Central Notes: Cavs, Giannis, Thomas, Giddey, Jones
It was a disappointing first half of the season in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers opened the year with a 24-20 record after going 64-18 a year ago. However, the team has won nine of its past 10 games and appears to be rejuvenated by a trade deadline shakeup that saw James Harden, Dennis Schröder, and Keon Ellis added to the roster, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
“There’s definitely a different energy,” center Jarrett Allen said on Monday after the Cavs eked out a 119-117 win in Denver. “Everybody feels a new energy and another belief that we can go even farther than we did last year. The belief is around the team. The last few games we have proven that we can be an amazing team down the stretch and during the game. There’s just a whole new belief and confidence. When you see change, you believe things are going to be different and things are going to go in a new direction.”
Schröder (+22 in 17 minutes) and Ellis (+20 in 17 minutes) played key roles off the bench against their former team in Sacramento on Saturday as the Cavs won for the first time with their new-look roster. On Monday, Harden came up big against the Nuggets, with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, scored 35 points against the Kings and 32 in Denver, prompting head coach Kenny Atkinson to tell reporters that Harden’s arrival has given Mitchell “a different energy.” Mitchell didn’t dispute the idea that bringing in the 36-year-old star has created a greater sense of urgency for the Cavs.
“I think you understand what’s at stake,” Mitchell told Fedor. “You see what’s here. There’s a window. This is the window. This is the time. In a sense, the team is going all in. It’s time to go. When you make that move, understanding James’ age and where he’s at in his career, the time is now. There is no ‘runway’ in a sense with a group like that. You sacrifice even more. You believe even more. You go out there and feel it even more.
“I love the pressure of it. I love the expectation of it. I love the questions that have come from it. I love it. We need that. Embrace it. I think it’s a little bit of a jolt for everybody. When you make that move, what are you making it for? To win a championship. That’s what it is. The organization is basically saying, this is the time. And I love it. Now we have to go out there and do it. We are not running from that as a group.”
We have more from around the Central:
- While the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely revisit their discussions about his future in the offseason after no trade materialized last week, the club is facing a more pressing Giannis-related decision in the short term as the two-time MVP works his way back from a calf strain, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. If Antetokounmpo is ready to return sooner rather than later, as head coach Doc Rivers recently suggested, will the Bucks activate him and try to push for a play-in spot or delay his return to action in order to improve their draft position? “Everything they do is in service of Antetokounmpo,” one Western conference executive told ESPN. “It will absolutely be in their best interest to play for a draft pick, but if Giannis wants to try and make the play-in, they’ll try to make the play-in.”
- After signing with the Bucks on Sunday, Cam Thomas told reporters on Monday that he’s excited for his “fresh start” in Milwaukee and can’t wait to play alongside an “all-time great” like Antetokounmpo, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “The front office told me that they always wanted me, always called about me, been trying to get me here for years,” Thomas said. “That definitely plays a part in your decision to go somewhere, because I really felt wanted by the guys. Talked to Doc before. It was great. Great conversations. Just seeing the team, I feel like I can actually help and contribute and just blend in and be one of the guys.”
- Bulls guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones should be back from their left hamstring injuries soon after the All-Star break, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. According to head coach Billy Donovan, both Giddey and Jones have been doing three-on-three work and running at full speed. The Bulls can afford to be cautious and take their time with the duo as the team evaluates some of its newcomers in the backcourt, Cowley notes.
Thunder Notes: PPP, Topic, Williams, Boeheim
The NBA is looking at the Thunder for player absences in last Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso all missed that nationally televised game after having played the previous night vs. Orlando. With the exception of Gilgeous-Alexander, who has remained sidelined due to an abdominal strain, the others were all back in action for the Thunder’s next game on Saturday.
