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LaMelo Ball Exits Friday’s Game With Left Ankle Injury

December 5th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was unable to finish Friday’s game at Toronto, having been ruled out in the second half with left ankle soreness, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, Ball had a “slight limp” when he headed back to the locker room less than two minutes into the third quarter. The injury appeared to occur when Ball slipped on the court when trying to get back for transition defense, Boone notes.

Ball, who has dealt with numerous ankle injuries the past few years, entered tonight’s contest with a probable tag due to a sprained left wrist before being upgraded to available. The one-time All-Star missed five consecutive games earlier this season with a right ankle impingement.

As Boone writes, the timing of Ball’s injury was particularly unfortunate, because it coincided with Brandon Miller returning from a two-game absence. Boone says the team was just being cautious with Miller’s left shoulder, which caused him to miss multiple weeks earlier in the seasons.

“He allows us to have another primary defender on some of their primary ball-handlers that I think are some of their best creators,” head coach Charles Lee said of the third-year wing. “And then offensively, he gives us another weapon when we’re trying to play with pace, we’re trying to pass the ball ahead, or across his ability to get to the paint and make plays, his basketball IQ.”

Rookie wing Sion James, who filled in at shooting guard with Miller out, earned praise from Lee as well, Boone adds.

“I love the communication that he has,” Lee said of James. “He’s very vocal in what he sees during the game, which I think helps his teammates and helps me as well. And then offensively, he stays within himself. He’s looking to catch and shoot. He’s looking to create and connect everybody on our team.”

Charlotte pulled out another victory over the Raptors despite Ball’s injury. Kon Knueppel (21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, seven assists) continued his strong rookie season, while second-year forward Tidjane Salaun poured in a career-high 21 points (on 6-of-8 shooting) in just 22 minutes (Twitter link via the Hornets).

Rivers: Bucks To Take Cautious Approach To Giannis’ Recovery

December 5th, 2025 at 8:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was diagnosed with a right calf strain on Wednesday, with ESPN’s Shams Charania subsequently reporting that the Greek superstar was expected to be sidelined roughly two-to-four weeks.

Head coach Doc Rivers says Milwaukee will take a cautious approach to Antetokounmpo’s recovery, and thinks the two-time MVP will be out closer to four weeks than two, per Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“I feel like we should learn is with calves — make sure they’re healthy,” Rivers said before Friday’s game against Philadelphia. “So that may take longer than we want. That even may make Giannis frustrated over it, but we just got to try to get that right.”

According to Collier, Rivers said he spoke to Antetokounmpo for a “long time” on Thursday after the MRI results came back, and Antetokounmpo was feeling optimistic about his prognosis.

As Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports writes, if Antetokounmpo is out four weeks, he would be sidelined for the next 12 games, making him ineligible for major postseason awards since he has already missed six. The former Finals MVP has been a first-team All-NBA selection each of the past seven years, Devine notes, and has also finished in the top four in MVP voting every season over that stretch.

Both Devine and Eric Nehm of The Athletic explore how the Bucks might be able to survive the next few weeks without their best player. It’s a tall task, to be sure — Milwaukee has gone just 1-5 so far this season in Antetokounmpo’s absence (2-6 counting the games he had to leave early due to injuries).

Having Kevin Porter Jr. back should help alleviate some pressure off Ryan Rollins, who was asked to take on an enormous workload on both ends of the court during Antetokounmpo’s recent adductor injury, Nehm writes. For his part, Rollins said the team needs to keep the ball moving as much as possible.

“We need to move the ball. With him on the court, without him on the court, we need to move the ball,” Rollins said. “But when he’s off the court, we need to move it even more. Just get everybody touches, keep the ball moving, and when that happens, we have our best chance to win and play our best basketball.”

Devine wonders if big man Jericho Sims could be in line for an increased role with Antetokounmpo out, while Nehm thinks A.J. Green could be capable of more scoring — unfortunately, the sharpshooting wing suffered a left shoulder contusion on Friday and was ruled out for the rest of the game, tweets Collier.

Bulls Notes: Collins, White, Dosunmu, Spiral, Buzelis

December 5th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran big man Zach Collins will make his 2025/26 season debut on Friday when the Bulls face Indiana, head coach Billy Donovan told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Collins suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during a preseason game in mid-October and subsequently had surgery to address the injury. The former lottery pick, who was selected 10th overall in the 2017 draft, was cleared for contact work earlier this week.

