Sacramento announced on Tuesday that Murray underwent imaging that revealed a moderate left ankle sprain and that the young forward will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks.
Murray, who has missed 17 games this season – 15 due to a torn UCL in his thumb and two because of a calf strain – will miss his 18th game on Tuesday when Sacramento hosts the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center and possibly 10 to 14 more before potentially returning in late January or early February.
The former first-round pick had missed just 13 games in his first three seasons combined prior to the string of bad luck he has faced this year.
In Murray’s 19 games played, he has averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 35.9 minutes per game.
The fourth-year forward has shown glimpses of what the Kings had hoped to see out of him, especially early on against Milwaukee on Sunday as he started the game 6 of 13 from the field.
But his offensive impact has been a struggle this season – Murray is shooting just 27.2 percent from the 3-point line while also knocking down 42.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.
On the defensive side of the ball, however, Murray has proven to be above average. He’s currently eighth in the NBA in stocks (steals plus blocks) this season with 2.8 per game and trails top-tier defenders like Victor Wembanyama and Kawhi Leonard in the category.
For the Kings, who also have been without Domantas Sabonis since Nov. 19 due to a torn meniscus in his knee, they’ll be forced to once again play without a pair of starters.
Sacramento’s 8-28 record is tied for the worst all-time in franchise history with the 1958-59 Cincinnati Royals, as well as the 2010-11 and 2008-09 Sacramento teams.
Head to Peacock and NBCSN tonight for an exciting NBA tripleheader. The action begins at 7:00 PM ET when the top two teams in the Eastern Conference — New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons — meet for the first time this season.
At 8:30 PM, the Denver Nuggets go head-to-head with the Philadelphia 76ers. At 10:00 PM, the action heats up on the West Coast with a Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers showdown.
See below for additional information on how to watch each game and follow all of the NBA action on NBCSN and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.
The Knicks fell 130-119 on Saturday, in the team's third straight loss. Jalen Brunson scored 31 points. With 29.3 points per game this season, Brunson is on pace for career highs in scoring and field goal attempts per game (21.8)
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in his first game back since sitting out with an illness (Jan. 2). Miles McBride scored 20 off the bench.
New York has allowed over 125 points per game over its recent three-game losing streak, but looks to bounce back tonight.
“We’ve hit a little bit of adversity, said Knicks head coach Mike Brown after Saturday's loss. "I’ve never been part of a team that has not gone through adversity throughout the course of the year ... now for us it’s about how do we respond?”
Detroit Pistons:
The Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-110 yesterday afternoon, improving to a 26-9 record. Last season, the Pistons didn't earn their 26th win until February 7.
Cade Cunningham scored 27 points, 7 assists, and finished with 6 rebounds. Daniss Jenkins added 25 off the bench, and Duncan Robinson finished with 12.
The Pistons have been first in the Eastern Conference since November 7 and own the second-best record in the league behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6).
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.
Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
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NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule
Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.
DeMarcus Cousins didn’t mince words when discussing his former coach, Steve Kerr.
On Monday’s episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV, Cousins criticized the message Kerr sent to the Warriors and their fans about the franchise’s championship outlook.
“I don’t like it one bit,” Cousins noted. “If this was a player saying this, how it would be viewed? This doesn’t instill confidence in your locker room. To me it actually shows who is the real problem in this situation.”
Steve Kerr waving the white flag!
Recently on the Tom Tolbert Show, Kerr admitted that it would be delusional to think his Warriors could compete for titles with the Thunder and Spurs. @boogiecousins didn't like this at all! 😡 pic.twitter.com/QFVGoxW6Nd
Kerr’s comments came during a recent appearance on the “Tom Tolbert Show,” where he pushed back on the idea that Golden State should expect to compete for championships every season.
“I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all disillusioned and we’re thinking like, ‘Hey, we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next year,'” Kerr added. “That’s not realistic.”
Cousins took issue with that framing, arguing that publicly lowering expectations undermines belief within the team and reflects broader leadership concerns.
“You’re speaking down on your team,” Cousins emphasized. “You’re not really instilling confidence in this group … It’s obvious why you’re in this position that you’re in now with this group. But this type of message, this type of energy, this type of lack of confidence in your group, it’s only going to spread with the rest of the guys.”
Cousins, who spent the 2018-19 NBA season with Golden State, also questioned whether Kerr would be judged differently than a player making similar remarks.
“If the roles were reversed and this was a player speaking in this way, his name would be tarnished,” Cousins explained. “So I think the same thing applies to this coach. I disagree with everything he says.”
