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Nets Notes: Thomas, Porter Jr., Claxton, Sharpe, Traore

January 3rd, 2026 at 7:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

When Cam Thomas signed his qualifying offer with the Nets in early September, it guaranteed that he would become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Rockets star Kevin Durant believes whichever team signs him this offseason will get a superior talent, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

“I feel like Cam has a bright future. It just takes somebody to believe in his talent and his skill,” Durant said. “Scorers and guys that score the basketball at a high rate, they get taken for granted in this league a bit. We’re so used to loving defenders, play-makers, and guys that can be connectors. Sometimes scorers get taken for granted.

“Hopefully, somebody takes a chance on Cam and gives him what he deserves and puts the ball in his hands and builds around him and lets him grow into a player. What is he, 24? He’s still got a lot of time in this league to keep getting better. Hopefully a team puts some trust in him.”

Thomas, who was rested against the Wizards on Friday, is averaging 21.4 points per game in 11 appearances this season.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Brooklyn fell to 0-6 this season when Michael Porter Jr. doesn’t play. The Nets’ leading scorer sat out the second game of a back-to-back due to an illness as Washington blew them out by 20 points. They shot just 39.5% overall and 6-of-29 from three-point range while dropping their third straight. Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports takes a closer look at whether the Nets should deal Porter for assets prior to the trade deadline.
Nic Claxton also didn’t suit up on Friday due to personal reasons and that led to expanded minutes for Day’Ron Sharpe. The latter was one of the few bright spots on Friday as he contributed 14 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks in his first start this season. “One thing we know is Day’Ron is going to play extremely hard,” coach Jordi Fernandez said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “And going from the minutes he’s played to pretty much 30 minutes, your body has to adjust to that. So it’s a great opportunity for him… but also being careful with that.” The Nets hold a $6.25MM club option on Sharpe’s contract for next season.
Fernandez wasn’t happy with rookie Nolan Traore‘s shot selection on Thursday against the Rockets. Traore took five three-pointers and made one. He finished 1-for-8 from the field. “I need him to use his superpowers and touch the paint. And it felt like he got caught shooting the unders. And a lot of times it didn’t go … because that’s what they want you to do,” Fernández said. “And if you keep shooting and missing, then sometimes, if you keep doing the same thing and seeing the same results, that’s the definition of insanity. And I know how good he is.” Traore didn’t attempt a three on Friday while scoring 12 points in 26 minutes.

Pacers Notes: Potter, Mathurin, K. Jones, Nesmith

January 2nd, 2026 at 11:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Fifth-year big man Micah Potter only signed with the Pacers on December 26, but he’s making a case to have his contract guaranteed next week, writes Tony East of Circle City Spin.

While Potter’s counting stats (eight points, three rebounds and three assists) were fairly modest in Wednesday’s two-point loss to Orlando, the Pacers played much better better when he was on the court — he was a game-high plus-23 in 26 minutes.

“Micah just knows the game. Plays hard, physical. Kinda just fits in,” Andrew Nembhard said. “He’s a good hooper. He’s had a lot of experience and can kind of just fill in.”

The 27-year-old got the starting nod over Jay Huff and Tony Bradley (DNP-CD) on Friday and responded with 16 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. Indiana wound up losing to San Antonio by 10 points, but the Pacers were plus-four with Potter in the game.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin had a disappointing outing Friday, recording five fouls in just under 20 minutes of action. He finished with two points (on 1-of-6 shooting), five rebounds and three assists. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Benn Mathurin,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game (Twitter link via East). “He’s starting… he’s second on the team in minutes played. There’s great opportunity here. We have to work at helping him adjust to this level of responsibility. This is a lot… It’s work.” Mathurin will be a restricted free agent in the summer if he’s tendered a qualifying offer.
Carlisle liked what he saw from rookie guard Kam Jones on Friday, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The second-round pick’s NBA debut was delayed by a back injury, but he was plus-16 in 10 minutes off the bench in the loss to the Spurs. “When he goes in games, good things happen,” Carlisle said. “That’s something that I gotta consider. He had a rough start of the season missing two months. … I see good things. I like his spirit. I like his energy.”
Small forward Aaron Nesmith, who recently returned from a left knee sprain, appeared to suffer an injury to his left hand during Friday’s contest, per East (Twitter link). Nesmith got two of his fingers taped during the game and was in noticeable pain at times, East adds.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Robinson, Towns, McCullar

January 2nd, 2026 at 10:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks wing Josh Hart will be out at least one more week as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle, the team announced (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).

