Category: Basketball

It’s time for Game No. 4 of the Golden State Warriors season … and hopefully, Win No. 1. It won’t be easy, though, as the Dubs are taking on superstar Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, on the road.

There’s good news, though: the Dubs are getting some reinforcements. After not playing Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, or Al Horford in Saturday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, all four of those players are off the injury report in this one.

Here’s the full injury report for both squads:

Warriors

Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(not with team)

No news is emphatically not good news in the case of Kristaps Porziņģis. It does feel like we’ve seen the last of him wearing a Warriors jersey, but that might be pessimistic of me. We’re still waiting for an update … any update.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair surgery)
Out — Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair surgery)

Nothing new for either of these two. They’ll be out for a few more months, at the minimum.

Available — Gui Santos (left knee tendinitis)
Available — Charles Bassey (right patellar tendinopathy)
Available — Brandon Williams (left low back soreness)

Santos, Bassey, and Williams all played on Saturday, and Bassey and Williams in particular player quite well. They’re not 100%, but they’re good to go for this game.

Nuggets

Out — Julian Strawther (left knee sprain)

Strawther, who was taken 29th overall in 2023, figures to play a huge role on Denver’s team this year. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in camp, and will likely be out until sometime around early December.

Out — Spencer Jones (bilateral hamstring injury management)

Jones, who went undrafted out of Stanford, had a breakout second season a year ago. He’s yet to make his season debut this year, but should be back on the court soon.

Out — Alpha Diallo (right wrist sprain/personal reasons)

Not often you see the injury/personal reasons combo. Hopefully everything is okay with Diallo, a 29-year old rookie.

Doubtful — Cameron Johnson (right ankle sprain)

Johnson hasn’t been as good with the Nuggets as he was before being traded by the Brooklyn Nets, but he’s still a quality shooter, and one of Denver’s starting five. It will be a hit for the Nuggets if he’s unable to play.

Enjoy the game, everyone. It tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Cason Wallace started the 2026-27 NBA season by getting a lucrative contract extension to stay in Oklahoma City with the Thunder as they looked to make another run to the NBA Finals.

Sadly, those hopes just took a major blow less than a full week into the season.

Thunder GM Sam Presti announced on Monday that Wallace has suffered a torn labrum and will require surgery.

With a long recovery timetable, a return this season looks bleak for the former Kentucky Wildcats standout.

Wallace has become a core player for the Thunder alongside SGA in the backcourt. Already winning one title, it seems this team’s window is still wide open with how many draft picks they have accrued over the next several seasons.

However, it will take a lot for them to make another deep run this season, especially with teammate Jalen Williams also being sidelined for most, if not the entire season due to a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula.

Here’s to hoping both of these guys are able to fully heal and return at some point this season.

BREAKING: Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams has a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula; Cason Wallace has a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Both will undergo surgery and be sidelined for several months — most, if not the entire season. pic.twitter.com/62OxZtIGRc

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 26, 2026

The Thunder’s worst fears around Jalen Williams’ injury were realized.

The All-Star wing dislocated his left ankle and has a fractured fibula after taking a nasty fall on a drive to the basket late in the fourth quarter Sunday night, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti announced during his media availability Monday.

Fourth-year guard Cason Wallace, an All-Defensive Second Team selection a year ago, also has a torn left labrum.

Both will undergo surgery and will miss most of and potentially the entire regular season, according to ESPN. Presti did not offer up a return timetable.

“He’s as tough as they come. He’s an elite competitor,” Presti said of Williams. “Even last night, just miraculous in terms of his outlook in the way he’s looking forward to attacking this. And, you know, we’re going to be with him the entire way.”

It’s a rough blow for a Thunder team looking to win a second NBA championship in three years after losing to the Spurs in last season’s Western Conference finals.

Williams, who was averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three games, injured himself when he was sandwiched between two Clippers players on a drive.

