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

November 29th, 2025 at 12:30pm CST by Rory Maher

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

November 29th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

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

November 29th, 2025 at 11:07am CST by Dana Gauruder

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

November 29th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Dana Gauruder

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

November 29th, 2025 at 7:41am CST by Dana Gauruder

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.

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

Northwest Notes: K. George, Bailey, A. Mitchell, Wolves

November 28th, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Keyonte George is having a breakout season for the Jazz, putting up career highs in every major counting stat while improving his offensive efficiency and competing harder on the defensive end, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

George, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, spoke to Larsen about the work he put in during the offseason to level up his game. He also discussed his relationship and on-court partnership with star forward Lauri Markkanen.

“Yeah, me and Lauri had a long, long, like three-hour conversation at his house right before camp,” George said. “We just laid it all on the floor: some of his individual goals, some of my individual goals. As far as the team: What is our goal? What would a good season, you know, look like for us? And obviously, we know there’s no expectations on our team, but I think just us talking that out was good. We constantly go to dinner on the road, we’re constantly having dialogue. Walking off the court, going on to the court, timeouts, we’re always talking to each other.

“Obviously, being with him for three years now, I understand his game a little bit more, and know some of the actions, know what side of the floor he wants the ball on. I know, like, for example, even though a man might be in front of him, I know I can kick the ball up the floor if he’s right in front of me, knowing that he’s got two directions to drive. So I’ve just honestly been giving him the ball in space and kind of letting him just be him. And then the catch-and-shoots, like you already know, he’s gonna let it rise. So if I can just give him the ball in space and throw it on time, on target, he’s able to get it off faster.

“I’ve got a whole ‘nother level to get to, but I’m obviously happy with my progress, not just with myself, but with the team. The results haven’t been where we want them to be, but we’re starting to realize the game within the game, and that’s when we’ll be able to get over the hump, whenever we continue to figure that out and play well.”

We have more from around the Northwest:

Rookie forward Ace Bailey sustained a right knee contusion in Friday’s game against Sacramento and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per the Jazz (Twitter link via Larsen). Bailey, the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft, has been playing well since he entered Utah’s starting lineup a few weeks ago, averaging 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .523/.383/.778 shooting in the eight games leading up to Friday’s win (25.1 minutes per contest).
Second-year Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell also exited Friday’s game an injury — a left knee contusion — and did not return, the team announced. The Belgian combo guard is among the early frontrunners for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
After letting games slip away against Sacramento and Phoenix, Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley led a team dinner Tuesday night where several issues were discussed. Chris Hine of The Star Tribune has more details on the meeting, which involved more than just talking about the Wolves’ late-game troubles. “It’s OK to eat, enjoy each other and watch other basketball games and talk basketball and not be all about business all the time,” Conley said. “Sometimes you need that.”

Lakers Notes: Hachimura, AD, LaRavia, Smart, Christie

November 28th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Ahead of Friday’s matchup with Dallas, Rui Hachimura said he’s satisfied with the role he has with the Lakers, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter video link).

“I’m not trying to be a superstar. … I’m just trying to help the team win — whatever they ask,” Hachimura said. “I like my role here … I’m really trying to win the championship with this team. I like how they’ve been treating me. … So, I’m happy.”

The former lottery pick (No. 9 overall in 2019) has gotten off to a strong offensive start in 2025/26, averaging 14.9 points per game on elite efficiency (.568/.483/.735 shooting line) while chipping in 3.9 rebounds per game through 16 outings (33.5 MPG). The 27-year-old forward is earning approximately $18.3MM this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Hachimura admitted he hasn’t gotten used to seeing Anthony Davis in an opposing team’s uniform, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter video link). “It’s still weird sometimes when I see him on the TV or like, when I play against him. It feels weird,” Hachimura said. Davis returned to action on Friday for his first game against his former team after missing a month with a calf strain. The 10-time All-Star received a “warm reception” from Lakers fans when he was introduced as a starter for the Mavericks, tweets Mark Medina.
In an EssentiallySports interview with Medina, free agent addition Jake LaRavia says he’s enjoying his time with Los Angeles, adding that the “vibes on our team are very good.” “It’s been great,” LaRavia told Medina. “We have a great group of guys. Just to be able to play with AR (Austin Reaves), Luka (Doncic) and ‘Bron (LeBron James) has really been beneficial for me. It’s a very exciting team. It’s a great city. There are great fans. So the whole experience so far has been really good.”
After previously being listed as questionable, Marcus Smart was then downgraded to doubtful and then out ahead of Friday’s game, as McMenamin relays (via Twitter). The former Defensive Player of the Year is dealing with back spasms.
Mavericks guard Max Christie, who was included alongside Davis in the blockbuster trade for Doncic, downplayed the significance of facing his former team again. “It’s the same. I mean I was here last year, too. I’m a Maverick so I’m not really thinking about it like that. It’s just another game,” Christie said (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). “It feels good. It’s cool to be back. Just another game.”