Collins will be limited to approximately 20 minutes in his first game back, according to Donovan.

Here’s more on the slumping Bulls, who have lost five straight games entering Friday:

Leading scorer Coby White, who has missed the past three contests with a left calf injury, will also be active for Friday’s game, Johnson adds. White underwent an MRI on his calf earlier in the week and the results came back clean — he said Wednesday that he was hoping to be back tonight and was considered day-to-day. Like Collins, White will be on a minutes restriction — Donovan said the 25-year-old combo guard would be limited to around 24 minutes.
While Collins and White were upgraded to available after initially being listed as questionable, the opposite was true of Chicago native Ayo Dosunmu, who was downgraded to out for Friday’s contest with a right thumb sprain. The 2021 second-round pick is off to a strong start this season, averaging 15.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds on .529/.494/.852 shooting through 19 games (27.8 minutes per contest). Dosunmu is one of six injured Bulls who won’t play tonight.
The Bulls were one of the NBA’s pleasant surprises during the first couple weeks of the season, starting out 5-0. However, they’ve been spiraling down the standings ever since, going 4-12 over their past 16 games, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. While injuries have played a part in the tailspin, Chicago also hasn’t taken advantage of seemingly winnable games — the team has lost to New Orleans (3-20), Charlotte (6-16), Indiana (4-18) and Brooklyn (5-17) during the ongoing skid, with Wednesday’s loss to the Nets marking a new low point. “Listen, I’m not going to make any excuses, because I always think players want opportunities to play and compete,” Donovan said, per Lorenzi. “And you know what? For some guys, this may be the best opportunity they got. To me, you should be playing all-out crazy hard and really, really physical and say, ‘Listen, if this ends because we get healthy, at least I made an effort.’ I did not think we did that. I don’t.”
Matas Buzelis‘ hasn’t made a second-year leap to this point in the season, but he remains confident that his game will eventually blossom, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. A diligent worker, the 21-year-old forward has struggled at times with taking the necessary time to unwind, since he’s highly motivated to keep improving, Poe notes. “Waiting is the right word to use,” Buzelis said. “It’s all just part of the process. No one can predict it. There’s always going to be ups and downs. You’re not always going to shine in the limelight. But you continue to work, you continue to get better. That’s what I’m doing.”

Hawks’ Porzingis, Johnson Returning Friday Against Denver

December 5th, 2025 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the past four games with an unspecified illness, will return to action on Friday against Denver, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays (Twitter links).

Head coach Quin Snyder said before Friday’s game that Atlanta will be keeping a close eye on Porzingis, adding that the Latvian big man would be on a minutes restriction, though no number or range was given.

Porzingis was initially questionable to return Friday, according to Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). The injury designation for Porzingis was “return to competition reconditioning,” rather than the illness that prevented him from suiting up for the past 10 days.

Porzingis, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, missed extended time late in 2024/25 and in the playoffs with a mysterious illness, which was eventually diagnosed as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). It’s unclear if his latest illness is related to that condition, which Porzingis has reportedly been able to manage without medication.

Fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson, who is having a breakout season for Atlanta, was ruled out of Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers with tightness in his right calf. However, it seems like the team was just being cautious with the former first-round pick — Johnson will be back tonight vs. the Nuggets, per Youngmisuk.

Johnson, who turns 24 in a couple weeks, has been playing the best basketball of his career with Trae Young sidelined due to a knee injury. The former Duke forward has recorded seven-plus assists in 12 straight games, averaging 24.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.7 steals on .515/.467/.775 shooting over that span (36.8 minutes per contest).

Pistons Notes: Sasser, Robinson, Cade, Duren, More

December 5th, 2025 at 4:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Marcus Sasser could make his season debut for the Pistons on Friday, having been listed as questionable to suit up against Portland, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.

Sasser, who starred in college at Houston prior to being selected 25th overall in the 2023 draft, missed the first 22 games of 2025/26 after sustaining a right hip impingement during the preseason. He was assigned to the G League to practice on Sunday and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the 25-year-old was doing 3-on-3 scrimmages on Monday.

Starting wing Duncan Robinson may play tonight as well — he’s also questionable after missing the past two games with a right ankle sprain, Patterson notes.

