Spurs’ Wembanyama Out Friday, Considered Day-To-Day
Victor Wembanyama underwent an MRI on Thursday which confirmed the Spurs‘ star center did not suffer any ligament damage to his hyperextended left knee, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
Wembanyama sustained the injury early in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s two-point victory over New York.
The French big man has been ruled out of Friday’s game at Indianapolis, as he didn’t travel with the team. However, Wembanyama may not be out long — Wright hears the former No. 1 overall pick will be listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. Portland and is considered day-to-day.
Wembanyama, whose official injury designation is left knee soreness, is hoping to return to action within the next week, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Friday will mark Wembanyama’s 13th absence of the season after he previously missed time with a calf strain. On Thursday night, Maxime Aubin of French outlet L’Équipe asked Wembanyama for his thoughts regarding the 65-game rule for players to qualify for major postseason awards (Twitter link).
“I don’t dislike that rule,” Wembanyama replied. “And yes, of course it’s in my mind, even if it’s not the first thing I think about. But I also know the Spurs’ medical staff will do their job regardless of that. That’s what we expect from them, and they’re very good at staying objective.”
Starting wing Devin Vassell will also be out Friday, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is expected to miss multiple games with a left adductor strain.
Heat Notes: Larsson, Jaquez, Jovic, Ware
During a light portion of the Heat‘s schedule last month, guard Pelle Larsson missed five games (over 11 days) due to a sprained right ankle. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Larsson sprained his left ankle on Monday against Denver and could end up missing a similar amount of games — the team plays five times over the next eight days.
“Comparing how it was when it happened now and then, it’s much better. So I’m expecting less time out,” said Larsson, who didn’t require an MRI this time. “I mean, Doc kind of ruled that out pretty quick when we were already at the game. So, and I kind of felt that, too, just the way, the pain level and stuff.”
The 24-year-old was able to get some side work in during Wednesday’s practice but has been ruled out of Thursday’s contest at Detroit, Winderman adds.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., a contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, has improved as a play-maker in his third NBA season, Winderman states in another story. The UCLA product dished out a career-high 11 assists on Monday and is averaging 4.8 assists per game, nearly double his totals over his first two seasons (2.6 and 2.5, respectively). “He has an ability to get downhill, get into the paint, use his physicality,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But, you know, the next layer of it is understanding that teams adjust and they bring a second defender, and he’s really been working at understanding where the open guys are and not predetermining anything. He’s been watching film on it, and he’s really improved quite a bit since last year.” Jaquez will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
- After struggling in his first 19 games of the season, Nikola Jovic has looked like a different player over the past three games since he returned from an elbow injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic has been far more aggressive of late, averaging 17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 5.3 APG while shooting 40.9% from long distance over that three-game span (24.0 MPG). The Serbian forward credited his family and a shift in his mentality for his improved play. “For me, it was to stop looking at basketball as a hobby and something that I love and look at it more as a job, as a profession because that’s who I am now,” Jovic said. “So, I come in every day with a different approach now, and I guess it has to stay that way.“
- While it’s a relatively small sample size, Kel’el Ware has been scorching hot from three-point range lately, pushing his season-long average up to 47.3%, per Chiang. The 21-year-old big man has converted 43 of his 91 outside looks thus far in his second season. “We just want to be open to the possibilities with Kel’el,” Spoelstra said. “He has great potential. He’s getting better. It’s not a linear improvement. Sometimes there are big jumps. Sometimes it’s a step back. And that’s what typically happens with young players. But I just really appreciate his approach every day. He comes in everyday open to the coaching and us driving him to get to a higher level.”
Six Teams Who Should Consider Pursuing Michael Porter Jr.
Team context and opportunity are the two most important factors for individual success for the grand majority of NBA players. Those factors are also the primary determinants of whether a contract is viewed as being team- or player-friendly.
Consider, for example, former NBA big man Richaun Holmes. After being selected 37th overall in the 2015 draft, Holmes spent the first four years of his career providing energy and athleticism off the bench in Philadelphia and Phoenix. At 6'9" and 235 pounds, Holmes was undersized for a center, and seemed unlikely to ever have a full-time starting role.
Holmes' career trajectory changed when he signed with Sacramento in the 2019 offseason. Playing on a two-year, $10MM contract, Holmes averaged 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game over the next two seasons as the Kings' starting center, shooting 64.1% from the floor and 79.2% from the foul line.
Holmes parlayed his newfound success into a four-year, $47MM contract in the summer of 2021. He played quite well over the first 20 games of the 2021/22 campaign, but then got hurt and became embroiled in a child custody battle that resulted in him missing time for personal reasons (he eventually prevailed in court). Around the same time, the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis.