Injury Notes: Brown, Nembhard, Porzingis, MPJ, Pelicans

November 28th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Star wing Jaylen Brown is questionable to suit up for the Celtics on Saturday in Minnesota, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Brown, who has appeared in all 18 of Boston’s games thus far in 2025/26, is dealing with lower back spasms.

The 29-year-old has taken on an increased offensive workload with Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles tendon. Brown is averaging a career-high 28.2 points per game this season while also contributing 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has been ruled out of Friday’s game against Washington because of a right quad contusion, relays Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. However, it doesn’t sound like Nembhard’s injury is serious — head coach Rick Carlisle hopes to have the team’s starting point guard back on Saturday vs. Chicago (Twitter link via Dopirak).
Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis is battling an illness and won’t play in Friday’s matchup vs. Cleveland, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). While Porzingis has been productive in his first season with Atlanta, availability continues to be an issue — Friday will mark his eighth missed game in the Hawks’ first 20 games of the season.
Michael Porter Jr. has been a bright spot for the tanking Nets, posting career-best numbers in several statistical categories. However, the 27-year-old forward is out for Friday’s game against Philadelphia due to lower back tightness. Brian Lewis of The New York Post asked Friday evening whether Porter’s injury would result in a short- or long-term absence (Twitter link). “Obviously we’re never going to rush him. His health, body, is the No. 1 priority,” head coach Jordi Fernandez replied. “We’re not concerned…We’ll give an update after the game.”
In addition to Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture), Jordan Poole (left quad strain) and Herbert Jones (right calf strain), the Pelicans will also be without second-year big man Karlo Matkovic (right calf strain) and third-year guard Jordan Hawkins (illness) on Saturday at Golden State, per a team press release. Versatile wing Trey Murphy III, who is dealing with right elbow soreness, is questionable to suit up against the Warriors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo To Return Friday

November 28th, 2025 at 5:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Perennial All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to action on Friday at New York, the Bucks announced (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo went through a pregame warm-up routine prior to being upgraded to available, notes Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Greek superstar was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s contest.

The 30-year-old has missed the past four games — and most of a fifth — after experiencing a left adductor (groin) strain on November 17 at Cleveland. Milwaukee lost all five games without its best player and has dropped six straight overall.

Obviously, having Antetokounmpo back is great news for the Bucks, who are currently 8-11, the No. 11 seed in the East. The 2021 Finals MVP has put up fantastic numbers again in 2025/26, averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in 13 games (31.8 minutes per contest).

In other Bucks news, head coach Doc Rivers recently discussed slumping guard Cole Anthony, Nehm tweets. In his first nine games (20.4 MPG) with Milwaukee, the free agent addition averaged 11.2 PPG, 5.2 APG (1.9 TOV) and 3.3 RPG with a shooting line of .494/.323/.538; over the past nine (17.2 MPG), the 25-year-old has put up 5.4 PPG, 4.4 APG (2.9 TOV) and 3.2 RPG on .314/.125/.750 shooting.

“He’s struggling right now and we have to do something to help him,” Rivers said after Anthony went 0-for-7 with two turnovers in 11 minutes during Wednesday’s loss in Miami. “He’s turning the ball over and taking some really rough shots for us. We just gotta keep coaching him.

“The kid can play. We gotta keep believing in him. He gets down on himself, probably too much, which leads to the next error. So, we gotta find the right happy medium to get him to be able to play through mistakes.”

Josh Christopher Signs G League Deal, Rejoins Heat’s Affiliate

November 28th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent Josh Christopher has signed a G League contract and has been reacquired by the Heat‘s affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce announced in a press release.

According to the Skyforce, Christopher is expected to make his 2025/26 debut on Saturday against the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s affiliate.

A 6’4″ shooting guard, Christopher is a former first-round pick, having been selected No. 24 overall in the 2021 draft. He spent all of ’24/25 on a two-way contract with the Heat, though he rarely played for Miami, making just 14 NBA appearances for 69 total minutes (4.9 minutes per game).

Christopher, who turns 24 years old on December 8, had a much more robust role for the Skyforce last season. In 36 total games (35.9 MPG), he averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals, with a shooting slash line of .443/.314/.793. The former Arizona State guard was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team in April.

Most of Christopher’s NBA experience came with Houston, the team that drafted him. He holds career averages of 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 152 games (14.4 MPG) and remains an NBA free agent despite his new NBAGL contract.