Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Gafford, Irving, Rockets, Morant
Tonight’s game in Mexico City is an important part of the NBA’s international outreach and a chance for the Mavericks to build their fan base in the neighboring nation, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). The Mavs’ contest against Detroit marks their eighth appearance in Mexico and the NBA’s 33rd overall since 1992.
“For fans outside of the U.S., the opportunity for them to enjoy a live experience of an NBA game is very limited,” said Raul Zarraga, vice president and managing director of NBA Mexico. “This is part of our commitment to provide this live experience to fans all around the world.”
Dwight Powell, the only player left on the roster from the Mavericks’ last trip to Mexico during the 2019/20 season, recalls the crowd being “extremely energetic.” Zarraga said Mexican fans as a group don’t have a strong rooting interest in any franchise, but they tend to like the three Texas teams as well as those with successful histories such as the Bulls, Lakers and Heat.
One of tonight’s top attractions will be No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, who’s looking forward to playing in front of an international crowd.
“I’ve been to Cancun one time for a vacation, but other than that, I’ve never been to Mexico,” Flagg said. “I’m excited. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful. Detroit’s a really good team, so it should be a competitive, high-level game.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Daniel Gafford is in the Mavericks‘ starting lineup as he makes his season debut, but coach Jason Kidd said he’ll be restricted to about 15-18 minutes, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). D’Angelo Russell is also active after being listed as questionable with a left knee contusion.
- Asked about Kyrie Irving at tonight’s pregame press conference, Kidd hinted that his star guard could be back in action before the end of the year, Curtis tweets. “We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point,” Kidd said. “Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25, not ’26. We’ll see what happens, but I think those two (Irving/Flagg) will be a perfect match in the backcourt.”
- Rockets coach Ime Udoka is still working out his rotation and is trying to create more playing time for backup center Clint Capela, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Udoka added that there’s still no timetable for Dorian Finney-Smith, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but he and Jae’Sean Tate will get a chance to earn rotation roles when they’re fully healthy. Tate is currently restricted to 15 minutes per game.
- The Grizzlies have already reached a turning point in their season after today’s one-game suspension of Ja Morant, contends Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Cole states that Morant seemed “disengaged” during Friday’s loss to the Lakers, and he was upset after a post-game interaction with coach Tuomas Iisalo, who is known for being direct with players. Cole adds that the season could unravel quickly if Morant, Iisalo and Jaren Jackson Jr. don’t work together as leaders.
Central Notes: Bulls, Giddey, Robinson-Earl, Mitchell
Isaac Okoro saw plenty of the Bulls‘ relentless fast-paced attack while playing for the division rival Cavaliers, so he’s glad he doesn’t have to defend against it anymore, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). Chicago has been exhausting opponents and putting up huge scoring numbers on its way to a 5-0 start.
“It wears you out throughout the game,” Okoro said. “I remember when I was in Cleveland last year and we were playing here, it was like, ‘The Bulls are going to play fast, just try and slow them down in transition.’ But that pace really gets to you. It gets you fatigued by the fourth quarter and then you lose your legs, your shot starts coming up short, and now being here now, playing with that pace and seeing teams fold by the fourth quarter, you see the legs go. You see the hands start going on the knees, and that’s what you want to see. You want to see the opponent tired because that’s when you start killing them.”
Cowley notes that the up-tempo style has become more effective because the Bulls are getting an enormous scoring contribution from their reserves. After ranking 14th in bench points last season with 36 per game, Chicago has moved up to second at 49 PPG. He adds that those numbers could increase further when Coby White and Zach Collins recover from early-season injuries.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Josh Giddey‘s long contract standoff was the Bulls‘ top story of the summer, but so far his new deal looks like a bargain, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Giddey posted a career-high 32 points Friday night, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Lorenzi states that he has taken full control of the offense in his second season with Chicago. “Being in a place where, obviously the contract stuff is out the way now, that’s off my back this season,” Giddey said. “I’m in a place where I’m wanted. I love being here. I’m happy here. Having confidence from your teammates and your coaches to trust me to go out there and make plays. That’s what you need as a player.”
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was headed for the G League before Obi Toppin‘s injury gave him a path to join the Pacers, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Robinson-Earl said he’s “grateful for the opportunity” after signing a 10-day hardship contract earlier today. “He’s proven and shown to be an adaptable guy,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Over the last day and a half since he’s been here, he’s picked things up very quickly. He’s a very fundamentally sound player. He shoots it, he passes it, he makes the right play. Knows who he is as a player and plays to his strengths.”