He landed with his left leg getting caught underneath him as he fell hard to the court. Williams, 25, was taken off on a stretcher after being immediately attended to by medical personnel.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was emotional when asked during his on-court postgame interview what was going through his mind watching Williams’ injury during the 108-101 win that moved the team to 3-0 on he season.

“I don’t even know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that.”

He knows the team has a much taller task ahead of it now without his co-star, but he is confident the team can work through it. Williams also missed time last season after wrist surgeries and dealt with multiple hamstring strains.

“It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But he’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever, and we know it. We’ve just got to hold the fort down until he comes back.”

Wallace tried to fight through a screen early in the game against the Clippers and immediately grabbed near his shoulder.

The 22-year-old, who is averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds this year, signed a five-year, $135 million contract with the team before the season started. 

In devastating news for Thunder fans and basketball aficionados everywhere, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace could both miss the rest of the season after being scheduled to undergo surgery for serious injuries, the team announced.

Williams suffered a gruesome injury during the Thunder’s matchup against the Clippers on Sunday, and while there was no official announcement at the time, it was clear for anyone watching that he would be sidelined for a long time. Now, General Manager Sam Presti has revealed that he suffered a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula. It’s a similar injury to the one Gordon Hayward suffered back in 2017 (Hayward dislocated his ankle and broke his tibia), and the forward was sidelined for a year after that. It’s very likely Williams, who missed most of last year, won’t return this season.

In somewhat more surprising news, Cason Wallace also suffered a serious injury in the same game that will require surgery and could sideline him for several months. The up-and-coming guard has a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury similar to the one that sidelined Ja Morant for six months in 2024 (Morant’s tear was on his right shoulder). He could return at some point this season, but he’s out indefinitely.

The injuries represent a huge blow to Oklahoma City’s title chances, as they will now be out without two starters, including a former All-Star in Williams. They still have the reigning two-time MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, to lead their offense and the pieces to have an elite defense, including Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren, but they can’t be considered the favorite to come out of the West anymore. The front office could try to make an upgrade at the wing in the trade market by using young players and draft picks, but it could seriously complicate their cap situation going forward, since Williams is on a maximum salary and they just extended Wallace for $139 million over five years.

The news doesn’t only affect the Thunder. The Spurs have likely vaulted past them as the projected top team in the Western Conference, but they will probably stay put and not make any big transactions. Other teams, however, could see this as an opportunity to challenge for the top spot. The currently undefeated Rockets have the assets to make a trade. Other franchises that were projected to be on the second tier in the conference, like the Lakers and Nuggets, don’t have a lot of movable pieces but could try to go all in with whatever they have left if they consider this year, with the favorites wounded, to be their best chance at getting out of the West for a while.

While injuries to key players from a direct rival benefit the Spurs, it’s important to always keep in mind that players are people, and basketball is just a game. Hopefully, both Williams and Wallace will have quick and full recoveries.

The Spurs will face the Thunder for their second head-to-head matchup of the season on February 11.

Austin Reaves is turning heads.

He has the best true shooting percentage by a guard in NBA history at 63.2%, ahead of Steph Curry who’s in second place (62.6%).

Through the first three games of this season, Reaves has a stunning true shooting percentage of 82%.

He’s averaging career-highs in points (26.7), field goal percentage (63.9%), 3-point percentage (61.5%) and assists (6.3).

Reaves signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Lakers this offseason, the richest contract in NBA history for a player who went undrafted.

So far, Reaves is more than living up to his deal.

He has helped the Lakers jump to a 3-0 start and is playing like an All-Star.

Said Lakers coach JJ Redick: “AR so far in these three games has just been Mr. Consistency.”

Added Luka Doncic, who made it clear to Lakers’ brass that he wanted to play alongside Reaves this season: “Obviously his efficiency, it’s off the roof. And just to have him next to me, leading this team, it’s awesome.”

Yaxel Lendeborg's game vs. Nuggets gives Warriors glimpse of fantastic future originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry was cooking Monday night, and the Warriors were feasting. He was making every shot, their leads growing to 10 and then 13 and even 15. They led 87-77 when Curry was subbed out with 3:42 remaining the third quarter.

