New Orleans' Jose Alvarado and Phoenix's Mark Williams were ejected in the third quarter Saturday night. Everything started with the 6'0" Alvarado trying to get around a screen from the 7'1" Williams, which led to a little pushing, then quickly escalated into punches being thrown. After review both players were ejected.
Alvarado was called for the initial foul for pushing Williams, but the Suns' big man shoved Alvarado in the back, and things escalated from there. There were legitimate punches thrown and both men were ejected. The punches mean there will be suspensions for the players.
This was the second night of a back-to-back between the two teams, and the familiarity may have escalated the situation. Phoenix went on to get the win 123-114, sweeping the two games.
Landry Shamet and Miles McBride are progressing well but remain out, and now Josh Hart has joined them after suffering an ankle injury during the Christmas win over the Cavs.
Hart is still being evaluated, but he's expected to be out for New York’s entire road trip.
So with the dynamic forward missing, Mike Brown had an opportunity to dip even further into the Knicks’ depth.
We’ve seen unexpected contributors step up this season, and now it was Kevin McCullar Jr’s time to shine.
McCullar came into the night with just seven appearances in his pro career, but he was more than ready to go when Brown called on him as his first reserve off the bench.
“You just have to stay ready at all times,” he said. “Coach Brown trusts in one through 17 on the bench, and you just have to try to be ready when your number is called.”
McCullar picking up four rebounds (three offensive) and dished an assist in an active first five minutes.
The 24-year-old carried that into the second quarter, contributing one of the plays of the season, in which he dove after a loose ball he poked free then found some space and knocked down a corner three on the return pass.
It was those type of hustle plays that gave New York the energy they needed to end the first half strong.
McCullar kept the momentum going coming out of the locker room, knocking down his third triple of the night as part of a seven-point quarter, helping the Knicks barely weather Atlanta’s early second-half surge.
Then with the Hawks refusing to go away, Brown trusted him enough to give him minutes down the stretch.
The youngster ended up being named New York's Defensive Player of the Game, and he finished his most impressive NBA showing with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a career-high 23 minutes.
“I just wanted to give him a chance,” Brown said. “Threw him out there for a few minutes and he was fantastic, he earned even more minutes -- I didn’t have him down for that many minutes, but he definitely earned them.”
With Hart sidelined, perhaps McCullar will be able to earn even more minutes over the next few games.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 30 points in his return after missing 20 games with a left hamstring strain, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-107 on Saturday night.
Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who had six players score in double figures. Brooklyn (10-19) has won four of five and five of seven.
The Nets, who improved to 7-3 in December, are allowing an NBA-low 103.1 points per game this month.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota (20-12) with 28 points, but the Timberwolves dropped back-to-back games for the third time this season. Minnesota lost 142-138 in overtime Thursday at Denver.
Five players scored in double digits for Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels had 16 points, while Naz Reid and Julius Randle each added 13.
Thomas, who played just under 20 minutes, scored 12 straight Brooklyn points in the third quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, for an 89-82 lead. The Brooklyn guard is averaging 22.3 points on 42.2% shooting in nine games this season.
Day’Ron Sharpe scored six of the Nets’ final eight points of the quarter for a 98-86 advantage. A pull-up jumper by Thomas, followed by four points from Danny Wolf, made it 104-86 early in the fourth.
Porter’s 3 gave the Nets a 120-102 lead with 1:57 to play. In eight games this month, he is averaging 28.4 points on 51.1% shooting, including 46.7% from outside the arc. He’s also grabbing 7.5 rebounds and dishing out 3.1 assists per game.
An MRI on Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who exited Thursday’s loss to Denver, showed a left foot strain. Shannon will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Up next
Nets: Host the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
Timberwolves: Start a four-game trip Monday in Chicago.
The Knicks hung on to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 128-125 on Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
Here are the takeaways...
- The Knicks were without Josh Hart in this one, and he's expected miss the three-game road trip with the ankle sprain he suffered in the Christmas Day win, so rookie Mohamed Diawara received the second start of his NBA career.
- Mike Brown dipped even further into his bench early on, turning to Kevin McCullar Jr. as his first reserve, and the youngster made an immediate impact with four rebounds (three offensive) and an assist over his first five minutes of action.
