Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey To Miss At Least Two Games
Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey will miss at least the team’s next two games, The Athletic’s Tony Jones tweets.
Maxey was diagnosed with a sprain of the right fifth finger. He’ll be reevaluated after the Sixers play at Cleveland on Monday and host Memphis on Tuesday.
It’s relatively good news regarding Maxey, who suffered the injury during a collision with teammate Adem Bona late in Saturday’s game against Atlanta. There were concerns that he might have done more damage to the finger, which would have sidelined him for a much longer period.
The Sixers are in a spirited battle for the sixth playoff spot in the East, which would advance them to the first round and allow them to avoid battling for the seventh or eighth seed in the play-in tournament.
Maxey, who’s coming off his second All-Star appearance, is in the midst of his best season. He’s posting career highs with 28.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. He’s also leading the league in minutes at 38.3 per night and has been a steady presence for a team that’s been plagued by injuries and other issues throughout the season.
Patty Mills Signs With La Laguna Tenerife
Patty Mills has signed a rest-of-season contract with La Laguna Tenerife, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando).
Mills is a 16-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 8.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 921 games (19.9 minutes per contest). The 6’2″ guard is known for his energy, off-ball movement and three-point shooting, having converted 38.5% of his outside looks during his career.
Outside of his extensive experience with the Australian national team, this will be the first international stint for Mills. The 37-year-old was unable to find a suitable NBA contract last summer and has been out of the league this season, last suiting up for the Clippers in 2024/25.
It’s been a while since Mills was a rotation regular, as he hasn’t appeared in more than 40 games or averaged more than 14.2 MPG since the 2021/22 campaign with Brooklyn. He made 29 combined appearances with Utah and Los Angeles last season, averaging 3.8 PPG in 11.1 MPG.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported a month ago that Mills was exploring his options in Europe. La Laguna Tenerife, also known as CB Canarias, competes domestically in the Liga ACB, the top league in Spain, and in Europe in the FIBA Champions League.
Mills was hired by the University of Hawai’i as the general manager of the men’s basketball program last June. He has lived in Hawai’i during the offseason for the past decade.
Injury Notes: Murray, Gordon, LeBron, Cunningham, Giannis
Nuggets fans can breath a sigh of relief: Jamal Murray‘s left ankle sprain isn’t serious. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), the star point guard is expected to be listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup in Oklahoma City and is considered day-to-day.
Murray sustained the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s blowout home loss to New York and was unable to return. Head coach David Adelman said after the game Murray was “really sore” but typically bounces back quickly from ankle injuries, which proved prescient in this case.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- While Aaron Gordon wasn’t happy with his performance in his return to action on Friday, he’s “grateful” to be playing again and says he’s in a good spot physically after missing 17 straight games with a right hamstring strain, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Gordon has actually missed 36 total games as a result of right hamstring issues — he originally strained it on November 21, returned for 10 games, then aggravated the injury on Jan. 23. “I’ve gotta stay on top of it. But I play without worry,” Gordon said when asked about the risk of re-injury. “When you’re worried about an injury out there, that’s usually when it happens. So I feel great. My body feels good. It’s just the timing and the pace of the game that needs to come back to me now, but I feel good.”
- Lakers forward LeBron James missed his second consecutive game on Sunday vs. New York due to a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays. ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported (Twitter video link) during the game that James’ absence was more due to the foot injury than his bruised elbow. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is considered day-to-day, per Andrews. Deandre Ayton and Maxi Kleber are both active Sunday after previously being sidelined with knee and back injuries, respectively.
- After missing Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn with a left quad contusion, Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been upgraded to probable ahead of Sunday’s contest at Miami, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham, a fifth-year guard, has played in 55 of Detroit’s 62 games so far this season. Caris LeVert (left wrist sprain) has been ruled out for the second of a back-to-back, Patterson adds.
- The Bucks will be without their best player on Sunday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf injury management) won’t play against Orlando on the second of a back-to-back, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Forward Kyle Kuzma is questionable to suit up due to a thoracic spine contusion.
Jazz Sign Mo Bamba To Second 10-Day Contract
The Jazz have re-signed Mo Bamba to another 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
Bamba’s first 10-day agreement with Utah expired on Saturday night.