Uh-oh. Time for the historically worrisome non-Steph minutes against the proud Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, where the Warriors had not won since 2022.

To the rescue came Yaxel Lendeborg. With Curry observing from the bench, the rookie was superb, engineering a response that pushed the lead to 16 at the end of the quarter and clearing the path to a 134-114 win that was Golden State’s first of the 2026-27 NBA season.

“Basically, in all the critical moments of the game, we just put the ball in his hands,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Denver. “And for a rookie to be that advanced already, it’s extremely rare.”

Playing in his fourth NBA game, Lendeborg’s performance allowed the Warriors to take flight against a team they struggle to beat, in a building where they rarely succeed.

From the time Curry and Draymond Green went to the bench late in the third quarter, Golden State outscored Denver 47-37. Lendeborg’s third quarter consisted of 12 points, six rebounds and one assist, and the floor generalship of a vet.

“He’s able to impose his will on the game,” Green said. “I don’t care what age you are, it’s the NBA. If you don’t know the NBA game, you’re already at a deficit. He don’t know the game. Not that he don’t know the game of basketball; he don’t know the NBA game. And to be able to have the ability to go out there and still do that, not knowing what the NBA brings on a nightly basis, is special.

“But it’s no different from what I’ve been saying for weeks now. I think he’s a special player.”

Lendeborg produced a career-high 31 points, on 9-of-19 shooting from the field despite being only 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. He added 12 rebounds and six assists, finishing plus-27 over 31 minutes and getting a procession of daps, high-fives and embraces upon being subbed out with the 2:34 left and Warriors leading by 21.

Four games into the season, Lendeborg has been so impressive on offense that the Warriors are living with his defensive lapses. He’s averaging 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His 83 points through four games is the most for any Warriors rookie since Wilt Chamberlain poured in 150 in his first four games.  

The quick start is something of a surprise to Lendeborg. Behind his shiny veneer of confidence and fearlessness is a man who realizes he was playing college basketball at the University of Michigan only seven months ago.

“I definitely thought I was going to wet the bed first half of the season,” he told NBCSN. “I definitely didn’t have the best hopes for what I was going to do, but with the confidence that Steph and Draymond are providing me, I’ve been playing with a lot more energy and confidence and just going out and having fun.”

Yaxel Lendeborg gave a hilarious answer on how he envisioned his first NBA games to go! pic.twitter.com/TEcrHpaeqn

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 27, 2026

Lendeborg’s 12-of-13 shooting from the line left Kerr marveling over the now and comparing him to Jimmy Butler III while visualizing a fantastic future.

“When you get to the line consistently, you can control the game,” Kerr said. “If the other team goes on a run, you go to a guy like Yax or Jimmy, they get fouled, the game slows down and you set your defense. The game just gets a lot easier. Yax having that ability, combined with his passing skills, he’s going to be a guy who’s going to close games like he did tonight.”

To put a finer point on it, Lendeborg’s second-half takeover required only 15 minutes to score 16 points, grab seven rebounds and ring up four assists.

Though Lendeborg closed out the Nuggets, it was Curry who provided a runway for the Warriors during that pivotal third quarter, scoring 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including a pair of triples.  He posted the second “immaculate” scoring game of his career, totaling 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting, including 3 of 3 from distance.

“I knew at a certain point I had to get some opportunity,” Curry told NBCSN. “I didn’t know it was going to be a perfect night like that, but I’m glad it all came together. “Yaxel played amazing and we were flying around on defense. That’s how we got the win.”

After losing their first three games of the season, including blowing a 12-point lead inside the final four minutes of their home opener last Friday, this was the kind of victory the Warriors needed. One that cleansed the souls of everyone on the payroll.

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Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week for the opening week of the season.

The other nominees in the Western Conference included Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, as well as Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rockets’ Amen Thompson.

