Los Angeles Notes: Doncic, James, Reaves, Lue, Garland, Collins, Rosen
The Lakers had their current Big 3 — Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves — in the starting lineup on Friday against the Clippers in a 125-122 victory. Doncic erupted for 38 points with 11 assists, while Reaves poured in 29 points. James supplied 13 points and 11 assists despite some knee soreness. The Lakers’ success the rest of the way is predicated on that trio developing chemistry.
“I mean, every game, every second, every minute that we’re on the floor together, it helps,” James said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “Like I said, when was that, All-Star weekend? We don’t know what we’re going to be until we get fully healthy and tonight was one of the first games where JJ (Redick) and the coaching staff can look down and know everybody was available. So, we just got to keep pushing. We got to keep pushing. We got a tough team coming in on Sunday (against the Celtics). Obviously, a lifetime NBA rivalry, so we got to be ready for them. They’re playing great basketball, too.”
Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Clippers coach Tyronn Lue says his team isn’t anywhere near tank mode despite the roster upheaval prior to the trade deadline. The Clippers are sitting ninth in the Western Conference standings and likely to make the play-in tournament. “I just feel confident. I just feel confident in our players. I feel confident in our coaching staff and I just feel confident in the environment, like the culture we’ve set,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And why wouldn’t you want to play to win. That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset every single night. And as tough as it may be or you start 6-21 or whatever it may be, you’re playing to win. And so, we make the playoffs and then anything can happen. So, our goal is to make the playoffs and so I don’t know why somebody would scoff at that.”
- Initially, Darius Garland wasn’t thrilled about getting traded from Cleveland to the Clippers. Now he says he’s “super excited” about joining forces with Kawhi Leonard and playing in Los Angeles. “I’m good with the change,” Garland told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “When it first happened, I was kind of skeptical. But I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to play with another Hall of Famer [Leonard] and having a ball in my hands damn near 99 percent of the time.” Garland has yet to make his Clippers debut.He has not played since Jan. 14 due to a toe injury but told Spears he plans to play “really, really soon.”
- Clippers forward John Collins took a shot to the face and required some stitches along his left eye, Mark Medina tweets. He finished the game with 12 points in 16 minutes.
- Longtime Dodgers executive Lon Rosen is moving into the Lakers ‘ front office as president of business operations, according to the Associated Press. He replaces Tim Harris, who is planning to step down after 35 years with the organization. Rosen has been the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2012, the same year new Lakers majority owner Mark Walter purchased the baseball team. Rosen began his sports career with the 1980s Showtime Lakers as an intern and a front office executive. He went on to become an agent and a business partner of Magic Johnson.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, Diawara, Brunson
The Knicks lost to the top-seeded Pistons again on Thursday, dropping a home game by 15 points after being blown out in their two visits to Detroit. The Pistons were down their starting and backup centers (All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart) due to suspensions, but Karl-Anthony Towns only managed two points on three field goal attempts in the first half, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“I mean, our offense is our offense. It’s been that way all year,” said Towns, who finished with 21 points (on 7-of-14 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. “So we have our system and we’re gonna — regardless of who’s in the game or not in the game — we run the system that we have implemented for our team to the best of our abilities.”
Head coach Mike Brown reiterated after the game that the six-time All-Star big man is “comfortable” in New York’s offensive system, Begley notes, despite persistent questions about Towns’ role on that end of the court.
“We’re continuing to try to do different things to help free him up,” Brown said. “And we’ll continue to search to try to do different things to free him up throughout the course of the year.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby‘s return to the court on Thursday was a forgettable one, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Anunoby, who previously said he’s still in pain after having his toenail removed, finished with eight points (on 3-of-13 shooting), zero rebounds and zero assists in 32 minutes. He also struggled to slow down Cade Cunningham, who torched the Knicks (42 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds) in an MVP-level performance, Schwartz writes.
- Starting wing Mikal Bridges was benched for the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter in favor of Landry Shamet, according to Stefan Bondy and Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges recorded eight points (on 4-of-9 shooting), three rebounds and no assists in 25 minutes. “Landry had hit a couple shots. We needed to score,” Brown said. “They’re both really good defenders. And so I just stayed with Landry. But it wasn’t anything where, ‘Oh, I’m going to sit Mikal because he’s not doing this, or he’s not doing that.’ We were looking to score points and Landry was the only one to make a shot from behind the arc.”
