Lakers Notes: Hachimura, AD, LaRavia, Smart, Christie
Ahead of Friday’s matchup with Dallas, Rui Hachimura said he’s satisfied with the role he has with the Lakers, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter video link).
“I’m not trying to be a superstar. … I’m just trying to help the team win — whatever they ask,” Hachimura said. “I like my role here … I’m really trying to win the championship with this team. I like how they’ve been treating me. … So, I’m happy.”
The former lottery pick (No. 9 overall in 2019) has gotten off to a strong offensive start in 2025/26, averaging 14.9 points per game on elite efficiency (.568/.483/.735 shooting line) while chipping in 3.9 rebounds per game through 16 outings (33.5 MPG). The 27-year-old forward is earning approximately $18.3MM this season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Hachimura admitted he hasn’t gotten used to seeing Anthony Davis in an opposing team’s uniform, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter video link). “It’s still weird sometimes when I see him on the TV or like, when I play against him. It feels weird,” Hachimura said. Davis returned to action on Friday for his first game against his former team after missing a month with a calf strain. The 10-time All-Star received a “warm reception” from Lakers fans when he was introduced as a starter for the Mavericks, tweets Mark Medina.
- In an EssentiallySports interview with Medina, free agent addition Jake LaRavia says he’s enjoying his time with Los Angeles, adding that the “vibes on our team are very good.” “It’s been great,” LaRavia told Medina. “We have a great group of guys. Just to be able to play with AR (Austin Reaves), Luka (Doncic) and ‘Bron (LeBron James) has really been beneficial for me. It’s a very exciting team. It’s a great city. There are great fans. So the whole experience so far has been really good.”
- After previously being listed as questionable, Marcus Smart was then downgraded to doubtful and then out ahead of Friday’s game, as McMenamin relays (via Twitter). The former Defensive Player of the Year is dealing with back spasms.
- Mavericks guard Max Christie, who was included alongside Davis in the blockbuster trade for Doncic, downplayed the significance of facing his former team again. “It’s the same. I mean I was here last year, too. I’m a Maverick so I’m not really thinking about it like that. It’s just another game,” Christie said (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). “It feels good. It’s cool to be back. Just another game.”
Injury Notes: Brown, Nembhard, Porzingis, MPJ, Pelicans
Star wing Jaylen Brown is questionable to suit up for the Celtics on Saturday in Minnesota, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Brown, who has appeared in all 18 of Boston’s games thus far in 2025/26, is dealing with lower back spasms.
The 29-year-old has taken on an increased offensive workload with Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles tendon. Brown is averaging a career-high 28.2 points per game this season while also contributing 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has been ruled out of Friday’s game against Washington because of a right quad contusion, relays Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. However, it doesn’t sound like Nembhard’s injury is serious — head coach Rick Carlisle hopes to have the team’s starting point guard back on Saturday vs. Chicago (Twitter link via Dopirak).
- Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis is battling an illness and won’t play in Friday’s matchup vs. Cleveland, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). While Porzingis has been productive in his first season with Atlanta, availability continues to be an issue — Friday will mark his eighth missed game in the Hawks’ first 20 games of the season.
- Michael Porter Jr. has been a bright spot for the tanking Nets, posting career-best numbers in several statistical categories. However, the 27-year-old forward is out for Friday’s game against Philadelphia due to lower back tightness. Brian Lewis of The New York Post asked Friday evening whether Porter’s injury would result in a short- or long-term absence (Twitter link). “Obviously we’re never going to rush him. His health, body, is the No. 1 priority,” head coach Jordi Fernandez replied. “We’re not concerned…We’ll give an update after the game.”
- In addition to Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture), Jordan Poole (left quad strain) and Herbert Jones (right calf strain), the Pelicans will also be without second-year big man Karlo Matkovic (right calf strain) and third-year guard Jordan Hawkins (illness) on Saturday at Golden State, per a team press release. Versatile wing Trey Murphy III, who is dealing with right elbow soreness, is questionable to suit up against the Warriors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo To Return Friday
Perennial All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to action on Friday at New York, the Bucks announced (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo went through a pregame warm-up routine prior to being upgraded to available, notes Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Greek superstar was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s contest.
The 30-year-old has missed the past four games — and most of a fifth — after experiencing a left adductor (groin) strain on November 17 at Cleveland. Milwaukee lost all five games without its best player and has dropped six straight overall.
