Lakers Notes: Luka, Hachimura, Ayton, Smart, Bronny, LeBron
Lakers superstar Luka Doncic might miss Friday’s game against Brooklyn — he has been listed as questionable due to left hamstring soreness, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Doncic has appeared in 61 of the Lakers’ 73 games thus far in 2025/26. He needs to play 20-plus minutes in four of the team’s final nine games to qualify for major postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA.
It’s a little concerning that Doncic is dealing with another soft-tissue injury, but the fact that the 27-year-old is listed as questionable instead of out — and that he’s dealing with soreness and not a strain — suggests it may not be a serious issue. Additionally, the Nets have lost nine straight games and 19 of their past 21, so if Doncic has to miss a game, Friday’s contest may be the right one to sit out.
While Doncic was downgraded to questionable after playing in 19 straight games, the opposite is true for Rui Hachimura, who was upgraded to questionable after missing the last two games due to a right calf injury.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Starting center Deandre Ayton is not on tomorrow’s injury report after he sat out Wednesday’s win at Indiana due to a back issue, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter). Fellow starter Marcus Smart will miss his third consecutive game due to a right ankle contusion.
- Head coach JJ Redick and Austin Reaves discussed Smart’s impact on the Lakers following Monday’s loss in Detroit, per Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group. Reaves praised Smart’s unselfishness, defense and intensity, referring to the 12-year veteran as the team’s “glue guy.” Redick said Los Angeles is focused on being as healthy as possible entering the playoffs, Royer adds. “That’s important for us, that we can get healthy and we can play our rotation,” Redick said Monday night. “Post-Luke (Kennard) trade, I think when all nine guys have played, we’ve been a good basketball team. … You need Smart for his ball-handling, you need Smart for his defense, you need Rui for his shooting. Those pieces are important to complement everybody. And you know, we need to finish the season strong, but we also need to finish the season healthy.”
- With Smart, Hachimura and Ayton out on Wednesday, reserve Bronny James got a chance to play rotation minutes and contributed four points, two steals, one block, one rebound and one assist in 13 minutes. The second-year guard, who is having a strong regular season in the G League with South Bay, has been a standout in stay-ready games for several weeks, Redick said after the victory (story via Royer). James also played alongside his father LeBron James for just the second time this season. “I’m not really thinking about it,” Bronny said. “Just thinking about what I can do to impact the game and pull out a win. I’ve been around him and basketball at the same time for a while now, so it’s not that special. The first couple times were of course, but it’s my second year now. And I’m just trying to prove myself and get better as a player.”
- While Bronny downplayed the moment, LeBron relished it, saying he was “super proud” of his son, according to Woike of The Athletic. Bronny’s suffered cardiac arrest during a July 2023 workout with USC, but he has gradually rebuilt his confidence the past few years after the life-altering incident. “Real, meaningful minutes. I couldn’t dream of better. I couldn’t dream of something better than that. Just couldn’t,” LeBron told The Athletic. “For him to go out and, you know, I mean obviously he’s… he’s shown over this — almost two years, year and a half — his progression. And why he belongs in this league. And what he can do in this league. So, for the coaching staff to trust him tonight, and for him to have significant playing time and make … make plays — and for me to be out there on the floor with him — that’s … I couldn’t, I couldn’t dream of a better feeling than that. I could not.”
And-Ones: Las Vegas, Free Agents, WNBA, Misery Index
The NBA’s Board of Governors will vote this week on whether to explore adding expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. Mike Vorkunov, Jesse Granger, Vic Tafur, Sabreena Merchant and Oskar Garcia of The Athletic consider whether Las Vegas is the right choice for NBA expansion.
While the general consensus among the authors is that the city would be a viable choice for expansion despite being a relatively small media market, Tafur suggests that it would benefit the league if the potential new team is able to be competitive sooner rather than later, as Las Vegas “does not have a strong attention span.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) examines the contract situations of 10 players who will or could be free agents this summer, including four Lakers (Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart) and two Pistons (Tobias Harris and Daniss Jenkins). Reaves has earned a significant raise on his current contract and has boosted his value this season, according to Gozlan, who wonders if a rival team might give the 27-year-old guard a two- or three-year maximum-salary deal in an effort to poach him away from Los Angeles. Either way, Gozlan expects Reaves to still be a member of the Lakers in 2026/27.
- The WNBA and WNBPA have reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the NBA announced in a press release. Players are projected to receive major pay increases across the board, among other noteworthy details.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic lists the top five teams on his Misery Index, with the Bucks coming in at No. 1, followed by the Kings at No. 2 and the Pelicans at No. 3. Not only has Milwaukee had a very disappointing season, but the team also doesn’t have young players to build around or much hope of turning things around in the near future, Harper writes.