We have more from Detroit:

In a feature story for The Athletic, Patterson takes a look at the growing bond between All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham and rising young center Jalen Duren, a candidate to make his first All-Star appearance following a strong start to the season. As Patterson writes, Duren has made a conscious effort to spent at least a few weeks with Cunningham each of the past two offseasons — over the summer, they went on trips to Colorado and Rome, Italy. Both players the believe time spent together in the offseason has improved their on-court chemistry in addition to strengthening their off-court connection. “(These trips) have just tied into us sticking together, us having each other’s backs,” Cunningham said. “And pushing each other to be great. We can only help each other get better. We can only help each other get to that point. So, (it’s) really just about us being brothers and having each other’s backs. I think that’s all you can ask for, and we’ll take care of the rest on the court.”
Bickerstaff also spent two weeks with Duren over the summer, according to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, who writes that the Pistons’ coach challenged the 22-year-old big man to “improve his on-ball skills” and be in peak condition entering his fourth season. Duren appreciated Bickerstaff’s hands-on approach to his development. “That was the first time since I’ve been in the NBA where that happened,” Duren said. “I don’t know if he knows how much that meant to me, [but] that showed me how much he cared about me.”
Goodwill’s story, which features several more interesting quotes, is centered on the Pistons going from the worst record in the NBA (14-68) two years ago to currently holding the best mark (17-5) in the Eastern Conference. While head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said the front office will be “opportunistic” if the right trade opportunity presents itself, he also said he’s not aggressively seeking win-now help. “I’m always pushing my group, whether it’s from an analytics or personnel standpoint, on how can we get better? Can that happen internally? Or do we need to do something, add something, to get better? There’s obviously [the risk of] what those things cost and how they can hamper your future,” Langdon said, per Goodwill.

Siegel’s Latest: H. Jones, Poole, Pacers, Warriors, Cavs, Heat

December 5th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have long signaled that forward Herbert Jones is off limits in trade talks, and that stance didn’t change when Joe Dumars was hired to run the front office in the spring, writes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

However, according to Siegel, with the Pelicans off to a miserable 3-20 start to the season and Dumars seemingly becoming more open to the idea of major changes, the odds of a deal involving Jones have grown “exponentially” in recent months. After signing a contract extension in July, Jones isn’t currently eligible to be traded, but that will restriction will lift on January 14, a few weeks before this season’s deadline.

Jordan Poole‘s status with the Pelicans will also be worth monitoring this winter, Siegel writes, pointing out that Jeremiah Fears‘ emergence as Dejounte Murray‘s potential return in the new year are factors that could make Poole expendable.

After being acquired by the Pelicans in the offseason, Poole got off to a shaky start this fall and has missed the past month with a quad strain. The 26-year-old also doesn’t have an especially team-friendly contract — he’s owed $31.8MM this season and $34MM next season – so his value would probably be pretty limited.

Here are a few more items of interest from Siegel’s latest round-up of rumors from across the NBA:

While Pacers role players like T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard have drawn plenty of interest in recent years, Indiana is unlikely to make major changes to its roster this season, since the team believes it can be a contender again in 2026/27 with Tyrese Haliburton back in the lineup, according to Siegel. If the Pacers do make an in-season move, Bennedict Mathurin is considered their most likely trade candidate, Siegel adds, since he’s on an expiring contract and is eligible for restricted free agency over the summer.
Siegel believes that if Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo requests a trade and the Warriors make an offer, it’s more likely to be centered around Jimmy Butler than Draymond Green. According to Siegel, trading Green is “not something the Warriors plan on doing,” given his long-time importance to the organization.
Teams around the league are keeping a close eye on the Cavaliers, who are off to an underwhelming 13-10 start, with rival executives wondering if the team might listen to inquires on starting center Jarrett Allen, per Siegel. Allen is earning $20MM this season before his three-year, $90.7MM extension begins in July.
Viewed entering the season as possible deadline sellers, the 14-8 Heat are now widely viewed as more likely to be buyers, with forward Andrew Wiggins considered unlikely to be moved unless it’s in a deal that upgrades Miami’s roster, says Siegel.

Trade Notes: Giannis, Rockets, Vucevic, Middleton

December 5th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s potential trade value during the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed some skepticism that the Bucks would be able to extract a massive package of future draft picks for their star forward if he asks out of Milwaukee.

“What I’m telling you is when I talk to executives – and these executives are not in trade talks with the Bucks or another team for a star player right now – the mood in the NBA right now is not to give up four first-round picks for anybody,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “… People don’t want to do that because the aprons have spooked so many teams.

