Central Notes: Buzelis, White, Mathurin, Feigin
The Bulls may still be wallowing in mediocrity but second-year forward Matas Buzelis continues to show improvement. He’s averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 block per game in his first three January outings. He scored 26 points in a loss to the Celtics on Monday, making 9-of-12 field goal attempts.
‘‘I think the biggest thing with him that I’ve been the most pleased with and that’s been really consistent from him is he’s not holding the ball and dancing with it,’’ coach Billy Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. ‘‘He was decisive when he had it in space. Whether it was shooting the ball or driving the ball, he was decisive, and I feel like that’s how he has to play.’’
Buzelis says it’s all part of his learning process.
‘‘I just go out and hoop, try and be the best player I can be,’’ he said. ‘‘I play hard, and I believe in our team. It was just a matter of time and patience, just keep grinding. Just the comfort level, honestly. It’s only Year 2 for me. That’s not an excuse, but [I’m] still getting comfortable out there going against grown men. It feels like it’s just a matter of time, learning and learning.’’
Buzelis is listed as questionable to play against Detroit on Wednesday due to an illness, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Coby White is also questionable on Wednesday due to right calf injury management. White, an unrestricted free agent after the season, returned to action on Monday after missing the three previous games but struggled. He was held to five points and three assists while committing four turnovers on a minutes limit. “It’s pretty tough being in and out of the lineup, knowing you can only play a certain amount of minutes throughout the entire night,” White told Cowley. “It gets tough when you’re out there and you look up, ‘Damn, I only got like two minutes left and I know I’m coming out.’”
- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle indicated that Bennedict Mathurin has been dealing with right thumb pain for awhile, Tony East of Circle City Spin tweets. “It’s been bothering him. I don’t remember exactly when he did it. But it’s been a while, it’s been weeks,” Carlisle said. “When you keep getting hit, it’s on your shooting hand, it becomes more than a nuisance.” Carlisle reiterated that he’s unsure when Mathurin might return to action. Carlisle said a few days earlier that the fourth-year guard would be “out a while.”
- Peter Feigin is stepping down as the Bucks‘ president after a 12-season run overseeing the team’s business operations, according to The Associated Press. Josh Glessing, who has been working as the Haslam Sports Group’s chief of strategy and development, will replace him. The two will be working together over the next few months during the transition period.
Knicks Notes: Losing Streak, Brunson, Towns, Dolan, Brown, Yabusele
The Knicks were clobbered by the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, 121-90, on Monday. Jalen Brunson had a team-high 25 points but no assists while committing six turnovers in the team’s fourth straight loss.
“We just gotta respond. A lot more needs to be said. We keep it internal,” he said, per ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “If we want to be the team we say we want to be, we have to be better, simple as that.”
Head coach Mike Brown said the Pistons physically dominated his club.
“It’s pretty simple, they just physically kicked our ass. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it,” he said. “We had 20 turnovers for 33 points. They were into us the whole game. And then for us, we did it in spurts. And versus a team like that, you can’t do it in spurts. It’s got to be 48 minutes. It’s just as simple as that.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns scored in single digits for the fourth time this season after reaching double digits in all but one game last season under previous coach Tom Thibodeau. Towns is taking fewer shots under Brown’s offensive scheme. “Biggest adjustment is for me. Like Mike said, I make the biggest sacrifice,” Towns told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “We’re figuring it out. We’ve got a long flight, a practice tomorrow, we’ve got to sit down and figure out who we are and how we want to get back on track.”
- The Knicks got run out of Detroit’s home court almost immediately after owner James Dolan declared the Knicks, as presently constituted, were good enough to win a championship. The owner said he doesn’t anticipate a big move before the trade deadline next month, whether for Giannis Antetokounmpo or somebody else, but a few more performances like Monday’s could alter his thinking, Bondy opines.