Obviously, having Antetokounmpo back is great news for the Bucks, who are currently 8-11, the No. 11 seed in the East. The 2021 Finals MVP has put up fantastic numbers again in 2025/26, averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in 13 games (31.8 minutes per contest).
In other Bucks news, head coach Doc Rivers recently discussed slumping guard Cole Anthony, Nehm tweets. In his first nine games (20.4 MPG) with Milwaukee, the free agent addition averaged 11.2 PPG, 5.2 APG (1.9 TOV) and 3.3 RPG with a shooting line of .494/.323/.538; over the past nine (17.2 MPG), the 25-year-old has put up 5.4 PPG, 4.4 APG (2.9 TOV) and 3.2 RPG on .314/.125/.750 shooting.
“He’s struggling right now and we have to do something to help him,” Rivers said after Anthony went 0-for-7 with two turnovers in 11 minutes during Wednesday’s loss in Miami. “He’s turning the ball over and taking some really rough shots for us. We just gotta keep coaching him.
“The kid can play. We gotta keep believing in him. He gets down on himself, probably too much, which leads to the next error. So, we gotta find the right happy medium to get him to be able to play through mistakes.”
Josh Christopher Signs G League Deal, Rejoins Heat’s Affiliate
Free agent Josh Christopher has signed a G League contract and has been reacquired by the Heat‘s affiliate team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce announced in a press release.
According to the Skyforce, Christopher is expected to make his 2025/26 debut on Saturday against the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s affiliate.
A 6’4″ shooting guard, Christopher is a former first-round pick, having been selected No. 24 overall in the 2021 draft. He spent all of ’24/25 on a two-way contract with the Heat, though he rarely played for Miami, making just 14 NBA appearances for 69 total minutes (4.9 minutes per game).
Christopher, who turns 24 years old on December 8, had a much more robust role for the Skyforce last season. In 36 total games (35.9 MPG), he averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals, with a shooting slash line of .443/.314/.793. The former Arizona State guard was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team in April.
Most of Christopher’s NBA experience came with Houston, the team that drafted him. He holds career averages of 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 152 games (14.4 MPG) and remains an NBA free agent despite his new NBAGL contract.
Atlantic Notes: Ingram, Powell, Sixers, Chisholm
Brandon Ingram showed once again on Wednesday why the Raptors were willing to give him a three-year, $120MM extension after trading for him in February, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. In a grind-it-out game against Indiana, Ingram hit a game-winning pull-up jump shot over Pascal Siakam, securing Toronto’s ninth straight win and 13th in the past 14 games.
“That’s why I’m here,” Ingram said after a 26-point, eight-rebound night when asked what he was shouting on the court after making that last shot. “That’s the cleanest I can say it.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Of the Nets‘ five first-round picks, Drake Powell has looked the most ready to contribute as a rookie, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The former North Carolina wing finished with 15 points and four assists in 24 minutes during Monday’s loss vs. New York. “As we go, he’s gonna continue to understand the league [and] the schemes, especially defensively,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I consider him a very, very good defender with a really high ceiling defensively and I’m gonna keep challenging him to be better.”
- With injuries mounting, the Sixers are starting to look more like last year’s version of the team, contends Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia suffered its worst defeat of the season on Tuesday against Orlando, having been blown out by 41 points. “We got spanked,” star guard Tyrese Maxey said. “That’s all there is to it. There are two or three games every year where everything kind of goes wrong for you. That’s what tonight was for us. Everything went wrong for us, and everything went right for them. Jett Howard had one that went off the top of the backboard and fell through the net. That’s when you just have to realize that it isn’t your night.”
- Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at how Bill Chisholm went from relative obscurity as a wealthy head of a private equity firm to the new majority of the Celtics, the team he grew up rooting for as a child. While Chisholm’s group set a then-record for purchasing the Celtics for $6.1 billion, they outbid the second-place finisher — believed to be Philadelphia Phillies minority owner Stan Middleman — by less than $100MM, sources tell Vorkunov. “Anyone who’s had their boyhood team or girlhood team and have this happen — I want to say it’s like a dream come true but… I didn’t even know to dream this,” Chisholm said. “What does it mean to be the owner of the Boston Celtics? I don’t know.”
Northwest Notes: Edwards, Blazers, Watson, Strawther
Although Donte DiVincenzo replaced Mike Conley in the starting lineup entering the 2025/26 season, head coach Chris Finch says it’s more accurate to describe Anthony Edwards as the Timberwolves‘ point guard, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“Anthony’s probably more of our point guard than Donte is our point guard,” Finch said. “He has the ball. He is our lead guard in that regard.”
