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Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Davis, Thompson

December 26th, 2025 at 4:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Although the Mavericks lost Thursday’s game at Golden State, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg continued his impressive run of recent play, finishing with 27 points (on 13-of-21 shooting), six rebounds, five assists and one block in 36 minutes.

According to the Mavs (Twitter link), Flagg became just the third rookie in NBA history rookie to record a 25-5-5 stat line on Christmas Day, joining Oscar Robertson (1960) and Pete Maravich (1970).

In a post-game interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter video link), Warriors superstar Stephen Curry spoke highly of Flagg, who recently turned 19 years old.

“Just a true hooper,” Curry said. “Competitor. We forget how young he is, just his presence out there on the court. The future is bright. I’m glad he got this experience his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like. The league is in good hands.”

Here are a few more notes on the Mavericks:

The Mavs didn’t just drop yesterday’s game, they also lost star big man Anthony Davis to a right groin strain. While the injury is considered relatively mild, the 32-year-old is expected to miss multiple games. Davis is now ineligible for major postseason awards just 32 games into the season, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). In addition to the 16 contests Davis has missed, he was also forced to leave a pair of games early due to injuries and didn’t meet the 15-minute minimum requirement in either of those appearances in order for them to count toward his games played total for awards purposes, Marks notes.
According to Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com (Twitter link), this is the 13th groin-related injury of Davis’ 14-year career. The veteran forward/center has missed an average of 2.7 games (eight days) due to his various groin ailments, Stotts adds, a bit better than the league average for a nondescript groin strain (3.6 games and 9.7 days).
Klay Thompson returning to the Bay Area was supposed to be part of the appeal of Christmas Day matchup between the Mavs and Warriors, but it’s clear both sides have moved on a year-and-a-half after the 35-year-old wing landed with Dallas via sign-and-trade, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “They are an opponent,” said Klay Thompson, who finished with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes. “Why would I look at any other team other than the Mavericks like that? It’s just the nature of the business.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Hart, Kolek, Clarkson, Bench

December 26th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

Mitchell Robinson is something of an oddity for the Knicks: a center who can change the offense without scoring a point, writes James L. Edwards III for The Athletic.

Despite opposing teams knowing exactly what Robinson wants to do offensively, he has still found ways to win games for the Knicks in the regular season and playoffs by earning them extra possessions on the offensive glass. Edwards speculates that Robinson’s historic rebounding ability could make him the No. 3 priority on opponent scouting reports, behind only stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

All of that is why Edwards believes that, even with Robinson headed for unrestricted free agency in 2026, the team shouldn’t even consider moving him this season. His ability to give the team additional offensive chances, whether alongside Towns or once the All-NBA center heads to the bench, is too valuable to the Knicks’ championship aspirations this season.

We have more from the Knicks:

Josh Hart is out for Saturday’s matchup against the Hawks, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (Twitter link). Hart left the Knicks’ Christmas Day win over the Cavaliers early in the fourth quarter after stepping on Dean Wade‘s foot and didn’t return. Miles McBride, who has missed the last seven games with an ankle sprain, is listed as questionable.
Tyler Kolek had another statement performance for the Knicks on Christmas Day, Bondy writes. Kolek finished the night with 16 points — 11 in the fourth quarter — and nine assists, as well as a critical block on Donovan Mitchell in transition with two minutes to go. “That is winning basketball, and he’s been unreal, so credit to him,” Mitchell said after the game, per Bondy. “I knew it wasn’t a foul as soon as they called it, so no shock there, but credit to him.” The team had previously discussed the need to target backup guards in trades, but the emergence of Kolek should give some pause, in Bondy’s opinion. Still, the team will want to see what the rotation looks like once McBride returns to his usual role.
Kolek and Robinson weren’t the only Knicks bench players to have a major impact. When the team was “stuck in the mud,” to use coach Mike Brown‘s terminology, Jordan Clarkson came in and got them unstuck, writes Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. Clarkson had his best game of the season, scoring 25 points on 17 shots, while the Knicks outscored the Cavs by 13 in his time on the floor. “The times we were dead in the water, especially early in the game, he was the one guy that was keeping us in it,” Brown said. “First with his offense, he was really, really good for us offensively. And then defensively, he was good too.”
The Knicks’ depth has been an issue for the last several seasons, but Kolek, Clarkson, and Robinson have taken major strides to ensure that’s not the case this year, writes Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “They change the game. When I was younger, I tried to change the game when I came in off the bench,” said Jalen Brunson. “Tyler’s doing that, Jordan’s been a vet, been around for a long time. He does that every time he’s on the court. And Mitch is being who he is. He just impacts basketball, and so he’s always gonna be impacting the game as well. It’s all about them coming in and changing the game, and that’s their mindset and what they come in and do every single time.” McBride has been a major part of the bench’s success throughout the season, as has Landry Shamet, who is currently out with a shoulder sprain.

