Southwest Notes: Eason, Williamson, Koloko, Klay
Fourth-year forward Tari Eason has started five games for the Rockets so far this season, including each of the past four. Houston has won all five of those contests, and William Guillory of The Athletic believes the team is reaping the benefits of Eason’s unpredictable, versatile playing style.
“He’s very unique and he impacts the game even if you don’t call plays for him all the time,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “We’re starting to add him to more things, whether he’s a (ball-)handler or a screener. He’s going crash the glass at a high level, like a lot of our guys. He’s shooting the ball extremely well, so the spacing is going to be good with him.”
As Guillory observes, the Rockets have experimented with different starters alongside Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. — Josh Okogie hasn’t always given the team enough shooting in that role, while two-big units featuring Steven Adams can be vulnerable against opponents featuring multiple play-making ball-handlers.
While lineups featuring Okogie (+9.7 net rating) or Reed Sheppard (+7.9) alongside those “core four” starters have performed better than the one with Adams (-4.3), their effectiveness pales in comparison to the remarkable +47.4 net rating that the group with Eason has put up in 51 minutes of action. The sample size is small, but Houston figures to continue deploying that starting five for now.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- After coming off the bench in his first seven games back from an adductor strain, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to the starting lineup for the past two contests and registered his first two 30-point games of the season. However, it has been of little help to the Pelicans, who have now lost five games in a row and have the NBA’s second-worst record at 8-27. “Just overall, a lack of pride in physicality on (the defensive) end of the floor,” head coach James Borrego said after his team gave up 134 points to a shorthanded Bulls team on Wednesday, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
- Christian Koloko‘s 10-day contract with the Grizzlies expired on Thursday after he averaged 18.6 minutes per game in five appearances, including one start, as a hardship addition. It’s unclear whether or not Memphis still qualifies for a hardship exception, which depends in part on when their injured players are projected to return. If the Grizzlies can’t re-sign Koloko to another hardship deal, he could get another 10-day contract as soon as Monday, when the standard 10-day window opens for the 2025/26 season, but that would require the team to open up a spot on its 15-man roster.
- After coming off the bench just 41 times in his 12 previous NBA seasons – primarily as a rookie – Mavericks wing Klay Thompson has had to adjust to a sixth-man role this year. Head coach Jason Kidd recently praised the 35-year-old for the way he has handled the change, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “For Klay, coming off the bench he’s been great,” Kidd said. “He’s playing his role at a very high level for us. Being able to anchor that second group, being able to get shots for him and then just his voice, not just on the bench or in the locker room, but also on the floor. For our young players, he’s been great.” Thompson has averaged 11.9 PPG and made 37.1% of his three-pointers in 24 games as a reserve this season, as opposed to 8.8 PPG and 27.5% in eight starts.
Injury Notes: Davis, Duren, Rockets, Warriors, Jazz
Mavericks big man Anthony Davis returned to action on Thursday vs. Philadelphia following a two-game absence due to a groin strain. Head coach Jason Kidd said the 10-time All-Star would immediately resume his normal workload, relays Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“We always want him to play, so we’re happy to have him back,” Kidd said. “We’ll see — 30 to 34 minutes. We want to get him some touches. Offensively and defensively, we need him to be AD.”
Davis has been one of the biggest names in trade rumors for several weeks.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Pistons center Jalen Duren suffered a right ankle sprain late in the second quarter of Thursday’s loss to Miami. While he was on the court to open the second half, he was moving gingerly and quickly asked for a sub before being formally ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link via the team). Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff indicated that Duren would likely undergo additional testing, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
- The Rockets got Alperen Sengun back from a left soleus (calf) strain on Thursday, but were missing backup centers Steven Adams (right ankle sprain) and Clint Capela (illness) in the victory at Brooklyn, notes Will Guillory of The Athletic (via Twitter). Sengun missed two games with the injury, though head coach Ime Udoka said it wasn’t serious.
- The Warriors are resting Draymond Green for Friday’s matchup vs. Oklahoma City, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s the front end of a back-to-back for Golden State, which faces Utah on Saturday. Guards Stephen Curry (left ankle sprain) and De’Anthony Melton (left knee injury management) are questionable for Friday’s game against the Thunder, while centers Al Horford (right sciatic nerve irritation) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (right pattellar tendonitis) are probable to suit up against the defending champions.
- The Jazz only have nine players active for Thursday’s contest at the Clippers. Among the noteworthy players out are Lauri Markkanen (left knee contusion), Keyonte George (illness), Jusuf Nurkic (left big toe sprain) and Ace Bailey (left hip flexor strain), per the league’s official injury report.
NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch In January
At the start of the 2025/26 campaign, we looked ahead and identified several dates and deadlines to watch on the NBA calendar this season. While that list covered the general highlights, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of those key dates to keep an eye out for in January, which should be a busy month.
Non-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed
January 10 is the date that all non-guaranteed NBA contracts for 2025/26 will officially become guaranteed, but January 7 is really the day to watch.
If a team wants to avoid having a salary become guaranteed, the player must clear waivers before January 10, which means he needs to be cut by January 7 — at the latest.
There are currently 32 players around the NBA who are on non-guaranteed deals. Many of those players without fully guaranteed salaries aren’t in danger of being waived by next Wednesday, but some teams will take the opportunity to save a little money and open up a roster spot.
Players on two-way deals (which are non-guaranteed) are subject to that January 7 waiver deadline as well, and will have their salaries become fully guaranteed if they’re still under contract as of January 8.
Prior to the 2023/24 season, the annual salary guarantee date for players on two-way contracts was January 20, but that changed in the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts
As of January 5, clubs will be able to sign players to standard 10-day contracts, which count against team salary for cap and tax purposes and require an opening on the 15-man roster to complete.
Prior to Jan. 5, teams were able to sign players to 10-day contracts only if they qualified for a hardship exception. Two banged-up teams – Indiana and Memphis – have taken advantage of hardship exceptions so far this season, with the Pacers signing five players to a total of seven hardship 10-day deals, while the Grizzlies signed three players to one apiece.
Rebuilding teams generally use 10-day contracts to audition G League standouts or other prospects to see if they might be worth investing in beyond this season. Contending clubs are more inclined to use 10-day contracts to bring in veterans who can step in right away to address a need or provide depth at a position hit hard by injuries.
Currently, 13 teams have an open spot on their 15-man rosters, making them candidates to sign a player to a 10-day deal. That number will likely increase after next week’s salary guarantee deadline.
More players become trade-eligible
A significant portion of the NBA’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded on December 15, but there are still many players who can’t be dealt. By the end of January, that list of players ineligible to be traded will shrink further, since there are 20 players currently on track to have those restrictions lift between now and January 31.
January 15 is the key date, with 11 players becoming trade-eligible as of that Thursday. That 11-player group includes some standouts who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, such as Bulls guard Josh Giddey.
However, a handful of players on the list figure to be involved in trade rumors in 2026. Some – including, most notably, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga – have already been the subjects of speculation.
Nine other offseason signees have unique trade-eligible dates in January, since they either signed as a free agent in October or inked a veteran extension in July.
That list features names both big (like Devin Booker) and small (such as Keaton Wallace). Of the nine players in that group, Pelicans forward Herbert Jones is perhaps the most intriguing in-season trade candidate, though New Orleans has reportedly set a very high asking price for the defensive ace.
Last day to apply for a disabled player exception
January 15 is the last day that teams can apply for a disabled player exception to replace an injured player who is deemed unlikely to return this season. If a player suffers a season-ending injury on January 16, his team would be ineligible to apply for a DPE.
A disabled player exception gives a club some extra cap flexibility, but not an extra roster spot, so they often go unused. So far this season, the Bulls, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers, and Thunder have reportedly been granted a DPE, while the Bucks and Mavericks have applied for them.
Several teams can fit free agents under their hard caps
As we outlined last month, there are a number teams around the NBA who are currently operating so close to first- or second-apron hard caps that they can’t presently sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract. That will change for many of those teams at some point in the coming weeks, when the cap hit for a prorated veteran’s minimum deal will get low enough to fit below those clubs’ respective hard caps.
Here are the dates on which the teams right up against hard caps can legally sign a free agent:
- January 6: Dallas Mavericks
- January 7: Los Angeles Clippers
- January 8: Houston Rockets
- January 9: Orlando Magic
- January 18: Los Angeles Lakers
Those clubs are unlikely to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract as soon as they’re eligible to do so, since taking that route would leave them would essentially no cap flexibility for the rest of the season unless they make a separate cost-cutting move.
Two more teams right up against hard caps, the Warriors and Knicks, will have to wait until much later in the season to squeeze a free agent addition onto their rosters. That will happen on March 24 for Golden State and on April 2 for New York, though those dates would be subject to change if either team reduces its salary in a trade.
It’s also worth noting that January 26 is the first day that the Thunder can sign a free agent to a prorated minimum-salary deal without surpassing the luxury tax line.
