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Zion Williamson Practices, Could Return Sunday

December 13th, 2025 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans head coach James Borrego said injured forward Zion Williamson practiced on Saturday and will be listed as questionable to suit up for Sunday’s game at Chicago, per Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com (Twitter link).

It’s a surprising update, as Shams Charania of ESPN reported on December 2 that Williamson was expected to be out at least three weeks due to a right adductor (hip) injury, which the team said was a Grade 2 strain. The Pelicans notably did not provide a return timeline for Williamson when they initially announced the injury.

Within a story last week about how the team might approach the trade deadline, William Guillory of The Athletic confirmed Charania’s reporting and added that some members of the organization thought Williamson wouldn’t be back before January. The former No. 1 overall pick appears to be well ahead of schedule, since it hasn’t even been two weeks since he was diagnosed with the injury.

Williamson, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, has missed the past six games with his latest ailment. He also missed eight games in November due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.

Through 10 games in 2025/26, the 25-year-old has averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.9 minutes per contest.

Former Rockets Two-Way Player Kevon Harris Headed To China

December 13th, 2025 at 11:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association and guard Kevon Harris, who was on a two-way deal with the Rockets earlier this month, have agreed to a contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Harris was waived by Houston on Dec. 2 to make room for Tyler Smith. He didn’t play at all for Houston this season but was averaging 19.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in eight appearances for the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Harris, 28, appeared in a total of 36 games with the Magic from 2022-24. He averaged 4.0 and 2.0 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest.

Harris has excelled at the G League level in recent years, earning MVP honors at the NBAGL’s Next Up Game at All-Star weekend in February. Last season, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 31.1 minutes per game across 44 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season outings for the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate. He signed a two-way deal with Houston in July.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, George, Martin, Wolf, Demin

December 13th, 2025 at 11:09am CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid has produced well below his career rates for most of the season, but he flashed his former Most Valuable Player form on Friday, pouring in 39 points in the Sixers‘ 10-point win over Indiana.

“He’s worked at it,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. “The practices this week have helped. His own individual work away from practice has helped. I think him being able to do all of that is a great sign that he’s starting to feel good. I have always said that he’s best when he’s driving. I think he drove a lot to draw fouls early. The best thing was his variety. The 39 points were great, but they came with him scoring through a lot of different schemes. He read the different stuff most of the night, pretty good.”

Friday’s game was the Sixers first in five days, and Embiid believes his knees have held up better when he has more time in between appearances.

“I feel good,” Embiid said. “I’ve been able to be consistent, and that’s the big thing. I’ve been able to do the same thing over and over again this week and not have to take a break. I’ve talked about this before, but the plan of having me play a game and then having two days off seems to be working. So, I’ve been able to get on the court and do a lot of work.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nurse has increasingly used Paul George as a point forward, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. George has racked up 13 assists over the last three games. “I’m comfortable with the ball,” George said. “I think more than anything, it’s just continue to prove to myself and remain confident as I continue to trust my body and gain confidence on the floor that my body can still produce. So it’s just adding to the confidence, and just chipping away at the work put into this season so far to get ready for this season.”
Earlier this week, Raptors two-way player Alijah Martin is the G League’s most recent Player of the Week, per the NBA (Twitter link). Martin averaged 26.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in three Raptors 905 wins. This year’s No. 39 overall pick has appeared in just two games with the NBA team.
Nets rookie big man Danny Wolf had 17 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Dallas on Friday. He’s averaging 13.5 PPG in his last six outings. Wolf benefited from a stint in the G League, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “When he had the opportunity to play with Long Island, he took advantage of his minutes,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And now that he’s in the rotation, he’s taking advantage of his minutes. So I’m very happy with him. He’s a special player because at his size he can do so many different things. And still trying to figure it out because he’s showing me what he’s capable of doing. He’s capable of doing a lot of things — good things.”
Another Nets rookie, Egor Demin, only played two-plus minutes in the fourth quarter on Friday as the team fell apart in crunch time, Lewis notes. “He was trying to fix mistakes by trying to make things happen. And this is not how you want to do things,” Fernandez said. “I need him to play with better readiness and better physicality. And this is not the way that the team needs him to play. So, he’s got to be better. Otherwise, the minutes are going to go down, and somebody else will take advantage. I know he cares; he’s always responded and punched back. So, he’s way better than what he performed.”