- The Knicks are ranked 17th in the league defensively and Brown said “everything is on the table” regarding their defensive schemes, according to The Athletic’s James Edwards III. However, he also downplayed the losing streak to a certain extent. “You have to keep a perspective on it because you’re going to have ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve said this many times, ‘It’s not going to be just like this.’ When you do go down, you hope it’s not three, four or five games. That’s where we are now, but it’s not time to panic. We do have to make sure we are doing what we can do to help this group. Our guys have to try and take it to another level as a group, and not try to do too much, but take it to another level as a group in other areas.”
- Free agent pickup Guerschon Yabusele continues to play sparingly in his fourth season in the league. He’s highly motivated to exercise his $5.8MM option on next year’s deal, rather than returning to Europe, BasketNews.com relays. “If you play three years in the NBA, you get a lifetime pension. After four seasons, medical expenses are covered for life,” Yabusele told a French YouTuber. “And after five years, the medical coverage is extended to the entire family. I want to play for five years here in the NBA so that my family can benefit from that lifetime care. You never know what can happen in life.”
Thunder Notes: Slump, Trade Deadline, Carlson, SGA
After looking practically invincible during the first 25 games of the season, the Thunder have hit a rough patch. They’ve split their last 12 games, including an ugly 124-97 loss to the Hornets on Monday. Head coach Mark Daigneault said these humbling outings could pay dividends.
“When you win the championship and you start the way we started, it comes with the territory,” he said, per Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press. “I think it gives you a unique opportunity to really improve through that. … It’s a competitive privilege to be a team that other teams are up to play for.”
Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says there’s no reason to panic.
“There’s a lot of games left in the season,” he said. “We’ve won big. We’ve lost big. Some nights are going to be bad. Some nights are going to be great. But regardless, you have to try to get better the next day. I think that’s what allows you to, I guess you can say, be resilient. It’s hard, obviously, but the best teams do it, and that’s who we’re trying to be.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Even before the loss to Charlotte, guard Alex Caruso noticed how opponents approach them differently now that they have a championship under their belts. “Last year, I feel like we went to the regular season and we had to earn our respect through winning, because we hadn’t done anything yet,” he told Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “That being said, a lot of teams probably didn’t show up with the same energy and same mindset that they do this year that’s coming off (us) winning the championship. A lot of times, I think we’re not playing our best, at least not to the level that these other teams are coming in with. The mindset, the execution. Maybe their will to win is a little higher than ours, which shouldn’t be the case.”
- Like pretty much every team in the league, the Thunder could use another perimeter shooter. However, ESPN’s Anthony Slater hears that the Thunder are not expected to be very active at the trade deadline. They don’t have any glaring rotation concerns, plus they have very little wiggle room financially — OKC’s team salary is about $1MM below the luxury tax line.
- Two-way player Branden Carlson produced a big game on Friday when he contributed 15 points, 11 rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes against Golden State. The 26-year-old big man has impressed the coaching staff with his preparation, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “He’s always ready to play, and that’s the thing I respect most about him,” Daigneault said. “There are certain guys you’re just excited for when you can get them in the game because you feel like they deserve it. We’ve got a lot of those guys, but he’s certainly one of them.”
- SGA was chosen as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year. He told Chris Mannix of SI that he has a great appreciation for all the accolades he’s received. “Growing up you have goals and you write them down and you’re like, ‘I’m going to get this one day.’ But way more people do that and don’t achieve their goals than actually achieve them,” he said. “So it’s always like a ‘is this really my life?’ type of feeling. And I don’t know if that’ll ever go away.”
Jonathan Kuminga Unlikely To Play Again For Warriors During Trade Talks
There’s a general consensus in the Warriors organization that Jonathan Kuminga has played his final game in their uniform and will be traded before the February deadline, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reports.
Kuminga has not played over the last nine games, including seven DNP-CDs during that stretch. Part of the reason why is that Kuminga’s representatives don’t want to risk him getting injured, Siegel writes.
There’s apparently a mutual understanding between the Warriors and Kuminga’s representatives that a trade will be reached over the course of the next four weeks.
Kuminga will become eligible to be traded on January 15. He signed a two-year, $46.8MM extension as a restricted free agent at the beginning of October. His cap hit is $22.5MM this season, with a $24.3MM team option in year two. He’ll earn a trade bonus worth about $1.7MM if he’s dealt on the first day he’s eligible to be moved.