- Rookie forward Mohamed Diawara tells Schwartz he’s not concerned about potentially losing playing time after the Knicks signed Jeremy Sochan. “I’m just gonna continue what I was doing,” Diawara told The Post prior to Thursday’s loss. “Keep working and being ready for each opportunity that I’m gonna get. I’m not worried about that. I know the coaching staff and the team is gonna do whatever is good for the team, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” For what it’s worth, Diawara played nine minutes on Thursday, while Sochan received 10.
- Jalen Brunson signed a team-friendly extension in the 2024 offseason, locking in $156.5MM over four years when he could have earned an additional $113MM if he had waited a year for free agency. The star point guard told Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair (subscription required) that he hopes the Knicks “do right” by him down the line after he took less money to help the team, as Andrew Battifarano of The New York Post relays. “If I’m thinking about playing well to make sure I get paid, that could mess with me,” Brunson told Vanity Fair. “I play best when I have a free mind, and that did that for me. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. One hundred percent I sacrificed for the team. But most importantly, I made sure my family and I are taken care of. … Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me. I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.” As Bondy notes in a subscriber-only story, Brunson won’t be extension-eligible until 2027 and the earliest he could hit free agency would be 2028.
Bulls Notes: Ivey, Giddey, Jones, Buzelis, Deadline Moves
Guard Jaden Ivey, a trade deadline acquisition, received a DNP-CD on Thursday amid a crowded Bulls backcourt. The former fifth overall pick, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, gave some eyebrow-raising quotes after the game about his lack of explosiveness this season, which he said was a result of ongoing knee soreness.
Billy Donovan didn’t coach Thursday’s loss to Toronto due to the death of his father, but he was back at practice on Friday and discussed the Ivey situation, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). While Ivey did not participate in Friday’s practice because his knee was being evaluated, Donovan said he supported Wes Unseld Jr.‘s decision not to play the 24-year-old.
“To me, I don’t think he’s played at the level that he’s capable of playing at or has played at,” Donovan said of Ivey. “ … I don’t how much (knee soreness) is affecting him. He was definitely available to play.”
Ivey has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Detroit — his former team — due to patellofemoral pain syndrome in his left knee, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. That injury, which is also known as runner’s knee, is the same issue which continues to sideline Stephen Curry.
We have more from Chicago:
- Point guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones returned to action on Thursday after they missed time due to left hamstring strains. Both players came away from the game unscathed and think they’ll be available to play both ends of this weekend’s back-to-back, per Johnson (Twitter links).
- After a major roster overhaul at the deadline, second-year forward Matas Buzelis is one of the most tenured players on the team. In a Q&A with Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype, Buzelis said he’s working to become a leader in Chicago. “I talked to Billy about it, how I need to be more vocal as a player and I need to speak to guys,” Buzelis said. “You know, guys don’t know sets, guys don’t know the defense and I have to be more vocal every time I step on the court to try to help my team win. And you know, I feel like I have, I wouldn’t say pressure, but I can’t find the word right now, I have to talk to everybody more. I have to be communicating on defense for us and also put on an example in the gym of, you know, how I work. And that’s all it takes for some guys, just to see how guys work and they can put it into their game.”
- Lorenzi of The Athletic lists three burning questions the Bulls will face after making seven deals prior to the deadline, including how the team will juggle the backcourt rotation when all six guards on standard contracts are healthy. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, meanwhile, tries to make sense of the team’s deadline moves, some of which he views positively (adding two second-round picks for taking on Dario Saric‘s contract), and some he does not (waiting too long to trade Coby White).
Rudy Gobert Likely To Be Suspended After Another Flagrant Foul
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who has accumulated six flagrant foul points this season, is likely to be suspended for Sunday’s contest vs. Philadelphia after receiving a flagrant foul 1 in Friday’s game vs. Dallas, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link).
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year was given the flagrant at the end of the second quarter for a play involving Marvin Bagley (video link). It was initially called a common foul, but upon a review from the officials, Gobert was assessed the flagrant for “unnecessary flail contact to the neck area of Bagley.”
