Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN predicts that Patty Mills will sign with the Miami Heat.
Free-agent guard Patty Mills has agreed to a deal with the Miami Heat for the rest of the season, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Mills, who played 19 games with the Atlanta Hawks this season before getting waived, is eligible for the Heat’s postseason roster.
Mills gives the Heat point guard depth and a deep history of playoff performance. At 35 years old, Mills has played 95 playoff games in his 15-year NBA career. Mills was part of the 2014 San Antonio Spurs team that defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Miami is 34-26 and seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Mills, a career 39 percent three-point shooter, has built a reputation as one of the league’s best teammates and leaders. He won the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award in 2022.
Two heated altercations that broke out during the Mavericks’ 101-90 Game 3 victory over the Clippers on Friday night led to two ejections and more recognition for P.J. Washington in the community.
With 6:10 left, Washington, the power forward the Mavericks acquired after the trade deadline, and Clippers guard Russell Westbrook were both ejected.
Luka Doncic, the best player for the Mavericks, was first fouled by Westbrook, who grabbed his right arm from behind and pulled it, causing Doncic to fall back. Doncic came over to argue, and Westbrook gave him a left arm shove. After a shove-fight between Washington and Westbrook, other players, coaches, referees, and security intervened to stop the altercation from getting worse.
“Always got to protect 77 at all costs,” Washington stated to ESPN. “So I mean obviously it was a hard foul and then he pushed him afterwards, so I was right there and I just had to step into it.”
In 19 minutes, Westbrook scored only one point on 0-of-7 shooting and was dismissed from a playoff game for the first time in his career. He also received two technical fouls. He did not address the reporters as he left the American Airlines Center.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “It gets chippy in the playoffs and everyone wants to play well and do well, but you got to keep up composure no matter how the calls go. So we got to be better than that down the stretch when it comes to that.”
Washington, who had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in the win, was also ejected after being whistled for his second technical foul. His first came after a confrontation with Clippers guard Terance Mann with 10:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.
In that instance, Washington struck an instantly iconic pose in the midst of players pushing and shoving, crossing his arms and staring at the Clippers bench.
“[Mann] was mad that I was looking at their bench, so I decided to look at it again,” Washington told ESPN. “Just coming in and trying to set a tone.”