Doncic is coming off a thrilling 52-point performance on Sunday afternoon against the Utah Jazz. Interestingly though, he did not play particularly well in the season’s first two games.

Meanwhile, Reaves has looked incredibly steady to start the season. He is averaging 26.7 points, 6.3 assists, and is shooting a whopping 63% from the field over the Lakers’ first three games.

In the Eastern Conference, the nominees included Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, Hawks’ Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson and Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.

Jerome, who’s in his second season with the Grizzlies, is leading the league in scoring with 34.7 points a game, ahead of Doncic who’s No. 2 with 34.3 points a game.

Both Jerome and Doncic have led their respective teams to 3-0 starts.

Maxey is averaging 28.8 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals for the 76ers, who opened the season with a 3-1 record, including wins over the reigning champion Knicks, Cavaliers and Bucks. The 76ers fell to the Pistons on Sunday, 106-93.

We’ll see how the Cleveland Cavaliers stack up against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that looked like a title contender at the start of the season.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

The Cleveland Cavaliers have watched as 20+ point leads have vanished in three of their last six games, dating back to last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. It’s a troubling trend that has to be addressed — even if they aren’t the only team in the league that’s been affected.

“It happens,” said Kenny Atkinson. “The timing hasn’t been great, but just in general, I would say with all of the variance in the way the NBA is played today — it’s something we had to address and keep talking about it.”

Atkinson isn’t wrong. Just two days before the Cavs blew a 29-point lead to Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics suffered a similar fate in their opening game against Detroit. For all of Cleveland’s pain from Game 1 of the Conference Finals versus New York, the Spurs are feeling even worse about their Game 4 collapse in the Finals.

Blown leads happen across sports. It’s even worse in basketball now that three-point variance and possesion-maxxing has become the norm. Cleveland has just been on the wrong end of the stick multiple games in a row.

“We showed the guys some clips of the World Cup of England when they had that lead against Argentina — they were pushing forward, being aggressive, and then they just kind of went back,” said Atkinson. “The message to the guys was we have to keep attacking.”

Kenny Atkinson says he showed the #Cavs film of the World Cup to emphasize why it’s important to keep being aggressive even when playing with a big lead pic.twitter.com/nPb4bOuqAW

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) October 26, 2026

Building a lead is difficult. Maintaining one is supposed to be the easy part. But Atkinson believes that big leads can cause complacency — and the key to staying in front is not taking your foot off the gas.

“Your natural inclination is to hold back and slow down… but I think every team makes that mistake; they become passive when you have to keep attacking.”

Of course, above all else, you have to keep playing good basketball.

Cleveland’s recent collapses have happened on the basketball court, not in their own heads. Mental toughness is an intangible skill. Turnovers and offensive rebounds are the manifestation of this. They go hand-in-hand, and it begins with staying committed to the plan and aggression that gave you the lead to begin with.

“I think we know what hurts leads,” said Atkinson. “Turnovers, the other team’s offensive rebounding, and of course, the three-point variance — so those are the things we can control, but also switch the mentality to be more aggressive.”

Golden State Warriors fans are already pushing the panic button after their team’s 0-3 to start the season.

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t think the Warriors’ issues will improve any time soon, given his harsh comments during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” show on Monday.

“I don’t feel like the the front office is is believing in Steph the way everybody in the world believes in Steph. And I think the evidence is pretty apparent,” Cousins, who played with the Warriors during the 2018-19 season, said.

“I’ll go on the record and say I think [Warriors GM Mike] Dunleavy [Jr.] has done a s—t job, as far as putting a roster around Steph Curry. Why this guy still has a job, I’ll never know,” he added.

Boogie Cousins GOES OFF on the Golden State Warriors

"Dunleavy has done a sh*t job putting a roster around Steph Curry."@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @TeamLou23pic.twitter.com/BmpFTLMChm

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 26, 2026

“I think he’s done a horrible job as far as putting a good group around him; they’re still running the same outdated system, as far as going extremely small. I think the other night, Steve Kerr put in a lineup and the tallest guy on the floor was 6’6″. It just doesn’t work!” Cousins continued.