Central Notes: Duren, Pistons, Mathews, Mitchell

December 13th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Following nearly a week-long break, the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons roared back into action on Friday by blowing out the Hawks and scoring 142 points in the process. They are now 20-5 and despite Oklahoma City’s 24-1 record, center Jalen Duren says the Pistons are the top team in the league, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

“It shows the world that we’re serious about winning, that we are serious about contending for a championship,” Duren said after the win. “Because that’s what we do it for … I think we’re the best team in the league and we’re going to continue to show it.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff used his full complement of 13 players on Friday. He’s going with an 11-man rotation now that there’s no one on the injury report. “It’s great for us. That’s what we’ve been working towards,” he said. “Being able to have everyone available, and then you have to make decisions. You make decisions on rotations, patterns, match ups, all of those things. It’s hard to do that if you don’t have everybody available. We’ve been pretty fortunate to be where we are right now. Now I’m interested to see, with a full boat; the lineups, that matchups, the groupings, the parings that we can put together, the different kinds of lineups we can have, switching lineups, trapping lineups… All of those types of things.”
The Pacers made a roster move this week, retaining Garrison Mathews and waiving Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Coach Rick Carlisle explained why, saying Mathews presented more of a threat to opponents due to his outside shooting ability. “We know he has gravity,” Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “He’s a guy who has to be accounted for on a scouting report. He’s a competitor and he fills a need for us right now. … If you don’t guard him, he’s gonna score. It’s pretty simple. Guys like that change the game. I coached Reggie Miller for many years. I coached Dirk Nowitzki for 11 out of my 13 years in Dallas. Those guys are in the Hall of Fame for a reason. They change the game because it changes the geometry of the court. The more guys you have on the floor that have to be guarded far out, it opens up the game.”
Donovan Mitchell rescued the Cavaliers on Friday, scoring half of his 48 points in the fourth quarter of a 130-126 win over the 3-20 Wizards. “You’re playing a team that’s three and whatever, and you’re down 15, you can kind of tuck your tails and … kind of give in, right?” Mitchell said, per ESPN. “But we found a way.” He ended up with the highest-scoring fourth quarter in the NBA this season, surpassing the 22 points put up by the Magic’s Jett Howard on Nov. 23 against the Celtics.

Bulls Notes: Vucevic, Collins, Smith, White, Draft Night, Okoro, Jones

December 13th, 2025 at 8:12am CST by Dana Gauruder

Nikola Vucevic sat for the last 19 minutes of the Bulls’ 129-126 win over Charlotte on Friday, which snapped Chicago’s seven-game losing streak. Head coach Billy Donovan said the decision did not reflect his long-term plans for the center position, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune.

Zach Collins wound up playing 20 minutes, contributing 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Smith logged 17 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Whatever the case may be — maybe next game it’s not my night,” Collins said. “Maybe it’s Stix (Smith’s) night closing the game, maybe it’s Vooch’s night. We’ve got really good bigs that can finish games. Now we’re at the point where we can play the 4 and the 5. I just think it’s the tribute to the level of bigs we have that we can mess with the lineups like that.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Amid a report that the Timberwolves have inquired on Coby White, the Bulls guard replied that he’d prefer to stay put, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). “I love being here. I love being on this team,” said White, who is in his walk year. “But I understand it’s a business and it’s different going into (unrestricted free agency). They have to do what they think is best for the organization. It’s out of my control.” Johnson notes that while White is definitely on some teams’ radars, there is currently little to no engagement from potential suitors.
The Bulls have taken some criticisms in the media for not making a trade with the Pelicans on draft night. New Orleans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars surprisingly traded the No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks to move up to No. 13 to draft Maryland big man Derik Queen. However, a high-ranking Bulls official told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Pelicans never contacted the Bulls about the No. 12 pick, contradicting Dumars’ subsequent statements. In fact, if New Orleans had presented such a trade, Chicago would have done the deal, Cowley says.
Smith, Isaac Okoro and Tre Jones were under minutes restrictions on Friday after returning from injuries, according to Poe. Okoro had 15 points in 26 minutes while Jones added six points and five assists in 25 minutes.

Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More

December 12th, 2025 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.

As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”

According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.

While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.

“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”

Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:

While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Thunder’s Isaiah Hartenstein Returning Saturday

December 12th, 2025 at 8:10pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past six games with a right soleus (calf) strain, starting center Isaiah Hartenstein is not on the Thunder‘s injury report ahead of Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Spurs, which indicates he’ll be available to play, tweets Rylan Stiles of SI.com.

