Raptors’ Quickley To Miss NBA Cup Game With Illness
Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley will miss his team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Knicks on Tuesday due to an illness, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
It’s a big blow to Toronto’s chances of advancing. The Raptors are already without RJ Barrett, who is sidelined by a right knee sprain. The good news is that reserve point guard Jamal Shead, who was listed as questionable with a right quad contusion, will play tonight.
Quickley has started all 25 games for Toronto, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 assists and 1.2 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Shead figures to receive the bulk of his minutes with Ja’Kobe Walter also seeing plenty of action.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Big Lineup, Fontecchio, Herro
The Heat–Magic matchup in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup will tip off shortly. Bam Adebayo believes Miami can not only make noise during the in-season tournament but also the postseason.
“People are going to call us crazy, but I think we’re a contender,” Adebayo told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “We’re going to be called delusional. But how I look at delusion [is] if you ask how many people could be NBA players, what is the percentage of that? So, you’ve got to have a little bit of delusion when it comes to speaking stuff into existence. Like I always say, ‘Speak stuff into existence that matters.’ Manifest things that matter. Being able to just dream about that, write it down and keep looking at that. That goes a long way. And some of that is real. So, I think we’re contenders when we’re fully healthy.”
Following last season’s trade sending Jimmy Butler to Golden State, Adebayo has embraced the role of team leader and face of the franchise.
“This season, for sure, it’s like I’m the one in the driver’s seat,” Adebayo said. “That’s a big responsibility. It’s a big ask. But if they didn’t believe in me, they wouldn’t put me in the seat. That’s how I look at it. If I haven’t done things in the past where they were comfortable with saying, ‘He can be our guide,’ and I wouldn’t be in this seat.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Coach Erik Spoelstra is banking on the two-big lineup of Adebayo and Kel’el Ware to show improvement. “I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.” The Heat has been outscored by 12.5 points per 100 possessions in the 123 minutes Adebayo and Ware have played together this season.
- Simone Fontecchio snapped a three-point shooting slump by hitting four outside shots against the Kings on Saturday. Spoelstra didn’t consider taking the Italian forward out of the rotation despite his shooting woes. “For us we know the value that he brings,” Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “One way or another, he gives you the gravity. But all the other details, we’ve been really encouraged by the team defense that he provides. He’s very detailed. He’s intentional. He wants to do the right thing defensively. He also has a toughness about him. He handles his own under the basket, rebounding against bigger players. He sticks his nose in there.”
- After a two-game absence with a toe contusion, Tyler Herro was cleared to return for tonight’s game. Herro is averaging 23.8 points in the five games he’s played. He’s in the starting lineup tonight, Chiang tweets.
Warriors Add Malevy Leons On Two-Way Deal, Waive Alex Toohey
3:18 pm: The moves are official, according to the Warriors, who confirmed in a press release (Twitter link) that Leons has taken Toohey’s two-way spot.
2:29 pm: The Warriors are adding 6’9″ wing Malevy Leons on a two-way contract and waiving Alex Toohey, reports Anthony Slater of ESPN (via Twitter).
Toohey requires knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season, according to Slater.
Leons is averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds for the G League’s OKC Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate.
After going undrafted out of Bradley in 2024, Leons signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder last September and was waived before the 2024/25 season began. However, he was re-signed on a standard contract and spent two-plus weeks with the Thunder last fall before being cut in mid-November. He made six cameo regular season appearances for Oklahoma City during his brief stint with the team.
Leons spent the rest of the 2024/25 season with the Blue, appearing in 47 G League games. He was on Oklahoma City’s training camp roster this year via an Exhibit 10 contract but was waived prior to opening night and rejoined the Blue.
Toohey, a 6’7″ forward out of Australia, played two years with the Sydney Kings prior to coming over to the NBA this year. Last season, he averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 23.0 minutes per game.
Toohey was drafted in the second round in June and signed to a two-way in late September. He has yet to appear in an NBA game.
Timberwolves Notes: McDaniels, Edwards, Shannon, Beringer, Conley
Forward Jaden McDaniels scored 27 points as the Timberwolves notched their fifth straight victory on Saturday, a 109-106 win over the Clippers. He is averaging a career-high 16 points per game while shooting 48.5% from three-point distance.