If a team plans to sit a player for one game in a back-to-back set, the NBA typically wants it to happen during the game that isn’t nationally televised, so the league will consider whether Oklahoma City violated its player participation policy (PPP). However, besides SGA, none of those Thunder players meet the “star” criteria, and Rylan Stiles of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that all their health issues were legitimate, so we’ll see if anything comes of the investigation.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- After missing his entire rookie season in 2024/25 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing treatment for testicular cancer this past fall, Thunder guard Nikola Topic made his G League debut on Monday. In his first game for the Oklahoma City Blue, the 20-year-old Serbian had seven points and seven assists in 16 minutes off the bench. “Great accomplishment,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said, per The Associated Press. “Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. … He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him.”
- Jalen Williams‘ return following a 10-game absence due to a hamstring strain was a success, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Williams scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City secure a 119-110 road win over the Lakers. “He slammed the door on that game,” Daigneault said. “It was impressive. He’s got such a body of work that we’re not overly concerned with how he plays coming back. We’re just happy he’s back. … Obviously, he was huge tonight. We know he’s a big-time player.”
- Buddy Boeheim‘s new two-way contract with the Thunder will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Boeheim joined the team last Friday, filling the roster opening created when the team waived Chris Youngblood, who had reached his 50-game limit.
Four Players Ejected From Pistons-Hornets Game After Fight
Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges of the Hornets and Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons were ejected after a fight broke out in the third quarter of Monday’s game in Charlotte, writes Steve Reed of The Associated Press.
Diabate and Duren appeared to be jawing at each other before the ball was inbounded with 7:13 remaining in the period (YouTube link via ESPN). After a little extracurricular activity between the two big men, Duren received the inbound pass, drove into the lane, and was fouled hard by Diabate. The two players appeared to butt heads, then Duren pushed Diabate in the face, igniting a fight that lasted more than 30 seconds.
Bridges shoved Duren with two hands, and Diabate was furious, rushing after and attempting to punch Duren. His punch didn’t connect as he was held by back Tobias Harris, but Diabate continued to pursue Duren, who slowly walked away along the baseline.
The incident seemed like it could have ended at that point, but then Bridges and Duren appeared to exchange words, and Bridges approached Duren and threw a left-handed punch. Duren responded with a right that didn’t connect.
Stewart, who was on the bench at the time, rushed onto the court to confront Bridges, who threw another punch. A brief and chaotic tussle ensued, with Stewart appearing to have Bridges in a headlock at one point, before the players were separated.
The incident marred a highly anticipated matchup between the Pistons, the top seed in the East, and the Hornets, who entered the game as the league’s hottest team, having won nine straight. Detroit wound up winning by six points.
Stewart left the bench, which typically results in an automatic suspension, and he has also been suspended multiple other times for fighting. ESPN’s Bobby Marks expects Detroit’s backup big man to receive a harsh penalty for his actions on Monday (Twitter link).
“Duren and Stew consider themselves to be brothers,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game (Twitter video link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). “If you run two guys at one guy and you’ve already crossed the line, human instinct tells him to protect his little brother.”
Stephen Curry To Miss All-Star Game Due To Knee Injury
A right knee injury will prevent Warriors superstar Stephen Curry from competing in the All-Star game, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Monday (story via Anthony Slater of ESPN).
Curry missed his fourth straight game on Monday due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner’s knee, Slater notes. He will remain sidelined for Golden State’s final contest before the All-Star break (Wednesday vs. San Antonio).
The team is hopeful the 37-year-old guard will return to action on February 19 against Boston, the Warriors’ first game after the break, Slater adds.
Curry first experienced soreness in his right knee during an individual workout on Jan. 24. He attempted to play through the pain for a few games, but was forced to exit a Jan. 30 loss to Detroit after the issue flared up.
“It’s a matter of learning as I go what works rehab-wise,” Curry previously told Slater. “Because it’s still painful. You have to try to get rid of all the inflammation and pain. It’s something we still have to monitor and injury-manage, but it’s something where, if I come back too early, it could flare up.”