Pacific Injury Notes: Suns, Kawhi, Reaves, Monk
The Suns had a tough last-second loss at San Antonio on Thursday and they’ll be shorthanded for Saturday’s game vs. Milwaukee, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
In addition to Dillon Brooks (broken left hand) and Mark Williams (stress reaction in left foot), who continue to be sidelined, veteran wing Amir Coffey sprained his left ankle in the first half on Thursday and didn’t return. He’s out against the Bucks. Forward Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) has also been ruled out for the second straight game.
Grayson Allen, who has missed the past two contests because of a left knee injury, is questionable to suit up. Royce O’Neale (left knee soreness), who was sidelined for the first time this season on Thursday, is doubtful to play on Saturday, per the league’s latest injury report.
On a brighter note, Devin Booker isn’t on the injury report after he stepped on De’Aaron Fox‘s foot in the final second of Thursday’s loss, Rankin adds. The incident occurred when Booker was attempting a three from beyond half court.
Here are a few more injury updates from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who has been battling a left ankle sprain, is questionable for Saturday’s matchup in Dallas, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. The 34-year-old forward is averaging 28.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals on .504/.383/.898 shooting through 54 games this season (32.3 MPG).
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been bothered by a right wrist issue recently, but he’s questionable for Saturday’s game at Orlando because of a sore left hip, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). The fifth-year guard is widely expected to decline his $14.9MM option for next season in order to become an unrestricted free agent.
- Kings guard Malik Monk was forced out of Thursday’s lopsided loss to Philadelphia due to a right shoulder injury, according to Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento (Twitter link). Monk appeared to suffer the injury when he drove into the paint and was fouled by Andre Drummond, Cunningham notes (Twitter video link). The Kings don’t play again until Sunday, so they have not yet released an updated injury report.
Lakers Notes: Luka, Reaves, LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Playoffs
Several members of the Lakers contributed in key moments down the stretch during Saturday’s thrilling overtime victory over Denver, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Austin Reaves was at the foul line with Los Angeles down three and 5.2 seconds remaining, and after making the first free throw, he intentionally missed the second, grabbed the offensive rebound, and converted a floater to send the game to an extra period.
Reaves’ heroics set the stage for Luka Doncic, who converted a step-back jumper to put the Lakers up two with a half-second remaining. The star guard then blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s three-pointer to seal the win, McMenamin notes.
“Just a big-time shot by a f—ing generational player,” LeBron James said of Doncic. “He’s just a big-time player, man. … We wanted the last shot. We wanted to put the ball in our guy’s hands. … It’s going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him in a Lakers uniform.”
According to McMenamin, head coach JJ Redick told the Lakers he wanted them to treat the game like it was a playoff matchup. He was pleased with the team’s effort after the game.
“Is ‘coalesce’ a word? Is that the right word? For coming together?” Redick asked. “I think it feels like we’re coalescing right now in a really nice way. Still got a long way to go, still got a long way to go, but certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games. … It’s big time.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- Including Monday’s victory over Houston, Los Angeles has now won six straight games. As Law Murray writes for The Athletic, the Lakers have beaten three potential playoff opponents (the Wolves, Nuggets and Rockets) over that span and have secured the regular season edge over both Minnesota and Denver. The Lakers spent most of the first half of the season looking pretty underwhelming despite having a solid record, Murray states, but they’re hitting their stride at the right time and are showing they should at least be considered a tough playoff matchup, with Doncic, Reaves, James, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton all making big plays in crunch time.
- Prior to Monday’s game, Redick discussed the challenges Doncic, Reaves and James have faced trying to find a rhythm when they’re sharing the court together, largely due to injuries to James and Reaves, per Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group (Twitter video link). Redick acknowledged James’ current role isn’t one he’s ever played before. “The best thing for our team is (LeBron) being the third-highest-used player,” Redick said in part.
- In a feature story for ESPN, McMenamin details how Smart nearly lost his basketball career by punching a framed photo in his hotel room after missing a potential game-winning three against the Lakers as a member of the Celtics in January 2018. He had a five-inch piece of glass in his hand and said he was rushed to the ER and passed out from blood loss. “The doctor looked at me in my eye and told me, ‘I don’t know how you still have use of your right hand,’” Smart said. “‘You should honestly be thanking God every day.’ … They said it laid perfectly in between every tendon in my hand without damaging anything. And they had to leave the extra piece in, because they said it will cause more damage if we go get it out.” Smart required 20 stitches and missed 11 games, but the glass stuck in his hand continued to bother him years later, he told McMenamin. “For six years after the incident with the glass, I still had glass in my hand and I played with it,” Smart said. “And there would be times where because of that, my hand would go numb. A lot of times, a lot of games, I couldn’t control it. I had to play and there were a lot of times when I’m shooting the ball and just, I had no feeling in the arm, the hand.”