McDaniels has been primarily viewed as a top-notch perimeter defender during his career but now his offensive game is coming along, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details. McDaniels is applying some of the lessons he learned from Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard when they worked out together in the offseason.
“Just not letting the defense speed you up, play at your pace at all times,” McDaniels said. “And that’s something I took from him and just staying at your own pace. I don’t want to give out too much because, you know.”
His teammates are appreciative of his all-around contributions.
“What he’s bringing to us is huge,” guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “Throughout the game, sometimes we’re all looking for a spark and he delivers. Sometimes we’re looking to put our foot on the neck and he delivers. And sometimes we’re looking for just some steadiness throughout the game. He’s been doing everything we’ve asked him to do and what’s expected of him.”
We have more on the Timberwolves:
- Star guard Anthony Edwards and Terrence Shannon Jr. are listed as questionable to play against the Suns on Monday due to illness, Krawczynski tweets. Neither player attending the team’s shootaround this morning.
- Adjusting to the NBA game is just one of the things first-round pick Joan Beringer is learning this season. The French-born center is also trying to get comfortable with the English language while taking driving lessons. The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine talked to Beringer and some of the team’s coaching staff about the challenges the 19-year-old rookie has faced. Beringer has appeared in nine games off the bench.
- Veteran point guard Mike Conley has been coming off the bench for Minnesota this season, but he has been on the floor during crunch time in four of the past five games that were within five points in the last five minutes, John Schuhmann of NBA.com notes. Conley made two free throws to tie Saturday’s game with the Clippers in the final minute, then set up Naz Reid’s game-winning three-pointer by attacking a close-out and getting into the paint.
Central Notes: Cunningham, Nesmith, Pacers, Bucks
It was only two seasons ago that the Pistons lost 28 games in a row and wound up with the league’s worst record. Many of the players from that squad now find themselves on the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Cade Cunningham said the team’s previous futility is a constant motivator.
“So many long car rides after the games and stuff, long nights thinking about what could’ve happened different, stuff like that,” Cunningham told The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II (subscription required). “That stuff lives with you. I carry it on the court all the time. I know my teammates carry it. (Isaiah Stewart) has had a lot of experiences in this league that he carries with him every time he plays. I think we’re all better for it.
“It’s the small things that make it up, and we’ve been through the losing end of those things and now, every night, we’re just trying to find ways to come out on top,” he added. “It’s just the details and (it’s) still early. We’re not satisfied or content with where we’re at right now. We’re just trying to keep on stacking, see where it takes us.”
Entering Saturday’s game, each of Detroit’s previous seven matchups had been decided by six points or less. The Pistons were 4-3 during that stretch.
“It’s crazy this year,” Cunningham said. “The difference in those plays is so small, you know? A loose ball with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, this year we’re coming up with it. In the past we don’t come up with it. We lose those games. This year we had a game [against Orlando] where we gave up a few offensive rebounds at the end, we lose that game. It’s the little plays that make up the outcomes. I think we’re just getting better at finding those moments and taking advantage more.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith has been out since Nov. 13 with a left knee MCL sprain. He’s not close to coming back, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “There’s no timetable,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “… It’s gonna be a while. Hopefully not too long. It would be great if he could be back playing some time this month. He’s making great progress with no setbacks. Time will tell, but I don’t have any set timetable for you.” Quenton Jackson, who has been out with a right hamstring strain since November 3, could return later this week. Second-round pick Kam Jones, sidelined since suffering a back injury in training camp, is ramping up his conditioning. Carlisle said Jones’ first games will most likely be with the Noblesville Boom, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.
- Carlisle has been employing a center by committee approach with Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, and Tony Bradley sharing minutes. The Pacers were forced to improvise when Myles Turner left in free agency, and Carlisle has been pleased with the results in recent games. “A lot of progress,” he told Dopirak. “Doesn’t matter who starts. It’s a tag-team thing, it’s a brotherhood thing. Those guys’ job is to hold down the fort. Tony is included in that too. It’s important that the spirit is we just find a way to get it done.”
