Northwest Notes: J. Williams, Randle, Holiday, Thybulle, Bailey

Jalen Williams was back on the court Friday night, adding another weapon to the Thunder’s already-potent lineup, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Returning to the starting lineup in his season debut, Williams scored 11 points in 29 minutes and handed out eight assists as Oklahoma City defeated Phoenix to advance to the next round of NBA Cup competition.

“Just pass the ball to the guys who’ve been playing was the goal for tonight,” Williams told reporters. “I’m also joining a team that’s 18-1 up until when I played, so you try to fit in a little bit offensively and not mess up the rotations. And then obviously (Isaiah Hartenstein) and Ajay (Mitchell) don’t play tonight either, so it’s like now our rotations are even more different. I’m just trying to pick and choose spots and mesh with what the team is doing.”

Friday marked the end of a long recovery process for Williams, who underwent surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in early July, shortly after the end of the NBA Finals. He needed a second procedure in late October to take out a screw that was causing irritation.

Martinez notes that Williams, who was a second-team All-Defensive selection last season, displayed his versatility in Friday’s game by serving as the primary defender on 10 different Phoenix players, ranging from point guard Collin Gillespie to center Mark Williams. He held them to a combined 3-of-14 from the field.

“Defense is very easy compared to offense, especially when you lose your right hand for five months,” Williams added. “I can always play hard defensively and figure it out from there. It’s going to take some time (with shooting). Like I said, I haven’t played in forever. … I’m still trying to figure my way out through my jump shot and dribbling and trying to get my touch back. That’s just something that’s got to progress throughout the season. But defensively, my feet feel fine and my wind is actually really good. I can always do that.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Timberwolves coach Chris Finch plans to expand Julius Randle‘s role in the offense, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).“We need to put him more in the heart of what we’re doing,” Finch said at Friday’s practice, “and that’s a lot of things we worked on today.”
  • Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said Jrue Holiday is “getting better” as he works his way back from a calf injury that has sidelined him for the past seven games, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. Holiday was able to participate in some non-contact drills at Saturday’s practice, but hasn’t received full clearance from the medical staff. Splitter added that Matisse Thybulle, who is recovering from thumb surgery and hasn’t played since October 26, is doing some shooting and ball-handling work, but also hasn’t been cleared for full contact.
  • Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey is considered day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his right knee in Friday’s game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Mavericks Notes: AD, Luka, Flagg, Nembhard, Cisse

Mavericks big man Anthony Davis slightly exceeded the minutes restriction he had Friday in his first game back following a 14-game absence, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The star forward/center, who was facing the Lakers for the first time since the shocking February trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and Davis to Dallas, faced immediate double-teams, ultimately finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 28 minutes.

I thought he was good for his first game back,” head coach Jason Kidd said (story via Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal). “We’ll try to get the rhythm and try to get the flow of just being with those guys on the floor. I thought he was good on both ends. As we go forward and continue, as we talked about, to stacking good minutes, he did that.”

The Mavericks wound up losing by 10 points to fall to 5-15, the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Davis is optimistic the team still has time to turn its season around, Afseth adds.

We’re still playing basketball, we’re trying to compete,” Davis said. “We are competing, we’re playing for each other, and we’re playing together. I remember when Brooklyn started off 5-20 and ended up at the four seed. I’m not saying we’re comparing ourselves to that or that we’re going to start off 5-20, but we just have to keep competing. There were just a couple of plays here and there that hurt us, but we can’t complain, we keep fighting. I feel like we’re right there.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • It’s been almost 10 months since Doncic was traded, but he says matchups against his former team will always be meaningful, Afseth writes in another story for Dallas Hoops Journal. “I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s important, it’s fun, and it’s always special. Like I say, it’ll always be special for me.”
  • After the game, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News asked Doncic for his thoughts on Cooper Flagg (Twitter video link). “I think he’s a good player,” Doncic said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with (being) the first pick so he has a lot on his shoulders, but I think he will become a great player.” The 18-year-old rookie had 13 points, a career-high 11 assists and seven rebounds in the loss.
  • Rookie Ryan Nembhard, who is on a two-way contract, received his first career start on Friday, as first reported by Marc Stein (via Twitter). The former Gonzaga point guard had a solid outing, recording 17 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) and four assists in 23 minutes. “They weren’t really guarding me,” Nembhard said, per Afseth. “They was trying to play off me and stand those gaps for AD and double him and make it tough on him. So a lot of open shots presented themselves and I’m just trying to be aggressive, get my teammates involved, and take advantage of the opportunity.”
  • In a feature story for Ratings, Afseth details how undrafted rookie Moussa Cisse has become a valuable contributor for the Mavs. Like Nembhard, the Guinean center is on a two-way deal with Dallas. “He’s a bit undersized at the five, but he’s explosive and plays extremely hard,” a scout said. “He’s a bit further along than I expected, but there’s still plenty of work there. You can tell he’s still getting used to guarding NBA actions and talent — his angles can use some work. But he’s really dynamic rotating from the weak side and he’s going to crash the boards hard on both ends. I like his potential.”