The addition of Sabonis significantly reduced Holmes' importance in Sacramento, making him look both unnecessary and overpriced. He never really regained a foothold in the rotation, and spent the past few years bouncing around the league as a veteran backup. Now 32, Holmes signed with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos over the summer after he was unable to find an attractive NBA opportunity.
What does Richaun Holmes have to do with Michael Porter Jr.? That's a fair question.
Magic Notes: Banchero, Isaac, Bane, Bitadze
In his first 11 games of the season, Magic forward Paolo Banchero averaged 23.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 34.7 minutes per contest on .466/.250/.761 shooting splits, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. But Banchero, who strained his left groin on November 12, hasn’t been playing at the same level since he returned from the injury, Beede notes.
In the 10 games (32.9 MPG) leading into Monday’s contest at Toronto, the former No. 1 overall pick was averaging 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 4.8 APG on .397/.194/.743 shooting.
“I feel good,” Banchero said. “I’ve just been, (as) I said earlier in the season, trying to pick my spots and just play the role that I’m trying to, being asked to play for this team and just be that consistent force on both sides of the ball, whether it’s guarding somebody or making the extra pass.”
As Beede writes in another story, the 23-year-old had the fourth triple-double of his career on Monday (23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 15 rebounds, 10 assists), but the Magic blew a big lead to lose by one. Banchero, who didn’t score in the fourth quarter, missed a step-back three as time expired.
“It doesn’t come down to that last shot,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It comes down to the 21 offensive rebounds and those 18 second-chance points that (the Raptors) had in those momentum swings of the game.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- Backup forward/center Jonathan Isaac, who dealt with multiple major injuries early in his career, has been relatively healthy the past couple seasons, appearing in 71 games in 2024/25 and 29 of Orlando’s 33 contests so far in 2025/26. However, he was limited to just 29 seconds of action on Monday due to left knee soreness, Beede adds. The Magic technically listed Isaac as questionable to return, but he didn’t play again after his brief initial stint.
- Desmond Bane, Orlando’s major offseason acquistion, experienced back spasms in the fourth quarter on Monday, per the team (Twitter link). The veteran shooting guard was also considered questionable to resume playing, but he wound up returning for the Magic’s final possession, according to Beede.
- Reserve center Goga Bitadze returned to action on Monday following a three-game absence, the team announced (via Twitter). The Georgian big man has been battling a left knee strain.
Bulls Notes: White, Giddey, Collins, Williams
Coby White was forced to leave Monday’s game vs. Minnesota due to a right calf injury and did not return, the Bulls announced (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic). White hurt his calf in the first quarter.
As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network notes (Twitter links), White missed the first 11 games of the season — and 15 overall — due to a right calf strain he sustained in August. The 25-year-old also missed a pair of games with a left calf injury.
White, a seventh-year guard, just played his first back-to-back games of 2025/26 on Friday and Saturday, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The former No. 7 overall pick said he was still working to find his rhythm and improve his conditioning after Saturday’s loss.
“Just trusting my body and reacting to how I want to react,” White said. “I’m trying to get my legs underneath me as far as timing, decision-making. I’m trying to give myself some grace. I was really hard on myself [Friday against 76ers], where I felt like I couldn’t get my timing down. It’s leading to some turnovers that I feel like are unforced.
“Once I get my timing down and get my legs underneath me, I’ll be better.”
According to Cowley, while White and Chicago’s front office previously expressed mutual interest in resuming contract discussions in the offseason, the relationship between the two sides has “frayed a bit” with White’s name popping up in recent trade rumors ahead of unrestricted free agency.
We have more from Chicago:
- White wasn’t the only starting guard who exited Monday’s game early, as Josh Giddey sustained a left hamstring injury early in the third quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link via Johnson). It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but Giddey quickly asked to be subbed out after dribbling the ball up the court (Twitter video link).
- While White and Giddey were injured during Monday’s game, big man Zach Collins was hurt sometime before tip-off. Head coach Billy Donovan said the 28-year-old center has a sprained big toe and will likely be out at least a week, though there is not yet an official timetable for Collins’ return, per Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls (Twitter link).
- Forward Patrick Williams has largely been out of the rotation of late with Donovan opting for a double-big bench unit featuring Collins and Jalen Smith. Williams admitted he wasn’t thrilled with the demotion, per Cowley, but he handled it professionally and said he would be ready Monday with Collins out. “For sure, 100%,” Williams said of taking advantage of the opportunity. “Obviously you don’t want guys to go down. We all love Zach and what he brings to the game. It’s definitely an opportunity for someone to step up and if he calls my number I’m ready.” The 24-year-old wound up playing 21 minutes in the blowout loss.
Nikola Jokic Suffers Left Knee Injury Monday
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic suffered a left knee injury just before halftime in Monday’s game at Miami, the team announced (via Twitter).
