CHICAGO (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 22 points, 17 assists and 14 rebounds for his second triple-double in as many games, Jamal Murray had 28 points and 11 assists and the Denver Nuggets ended a three-game skid with a 136-120 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
It was Jokic's 19th triple-double of the season. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 points for the Nuggets, who capped a three-game road trip with a win after losing at Detroit and New York.
Matas Buzelis scored 21 points and Collin Sexton added 17 for the Bulls, who have lost four straight.
The Bulls led 104-97 after closing the third period on a 16-2 run, but Denver started the final quarter on a 20-2 spurt to take the lead for good. Jokic and Julian Strawther capped the run with consecutive 3-pointers.
Chicago went the first six minutes of the fourth before making its first field goal and finished the final period 5 for 17 from the floor.
Jokic had nine points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 17 first-half minutes, but the Bulls led 65-59 at the intermission.
New Lakers guard Luke Kennard hits three pointer under pressure from Warriors forward Gui Santos on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
LeBron James had a near triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds during the Lakers’ 105-99 win over the Golden State Warriors Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
During a game stars Luka Doncic (mild left hamstring strain) and Golden State’s Stephen Curry (knee injury) missed, the Lakers pulled off the win with six players scoring in double figures.
Austin Reaves had 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds and Rui Hachimura had 18 points on seven-for-10 shots.
Luke Kennard, who was acquired Thursday from the Atlanta Hawks for Gabe Vincent, played his role well. He had 10 points in his first game as a Laker, coming off the bench to go four-for-seven from the field and two-for-four from the three-point line. He also had two assists and two rebounds.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt battles Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski for a loose ball at Crypto.com Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Kennard drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Reaves to give the Lakers a 92-88 lead in the fourth quarter.
After Reaves scored, Kennard showed off his passing skills, finding Jared Vanderbilt under the basket for a dunk. Maxi Kleber scored and Reaves made two free throws to help seal the Lakers' win.
Lakers call Doncic's injury mild
The Lakers said Doncic was diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain and will be listed as day-to-day.
The Lakers play Oklahoma Monday night and San Antonio Tuesday night before playing the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. The NBA All-Star game follows on Feb. 15 and the Lakers don’t play again until Feb. 20 against the Clippers at home.
So, Lakers coach JJ Redick and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka both were asked Saturday night if Doncic would be able to play in the all-star game or if it would be best for him to rest.
"I've been around him as a teammate and as a coach and I know he [loves to] plays. If he's able to play, he plays. I think he wants to be in the all-star game,” Redick said. “I know he wants to play against Dallas, the game before the all-star game. He has his team working on him day and night. So again, it's day to day and when he's ready to play, we'll get him out there."
Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (32.8) and is second in assists (8.6), earned the most all-star game votes. In the new all-star game format of “U.S. vs. the World,” Doncic would play for the world team because he’s from Slovenia.
“Luka, one of his greatest qualities is when he has an injury or he's unavailable for a game, he is deeply upset,” Pelinka, who spoke to the media for the first time since September. “He just can't stand not playing basketball. He loves the game so much and wants to play every night. And that's an incredible quality. Just a player who's like fighting and clawing to play versus looking for a reason maybe not to. So we commend Luka for that. In terms of this injury, the good news is it doesn't appear to be anything serious. It was a mild hamstring strain and he is truly day to day."
Kennard makes immediate impact
Kennard didn’t waste any time making an impact for the Lakers during their game against the Warriors.
He drilled his first shot as a Laker, a high arching 25-foot three pointer with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
The shot was set up by Reaves, giving Kennard a glimpse of what life will be like playing with the Lakers’ big three of James, Doncic and Reaves.
“Those guys attract so much attention to other teams on the offensive end and for me, it’s just spacing the floor, making the right plays at all times and just being aggressive out there,” Kennard said before the game about his role. “Coming off the bench and just looking to hunt my shot at all times. I know that’s what they want me to do as a team and the coaches and I’m looking forward to doing that.”
Etc.
Pelinka said the Lakers have a roster spot available and will look at the buy-out market to potentially find a player to add to the team. But, according to people with knowledge of the matter not authorized to discuss it publicly, the Lakers don’t have interest in Cam Thomas, a 6-foot-3 guard who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets.
"Yeah, so we have an open roster spot and we are in sort of active conversations with some players that are available now, doing our due diligence,” Pelinka said. “And then of course, to your point, players down the road could come in through the buyout market. So, we are evaluating that 15th roster spot and at some point probably will likely fill it."