Injury Notes: Kings, Jokic, Sengun, Bogdanovic, Sixers
After losing by 24 points to the Lakers on Sunday, the Kings should have some reinforcements on Tuesday for their matchup with Los Angeles’ other team.
According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), center Drew Eubanks will be available for Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers after having missed the past seven games due to a thumb fracture. Reporting on December 13 indicated that Eubanks – who appeared in each of the team’s first 25 games of the season, making 11 starts in the middle – would be reevaluated in three weeks, but it appears he’ll beat his projected recovery timeline.
Meanwhile, forward Keegan Murray has been upgraded to questionable after being inactive for the Kings’ past two games, Anderson adds. Murray, diagnosed last week with a calf strain, could also have a shorter absence than anticipated, since a report on Friday indicated that he’d be reevaluated in one week.
Here are more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- The early reports on Nikola Jokic‘s knee injury out of his home country of Serbia are encouraging. According to Đorđe Matić of Meridian Sport, there’s a belief that Jokic hyperextended his left knee but avoided a more serious injury. The Nuggets‘ star center is undergoing more testing today, so it shouldn’t be long before we get a more formal update on his diagnosis and recovery timeline.
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun has missed two consecutive games due to what the team is calling a left soleus (calf) strain. However, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that he doesn’t believe the injury is a significant one, explaining that the club is just trying to manage a little soreness that Sengun experienced after Thursday’s Christmas Day game (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).
- Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will be out indefinitely due to a left hamstring issue, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Bogdanovic missed Sunday’s game vs. Detroit and has been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Sacramento with a designation of “left hamstring injury management.”
- Sixers forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain), who have both been sidelined for over a month, are being “reintegrated into team activities,” the team announced on Monday (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That update suggests they’re practicing again and should be close to returning. Asked if he’ll play during the 76ers’ three-game road trip that begins on Tuesday in Memphis, Watford was noncommittal, simply referring to himself as “day-to-day” (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Leonard led the Clippers to three wins during the week of December 22-28 while posting averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest. The star forward erupted for a career-high 55 points against the Pistons on Sunday.
It’s Leonard’s fourth Player of the Week award as a Clipper and the 10th of his NBA career, but it’s the first time he has earned the honor since the 2023/24 season.
Kevin Durant (Rockets), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees.
The Celtics, meanwhile, went 2-1 last week with Brown averaging 32.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
Boston’s star wing has scored at least 30 points in all nine games he has played this month and has now been named the East’s Player of the Week twice in December — he also claimed the award on Dec. 8. Brown and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson have traded the award back and forth in recent weeks, with no other Eastern Conference player winning it since Nov. 24.
LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were all nominated in the East.
Southwest Notes: Eason, Fox, Bey, Flagg
After he missed 14 games in November and December due to an oblique strain, Tari Eason‘s return has allowed the Rockets to try a new-look starting five. Eason replaced Josh Okogie in Houston’s new, jumbo-sized lineup in the last two games and has made an impact on both ends of the floor in back-to-back wins over the Lakers and Cavaliers, amassing six steals and three blocks while making 3-for-8 three-pointers.
“It was amazing to be out there. [Head coach Ime Udoka] finally trusted me to go out there. I just had to do what I do best,” Eason said, per The Athletic’s Will Guillory (via Twitter). “We had to get back to being dogs defensively, and I knew I could come out there and set the tone.”
Asked if he valued being in the starting lineup after spending the last few years as a reserve, Eason responded, “Yes, I do.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- De’Aaron Fox missed the Spurs‘ game Saturday against the Jazz with left adductor tightness, but the team is optimistic that he won’t be out for long, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “Not too many big concerns,” said head coach Mitch Johnson. “Obviously he’s out, so it’s real. But hopefully it will be short-term.” Johnson added that he started Julian Champagnie rather than Dylan Harper in order to keep the No. 2 overall pick in a more consistent role. “It goes a long way for players to expect if they’re going to play, when they’re going to play, when do they come out,” Johnson said. “They are creatures of habit from when they wake up to when they go to bed. I think being able to help provide consistency where you can (is important).” The Spurs have gone 17-5 in games that Fox has played this season.
- Saddiq Bey was something of an afterthought coming into this season for the Pelicans, having not played a game since March 2024, when he tore his ACL. But following a trade from the Wizards to the Pelicans this summer, Bey knew he had been given a second chance to establish himself as a reliable rotation player, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “Just to be wanted at that time after not playing in a year and a half meant a lot to me,” Bey said. “New Orleans was showing that they still believed in me and that meant the world to me.” Bey has responded to the opportunity by averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while starting 24 of the 32 games he played this season. “He’s been incredible all year,” said coach James Borrego. “He’s built for these moments. He doesn’t shy away from it.” Bey said that the experience has given him a new perspective on his career: “I feel like I owe it to the front office, the city and this organization for believing in me. Every single game, I’m literally thanking God for letting me finish that game. Win or lose. I’ll never take another game for granted.”