It doesn’t work anymore. It doesn’t work. The system is outdated,” he said before adding that it “sucks” Curry’s career is ending this way.

Cousins voiced what many Warriors fans have been feeling. Especially right now, given how poorly the team has looked in the first week or so of the season.

The Dallas Mavericks (1-2) are on the road to start the week, facing off against the Miami Heat (0-3) in a nationally televised game on NBA TV (if you consider that national television). The Mavericks are coming off a loss to the San Antonio Spurs that had a final score that looked way worse than most of the game felt. The Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday and are still seeking their first win of the season. Here are the main things to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat
• WHAT: Back out on the road
• WHERE: American Airlines Arena, Miami
• WHEN: 6:30 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA or NBA TV

In surprising injury news, Cooper Flagg is listed as probable after leaving the Indiana Pacer game with a shoulder injury that was initially expected to cost him several games. Kyrie Irving will also return to the court following a scheduled rest (ACL recovery). Dereck Lively is still out. Santi Aldama will miss this game as well as he recovers from knee surgery. Naji Marshall is a surprise addition to the reporting, missing the game with an illness. Caleb Martin will also miss the game as he’s still dealing with a thumb sprain. The Miami Heat aren’t missing anyone.

This has the makings of a very entertaining game. The Heat look like they have no idea how to play around Giannis and haven’t shown any real signs of improvement. They need a win or this is going to get weird. Dallas, on the other hand, is playing free. They took it to the Spurs for nearly three quarters before the Western Conference champions woke up. Dallas thumped the Pacers the night before. The team looks like they’re having fun. So that’s what I expect from this game as well.

Since you’re here checking out this post, it’s for one of two reasons.

• Injury report news
• Discussion and comment thread

If you’re part of the former, please consider signing up for an account. You get way fewer ads, and you can comment! If you’re part of the latter group: GO GET THE APP. I’m serious. The app has some real-time features specifically for game threads like this one and you can comment and get notified really, really easily. It’s part of what’s keeping this whole series of sites going. So go do it for us and in doing so, you’ll see why the experience is simply better.

Consider joining me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube; I will be going live tonight, and I need y’all to join and participate!

The gruesome lower-leg injury that led to Oklahoma City Thunder standout Jalen Williams being taken off the court on a stretcher on Sunday, Oct. 25, will cost him a significant portion, if not all, of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Williams suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in his left leg, Thunder general manager Sam Presti confirmed in a Monday, Oct. 26, press conference. Presti said the injury will require surgery but did not provide a timeline for Williams' potential return to the team.

Presti called the injury one that's more associated with contact sports like football, but added that he'd been in contact with Williams, who was determined to move forward.

"He's as tough as they come. He's an elite competitor," Presti said. "Even last night, just miraculous in terms of his outlook in the way he's looking forward to attacking this. And, you know, we're going to be with him the entire way."

Of the injury, Presti said, "things could have been a lot worse." Presti evoked past injuries that have cost the team's stars significant time, including Williams battling multiple injuries last season and Chet Holmgren losing his rookie season to a foot injury.

Presti said "he hadn't given a lot of thought" to any roster moves in response to the loss of a key player this early in the season. Williams is a career 17.9 point-per-game player who made the NBA All-Star Game in his last healthy season in 2024-25.

Cason Wallace injury update: Labral tear will require surgery

Presti also gave an update on fourth-year guard Cason Wallace, who suffered a left labral tear in his shoulder that will require surgery and sideline one of the Thunder's top defenders for an undetermined amount of time.

Wallace was attempting to fight through a screen early in the Oct. 25 game when he grabbed his shoulder area in pain and was escorted off the court.

Wallace finished eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the 2025-26 season.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, this type of tear can take up to six to 12 months of recovery following surgery.

Thunder face the Suns down three starters

Oklahoma City will be short-handed for their game against Phoenix Suns Monday at Paycom Center. While Williams and Wallace are out indefinitely, Chet Holmgren (right patellar tendinitis) is also sitting out the home game.