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Ace Buckner and RJ Godfrey each scored 13 points as No. 20 Clemson overwhelmed California 77-55 and moved into a first-place tie with No. 4 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday.
The Tigers (20-4, 10-1) and Blue Devils meet in Durham, North Carolina, next Saturday. Duke (21-2, 10-1) lost 71-68 at No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday.
Clemson has won 14 consecutive ACC road games, tied for the second-longest road win streak in conference history. Duke won 24 in a row from 1998 through 2001. The Blue Devils also had a 14-game road ACC win streak (1962-64).
Jake Wahlin and Carter Welling each had 11 points for the Tigers, who went 27 for 59 (55.1%) from the floor, including 12 for 26 (46.2%) from beyond the arc.
Justin Pippen led Cal (17-7, 5-6) with a game-high 19 points.
Pippen's 3-pointer less than five minutes into the game gave the Bears a 13-9 lead. The Tigers then put together a 23-1 spurt capped by Wahlin's 3 that put Clemson up 32-14 with three minutes left in the half.
Dai Dai Ames scored for California on the ensuing possession, ending the Bears’ field-goal drought at nearly 13 minutes.
Clemson entered Saturday second in the ACC in fewest points allowed per game at 64.5. The Tigers led 39-20 at halftime as they held the Bears to 6 for 25 shooting in the opening half. California also committed nine turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Cal played without center Lee Dort. He missed his fourth straight game because of a leg injury he suffered in the Bears’ 78-66 win at Stanford on Jan. 24.
Up next
Clemson: Hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Cal: Plays at Syracuse on Wednesday.
—
This story has been corrected to show Wahlin and Welling each scored 11 points instead of 13.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Ebuka Okorie scored a career-high 40 points to lead Stanford to a 95-72 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday night to end a five-game losing streak.
Okorie shot 12 of 21 from the floor, made three 3-pointers and all 13 of his free-throw attempts. He surpassed his previous high of 36 points scored in the Cardinal's 95-90 win against then-No. 14 North Carolina on Jan. 14.
Jeremy Dent-Smith added 16 points for Stanford (15-9, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), which shot 54% overall (33 of 61) and 17 of 19 from the foul line.
Stanford opened the second half on a 13-4 run to stretch its lead to 56-43. Georgia Tech pulled to 62-55 with 11:26 left but didn’t get closer.
Akai Fleming scored 19 points to lead Georgia Tech (11-13, 2-9), which has lost five straight. Baye Ndongo added 14 points and Jaeden Mustaf scored 13.
Georgia Tech closed the first half on a 12-5 run to pull to 43-39 at the break. The Yellow Jackets shot 52% overall in the first half but the Cardinal hit four more buckets from beyond the arc (7 of 16).
ORLANDO, Fla, (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points and the Orlando Magic overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 120-117 on Saturday night.
Desmond Bane added 22 points, making two free throws with 28.3 seconds to go to give the Magic a 118-117 lead. Anthony Black scored 21 points, and Banchero also had eight assists and seven rebounds.
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 27 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 of his 22 points in the first half in his Utah debut, and Isaiah Collier scored 20 points. Utah has lost two straight and 18 of 22.
Jackson came over from Memphis in a trade this week. John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. also made their Jazz debuts after the deal.
Keyonte George returned to the Utah lineup after missing three games because of a sprained left ankle. He had five points.
The Magic have won two in a row at home, beating Brooklyn on Thursday night.
Up next
Jazz: At Miami on Monday night.
Magic: Host Milwaukee on Monday and Wednesday nights.
On what looked to be the final possession of a 68-68 game, North Carolina guard Derek Dixon drove to the basket and kicked it out to Seth Trimble in the corner. Trimble hit what appeared to be a buzzer-beating 3 to give the Tar Heels a 71-68 win to hand Duke its second loss of the season, kicking off a party in Chapel Hill that started with storming the court.
The problem is, that party kicked off a bit early. After review, officials found that there were still 0.4 seconds on the clock, sending UNC fans shambling back to their seats or the sidelines and kicking off a clean-up on the court. Luckily, the court clearing was handled expeditiously, and they were able to finish the game.
No. 4 Duke fell to 21-2 on the year, whereas No. 18 North Carolina advanced to 19-4. North Carolina only led for the final 0.4 seconds of the game, and staved off its fourth straight loss to the Blue Devils.
