Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray Named Players Of The Week
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Brown won for the Eastern Conference, while Murray claimed the award in the Western Conference.
Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, led Boston to an unblemished 3-0 record in games he played from December 1-7. He sat out the Dec. 4 contest at Washington, which the Celtics won by 45 points. The 29-year-old averaged 34.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .538/.471/.889 shooting in three appearances last week (37.7 minutes per game).
A Georgia native who played one season of college ball for California, Brown is well on his way to making his fifth All-Star game in 2025/26. He’s averaging career highs of 29.1 PPG and 4.9 APG while also contributing 6.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG through 23 contests (33.7 MPG).
Murray, meanwhile, helped guide Denver to a 3-1 record last week. The 28-year-old Canadian averaged 29.8 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .595/.621/.929 shooting in four appearances (33.8 MPG).
Murray is off to a fantastic start to the season himself and appears well-positioned to make his first All-Star appearance. Through 22 games (35.0 MPG), he’s averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4.5 RPG — all career highs — with an elite shooting line of .506/.447/.898.
According to the NBA, De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (Thunder), and Murray’s teammate Nikola Jokic were the other nominees in the West (Twitter link). Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), and Brown’s teammate Derrick White were nominated in the East.
Terry Rozier Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Gambling Charges
Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty to two federal charges related to illegal sports betting on Monday in Brooklyn federal court, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Rozier, who was arraigned alongside friend and alleged co-conspirator Deniro Laster, was released on $3MM bond secured using his Florida home, Vorkunov adds.
Rozier was arrested on October 23 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors allege the 31-year-old combo guard tipped off Laster that he would remove himself from a game in March 2023 when he was a member of the Hornets. The indictment states Laster then sold that information to two bettors for approximately $100K.
A former first-round pick (16th overall in the 2015 draft), Rozier is earning about $26.6MM this season in the final year of his contract. Both he and Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups — who was arrested in a separate but related illegal gambling case — were placed on immediate leave and aren’t being paid. Rozier’s withheld salary is in an interest-bearing account.
Word broke back in January that federal prosecutors in New York were investigating Rozier as part of a probe into illegal sports betting. Investigators were specifically looking at a game that took place on March 23, 2023.
Ahead of that game, one bettor reportedly placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising alarms about potential suspicious activity. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of under bets on Rozier props. Sportsbooks and the NBA were alerted, and some books stopped taking bets related to Rozier’s performance that day.
After recording five points, four rebounds and two assists in 9:34 of action in the first quarter, Rozier exited the game during a timeout and didn’t return, citing a foot issue. All 30 of those “under” prop bets won as a result of the abbreviated outing, and Rozier didn’t play the final eight games of the 2022/23 season due to the injury.
A source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald that the Heat still haven’t learned from the NBA whether or not they can use Rozier’s salary in a trade or potentially waive him before his salary becomes fully guaranteed in January; about $1.7MM of Rozier’s salary this season is non-guaranteed. While that sum might seem fairly trivial compared to the overall figure, removing it from the team’s books would give Miami extra flexibility below the luxury tax threshold, Chiang writes.
Magic’s Franz Wagner Has High Ankle Sprain
December 8: Wagner has a high left ankle sprain, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. According to Charania, an MRI conducted on Monday showed no structural damage on his left leg, and the Magic forward is expected to be out two-to-four weeks.
December 7: Star forward Franz Wagner appeared to suffer a significant injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s matinee game in New York, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
According to the Magic (Twitter link), Wagner has a lower left leg injury and will miss the remainder of Sunday’s contest. He will be reevaluated when the team returns to Orlando.
The injury occurred on a fast break (YouTube link). After poking the ball away from Jalen Brunson, Wagner was the first player down the court and positioned himself near the basket. Teammate Anthony Black threw up an alley-oop attempt for Wagner, but Knicks big man Ariel Hukporti swatted the pass away, fouling Wagner in the process. Wagner fell awkwardly and immediately grabbed his left knee in pain.
Hukporti, a fellow German, clearly felt badly about Wagner’s injury and checked in with him. After staying down on the floor for an extended period, Wagner was helped off the court by older brother Moritz Wagner and rookie Noah Penda. He was unable to put weight on his left leg.