While Kerr emphasized perspective and process as the Warriors navigate the later stages of their dynasty, Cousins made it clear he sees the situation differently — believing that confidence, especially when spoken publicly, must start at the top.
The Florida Panthers took to the ice for a practice following a big 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche, providing injury updates on two depth forwards.
Jonah Gadjovich returned to the ice for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Oct. 25. It's an essential landmark in Gadjovich's return process after undergoing surgery. Although he skated with the team, he did so in a non-contact jersey, indicating that a return is still a ways away.
Schwindt has been skating in a non-contact jersey for about a week now, but he was able to ditch it and begin skating with the team in complete contact. His return is imminent, and we could see him slide back into the Panthers' fourth-line center role very soon. Schwindt, alongside Matthew Tkachuk, appears to be the two injured Panthers players closest to returning.
The Panthers will spend most of January on the road, and they'll need as many healthy players as they can get.
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Wicky is the fifth permanent head coach in team history
Swiss arrives after stints with Chicago and Young Boys
Sporting Kansas City named Raphaël Wicky as the fifth permanent head coach in franchise history on Monday.
Wicky, 48, coached the Chicago Fire from 2020-21 before managing BSC Young Boys in his native Switzerland from 2022-24. He signed a contract through the 2027-28 MLS season with an option for the 2028-29 campaign.
SAN FRANCISCO — As they sat through lengthy discussions about free agents and trade targets last month at the MLB Winter Meetings, Giants officials learned something about Bruce Bochy’s approach to being an advisor for Buster Posey. The longtime manager doesn’t hold back when he feels strongly that a player is not the right fit.
When Bochy likes a player, though, that carries a lot of extra weight, and the latest addition to the roster came with a strong endorsement.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle pitched for Bochy for two seasons with the Texas Rangers, and in the first half of last season, he was one of his best players. Bochy told assistant GM Jeremy Shelley early in the offseason that he thought Mahle was a talent worth pursuing and elaborated at the Winter Meetings while talking to president of baseball operations Buster Posey, general manager Zack Minasian, manager Tony Vitello and others.
“It’s one thing to see it in a text message or on a phone call. It’s quite another to sit across from a Hall of Fame manager and hear them say, ‘I really believe in this guy,'” Minasian recalled Monday. “It was certainly encouraging and obviously we’re happy we were able to get this done.”
Mahle’s one-year, $10 million contract became official Monday, effectively setting the Giants’ rotation heading into the 2026 MLB season. The Giants will continue to look at their options, but they have Mahle, fellow addition Adrian Houser and Landen Roupp set to join Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, and they feel good about that.
“I think we’re very comfortable with the five that we have and then the bundle of [young] arms we have behind them,” Minasian said.
It’s a solid group, but one that needs avenues to more upside. The hope is that Mahle, who was pitching like an MLB All-Star early last season, can provide that.
The 31-year-old signed with the Giants after a strong but injury-shortened season with the Rangers. That has been a theme in his career, as he has made more than 20 starts just twice over the past six seasons, but he said he fixed some mechanical issues that were “huge red flags” and were leading to extra stress on his shoulder.
Back at full health, Mahle should be a good fit for Oracle Park. He opened his 2025 season by pitching 40 2/3 innings without allowing a homer, and he ended up giving up just five over 86 2/3 innings.
Mahle has a four-pitch mix, led by a four-seamer that he commands well and uses roughly half of the time he comes down the mound. His splitter was particularly effective last season, holding opposing hitters to a .196 average. He said Monday that he’s also working on a new breaking ball that can be effective against right-handed hitters.
While his best numbers came in 2025, Mahle has had other strong stretches in the big leagues while pitching for three franchises. He posted a 3.75 ERA over 33 starts for the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and had 28 strikeouts to five walks — along with a 3.16 ERA — over his first five starts with the Minnesota Twins in 2023. That season ended early because of Tommy John surgery.
Mahle signed with the Rangers as he was rehabbing and dealt with season-ending shoulder soreness after he returned to the mound. He also went on the IL with a rotator cuff strain last June and was sidelined about three months, an injury caused by a mechanical change he tried to make without the guidance of Rangers coaches.
When Mahle returned for two late-season starts, he showed the same form. Over 9 2/3 innings he allowed just one run and struck out 10, with his velocity settling into its normal range.
Mahle said it “was big” to get out there in September and prove to himself that the rehab was done correctly. He has been throwing for several weeks and said this is the best he has felt physically since 2021, his only full season in a rotation.