While Trimble will go down as the hero, it was the efforts of Caleb Wilson that had the Tar Heels in a position to win. He had 23 points and played the full 40 for UNC, going toe-to-toe with Blue Devils star Cameron Boozer, who put up 24 points in 38 minutes despite some early foul trouble.
Duke and North Carolina will play again on March 7, undoubtedly with some more vitriol than usual coming in. The only emotion stronger than the love these teams have of beating each other is the hatred of losing to each other. Duke has a month to reckon with that feeling, which came in heartbreaking fashion.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Elvis Smylie won LIV Golf Riyadh on Saturday night in his tour debut, closing with a bogey-free 8-under 64 under the lights to hold off Jon Rahm by a stroke.
The 23-year-old Australian also led Ripper GC to the team title.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Smylie, who officially joined the team last month. “I really didn’t know what to expect this week. Playing at night is obviously a whole different ballgame out here. I wanted to come out here and make a statement. I wanted to prove that I’m one of the best out here, and I feel like I’ve done that. It’s only up from here.”
HOUSTON (AP) — Bailey Maupin scored 25 points and No. 18 Texas Tech cruised to an 85-61 victory over Houston on Saturday night.
Maupin made 7 of 13 shots with five 3-pointers and all six of her free throws for the Lady Raiders (22-3, 9-3 Big 12 Conference). She also had six rebounds.
Jalynn Bristow scored 15 on 6-for-8 shooting for Texas Tech, adding five rebounds and four blocked shots. Gemma Nunez pitched in with 13 points, seven assists and six steals.
Amirah Abdur-Rahim paced the Cougars (7-16, 1-11) with 18 points and seven rebounds, but she also had seven of Houston's 21 turnovers that the Lady Raiders turned into 40 points. Kierra Merchant had 13 points and Briana Peguero scored 12 but had six turnovers.
Bristow and Maupin sank 3-pointers in a 16-3 run in the final five minutes of the first quarter and Texas Tech led 21-12.
Maupin hit all four of her first-half 3-pointers, scoring 16 to help the Lady Raiders build a 44-28 advantage at halftime. Bristow added 10 points as Houston shot 58.6% before the break. Texas Tech hit 6 of 13 from beyond the arc, while Houston made 1 of 5 and shot 39.3% overall.
The Cougars played Tech to a 15-all tie in the third quarter, but Denae Fritz buried a 3-pointer with seven minutes remaining to give the Lady Raiders their first 20-point lead at 66-46 with seven minutes remaining.
Tech beat Houston for the seventh straight time. The Lady Raiders have won 28 of the last 30 matchups and lead the all-time series 46-14.
Houston lost its first nine conference games before beating Cincinnati 72-70 at home.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -FEBRUARY 7 Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs takes off on the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at Frost Bank Center on February 7, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Concluding an away-home miniseries against the Dallas Mavericks, what started as a tight game through the first 18 minutes turned into a runaway Spurs blowout win at home, kicked off by a strong closing to the first half. Overall, the Spurs put on quite the show, with offensive and defense highlights. They made their money with 74 points in the paint on their way to a 138-125 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated. Stephon Castle led with a historical performance of 40 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming just the second player in franchise history to achieve that feat along with David Robinson.
Observations
We had another different starting line-up tonight, with Castle returning in place of Harrison Barnes. It ended up being the right night for it, as a he finished with the 40-12-12 triple-double and did it in spectacular fashion. He become the youngest player in league history to record a 40-point triple-double, and it didn’t come with any forced offense. Castle simply let the game come to him, hitting 15-19 shots and 3-5 threes, as well as three steals and a block. Per usual, the blemish of 6 turnovers was there, but he was on such a heater that this is one of those times that you just accept the little bit of ugly with the overwhelming amount of good.
The Spurs thrived in the transition to open the game, with nine early points on the fast break. They also struggled themselves with transition defense, with the Mavs scoring two early buckets off made baskets, which didn’t leave either coach happy. The Spurs also had a few careless turnovers in the back court after securing rebounds, which led to a few extra Mavs possessions.
We got a stretch of vintage Klay Thompson to open the second quarter, with 14 points in the first 4 minutes, including 3-3 from beyond the arc (one off one of those aforementioned back court turnovers) to help the Mavs briefly take a two-point lead after the Spurs had led by as much as 11. But then…
Carter Bryant was a big part of a Spurs 32-16 run through the second half of the second quarter. He hit three threes and had three huge blocks. (He actually had four, but one that was called a goal-tend, and it was so close it was hard to tell if it was actually the correct call. Regardless, that block was all the way up at the top of the square on the backboard, showing just how insane his athleticism and bounce really is.