Gobert already received a one-game suspension from the NBA last month after accruing his sixth flagrant foul point for a reckless closeout on Victor Wembanyama. Assuming his latest flagrant foul 1 is upheld by the league, the 33-year-old big man will lose another $201,149 of his salary, while the Wolves will receive a tax variance credit of $100,575.
With Gobert likely now at seven flagrant foul points, any future flagrants will result in an automatic two-game suspension. His flagrant counter will reset in the playoffs, Hine notes (Twitter links), but if Gobert receives a flagrant in either the penultimate or final game of the regular season, his suspension would carry over to the postseason.
Through 54 games, Gobert is averaging 11.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 31.3 minutes per contest. He finished Friday’s win with 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in 32 minutes.
Central Notes: Allen, Harden, Dieng, Q. Jackson, Oladipo
Starting center Jarrett Allen has impressed new Cavaliers point guard James Harden, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Harden, an 11-time All-Star, was acquired a couple weeks ago in a blockbuster trade with the Clippers.
“He’s better than I thought he was‚” Harden said of Allen following Cleveland’s blowout victory over the Nets on Thursday. “He’s able to catch the ball and finish around the rim with both hands. He has so much touch around the rim. That’s I think probably one of the most underrated parts of his game.
“Just trying to find ways to get him the ball, in positions where he can be successful. It’s only been four games, but it’s easy for me to just figure it out.”
The 35-21 Cavaliers have been surging up the Eastern Conference standings over the past four-plus weeks, winning 11 of their past 12 games, including six straight. Head coach Kenny Atkinson says he’s been focused on getting Allen more involved offensively, according to Fedor, and Harden has quickly developed impressive chemistry with the 27-year-old big man.
“Almost like a renewed energy, a belief,” Atkinson reiterated when asked about Harden’s presence. “They know we got something good going on. We brought in guys that are going to help us. Wow we’ve got to confirm it, right? I’m not going to sit up here after four games or whatever and say we’re this juggernaut. We still have a lot to prove. But I think the early returns with our spirit and our confidence and our aggressiveness is really good.”
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- It was a whirlwind trade deadline for fourth-year forward Ousmane Dieng, who was involved in three different deals before finally ending up with the Bucks. He said Milwaukee had been interested in him for some time, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It was a little crazy, but I’m excited to be here,” Dieng said. “I know they were trying to get me for a while here in Milwaukee, so I’m excited and just ready to help the team.” As Nehm writes, the 22-year-old caught fire in his final two games before the All-Star break, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes in a win at Orlando. The impending restricted free agent followed that up with the best stat line of his career against his former team, recording 19 points (on 7-of-12 shooting), 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in a victory at Oklahoma City. “I think he’s just scratching the surface,” Bucks lead assistant coach Darvin Ham said in Oklahoma City. “He’s so young, and just his size, his athleticism, his smarts … some of the passes he made, some of the finishes, the 3s, the defense, like, he’s just scratching the surface. We found a jewel.”
- In an in-depth subscriber-only story for The Indianapolis Star, Dustin Dopirak takes a look at Quenton Jackson‘s upbringing and unconventional path to the NBA. The Pacers guard, who is on a two-way contract, is a candidate to be promoted to a standard deal before the season ends, Dopirak writes. “The love that they showed was different,” Jackson said of the Pacers. “And just the way they played. It’s a free-spirited game. They don’t put too much pressure on you to do too much. They don’t put you in a box. They kinda just allow you to be you within the system that they have. I love that. They play fast. That was always my game. I was always quick, I was always in shape, I was always playing fast, a transition guy. That worked out for me as well. I just love it here. The people are cool. It was kinda just my atmosphere. This is my vibe. I love everybody here.”
- Former All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who is attempting an NBA comeback by playing in the G League, has been traded from the Bucks‘ affiliate team (the Wisconsin Herd) to the Cavaliers‘ affiliate club (the Cleveland Charge), the Herd announced in a press release. Wisconsin received the returning player rights to Jacob Gilyard and Drake Jeffries, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 international pick. Oladipo, 33, has averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.8 SPG on .396/.321/.714 shooting in 26 games with the Herd this season (28.7 MPG).
De’Andre Hunter Undergoes Season-Ending Eye Surgery
7:30 pm: Hunter actually underwent surgery on Friday afternoon, the Kings announced in a press release. His left eye was reevaluated this morning due to the ongoing iritis, and he was diagnosed with a detached retina, which led to the procedure. Hunter is expected to make a full recovery and an update on his status will be provided in eight weeks, per the team.