The plan this year is to reach that mark again, and Mahle said the Giants were near the top of the list when he hit MLB free agency. The Orange County native has a 3-year-old and 1-year-old, so being on the West Coast was a priority. He also cited the ballpark, the team colors (which he has always liked), and Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey as draws.
The Giants had opportunities to go big this offseason, but opted for short-term options in Houser and Mahle. The hope is that they build on what they showed in 2025, and Mahle is optimistic that he can do that.
“I think I can carry what I was doing over to the Giants,” Mahle said of his 2025 season. “There wasn’t really one thing. It was just that I was pitching well and [got] some lucky breaks, too, like we all get, but I was making pitches when I needed to make pitches and things were going well for me.
“I definitely think I can carry that over to San Francisco and hopefully get better.”
Ruben Amorim has been sacked byManchester United after 14 months as their head coach. He leaves Old Trafford after a power struggle with the hierarchy over transfer policy, with Amorim demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department 'do their job' after Sunday’s draw at Leeds. We take a look back at his turbulent reign, which featured a few fleeting highs but some miserable lows.
The Buffalo Sabres are on fire right now. While their 10-game winning streak just came to an end, they now have a 21-15-4 record and are right back in the playoff race.
There are many reasons why the Sabres have been having plenty of success as of late. Sabres forward Peyton Krebs has certainly been making an impact for Buffalo lately, as he has been starting to heat up.
In his last seven games for the Sabres, Krebs has scored three goals and recorded five points. This comes after the 24-year-old forward had zero goals in his first 34 games of the season with the Sabres. With this, there is no question that the 2019 first-round pick had a tough start to the year, but he has now officially broken the ice.
Krebs will now be looking to continue to build on his recent strong stretch of play. If he can keep providing the Sabres with solid secondary offensive production while also maintaining his gritty style of play, it would be good news for a Buffalo club that is looking to break its playoff drought.
In 40 games this season with the Sabres, Krebs now has three goals, 11 assists, 14 points, and 94 hits.
The Atlanta Hawks are working with star guard Trae Young on a trade away from the franchise, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.
Just in: Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young and his agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are working with the franchise on a trade, sources tell ESPN. Young's reps and the Hawks have started collaborative talks over the last week on finding a resolution. pic.twitter.com/dUCNnDKqTt
Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein added that the Washington Wizards have emerged as a potential landing spot, with a deal possibly centered around CJ McCollum‘s expiring contract.
Young, 27 and the No. 5 overall pick in 2018, has seemed to plateau with Atlanta ever since leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018.
With the Hawks at 17-20 at the time of the report, Young has featured in just 10 games and has seen a drop in per-game averages.
He’s posting 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes on a 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting split. Just last season, he averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds on a 41.1/34/87.5 split in 36.0 minutes, but Atlanta hasn’t developed into a serious contender for multiple seasons.
Despite a small sample size, Atlanta has fared better without him thus far.
A four-time All-Star, Young can still provide a team with a focal point at the 1-spot thanks to his elite playmaking, but his dip in long-range shooting numbers and playoff defense will be notable concerns.
Jalen Johnson has led Atlanta with 24 points per game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 27, is averaging a career-high 20.7 points on a healthy 45/38/85 split at the guard spot.
The 2026 trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Win over Cremonese was only made possible after a late injury led to match-winner’s inclusion as a substitute
The man who breathed life into Fiorentina’s survival bid was not meant to be playing at all. Moise Kean returned to training on Saturday after almost a week away attending to a private family matter. The club’s manager, Paolo Vanoli, did not intend to name him in the matchday squad to face Cremonese one day later, but had his hand forced by a late injury to Edin Dzeko.
“I have to tell the truth because that’s how I am – I’m a sincere person,” said Vanoli on Sunday. “When [Kean] came back I told him ‘Moise, out of respect for the group, I’m not even going to put you on the bench’.”
Discontent at Manchester United these days is only ever deferred. Ruben Amorim’s departure from the club on Monday was long anticipated and came, in the end, with a weary sigh. He had made a half-hearted protest about the recruitment structure after Sunday’s draw at Leeds, but it felt even at the time like barely more than a gesture. And so another manager, the seventh since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, falls victim to the United meat-grinder.
Everybody at United, fundamentally, is unhappy. And not unhappy in the sense that Alex Ferguson used to be unhappy, when the club was essentially fuelled by his volcanic rages, but enervated, frustrated by the realisation that this is not how things used to be, that this was once the biggest football club in the country and now they keep failing to get the win they need to lift them to fifth.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton drives against Memphis Grizzlies center Christian Koloko, left, and guard Javon Small, right. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
Call it deja vu.