Pacers Release James Wiseman

December 26th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Pacers have cut center James Wiseman in addition to officially signing of Micah Potter and waiving Garrison Mathews, the team announced in a press release.

After playing one game for the team in late October, Wiseman rejoined the Pacers on December 20, signing a 10-day contract via a hardship exception. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that Wiseman’s 10-day contract was terminated, which requires no waiver process but allows the big man to earn the full amount from the contract.

Wiseman suited up in three contests for Indiana after signing with them last week, averaging 13.0 minutes per game and scoring nine total points.

The former No. 2 overall pick in 2020 signed with the Pacers last season but only played five minutes before tearing his Achilles and missing the rest of the season. Still just 24 years old, he holds career averages of 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 18.8 minutes per night.

Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter) that the Pacers are not getting another hardship exception at the moment. The banged-up team has made seven hardship signings already this season but may no longer be eligible if Aaron Nesmith (knee) and Ben Sheppard (calf) are getting close to returning from their respective injuries.

Nets’ Cam Thomas To Make His Return Saturday

December 26th, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Cam Thomas is expected to make his return to play in the Nets‘ game against the Timberwolves on Saturday, head coach Jordi Fernandez said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Lewis reports (via Twitter) that Thomas went through a full practice on Friday morning after being cleared for full contact work. He has been sidelined since November 5 due to a hamstring strain.

The Nets started the season with a 3-16 record, but they’ve hit their stride of late, going 6-3 in their last nine games.

“I just want to get back on the court and play,” Thomas said, when asked if the team’s newfound success motivated him to be a part of the team (Twitter link via Lewis).“I mean, it’s obviously good seeing them playing well. I just want to get back on the court and play.”

After signing a qualifying offer last summer to stay in Brooklyn on a one-year deal, Thomas has only appeared in eight games this season, averaging 21.4 points and 2.6 assists in 28.3 minutes per contest. A prolific scorer, Thomas has struggled to stay on the floor in recent years, making just 33 appearances over the past two seasons due to recurring hamstring issues.

Anthony Davis To Be Evaluated Daily With Groin Strain

December 26th, 2025 at 12:30pm CST by Eli Cohen

Anthony Davis has been diagnosed with a minor groin strain and is expected to miss multiple games, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Davis left the Mavericks‘ Christmas Day matchup against the Warriors early as a result of the injury. Charania reports that Davis will be evaluated daily and that he expects the Mavs to continue their practice of being cautious in managing the star big man’s health issues.

According to Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter), Davis will be working out every day as he looks to return to play as soon as possible.

After missing 14 earlier in the season due to a left calf strain, Davis had come back strong, averaging 26.3 points and 12.8 rebounds over his last six games, during which time the Mavericks went 4-2 with wins over the Rockets, Pistons, and Nuggets.

Charania notes that Davis is considered a major potential factor in this year’s trade deadline, given the Mavericks’ struggles to amass wins and the dismissal earlier in the season of former general manager Nico Harrison.