Kevon Looney Discusses Return To Golden State

After 10 years with the franchise, Kevon Looney never received a contract offer from the Warriors as a free agent this past summer, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

As Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle explains, the 29-year-old big man wanted to stay with the only NBA team he’d ever played for, but the Warriors were in a holding pattern until Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency was resolved. With a two-year, $16MM offer in hand from the Pelicans, Looney knew he had to make a decision, but the choice wasn’t as easy as it might seem.

You want to be somewhere forever … but you never know in the NBA. Business is business,” Looney told Gordon. “… It’s bittersweet. I’ve got an opportunity to go somewhere and experience something new, but leaving somewhere that I call home, it was something that was tough, and that I really had to think about.

Looney was a healthy scratch when the Warriors traveled to New Orleans earlier this month. On Saturday, he returns to Golden State as an opponent for the first time — and the three-time champion knows he’ll receive a warm reception.

The Warriors always do it top class,” Looney said, per Gordon. “But as far as emotions. I don’t know what to expect. I’m always asked if I’m going to cry. I’m like, ‘No I don’t think so,’ but I don’t know. We’ll see when I get there.”

Looney’s on-court production has been limited this season with the Pelicans — he has averaged just 2.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game. However, the Warriors miss his leadership, rebounding, toughness, and “bone-crushing screens,” Thompson writes. For his part, Looney tells Gordon the Bay Area will “always be home for me.”

The love they showed me, the family-oriented vibe of the Bay is something I’ve always been based off of. … For them to love me as one of their own is something I’ll always respect,” he said.

Five Under-The-Radar 2025 FAs Outperforming Their New Contracts

We're not quite at the one-quarter mark of the 2025/26 NBA season, but several of the investments that clubs made in free agents over the summer are already paying off in a major way.

Only three free agents got more overall guaranteed money this past offseason than the $100MM Josh Giddey received on his new four-year deal with the Bulls, but Giddey is putting up All-Star caliber numbers in Chicago, making that $100MM commitment look like a potential bargain for his team.

Similarly, Clippers guard James Harden didn't come cheap in free agency -- he's earning $39.2MM in the first season of his new two-year contract. But Harden is playing even better than he did when he earned All-NBA honors last season and is one of the only reasons the struggling Clippers have been competitive at all. The team is getting outscored by an ugly 13.6 points per 100 possessions when he's not on the court. Even at nearly $40MM, Harden has outplayed his salary so far.

While Giddey and Harden are among the well-paid free agents making good on their new deals, we're focusing today on a group of players who flew more under the radar over the summer, having signed for the veteran's minimum or something close to it. It wasn't major news when these five players agreed to terms with their respective teams, but they're well on their way to securing more lucrative paydays when their current deals expire.

Let's dive in...

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Trae Young Out At Least Two More Weeks With MCL Sprain

While Hawks star Trae Young is making “good progress” in his recovery from a sprained MCL in his right knee, he will miss at least two more weeks, which is the next time he’ll be reevaluated, the team announced in a press release.

Young injured his knee in a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye in the first quarter of an October 29 game at Brooklyn. He was ruled out for the rest of that game and was diagnosed with the MCL sprain a few days later after undergoing an MRI, which revealed no additional damage.

The 27-year-old point guard was scheduled to be checked out on Saturday. This is the first update on his status since November 1.

Atlanta has played well without the four-time All-Star, compiling an 11-5 record (including the victory over the Nets) in Young’s absence. He’s expected to be sidelined for six more games, with his earliest possible return date likely being Dec. 14 vs. Philadelphia.

Fifth-year forward Jalen Johnson has thrived with Young sidelined, emerging as the face of the franchise and complicating his teammate’s future with the organization, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Although the Hawks value Young’s contributions and are eager to have him back in the near future, they may not be willing to give him the type of contract he could be seeking next offseason if he declines his $49MM player option for 2026/27 to become an unrestricted free agent.

Johnson had another huge game on Friday against Cleveland, compiling 29 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists for his second triple-double of the season, writes Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). Johnson, who turns 24 years old next month, was plus-20 in 39 minutes during the seven-point victory over the Cavaliers.

Reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels has also taken on expanded play-making duties with Young out, and will continue to do so until his fellow starter in the backcourt is ready to return.

It will be interesting to see what head coach Quin Snyder decides to do with Nickeil Alexander-Walker when Young is back. The Canadian guard, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Minnesota over the summer, has more than doubled his scoring average (19.3 points per game) compared to last season (9.4). He has been starting alongside Daniels for the past 13 games.

