Lakers star Lebron James controls the ball in front of Philadelphia's Dominick Barlow during the first half of the Lakers' 112-108 win Sunday. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
The Lakers superstar scored 10 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to seal a 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, helping the Lakers (17-6) nab two wins out of their difficult three-game road trip.
Lakers star LeBron James dunks in front of Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, left, during the first half Sunday. (Chris Szagola / Associated Press)
After knocking down a 20-foot fadeaway over Quentin Grimes, James held both hands low to the ground, signaling “too small,” before placing an imaginary crown on his head and punctuating it with his signature silencer celebration. James, who sat out of the Lakers’ last game in Boston because of sciatica and left-foot joint arthritis, finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, including 12 points in the fourth quarter to hold off the 76ers. Philadelphia (16-7) came back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and tied the score with 1:28 remaining on a shot by Joel Embiid.
Luka Doncic returned from a two-game absence to record a 31-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. Now a father of two daughters, Doncic rejoined the team in Philadelphia on Saturday after he and his fiancee welcomed their second child, Olivia.
Despite traveling from Slovenia, Doncic didn’t miss a beat Sunday. He scored five of the Lakers’ first seven points and took the most shot attempts of anyone on the Lakers. With 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in the first quarter, Doncic was already flirting with a triple-double after 12 minutes.
The Lakers erased a 10-point deficit in the first quarter only to find themselves down by 10 again in the second. After Austin Reaves hit a corner three — just his second basket after he missed his first eight attempts from the field — to bring the Lakers to within two points, the 76ers answered with a 10-2 run that pushed their lead back to 10 with 38.9 seconds remaining in the half.
Reaves, who was averaging 41 points a game without Doncic, had just 11 points. Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Caleb Wilson and Henry Veesar both collected double-doubles as No. North Carolina pulled away from visiting Georgetown in the second half to win 81-61. Wilson tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Veesar totaled 18 points and 15 boards for the Tar Heels (8-1).
The Knicks will find out the extend of Miles McBride’s ankle sprain on Monday. McBride underwent an X-ray on Sunday after hurting his ankle. It came back negative. He will get an MRI on Monday, which will give the Knicks and McBride a more definitive timeline on a potential return to the court.
It would be surprising if McBride plays on Tuesday against Toronto. After that game, the Knicks will either play on Saturday or on Sunday. So McBride will have some time to heal.
Any stretch without McBride will be tough for the Knicks.
The 25-year-old is averaging a career-high 12 points per game and is shooting better than 45 percent from beyond the arc.
The Knicks could lean more on Tyler Kolek during McBride’s absence. Maybe they go more point-guard-by-committee off the bench.
New York has had some experience in navigating injuries this season. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby have missed multiple games due to injury. Same goes for Landry Shamet.
Mitchell Robinson has been held out the lineup for precautionary reasons. Karl-Anthony Towns missed Sunday’s win over Orlando with calf tightness.
Through it all, the Knicks have held up pretty well.
They’ve won 13 of 14 at home and are 16-7 overall. On Sunday, New York went to Ariel Hukporti and the second-year center delivered.
Hukporti had seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists and hit all four of his free throw attempts.
Mikal Bridges was impressed by Hukporti on Sunday, but he wasn’t surprised.
“It’s tough,” Bridges said. “We’ve got a lot of talent out there, a lot guys who can play, and one of those situations where we’ve got KAT, Mitch, Yabu (Geurschon Yabusele) can go small, so sometimes he might not get out there, but he’s definitely talented and smart enough to play, so every time he gets his opportunity he’s gonna do really well. Definitely a big game from him tonight.”
Hukporti earned Mike Brown’s Defensive Player of the Game after the win.
“He was really good with his vertically, he came up with four 50/50 balls,” Brown said. “And then he had a play in transition where he showed one of his superpowers, which is his speed. He raced down the end and got a block when he was completely out of the play.”
New York also got big performances from Anunoby and Bridges on Sunday. Anunoby hit five of his seven triple attempts and had seven rebounds and four steals. Bridges had seven assists and led a strong effort by New York’s defense.
Brown was asked after the game about All-Star candidacies for Bridges and Anunoby.