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers gave his team two days off after playing back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. His banged-up squad will have two big practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday’s game against the Celtics, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “I think it’s a very pivotal time for us,” forward Kyle Kuzma said. “It’s sink or swim. We have to treat it like that.”
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Ware, Herro, NBA Cup
Bam Adebayo passed Glen Rice for third place on the Heat‘s all-time scoring list during his 24-point performance on Friday. He trails only Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning and should catch Mourning sometime this season.
“That’s really incredible. What an achievement,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I had no idea. Wow, that’s awesome. I would have mentioned something to him, even though it was kind of a buzzkill there at the end [of the loss].
“But that’s just a testament to his consistency, his work ethic. He came in basically as a defensive player and he’s really honed his skills offensively to become so much more versatile. On a tough night and a tough loss, that’s one heck of an accomplishment. He’s going to keep going.”
Adebayo’s performance wasn’t enough, as the Heat lost to the Magic, 106-105.
“I can’t really put that into words, man,” Adebayo said. “I would have liked to have done it in a win, but having the opportunity to pass some of these greats. Obviously, being able to pass them and bring them back into the present day. I’m pretty sure at some point when I see Glen, he’s going to give me a big hug. That’s my guy.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Spoelstra went back to a big starting lineup of Adebayo and Kel’el Ware but he didn’t stick with it the whole game, Chiang notes. Ware was subbed out with 2:06 left in the third quarter and he never returned. “That starting group was a little bit uneven tonight,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve got to continue to work on that. I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus. So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.”
- Five games after returning from ankle surgery, Tyler Herro was sidelined on Friday due to toe irritation. As Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes, the game was the 18th that Herro has missed this season, which means he’s no longer eligible for postseason awards, including All-NBA, since he won’t appear in at least 65 contests. While it’s highly unlikely that the Heat front office would have offered Herro a super-max extension anyway, that’s now officially off the table for the 2026 offseason. Herro underwent an MRI on Saturday which confirmed a toe contusion and he’s now considered day-to-day, Winderman tweets.
- The Heat will face the Magic again on Tuesday, this time in the NBA Cup knockout round. Winderman explains from a scheduling standpoint why they might be better off getting bounced in the quarterfinals, noting that a win could lead to a potential 11-day journey across all four time zones.
Raptors Notes: Recent Slide, Barnes, Ingram, Battle
The Raptors have lost four of their last five games and were pummeled by Charlotte on Friday, 111-86. Head coach Darko Rajakovic suggested after the blowout defeat that he felt the schedule caught up to his team — it was Toronto’s fifth game in seven nights.
“Physically, we were worn down,” Rajakovic said, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). “I’m really proud of our guys tonight. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups and wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. We didn’t quit. We continued fighting but we didn’t have enough in the tank.”
We have more on the Raptors:
- Rajakovic believes Scottie Barnes should be a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). “He’s guarding point guards, wings, fives. He’s doing it all,” the coach said. “There’s a reason why he was voted Defensive Player of the Month and he needs to be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Obviously it’s early in the season but he’s trending that way.”
- Brandon Ingram has suffered a number of long-term injuries over the course of his career, but he’s not a fan of load management. He expects to play every night that he’s healthy this season, Lewenberg tweets. Ingram has appeared in all 24 of the Raptors’ games so far this season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest. “It’s intentional to not miss games because I have no reason to,” Ingram said. “If I hear from the training staff and they tell me my body doesn’t look good, I’ll listen. But so far, my body’s been feeling good. I’m doing everything in my control to be ready for games.”
- Jamison Battle suffered a left ankle sprain in Friday’s game. X-rays were negative and he’s considered day-to-day, Lewenberg tweets.
Knicks Notes: Giannis, Anunoby, Hart, Kolek
The Knicks are a long shot to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks superstar requests a trade, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
The Knicks’ acquisition of Mikal Bridges prior to last season, in which they gave up five first-round picks to the Nets, left them without the necessary draft capital that other suitors could offer. The only way Giannis would wind up with the Knicks, Bondy writes, is if he specifically demanded a trade to New York and warned that he wouldn’t re-sign with any other team that wanted to acquire him.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- They rolled to a 34-point win over the Jazz on Friday. OG Anunoby returned to the lineup and scored 11 points in 23 minutes. He was on a minutes restriction after missing nine games due to a left hamstring strain. “You always worry when you get a big lead, you don’t want anybody to get hurt, but we needed to get OG Anunoby some game minutes just to work on his conditioning,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN. “And I thought he looked good for the timings out there. I would have loved to get him to 25, 26 minutes. But, you know, 22, 23 worked good enough, especially with the way we had the lead.”