The absence of Holmgren could be precautionary, considering it’s the second night of a back-to-back stretch for the Thunder. He missed all five of the Thunder’s preseason games due in part to a quad contusion.

Suns coach reacts to Jalen Williams injury

Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott addressed Williams' injury before his team took the court against the Thunder Monday night, telling reporters he and his staff saw the play because they were watching the game and scouting the team they were playing next.

"Feel for any athlete that's worked their way back, and tried to stay healthy ... Just unfortunate news, but this is sports," Ott said. "Got to go out and play, play the next game. We know that they'll bring a lot of energy to this one. We gotta match it." — Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic

"We all saw it because we were watching the game, scouting and playing next. It was a big topic amongst us at shootaround. At the time we didn't know exactly what it was or the extent was."

Suns coach Jordan Ott on OKC forward Jalen Williams, who will undergo surgery after… pic.twitter.com/qo6QuaC4WH

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 27, 2026

How Jalen Williams broke his fibula, dislocated his ankle

Williams' injury occurred after an awkward landing under the basket with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter in the Thunder's 108-101 home victory over the Clippers.

Williams went up for a dunk at the 1:15 mark in the fourth quarter and was fouled by Clippers guard Kris Dunn, who came in hard from behind while Derrick Jones Jr. was guarding Williams underneath.

Williams' left foot rolled under his leg upon landing, and it was immediately clear that he had suffered a significant injury. A team official was seen coming over to place a towel over Williams' leg as he was quickly attended to by an athletic trainer, while Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren reacted in shock nearby.

The tone in Paycom Center immediately changed in the arena as members of both teams began to turn away, while Thunder players could be seen getting emotional over the scene.

OH NO 💔

Jalen Williams suffers a serious lower-leg injury after an awkward landing.

pic.twitter.com/94x3rJvUn1

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 26, 2026

The crowd was heard chanting "JDub" before the 25-year-old All-Star was carted off the court on a stretcher. He was seen giving two thumbs up to the fans in the arena.

Known as a versatile two-way player, Williams won a championship with the Thunder in 2025 and was named to the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive second team for the 2024-25 season. Williams is one of Oklahoma City's premier ball handlers and offensive engines, and he is often the primary creator when two-time and defending NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench.

"I just feel bad for him," Gilgeous-Alexander said, while fighting tears in his postgame interview. "... We just got to hold the fort down until he comes back."

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was asked for the status of injured players, including Williams, after the game. Daigneault said that Williams' injury "speaks for itself."

“Those are tough, man," Daigneault said when talking about the feeling in the locker room. "We're not doing great.”

The coach thanked the fans for their support of Williams and chanting his name after the injury.

“I think anybody that's in the arena can empathize with that," Daigneault said. "So appreciate our fans for doing so.”

Fractured fibula recovery time: How long does it take?

The fibula is the smaller bone in the lower leg, and a fracture of that bone is considered less serious than a break to the larger tibia, which supports the body's weight. According to the Cleveland Clinic, recovery from a fibula fracture can vary depending on the type of break, but often involves recovery of six to eight weeks for the bone to heal completely, followed by a period of physical therapy.

Fibula fractures don't typically cause long-term complications and usually heal faster than other leg fractures because the fibula doesn't support your weight when you stand and move.

Dislocated ankle recovery time: How long does it take

The fibula fracture sounds bad, but the ankle dislocation could be more concerning for Williams' future. According to Cleveland Clinic, the dislocation could "take several months or longer to heal," and people who dislocate a joint are more likely to dislocate it again in the future. Williams will likely need to wear a protective brace throughout his playing career to reduce risk of future dislocation.

Thunder's NBA title odds take hit after Williams, Wallace injuries

While certainly not something Thunder coaches, executives, players and staff are paying attention to, the betting markets also took notice of the major injuries to Williams and Wallace – both of whom will require surgery and extended time off.