“I think both of those guys are deserving. OG probably hadn’t played enough games yet but Mikal’s numbers are out of the roof here,” Brown said. “Obviously, KAT, in my opinion, is a no-brainer. Jalen is a no-brainer. But for us, the way that we’ve been playing, especially with the record that we have, I think have to start looking at other guys on the team; this is not a two-man band here.
“We have other guys who have stepped up and are having career numbers in certain areas. So hopefully this year, everybody will see that it’s Kat, it’s Jalen, it’s Mikal, if OG gets enough games it could possibly be OG. But trying to get those guys in when they quote unquote may not look sexy all the time, is the right thing to do because they impact winning and their numbers speak for themselves.”
They may not be looking at the right numbers, though. Anunoby’s advanced stats and shooting are strong. But it’s difficult to fully quantify his impact on defense with a number.
“I think when people look at like a box score, they look at points, more usage, more points you score, and they think those guys are the All-Star players, but I don’t know,” Anunoby said. “Winning is what matters, so I think maybe one day it’ll come, hopefully.”
Christian Anderson had 27 points, eight assists and five rebounds and No. 19 Texas Tech handed LSU its first loss, blowing out the Tigers 82-58 on Sunday. J.T. Toppin added 11 points and 15 rebounds while LeJuan Watts had 15 points and 10 boards for the Red Raiders (7-2) in front of a decidedly pro-Texas Tech crowd on a neutral court at Dickies Arena. DJ Thomas Jr. scored 13 points and Mike Nwoko had 10 as the only players in double figures for the Tigers (8-1), who shot 26% in the first half and trailed 47-26 at the break in their first game against a ranked opponent.
Lauren Betts had season highs of 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, and No. 4 UCLA routed Oregon 80-59 in the teams' Big Ten opener Sunday, knocking the Ducks from the unbeaten ranks. Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points for the Bruins (9-1, 1-0), who beat the Ducks for the sixth straight time while topping 80 points for the sixth time this season. Ehis Etute had 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Katie Fiso added 14 points for the Ducks (10-1, 0-1).
The Sixers came out on the wrong end of a back-and-forth tussle with the Lakers on Sunday night.
They fell to a 112-108 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping to 13-10 on the season. Los Angeles improved to 17-6.
Tyrese Maxey had 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Luka Doncic posted a triple-double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. LeBron James tallied 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists.
The Sixers remained without Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain). Marcus Smart (left lumbar muscle strain) was the one player sidelined for the Lakers.
The Sixers won’t play again until they host the Pacers on Friday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Lakers:
Doncic drained a mid-range jumper for the game’s first basket and Maxey replied with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer. Maxey made his first four field goals and scored 10 first-quarter points.
He was quite comfortable with a quick pace in the early going. As a team, the Sixers had the sharper start. Paul George scored a transition layup, Maxey hit a pull-up three and the Sixers went up 19-9 on a pair of Dominick Barlow free throws.
Everyone on the floor seemed to begin the night with more intensity than they’d have for an average regular-season game. That included Maxey, who had a brief courtside chat with Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, the ceremonial pregame bell ringer. Maxey was assessed a technical foul late in the first quarter for his animated disagreement with an official’s no-call.
The Sixers had a cold patch to close the first quarter and the Lakers made a run that featured James hammering in a powerful dunk. His slam caused a big pop of noise from the many Lakers fans on hand. Rui Hachimura’s corner three on the Lakers’ last play of the first tied the game at 30-all.
Nightmare Embiid shooting
Embiid was 2 for 15 from the floor through three quarters. That was initially 1 for 14, but he was retroactively credited for a tip-in late in the second quarter. His final numbers were 4 for 21.
For the most part, he took reasonable shots early in the game and got tough bounces on mid-range looks he often makes. Embiid did force up a couple of awkward leaners when he appeared to expect a foul call. He also settled for some jumpers early in the shot clock instead of putting greater pressure on the Lakers’ defense. Whatever he tried, his shooting touch was absent.
As the misses piled up, Embiid was exasperated. He stared at the ceiling and raised his arms in dismay after failing to hit a shot from just inside the foul line on the Sixers’ final possession of the second quarter.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves had similar struggles. Reaves, who entered the game averaging 29.2 points and shooting 52.5 percent from the field, opened 0 for 8. Maxey and the Sixers guarded him well.
Though Doncic didn’t have a great jump shooting start, he frustrated the Sixers with his typical foul drawing trickery. The five-time All-Star finished the evening 11 for 14 at the foul line.