4:49 pm: The Kings will be without De’Andre Hunter for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran forward will undergo eye surgery.
Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento confirms the news (Twitter link).
Hunter, Sacramento’s lone acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, suffered an eye injury in his second game as a King. He missed the team’s last three games before the All-Star break due to left eye iritis (inflammation of the iris).
The 28-year-old seemed to be on the verge of returning after the break, as he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. However, he missed Thursday’s loss to Orlando — Sacramento’s 15th straight defeat — and now will be out for the team’s final 25 games of the season.
Hunter is the third highly-paid member of the Kings who is done for the season, joining Domantas Sabonis (knee surgery) and Zach LaVine (hand surgery). Sacramento holds the worst record in the NBA at 12-45.
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter spent his first five-and-a-half seasons with Atlanta prior to being traded to Cleveland last year. While he played well with the Cavs down the stretch of ’24/25, he struggled with his outside shot this season, and the team sent him to the Kings earlier this month in a three-team deal which saw Cleveland acquire Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.
Hunter appeared in 45 games this season, averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .415/.305/.867.
Hunter, who makes $23.3MM this season, is under contract through ’26/27. He will earn $24.9MM next season ahead of free agency.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), the Kings will soon qualify for a hardship exception with Hunter, Sabonis, LaVine and Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) all out for an extended period. They also have a standard roster opening as well as a two-way vacancy after promoting Cardwell.
Dejounte Murray Expected To Make Season Debut In February
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has been sidelined since January 31, 2025 after rupturing his right Achilles tendon, but he’s close to returning to action. The one-time All-Star went through full practices on Wednesday and Thursday, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
“He’s close,” interim head coach James Borrego said after Thursday’s practice. “I’d say in the next week, he’s back on the floor playing NBA games, which is amazing.”
Murray, whom the Pelicans acquired in the 2024 offseason in a trade with Atlanta, had a tough start to his tenure in New Orleans. He fractured his left hand in the team’s 2024/25 season opener, causing him to miss 17 games, then suffered the torn Achilles a few months later.
The 29-year-old made 31 appearances last season, averaging 17.5 points, 7.4 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He struggled with his offensive efficiency, posting an underwhelming .393/.299/.823 shooting slash line.
Murray has been ruled out for Friday’s game vs. Milwaukee, but Borrego is optimistic about what the former All-Defensive guard will bring to the Pelicans when he makes his season debut.
“I’m expecting a lot from him,” Borrego said, per Walker. “He’s coming off a massive injury, but what I’ve seen has been encouraging. I look forward to watching him.”
Clippers Sign Norchad Omier, Sean Pedulla To Two-Way Deals
February 20: Omier’s two-way contract has also been finalized, the Clippers confirmed today.
February 19, 8:30 pm: Pedulla’s two-way deal is official, according to the NBA’s transaction log. Pedulla’s contract covers two seasons, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
February 19, 4:56 pm: The Clippers plan to sign free agents Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla to two-way contracts, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Los Angeles has a pair of two-way openings after recently promoting Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller to the team’s 15-man standard roster. Omier and Pedulla will fill those vacancies, according to Fischer.
Omier, 24, played for three different college programs — Arkansas State, Miami (FL) and Baylor — over the course of five NCAA seasons. He averaged a double-double in each of those campaigns.
The 6’5″ forward went undrafted last year, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, was waived, and has spent the 2025/26 season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge. In 31 total games (28.9 minutes per contest) with the Charge, Omier has averaged 18.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal on .603/.293/.774 shooting.
According to Basketball-Reference, Omier will be the first player born in Nicaragua in NBA history.
Pedulla, a 6’1″ guard, went undrafted last year out of Mississippi after previously playing three years at Virginia Tech. The Oklahoma native signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Portland last fall and has been suiting up for the team’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
In 36 games with the Remix this season, Pedulla has averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 4.0 RPG and 1.4 SPG in 27.7 MPG. The 23-year-old’s shooting line was .438/.359/.847.
The Clippers will have a full roster once the signings are official.