As of the evening of Monday, Oct. 26, the Thunder's 2027 NBA championship odds lengthened to +347 from +238 on Oct. 24, per BetFinder’s consensus. In implied probability – the likelihood of winning suggested by betting odds – Oklahoma City fell 7.2 percentage points from 29.6% to 22.4%. That’s the largest peak-to-trough decline of any NBA team in BetFinder data dating to July 7.

That shift dropped Oklahoma City behind San Antonio, which became the new championship favorite at +288.

Butt bettors still give the Thunder a just over one-in-five shot at the title, per implied probability. — Jared Belby

Jalen Williams injury history

Williams was limited to just 33 regular-season games and five playoff appearances during the 2025-26 season as he recovered from two wrist surgeries and suffered multiple hamstring strains.

Williams has dealt with lower body injuries throughout his career, including ankle injuries in 2024 and hip injuries in early 2025. He also had a previous wrist injury in 2023.

Jalen Williams career stats

• Games: 250
• Starts: 237
• Minutes: 7,735
• Points: 4,497
• FG: 1,743-for-3,432 (.508)
• 3PT: 326-for-871 (.374)
• FT: 685-for-848
• Rebounds: 1,152
• Assists: 1,110
• Steals: 334
• Blocks: 136
• Turnovers: 460
• Fouls: 596

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thunder lose starters Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace to injuries requiring surgery

The Washington Wizards play their 2nd straight game on the road. Tonight they will face the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. tonight. Watch the game on the Monumental Sports Network.

Go Wizards!

SALT LAKE CITY — The statistic that Austin Reaves was told after the Lakers’ comeback win over the Jazz was so astounding that the star guard was taken aback.

“Jesus Christ,” Reaves said. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

The stat that drew that reaction: The Jazz grabbed 21 more rebounds than the Lakers on Sunday at Delta Center. 

The hosts grabbed six more defensive rebounds (32-26), but the real advantage came on the offensive glass.

The Jazz nabbed 15 more offensive rebounds (20-5) than the Lakers, leading to a 34-11 advantage in second-chance points.

Ace Bailey had more offensive rebounds (six) than the Lakers did as a team.

Luka Doncic, who was Bailey’s primary defender, took blame for the Jazz wing’s early domination on the boards, with the former Rutgers star grabbing five offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

“We just didn’t box out sometimes,” Doncic said. “I think Ace Bailey got like three offensive rebounds on me so that was my bad point.

But the struggles on the glass against the Jazz weren’t isolated to Sunday. 

The Lakers have been a putrid defensive rebounding team since the moment this group first stepped on a court together.

It was a significant preseason talking point.

They gave up 13 offensive rebounds in their preseason-opening win over the Kings on Oct. 5 en route to ranking 23rd in defensive rebounding rate among all NBA teams during the preseason. 

And they’ve been even worse to start the regular season, ranking second-to-last in defensive rebounding.

There was a hope that Walker Kessler, who played in just two of the five preseason games, would be a difference-maker on the glass.

That hasn’t been the case so far, with the Lakers struggling on the defensive boards regardless of who’s on the floor. 

“Box out,” coach JJ Redick responded when asked how the Lakers can improve. 

Reaves echoed Redick.

“It’s as simple as box out, but I’ve tried to box out a couple times and the ball just goes over my head and I can’t grab it,” he said. “I guess I need to learn to jump higher. I don’t know.”

Whatever the solution is, the Lakers need to find it. 

Hot shooting has carried them to a 3-0 start, but they can’t expect to turn into the championship-caliber team they’re setting out to be if they’re being doubled up in second-chance points on a nightly basis. Opponents are averaging 23 second-chance points compared to the Lakers’ 11.3 so far,

The Lakers were focused on cleaning up their turnover struggles entering the weekend.

And they did that, at least for one game, by only recording 10 giveaways against the Jazz

But they still have another weakness to address. 

And if they don’t fix it, it’s only a matter of time until it comes back to bite them in a more significant way.