With the short-handed Thunder continuing to struggle, loosing at home to a Rockets squad that was having its own troubles, pushing for the top seed suddenly doesn’t seem like too much of an insane idea for the Spurs.
The Spurs granted my wish from yesterday’s What we learned (also, reverse jinx superpowers still in tact): “As fun as it may be, I need a break from tight games. Whether that relief will come in the form of a blowout win in the next three games or simply as a part of the All-Star break after that is the ultimate question. Don’t get me wrong: I love a team that knows how to tighten the strings and put things together on both ends when the game is on the line, which will be very important in the playoffs, but I would also happily accept a blowout win here or there, just for my own sanity.”
WACO, Texas (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 17 points and No. 15 Baylor held off Arizona State for a 67-64 victory on Saturday night.
Gabby Elliott's jumper pulled Arizona State to 65-64 with 15 seconds left. Jana Van Gytenbeek answered with a pair of free throws for Baylor before the Sun Devils committed a turnover on their final possession.
Arizona State used a 12-2 run for its only lead of the second half, 44-43, with three minutes left in the third quarter, but Baylor took a 53-48 advantage into the fourth.
The Sun Devils tied it twice more before the Bears took the lead for good on a pair of Kayla Nelms' free throws with 5:43 to play.
Scott missed 10 of 14 field-goal attempts but made two 3-pointers and hit all seven of her free-throw attempts. Van Gytenbeek finished with 13 points and Nelms scored 12 for Baylor (21-4, 10-2 Big 12). Darianna Littlepage-Buggs grabbed 12 rebounds to go with six points.
Elliott scored 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead Arizona State (19-6, 6-6). Jyah LoVett added 16 points.
Arizona State trailed for most of the first half, but LoVett's jumper tied it 26-all before Scott's three free throws put Baylor up 29-26 at the break.
Baylor is 2-0 in the series since Arizona State joined the Big 12 Conference and 6-0 overall.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Karon Catchings matched career highs with five 3-pointers and 23 points and Georgia overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat LSU 83-71 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.
Jeremiah Wilkinson added 18 points, Somto Cyril 12 and Blue Cain 10 for Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC), which shot 51% and made 10 of 25 3-pointers for 40%.
Max Mackinnon scored 26 points, one off his season high, to lead the Tigers (14-9, 2-8). Marquel Sutton added 14 points and Pablo Tamba grabbed 12 rebounds to go with seven points. LSU shot 42% and just 22% on 3-pointers.
Ahead by five at halftime, the Bulldogs stayed in front the rest of the way and used an 8-0 spurt capped by a Catchings 3-pointer to take their largest lead of 17 with four minutes to go.
After an early Tigers' flurry from the arc when they hit five of their first seven 3-point attempts and broke out to a 31-16 lead, they then missed their final 16 tries from distance. After the Tigers' fast start, the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 26-6, hitting four 3-pointers to go into the break ahead 42-37.
Up next
Georgia is home against No. 17 Florida on Wednesday.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - FEBRUARY 7: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks go up for a jump ball during the game on February 7, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks were blown out Saturday evening by the San Antonio Spurs, 138-125. Stephon Castle put on a basketball clinic for the Spurs, posting 40 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals. Klay Thompson was the high point man for Dallas off the bench with 19. The Mavericks have now lost seven in a row.
There was a furious pace to the early minutes of the game, and the Spurs took full advantage of a questionable Dallas transition defense. Head coach Jason Kidd was forced to call a timeout with San Antonio going up 16-6 following a Flagg turnover where he appeared to hurt his shoulder. New Maverick Marvin Bagley burst out of the timeout with a couple of hustle baskets. A Brandon Williams three forced a Spurs timeout with Dallas down 21-18. The Mavericks kept the energy high all period but San Antonio had an answer for every Dallas shot. They weathered the Dallas push and closed out the first quarter up 39-32.
The Mavericks continued to fight in the second frame, taking their first lead at 8:30 on a Caleb Martin drive and finish. As the period wore on, the Spurs finally matched the Dallas energy; slowly and surely they overtook the Mavericks on the scoreboard. An end-of-quarter scoring flurry put the Spurs up by 14 as Dallas could not match the talent level San Antonio put out on the floor. Dallas entered halftime down 81-67.