- Smart was determined to turn his career around after a couple of injury-plagued season-and-a-half in Memphis and a short stint with Washington to end 2024/25, McMenamin writes, and the Lakers had a major need for a strong point-of-attack defender who could slow down top perimeter scorers. Smart had 21 points and five steals on Saturday and helped limit Jamal Murray to five points on 1-of-14 shooting in 36 minutes. “He competes every night,” Reaves told ESPN. “It’s not always pretty, but his competitive level’s going to be at an all-time high every single night. And you need guys like that. I think he’s the one that sets the example for us on the court to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can, because you know he’s going to do that. When he’s doing that, every single night flying around, it makes you be accountable to the effort that you bring.”
Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo Earn Player Of Week Honors
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league office (Twitter links). The awards cover games played from March 9-15.
Doncic led the Lakers to a 3-0 week by averaging 37.3 points, 11.0 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game. He came one assist away from registering three consecutive triple-doubles, had 51 points on Thursday vs. Chicago, and made a last-second basket to defeat Denver in overtime on Saturday.
The selection of Adebayo was a foregone conclusion after his historic 83-point game against the Wizards, which represented the second-highest single-game scoring output in NBA history. Overall, Adebayo averaged 41.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest last week as the Heat won two of three games.
Doncic became the second player to win a third Player of the Week award in 2025/26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Adebayo, it’s his second Player of the Week selection this season and the fourth of his career.
Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (Pistons), Brandon Ingram (Raptors) and Jalen Johnson (Hawks) were the other nominees from the East.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Reaves, Ayton, Injuries
LeBron James returned Thursday after missing three games with foot, elbow and hip injuries, but it was mostly in a supporting role as the Lakers defeated Chicago for their fourth straight win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James posted 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he took just 13 shots as Luka Doncic (51) and Austin Reaves (30) dominated the scoring. According to McMenamin, L.A. is 8-3 this season when James isn’t one of the team’s top two players in field goal attempts.
“LeBron and I, we talked, we had a great conversation over the last couple days,” coach JJ Redick said. “He wants to do everything possible to help his team win, and he understands the importance of making sure Luka and AR can be at their best. And you know, that’s incredible with him. It speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates, and how much he wants to win.”
Although James is still capable of huge scoring nights, he has become more of a complementary player at age 41. He called Doncic and Reaves “magical and dynamic” on offense and said he’s willing to do whatever is needed to help the Lakers succeed.
“I mean, if it benefits others, it benefits the team. The team is most important,” James said. “Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to. … And that’s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Doncic celebrated his first 50-point game with the Lakers and his highest scoring total since being traded last February. Reaves topped 25 points for the third straight game, which McMenamin notes is his longest streak since suffering a calf injury in November that led to an extended absence. “I obviously have delusional confidence in myself when it comes to basketball,” Reaves said. “But when the game’s over and I’ve got to go home and think about it, I don’t really think of myself in the category of some of these other guys. But I just enjoy playing basketball, playing the right way and continuing to get better.”
- Deandre Ayton is averaging 14.3 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last three games after being sidelined by knee soreness last week, McMenamin tweets. “Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said. “You know, I finally caught up with the team.”
- Before the game, Redick told reporters that Maxi Kleber is expected to miss more time with a lumbar issue, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). The team is waiting for results after Jaxson Hayes underwent imaging on his back, while Marcus Smart, who sat out Thursday’s contest with a hip issue, may be able to return Saturday against Denver.
Lakers Notes: Reaves, Defense, Ayton, Hayes
Austin Reaves is starting to look like the player he was early in the season, which could make the Lakers far more dangerous as the playoffs near, writes Melissa Rohlin of The California Post. Reaves’ scoring has been down since he returned from a strained left calf in early February, but he was aggressively looking for his shot in Sunday’s win over New York. He wound up with 25 points, marking just the third time he has reached the 20-point mark in the past 15 games.
“I think the messaging to him has just been to be himself,” coach JJ Redick said. “And I think sometimes when you miss time and there’s circumstances going on with the team that you can kind of be a little passive. … We want him to be aggressive. Every time he gets the ball, we want him to be aggressive and have a mentality to touch the paint.”