- Donovan Mitchell joined the Cavaliers‘ growing injury list for Friday’s loss to Toronto. He sat out the game with left hamstring tightness, per The Associated Press, joining Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus on the sidelines.
Trae Young Has Sprained MCL, Will Be Reevaluated In Four Weeks
Hawks guard Trae Young has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and will be reevaluated in four weeks, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). An MRI conducted Friday was reviewed by multiple doctors, who determined that he avoided major structural damage to his knee, Charania adds.
The Hawks issued a statement (via Twitter) confirming Charania’s report and saying Young suffered no other damage to the knee beyond the MCL sprain. The team added that he has already begun rehabilitation.
Young injured his knee in a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game at Brooklyn. He didn’t return to that game and was held out of Friday’s contest at Indiana.
Young is off to a slow start this season, but he’s nearly irreplaceable for an Atlanta team that’s expecting to become a contender in the East. He’s averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 assists through five games while shooting career lows of 37.1% from the field and 19.2% from three-point range.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup Friday night, taking Young’s place alongside Dyson Daniels in the Hawks’ backcourt. Keaton Wallace played nearly 17 minutes off the bench, his highest total of the season by far, and he figures to see an expanded role until Young returns.
While being without Young for approximately a month will be inconvenient for Atlanta, there’s a sense of relief in knowing that it’s not a long-term injury. If Young had been lost for the season, it likely would have affected his upcoming decision on a $49MM player option for 2026/27 as well as his extension talks with the team.
Knicks Notes: Coaching Change, Towns, Hart, Robinson
After they got off to a 2-3 start, including a 10-point loss at Chicago on Friday, Steve Popper of Newsday wonders whether the Knicks‘ offseason coaching change was necessary or if they were trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.
Management decided to replace Tom Thibodeau after he took New York to the conference finals last season and brought in Mike Brown, who promised to give more minutes to bench players and institute an up-tempo style. Popper points out that the Knicks still have a roster filled with players who were acquired to fit Thibodeau’s slower-paced, defensive-minded approach. When they faced the Bulls, who are built for a faster style of play, they gave up 135 points.
Popper states that the adjustment has been particularly difficult for Karl-Anthony Towns, who is projected to spend more time at power forward after primarily being used as a center last season. Popper believes Towns is miscast by being asked to run the floor in transition like a wing.
Towns didn’t address his individual role after Friday’s loss, but his comments reflected the overall frustration of the team.
“Just obviously we’re not happy,” he said. “We had three winnable games and we didn’t do enough to close the game out. For someone like us, that was our identity last year — close games we usually win. So obviously it’s a different feeling not being able to close the games out.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Josh Hart told Brown that he doesn’t want to move back and forth between starting and sixth-man duties, so he’s now a full-time reserve, Popper adds in the same piece. Hart said even though it was his idea, there might be times that he struggles with not being a starter. “I think throughout the season it’ll be a battle of, you know, kind of fighting the egotistical view of it,” he said. “I think I did have a good year last year. And you know, with a different role, now it’s totally different. I think the biggest thing, I’ve had to sacrifice my whole career. I talked about it the whole time last year. You know, that’s something that I try to do every year and try to make sure whether I’ve got to sacrifice or not, make the team the best that we can be. So it’s never like, OK cool and it’s seamless. There’s going to be days where I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s some bull.’ You know what I mean? But it’ll be a constant thing of fighting that, but making sure I know that this is what’s best for the team and locking in on that.”
- Hart told reporters on Friday that he’s not considering another surgical procedure for an injured finger on his shooting hand, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart wants to avoid a prolonged recovery that could sideline him for several months.
- Brown was sharply critical of the Knicks’ defense following the loss to Chicago, relays Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. The Bulls scored 72 points in the first half and finished the game with six players in double figures. “Our defense tonight was nonexistent and it starts with guarding the basketball,” Brown said. “We have to be better guarding the basketball. And it has to be with a sense of physicality because if we don’t, teams are gonna do exactly what Chicago did tonight on the offensive end of the floor.”