James still clutch
The Sixers’ bench decisively outplayed the Lakers’ in the first half. At halftime, the Sixers’ second unit had an 18-2 scoring advantage.
Jabari Walker picked up where he left off Friday in the Sixers’ win over the Bucks, swishing a three on his first touch. Jared McCain made two long-range jumpers and a driving layup early in the second quarter.
To begin the second half, the Lakers’ starters were much stronger than the Sixers’. James drilled three jumpers early in the third quarter. Deandre Ayton’s alley-oop dunk gave L.A. a 68-67 lead.
The Sixers fell behind as many as 10 points late in the third quarter, but they eventually pushed back. VJ Edgecombe and Maxey sunk threes and the Sixers cut their deficit to 87-84 entering the fourth quarter.
The Lakers maintained a slim lead through much of the fourth and benefited from several Sixers defensive breakdowns. The Sixers defended gamely against the Lakers’ stars, but they had issues both communicating and fighting through screens.
James nailed two important jumpers to put the Lakers up 105-100. Embiid subbed in for his final stint with 3:23 to play.
The Sixers blitzed Doncic down the stretch and had success with that strategy. After he tossed a pass out of bounds, Embiid hit a mid-range jumper to even the game at 105 apiece.
James had more heroics left in the tank.
The 40-year-old superstar continued his late-game takeover by canning a contested three and a fadeaway mid-range bucket.
None of the jumpers the Sixers flung up in the last minute dropped until a desperate Maxey three with seven seconds left that cut the Lakers’ lead to 110-108. However, Doncic iced the game with a pair of free throws.
Jalil Bethea scored 21 points to lead No. 12 Alabama past UTSA 97-55 on Sunday. Labaron Philon Jr. had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and London Jemison also scored 20 for the Crimson Tide (7-2). Alabama opened the game on a 23-6 run and led by as many as 40.
Kansas has proven over the past month that it can hang with the nation's best without Darryn Peterson on the floor. The Jayhawks showed Sunday they are capable of beating anybody when he's out there. The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Peterson returned from a lingering hamstring injury to score 17 points in 23 minutes against Missouri, leading the No. 21 Jayhawks to an 80-60 rout of their biggest rival in the latest edition of the Border War.
Darryn Peterson scored 17 points in his return after a month lost to a hamstring injury, and No. 21 Kansas used a 23-3 run spanning halftime to seize control against Missouri, before the Jayhawks rolled to an 80-60 victory over their bitter rival Sunday. The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Peterson had missed the past seven games with the nagging injury. Tre White led the Jayhawks (7-3) with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
The second-ranked Wildcats can certainly make a case with Saturday night's dismantling of No. 20 Auburn and top-ranked Purdue's first loss of the season. Then again, Michigan can also stake a claim to No. 1. “Obviously, it's not something you shy away from,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after the 97-68 win over Auburn.
The Knicks (16-7) defeated the Orlando Magic (14-10) by a final score of 106-100 on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, as the big man was ruled out before tipoff due to calf tightness. Towns, who went for 35 points and 18 rebounds against Charlotte on Wednesday night, is the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, so the Knicks were obviously missing a very important piece.
With Towns out, Mitchell Robinson started alongside the usual starting group.
-- Franz Wagner, Orlando’s leading scorer on the season averaging 23.4 points per game, went down hard in the first quarter. On an alley-oop attempt, Wagner was fouled by Ariel Hukporti and landed awkwardly, appearing to injure his left knee or ankle. Wagner had to be helped to the locker room, putting no weight on his left leg.
The Knicks then suffered an injury scare of their own in the third quarter, when Miles McBride went down and ended up limping off the floor. Shortly after the game, the Knicks announced he hurt his left ankle and they would share more information on his status Monday. McBride, who has been an absolute spark for the Knicks this season, had four points and two assists in 21 minutes.
-- Coming off a 33-point night against Utah,Jalen Brunson led the charge for the Knicks once again. Playing at an MVP-level this season, Brunson had 16 points and five assists in the first quarter alone, attacking the rim and playing well in the mid range. The Knicks led by four points at the end of the first quarter. After getting a rest to start the quarter, Brunson ended up going scoreless in the second frame, as both teams dialed up their defense.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Knicks started the second half on a 9-0 run and went on to outscore the Magic 28-18 in the quarter, with Brunson scoring 10 points.