“All these teams are worried about getting into apron trouble where they can’t reset their rosters, and you get into a situation like the Celtics were in where you’ve got to rip your team down. … This is how teams are thinking right now. They’re a little freaked out about the aprons. There ain’t going to be no five first-round pick trades. I know that we saw those for a while. That’s just not going to happen.”

Windhorst went on to offer a few caveats, clarifying that he’s specifically referring to stars in their 30s who are earning the largest possible maximum-salary contracts, worth 35% of the cap. He also acknowledged that it would only take one team going all-in to prove his sources wrong.

“I can hear somebody out there listening to this podcast saying, ‘What are you talking about? This is Giannis. Giannis will go for two star players and six firsts,'” Windhorst said. “Maybe that will happen. I am just telling you, I talk to the guys who make these trades every day, all day long. And the appetite is just different. Everybody is feeling a certain way. I could end up being wrong, I’m just reporting back.”

While many executives around the NBA may be apprehensive about surrendering a handful of unprotected first-round picks in any deal, I expect a number of them would still be willing to do so for a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo, who isn’t that old (he’ll celebrate his 31st birthday on Saturday) and doesn’t have the sort of extensive injury history that someone like Anthony Davis does.

For what it’s worth, the most recent trade involving four first-rounders – including three unprotected picks – happened less than six months ago, when the Magic acquired Desmond Bane, a player who has never made an All-Star team.

Here are a few more trade-related notes from around the NBA:

The emergence of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard has made a trade to upgrade the backcourt a less pressing need, but if the Rockets have any reservations about Fred VanVleet‘s ability to return from an ACL tear and make an impact next season, they still may end up pursuing a deal by February 5, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan acknowledges that there’s no perfect match for the Rockets, since an ideal trade target like Derrick White would be difficult to acquire and lesser options like Collin Sexton or Dennis Schröder might not make enough of a difference to make a deal worthwhile.
With the Bulls sliding down the standings after a hot start to open the season, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times argues that the front office ought to do right by Nikola Vucevic and trade the veteran center to a team closer to contention, giving him a chance to play in the postseason before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) spoke to veteran forward Khris Middleton about what it’s like to be traded as an NBA player. Middleton, who was dealt from the Bucks to the Wizards at last season’s deadline after spending over a decade in Milwaukee, admitted that it was a blow to his ego. “It was just a time to decompress, get my feelings out, reminisce, go through a whole bunch of thought processes and figure out what my life’s gonna be like now,” Middleton told Fischer. “When you get traded, it’s a huge confidence killer, especially if you’re not in control of it. You have to kinda talk yourself back up.”

Community Shootaround: Chris Paul

December 5th, 2025 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul is technically still a member of the Clippers. The veteran point guard won’t become trade-eligible until December 15, and waiving him now would result in roster- and cap-related complications for an L.A. team that has less than $1.3MM in breathing room below its hard cap.

However, Paul has played his last game for the Clippers, who announced overnight on Tuesday that they’re “parting ways” with the 40-year-old. The surprising news came less than two weeks after Paul confirmed that the 2025/26 season would be his last as an NBA player.

This wasn’t how Paul envisioned his career coming to an end and it’s not how he wants to go out. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today on Thursday, Marc J. Spears of Andscape confirmed as much (Twitter video link).

“So, the big question: Does he want to retire? Is he done? I was told absolutely not,” Spears said. “He does want to play.”

Still, finding a logical landing spot for the 21-year veteran will be much more difficult now than it would have been a decade or two ago.

Paul’s performance dropped off a cliff this fall after he started all 82 games for the Spurs last season. He averaged 14.3 minutes per game in 16 outings for the Clippers, posting career-low averages of 2.9 points and 3.3 assists with a brutal .321/.333/.500 shooting line.

There are respected veterans who barely play at all occupying 14th or 15th roster spots around the NBA due to their impact in the locker room, but Paul isn’t the sort of player who would be a positive presence in any situation. Reporting in the wake of his divorce with the Clippers suggested that teammates and others within the organization had tired of his “acerbic” and “disparaging” feedback behind the scenes, which came off as “grating” and unhelpful in a veteran locker room.

“You have to have a unique situation to (bring in Paul),” one league executive told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “You’ve got to be a team that thinks, ‘Hey, man, we’re one guy away. We can deal with the other stuff that comes with it.’ Your team has to have strong internal discipline already. You’ve got to be able to accept the whole CP3 experience.”