The All-Star game is technically a round-robin mini-tournament this year featuring three games. The NBA has yet to announce who will replace Curry on USA Stripes.
Curry will be the second All-Star to miss this weekend’s event. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out because of an abdominal strain; he was replaced by Alperen Sengun.
Investor Group Wants To Join Cuban In Attempt To Buy Back Mavericks
An unidentified Dallas investor group is interested in partnering with former owner Mark Cuban in attempt to buy back the Mavericks, Marc Stein reports at The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Stein writes, Cuban was the majority owner of the Mavericks for 23-and-a-half seasons until he sold the team to the Dumont and Adelson families in 2023. Cuban still holds a 27% stake in the Mavericks, but the Dumont and Adelson families have the option to buy another 20% of Cuban’s shares within the next year if they so choose, according to Stein.
It’s unclear if the two families have any interest in selling the team so soon after they purchased it. A source close to team governor Patrick Dumont told The Stein Line that “the family remains excited about the future of the franchise and the Cooper Flagg era.”
Cuban, who has been acting as an unofficial adviser to Dumont since former president of basketball operations Nico Harrison was fired in November, declined to comment when reached by Stein.
Cuban claimed at the time he sold the team that he would remain the top decision-maker in the basketball operations department, Stein notes. However, that turned out to be inaccurate, and Cuban was reportedly pushed out of the team’s inner circle by Harrison.
Harrison’s stunning and incredibly unpopular decision last year to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick eventually resulted in his ouster. Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley have been operating as the team’s co-general managers, and orchestrated last week’s deadline deal which sent Davis to Washington.
Although Harrison often drew the brunt of fans’ ire, his dismissal hasn’t entirely quelled the unrest in Dallas, Stein adds. Dumont recently received mild boos when he was sitting courtside during Mark Aguirre‘s jersey retirement on January 29 (YouTube link).
Jimmy Butler Undergoes Successful ACL Reconstruction Surgery
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler underwent successful right knee surgery in Los Angeles on Monday, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
The 36-year-old tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in a January 19 game against Miami. The surgery was a reconstruction of the ACL.
Butler, who will miss the remainder of 2025/26, is expected to make a full recovery, per the Warriors. The next update on his status will come “early next season.”
Butler suffered the injury when he landed awkwardly on his right knee after being bumped in the air while catching a pass from Brandin Podziemski (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). Butler was fouled on the play by Davion Mitchell, who attempted to disrupt the pass.
A five-time All-NBA member, Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2022. In 38 games (31.1 minutes per contest) with the Warriors this season, he averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .519/.376/.864 shooting.
Butler is on a maximum-salary contract which runs through next season. He will earn $56.8MM in ’26/27.
Jayson Tatum Practicing With Maine Celtics On Monday
Star forward Jayson Tatum has been assigned to the G League to go through portions of Monday’s practice with the Maine Celtics, the NBA club announced (Twitter link).
Tatum, who has been doing controlled 5-on-5 work with coaches, will be immediately recalled after practice, per the Celtics. Rookies Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams will also practice with Maine today.
It’s the latest sign that Tatum is progressing well in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. He sustained the injury in May during Boston’s second-round playoff loss to New York.
Tatum, 27, made his fourth consecutive first-team All-NBA appearance in 2024/25 and finished fourth in MVP voting. The 27-year-old combo forward averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals on .452/.343/.814 shooting in 72 games (36.4 minutes per contest).
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens discussed Tatum’s recovery on Friday, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com.
“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds,” Stevens said. “He’s doing more and more and will continue to do more and more. He’s still got a ways to go.”
Stevens also said Tatum wouldn’t return to action until he has been fully cleared by the relevant parties. For his part, Tatum said at the end of last month that he was uncertain about whether or not he would play this season.
Suns Expected To Waive Cole Anthony
The Suns are expected to waive Cole Anthony, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
Phoenix acquired the sixth-year guard in a three-team trade last week. It was a salary-dump move for the the Suns, who have several guards on their roster.
