked really hard to get to this point. He’s been through an awful lot in his career, as you well know, dealing with two hip surgeries and the neuropathy issue from a couple years ago.”
Much of the Warriors’ success has been attributed to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, but Looney has put forth an important campaign. In 53 games, he’s averaged 6.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest, shooting 55% from the floor.
Here are some other notes from the Western Conference:
- Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin cited cap flexibility for why the team traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers on Friday, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. Portland acquired Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick in the deal, also creating some flexibility ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN grades the Blazers-Clippers trade, choosing which team he believes will benefit more from the deal. Los Angeles currently ranks eighth in the Western Conference at 27-27, while Portland sits at 10th with a 21-32 record. Both teams have dealt with injuries to star players this season, as Paul George and Damian Lillard have played in only 26 and 29 games, respectively. Kawhi Leonard has also remained out as he rehabs a torn ACL.
- Spurs assistant Chip Engelland has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio now has all of its coaches back. Engelland entered protocols on January 26, the same day that assistants Becky Hammon and Darius Songaila both exited them.
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