Thunder's Mike Muscala: Insignificant in blowout loss
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Muscala produced two points (1-1 FG), one rebound and one block in six minutes during Wednesday's 135-100 loss to the Celtics.
Since signing with the Thunder on March 1, Muscala has struggled to carve out his role in the rotation, appearing in 11 games and averaging just 1.0 points and 0.9 rebounds in 4.1 minutes. With the Thunder frontcourt fully healthy, Muscala should be expected to step into valuable minutes only if Chet Holmgren or Jaylin Williams is sidelined.
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Mike Muscala: Parts ways with Detroit
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The Pistons will finalize a contract buyout with Muscala on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Muscala is averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.8 minutes across his 37 appearances this season, including 13 with the Pistons. The veteran big man will likely look to join a contending team once he clears waivers.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Sits third straight
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Muscala is averaging 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists since being traded from the Wizards on Jan. 14.
Muscala averaged 12.1 minutes per game in January, filling in at both center and forward with Detroit's depth in shambles. However, with the acquisition of Simone Fontecchio from the Jazz at the deadline, Muscala has been restricted to backup center minutes. The 32-year-old is expected to see another decline with Isaiah Stewart (ankle) set to make his return soon coupled with more playing time devoted to James Wiseman (averaging 16.3 minutes per game in February).
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Moves back to bench
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Muscala isn't in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Lakers.
Simone Fontecchio will replace Muscala in the starting lineup Tuesday. Muscala is averaging 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.2 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Gets starting nod
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Muscala is in the starting five for Wednesday's game versus the Kings, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
Muscala will make just his fourth start of the season Wednesday. The veteran big man is averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15.3 minutes across his previous three appearances.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Clears concussion protocol
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Muscala (concussion) is not listed on the injury report for Sunday's game against the Magic.
Muscala has cleared concussion protocol and will suit up after missing Friday's loss to the Clippers. With Isaiah Stewart (ankle) out, Muscala may draw a start at power forward, but it'd be surprising to see him play more than 20 minutes.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Questionable Sunday
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Muscala (concussion) is questionable Sunday against the Magic.
No surprise here, as Muscala was diagnosed with a concussion Friday. If he can't suit up, Kevin Knox would be a candidate for increased playing time.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Sustains concussion
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Muscala has been diagnosed with a concussion and won't be available for Friday's game against the Clippers, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
Muscala will need to go through league-mandated concussion protocol testing before he's cleared to return, so he's likely looking at a multi-game absence. The Pistons turned to Muscala as a starter in place of Isaiah Stewart (ankle) in Wednesday's 128-121 loss to the Cavaliers, only for Muscala to exit that contest with the head injury after playing just three minutes. Stewart has since been ruled out for the next 10-to-14 days, so while Muscala joins him on the sideline for Friday's contest, the Pistons could turn to Danilo Gallinari, Ausar Thompson and Kevin Knox to fill minutes at power forward.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Won't return Wednesday
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Muscala has been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers with a head injury, Johnny Kane of Bally Sports reports. He'll finish the game with three points (1-2 FG, 1-2 3Pt) and one rebound over four minutes.
With Isaiah Stewart (ankle) ruled out for Wednesday's game, Muscala drew the start at power forward, even though he's played primarily as a center between his stops with Detroit and Washington this season. Muscala's night ended up being cut short, however, after he appeared to be hit in the head during the first quarter. He'll presumably be checked for a concussion, and if he's diagnosed with a brain injury, Muscala would most likely miss the Pistons' next game Friday versus the Clippers. With Muscala sidelined for the rest of Wednesday's contest, teh Pistons will likely lean on Danilo Gallinari, Ausar Thompson and Kevin Knox to fill most of the minutes at power forward.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Gets starting nod
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Muscala is in the starting five for Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports.
Muscala will replace Isaiah Stewart (ankle) in the starting lineup Wednesday. Muscala is averaging 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.5 minutes across his first six appearances for the Pistons.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Good to go
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Muscala (trade pending) will be available for Wednesday's game against Minnesota.