Heat Notes: Ware, Larsson, Jovic, Adebayo, Jaquez

December 26th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra seems to deliver far more criticism than praise in his public comments about Kel’el Ware, but the second-year center is used to that, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). Ware got the same feedback in college, first from Dana Altman at Oregon and then from Mike Woodson at Indiana, so he has learned how to handle it.

“I’ve been getting coached like that,” Ware said. “So it’s not much of a big thing to me, I would say. I just take it as they want to see me be better and be a better version of myself.”

Spoelstra challenged Ware over the summer to “improve his professionalism” and has stated that he needs to find ways to impact games rather than just collecting stats. Ware’s numbers have improved this season, but Spoelstra still wants more, especially on defense.

”He’s handling it appropriately when he’s being held accountable to winning things,” Spoelstra said. “It doesn’t have to be like a negative thing. We all want the same thing. We want a better result. We want growth faster. I want him to be like he’s 28, and that’s not realistic. And a little bit of impatience is good, as long as everybody handles it appropriately. But his play, obviously, is improving, and I want to feel that.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat are getting closer to having a healthy roster, as Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic are both listed as probable for Friday’s game at Atlanta, Chiang adds. Larsson has missed the past five games with a sprained left ankle, and Jovic has sat out the last four with a right elbow contusion/laceration.
Bam Adebayo has been downgraded to doubtful for the contest due to lower back soreness, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). That could help explain Adebayo’s recent slump, as he’s averaging just 11.8 points over his last four games while shooting 37.5% from the field.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is scoring consistently again after his production stagnated for a while in late November and early December, Winderman notes in a full story (subscription required). Jaquez delivered 23 and 21 points off the bench in his last two outings. “I think it’s just playing confident, understanding now it’s my third year, there’s going to be ups and downs and just got to continue to play confident, play with the same tenacity of whether you’re playing well, playing not so well,” he said. “So that’s just really my mentality.”

Pacers Sign Micah Potter, Waive Garrison Mathews

December 26th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

11:57 am: The Pacers have officially signed Potter and waived Mathews, the team confirmed in a press release. As we relayed in another story, Wiseman was also released from his 10-day contract.

10:06 am: Free agent big man Micah Potter will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers, according to Tony East of Forbes (Twitter link). Garrison Mathews will be waived to create a roster opening, sources tell East.

Indiana needs Potter, a 6’9″ power forward/center because Isaiah Jackson is sidelined with a concussion and Tony Bradley is limited due to a thumb fracture, East adds. James Wiseman is nearing the end of the 10-day hardship contract he signed last Saturday.

Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star confirms the moves (via Twitter) and states that the Pacers won’t be granted another hardship exception at this time. A league source tells Dopirak that Potter’s contract will cover the rest of the season and will include a team option for next year (Twitter link).

Potter, 27, began his career with Detroit during the 2021/22 season and spent the past three years in Utah on a two-way contract. He has appeared in 64 total games with career averages of 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per night.

Potter signed a training camp deal with San Antonio in August, but was waived before the start of the season. He’s currently with the team’s Austin affiliate in the G League, averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 13 games.

Mathews came to Indiana in November on a pair of 10-day hardship deals and was given a standard contract after they expired. That deal was non-guaranteed, so the Pacers won’t be on the hook for any more money once Mathews is officially released.

The 29-year-old shooting specialist appeared in 15 games during his time with Indiana, scoring 5.2 points in 13.1 minutes per night while shooting 40.4% from the field and 37% from three-point range.

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, OKC Rivalry, K. Johnson

December 26th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are looking like title contenders after posting their third win of the season over Oklahoma City, but the exuberance won’t change their plans with Victor Wembanyama‘s recovery from a left calf strain, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story. Wembanyama has been on a minutes restriction since returning from the injury, which sidelined him for 12 games. He has come off the bench in all seven games during that stretch and put up 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes in Thursday’s victory over the defending champs.