The three-time MVP will not return to Monday’s contest, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jonas Valanciunas started the second half with Jokic unavailable.
The injury occurred when forward Spencer Jones was bumped in the lane on defense, causing him to lose his balance and backpedal into Jokic (Twitter video link via SportsCenter). Jones’ right foot stepped on Jokic’s left foot, and Jokic’s left leg buckled. The Serbian center immediately grabbed at his left knee and collapsed to the court in pain.
Jokic had to be helped up with assistance. He made it to the locker room on his own, but he had a considerable limp and was clearly trying to avoid putting weight on his left leg.
The 30-year-old big man had 21 points (on 9-of-14 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds in 19 first-half minutes.
A source tells Amick that Jokic is expected to undergo testing on his left knee on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Obviously, any type of significant injury to Jokic would be absolutely devastating for the Nuggets. The 30-year-old big man is having an extraordinary season, averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 11.1 assists and 1.4 steals on .604/.440/.855 shooting through 31 games (35.1 minutes per contest).
Jokic, who has finished either first or second in MVP voting each of the past five years, is averaging career highs in points per game, assists per game, three-point percentage and True Shooting percentage (.714). He leads the NBA in triple-doubles (16), RPG and APG, and is fifth in PPG.
The Nuggets were already playing without three injured starters on Monday. Aaron Gordon (strained right hamstring) and Christian Braun (sprained left ankle) have both been sidelined for several weeks, while Cameron Johnson recently sustained a bone bruise in his right knee and is expected to miss at least a month.
Still No Timeline For Max Strus To Make Season Debut
Cavaliers wing Max Strus underwent surgery in late August to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. While he has been able to do some individual on-court work, including testing his foot by cutting and moving while shooting, he still isn’t practicing yet and there’s no timetable for the 29-year-old to make his season debut, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“The timeline is what it is,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no earlier or later.”
As Fedor writes, the Cavaliers have a busy schedule over the next few weeks — they’re playing every other day from December 29 to January 16. A full contact practice will be an important milestone for Strus before he’s cleared to resume playing, but the team may not have a scheduled practice until January 18, the day before the Cavs host the Thunder.
While Strus’ return doesn’t appear imminent, he could still have a significant role for Cleveland this season. According to Fedor, Strus’ minutes will be carefully managed when he starts playing again, but he’s eventually expected to be the team’s starting small forward, the same position he held most of the past two seasons.
Strus is earning about $15.94MM this season and will make $16.66MM in 2026/27 before hitting free agency.
Latest On Anthony Davis, Trae Young
Atlanta is viewed as a “real-deal suitor” for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post. Chris Haynes reported on Saturday morning that the Hawks remain “very intrigued” by the possibility of acquiring Davis, whom the team has been linked to for multiple weeks.
However, there are several complicating factors that could prevent a potential trade from coming together.
While Haynes reported that Trae Young would not be included in an outgoing package for Davis, Stein suggests the four-time All-Star point guard might have to be sent elsewhere to make a deal work for financial reasons. The Hawks are not known for being big spenders, Stein observes, and having Young ($48.97MM player option) and Davis ($58.46MM) under contract at the same time in 2026/27 would make the roster prohibitively expensive.
Like many other reporters, Stein hears Davis is expected to seek a lucrative long-term extension once he becomes eligible to sign one in August, whether he stays with Dallas or is moved to another team.
According to Stein, there’s a “growing belief” around the NBA that the Hawks are open to moving Young, but whether they’d actually be able to find a suitable deal for him remains to be seen. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported a couple weeks ago, rival executives think Young may end up having to exercise that player option, which doesn’t exactly point to a robust free agent or trade market.
Stein isn’t the only reporter to hear Atlanta could be looking to trade Young. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said something similar on Monday’s Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report).
“The Hawks certainly are indicating that they’re looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young,” MacMahon said. “They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that’s the case with your face of the franchise, that’s a pretty clear message that the end could be near.”
MacMahon pointed to Ja Morant (Grizzlies) and LaMelo Ball (Hornets) as two other maximum-salaried point guards who are in similar situations as the Hawks and Young.
“If there is an attempt to trade these guys, it’s not going to be easy,” MacMahon said. “There’s not going to be some wide array of teams raising their hand and trying to get in on the bidding, and I’m not sure if you’re even gonna be able to make a trade that’s going to bring value in return.”
The Mavericks also already have Kyrie Irving in the backcourt, and while he’s still recovering from a torn ACL, it would make zero sense to pair him with a small, ball-dominant, defense-deficient guard like Young.
As for who the Hawks could send out for Davis, Stein says the team appears to be willing to part with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher under the right circumstances, and points to the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard as salary-matching pieces. But it’s unclear if Atlanta would be willing to offer draft compensation — or if Dallas would be interested in that proposal.