The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bamba was technically active six times for Utah during his first 10-day pact, but only made two appearances with the Jazz. He averaged 5.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.0 block in 19.0 minutes per contest during road games in Philadelphia and Washington.
Bamba was unable to secure a guaranteed NBA contract ahead of the 2025/26 season and spent training camp with the Jazz before being waived and reporting to the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
The 27-year-old big man has had a big year with the Stars, averaging 17.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game across 22 appearances, with an excellent shooting line of .553/.380/.807.
Bamba, an eight-year veteran who spent about a week with Toronto in late December/early January, will earn $177,064 over the course of his 10-day contract, with Utah taking on a cap hit of $131,970.
Bamba will be eligible to appear in four more games for the Jazz during the course of his second 10-day deal, which will expire on March 17. At that point, Utah will have to either sign him for the remainder of the season or let him become a free agent.
Rob Dillingham On Wolves Tenure, Opportunity With Bulls
The Timberwolves traded their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap to San Antonio to acquire Rob Dillingham with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft. However, the former Kentucky guard didn’t play much in his season-and-a-half with Minnesota, and the Wolves traded him to the Bulls ahead of last month’s deadline.
Dillingham tells Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic he was constantly looking over his shoulder playing for a Minnesota team with championship aspirations.
“When you do (play), you gotta play perfect in your opportunity, or you won’t get more opportunities,” Dillingham told The Athletic when asked to describe the pressure he felt in Minnesota. “The pressure really comes from whenever you come out of college or come from wherever; you play freely because you know you get minutes.
“But in the NBA, it’s not like that. It’s you switching your whole mindset to ‘I gotta perform well in these minutes.’ Your whole life, you just played basketball. You messed up, but you learned from mistakes. With me, I’m a smaller guard, so it was way less room for mistakes. And, s–t, you gotta own up to that at that point. So, I feel like the pressure really comes from not knowing when you’re gonna get the opportunity.”
As Lorenzi writes, Dillingham only played 20 minutes in a game once for the Wolves this season. He admits his lack of playing time affected his confidence.
“I feel like if you’re human, you definitely gonna second-guess (yourself) if you working hard at something every day, and then you don’t really get an opportunity,” he said. “You start to question, like, dang, am I really good at basketball?”
The Bulls are in a much different position than the Wolves, having traded away several veterans ahead of the deadline as they pivoted to a rebuild. Dillingham’s game is still a work in progress, but he has already logged 20-plus minutes eight times in his first 11 appearances with Chicago, Lorenzi notes.
“They’re building me up,” Dillingham said of the Bulls’ coaching staff. “It’s more like I can mess up, and they teach me after I mess up, what not to do, why not to do this. … I get to actually perform and learn and watch film here and watch where I play.”
Dillingham suggested to Lorenzi that he received mixed messaging from Chris Finch and his staff in Minnesota. He said he’s looking for “communication” and “transparency,” which he has found so far with Billy Donovan, who wants the second-year guard to improve his decision-making.
“When I know what you want from me or what I need to do, then it’s easier for me to help the team,” Dillingham told The Athletic. “If I’m guessing, then it’s hard. And I feel like since I’ve been here, (Donovan) has done a great job just communicating to me, telling me what he feels like I can do to stay in the league and be a force in the league.”
Dillingham’s interview with Lorenzi is worth reading in full for those who subscribe to The Athletic.
Alex Sarr Set To Return Sunday For Wizards
Big man Alex Sarr isn’t on the Wizards‘ injury report for Sunday’s game at New Orleans, which means he’ll be back in action tonight.
Sarr, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, has been out since February 8 due to a strained hamstring. The French center has missed the team’s last 10 games.
As Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets, Sunday will be Sarr’s first game playing with Trae Young, who made his Wizards debut on Thursday. The two players could be fixtures in Washington’s lineup going forward, so it will be interesting to see how they fit together on the court, Robbins notes.
Sarr has made impressive strides in his second NBA season. Through 41 appearances, the 20-year-old has averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .496/.336/.691.