- New York dominated the boards as a team in the opening quarter, bringing in 20 rebounds to Atlanta's nine. The Knicks' offense found their footing after a bit of a slow start and they were able to open a five-point advantage on Jalen Brunson's three with two seconds left in a back-and-forth first.
- The Hawks evened things up early in the second, but a 12-4 Knicks run helped them push the lead back up to eight. The orange and blue faithful in attendance went crazy as Tyler Kolek completed a pretty and-one, then Karl-Anthony Towns connected with Mikal Bridges on a behind-the-head pass.
Towns picked up where he left off in the last meeting with Atlanta, with 16 points and seven boards in his first 13 minutes.
- McCullar took advantage of extended minutes off the bench with the lead pushed to double-digits. The 24-year-old knocked down a pair of threes and provided a spark with his hustle plays on both ends of the court, finishing a terrific first half with six points and six rebounds.
- Jalen Brunson started out 1-of-4 from three but knocked down his first two coming out of the third. The captain connected with a driving Mikal Bridges for a fastbreak slam to help extend the lead out to 16 minutes into the second half. New York was mad at the rims on Saturday, throwing down some monstrous jams.
Atlanta refused to go away, and they were able to close the gap all the way back down to nine in the dying minutes of the third. Brunson contributed 10 points in the frame and McCullar chipped in seven more, helping New York weather the storm.
- Towns appeared to settle the Knicks back into a groove with eight consecutive points (and a Kolek three celebration) early in the fourth, but the Hawks continued battling. Nickeil Alexander-Walker's fifth three of the night made it a one possession ballgame with just under five minutes remaining in regulation.
Atlanta jumped back in front on Onyeka Okongwu's three minutes later, but Brunson responded as he always does with a pair of clutch buckets. The captain committed a costly turnover just one possession later, though, allowing the Hawks to break the other way and regain the lead.
After a Brunson miss on the other end, OG Anunoby grabbed a huge board and knocked down a pair of free throws. Anunoby then made the defensive play of the game, coming up with a huge steal and drilling two more free throw to help the Knicks hang on for the thrilling victory.
- Anunoby finished with 15 points, including 7-for-7 from the line, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
- Towns led the way with 36 points and 16 boards, Brunson had 34 points, Bridges 14 and eight assists, and McCullar chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds in arguably the most impressive performance of his young NBA career.
Game MVP: Kevin McCullar Jr.
The youngster provided the spark off the bench in arguably his most impressive NBA action.
Lakers coach JJ Redick chats with star forward LeBron James during a game against the Clippers, the first of three losses in a row. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
After the Lakers’ third straight loss Thursday, JJ Redick promised things would get “uncomfortable.” The second-year coach, frustrated after the team delivered a lump of coal in a Christmas Day blowout by the Houston Rockets, said he couldn’t stand to rewatch the same tired story. Leaning his elbow on the table at his postgame news conference, Redick called out players who don’t give enough effort on defense or play hard.
Two days later he stood in front of reporters with a different tone.
“Recalibration,” Redick said calmly of the message he delivered during Saturday’s team meeting. “Reconnection.”
Redick has cooled, but the Lakers still are under fire. Not only are they trying to snap a season-high three-game losing streak at home Sunday against the Sacramento Kings (6:30 p.m.), but also the Lakers (19-10) still are looking for their first home win in December and must navigate this defining moment without guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves was diagnosed with a grade 2 strain in his left calf Friday and will be reevaluated in four weeks. The latest setback comes less than two weeks after he was sidelined because of a “mild” strain in the same calf that kept him out for three games.
Reaves is averaging career highs in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2) and his ascent from undrafted rookie to potential first-time All-Star was one of the team’s feel-good stories of the season. Reaves scored a career-high 51 points against Sacramento in October, rescuing the Lakers in a game without LeBron James or Luka Doncic and showing Reaves’ potential in a starring role.
Now without their second-leading scorer, the Lakers are looking for their supporting cast to step up.
“We just need our guys to be stars in their roles,” Redick said. “Certainly from a top-end talent standpoint, it diminishes that. But it doesn't change the non-negotiables or how we're trying to play.”
After losing the last three games by an average of 20.7 points per game, the Lakers needed to get reacquainted with their non-negotiables during Saturday’s meeting. The session was uncomfortable in the way confronting truth can be uncomfortable, Redick said. It wasn’t just coaches lecturing, but also players speaking up.