Nearly all season long, the Mavericks have made a living off of simply playing hard. They’ve stayed in games due to consistent effort married to reasonable enough talent. But the third quarter against the Spurs was one of the rare times that energy just didn’t matter. The Spurs thumped Dallas, growing the lead bit by bit. The Mavericks simply couldn’t hang. Halfway through the period, the San Antonio lead grew to 24. There was a Cooper injury scare (maybe his third of the game?) in the frame where his foot bent at a concerning angle, but he seemed fine. The Spurs led going into the fourth 116-91.
The final quarter was largely about Castle beating the brakes off Dallas and everyone getting out of the game without an injury. Dallas tried to eat into the lead, but could not stop the Spurs from scoring. Dallas fell to San Antonio, 138-125.
Dallas is a long way off from what San Antonio is doing
There’s optimism among the Dallas fanbase, and there absolutely should be. Cooper Flagg rules and clearing off a bunch of salary, which will allow the Mavericks a chance to build something new, is important. But make no mistake: Dallas has a long way to go to even being a playoff team in my view.
Kyrie Irving’s return will be great if he stays in Dallas. A top-tier draft pick will also help and if the Mavericks get lucky, that may change my view somewhat. But compared to the Spurs, they lack in every area. That’s not an insult either, the Spurs are loaded for bear and ready to go try and win a title. But there are levels to this whole NBA contender thing, and Dallas is much closer to the bottom of the league than the NBA playoffs, and I think the optimism folks are feeling is blurring just how much this team actually needs. But one player can change things, and you never know what happens in the lottery and in free agency. Maybe I’m wrong here, but getting bushwhacked by the Spurs in two straight games puts a damper on my positivity.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 20: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Jordan Goodwin #23 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 20, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 13: Alex Sarr #20 of the Washington Wizards drives against Duncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on April 13, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Washington Wizards play the Miami Heat tomorrow. Let’s preview this one.
Game info
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Washington
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Injuries: For the Wizards, Tre Johnson (ankle), Tristan Vukcevic (hamstring), Trae Young (knee, quad), Cam Whitmore (shoulder), Dante Exum (knee) and Anthony Davis (finger) are out. Jaden Hardy and D’Angelo Russell are day-to-day.
For the Heat, Tyler Herro (ribs) and Terry Rozier (administrative leave) are out. Pelle Larson is day-to-day.
What to watch for
Washington is playing many games in a short stretch. In fact, today’s game and tomorrow’s matinee is less than 24 hours apart! As for the Heat, they are coming off a two game losing streak, most recently to the Boston Celtics last Friday. Let’s see if the Wizards can snap back out of the funk they were in their loss to the Brooklyn Nets earlier this afternoon.
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 2: Jalen Green #4 and Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns look on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on November 2, 2025 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The last time Devin Booker and Jalen Green both finished a full game without leaving injured came against Philadelphia during that six-game road trip. The very next night, everything changed. Green hurt his hip in Atlanta. Booker twisted his ankle. Since then, seven games have passed, and both have been working their way back.
Tonight, the schedule brings it full circle. The Suns face the Philadelphia 76ers again. Both Booker and Green are available to play.
INJURY UPDATE: Devin Booker and Jalen Green are AVAILABLE for tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/Hx3Wr5VIOS
If you are a Philadelphia fan, you are probably asking yourself, why us. And yet, here we are. The door is open for both Devin Booker and Jalen Green to play.
That is huge if you are a Suns fan. First, it tells you they are healthy enough to give it a go. Second, it addresses something that was glaring in the last game against Golden State. They needed them. Badly.
Even a limited version of Booker and Green changes the geometry of the floor. It gives the offense a true primary ball handler. Someone who can organize possessions, calm things down, and get the team into something functional. We saw what happens when that is missing. After Grayson Allen went down against the Warriors, the offense stalled. Isolation piled on isolation. The rhythm disappeared.
With both available tonight, that safety valve exists again. If the game tightens late and the Suns need offense, need structure, need someone to put their hands on the wheel, that option is back on the table. And that alone changes the ceiling of what this team can be in those moments.
The assumption is that both will be on some kind of minutes restriction, especially Booker. Ankles are tricky. That is not something to mess with. Jalen’s hip feels a little less alarming, but it still sits next to the hamstring issue he was dealing with, so caution makes sense there too.
It will be interesting to see how Jordan Ott staggers the rotations. Finding the balance between effectiveness and fatigue matters. You want them impactful while they are out there, without pushing them into anything risky or rushed.
All that said, praise the Lord. The boys are back.