- After missing four games due to left ankle injury maintenance, Mitchell Robinson made his season debut on Friday, posting four points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s being listed as questionable for Sunday’s rematch with the Bulls in New York, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Southeast Notes: Bane, Penda, Ball, Young
Desmond Bane‘s three-point shot isn’t falling so far this season, but the Magic guard remains confident that it will come around soon, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Bane was acquired from Memphis over the summer to improve the team’s outside shooting, but he’s only connecting at 25% from beyond the arc while taking 4.7 per game, which is the lowest total since his rookie season. It’s a small sample size and Bane was a career 41% three-point shooter with the Grizzlies, so he isn’t worried.
“It’ll come,” he said. “I’ve had multiple stretches like that. It’s basketball. Some nights you get a ton and some nights you get a few.”
Beede notes that Bane hasn’t been getting the open looks that he’s used to since joining the Magic. Defenses are playing him tightly at the three-point line, and he has responded by driving more often and finding open teammates, which led to seven assists in Friday’s victory at Charlotte.
However, the Magic don’t have many accomplished three-point shooters and they’ll eventually need Bane to fill that role.
“He’s one of those guys that he’s such a threat on the three-point line that he’s able to get downhill, but, in my opinion, one of the reasons we got him was because of his three-point shooting,” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “We’ve got to find ways to get him cleaner, easier looks, instead of off the dribble, even though he can do both.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- After not being used in the first three games, rookie forward Noah Penda is increasing his role in the Magic‘s rotation and played 17 minutes on Friday, Beede adds in the same story. “We’ve thrown him in different situations and one thing about him is he can guard multiple positions,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He’s not afraid of the moment and does a great job crashing the glass. He’s doing all of the things that we’re asking him to do when he steps on the floor.”
- Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will play tonight against Minnesota after being listed on the injury report with a right ankle impingement, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). In his pregame press conference, coach Charles Lee talked about the importance of Ball staying healthy after missing 60 and 35 games the past two seasons (Twitter video link).
- The Hawks haven’t provided an update on Trae Young, who suffered a sprained right knee on Wednesday. Young didn’t play Friday night and has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game at Cleveland, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 10/30/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Bulls' options amid their 4-0 start, the Heat's dispute with the Hornets over the Terry Rozier trade, the likelihood of Jayson Tatum playing this season, how Austin Reaves' stardom will affect the Lakers financially and more!
Anthony Davis Leaves Game With Soreness In Left Leg
Mavericks big man Anthony Davis exited Wednesday’s game against Indiana in the first quarter and was eventually ruled out with lower left leg soreness, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Davis played at least 32 minutes in each of Dallas’ first four games, but he was on the injury report prior to Wednesday’s contest, listed as probable due to bilateral Achilles tendinopathy.
According to MacMahon, Davis reacted in pain when he landed after scoring a basket. He was removed from the game when the Mavericks called time out with 4:12 left in the quarter and was taken to the locker room to be evaluated.
“He tried to return. Didn’t wanna take any chances. We’ll see how he feels going forward,” coach Jason Kidd told reporters after the game, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link).
Davis has a long history of injuries that have affected what has otherwise been a brilliant career. He appeared in 76 games during the 2023/24 season, but apart from that he hasn’t exceeded 60 since 2020.
He was only available for nine games last season after Dallas acquired him from the Lakers as the centerpiece of the controversial Luka Doncic trade. He suffered an adductor strain during his debut with the Mavs that sidelined him for 18 games.
Davis came into training camp healthy, except for the need to wear goggles for the rest of his career after undergoing a procedure in July to repair a detached retina in his right eye.
Any Davis injury would be unwelcome news for the Mavericks, who played Wednesday without centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Lively is dealing with a right knee sprain, while Gafford has a sprained right ankle and hasn’t played yet this season.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Hayes, Smart, Thiero, Reaves, Ayton
There’s no firm timetable for LeBron James to resume playing, but Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters before Wednesday’s game that it will likely be during the second or third week of November, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). That confirms a report two weeks ago from ESPN’s Shams Charania, who pegged mid-November as the most likely time for James to return.
James is expected to be reevaluated later this week to determine how much progress he’s made in his bout with sciatica. He reportedly began experiencing the nerve condition during the summer and it affected him through the start of training camp.