Oklahoma City got some other reinforcements back ahead of Wednesday’s quarterfinal win over Phoenix, with Luguentz Dort (right adductor strain) and Alex Caruso (right quad contusion) returning from injuries that cost the defensive stalwarts three and four games, respectively.

Guard Cason Wallace, who leads the NBA in steals per game (2.3), will be active on Saturday as well after leaving Wednesday’s game early — he was hit by a hard screen from Suns center Mark Williams, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).

The defending champions have been on an absolute tear this season, holding an active 16-game winning streak — a franchise record — heading into Saturday. The Thunder are currently 24-1, tied with the 2015/16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history.

Head coach Mark Daigneault was asked after Wednesday’s blowout victory how the Thunder have avoided complacency after winning the title in ’24/25 (Twitter video link from Martinez).

“You have to understand anything in the past takes you out of the present moment,” Daigneault said in part. “Anything in the future takes you out of the present moment. And the competition happens in the present moment.”

Kam Jones, Quenton Jackson Active Tonight For Pacers

December 12th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers are finally getting some reinforcements back. According to the team (Twitter link), second-round pick Kam Jones will be active to potentially make his NBA debut on Friday in Philadelphia.

Jones was upgraded to questionable for the first time in 2025/26 earlier on Friday, notes Tony East of Circle City Spin (via Twitter).

The 38th pick in this year’s draft, Jones missed the first 24 games of his rookie season after experiencing a lower back stress reaction in training camp. The 23-year-old guard played four years at Marquette prior to signing a four-year standard contract with Indiana.

Quenton Jackson, who has been out since November 3 due to a right hamstring strain, will also be available tonight. He suited up for the Pacers’ G League affiliate on Thursday before rejoining the NBA club ahead of Friday’s game.

A fourth-year guard who is on a two-way contract, Jackson was off to a solid start before the injury, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .541/.500/.722 shooting through five games (20.2 minutes per contest).

The Pacers have been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season and still have four players — Tyrese Haliburton (torn Achilles tendon), Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), Aaron Nesmith (left knee sprain) and Ben Sheppard (left calf strain) — sidelined.

Austin Reaves Out At Least One Week With Mild Calf Strain

December 12th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a mild left calf strain and will miss at least one week, which is when he’ll be reexamined, the team announced today (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic).

As Law Murray of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), Los Angeles plays twice over the next week (at Phoenix on Sunday and at Utah next Thursday). Reaves will likely miss both of those contests before he’s evaluated again.

The 6’5″ guard is off to a terrific start to the season, averaging 27.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per contest. All of those figures represent career highs.

Reaves, who has been highly efficient on offense (.503/.369/.875 shooting line and a .665 True Shooting percentage), has made 21 appearances so far for the Lakers. He missed three games in early November due to a right groin injury.

With Reaves out at least two games, Gabe Vincent and Marcus Smart are the most obvious candidates for more backcourt minutes, while LeBron James will likely to take on more play-making duties.

Grizzlies’ Ja Morant To Return On Friday

December 12th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

5:37 pm: Morant is available tonight, the team confirmed (via Twitter). According to Cole, the Grizzlies will manage Morant’s minutes in a “smart way” (Twitter link).

11:32 am: Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is on track to return to action on Friday vs. Utah, having been upgraded from questionable to probable on the team’s injury report, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).

Morant has been sidelined for Memphis’ past 10 games due to a right calf strain, but appears set to suit up for the first time since November 15, barring a last-minute setback. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo had said on Thursday that Morant went through a full practice on Thursday and was trending toward a return on Friday.

Morant got off to a slow start this season. In 11 healthy games, he averaged 18.9 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per contest, but shot just 35.2% from the floor and 16.7% on three-pointers as Memphis went 4-7. He also had a disagreement with the coaching staff that led to a one-game, team-imposed suspension.

During his injury absence, Morant earned kudos from Iisalo for his engagement and leadership on the sidelines, but it will interesting to be see how his return impacts the Grizzlies on the court. As Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports details, Memphis has been more productive offensively and is moving the ball better without Morant on the floor so far this season.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they still won’t get a chance to see their full starting lineup on the court together. Center Zach Edey, who returned following offseason ankle surgery around the same time Morant got hurt, will now miss the next four weeks due to nagging issues related to that same ankle. Morant and Edey have spent just five minutes on the court together this fall.

As Cole writes for The Memphis Commercial Appeal, several fans at FedExForum on Friday will be there thanks to Morant, who bought 250 tickets for the game against the Jazz to give out to fans earlier this week.