- Mavericks‘ coach Jason Kidd went back to an early-season strategy in an attempt to grind out a win over the Kings without Anthony Davis: using Cooper Flagg as the de facto point guard, Christian Clark writes for The Athletic. The effort ended up coming in a 113-107 loss, but Flagg was able to help Dallas trim a 15-point halftime deficit to three points before Sacramento pulled away again. He finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists, though he had five turnovers as well. “Once we had to sub, (the Kings’ lead) went back up to 18 (points),” Kidd said. “Just understanding the change — we talked about it at halftime — it gave us an opportunity to get us back in the game.”
Fischer’s Latest: CP3, Harden, Gillespie, Cavs, Knicks
There had been some speculation that Chris Paul could be moved by the Clippers on December 15, the day he became trade-eligible, but that did not occur. While Paul is no longer around the team after Los Angeles announced that it was “parting ways” with the franchise icon, the Clippers are working with his representatives to find Paul a new club that he finds desirable, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Paul’s minimum-salary contract would theoretically be simple to trade from a mechanics standpoint, but a deal doesn’t appear imminent. Sources tell Fischer that it’s possible Paul might be included as part of a larger trade around the February 5 deadline. In that scenario, Paul could be waived by the team that acquires him, Fischer continues, which would allow the 40-year-old to pick a new destination as a free agent.
While the Lakers have been linked to Paul for years, Fischer has been “strongly advised” they aren’t expected to pursue the 11-time All-NBA point guard, who is in his 21st and final season. Houston could theoretically use backcourt depth, but Fischer hears the Rockets are content with their roster right now and likely won’t consider changes until late January due their proximity to the first apron, at which they’re hard-capped.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up, which is centered on point guards:
- The Clippers continue to signal to rival teams that they aren’t willing to discuss trading James Harden, according to Fischer. As he points out, Harden has an implicit no-trade clause for 2025/26 and a $42.3MM player option for 2026/27 that’s partially guaranteed for $13.3MM. In order to approve a potential trade, Harden would likely want to know if the team interested in acquiring him planned to keep him past his July 11 salary guarantee date or if it would be open to re-signing him to a new deal, Fischer writes.
- Collin Gillespie, who is having a breakout season for the Suns, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Rival teams are projecting the 26-year-old to receive a contract similar to the three-year, $27MM deal Ty Jerome signed with Memphis this past summer, per Fischer.
- While rival clubs are reportedly monitoring both players, the Cavaliers have shown no interest to this point in making an in-season deal involving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, Fischer confirms, echoing reporting from Brett Siegel.
- As Fischer writes, Tyler Kolek‘s impressive recent play with the Knicks has opposing teams wondering if New York will target frontcourt help ahead of the deadline instead of a veteran point guard. It’s unclear which position the Knicks will ultimately look to fortify.
Injury Notes: Knueppel, Sengun, Fox, Davis, Adebayo
Hornets wing Kon Knueppel, one of the early frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, suffered a right ankle injury late in the second quarter of Friday’s game in Orlando and was ruled out for the second half of the eventual win, the team announced (via Twitter). Knueppel appeared to come down on Desmond Bane‘s foot after contesting a floater near the basket, causing him to roll his ankle (Twitter video link).
Head coach Charles Lee said after the game that X-rays on Knueppel’s ankle were negative, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is dealing with left calf tightness and is listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. Cleveland, according to the NBA’s official injury report (hat tip to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com). The 23-year-old was also questionable for Thursday’s game at the Lakers prior to being upgraded to available. Sengun made his first All-Star appearance in 2024/25 and there’s a good chance he’ll be in the exhibition game again in 2025/26 if he maintains his current level of production. Through 26 games, the Turkish center is averaging 22.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block in 35.6 minutes per contest.
- Former All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, who had a huge first half on Thursday in leading the Spurs to their third straight victory over Oklahoma City, is questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Utah due to left adductor tightness, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Fox had appeared in each of San Antonio’s past 22 games after missing the first eight contests of the season with a hamstring injury.
- While Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Anthony Davis is expected to miss multiple games with a mild right groin strain, the Mavericks have listed the five-time All-NBA forward/center as questionable for Saturday’s matchup at Sacramento with right adductor soreness, per Marc Stein (Twitter link). Davis exited Thursday’s loss at Golden State after experiencing groin spasms. The hip adductor muscles are part of the medial (middle) thigh and injuries to the area are often called groin strains.