The two teams situated at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Kings and Pelicans, stand out as franchises that have held a strong interest in Kuminga since the summer, according to Siegel. Another recent report named the Mavericks as a team with some interest. The Bulls and Trail Blazers (per Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports) have also been been linked to the former No. 7 overall pick.
The Warriors remain hopeful they can get at least one player in a Kuminga trade who can immediately impact their postseason aspirations this season. Golden State’s main goal in trade talks involving Kuminga is to find a three-point shooting wing who can also blend with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the defensive end, according to Siegel.
They are willing to package Kuminga’s contract with either Moses Moody or Buddy Hield to achieve that goal of getting an impact wing. Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is the type of player the Warriors are seeking, but Brooklyn reportedly isn’t interested in Kuminga, Siegel notes.
Bulls Re-Sign Kawamura To Two-Way Deal, Waive Flowers
The Bulls have signed guard Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract, according to a team press release. In a corresponding move, Chicago has waived Trentyn Flowers.
The Bulls essentially flipped their script from October when they waived Kawamura to sign Flowers to a two-way deal. Kawamura was released due to a medical condition, as he experienced right lower leg pain after appearing in two preseason games.
Kawamura stayed in Chicago rehabbing and told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link) at a recent game, “I’ll be back soon.”
The 5’8” Kawamura was a star in Japan before signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Memphis last fall. He was promoted to a two-way contract just before the ’24/25 season began and spent his NBA rookie year with the Grizzlies, playing a modest role in 22 games (4.2 MPG).
The 24-year-old received extended run with the Memphis Hustle, averaging 12.7 PPG, 8.5 APG, 3.1 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .383/.365/.761 shooting in 31 games (31.6 MPG). The Grizzlies didn’t give him a qualifying offer though, and he was an unrestricted free agent for a few weeks prior to impressing with the Bulls’ Summer League team, earning himself a two-way deal.
Kawamura has been a member of the Japanese National Team since 2021/22.
Flowers played in two games with the Bulls, averaging 2.0 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 2.8 minutes per night. Flowers also suited up in three G League regular season contests for Chicago’s affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, and averaged 8.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.7 APG in 27.7 MPG. Prior to the start of the G League regular season, Flowers played in 11 games with Windy City during the G League Tip-Off Tournament (13.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG).
Emanuel Miller and Lachlan Olbrich hold the Bulls’ two other two-way deals.
Deni Avdija, Tyrese Maxey Named Players Of Week
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Avdija averaged 26.8 points, 9.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading to Portland to a 3-1 record during the week of December 29 to January 4. This is the first time Avdija has earned Player of the Week honors. He’s the first Portland player to get the nod since Damian Lillard on Feb. 6, 2023.
Maxey averaged 34.7 points and 8.7 assists per game while shooting 61.2% from the field as the Sixers went 3-0. It’s the third time Maxey has earned Player of the Week honors, including the second time this season — he joins Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Celtics wing Jaylen Brown as the Eastern Conference’s two-time winners so far in 2025/26.
Devin Booker (Suns), Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black (Magic), Brown (Celtics) and Cade Cunningham (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.
Central Notes: Cavs, Jenkins, Brown, Bickerstaff, Potter
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is mulling rotation changes after his second unit was gouged by the Pistons in a four-point loss on Sunday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports. Detroit staged a second-quarter rally and led the rest of the way.
“We gotta look at it,” Atkinson said when asked about some of the lineups used in the second quarter. “Obviously, wasn’t the right combination. Obviously, the bench play hurt us (Sunday).”
The second unit provided a spark last season, led by Ty Jerome, who signed with Memphis during the offseason. The Cavs have the NBA’s fourth least-productive bench this season.