Edwards, a former No. 1 overall pick who has been an All-Star each of the past three seasons, says he’s still adjusting to the role.
“I just got to get used to being a point guard, going to get the rock at the end of the game, bringing it up, even though they pressure,” Edwards said.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- The Trail Blazers were disappointed to be eliminated from the NBA Cup on Wednesday, but their young roster valued competing in a game with relatively higher stakes — they would have clinched the top seed in their group if they had beaten San Antonio. “We wanted it,” said Deni Avdija, who finished with 37 points, eight assists and six rebounds (story via Kevin Pelton of ESPN). “We wanted that game. It was a good opportunity for us to advance in the Cup. We fought. We tried to be in the game. It was a tough game; it was a close game. I feel like it was a first taste of kind of like a playoff game. I know I’m not experienced, other guys are not experienced yet, and it was a tough test for us, but I think from this game we can learn a lot.”
- Nuggets forward Peyton Watson switched agencies a couple weeks ago, going from Excel Sports to Klutch Sports Group. Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette asked Watson about the decision on Wednesday (Twitter link). The 2022 first-round pick explained that he had a good relationship with Excel, but viewed Klutch’s “attention to detail” as beneficial ahead of restricted free agency next summer. “There’s a big opportunity at hand just this year for me in general on the court, and that’s something I’ve been taking the most seriously, because at the end of the day that’s just going to make my agent’s job, whoever my agent is, easier if I’m doing my job out there on the court,” Watson said as part of a larger quote.
- Third-year wing Julian Strawther will miss his sixth straight game on Friday vs. San Antonio due to lower back injury management, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter). When healthy, Strawther has largely been out of the rotation this season following the free agent additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Gillespie, Kings, LaVine
Star guard James Harden remains confident the struggling Clippers can turn things around after a disappointing 5-13 start to the season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles has a pair of seemingly winnable matchups on tap, facing Memphis (7-12) on Friday and then Dallas (5-14) on Saturday.
“What else are we going to do? Confidence (comes) every day when we wake up, right?” the 12-time All-Star said after the Clippers’ 135-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. “We got a lot of games left where we can hit a stride, but we’ve dealt with literally everything you can do from injuries to different lineup changes. …We’re figuring it out. But tonight was a good step, start for us.”
According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden is dealing foot soreness but he is not listed on Friday’s injury report. Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled out for a fourth consecutive game due to a left hip contusion, Murray adds.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers anticipate having Deandre Ayton back for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, listing their starting center as probable to play after he missed Tuesday’s contest with a right knee contusion, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Marcus Smart‘s status is more uncertain, as he’s questionable against the Mavericks due to back spasms.
- Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).
- Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Kings had won two straight contests after an eight-game losing streak. They experienced another setback on Wednesday, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, with Zach LaVine setting the wrong type of tone early by committing consecutive turnovers on the team’s first two offensive possessions. The Kings trailed by 25 points after the first period and never held a lead in the eventual 12-point loss. “Not good,” said LaVine, who finished with 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) and six turnovers. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”
Injury Notes: Giannis, AD, Bulls, Sixers
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as questionable for Friday’s game in New York, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo is dealing with a strained left adductor, which is part of the groin.
The two-time MVP has missed the past four games — and most of a fifth — after suffering the injury on November 17 at Cleveland. Milwaukee lost all five games without its best player and has dropped six straight overall.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 years old on Dec. 6, was also considered questionable for Wednesday’s game in Miami before being ruled out. Head coach Doc Rivers said the nine-time All-NBA forward hasn’t experienced a setback, according to Nehm (Twitter link).
“No,” Rivers said. “I was not in favor (of him playing Wednesday). I was very happy we decided what we decided. I was very uncomfortable with it. He really wanted to push and that’s who Giannis is. I was very happy with our medical team today. They decided at the end of the day, let’s wait. … We just thought it was the right thing to do. We gotta protect him sometimes.”
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- As expected, Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis is questionable for Friday’s matchup at the Lakers, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays (via Twitter). The star big man has missed the past 14 games with a left calf strain. Davis, who practiced on Wednesday, said it was “surprising” and “definitely tough” to see former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison get fired, but downplayed the trade chatter surrounding him in the wake of Harrison’s dismissal. “This is basketball,” Davis said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is what comes with it. I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks. Been traded. Or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me. I’ve been in trade talks for a while. My job is to do what I do on the floor. Play basketball. Try to lead this team. I do have an open line of communication with the front office. I’m just ready to get back on the floor.”