The All-Star guard finished with 30 points and nine assists.
-- OG Anunoby, playing in his second game back from injury, once again had his minutes limited. But when he was on the floor, he was in All-Star form, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in just under 28 minutes. His fourth three of the game came early in the fourth quarter, pushing the Knicks' lead to 16 points. Anunoby was a difference-maker on both sides of the floor.
--The story of the game for Orlando, even before Wagner left the game, was attacking the Knicks in transition. Orlando players beat the Knicks down the floor after made baskets multiple times early on, but the Knicks' defense adjusted and stifled the Magic, holding them to 38.3 percent shooting on the game. Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Anthony Black, and Paolo Banchero all finished in double digits, but it wasn't enough.
-- With Towns out and Robinson dealing with some foul trouble, Josh Hart stepped up and was all over the glass. The veteran finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hukporti also gave the Knicks some strong minutes off the bench, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
-- The Knicks have now won eight of their last nine games, and are now 2.5 games behind Detroit for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Game MVP
Anunoby, whose two-way play, even in limited minutes, played a huge role in the New York victory.
The writing might have been on the wall, but it’s still wild to see.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr used 10 players in the first quarter Sunday against the Chicago Bulls. Jonathan Kuminga wasn’t one of them. Gary Payton II started the second quarter and made it 11 Warriors to see the floor, the same number that saw time in the first half. Kuminga still wasn’t one of them.
Kuminga rode the bench the entire second half, too. The 23-year-old who signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract in restricted free agency to return to the Warriors a day into training camp received his first healthy DNP-CD (Did Not Play — Coach’s Decision) of the 2025-26 NBA season in a 123-91 wire-to-wire road win against the Chicago Bulls.
“Just got to keep going, just like everybody else who’s in this position,” Kerr said after the game. “And it happens to everybody, pretty much, other than the stars. Guys come in and out of the rotation depending on who’s available, how the team’s playing.”
There were several factors that Kerr went into about why Kuminga was leapfrogged in the rotation Sunday. From a positional standpoint, he mentioned wanting to give more minutes to Gui Santos after the impact he made the previous two games. Santos was a plus-15 in 11 1/2 minutes on Thursday, and scored 14 points, including five clutch points in the fourth quarter, on Saturday.
Kerr did not elaborate about his conversation with Kuminga on his decision to keep him out of the rotation against the Bulls.
“All that stuff is private,” Kerr said.
Kuminga spoke with reporters in Chicago for a little more than five minutes after the Warriors’ win. There wasn’t any animosity towards Kerr. Kuminga chose a mature approach, saying “we don’t have any problems,” and noted that he’ll work every day to be ready for his next opportunity.
“As long as things are working out and we’re winning, I don’t see a point of switching anything or changing,” Kuminga said. “Whenever my number gets called, I’ll be ready. But I don’t see the point [of changing]. We’re doing good. We’ve been doing good, things are working really well.
“I don’t see a point of taking certain people out of the rotation when they’re playing well and things are going good right now. I don’t see a point.”
“We don’t have any problems.”
Jonathan Kuminga talks about his relationship with Steve Kerr, his mindset and more after not playing in the Warriors win in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/GoCec9xHt5
A numbers crunch was sure to come Sunday in Chicago. Along with the absence of Steph Curry, who didn’t join the team on the three-game road trip as he continues to rehab a quad contusion, the Warriors on Saturday also were without Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry. Only 10 Warriors were healthy, and all 10 played.
Kuminga was one of them, and he was in the starting lineup after coming off the bench his previous four games. But he scored just four points on 1-of-10 shooting in 21 1/2 minutes. Kuminga missed his first seven shot attempts and was held scoreless in the first half.
“Some of the guys that played tonight aren’t going to play tomorrow,” Kerr said Saturday night after the Warriors’ short-handed win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “That’s got to be OK. For them, for everybody. It’s what it takes to be a great team. You have to be able to sacrifice for the good of the group. Some nights are yours, some nights aren’t.
“Fortunately, we’ve got really good guys one our team and they’re committed to each other, and I feel confident going forward we’ll have a lot of guys who are going to contribute and every night will be a little different.”
Despite being extremely depleted, Warriors had their best feel-good win of the season Saturday by beating the Cavaliers on the road.