Muscala and Danilo Gallinari will both be available after their trade from Washington was finalized. It remains to be seen what kind of role Muscala will have, but his floor spacing could be a valuable addition to the frontcourt.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: May debut Wednesday
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Muscala (trade pending) is questionable for Wednesday's game against Minnesota.
Muscala and Danilo Gallinari were traded to Detroit on Sunday in exchange for Isaiah Livers, Marvin Bagley and two second-round picks, but the duo wasn't ready to make their Pistons debut Monday in Washington. Even if Muscala and Gallinari are cleared to play Wednesday, it's unclear how large their respective roles will be.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Won't debut Monday
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Muscala (trade pending) won't play Monday against Washington.
The Pistons and Wizards are both electing to hold out the players they acquired Sunday in the four-player deal that sent Muscala and Danilo Gallinari and to Detroit and Isaiah Livers, Marvin Bagley and two future second-round drafts picks to Washington. Muscala and Gallinari will get a chance to make their Detroit debuts Wednesday versus the Timberwolves.
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Pistons' Mike Muscala: Shipped to Detroit
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The Wizards traded Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to the Pistons on Sunday in exchange for Marvin Bagley, Isaiah Livers and two second-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Muscala had a solid role behind Daniel Gafford in Washington, posting 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.1 minutes across 24 appearances (two starts). He joins a crowded frontcourt that's led by Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, but Muscala should compete with James Wiseman for backup center minutes.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Tallies double figures off bench
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Muscala had 12 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes during Wednesday's 140-101 loss to the Cavaliers.
Muscala tallied a bench-high-tying scoring mark while adding four rebounds and a pair of assists in a balanced showcase to boost the second unit in a blowout loss. Muscala, who posted a season-high scoring total, has tallied double figures in four games this season while adding at least four rebounds and two steals in three of those four contests.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Reaches double figures off bench
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Muscala logged 11 points (4-9 FG, 3-7 3Pt), three rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 31 minutes during Friday's 110-104 victory over Brooklyn.
Muscala posted a bench-leading minute total while ending as one of five Wizards with a double-digit point total to go along with a team-leading pair of blocks in the winning effort. Muscala has tallied at least two blocks in two games this year, posting 10 or more points twice.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Season-best performance Monday
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Muscala contributed 11 points (2-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 6-6 FT), six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 23 minutes during Monday's 143-131 loss to the Kings.
Muscala, posting points in just his ninth game through 14 appearances, notched double-digit scoring for the first time this season. The 32-year-old's scoring was fueled by a season-high six free-throw attempts. Although his foul drawing is likely an anomaly, Muscala has logged all of his minutes at center this season, so he frequents the paint more than previous campaigns despite his outside-in style.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Back to bench
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Muscala won't start Wednesday's game against the Pelicans.
With Daniel Gafford (hip) sidelined, Muscala drew a spot start Monday and was held scoreless (0-4 FG) across 20 minutes. Gafford will return to the starting lineup following his one-game hiatus, sending Muscala to a bench role. Muscala has made just 10 appearances this season (two starts), averaging 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Draws spot start
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Muscala will start Monday's game against the 76ers, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
With Daniel Gafford (hip) sidelined, Muscala will make his second start of the year. In his previous start, Muscala posted seven points, four rebounds, one steal and one block in 22 minutes, but he faces a tough matchup against Joel Embiid on Monday.
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Wizards' Mike Muscala: Sees 18 minutes
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Muscala notched five points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3Pt), six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 18 minutes during Saturday's 136-108 loss to the Hawks.
The 18 minutes was the second largest workload of the season for Muscala, as the Wizards were blown out by the Hawks pretty quickly. For that reason, starting center Daniel Gafford saw only 18 minutes as well. Muscala is usually on the fringe of the rotation and has yet to score in double figures this season.