- The Heat will be cautious with Bam Adebayo‘s injury, head coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of Friday’s game vs. Atlanta, which the star big man missed due to lower back soreness. “I think if we handle it now, he’ll be fine,” Spoelstra said after Friday morning’s shootaround, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He’s pretty sore.” Miami had lost eight of its past nine games entering Friday, but bounced back with a decisive victory over the struggling Hawks.
Dorian Finney-Smith Set To Make Rockets Debut
2:56 pm: Finney-Smith will make his season debut on Thursday, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). The veteran forward will be on a “strict” minutes restriction, Charania adds.
8:55 am: Veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith could make his Rockets debut on Thursday when Houston faces the Lakers. He’s listed as questionable to play in the Christmas Day matchup, according to Ben DuBose of RocketsWire.
Finney-Smith would be playing against his most recent team if he does suit up. He left the Lakers as a free agent over the summer, signing a four-year, $53MM contract with the Rockets.
Noted for his defensive versatility, Finney-Smith was traded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles last December and appeared in 43 games for the Lakers in 2024/25, making 20 starts. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .442/.398/.714.
Finney-Smith underwent left ankle surgery in June, weeks before signing his new deal. At that time, he was expected to be ready for training camp, but that timeline proved optimistic. The 32-year-old missed a total of 20 games last season related to issues with the ankle, including eight with Los Angeles.
Starting power forward Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging a career-high 34.5 minutes per game. Finney-Smith’s availability will likely cut into Smith’s playing time.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Grant, Thunder, B. Brown
On the heels of a three-game winning streak that put them in play-in position, the Trail Blazers have lost back-to-back games at home and have slipped to 12-18, a half-game ahead of Dallas for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference.
As Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes in a subscriber-only story, what was supposed to be a season of hope for a Blazers team looking to build on last season’s strong second-half run has turned into a season of frustration, with head coach Chauncey Billups arrested on federal charges in October and several key players missing time due to injuries.
There has been no indication that Jrue Holiday (calf), Matisse Thybulle (thumb), or Scoot Henderson (hamstring) are on the verge of returning to provide reinforcements, Freeman writes. And after Tuesday’s loss to Orlando, Portland has now dropped 11 “clutch-time” games (defined as being within five points with less than five minutes to play), tied for the second-highest total in the NBA.
Still, head coach Tiago Splitter vowed that his team will stick together and continue battling, expressing confidence that the Blazers’ hard work will eventually pay off. That message was echoed by his players.
“We have a great group of guys,” Blazers forward Deni Avdija said. “They’re very strong mentally. And I think our team camaraderie is really good. I think we’re getting along with each other really good. We’re talking. Our chemistry is amazing. It’s one of the best chemistry teams that I’ve been on in a while. And I think, as you see, we just continue to fight. We’re not going to back off. And I think this is our identity. We believe in each other, we believe in ourselves as a team. It’s only going to make us better.”
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, considered a potential in-season trade candidate, missed a third consecutive game on Tuesday. As Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tweets, Grant’s injury is now being referred to by the team as left Achilles tendonitis rather than Achilles soreness.
- Although the Thunder have lost three of their past five games following their 24-1 start, Rylan Stiles of SI.com argues that Oklahoma City should stand pat at the trade deadline, writing that it’s not worth risking the chemistry of a tight-knit team for an upgrade that might prove to be marginal. The Thunder would be better off betting on continued internal improvements, Stiles says, including Ajay Mitchell getting more comfortable in his new role and Jalen Williams getting back to 100% following his offseason wrist surgery.
- Nuggets guard Bruce Brown and Rockets forward Kevin Durant used to play together in Brooklyn, but the former Nets teammates engaged in a verbal back-and-forth both during and after Houston’s win on Saturday, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). “Some words were said that’s a little disrespectful. I can’t wait to see him next time,” Brown said, explaining that he felt Durant said something to him that crossed a line. “As a man, there’s certain things you don’t say to another man.” Durant showed little remorse when informed of Brown’s post-game remarks. “I definitely wanted to cross the line tonight,” the Rockets star said with a smile. “That’s basketball. That’s in between the lines. Ain’t no respect. Ain’t no love. Nothing. People don’t show love to me. They cross the line a lot with their physicality. It’s just part of the game. Some people can talk and play. Some people can’t. I had to learn how to talk and play as a player. So I think Bruce is probably learning the same thing.”