Donovan Clingan, the Trail Blazers’ third-year center, averaged 8.6 points last month but posted three consecutive double-doubles in his first three outings in November.

“I feel like it’s been a slower start. But I have picked things up,” he told Mark Medina of Fadeawayworld.net. “I’m starting to get a feel for the game again and understanding what my team needs from me in order to go out there and win. I’m just showing up and doing what I need to do every day.”

Clingan, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, attributed his slow start to being too passive.

“I wasn’t as active. I wasn’t moving as much,” he said. “I wasn’t being the active defender, rim protector, and rebounder that I was the last few years. I really found that recently. I’ve been attacking the glass. I was being physical. I was being aggressive. I’m putting bad plays behind me.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

• The Thunder acquired Nique Clifford from the Kings for two future second-rounders and there’s an additional cost involved. Clifford had a $3.26MM contract this season and a $3.42MM salary in 2027/28. The Thunder will have until November 1, 2027 to decide whether they want to exercise their $5.98MM option on Clifford for ’28/29. In the short run, the Thunder’s luxury-tax bill jumps by $11.8MM, increasing their projected tax payment from $19.7MM to $31.5MM, cap expert Eric Pincus reports in a Casino.org post.
• Lauri Markkanen sat out the Jazz’s loss to the Heat on Tuesday. Markkanen was sidelined by a right wrist sprain for the second straight game, the team tweets. Markkanen was originally injured late last month and missed two games but he returned to play three games in November, averaging 22.3 points in those contests.
• After scoring 38 points against the Rockets on Monday, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is averaging a team-best 25.8 points per game. Yet Denver has a pedestrian 5-4 record. “Jamal Murray has been incredible. If we’re 7-3, you’re talking about ‘Wow, who’s playing better at the guard position, I would say, outside of Luka (Doncic)?’ He’s just been so efficient, so good. Tough shot making, taking it on his shoulders throughout these nights, it seems almost like a continuation of last year,” coach David Adelman told Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette. “Mal is one of the best players in the league, man. He’s a tough cover, and we’re lucky to have him.”