The top priority was creating more clarity, Redick said. The team needed to get back to building its defensive fundamentals after so many lineup changes because of injuries. The Lakers have used 16 different starting lineups in 29 games and have to readjust their rotation again in Reaves’ absence.
“Togetherness is going to have to be emphasized to where it looks like an exaggeration,” center Deandre Ayton said, “where it becomes a habit. And that's what winners do. And it's pretty easy for this team. It's just that there's always a different group out there and we're going to get it for sure.”
Forward Rui Hachimura said coaches reminded players of the team’s three pillars that again were displayed on a screen in the practice gym Saturday — championship habits, championship communication, championship shape.
“We just talk about everybody, players, coaches, we just gotta kind of tighten up,” Hachimura said. “We had a good stretch in the beginning and now we kind of, I don't know, we relaxed or we kind of got tired of winning, you know, but we just stopped doing what we're supposed to do.”
The Lakers are 29th in the NBA in defensive rating in the last 15 games, giving up 122.2 points per 100 possessions. It’s a significant drop from their rating of 113.7 in the first 14 games in which they went 10-4.
Since James returned from, the Lakers’ preferred starting lineup — Doncic, Reaves, James, Ayton and Hachimura — has a net rating of minus-19.9 in seven games.
Offensively the Lakers have lacked organization since James came back, Redick acknowledged. James declined to speak to reporters after practice.
“Too many random possessions,” Redick said. “That's on me.”
After missing eight games with a calf strain, Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return to the Bucks lineup Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable. He will play if he clears pregame testing after warming up, reports Eric Nehn of The Athletic.
Milwaukee went 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo missed, falling to 12-19 on the season and 11th in the Eastern Conference, outside even the play-in. That has only fueled trade rumors swirling around Antetokounmpo, although he has yet to formally request a trade, and the Bucks are telling teams they are looking to add talent around the two-time MVP and not trade him away.
Antetokounmpo's calf injury came just four games after he returned from a left adductor strain.
"Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you're overcompensating," Antetokounmpo said of coming back after that adductor injury, via the Associated Press. "The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus."
Antetokounmpo has played like an MVP when he has been on the court this season, averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Milwaukee is 9-8 in games Antetokounmpo has played in this season and is banking on his return to vault them back into the playoff picture in a wide-open East.
CHICAGO — Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of returning from the right calf strain that has kept the two-time MVP from playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last eight games.
The Bucks issued an injury report that listed Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game at Chicago rather than ruling him out entirely.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since injuring his calf less than three minutes into the Bucks’ 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The injury came on Antetokounmpo’s fourth game back after a left adductor strain caused him to miss four games.
“Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus.”
The Bucks have gone 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo has missed because of the calf issue. So far this season, the Bucks are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 on Dec. 6, has averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season.
SACRAMENTO – It seems almost every time an NBA discussion involves Stephen Curry or LeBron James, inevitably their age gets brought up. Seems reasonable enough considering what the two superstars are doing at this stage of their respective careers.
At 37 years old and in his first season with the Kings, Russell Westbrook also is showing he still can get it done at a high level, though his age is rarely brought up.
“I just take it day by day,” Westbrook said after Sacramento’s 113-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at Golden 1 Center. “I make sure I take care of my body and make sure I’m able to play at a high level. And then I’ll keep going until I feel like I had enough.”
Clearly Westbrook hasn’t had enough.
Now in his 18th NBA season, Westbrook is doing the same things he’s always done. The Kings are his seventh team in eight seasons, and he’s playing at times like he’s still in his 20s.
Against the Mavericks, Westbrook slipped past the great Magic Johnson into seventh place on the NBA career assist list and inched closer to moving past Dominique Wilkins on the all-time scoring list.
Russell Westbrook moves into No. 7 on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tql32a6cUz
Whenever he does decide to call it quits, Westbrook is guaranteed an invitation into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. That’s unquestioned.
Until then, though, the mercurial point guard wants to keep cooking like he always has.
Westbrook grew up watching Johnson work his own magic on the court, so to pass the Hall of Famer in any statistical category was kind of mind-boggling.
“Before I speak and say anything, I’m truly blessed and thankful to the man above for just allowing me and gifting me with the time to go out and play basketball,” Westbrook said. “As for passing Magic … it’s an honor. Magic is one of the greats. I’m grateful to be able to pass him just because he’s such a legend in so many different ways.”