Hart has begun light on-court work and will be checked out again near the end of next week, per the Knicks. The 30-year-old guard/forward hasn’t played since he injured the ankle on December 25.

Here’s more from New York:

Friday’s loss to Atlanta marked Mitchell Robinson‘s third straight absence with what the team has called left ankle injury management, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. The Knicks say the 7’0″ center hasn’t experienced any setbacks. “Shoot, we’d rather have him than not,” head coach Mike Brown said. “When we do he definitely protects us on the back side, in a lot of different ways. At the end of the day, I truly believe the guys that we have on this roster are more than capable. I’m going to keep pushing. No matter who’s in uniform, I’m going to keep pushing them to play better because I believe in them. I feel they believe in each other, too, and what we’re doing.”
Big man Karl-Anthony Towns was a game-time decision Friday due to an illness, but after going through his warm-up routine he decided he wasn’t feeling well enough to play, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. It was the five-time All-Star’s third missed game of the season.
Second-year wing Kevin McCullar Jr. has gotten an opportunity for playing time with Hart sidelined and has drawn praise from Brown in the process, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “He’s tough,” Brown said Friday. “He does all the little things that don’t show up in the box score all the time. His shifts are really good. His physicality without fouling is really good. He can rebound, or at least he’s not afraid to get in there and hit somebody when it comes to keeping your opponent off the glass. And then he understands how to play [against] different individuals. He’s got a good feel to know, like if you’re a hot shooter or a guy that can really shoot the ball, how to close out, take away that air space. If you’re not, if you’re more of a driver, he knows how to close out where he can take away an angle. Just a good feel for a lot of little things that he has along with that toughness and that’s what you like for a guy his size.”

Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Braun, Jokic, Holmes, More

January 2nd, 2026 at 8:48pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA on Prime reporter Cassidy Hubbarth gave encouraging injury updates on three Nuggets starters during Friday’s contest at Cleveland, tweets Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports.

According to Blackburn, Hubbarth said Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) are still experiencing some soreness, but both players could return at some point during the team’s road trip, which ends next Wednesday in Boston. Hubbarth also said the Nuggets have been “pleasantly surprised” by the progress Nikola Jokic has made in his recovery from a left knee injury, Blackburn adds.

Here’s more on the Nuggets, who are very shorthanded at the moment:

The Nuggets are only carrying 14 players on their standard roster and could theoretically sign a player to a 10-day contract starting Monday. When asked about that possibility prior to Friday’s game, head coach David Adelman said the team would weigh its options but expressed some skepticism about it happening. “Right now, we are who we are,” he said (Twitter link via Bennett Durando of The Denver Post). Durando hears the Nuggets are unlikely to add a player to a 10-day deal, which isn’t surprising — they’re currently about $400K over the luxury tax line and will likely look to move below that threshold ahead of the trade deadline to avoid the repeater tax.
With four starters and their backup center out, Adelman said the Nuggets would be learning on the fly Friday, tweets Durando. “This will sound crazy, but we’re playing an NBA game in an hour and a half, and that’s our scrimmage to see, like, where we’re at and how we’re gonna play. I can’t put in 19 new offensive things and change our whole defensive scheme,” Adelman said.
Second-year big man DaRon Holmes II admitted he was gassed after playing 22 minutes in Wednesday’s win at Toronto, the first meaningful action he’s received to this point in his young career, Durando writes for The Denver Post. “He gives up the offensive rebounds. I didn’t see him put his head down. He just kept playing,” Adelman said. “And that’s the key in the NBA. You’re gonna have moments when you get embarrassed or somebody physically owns you, whatever it is. You’ve just gotta go to the next play. Be ready to make the next shot, make the appropriate decision with the ball, take care of it. And he did that.” Holmes, a 2024 first-round pick who missed last season with a torn Achilles tendon, received his first career start Friday.

Clippers’ Ivica Zubac To Return Saturday

January 2nd, 2026 at 7:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers will get their starting center back on Saturday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Ivica Zubac will be active for tomorrow’s game against Boston.

Los Angeles confirmed the news in its latest injury report, which does not feature Zubac for the first time since he suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain on December 20.

As Charania notes, it’s a swift recovery for Zubac, who was initially expected to miss at least three weeks due to the injury. Instead, he’ll return to action after just two weeks.