- Josh Hart made his seventh start of the season on Friday and Brown claims it was a staff-driven decision to put him back in the lineup, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “You wanna know the truth? I rely on my staff, and I had reasons why I was starting it that way, but my staff, all of them were like, ‘Hey, these are the reasons why it would be better,’” Brown said. “And the reality of it is I just listened to my staff. I said, ‘OK, If I’m the only one thinking that the other way may be better at that time, then maybe I’m wrong.’ And I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again in the future.”
- Teammates call Tyler Kolek goofy but the second-round pick from 2024 is in a serious fight for minutes and a rotation spot. He has received steady playing time the last eight games due to injuries. “Especially a guy like me, I’m fighting for my life,” Kolek told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “I’m trying to get as many minutes as I can, get the coach’s trust, get these guys’ trust as much as I can, so I gotta bring not just the basketball stuff every day, but my personality, my energy, give those guys whatever I can to help the team.”
Central Notes: Green, Robinson, Bulls, Collins, Thompson
The Bucks, already reeling from Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s calf strain, have another injury issue to deal with heading into their matchup with the Pistons on Saturday. Guard A.J. Green suffered a shoulder injury in their loss to Philadelphia on Friday and will undergo an MRI today.
“Losing A.J. Green hurts you,” head coach Doc Rivers said, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We can’t sustain much more, especially with guys that make shots. You’ve still got to figure out ways to win games.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- After missing a couple of games with an ankle sprain, Pistons wing Duncan Robinson played a pivotal role in the team’s six-point victory over Portland on Friday. Robinson, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade with Miami over the summer, scored eight of his 14 points during the fourth quarter. “He relishes those moments,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Since we’ve had [Duncan], you would just watch him and he’s not afraid of the moment. He loves the moment, and he knows it’s what this team needs. He is one of our best catch-and-shoot guys off the move, and he knows how to create those shots for him[self] – stretch the floor, create that space. But [he’s] got nerves of steel and a ton of courage.”
- The Bulls’ woes continued on Friday. They endured their sixth straight loss, falling to the Pacers, 120-105. “It’s still a very long season,” guard Coby White said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “I’ve been through the ups and downs here for seven years now. The most important thing is we stick together through this. The season’s always going to be filled with adversities. We got a chance to change the narrative right now. The most important thing for me is we don’t let go of the rope and we do this thing together.”
- Bulls big man Zach Collins made his season debut on Friday after suffering a fractured wrist in the final game of the preseason. The Pacers targeted him on defense immediately, according to Poe, taking advantage of his sluggish pace of play after a month-and-a-half on the sidelines. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 21 minutes.
- Ethan Thompson made his NBA debut with the Pacers on Monday after signing a two-way deal last weekend. He had appeared in 194 G League games before getting his big break. “The heart was racing fast because it’s something you look forward to your whole life,” he told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Being able to go out there, and then once the ball went in, I was able to calm myself down and then it just became basketball. Definitely leading up to the moment, a lot of fun thoughts racing.” Thompson played 34 minutes on Friday, contributing 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Doncic led the Lakers to three wins during the week of November 24-30 while averaging 37.3 points, 10.3 assists and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Those performances, which included a 43-point outburst against the Clippers, increased his league-leading scoring average to 35.1 points per game.
Brunson lifted the Knicks to four wins by averaging 28.8 points and 4.5 assists per game while knocking down 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He matched his season high on Friday by racking up 37 points against Milwaukee.
Doncic and Brunson, of course, were backcourt partners in Dallas. Brunson has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors seven times since joining the Knicks, while this is the first time Doncic has achieved the feat since becoming a Laker.
The other nominees in the West were Zach Edey (Grizzlies), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jamal Murray (Nuggets) and Austin Reaves (Lakers).
Desmond Bane (Magic), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Tyler Herro (Heat), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Pascal Siakam (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.