Ironically, Westbrook as become a legend in a sport that wasn’t even his first love.
“I grew up wanting to play football,” Westbrook said. “I grew up playing football, taking a bus, going to the park, playing just being a normal kid in the city. And things happened so fast to me. I always knew if given the opportunity to be able to be somebody, I would take full advantage of it. That’s why every time I step on the floor, I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t take plays or anything for granted.
“This was given to me, not just for basketball, but to use as a platform to be able to help and inspire other people. So I hope the way I play the game, I hope the way people see it be competing. Yes, the records are all great, but I hope it inspires other people, people across the world, to do great things in their lives as well.”
Westbrook clearly is comfortable in the state capital. He averaged 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists with four triple-doubles in Sacramento’s first 30 games.
Against the Mavericks, he was in vintage form with 21 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Westbrook also recorded the 2,000th steal of his career, one of 14 players in NBA history to reach that plateau.
Kings coach Doug Christie didn’t sound very surprised considering the work ethic that Westbrook has shown during his time in Sacramento.
“He gets in, he gets his work when you see him at practice, but he also comes back at nighttime,” Christie said. “That’s how you get to be that great. He truly believes in himself. He works his butt off, on his game and on his body. He watches film like he does.
“He’s a pro. He wants to win more than anything, and that’s where you see that nastiness at and I’m all for it. His ability to go out on a night-to-night basis and compete the way that he does just says so much about him as a professional. And I think that his teammates also really, really respect that.”
Westbrook owns the record for most triple-doubles – currently with 207, with the great Oscar Robertson next with 181 – and is getting closer to moving ahead of the Big O as the NBA’s top-scoring point guard. Robertson has the top spot with 26,710 while Westbrook is closing in quickly with 26,659.
There’s a good chance that record will be broken this season. If not, Christie is all in favor for bringing Westbrook back for another run for the 2026-27 NBA season.
“I’m a big fan,” Christie said. “I hope that he’s here because I think everything that he stands for, how he goes about his business, for our young players, as we build this thing out, is super, super important. The competitiveness, the anger after a loss … the things that they see with him are really good, so it’s an honor and a blessing to have him.”
SACRAMENTO – The Kings have been playing a lot like the weather lately. Gloomy, depressing and not much reason to go outside.
The sun broke through the clouds Saturday, and ironically or not, the Kings followed suit and lit up the Mavericks, dropping a 113-107 hammer on Dallas at Golden 1 Center.
Russell Westbrook led the way with another monster game (21 points, five rebounds, nine assists). Keon Ellis, back in the starting rotation for the first time in two months, added 21 points with five 3-pointers. Maxime Raynaud had 19 points and six rebounds.
The Kings only trailed once in the first half and went on a 20-10 run in the third quarter after the Mavericks pulled within 68-60. Ellis made a pair of threes and scored eight points as part of the run.
The win was Sacramento’s fourth straight over Dallas and upped Doug Christie’s record to 35-48 since taking over as coach when Mike Brown was fired last season.
Coincidentally, Christie’s first win for the Kings came against the Mavericks nearly a year ago to the day, with De’Aaron Fox leading the way with 33 points.
Fox is gone, but the Kings’ backcourt once again proved too much for the Mavs to handle.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday:
Russ Chasing Milestones
Westbrook already was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history before signing with the Kings, and the 37-year-old added another layer to his Hall of Fame resume in front of the G1C crowd Saturday.
Westbrook surpassed legendary Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson (10,141) for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assist list. Westbrook now has 10,149 career assists.
Russell Westbrook moves into No. 7 on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tql32a6cUz
Keon Ellis might be the second-most popular player among Kings fans, and he got a chance to show out in front of the home crowd while making his second start of the 2025-26 NBA season and first since Oct. 26.
Ellis had a nice game (21 points on 8-of-15 shooting with three steals and two blocks), but his most impressive play might have been a running block he had against Max Christie. Christie appeared to have an open look before Ellis raced over to knock the shot away.
Ellis has had an up-and-down campaign, partially due to the way he has been used this season. It will be interesting to see what the Kings plans are for him for next season.