“I don’t know when it becomes unrestricted, but his minutes will be mindful for dot, dot, dot,” coach Mitch Johnson told reporters before the game. “There’s nothing that’s going to make us flinch or change on that. If this game goes into triple overtime, he will not be in the game. There’s no circumstances that will allow us to get outside of ourselves with that regard.”

Johnson added that Wembanyama agrees that the gradual ramp-up is in his best interest. He wasn’t able to play after the All-Star break last season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, and he wants to be available this year as San Antonio looks capable of making a long playoff run.

“Again, the emotions, the excitement, the circumstances of being in a Cup game, playing on Christmas, playing a big-time team, having a couple wins in a row, none of that is going to allow us or dictate to us in terms of the big picture of what we want for that young man and for this team,” Johnson said. “And so when you look at the injury and what history tells us in terms of being mindful of bringing a guy, a player back from that, and you look at his unique anatomy and all the things we want to accomplish, not today, not this year, but years to come, there’s nothing worth sacrificing or risking his long-term health and his long-term growth.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

De’Aaron Fox was able to get the shots he wanted against the league’s best defense and helped the Spurs get off to a strong start by scoring 21 of his 29 points in the first half, Orsborn adds. Fox was determined to make an impression in his first appearance in the NBA’s holiday showcase. “This being my first Christmas game, I just wanted to have a good game and come out with a win,” he said. “We did that, and we did it from the jump outside of the first couple of possessions. I think we were really good throughout the course of the game.”
The Spurs and Thunder both cited a playoff atmosphere as they met for the third time in less than two weeks, per Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. OKC fell to 26-5, and according to ESPN, it’s the first time since the 1966/67 season that three of a team’s first five losses have come against the same opponent. With so many games left to play, Wembanyama was reluctant to say that Thursday’s outcome made a statement. “Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t,” he said. “But we’re focused on the rest of the season. It’s very long. We’re not even halfway through, so I’m not really sure it’s, I don’t know the word — I’m not really sure it’s smart to think so far into the future.”
Thursday marked Keldon Johnson‘s 400th game with the Spurs, Orsborn notes in a separate story. Johnson also rec0rded his 25th career game with 20 or more points off the bench. “That’s my job,” he said. “I take pride in doing what my team needs me to do. And for me, it’s being an energy guy, being a leader, being whatever, being adaptable to whatever role I need to be in for my team to be successful. And I put my teammates first. I put my team first.”

Sixers Sign MarJon Beauchamp To Two-Way Contract

December 26th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 26: Beauchamp’s signing is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter). Sallis, meanwhile, was waived on Wednesday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

DECEMBER 24: The Sixers are signing former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp to a two-way contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving rookie guard Hunter Sallis to open up a two-way slot.

Beauchamp, 25, was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He played for the Bucks, Clippers, and Knicks from 2022-25, appearing in 135 total regular season games and averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.

Following brief stints with the Trail Blazers and Sixers during the preseason, Beauchamp joined Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He has averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game with a .500/.452/.933 shooting line in seven appearances for Delaware during the Tip-Off Tournament and Winter Showcase.

Beauchamp also represented the U.S. national team in a pair of qualifying games for the 2027 FIBA World Cup a few weeks ago. The 6’7″ forward made a strong case for NBA consideration with his play vs. Nicaragua, setting a Team USA record by scoring 50 total points in those two qualifiers — he made 18-of-26 shots from the floor (69.2%), including 9-of-14 three-pointers (64.3%).

“Yeah, he’s gonna be in the NBA at some point, whether it’s tomorrow or later this year,” Stephen Silas, the head coach of the U.S. qualifying team, said at the time.