Reaves played like an All-Star as the season began, looking worthy of the five-year, $241MM contract that he’ll be eligible to collect this summer (if he declines his $14.9MM player option, as expected). If he can return to that level, the Lakers will be in position to challenge anyone in the West.
“Have fun,” he explained to reporters about his approach to the Sunday afternoon contest. “Woke up, early game, I was tired when I got here. I just told myself to have fun. I don’t feel like I’ve played bad, I just haven’t made a lot of shots. I feel like I’ve done a lot of other things well. Just continuing to play the game the right way, and I feel like good will come to good.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- With LeBron James sidelined by elbow and foot issues, the Lakers turned up their defense in Sunday’s blowout win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Defense has frequently been an issue for L.A. throughout the season, but the team was in top form against New York, holding the league’s third-most efficient offense to 42.7% from the field and forcing 19 turnovers. Redick singled out Reaves, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart for their willingness to take charges. “That’s a sacrificial play,” Redick said. “You got to put your body on the line. Our guys have been motivated to do that all year.”
- Deandre Ayton‘s up-and-down play has been an issue, but the Lakers haven’t lost confidence in him, McMenamin tweets. He played 20 minutes on Sunday after sitting out most of the past two games with knee soreness. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that we’re going to get a consistent version of him down the stretch of the season,” Redick said.
- In a subscriber-only story, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register examines the connection that Doncic has formed with Jaxson Hayes and looks at how getting him easy baskets can unlock the rest of the Lakers’ offense.
Lakers Notes: Redick, Doncic, Reaves, Ayton, Offseason Plans
A heated exchange between JJ Redick and Luka Doncic during Saturday’s win over Golden State drew some attention on social media, but the Lakers coach dismissed it as something “very normal” that happens during the course of games, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
The incident occurred when Doncic was removed from the game and walked by Redick without responding to a fist bump. Redick followed Doncic to his seat, and they yelled at each other before Redick returned to his usual spot. Doncic stood up to scream at his coach some more before Jarred Vanderbilt intervened and calmed the situation.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time, to be honest with you,” Redick told reporters. “I don’t think Luka did either. He and I have a great relationship. I really value our relationship. And I think those things happen. Not every game, but they happen very frequently. And sometimes you have to rehash them with a player, or as a teammate. Sometimes it happens player to player. It’s a competition. And there’s two guys here who, in this case, are trying to win a basketball game and be on the same page about stuff.”
A Lakers source told McMenamin the exchange was the result of frustration over a recent three-game losing streak, while a source close to Doncic said he and Redick have a strong relationship but they’re “both fiercely competitive and are always pushing each other.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- The team is 11-6 in games where Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves have all been available, but that doesn’t mean they’re playing well together, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. L.A. has only outscored opponents by three total points in the 297 minutes they’ve all been on the court, and they’re producing 109.2 points per 100 possessions in lineups that feature all three players, which would rank 29th in the league. “The bigger challenge is when they’re all on the court together,” Redick said, “because they all want the basketball, and the reality … people have to sacrifice. The other two guys also have to sacrifice — they’re out there with those three guys. LeBron, his usage is low for his career. When Austin’s been out there, his usage is a little bit less than what it’s been throughout the season.”
- Re-signing Reaves will be a priority this summer, but the Lakers won’t get a bargain like they did the last time he hit free agency, SI’s Chris Mannix stated on the Run It Back podcast. “There’s gonna be a market for Austin Reaves, a big one this summer,” Mannix said. “The Lakers are gonna have to pay him.” Mannix indicates that L.A. is confident about keeping Reaves and is more concerned about finding high-level defenders to team with him and Doncic.
- Mannix adds that the Lakers want to use Doncic’s NBA Finals team in Dallas from 2024 as the blueprint for their future (Twitter video link). That could mean finding someone more qualified than Deandre Ayton to fill the Daniel Gafford/Dereck Lively II role, with Mannix suggesting that Gafford might be a possibility since he was mentioned in numerous trade rumors before the deadline. Ayton holds an $8.1MM player option for next season.
- The Lakers have appointed Michael Spetner as chief strategy and growth officer, making him the latest Dodgers official to join the organization, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link).
L.A. Notes: Doncic, James, Reaves, Garland, Collins, Rosen
The Lakers had their big three — Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves — in the starting lineup on Friday in a 125-122 victory over the Clippers. Doncic erupted for 38 points with 11 assists, while Reaves poured in 29 points. James supplied 13 points and 11 assists despite some knee soreness. The Lakers’ success the rest of the way is predicated on that trio developing chemistry.