- The Bulls have a lengthy injury report ahead of Friday’s contest in Charlotte, notes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kevin Huerter (left pelvic contusion), Dalen Terry (left calf strain), Nikola Vucevic (right patellofemoral syndrome), Coby White (right calf strain injury management), and Patrick Williams (left wrist sprain) are all questionable, while Isaac Okoro is doubtful to suit up because of left lumbar radiculopathy.
- In addition to Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford, who are sidelined with knee and adductor injuries, respectively, Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of his ninth consecutive game on Friday against Brooklyn due to right knee injury management (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) is also out for the third straight game, while forward Paul George is questionable with a right ankle sprain. George was inactive for Tuesday’s 41-point loss to Orlando, though he did practice on Wednesday.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams To Make Season Debut Friday
Thunder star Jalen Williams will make his 2025/26 season debut on Friday against Phoenix, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
Williams underwent surgery at the start of July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist that bothered him throughout the 2025 postseason. The 24-year-old wing required a second procedure in late October to remove a screw that was causing irritation.
Head coach Mark Daigneault referred to Williams as “day-to-day” prior to Wednesday’s game. According to Charania, Oklahoma City take a “patient and cautious” approach to Williams’ return to the lineup.
The 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams earned his first All-Star, All-NBA (third team) and All-Defensive (second team) nods during the ’24/25 campaign, which culminated in the Thunder winning their first championship following a nail-biting seven-game NBA Finals against Indiana.
Despite multiple players — including Williams — being sidelined to open the season, the Thunder hold the best record in the NBA at 18-1 and currently have the best point differential (+16.5) in league history, Charania notes.
Williams is no longer eligible for major postseason awards due to the 65-game rule. He’s making $6.6MM in ’25/26, which is the final year of his rookie contract. That will jump to a projected $41.5MM in ’26/27, when his five-year max rookie scale extension kicks in.
Heat Notes: Powell, Herro, Starters, Rotation, Spoelstra
Veteran wing Norman Powell almost immediately felt at home with the Heat after being acquired in an offseason trade, writes Mirin Fader of The Athletic. The 32-year-old is having a career year in his first season with Miami, averaging 24.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .494/.441/.884 shooting through 15 games (30.4 minutes per contest).
“I don’t mean to say anything in the wrong way, but this is like the purest form of basketball that I’ve played in a long time where you got no schemes of like, we’re trying to get this player going every single time down,” Powell said. “We’re playing in the flow, we’re playing for each other, we’re playing basketball the right way, we’re competing on both sides of the floor.”
Heat coaches and players admire that Powell continues to push himself to get better in his 11th NBA season, Fader adds.
“He has an open mind,” says Wayne Ellington, a Heat assistant coach and former NBA player. “He wants to learn and continue to grow even though he had a great experience already. … He always listens and is super coachable.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro shined once again on Wednesday after a stellar season debut on Monday, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old guard finished with 29 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), seven assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes in the win over Milwaukee. “I’m just trying to play off the catch,” he said. “I did that last year as well, and then that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m just trying to play off the catch and trying to create advantages in transition where I can get downhill or get to my spot before the defense gets set. And then in the half court, I’m just trying to make the right play. I feel like as I get my legs and my feet under me, I’m going to be able to play-make more and get into the paint more. I still have to strengthen my foot and feel fully comfortable jumping off my foot and exploding off my foot. It’s going to be a process for a couple weeks until I can fully feel comfortable.”
- With a fully healthy roster on Wednesday, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the starting lineup might be matchup-based going forward, with the rotation remaining fluid as well, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman notes, second-year center Kel’el Ware was moved to the second unit after starting nine of the past 10 games, while forward Nikola Jovic wasn’t part of the 10-man rotation in his first game back from a right hip injury. “None of it will be in cement and I don’t feel pressure to make it cement, whether it’s the starting lineup or whether it’s the rotation once we get into the bench,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve said it since the first day of training camp, we feel that our depth is one of our best strengths and we want to weaponize that.”
- Wednesday’s win was the 800th of Spoelstra’s carer, making him the 17th coach in league history to reach that threshold, Winderman relays in another story. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, because I wasn’t aware of it,” Spoelstra said after the team’s sixth straight win. “But yeah, I guess it’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. Like, I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years, where the years are going by so fast. I’m having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for, and with, amazing players and staff, like we have — too many to count over the years.”