The 76ers will take advantage of Beauchamp’s final season of two-way eligibility by bringing him aboard alongside Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, two forwards who have been effective rotation players for Philadelphia so far this season.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Sixers’ usage of their two-way players in the coming weeks. While a player on a full-season two-way contract like Barlow or Walker is permitted to be active for up to 50 total games, a team carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts is only allowed to use 90 total active games for its two-way players. Philadelphia, which has had a 14-man standard roster all season, has already used 58 two-way games so far: 28 for Walker, 18 for Barlow, and 12 for Sallis.

In other words, if the Sixers continue having two or three of their two-way players on their active roster for each game, they’ll need to add a 15th man at some point next month in order to ensure they’re no longer subject to that 90-game limit.

Beauchamp’s personal active-game limit for the Sixers will be a prorated portion of the usual 50. Assuming he officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll be able to suit up for the NBA team for up to 32 contests.

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Johnson, Gordon, Braun

December 26th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets got a historic performance Thursday from Nikola Jokic to pull out their latest memorable game against the rival Timberwolves, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Jokic posted the first 55-15-15 stat line in NBA history, finishing with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists in the overtime victory. Jokic called it a “good game,” but some of his teammates were more effusive.

“We’re watching history. … This is something that doesn’t happen again,” Peyton Watson said. “We will never see anything like this again. And I think everybody needs to be really paying attention. … We can’t continue to just dismiss what this guy does on a night-to-night basis. Bro, it’s unbelievable.”

Jokic shot 15-of-21 from the field and 22-of-23 from the foul line and made several huge plays to salvage a game that featured numerous momentum swings in the closing minutes. Denver squandered a 15-point lead with five minutes left to go in regulation and couldn’t hold onto a six-point advantage in the final 35 seconds as Anthony Edwards forced the extra session with a late three-pointer from the corner. The Wolves scored the first nine points of overtime, but the Nuggets closed the game on a 27-14 run over the final three minutes.

“It sounds crazy, but I didn’t think we were completely out of it, just because the way that game was and the shot-making and the star players doing what they did,” Denver coach David Adelman said. “You just felt like there were more moments to the game, if we could just ourselves back into it.”

There’s more from Denver:

The Nuggets are relieved that Cameron Johnson‘s knee injury is only a bone bruise with no structural damage, but it still leaves them down three starters, Durando states in a separate story. Johnson is projected to miss at least four-to-six weeks, forcing Adelman to make adjustments to his lineups. “You have an intelligent ‘guesstimation’ of a new rotation to play. I think you have to give it a couple of games. Let’s just say it doesn’t go well today; you can’t just say, ‘OK, well let’s scrap it,’” Adelman said. “So yeah, we’ll just reinvent ourselves as we go here. I’m looking at this as just another chapter in the season, you know what I mean? It’s what it is. I feel for Cam, man. I just felt like his trajectory was just going up. Not the stats; just how he was playing. He was a high-minute guy for us, helping bridge the gap between the starters and the second unit.”
Aaron Gordon, who has made just one brief appearance since November 17 due to a strained right hamstring, and Christian Braun, who has been sidelined since November 12 with a sprained left ankle, are both making progress toward returning, Durando adds. Adelman watched Thursday as both players went through on-court workouts, but he stated the team will use caution in bringing them back. “It’s one of those things that just because other guys got hurt, you can’t hurry their process,” he said. “So we just have to do what we have to do right now. And I like the group we have. All year long, there’s been no crazy ups and downs emotionally. We’ve just gotta continue to do what we’re doing.”
Bobby Marks of ESPN examines the Nuggets’ options to deal with their depleted roster. They have been carrying an open roster spot, and Marks notes that they could wait until January 5 to add a player when 10-day contracts begin. Denver also has trade exceptions worth $6.9MM and $5.4MM that could be used in a potential deal. However, the team is short on draft capital, with no first-round picks to trade after sending one to Brooklyn to acquire Johnson and only two second-rounders to deal. The Nuggets are also hovering right around the tax line and may be reluctant to add much salary to their books.

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