While it’s obviously good news that Sarr has recovered from his injury, the Wizards will likely be cautious with one of their core players. There’s a good chance he’ll be on a minutes restriction for at least his first few games back.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, T. Young, Reese, Raptors
Entering Saturday’s game in Detroit, Brooklyn had lost 10 in a row. The Nets appeared to be on their way to an 11th straight defeat early in third quarter, when they trailed by 23 points.
Instead, the top-seeded Pistons stunningly dropped their third consecutive contest on the front end of a home-road back-to-back, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Detroit will play at Miami on Sunday.
“Our level of respect for the game,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said when asked what changed for his team down the stretch. “(During) the second half, we built a 20-point lead, and then we stopped respecting the game. You disrespect the game, and it’s going to bite you in the ass. That’s what happened to us.”
Bickerstaff was again frustrated with the team’s effort level, particularly on the defensive end, saying the team went away from its identity. Backup center Isaiah Stewart echoed that sentiment, Patterson notes.
“Everyone in this locker room felt this was a must-win game,” Stewart said. “All of us, as men, have to look ourselves in the mirror. … We know we didn’t play up to our standards for 48 (minutes) tonight.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Trae Young was anxious ahead of Wizards debut on Thursday, but his presence brought a level of excitement to the home fans that has been “largely absent” in 2025/26, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Young didn’t let his pregame jitters impact his play on the court, as he scored on the team’s first possession. The four-time All-Star point guard finished with 12 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals, and was plus-four in 19 minutes in his first game in over two months. “Going to a new city and a new place, I’m telling you I’m living in the moment,” Young said afterward. “I’m just so joyful, happy that I’m here in this situation, this city, and I just look forward to having some great moments here. It’s all about what we do on the court.”
- Wizards forward/center Julian Reese delivered an impressive performance on Thursday in his third career game. As Robbins writes for The Athletic, the 22-year-old scored 18 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, with the latter being the single-game high for any rookie this season. “Being thrown into the fire like he has (been) this last week, it’s been great to see,” Young said. “This being his third game and having this type of night, I know he’s excited and he’s happy. But his teammates are just as excited and happy for him as well. Hopefully, he has more of these nights in the future, for sure.”
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, Eric Koreen answers several big-picture questions about the Raptors. Koreen expects Toronto to be aggressive in search for roster upgrades this summer, and writes that while Scottie Barnes has developed into one of the best defensive players in the league, his offensive limitations make him a tricky player to build around.
Checking In On 10-Day Contracts
After Mo Bamba‘s 10-day contract with the Jazz expired on Saturday night, there are currently just two active 10-day deals around the NBA, as our tracker shows. Those deals are as follows:
- Brooklyn Nets: Grant Nelson (runs through March 8)
- Sacramento Kings: Killian Hayes (runs through March 14)
Bamba, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, was technically active six times for Utah but only made two appearances with the Jazz. He averaged 5.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.0 block in 19.0 minutes per contest during road games in Philadelphia and Washington.
Bamba was on his first 10-day deal with the Jazz, who could re-sign him to a second 10-day pact if they so choose. At the expiration of that theoretical second 10-day contract, Utah would have to either let the veteran center go or sign him for the remainder of the season.
Hayes, another former lottery pick, is on his second 10-day agreement with Sacramento after re-signing with the Kings on Thursday. The 24-year-old point guard’s deal runs through this Saturday.
As for Nelson, the former Alabama forward will become a free agent on Sunday night. The seven-footer appeared in four games with the Nets, averaging 4.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 8.8 minutes per contest.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez discussed Nelson’s 10-day contract ending prior to Saturday’s game at Detroit, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“[He’s] a very good basketball player. Everything he does, he does it well,” Fernandez said. “He doesn’t over-dribble or try to do too much. Everything is efficient. His size is great. He’s a multi-positional defender, very good play-maker, fast. All of those things have been very good. It translates to this level. Obviously right now we have one more game and then after that we’ll have to discuss and see what the next move going forward is.”