Paul’s outspoken style of leadership is “part of what you get with him,” but might be more welcome in the right situation, especially if he can contribute a little more on the court than he did as a Clipper, another front office source told Bulpett.

“We looked at him after all this came down, but it wasn’t a long discussion,” that source said. “I could actually see him fitting with a team in the East, because that’s so wide open. I think he could help a team like Orlando or maybe Detroit, where he could take some of the pressure off Cade (Cunningham).

“But you have to first figure out whether you’re even able to get him with your cap situation and what you’d have to do with your roster to bring him in. Then you have to look at what you have for chemistry and all that — how strong your coaching situation is, how the players would react to another strong voice. We have a guy who played with him who I think put it best: ‘Chris Paul is an acquired taste.’ He’s not everybody’s cup of tea.”

Outside of the personality-, roster-, and cap-related challenges involved in finding a new destination for Paul, there’s also the matter of how many different situations he would be open to. During the offseason, he chose the Clippers in large part because he wanted to be close to his family in Los Angeles. Would CP3 consider an East Coast team? According to Spears, he was told that Paul will “cross that bridge when he gets there.”

We want to know what you think. Do you think Paul could still be a valuable addition to a roster in his final NBA season? If so, what team would be the best fit for him? Will the Clippers be able to make a trade, or will they have to waive Paul and eat his guaranteed minimum salary?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, 2026 Draft, NBA Cup, More

December 5th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is still over two months away, but a number of players around the league are emerging as legitimate candidates to appear in the game for the first time, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic.

Harper points to Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Pistons center Jalen Duren, and Heat guard Norman Powell as Eastern Conference standouts who could become first-time All-Stars, while identifying Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray as the most plausible first-timers in the Western Conference.

Of those players, only Duren looks like a shoo-in to make the game, according to Zach Kram of ESPN, who takes his own early look at potential All-Stars and divides players into two groups — “near-locks” and “on the bubble.”

Duren is among Kram’s seven near-locks in the East, though he considers Giddey, Johnson, and Powell to have strong cases to make the cut. In the West, Kram thinks Murray could still find himself on the outside looking in despite a career-best first half, given the strength of the competition for the 12 spots. However, with eight international spots to fill and the potential for injury replacements beyond the initial 24 All-Stars, there could be multiple paths for the Nuggets guard to finally earn the honor.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Although Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has only appeared in two games so far this season, he’s the 2026 draft prospect that NBA scouts seem most excited about, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who places Peterson atop his most recent mock draft, ahead of Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Tennessee’s Nate Ament has slipped out of Vecenie’s top five, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson at No. 4, followed by Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
A panel of ESPN insiders answers a series of questions related to the NBA Cup, including which player was the MVP during the group stage (Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got two votes apiece) and which team has the best chance to upset Oklahoma City in the knockout round (the Lakers earned three of five possible votes).
In an interesting story for ESPN, Kevin Pelton takes a deep dive into the data to explore the impact of familiarity on shooting efficiency and explains why a number of high-profile players who changed teams over the summer – including Cameron Johnson, Desmond Bane, and Myles Turner – may have gotten off to slow starts.
Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic examines how former G League players became NCAA-eligible and what it means for college basketball going forward. “At the end of the day, we’re not the ones making decisions,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We either adapt to the rules or we get left behind. So until something changes, I guess all of us are watching G League games now.”

Clippers Sign RayJ Dennis, Waive Jahmyl Telfort

December 5th, 2025 at 11:24am CST by Eli Cohen

December 5: Both transactions are now official, according to the Clippers. Having signed on Friday, Dennis will be eligible to be active for as many as 37 games for the rest of the season.

December 3: The Clippers are planning to sign free agent guard RayJ Dennis to a two-way contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The move comes four days after the Pacers waived Dennis to sign Ethan Thompson.

Jake Fischer of the Stein Line confirms the report (via Twitter) and adds that Dennis is expected to provide depth in the Clippers’ backcourt following the recently announced departure of Chris Paul.

Fischer adds that Los Angeles will waive Jahmyl Telfort to make room for Dennis (Twitter link).

Dennis, a 24-year-old, 6’1″ point guard, played 13 games for the Pacers this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.0 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. The former Baylor standout went undrafted in 2024 and began his professional career with the Clippers’ G League affiliate before signing a two-year, two-way contract with Indiana back in January.

Telfort played 29 minutes over seven games for the Clippers after going unselected in the 2025 draft out of Butler.