Then came the Warriors’ reinforcements. Butler and Melton returned Sunday against the Bulls. A healthy Seth Curry was back but also received a DNP-CD. His older brother is expected to return Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center, as are Green and Horford.
Kuminga played nine minutes and 18 seconds in the second half Saturday, and a lowly two and a half minutes in the fourth quarter. His role being reduced in the more important parts of the game has been a recent trend. He sat the entire fourth quarter of their 12-point loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, and again Thursday in their one-point last-second loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
As Kuminga watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench against the Thunder, his agent, Aaron Turner, posted his disapproval of Kerr’s decision on X. He also reposted somebody else who was against the decision as well.
Restricted free agency between Kuminga and the Warriors dragged to the very last minute. And it didn’t just affect him. The Warriors were stuck in limbo and weren’t signing other players until knowing what the final number on Kuminga’s contract was going to be. In the end, Kuminga came back, but not on the contract he expected going into the summer, and the final deal didn’t include his preferred player option.
Turner took a public approach to Kuminga’s restricted free agency and joined multiple outlets to speak on the situation, including NBC Sports Bay Area.
“Can he be the player he wants to be here, right now, with this roster composition? No. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to win and he’s not willing to sacrifice for the group,” Turner said to myself and Monte Poole on the “Dubs Talk” podcast in September.
Earlier that same day, Turner was on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” and hit on where things stood between Kuminga and his coach.
“The last point where we ended with Steve was, I can’t play this guy big minutes with what I have now. I don’t think that can’t evolve or can’t change but that’s where we are right now, until we see differently. That’s got to be the worst sales pitch to a 20-plus million dollar free agent in the history of basketball,” Turner said.
Kuminga began the 2025-26 NBA season doing all the things the Warriors asked from him and was a big reason why they started the campaign 4-1. The Warriors then went 2-5 over their next seven games, all with Kuminga in the starting lineup. He was dropped to a reserve role in San Antonio on Nov. 12 and left the game at halftime with knee soreness before missing the next seven to bilateral patellar tendonitis.
Before Sunday night’s DNP, Kuminga has played four games since returning from his knee issues and has averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 30 percent from the field and 30.8 percent on 13 3-point attempts. Kuminga in those four games has as many turnovers (eight) as assists.
The Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline now is less than two months away. The first day Kuminga can be traded is Jan. 15, and Sunday’s healthy and loud DNP is the latest development in a rocky relationship.
Maybe it was knowledge that they would have Monday and Tuesday to themselves, but the Warriors on Sunday delivered one of their zestiest performances of the 2025-26 NBA season.
After an inspiring victory Saturday night in Cleveland, they floated into Chicago and cruised to a tip-to-buzzer 123-91 triumph over the Bulls at United Center. It was the first game this season where the Warriors led the entire contest.
The Warriors moved back above .500 (13-12) behind Jimmy Butler’s all-around play, with an efficient 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Six other Warriors scored in double figures, led by Brandin Podziemski coming off the bench to put up a game-high 21 points. Quinten Post finished with 19, De’Anthony Melton had 13, Pat Spencer scored 12, with Moses Moody and Will Richard each totaling 11.
The Warriors poured in 22 3-pointers, the third time this season they’ve drained 20 or more in a game. They dominated the glass, outrebounding Chicago 51-38, more than offsetting the 21 points they gave the Bulls off 17 turnovers.
The Warriors, whose 25 games are tied for the league high, return home with an opportunity to get healthy and reset. Their next game is Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and that will the first of two games over a 10-day span.
Here are three observations from the finale of a three-game road swing through the Eastern Conference:
Jimmy Grabs His Cape
The Warriors maintained a double-digit lead from the final minutes of the first quarter, hiking the advantage as high as 24, before the Bulls rallied late, going on a 17-1 run to pull within eight (87-79) with 11: 24 remaining.
There was no Stephen Curry to stop the onslaught. There was no Draymond Green to cool Chicago’s offense. There was no Al Horford, either. All three were out with injuries.
To whom would the Warriors turn to restore order? Butler.
Clearly sensing a threat, he reached for his cape, scoring eight of his points during a 16-2 run that closed the door and pave the way for Golden State to outscore the Bulls 36-12 over the final 11 minutes.
Butler did so much work, so quickly, that he managed to post a plus-16 in five fourth-quarter minutes before taking a richly deserved seat with the Warriors up by 27 with a 6:31 to play.