Magic Notes: Bane, Da Silva, Banchero, Isaac
Desmond Bane helped lead the Magic to one of their best victories of the season on Saturday in Minnesota, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
The Timberwolves were determined not to let Bane beat them from behind the three-point line, Krawczynski writes, and the sixth-year wing went 0-for-5 from long distance. However, Bane took advantage of Minnesota’s aggressive defense by regularly driving past his opponents, Krawczynski notes. He was 10-of-12 on twos and 10-for-10 at the free throw line, finishing with a team-high 30 points in the lopsided road win.
Bane admits he was a little tentative at the beginning of the season, saying he didn’t want to “step on toes” with his new team. But he knows what Orlando needs from him now and is comfortable with his responsibilities.
“I don’t think there’s any more thinking or second-guessing what’s needed of me, what’s asked of me,” Bane said, per Krawczynski. “I know night-in and night-out what the team needs. It’s a freeing feeling just being able to go out there and do what I do.”
Here’s more on the Magic, who are now the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference:
- Tristan Da Silva has stepped up since the All-Star break, averaging 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal in eight games (30.3 minutes per contest) leading into Saturday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The second-year forward had another solid outing vs. Minnesota, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. He was a game-high plus-24 in 31 minutes. “It’s not easy to do to go from starting to off the bench to back to starting to back off the bench,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “So, it says something about him as a professional. It says something about his work ethic and the coaches that work with him. It’s not easy to do. I know it looks like that because he comes in and shoots the heck out of the basketball, but the ability to do that and just play your part, whatever you’ve been given and tasked to do, he did that. And that’s what we need from our guys every night.”
- Paolo Banchero played an important role in Saturday’s win as well, finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds and three assists, though he did have five turnovers. Mosley was particularly happy about the former All-Star’s defensive rebounding, Beede writes in another story. “It allows us to finish the possession off and now we’re playing against an unset defense,” Mosley said. “Once he’s got the rebound, we can play with pace, play a little faster, continue to do a great job of throwing it ahead and keep challenging him to get down that floor easily so we can get some early, easy baskets, especially against great defensive teams. But he’s done a great job just honing in and locking in on rebounding the basketball because he knows that continues to help our defense every night.”
- Backup big man Jonathan Isaac missed his second consecutive game Saturday due to left knee soreness, Beede adds. Mosley discussed the injury prior to the game. “That’s just something that’s been kind of lingering,” Mosley said. “We just continue to monitor it to make sure that it doesn’t continue to get worse over time, just being more careful than anything.”
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Bagley, Prosper, Wembanyama
After appearing in a pair of games this week, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is back on the injury report for Sunday’s contest at Toronto, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Flagg, who missed close to a month with a left midfoot sprain, admitted that the foot was bothering him in Friday’s game at Boston.
“It was a little awkward,” said Flagg, who’s listed as questionable. “It was a little sore, but it was something I could play through. It was a little tender, but nothing I couldn’t deal with.”
Flagg played 30 minutes on Friday, but had to leave the game for evaluation after slipping in the first quarter. He went through stretching and movement drills with a trainer, then rode the stationary bike for a while before returning to action. He shot a combined 14-of-45 in the two games since the injury, but he attributes that to the long layoff rather than his health.
“I’m getting to my spots and taking the shots I want,” Flagg said. “They’re just not falling right now. It’s about getting my rhythm and touch back, and I’m not worried about it.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Marvin Bagley III has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing the past five games with a neck sprain, Afseth adds. Bagley, who was acquired from Washington as part of last month’s Anthony Davis trade, has been productive since joining the Mavericks, averaging 13.0 points and 8.9 rebounds in seven games.
- Grizzlies forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has his sights set higher after being promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal this week, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal states. Prosper said he’s “grateful, but not satisfied” and wants to prove himself even more during the final five weeks of the season. “It’s just belief in myself and trusting that everything is going to work out,” Prosper said. “Staying true to the process. Staying true to my work. It was definitely something that I’m very grateful about (and) very happy.”
- The Spurs continued their remarkable season by erasing a 25-point deficit in Friday’s win over the Clippers, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Victor Wembanyama said after the game that he was “about to pass out” and called it one of the high points of his time in the NBA. “That was one of the best wins,” he added. “That was one of the best games, best parts of my career, my basketball life.”