Raynaud, Interior D Step Up
Ever since losing Domantas Sabonis to a knee injury, the Kings have been very vulnerable when defending the paint. That changed a little bit against the Mavericks, with Raynaud providing a nice spark in the key.
Making his ninth straight start, the rookie played steady all afternoon in 27 minutes. It helped that Dallas was without Anthony Davis, but Raynaud has been making steady progress all season no matter who he has faced, although he did miss an easy bunny in the third quarter.
Given where the team is in the standings and where Sabonis is in his recovery, it would make sense for Sacramento to shut the big man down for the remainder of the schedule and give him a full offseason to heal. At the same time, that would open the door for Raynaud to get increased minutes on the court to continue his path on the learning curve.
Kon Knueppel, the Charlotte Hornets' standout rookie, limped off the court just before the end of the first half Friday night against Orlando and did not play in the second half.
While there are no details on the injury or how much time Knueppel may miss, coach Charles Lee said postgame that his X-rays were clean. The injury occurred while leaping to contest a shot by Orlando's Desmond Bane and coming down on Bane's foot.
Knueppel, the No. 4 pick last June out of Duke, has been a revelation for the Hornets, averaging 19.3 points (second on the team) and 5.1 rebounds a game, shooting 42.8% from 3-point range. He has become one of the clear frontrunners for Rookie of the Year.
Even without Knueppel, the Hornets beat the Magic 120-105 behind 22 points and seven rebounds from LaMelo Ball. Miles Bridges had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Knueppel had 16 points in the first quarter of the win. Orlando reached the semifinals of the NBA Cup but is 2-4 since.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs defends Isaiah Hartenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game.Photograph: Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
I’ve seen enough: Give the San Antonio Spurs the keys to Santa Claus’ workshop. Put Stephon Castle in charge of toy assembly. Let De’Aaron Fox toss presents into chimneys, from whatever range he’d like. Devin Vassell can customize the Christmas cookies. Harrison Barnes has the army of elves covered. And, of course, Santa Claus’s sleigh must immediately be resized for a taller, thinner pilot so that the towering Victor Wembanyama can drive it comfortably. The sensational Spurs have felled the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, and in doing so revitalized this NBA season. I now have more faith in the Spurs’ ability to grant joy to the masses than any holiday legends of old.
It looked dire for a while there. The Thunder might have won the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, but began this season in even more ominous form. They reeled off 24 wins in their first 25 games (the lone loss was a fluky 20-point comeback). In most of them, Jalen Williams, their second-best player, was on the sidelines recovering from wrist surgery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their best, seldom had to play in fourth quarters. The Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some expected to be a plausible rival, lost by 29; their basketball savant Luka Doncic looked like he was playing against ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ valiant first earned them a close loss, by just four points. When they met again 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game knocked all the remaining leaves off the trees and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City looked capable of shredding anything in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ legendary regular season record of 73-9.
The Thunder do not play a particularly appealing style of basketball. They skillfully exploit the referees’ dilemma over which fouls to call (a consistent whistle interrupts the flow of the game, an absent one lets players get away with blatant violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after whistles that would be better swallowed, while personified mosquito swarm Alex Caruso seems to have free rein to do whatever he likes on defense. Some profess to enjoy, or admire, Gilgeous-Alexander contorting his body to draw slight bumps from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being kicked hard between the legs. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after plenty of suspiciously light touches. This chicanery enables haters to harbor the fantasy that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a mediocre team. True basketball heads know it’s far more exasperating than integral to the Thunder’s success, but the general irritation is sufficient to nudge some fans who might otherwise be neutral into rooting for Oklahoma City’s downfall.
Dominance can be coldly thrilling to watch, but a historically great performance tends to evoke less awe the more times it repeats. How many times does anybody really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Eventually you remember that the drama is the point. The Thunder were draining the season of suspense, running up leads on other teams in the table as well as on the floor.
Through 21 minutes of the first Spurs-Thunder game this season, San Antonio trailed by 16 and looked likely to go the same way as every other team. Instead, they have wrought hell upon the Thunder ever since.