“I mean, every game, every second, every minute that we’re on the floor together, it helps,” James said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “Like I said, when was that, All-Star weekend? We don’t know what we’re going to be until we get fully healthy and tonight was one of the first games where JJ (Redick) and the coaching staff can look down and know everybody was available. So, we just got to keep pushing. We got to keep pushing. We got a tough team coming in on Sunday (against the Celtics). Obviously, a lifetime NBA rivalry, so we got to be ready for them. They’re playing great basketball, too.”
Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue says his team isn’t anywhere near tank mode despite the roster upheaval prior to the trade deadline. The Clippers are sitting ninth in the Western Conference standings and are likely to make the play-in tournament. “I just feel confident. I just feel confident in our players. I feel confident in our coaching staff and I just feel confident in the environment, like the culture we’ve set,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And why wouldn’t you want to play to win. That’s our mindset. That’s my mindset every single night. And as tough as it may be or you start 6-21 or whatever it may be, you’re playing to win. And so, we make the playoffs and then anything can happen. So, our goal is to make the playoffs and so I don’t know why somebody would scoff at that.”
- Initially, Darius Garland wasn’t thrilled about getting traded from Cleveland to the Clippers. Now he says he’s “super excited” about joining forces with Kawhi Leonard and playing in Los Angeles. “I’m good with the change,” Garland told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “When it first happened, I was kind of skeptical. But I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to play with another Hall of Famer (Leonard) and having a ball in my hands damn near 99 percent of the time.” Garland has yet to make his Clippers debut. He has not played since Jan. 14 due to a toe injury and is reportedly unlikely to return until March but told Spears he plans to play “really, really soon.”
- Clippers forward John Collins took a shot to the face on Friday and required some stitches along his left eye, Mark Medina tweets. He finished the game with 12 points in 16 minutes.
- Longtime Dodgers executive Lon Rosen is moving into the Lakers‘ front office as president of business operations, according to The Associated Press. He replaces Tim Harris, who is stepping down after 35 years with the organization. Rosen has been the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2012, the same year new Lakers majority owner Mark Walter purchased the MLB team. Rosen began his sports career with the 1980s Showtime Lakers as an intern and a front office executive. He went on to become an agent and a business partner of Magic Johnson.
Injury Notes: Lakers, Booker, Flagg, Strus, Claxton
The Lakers expect to have a fully healthy roster when their post-All-Star schedule tips off on Friday vs. the Clippers, according to Benjamin Royer of the Southern California News Group (subscription required). Luka Doncic is set to return after missing the team’s past four games due to a hamstring strain, while Austin Reaves will no longer face a minutes restriction after having come back from a calf strain in early February.
It will be just the 11th time this season that Doncic, Reaves, and LeBron James have been active for the same game. The Lakers are 7-3 in their first 10 contests with that trio healthy.
“It’s funny, we were talking before the season about building continuity with those three guys, and we’ve had them available together for 10 games,” head coach JJ Redick said on Thursday, per Royer. “My messaging this morning to the players was this is going to be a sprint, these last 28 games. It’s another segment of the season where, starting (Friday), we won’t have more than a day between games until the end of March. So we’ve got an opportunity to, I think, play our best basketball after the All-Star break.”
Here are a few more health-related updates from across the NBA:
- Suns guard Devin Booker exited Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio early due to right hip soreness, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes. Booker went to the locker room midway through the first quarter and attempted to return late in the second quarter before being ruled out for the second half. Injuries have been an issue as of late for Booker, who missed eight of 10 games prior to the All-Star break due to a right ankle sprain.
- Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg won’t play on Friday due to his left mid-foot sprain, but head coach Jason Kidd shared a positive update on the rookie star on Thursday, as Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays. “He got some shots up,” Kidd said. “He’s out of the boot right now, so we’ll see how that goes.” Asked if Flagg might be able to return during the team’s three-game road trip that will conclude on Tuesday in Brooklyn, Kidd replied, “We’re going to take it day by day.”
- It has been roughly six-and-a-half weeks since the Cavaliers announced that Max Strus was due for a follow-up evaluation on his surgically repaired left foot within the next four weeks and that next steps would be determined after that exam. While there have been no official updates since then and no indications that Strus is nearing his season debut, head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed on Thursday that he still anticipates the veteran wing playing at some point this season, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
- Nets center Nic Claxton was inactive on Thursday after spraining his right ankle during Tuesday’s practice, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Day’Ron Sharpe earned the start in Claxton’s place in the blowout loss to Cleveland.