“Maybe we keep two of our stars out there at the same time,” Atkinson said. “We’ve gotta help them. We started Sam (Merrill) tonight and that obviously hurts the bench, so we just gotta figure it out. It’s definitely, definitely hurting us in those minutes.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons two-way guard Daniss Jenkins fell one point short of the franchise record for points scored in a second quarter on Sunday. Jenkins racked up 21 points in those 12 minutes, making all seven of his field goal attempts, including six three-pointers. Jenkins also closed out the game with four free throws. Jenkins’ 21-point quarter was the highest scoring by a bench player in franchise history. “He was unbelievable,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “It’s the trust factor, we talk about it all the time. We have 18 guys on our roster that we believe in. We have 18 guys who we believe can help us win when we put them in the game. They know how to play Pistons’ basketball. They play unselfishly. They play with a high spirit. They have the confidence to go out and do what it takes to get it done.” Jenkins is a prime candidate to eventually receive a standard contract.
- Knicks head coach Mike Brown used to babysit Bickerstaff, James Edwards III of The Athletic reveals. They now coach the top two teams in the East. The Knicks and Pistons will square off for the first time since their playoff matchup last season on Monday. “He was strict,” Bickerstaff said. “He had a great way of making things fun but always organized and detailed. There weren’t going to be things that were missed, and he was scared to death of my dad (longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff). He wasn’t going to let anything happen to me.”
- Micah Potter, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers late last month, was one of the 12 players named to the USA Select Team in June 2024 that scrimmaged against Team USA in Las Vegas prior to the Paris Olympics. He was also one of three players who stuck with the team as practice players through its July exhibition tour, an unforgettable experience for the big man. “That was the, hands down, coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Potter told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I had no idea that was gonna happen until my agent called me out of the blue. Going into that kind of environment — Kevin Durant said it’s the greatest team he’s ever played on, and so with that, you could argue it’s the greatest team ever assembled which is incredible. You go down the list and look at the names and it’s incredible. So being in that kind of an environment, you see how those kinds of guys prepare, right? You see how they approach the game, mentally and physically. It’s one of those things where you go into that environment — and I ended up playing, which is nuts too, getting on the floor with all of them — you learn to gain confidence.”
Suns Notes: Booker, Goodwin, Allen, Green, Flight Delay, Bouyea
The Suns delivered their most thrilling win of the season on Sunday, knocking off the defending champion Thunder 108-105 on Devin Booker‘s 35-footer over Alex Caruso in the final second. It was their first win in their last nine matchups with Oklahoma City.
Booker didn’t downplay the moment. It marked his eighth game-winner in the final three seconds of a game.
“It’s a feeling you can’t replicate,” Booker told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I’m not close to retirement, but whenever that day comes, you’ll look back on those moments that you dreamed of as a kid with the team trusting you with the ball in your hands no matter what the result is. (Sunday), I was on the good side of it.”
Jordan Goodwin also had a huge impact with a career-best 26 points, including eight three-pointers. He contributed on the other end of the court too, as the primary defender on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was motivated by some texts from coach Jordan Ott.
“Never too many good things to say to me, but he does that to get me going,” said Goodwin, a free agent after this season. “He definitely texted me (Saturday night just to get me going for (Sunday).”
Goodwin’s minimum-salary contract for this season becomes guaranteed later this week.
We have more on the Suns:
- Grayson Allen missed his ninth straight game due to a right knee injury. However, there’s a good chance Allen will play against the Rockets on Monday night after he went through a 5-on-5 session on Saturday. “That’s what we were looking for. He wasn’t going to play the back-to-back anyways,” Ott said, per Rankin (Twitter link). “His play (Saturday) on the 5-on-5, everything seems to be good to go.”
- Ott also provided an update on Jalen Green, who is working his way back from a right hamstring strain. “Still steady progress,” Ott said. “It’s real close to now playing against bodies, live bodies. Still in that same, got to continue to make progress. Any type of one or two days, but he’s made great progress. You seem him out there pregame before. It has continued to pick up.”
- The Suns’ win over the Thunder was more seamless than their ability to reach Houston in the second game of a back-to-back. Their flight last night was canceled due to a mechanical issue, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Management made the decision to delay their departure until late this morning before the players headed to the airport.
- On his “Suns After Dark” Film Session (for Patreon members), Gerald Bourguet discusses Jamaree Bouyea‘s surprise impact, noting that he’s in the top five in scoring among two-way players while making 41 percent of his three-point attempts. Bouyea is also in the 98th percentile among all guards in rim field goal percentage.