Redick also provided an update on Luka Doncic, who is missing his third straight game tonight with a finger sprain and leg contusion. Redick said they hope to have Doncic back in the next “couple of games,” adding that his left hand has gone from twice its normal size to about one and a half times the size it should be (Twitter link). Doncic is considered day-to-day, but he’s not with the team on its current road trip, which ends Friday at Memphis.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Backup center Jaxson Hayes was upgraded to available for tonight’s game after missing the past three contests with soreness in his left knee, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hayes played 14 minutes in the opener for his only action this season. Marcus Smart is missing his second straight game with a right quad contusion.
- The Lakers announced that Adou Thiero has been cleared for live on-court contact work, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). The next step is 5-on-5 activities, which will begin soon at practice with the NBA team and the G League South Bay Lakers. The rookie forward is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in college.
- The absences of James and Doncic has forced Austin Reaves into a larger ball-handling role, and he’s formed an instant chemistry with Deandre Ayton, Price states in a full story. Along with his 92 points over the past two games, Reaves has handed out 14 assists, many of them to Ayton as a pick-and-roll partner. “He’s been awesome,” Reaves said. “He’s been very receptive to listening to not only what I have to say, Luka, Bron, the front office, coaches, he’s been very locked into everything that we’ve told him. And then take everything that we told him, but on the back end of that, we give him a voice. We ask him what he wants, what he likes and try to make that work together. Four games in, I feel like he’s continued to build on that, and it’s been very, very good.”
Trae Young To Undergo MRI To Determine Severity Of Knee Injury
Hawks star Trae Young left tonight’s game at Brooklyn after spraining his right knee in the first quarter (Twitter video link from Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com). An MRI has been scheduled for Thursday, league sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Young was injured in a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye, who was pushed into him by the Nets’ Noah Clowney on an inbounds play. The Hawks’ point guard immediately grabbed at the knee, but was able to remain in the game when play resumed. However, he checked out after one possession and went to the locker room, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Coach Quin Snyder told reporters that there’s no issue with Young’s ACL and any decisions on his status will depend on the results of the medical imaging, Bontemps adds.
Young had a slight limp as he left Barclays Center, but didn’t use a walking boot or crutches, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
A long-term injury would be catastrophic for Atlanta, which is off to a 2-3 start following several high-profile moves during the offseason. Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard were all added to the roster, but the Hawks have come out of the gate slowly.
Young remains the focal point of the offense, averaging 20.8 points and 9.5 assists per game coming into tonight’s contest. He’s also one of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters, although he’s gotten off to a rough start in that category, connecting at just 19.2% from beyond the arc in Atlanta’s first four games.
The Hawks didn’t pursue a contract extension with Young this offseason, and he admitted in September that he was hoping to have a new deal in place before training camp. He holds a $49MM player option for 2026/27 and has the opportunity to pursue free agency next summer. Young is eligible for a four-year deal worth up to a projected $223MM.
Brandon Williams Apologizes For Marijuana Arrest
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Mavericks guard Brandon Williams addressed the media with a statement apologizing for his arrest on a marijuana possession charge Saturday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, relays Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
“I wanted to apologize, first and foremost,” Williams said. “Obviously, it’s an ongoing situation. I can’t really go further into detail about it, but I just want to apologize for being a distraction, especially at a time coming in 0-2. It wasn’t the ideal time at all, but I want to take full accountability. I want to take full responsibility and it’s time to move on now.”
In a full story for The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Curtis, Kellen Bulger and Matt Kyle report that police were summoned by a TSA screener who said a black container with about 1.5 ounces of marijuana was found inside Williams’ suitcase.
Williams admitted it was his bag, but claimed his manager packed it and indicated he wasn’t aware of the contents. He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana under two ounces. The Mavericks refused to comment on the situation.
The authors note that Williams missed the past two games for personal reasons, and an Instagram post reveals that he lost a close friend and former high school teammate to leukemia at the end of September.
Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Williams had been away from the team for a memorial service, Curtis adds (Twitter link).
“Going to a funeral for a friend’s passing and having that incident, that’s something that he has to deal with and we can only be here to support him,” Kidd said.
Now in his third year with Dallas, Williams is coming off a promising season where he saw extended minutes at point guard after Kyrie Irving was lost with a torn ACL. He averaged 8.3 points and 2.3 assists in 33 games to help the short-handed Mavs reach the play-in tournament and had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal in April.
Williams was kept on the roster for this season even though his $2.3MM contract only carried a $200K guarantee before opening night. It’s currently guaranteed at $850K until the league-wide guarantee date of January 10. He has made two brief appearances so far and has yet to score.