Hello, Chicago!
After introducing themselves during the opening tip, the Warriors immediately made themselves at home inside the United Center, racing out to leads of 11-2, 23-10 and, by the end of the first quarter, 38-25.
Showing no ill effect from their late-night arrival from Cleveland, the Warriors made six of their first eight shots and nine of their first 12. They shot 68.2 percent in the quarter, including 61.5 from deep.
After losing the tip against Bulls big man Nikola Vučević, Post made three consecutive 3-pointers within the first five minutes to finish the quarter with nine points. Six different Warriors drained triples in the first 12 minutes.
In another show of early energy, Golden State outrebounded the Bulls 12-6 in the quarter and limited them to 44-percent shooting from the field, including 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Latest Chapter In The Book Of Kuminga
Eleven different Warriors participated in one of Golden State’s most decisive wins this season, and none of them was Jonathan Kuminga.
One night after making his first start in 25 days in a win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland, Kuminga never left the bench in Chicago. He was not listed on the injury report, so this DNP-CD makes a curious statement.
Kuminga, inconsistent all season, didn’t exactly help his cause in Cleveland. Making his first start since returning last Tuesday after missing seven games with an ankle sprain, he grabbed seven rebounds but scored only four points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, including 0 of 3 from distance.
In the three games since his return, Kuminga is averaging 7.0 points per game, shooting 25 percent (8 of 32) from the field, including beyond the arc.
Though Kuminga won’t be trade eligible until Jan. 15, it will be very interesting to see how the Warriors manage him over the coming weeks.
Just as the Magic get Paolo Banchero back comes this potentially troubling news.
Orlando forward Franz Wagner left Sunday's game against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden after going to the ground when, on a first quarter transition opportunity, New York's Mitchell Robinson came in to block a pass to Wagner, and the German went to the ground and instantly grabbed his left knee. He stayed on the ground for a while before being helped back to the locker room by his brother, Mo Wagner.
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner landed awkwardly and held his left knee in pain for a while. Wagner was helped to the locker room by his brother, Moe Wagner, and another Magic player. pic.twitter.com/x66iqwcPOU
The Magic only said that Wagner would not return to the game due to a "lower left leg injury" and "will be re-evaluated upon the team's return to Orlando."
Wagner had been playing at an All-Star level for the Magic, averaging 23.4 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, shooting 35.4% from 3-point range. He had been the best player on the team through the Magic's run of elite play in recent weeks.
Charania’s report came after Antetokounmpo appeared to have removed Bucks-related posts and mentions from his Instagram account.
Warriors icon Draymond Green discussed the situation and explained why Antetokounmpo would be a challenging player to center a possible trade around in the latest edition of his “Draymond Green Show” podcast.
“We all know that Giannis wants to compete at the highest level,” Green said. “A lot of people made a lot of noise about him deleting all Milwaukee Bucks references off of his Instagram account. If you’re Giannis and you’re trying to press the team to do something, those are the types of things that you would do in order to make the team realize, ‘I’m not happy … It’s going public now. Y’all better figure it out.’
“What I will say is, it’s not the easiest to trade someone that makes $50 million, because, in most cases, you usually have to depete your whole team, just to even make the salaries work; it limits the amount of teams that Giannis can go to. He’ll have a list of clubs that he’d be comfortable going to, that he’ll share with the team, and I think they’ll try to make it happen.”
Antetokounmpo is on the books for $54.13 million during the 2025-26 NBA season and is under contract through the 2027 campaign. As Green explained, that number isn’t easy to work with — or around.
The Warriors, for example, could offer the paint-dominant Antetokounmpo one of the more intriguing on-court fits across the league next to the floor-spacing Steph Curry. But considering Golden State already is paying Curry and Jimmy Butler over $50 million each, it would be extremely challenging to deal for Antetokounmpo.
However, the financials would be complex for most teams.
Antetokounmpo has spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Bucks. But with Milwaukee sitting at 11th in the Eastern Conference as of Sunday afternoon, it’s clear the franchise is a shell of its 2021 finals-winning self.
Green believes the Bucks would “try” to fulfill a potential trade request from Antetokounmpo, should he desire an exit. Regardless, any potential deal involving the two-time NBA MVP would be a blockbuster.