It’s a potentially devastating development for the Magic, who just got Paolo Banchero back from a groin strain on Friday. Wagner was off to a terrific start to the season, averaging 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals on .487/.354/.823 shooting through 23 games (34.5 minutes per contest).
Wagner, who has been wearing a face mask after breaking his nose in November, was nominated for the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Month award for October/November.
Wembanyama, Castle Return To Spurs Practice
Star center Victor Wembanyama and 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle were full participants in the Spurs‘ practice on Sunday, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who reports that backup guard Jordan McLaughlin participated as well.
“It’s definitely amazing to see everyone back working,” guard Dylan Harper said. “We did well without those guys. Now when they come back, you’ll see a whole other team.”
Wembanyama has missed the past 10 games with a left calf strain he sustained on November 15. He is not expected to play in Monday’s game vs. New Orleans and is considered “iffy” for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal at the Lakers, McDonald writes.
Castle, who has been out for the last nine games due to a left hip flexor strain, is likely to return to action tomorrow against the Pelicans, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN (Twitter link).
Veteran point guard McLaughlin will at least be out again Monday, says McDonald. He has been dealing with a right hamstring strain.
Obviously, the injury updates are welcome news for the Spurs, who will soon be getting two of their top players back. San Antonio is currently 15-7, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Knicks’ Miles McBride Being Evaluated For Left Ankle Injury
Knicks guard Miles McBride was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over Orlando, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links).
New York Basketball has a video of the play (Twitter link). McBride drove into the lane and was fouled by Desmond Bane on a left-handed layup attempt. Bane’s left foot appeared to land on McBride’s left ankle.
McBride was able to get up on his own and stayed in to shoot two free throws, according to Edwards, but quickly asked to be subbed out and had a noticeable limp.
The Knicks announced after the game that McBride was being evaluated for a left ankle injury, with another update to come on Monday, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter), McBride had an X-ray on his left ankle, which was negative. The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI tomorrow, Scotto adds.
The former second-round pick is off to a strong start to the season, averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from long distance through 19 appearances (27.3 minutes per game).
In other Knicks injury news, Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out of Sunday’s game with left calf tightness after initially being considered questionable (Twitter link via Barbara Barker of Newsday). Towns’ ailment — which appeared to be bothering him during Friday’s win over Utah, according to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post — doesn’t seem “too serious,” says Edwards (via Twitter).
Nets Notes: Porter, Claxton, Thomas, Saraf
Michael Porter Jr.‘s strong play with the Nets may be disrupting the team’s plan to land a top pick in the 2026 draft and could lead to him being on the trade block again before the February 5 deadline, suggests Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
As Lewis writes, Brooklyn is now 3-0 in Porter’s last three appearances and 6-7 overall in the games he’s played since Cam Thomas went down with a strained left hamstring. After a one-game absence, Porter returned to action on Saturday and was the best player on the court in the lopsided win over New Orleans, recording 35 points (on 14-of-23 shooting), nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. He was plus-31 in 33 minutes.
“He makes his teammates’ lives better. He doesn’t play in a selfish way,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “The shots he creates — he’s able to make every shot possible — but when he spaces the floor properly, and when he cuts with pace, and he’s constantly moving, and then he rebounds the ball … that’s just very good for everybody else.
“So, all those things are important, and they don’t go unnoticed. Him talking to all his teammates and the young guys, that shows maturity and adjusting to a new role. Having a smile on his face, all that positive energy is contagious. He’s been a big part of this team coming together.”
Porter, a 6’10” forward who was acquired in an offseason trade with Denver, is averaging 25.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists — all career highs — on .496/.392/.818 shooting through 19 games (32.8 minutes per contest).
We have more from Brooklyn:
- Center Nic Claxton, who has developed impressive chemistry with Porter, notched his second triple-double (14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) of the season on Saturday, Lewis writes for The New York Post. The 26-year-old big man is dishing out a career-high 4.5 assists per night in 2025/26. “The ball was really moving. Guys were making shots. It was one of those feel-good games for everybody. And definitely these past three games, we’ve been pretty solid,” Claxton said. “We have a few lapses here and there, but we definitely have a lot that we can build off of.”