Northwest Notes: Murray, Nuggets Injuries, Wallace, Clingan
Jamal Murray, who has had his share of major injuries, is currently the only member of the Nuggets‘ usual starting five available to play.
“It sucks. It just adds a whole dynamic to the game, with so many guys out,” Murray told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “You’ve just gotta focus on just bringing energy, playing hard, controlling what you can control, playing together, talking, being a leader. Playing aggressive, playing confident, trying to share that confidence. All those little things kind of go into, obviously, what a team is.”
Murray is certain to draw more scrutiny from opposing defenses until Nikola Jokic and other regulars return to action.
“He’s gonna have attention beyond attention all over the floor,” coach David Adelman said. “He’s gonna get doubled and blitzed in pick-and-rolls and all those things. So we have to do things for Jamal. We have to screen to get him open. We have to do unselfish things for him, and on the flip side of that, he’s got to keep making the right play, which he has. … When there’s two on you, and there’s an open man, you throw it to your teammate.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- With Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas inactive, the Cavaliers out-rebounded the Nuggets 62-45 on Friday. DaRon Holmes II started in the middle with Zeke Nnaji backing him up as Denver lost by five. “Obviously, we’re at a disadvantage at certain positions. But I’ll take this kind of effort every night,” Adelman said, per Durando.
- Thunder third-year guard Cason Wallace suffered a right knee contusion against the Warriors on Friday and did not return, Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo tweets. Wallace, who averaged 26.1 minutes per game last month, played just 14 minutes. The Thunder exercised their option on his fourth-year contract in October — he’ll be extension-eligible beginning in July.
- Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan has become a double-double machine, averaging 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in his second NBA season. He had a double-double on Friday for the sixth time in eight games, recording 11 points and 15 rebounds in a win over New Orleans. “He’s just growing as a basketball player, growing as a big,” interim coach Tiago Splitter told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. “He’s getting used to playing high minutes and being effective.”
- Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report examines the five biggest questions surrounding the Trail Blazers this year, including how soon new owner Tom Dundon will make his presence felt and when the team will officially make a decision on head coach Chauncey Billups‘ future.
Pacific Notes: Raynaud, Doncic, James, Knecht, Allen
Kings rookie big man Maxime Raynaud is hopeful he didn’t suffer a significant injury on Friday, Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee reports. He had to be helped off the court during the fourth quarter after injuring his left leg while attempting to set a screen for Russell Westbrook.
“I’ll be fine,” Raynaud said. “It was just scary. … I think it was just an unpleasing sensation you’re not used to.”
Raynaud will undergo an MRI on his left knee in Sacramento on Saturday. The second-round pick has appeared in 25 games (11 starts), averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per night.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Luka Doncic and LeBron James didn’t have any trouble blending their talents on Friday, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Lakers‘ superstar duo led the club to a 128-121 win over Memphis. Doncic made 17-of-20 free throws while scoring 34 points with eight assists and six rebounds, and James had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists. It marked the first time since March that Doncic and James have scored at least 30 points in the same game. “It was just playing and playing in rhythm,” James said. “We’re trying to find ways that we can be productive.”
- Dalton Knecht got a chance to play some minutes off the bench on Friday but the Lakers wing didn’t do much with his playing time. He went scoreless in 11 minutes, missing both of his shots. However, Knecht won’t be judged on offensive output alone. “Play hard – that’s been the biggest playing emphasis for him all season,” coach JJ Redick said, per Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “He’s not going to be judged on whether he makes or misses shots. That helps. When you go through a stretch and you feel like your team isn’t playing hard, you got to play the guys that are consistently playing hard.” Knecht’s role has been reduced drastically this season after he appeared in 78 games as a rookie.
- Suns guard Grayson Allen missed his eighth consecutive game on Friday but he’s close to returning from a right knee injury, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “He did (five-on-five on Thursday). That’s a big step,” coach Jordan Ott said. “And then it’s just the response back, which was great. Now he just wants another one. We’re right there.” Allen will participate in another five-on-five again before he comes back to action.