Sixers’ Drummond Day-To-Day With Right Knee Sprain

November 29: Drummond underwent an MRI on Saturday morning which revealed no structural damage, the Sixers announced (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). The veteran big man is feeling better today, per the team, and an official update will come at 4:00 pm CT.

Scotto reports (via Twitter) that Drummond is considered day-to-day.


November 28: Sixers center Andre Drummond sustained a right knee sprain in the first half of Friday’s game at Brooklyn and will not return, the team announced (Twitter link via Tony Jones of The Athletic).

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link), the initial diagnosis on Drummond is a hyperextended knee, though he will almost certainly undergo additional testing to confirm that diagnosis and determine the severity of the injury.

Drummond appeared to be knocked off balance in the air by teammate Kyle Lowry as he was attempting to corral a defensive rebound. The 32-year-old was unable to put weight on his right leg, according to Jones (Twitter link), and had to be helped off the court, ultimately leaving in a wheelchair.

Second-year big man Adem Bona, who returned to action on Friday after missing the past five games with a right ankle sprain, started the second half with Drummond out, Jones adds (via Twitter).

It’s an unfortunate development for both Drummond and the 76ers, who also had Paul George back on Friday following a one-game absence due to his own right ankle sprain.

A two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion in the early portion of his career, Drummond opened the season playing a modest role for Philadelphia but had started each of the past eight games heading into Friday with Joel Embiid continuing to miss time with a sore right knee. Drummond averaged a double-double (10.9 points and 13.8 rebounds) over that stretch while also incorporating a three-point shot into his game — entering Friday, he was 9-of-22 (40.9%) from deep on the season.

Drummond, who is earning $5MM in the final year of his contract, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Bona, Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Johni Broome are all candidates for more playing time with Drummond out.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Doncic, Allen, Kuminga, Payton

The reeling Clippers lost at home for the sixth consecutive time, falling to the Grizzlies, 112-107, on Friday. They’ve dropped 12 of their last 14 overall. The Clippers were up 16 in the first half but couldn’t sustain that momentum.

“Every second half, we don’t come out right,” center Ivica Zubac said, per Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “We’re not playing the right way. It feels a little bit mental. The second half we got to string some wins, man. We got to string some wins.”

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points, but it wasn’t enough to turn around their fortunes.

“That’s a challenge you got to face and I’m up for it and we just got to go out there and tuck in our jerseys and get ready to scrap if we really want to win,” Leonard said. “It can’t be two players, can’t be three. It has to be the whole 15, the unit, even guys on the bench that’s not playing.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Luka Doncic haunted his former team in the Lakers‘ 129-119 win over the Mavericks. Doncic piled up 35 points and 11 assists. “I think he’s done a good job throughout the year of finding balance, whether he’s on or off-ball, of hunting 3s and touching the paint,” coach JJ Redick said, per Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “When he’s in that mode, he’s just really hard to guard. He’s really been in a groove with that balance, particularly late in games.”
  • Suns guard Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) didn’t play against the Thunder on Friday but head coach Jordan Ott is optimistic Allen will return soon, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “Trending in the right way. Yesterday played full court. We’re just continuing to see how he reacts after that. Everything is moving in a good direction,” Ott said. Allen hasn’t played since Nov. 13.
  • Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who last suited up on Nov. 12, is listed as questionable to play tonight against the Pelicans, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points tweets. Kuminga is dealing with soreness in both knees. Gary Payton II (ankle) is probable, while Stephen Curry (quad), Al Horford (sciatica) and De’Anthony Melton (knee) remain out.

Duncan Robinson: Return To Miami Will Be Fun, Weird

Duncan Robinson spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Heat. He’ll return to Miami for the first time in a different uniform when the Pistons visit on Saturday night.

“I’m excited. It is definitely going to be a fun experience, but weird. I have so much rhythm and flow of being on the other side of that building, it’s going to be interesting,” Robinson told The Detroit News’ Coty Davis. “But, I am excited, especially the chance to go in there with this group, go out there and try to get a win.”

Robinson wound up in Detroit as part of a sign-and-trade at the beginning of free agency. Robinson terminated his contract with the Heat in order to become a free agent. Had Robinson opted into the final year of his deal, his $19.9MM salary for ’25/26 would have become partially guaranteed for $9.9MM, which would have forced Miami to decide whether to guarantee his remaining $10MM or waive him in order to create $10MM in savings.

He signed a three-year, $48MM deal with Detroit. It’s only partially guaranteed in year two and non-guaranteed in year three.

Robinson has started all 19 games with the Pistons, averaging 12.3 points per contest. He’s shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc but feels he can do more.

“We are still working through some things, building synergy on both sides of the ball,” Robinson said. “We have a system on both ends that we are trying to play to. The goal throughout the season is to optimize that. From an individual standpoint, continue to become more comfortable and aggressive and find my spots.”