According to Stein, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson and the 2026 first-round pick Atlanta controls (the more favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ selections) are viewed as off-limits in any trade talks.
It’s also unclear how willing the Mavericks are to make an in-season deal involving Davis, as Stein hears governor Patrick Dumont is among a group of key executives who would like to see Irving, Davis and Cooper Flagg play together before making another major trade. Waiting until the offseason could be the prudent choice, depending on the types of offers the Mavs receive, Stein writes.
Haynes reported that the Warriors are considering making a run at Davis. According to Stein, while Golden State has a “longstanding fondness” for the 10-time All-Star, the team has reservations about his contract and lengthy injury history and doesn’t appear to be actively pursuing him.
As Stein notes, Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green would have to be included in a possible Davis deal for matching purposes, which is one reason why a trade looks unlikely at this time.
Stein continues to hear the Warriors are looking for the “best possible” deal centered around Jonathan Kuminga‘s $22.5MM contract once the fifth-year forward becomes trade-eligible on January 15.
The Hawks have gone 0-6 since Young returned to action earlier this month (he appeared in five of those games). He will miss Monday’s contest at Oklahoma City due to a right quad contusion, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks. Johnson is also out with an illness.
Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl (Back) Out At Least One More Week
Starting center Jakob Poeltl is “currently completing a program of intensive rehabilitation and strengthening” for his lower back injury and will be reevaluated in one week, the Raptors announced today (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).
Poeltl has missed three straight games — and five of the past six — due to his ongoing back issue, which the team has recently called a strain. The Austrian big man has been dealing with back problems since training camp, causing him to miss 12 total games to this point.
Toronto has upcoming home games vs. Orlando (Monday), Denver (Wednesday) and Atlanta (Saturday). Poeltl will be sidelined for all three of those contests before being checked out again ahead of next Monday’s rematch with the Hawks.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise. The Raptors signed veteran center Mo Bamba to a non-guaranteed contract on Monday morning, a strong signal that they expected to be without Poeltl for at least the short term.
While Poeltl has never averaged more than 30 minutes per game in a season, his 25.3 MPG in 2025/26 represents his lowest mark since the ’19/20 campaign, when he was a reserve with San Antonio. In 21 appearances this season, he has averaged 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 69.3% from the field and 59.6% from the foul line.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported earlier on Monday (via Twitter) that Poeltl is hoping to return at some point in mid-January. Poeltl’s injury is considered “annoying” rather than being a long-term concern, according to Grange.
Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Iisalo, Jackson, Landale, Koloko
The relationship between Ja Morant and head coach Tuomas Iisalo looked rocky after the Grizzlies‘ starting point guard was suspended by the team for one game early in the season, but it seems to be in a better place at the moment, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscriber link).
Iisaslo criticized Morant’s “leadership and effort” following an October 31 loss to the Lakers, while Morant — who questioned Iisalo’s unorthodox substitution patterns — responded to his coach in a “tone deemed inappropriate.”
Morant had 17 points, 10 assists and four rebounds in 25 minutes during Friday’s win over Milwaukee, his first game back following a four-game absence, Cole writes. Iisalo said the Grizzlies and Morant are still trying to find an ideal balance as the team monitors the 26-year-old minutes.
“I think both of us were very happy that he was able to express himself fully and then still not have those long stretches where he’s off the court or on the bench,” Iisalo said after Friday’s game.
Here’s more from Memphis:
- Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled mightily to open the season, but he has caught fire of late, Cole adds. Jackson thinks his slow start was a result of beating his projected return timeline from offseason turf toe surgery. “I think I was still just recovering from surgery, honestly,” Jackson said. “That probably took a bigger toll on me than I even knew of. I think my whole goal was to just be healthy, so when I got back playing, I didn’t really think anything of it, and I just kind of assumed that I would be exactly who I was immediately.”
- Center Jock Landale was a late scratch for Friday’s game vs. Milwaukee due to right calf soreness, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (via Twitter). Landale, who is averaging career highs of 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 22.3 minutes per game on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, will likely miss his second straight contest on Sunday in Washington — he has been downgraded to doubtful ahead of tip-off, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).
- With big men Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Landale out with injuries Friday, Iisaslo gave Christian Koloko extended playing time and the 25-year-old center responded well, Cole writes in the same subscriber-only story. “He wasn’t scheduled for this type of minutes,” Iisalo said. “We were thinking more in terms of what happened in Utah, and it was a complete surprise that Jock wasn’t able to go. … I was very impressed with his ability to step out and guard different type of guys. Christian has made a good impression on us.” Koloko, who is on a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis, finished with four points, three rebounds, three steals and one block and was a game-high plus-23 in 28 minutes.