- Within the same story, Lewis notes that Fernandez was asked about reintegrating Thomas back into the lineup. The fifth-year shooting guard will be out at least two more weeks, but has begun on-court work. The Nets have been spreading the ball around, clashing with Thomas’ iso-heavy style of scoring, Lewis observes. “That’s a good question,” Fernandez said. “… For the most part, I’m very happy with the whole group. And now when he comes back, it’s going to be on me to figure it out how we introduce him into the group, and thinking that the most important thing, it’s always the group. And then from there [ensure] you’re willing to do whatever it takes to help the group and obviously improve yourself. That’s how this works: Team success will bring your own success as well.”
- A stint in the G League helped rookie guard Ben Saraf, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. The 19-year-old struggled to open the season, but has played better in the five games since he was recalled from the team’s NBAGL affiliate in Long Island. “He went and played with Long Island and played like an NBA player,” Fernandez said. “And once we had an opportunity to play him, he played again and played great.” Turnovers have been an issue for Saraf, but Fernandez has been pleased with the Israeli guard’s desire to learn and improve, Holmes adds.
Malik Beasley Reportedly In Advanced Talks With Partizan Belgrade
Free agent swingman Malik Beasley is in advanced talks on a rest-of-season contract with Partizan Belgrade, reports Dusan Markovic of Nova.rs (hat tip to Sportando).
According to Markovic, the deal for Beasley would be worth around $2MM and would not contain an NBA opt-out clause.
Beasley appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Pistons in 2024/25 and was expected to cash in over the summer after averaging 16.3 points while shooting a career-best 41.3% from three-point range and finishing runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
However, word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. The 29-year-old was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.
Beasley wasn’t named in October’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. But Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported last month that teams in Europe and China were exhibiting “strong” interest in Beasley, but he remains unsigned for now. Detroit and Cleveland are among the NBA teams monitoring Beasley’s situation.
Partizan Belgrade, also known as KK Partizan, competes in both the ABA League and the EuroLeague. The Serbian team features several former NBA players, including Shake Milton and Jabari Parker, but has gotten off to a slow start in the EuroLeague, currently holding a 5-9 record.
Injury Notes: SGA, Thunder, Booker, Essengue, Schröder
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his first game of the season on Sunday when the Thunder face the Jazz in Utah, tweets Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. Gilgeous-Alexander is dealing with bursitis in his left elbow, per the team.
The superstar guard is one of seven Oklahoma City players who will be out Sunday. Others include rotation members Luguentz Dort (right adductor strain), Alex Caruso (right quad contusion), Isaiah Joe (left knee soreness) and Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus strain).
Here are more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Suns head coach Jordan Ott provided an update on star guard Devin Booker on Friday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). Booker is recovering from a right groin strain and could return for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal at Oklahoma City. “We’ll continue to assess him day-by-day, but he’s been through this before,” Ott said. “So he knows exactly where he’s at and his body and he’s made good progress in a short amount of time. … If his body is feeling good and he’s in a good place, he’ll absolutely be available (Wednesday).”
- Speaking to the media on Saturday, Bulls lottery pick Noa Essengue said his season-ending left shoulder injury was a dislocation, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network relays (via Twitter). The French forward added that he dislocated the same shoulder a couple of years ago and his surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.
- Kings point guard Dennis Schröder was out again last night in Miami due to a right hip flexor strain, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). While Schröder’s strain is “mild” and he’s considered day-to-day, he has now missed five straight games, having last suited up on Nov. 24 vs. Minnesota.
Pat Spencer Making Case For Promotion From Two-Way Deal
In the two games leading up to Saturday’s contest in Cleveland, third-year point guard Pat Spencer averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 assists (against only 1.0 turnover), 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .591/.750/1.000 shooting in just 22.5 minutes per night. With the Warriors shorthanded on Saturday, Spencer made his first NBA start and delivered the best performance of his career, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Spencer, who is on a two-way contract, was plus-nine in 29 minutes during Golden State’s 99-94 victory, recording a team- and career-high 19 points, a game-high seven assists (vs. one turnover), four rebounds and a steal. He shot 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, with 12 of his points coming in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers mounted a comeback bid that fell short.
“We’ve seen the competitiveness,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Spencer. “We’ve seen what a good player he is over the past couple years. But he’s really improved his jump shot. That’s the big thing. Last year, he would turn down a lot of threes, drive in, shoot a lot of floaters. He’s never going to be Steph (Curry), but he’s a threat out there. That’s what it takes. You have to be a threat from the line to pull the defense out. I just think now the shot quality we’re getting with him on the floor is way better than it was the last couple years.