Anthony has yet to report to the team and may not end up doing so; head coach Jordan Ott said on Saturday that the two sides were still working through the situation.
“I think they’re still determining that. Working through that as we speak,” Ott said.
The 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Anthony spent his first five NBA seasons with Orlando, averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists on .419/.345/.847 shooting in 320 games (24.8 minutes per contest). However, his minutes have declined over the past few years and he was traded to Memphis in the offseason as part of the Desmond Bane blockbuster.
Anthony reached a buyout agreement with the Grizzlies and signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Bucks. He averaged 6.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 3.5 APG on .424/.306/.615 shooting in a career-low 15.1 minutes per game in 35 appearances with Milwaukee this season.
Anthony is still just 25 years old and has been productive in the past, though he’s never been the most efficient scorer (his true shooting percentage is a career-low 48.3% in 2025/26). Teams looking for backup ball-handling help might give him a look if and when he officially parts ways with Phoenix.
Blake Hinson Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
February 9: Hinson’s two-way deal with the Jazz is official, the team announced in a press release.
February 7: The Jazz will sign Blake Hinson to a two-way contract, agent Paolo Zamorano of Gersh Sports tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The 26-year-old small forward is in the midst of a standout year in the G League, where he’s averaging 21.8 points and 5.8 rebounds with Portland’s affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
Hinson has yet to appear in an NBA game, but he’s already spent time with three teams. He signed a two-way deal with the Lakers in the summer of 2024 after going undrafted, then inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors in September of 2024 before being released prior to the start of the season.
He joined the Trail Blazers on an Exhibit 10 deal this past September, but was waived on the same day and headed to the G League.
Hinson’s college career consisted of two years at Mississippi and two years at Pitt. He was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2023 and a first-team choice in 2024.
The Jazz have a two-way opening after trading John Tonje to Boston on Thursday. Elijah Harkless and Oscar Tshiebwe are their other two-way players.
Stephon Castle, Jalen Johnson Named Players Of The Week
Spurs guard Stephon Castle has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today (Twitter links). Week 16 of the 2025/26 season covered games played from February 2-8.
Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, helped San Antonio go 3-0 last week. The 21-year-old filled the stat sheet, averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.0 block in just 26.7 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .630/.364/.769.
As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, Castle’s week was highlighted by a phenomenal performance in Saturday’s victory vs. Dallas. The former UConn standout scored a career-high 40 points (on 15-of-19 shooting, or 78.9%), grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, and swiped three steals in 32 minutes.
Castle became the youngest player in NBA history with a 40-12-12 stat line (the record was previously held by Oscar Robertson), per Wright, and the second player in league history to register a 40-point triple-double while shooting at least 75.0% from the field, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who accomplished the feat three times. And it all came on the one-year anniversary of when he set his previous career high with 33 points.
“I don’t know, something about this day,” Castle said, smiling. “Having a game like this, it’s definitely a dream come true. It felt good just to be out there feeling comfortable with every shot that I took and [got to] see them go in.”
As for Johnson, the 2026 All-Star continued his standout season last week, averaging 27.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 11.3 APG and 1.0 SPG on .544/.294/.750 shooting in three games (Atlanta went 2-1 in those contests). Johnson recorded a pair of triple-doubles from Feb. 2-8, raising his season total to 10, the most in the East and second-most in the NBA, only trailing Nikola Jokic (18).
No other player has ever recorded 10 triple-doubles in their entire Hawks career, let alone in a single season, per the team. It was the second weekly honor for the fifth-year forward, who also won Player of the Week in November.
According to the NBA, the other nominees in the West were Trail Blazers teammates Donovan Clingan and Jerami Grant, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, and Castle’s teammate Victor Wembanyama. Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid of the Sixers, Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), and Ryan Rollins (Bucks) were nominated in the East.