For the second time in three days, the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, took a close game into the fourth quarter and pulled away late behind the scoring punch of the same three players.
Again fueled by LeBron James (26 points, 10 assists), Luka Doncic (36 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and Jake LaRavia (26 points), the Lakers overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to win 120-114 on Sunday against the Grizzlies.
After James and Doncic each scored 30 in Friday's win that also featured a 20-point performance from LaRavia, the Lakers (22-11) won consecutive games for just the second time in five weeks.
It wasn’t an accident that the Lakers’ first play went to Deandre Ayton. Or that the star big man got the first shot of the third. Or that teammates fed him for back-to-back dunks to help spark a run of five consecutive scoring possessions early in the second half.
After Ayton finished last Friday’s win on the bench, the 7-foot center bounced back with 15 points and eight rebounds against the Grizzlies on Sunday as the Lakers made a point to involve the big man early.
Ayton scored just four points with six rebounds during Friday’s win and watched a tight fourth quarter from the bench because, as coach JJ Redick said, backup Jaxson Hayes “was playing better.” Redick said Saturday that Ayton was “frustrated” he wasn’t getting the ball more in recent games, and his disillusionment showed up on the court.
“It's a tale as old as time for a big guy,” Redick said after Sunday’s game. “That's the reality of being a big: someone has to pass you the ball. You're not initiating the offense.”
Redick said the team identified moments where teammates could have been better at finding the former No. 1 overall pick. There were also other times when Ayton could have been more active on his own. Redick said he mostly wanted to see Ayton being active, engaged and assertive in the game.
Ayton responded by converting six of his eight shots Sunday and helping the team lock down on defense in the fourth. The Lakers clawed back from an 11-point deficit late in the third and held the Grizzlies (15-19) to just 16 points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Ayton had two blocks in the fourth quarter.
“We're winning the right way,” Ayton said. “Bigs can't feed themselves and I just try my best to do what I can to bring effort. And I trust my playmakers out there to find me."
The Lakers had 30 assists on 38 made shots, their highest percentage of assisted field goals of the season.
Lakers clean up ‘unacceptable' execution after timeouts
Redick said Saturday the Lakers flubbed eight of their 12 after timeout plays against Memphis on Friday. They repeated two of the plays to only mess them up again. They tried one a third time and it still didn’t take.
Baffled, Redick said at practice that he chalked up the mistakes to “the holidays.”
“It's unacceptable,” James said Sunday when asked of the execution errors. “... If you mess up a play out of a timeout, that'd be another one to get you running sprints. That's just how I was brought up. It's great that we can have that type of conversation. Guys hear it, take it and take full responsibility and then come in here and be able to make that change like that, that 180 change, right away.”
The Lakers had just one mistake after a timeout Sunday, Redick noted. He said he challenged players before Sunday’s game on their execution overall, but especially their after timeout execution. It was especially strong down the stretch as the Lakers held on to improve to 12-0 in clutch-time games.
“The intent overall,” Redick said of the team’s ability to handle the simple things, “was at the very least a B-minus.”
Luka Doncic shakes off shooting slump late
Doncic watched with desperation as the shot soared through the air. When his clutch three that put the Lakers up by nine with 2:08 remaining splashed through the net, Doncic slumped his shoulders and leaned his head back in relief.
Before hitting four of 10 three-point shots Sunday, including two in the fourth quarter to fuel the Lakers’ comeback, Doncic was 20-for-89 (22.5%) from three-point range since he returned from a two-game absence for the birth of his second daughter. His shooting Sunday was his most efficient performance from beyond the arc since Nov. 28 against Dallas when he made four of nine from three and finished with 35 points.
“It's hard with him, because he kind of gets into attack mode, and he's so good that he believes that he can make every shot,” Redick said before the game. “And in the same vein, he believes he can make every pass. And some of those decisions lead to very difficult shots, and they lead to very difficult passes that oftentimes lead to turnovers. … Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] used to talk about Bobby Hurley all the time. His player trait was 'daring.' And when you have a daring player, you have to be willing to live with some stuff.”
Despite shooting almost a career-worst 31.7% from three this season, Doncic is still leading the league in scoring with 33.7 points per game. He is getting to the free throw line more than ever in his career, averaging 12.1 attempts per game. He was 12 for 13 on Sunday.
Raphielle Johnson