Against the Spurs, the Thunder look mortal. Each member of their core deserves immense credit for that, but this is Victor Wembanyama’s team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this guy on their team that’s seven-foot-five and takes up a lot of space on the court,” Jalen Williams said, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a tough out. The Thunder’s professional beanpole, 7ft 1in Chet Holmgren, is the tallest player on the floor in most games, free to grab rebounds and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s short, crude, and even timid. Wembanyama’s contempt for Holmgren is evident in how he celebrates each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s won the lottery; the way he fouls him with a bit of extra venom; the way he told reporters he doesn’t consider Holmgren a rival. (There is indeed no debate over which player is better.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to burst out of the cupboard, talking smack, when he reaches up for a snack.
Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most definitive statement yet on Christmas, thumping the Thunder by 15 on their home floor. San Antonio took the inevitable early punch well yet again, recovering to pile 41 points on the league’s best defense in the first quarter. Fox effortlessly found the miniscule holes in that defense to the tune of 29 points. The Spurs even held Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22. He tried to make up for it by zipping passes to open teammates behind the arc, but they let him down by bricking almost every single attempt.
A Thunder optimist would say that enough of those threes will go in next time to produce a win or a tighter loss, but I found the misses symptomatic of a flaw. Off the strength of his silky-smooth stepback jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander is the steadiest scoring engine in the league. He is difficult to guard and impossible to stop. (LeBron James recently offered some advice on how to slow him down: “you gotta keep him off the free throw line. Which is hard.”) But even he can’t carry an offense entirely on his own. The Spurs put Gilgeous-Alexander under enough pressure that he had to delegate more than usual, and his supporting parts broke down under the heavier burden. Caruso and Dort are good for the occasional three-pointer, but relying on them to hit the long shot is the last place the Thunder want to be.
The Spurs’ surge couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only have they emphatically established themselves as title contenders – some say they’re too young, and inexperience has indeed undone plenty of fabulous teams in the playoffs, but the 23-7 Spurs aren’t contenders, hardly anyone is – but they’ve allowed fans to see the Thunder in higher definition other teams couldn’t come close to revealing. Oklahoma City, potentially the best team in history two weeks ago, is merely exceptional. If you take Gilgeous-Alexander’s word for it, the Spurs are better right now. 74-8 is off the table. With the Spurs just two and a half games behind, OKC has its hands full just holding onto its lead in the Western Conference. Even if only against one team, the Thunder have assumed the unfamiliar role of chaser, trying to solve a squad who torments them the way they torment so many others. In their newfound vulnerability, the Thunder are a little easier to enjoy and a little harder to hate. And any future wins against the Spurs will be a lot more meaningful.
They’ll get a few, maybe (or probably, but it’s thanks to the Spurs that choosing a word is difficult) as soon as this season. The Thunder are too good to stay down for long. When they rise the Spurs will eventually have to make their own adjustments. How’s this for terrifying: Wemby’s probably still a few years out from his peak. Christmases and NBA seasons can blend together, with only the most meaningful sticking out in the memory years later. Whatever happens next, the Spurs have given me enough reason to look back on these ones and smile.
The young forward underwent MRI imaging on his right calf after exiting Tuesday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons early, and imaging revealed Murray has a mild calf strain.
He will be listed as out and re-evaluated in one week.
The one-week timeframe will put Murray out for at least the Kings’ games against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and likely the Boston Celtics next Thursday.
Murray, while maintaining his defensive dominance, has struggled to find a consistent rhythm offensively since returning from his thumb injury.
In 15 games this season, he’s averaging 14.9 points on 43.8-percent shooting from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range, with 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 37.1 minutes.
The Kings (7-23) now must rely on the next man to step up in Murray’s absence.
Austin Reaves, the Lakers' second-leading scorer, has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain — a calf strain — and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the team announced. With that timeline, he will miss at least the next 14 games. The injury happened on Christmas Day, when he did not play the second half in a loss to the Rockets because of it. This reportedly is separate from the calf strain that cost him three games earlier in the month.
Reaves has been playing at an All-Star level, averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game this season, shooting 36.5% from 3-point range. He has proven he can carry the offense for a stretch when Luka Doncic is out.
This season, the Lakers outscore opponents by 3.1 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court and get outscored by 5.6 per 100 while he is off. With him out, more playmaking duties will fall to LeBron James and backup guards such as Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.
The Lakers have lost three straight games, the last two by 20+ points to Houston on Christmas Day and Phoenix before that. The Lakers have gone 2-4 in their previous six games, with the worst defense in the league over that stretch. Reaves is a member of four of the five most-used Lakers lineups.