Zubac, 28, has averaged 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 block per game in 28 appearances this season for L.A. After a miserable 6-21 start to the season, the Clippers have won six straight games, including going 5-0 without the Croatian big man.

As Fred Katz of The Athletic details, backup center Brook Lopez has added a new look to the Clippers’ offense with Zubac sidelined. Even after going 1-of-12 from deep last night against Utah, Lopez has converted 38.6% of 7.3 three-point attempts per game during the winning streak, and the spacing he provides has created driving lanes for James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

Katz isn’t suggesting the Clippers should continue starting Lopez with Zubac back — he’s simply pointing out that the 37-year-old has been positively impacting his new team of late after a slow start to his 18th NBA season.

Devin Vassell To Miss Time With Left Adductor Strain

January 2nd, 2026 at 6:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Spurs wing Devin Vassell recently underwent an MRI which confirmed he has a left adductor strain, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape).

Vassell, a sixth-year guard/forward who played two seasons of college ball at Florida State, suffered the injury in Monday’s loss to Cleveland.

While the Spurs didn’t specify how much time Vassell will miss due to the strained adductor, head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters ahead of Friday’s game at Indiana that the 25-year-old’s return isn’t imminent, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

“That will be more than a few games,” Johnson said. “Just kind of have to continue to see how he ramps up and feels. … We are encouraged by it in terms of, it should not be something that will be nagging him for the year. We just want to get him all the way right.”

Vassell started each of San Antonio’s first 32 games of 2025/26 prior to sitting out Wednesday’s win over New York. He’s averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 37.9% from three-point range.

Johnson was more optimistic regarding Victor Wembanyama‘s injury prognosis, McDonald adds. Johnson confirmed the team’s star center is considered day-to-day and didn’t rule out the possibility of Wembanyama suiting up on Saturday vs. Portland.

“It’s too quick to say for sure,” Johnson said. “But we’re encouraged by what we’ve seen.”

Jazz’s Sensabaugh Discusses Development, Offseason, More

January 2nd, 2026 at 5:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Brice Sensabaugh was viewed as something of a tweener ahead of the 2023 draft. He played power forward in his lone college season at Ohio State, but at 6’6″, he has the height of a wing, his primary position since he was selected 28th overall by the Jazz a few years ago.

Speaking to Mark Medina of RG.org, Sensabaugh says he overhauled his diet and improved his conditioning last summer in preparation for his third NBA season and now weighs approximately 225-227 pounds, down from roughly 240 in 2024/25.

“I was just in the gym with our Jazz strength and conditioning staff,” he said. “We had some boot camps and conditioning work all summer. But I think the biggest curve for me was my diet. I’m eating whole foods and trying not to have a diet with too many ingredients. I’m not picky at all. So I’ll eat anything. But I’m trying to keep whole foods and have fewer ingredients. I also substituted small things. Instead of sour cream, I have Greek yogurt. I have cauliflower instead of carbs. It worked out pretty well. I dropped like 15 pounds. I feel great and am getting off the ground pretty well.”

Known for his accurate jump shot, Sensabaugh has only converted 32.4% of his three point tries through 32 games in ’25/26 after knocking down 42.2% of his outside looks last season. While he admits he was hoping to have a higher percentage at this point in the season, Sensabaugh says he’s still pleased with his overall development and is finding other ways to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling.

“I feel pretty good about it. Coming from the second to third year, now there are a lot of things that I understand now that I didn’t before, such as the flow of the game and the intensity that it takes to win,” Sensabaugh told Medina. “I feel like this season my mentality has changed a lot. Toward the end of last season, I started hitting shots and scoring a good amount of points. But it wasn’t really translating into winning. This year, I’ve had four or five games where I made a big impact and translated to a win.

“I’m starting to understand the intensity and attention to detail that it takes to alter games and make a big impact like that. That’s the biggest takeaway I’ve had so far. The NBA is the best league in the world and has the best players. So it’s hard to do that consistently for a young player. But I’m searching for that every single game and trying to make that impact to give us a good chance to win.

“It’s been a fun year. I feel like my defense has gotten a lot better with my intensity and attention to detail. I still feel like I’m searching for my shot a lot of the times. There are a lot of games where my shot is going in and out. I’m trying not to dwell on it too much. I trust that it will go in. I’m doing my work early with my feet and my balance and am trusting the results. I try not to overreact to the misses too much. I just keep on playing and wait until they go in.”