“And the other thing is that his coach realizes that Pat is that motherf—er. That became clear.”
As Anthony Slater of ESPN details, Kerr was referencing a viral moment during Thursday’s game in Philadelphia, when Spencer made a three-pointer to put the Warriors up five with 1:12 remaining and twice yelled “I’m that motherf—er” to the crowd. Golden State trailed by as many as 26 points in that game and ultimately lost in a chaotic and entertaining finish, but Spencer made his mark.
After a Cleveland run trimmed Golden State’s lead to five on Saturday with seven minutes remaining, Spencer hit back-to-back threes and again talked trash to the road crowd. Up three with 4.3 seconds left, Spencer sealed the victory with two free throws, waiving goodbye to Cleveland fans after the first make.
“We’ll take any win we can get right now,” Spencer said, per Poole. “Great energy in the locker room, just competing our butts off tonight. We’re trying to weather the storm until we get healthy. But yeah, we’re fired up.”
Spencer has had an unusual journey to the NBA. The 29-year-old was one of the top college lacrosse players in NCAA history, holding the Division I men’s career mark for most assists during his four-year stay at Loyola University Maryland. He gave up lacrosse to pursue his NBA dream, playing one year of college ball as a graduate student for Northwestern before catching on with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Spencer had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal toward the end of last season so he would be playoff-eligible, Slater notes, then the Warriors brought him back on another two-way contract this fall. The team currently has a full 15-man standard roster and wouldn’t be able to promote Spencer without making other moves.
Still, a promotion later in the season seems likely, particularly if he continues playing the way he has been recently. Two-way players can be active for up to 50 games, and Spencer has been available for all 24 of the Warriors’ contests in 2025/26.
“It’s fun to watch a guy who has had to fight for everything finally get his moment and not only seize it but grab it by the neck,” Kerr said, according to Slater. “This guy is a competitor.”
Clippers Notes: Paul, Bogdanovic, Leonard, More
Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul is away from the Clippers after the team announced on Wednesday that it would be “parting ways” with the 40-year-old point guard. The surprising news came less than two weeks after the 11-time All-NBA selection confirmed that 2025/26 would be his final season as an NBA player.
Appearing on Amazon Prime Video on Friday (Twitter video link), NBA insider Chris Haynes discussed Paul’s acrimonious exit from Los Angeles.
“The Clippers maintain that there were a series of events and conversations between the front office and Chris Paul over the last few months that ultimately led to his departure,” Haynes said. “The front office believed they had intel that Chris Paul was criticizing the coaching staff, front office and players. And this was something that they felt they’d been hearing for the past couple of months.
“And there was a meeting about a month ago between (president of basketball operations) Lawrence Frank and Chris Paul where Frank addressed this issue again. Chris Paul vehemently denied those accusations. But ultimately Chris Paul elected to apologize to his teammates a few days later if his words or actions were misconstrued.
“(Paul) asked Frank, I was told, to set up a meeting between (Paul) and (head coach) Tyronn Lue — those two haven’t spoken in weeks,” Haynes continued. “Frank said he would get to that — it never happened. Sources said Lue refused to meet with Chris Paul.”
Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported on Thursday that Paul wanted to keep playing this season, and Paul essentially confirmed as much in a text to Haynes (Twitter link).
“I’m just staying ready,” Paul wrote. “I’m hooping right now. I don’t (know) what’s next. I’m still scarred by it all. Still processing everything. But I’m staying ready.”
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic could return to action on Saturday in Minnesota after missing the past eight games with a left hip contusion. He’s probable to suit up against the Wolves, the team announced today. The slumping Clips badly need Bogdanovic’s shot-creation skills, particularly with Bradley Beal out for the year with a fractured hip.
- Kawhi Leonard is not on L.A.’s injury report today and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears the star forward is expected to play both ends of back-to-backs going forward, assuming he’s healthy. In 13 appearances this season, Leonard has averaged 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, with a shooting line of .494/.385/.971.
- The Clippers are now 2-9 over their past 11 games after dropping Friday’s contest in Memphis. As The Orange County Register relays, the team only managed to score two points over the final six-plus of the fourth quarter and gave up a 9-0 run to conclude the game, which the Clips lost by nine points.