Robinson appreciates the time he spent in the Heat organization.

“Heat culture is all about maximizing every day, putting your best foot forward and taking advantage of every opportunity,” Robinson said. Pat (Riley) is a legend himself. I was a beneficiary of the stability of that organization and learned a lot.”

The Heat’s coach still keeps close tabs on his former player.

“It’ll be strange,” Erik Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “I catch a lot of their games and I’ve watched their highlights a lot. I still root for Duncan. He’s one of the great success stories from our building. I wrote him a note after the deal, and I’ve told him this before, but I really do think his story is so inspirational that eventually it can be a book, a movie.”

Robinson holds the Heat franchise record with 1,202 made three-pointers after initially joining the team as an undrafted free agent.

“That just doesn’t happen, where you come from Division III, then transfer, be a sixth man (at Michigan), and then to come into the league and get to 1,000 threes as quickly as he did and break our record for threes, and then he’s going to continue to go,” Spoelstra said. “That’s just a credit to his fortitude and grit, just an amazing super power. So I do root for him, but it looks strange, him in that uniform, it really does.”

The franchise will show a Robinson tribute video prior to the contest, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.

Giannis On Slumping Bucks: Put Aside Personal Agendas

The return of Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t cure all of the Bucks’ ills. Milwaukee lost its seventh straight on Friday, falling to the Knicks, 118-109.

Their superstar tried his best to end the slide in his first game back from a groin strain, racking up 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes. After the loss, Antetokounmpo addressed a number of topics, as relayed by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

On the losing streak:

“Nobody should have a personal agenda. Nobody should worry about what they want from themselves. Worry only about winning mentality. Winning mindset. The more we can win the games, the more everything takes care of itself.”

On the need for a team-oriented mentality:

“You cannot worry about one shot or two shots that you miss, which took four seconds out of the game to dictate 47 minutes, 56 seconds of the game. So, we got to get back to that mindset. We got to get into the mindset that we got to compete. We got to get to the mindset that this is not a one-man show, that we have to do it together. We got to move the ball. We got to find open 3s, we got to run. We got to create spacing. Our spacing sometimes, it’s shaky.”

On the Bucks ranking 20th in defensive field goal percentage:

“At the end of the day, you got to come in, do your job, do what you’re paid to do, defend … do the little things. And sometimes, when you worry about doing the little things, all the other things add up. If you’re so concerned about scoring the ball and get yourself going offensively and that doesn’t work for you, now you feel like you cannot do nothing.”

The Bucks are playing the second game of a back-to-back set when they host the Nets on Saturday. Antetokounmpo plans not only to play but to get more court time than he did on Friday.

“I know how the protocol is,” Antetokounmpo said. “I know when you come back with my injury, there’s got to be a minute restriction, no matter what you want to do. It doesn’t matter what kind of game it is. Would I want to play more? Yes. Could I play more? I don’t know. But I know one thing for sure: Tomorrow, I will play more minutes, and I’m going to try to help the team win.”

Field Set For NBA Cup Knockout Round

The group stage of the NBA Cup was completed on Friday, determining the matchups for the knockout round.

In the East, Group B winner — the Magic — captured the No. 1 seed. The Raptors, the Group A victor, snared the No. 2 seed with the Knicks, who emerged from Group C, in the No. 3 slot. The Heat earned the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

On the West side, the Thunder grabbed the No. 1 seed after taking Group A. The Lakers, who won Group B, got the No. 2 seed with the Spurs, the Group C winner, nailing down the No. 3 seed. The Suns collected the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

[RELATED: Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025/26]

Here is the knockout round schedule, per NBA.com:

Quarterfinals

  • December 9
    • No. 4 Heat at No. 1 Magic (6:00 p.m. ET)
    • No. 3 Knicks at No. 2 Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET)
  • December 10
    • No. 4 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET)
    • No. 3 Spurs at No. 2 Lakers (10:00 p.m. ET)

Semifinals

Saturday, Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)

Championship

Tuesday, Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)


Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league:

December 11:

  • L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets
  • Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
  • Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans
  • Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings

December 12:

  • Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets
  • Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons
  • Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
  • Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
  • Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies
  • Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors

December 14:

  • Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
  • Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks
  • Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
  • Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers

December 15:

  • Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
  • New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls
  • Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
  • Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
  • Memphis Grizzlies at L.A. Clippers

Regular season games for NBA Cup quarterfinalists:

  • If Toronto and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Miami at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
  • If Toronto and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Orlando at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
  • If New York and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Miami game will be played on Dec. 15
  • If New York and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Orlando game will be played on Dec. 15
  • If San Antonio and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Phoenix game will be played on Dec. 14
  • If San Antonio and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City game will be played on Dec. 14
  • If L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Phoenix at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15
  • If L.A. Lakers and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Oklahoma City at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15