Medina’s interview with Sensabaugh covers several other topics, including Utah’s veteran leaders, Keyonte George‘s breakout season, and more. The 22-year-old guard/forward will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2026 offseason.

Injury Notes: Warriors, Young, LaVine, Pistons

January 2nd, 2026 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After previously announcing that Draymond Green would miss Friday’s matchup with the defending champion Thunder, the Warriors have also ruled out Stephen Curry (left ankle sprain) and Jimmy Butler (illness), per Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.

It’s the first half of a back-to-back set, and the Warriors are hopeful that all three players will be back on Saturday vs. Utah, according to Slater and Charania. It’s also worth noting that Friday’s game will be nationally televised, which means Curry and Butler couldn’t be rested without legitimate ailments, since they qualify as “stars” under the NBA’s player participation policy. Green, who doesn’t meet the star criteria, is listed on the injury report as out due to “rest.”

With three starters sidelined, forward Jonathan Kuminga is expected to play on Friday for the first time in over two weeks, head coach Steve Kerr said today during a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game (Twitter link).

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

Hawks guard Trae Young (right quad contusion) has been ruled out for a third consecutive game and won’t be available on Friday in New York, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. Young was initially listed as questionable, which suggests he’s considered day-to-day and should probably return soon, barring a setback.
Kings guard Zach LaVine will miss a ninth straight game on Friday vs. Phoenix due to a left ankle sprain. Asked on Thursday if he had any updates on LaVine’s status, head coach Doug Christie had little to offer, telling reporters there’s “nothing new” (Twitter video link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).
The Pistons were without Tobias Harris (left hip sprain) and Caris LeVert (left knee inflammation) for Thursday’s loss to Miami (Twitter links via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic). Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said that LeVert’s injury, which has kept him on the shelf for the past two games, is one they’ve been managing all season and that it “flared up on him” this week. As for Harris, Bickerstaff suggested he would have more info on the forward’s prognosis within the next few days.

Spurs’ Johnson, Celtics’ Mazzulla Named Coaches Of The Month

January 2nd, 2026 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson is December’s Coach of the Month in the Western Conference, while Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics is the Eastern Conference recipient of the award, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).

Johnson guided the Spurs to an 11-3 record in December, not including the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season standings. San Antonio’s big month, which included three separate victories over the defending champion Thunder, occurred despite Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle each missing multiple games due to injuries.

In addition to posting the NBA’s best record for the month, the Spurs also had the fifth-best offensive rating (118.9) and sixth-ranked defensive rating (112.0), which helped earn Johnson Coach of the Month recognition over fellow nominees David Adelman (Nuggets), Mark Daigneault (Thunder), and Chris Finch (Timberwolves), per the league (Twitter link).

As for Mazzulla’s Celtics, they ranked eighth in the East entering December, but finished the month as the No. 3 seed in the conference after going 9-3.

Even without perennial All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, Boston had the NBA’s best offensive rating (124.3) and second-best net rating (+11.0) in December en route to wins over the Knicks, Lakers, and Raptors (twice), among others.

J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons, Mike Brown of the Knicks, and Jordi Fernandez of the Nets were also nominated for the award.

Daigneault and Bickerstaff earned the monthly honor for games played in October and November.

Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Win Player Of The Month Awards

January 2nd, 2026 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of star point guards and MVP candidates have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for December, with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks winning the award in the East and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder claiming it in the West, per the league (Twitter link).

Brunson was named Player of the Week twice in December and led the Knicks to an NBA Cup championship. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 13 December outings, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.405/.826 and leading his team to a 10-3 record in the games he played.

Those stats don’t include the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season, but he was excellent in that game too, racking up 25 points and eight assists as the Knicks toppled the Spurs.

Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, continued to strengthen his case for a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 12 December appearances, with averages of 31.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and a scorching-hot .594/.436/.882 shooting line.

Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks second in the NBA in scoring (32.1 PPG), while his Thunder – following a 9-4 December – hold the league’s best record at 29-5.

It’s the third time Brunson has won a Player of the Month award and the fifth time Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the honor. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the NBA’s first Players of the Month this season, for games played in October and November.

Cunningham was also nominated for the Eastern Conference award in December, along with Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and Brunson’s teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

The other Western Conference nominees were Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, Jazz guard Keyonte George, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Trail Blazers teammates Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, and Lakers teammates Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.