Warriors Owner Lacob Discusses Kuminga, Porzingis, Kerr, More
In an interesting interview with Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Warriors owner Joe Lacob discussed a number of topics, including Jonathan Kuminga, Kristaps Porzingis, his expectations for the rest of the season, the future of head coach Steve Kerr, Draymond Green, tanking, and more.
As Kawakami writes, Lacob was one of Kuminga’s biggest supporters in Golden State, but he said the decision to trade the former lottery pick (and Buddy Hield) to Atlanta for Porzingis wasn’t a difficult one.
“Not hard; everyone assumes a lot about that,” Lacob said. “Look, I liked him as a player, I like him as a person. … And at times, he showed a lot of potential for us. Just never quite really worked entirely. And he got injured at inopportune times.
“I think we all knew we had to do something. But we weren’t going to give him away, either. Because he is a talent, and a lot of people think that, too. It just worked out — we got something that we thought was worth doing. Otherwise, we would’ve kept him.”
Of course, Kuminga demanded a trade on January 15 following a prolonged contract standoff with the team in the offseason, so the two sides weren’t exactly on great terms prior to parting ways. Lacob expressed skepticism that the Warriors could have received more value in return for the 23-year-old forward if they had moved him a year or two ago.
“I don’t think so,” Lacob said. “People say I loved him as a player, I was protecting him, I was whatever. That’s just not true. I did like him. I like all our players. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be acquiring them if we didn’t all like them. But you know, it just didn’t work. It looked like it was going to work. It was off and on a lot.”
Here are a few more highlights from Kawakami’s conversation with Lacob, which is worth checking out in full for Warriors fans.
On being encouraged by Porzingis’ Warriors debut on Thursday:
“He showed you a little bit about what he can do and why we got him. He’s always been one of my favorite players, to be honest, just in terms of his skill set, his size. You know, [general manger] Mike Dunleavy [Jr.] and the guys always laugh because I’m always yelling for more size. And we finally got it. He’s 7-foot-3, so I’m happy with that. We’ve got two real seven-footers on the team now [along with Quinten Post]. I like what I saw. Let’s get him ready, get him back to playing, get his timing back, and get used to our players. I think it’s encouraging.”
On whether there’s any clarity about Kerr’s future (his contract expires this offseason):
“I think Steve has answered that question; there’s nothing more I can say. He has said we’re going to wait until after the season. That’s 100% accurate. We’ve discussed it. No point in talking about it now. He’s got a job to do. Let’s just let people focus — I mean, why would you do that now? Let’s just focus on the season. Really, it’s up to him. What does he want to do? And he doesn’t know, I don’t think. So we’ll have that discussion later.”
On what Lacob thinks of Kerr’s job performance in 2025/26:
“I don’t look at it in one season. I look at it — he’s been our coach for 12 years. I think you can make the assumption that I think a lot of Steve Kerr. He’s a great coach. He’s been very successful. He’s won us four championships. Been to six Finals. He is a great human being, I really really, really respect him, admire him. But it depends what he wants to do and how he feels at the end of the season, and where we’re at. We’ll take all of it, put it into a bowl and figure it out. And I’m not really very worried about it, and I don’t think he’s very worried about it, either.“
Pelicans Sign Bryce McGowens To Three-Year Deal
3:15 pm: McGowens’ conversion is now official, the Pelicans announced in a press release (Twitter link).
12:24 pm: The Pelicans and two-way wing Bryce McGowens have reached an agreement on a new three-year standard contract, agents Kyle McAlarney and Mark Bartelstein tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
McGowens, 23, has averaged 7.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.9 minutes per game this season at the NBA level. He has made 11 starts for the Pelicans and has scored efficiently in his limited role, shooting 48.0% from the floor and 45.3% from beyond the three-point line.
Prior to signing a two-way contract with New Orleans last summer, McGowens appeared in 118 games for the Hornets and Trail Blazers from 2022-25, recording 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 14.4 MPG. The 6’6″ shooting guard was the 40th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Nebraska.
McGowens still had the ability to appear in up to nine more regular season games before reaching his limit as a two-way player, but the Pelicans, with an open spot on their 15-man roster, decided not to wait to promote him to a standard deal.
While the details of that contract aren’t yet known, the fact that it’ll cover three years suggests the team will use part of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.
The transaction will open up a two-way slot for New Orleans alongside Trey Alexander and Hunter Dickinson.