Keyonte George Out At Least Two Weeks With Hamstring Strain
Jazz guard Keyonte George has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and is expected to be reevaluated in two weeks, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). Tony Jones of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).
George underwent imaging after suffering the injury during Wednesday’s loss to New York. He played 20 minutes in that game, recording 14 points, five assists and two rebounds in 20 minutes prior to being ruled out.
The 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft, George is having a breakout third season for Utah, averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 33.1 minutes per contest on .456/.371/.892 shooting through 54 games.
Since George is a former first-round pick who had his fourth-year option exercised, he will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. If the 22-year-old doesn’t sign an offseason extension, he will be a restricted free agent in 2027.
Isaiah Collier and Elijah Harkless are among the candidates for more backcourt minutes with George sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The 20-46 Jazz are shorthanded at the moment, with Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic all out for the season due to injuries.
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Dort, SGA, Avdija, K. George
Thunder wing Luguentz Dort was ejected in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s overtime victory over Denver on Friday for sticking out his right leg and tripping Nikola Jokic (Twitter video link via ESPN). The Nuggets‘ superstar big man angrily confronted and chest-bumped Dort, who backed away as his teammate Jaylin Williams intervened.
“Unnecessary move and a necessary reaction,” Jokic said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “There is no such thing — I think there’s not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor. So it was just an unnecessary move (by Dort) and a necessary reaction by me.”
As Durando writes, Dort was initially called for a common foul, but it was upgraded to a flagrant foul 2 upon review. Jokic and Williams both received offsetting unsportsmanlike technicals for their part in the altercation.
“Lu Dort was assessed a flagrant foul penalty (level) two because we deemed his contact on Jokic to be unnecessary and excessive with a high potential for injury,” crew chief James Williams said in a pool report. “And also because the contact led to an altercation that did not dissolve.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault noted it was a physical game between the Northwest Division rivals, who faced off in the Western Conference semifinals last year. Oklahoma City won that series in seven games en route to the championship.
“If you were watching the game, I think you could see very clearly, very early that it was a chippy game,” Daigneault said, according to Durando. “These are two teams that played each other in a seven-game series. We’re in the same division. We’ve played each other 100 times. They know our playbook. We know their playbook. It just is what it is. … I know Lu. I know Jokic. I know J-Will. I don’t think anybody was trying to hurt anybody. They’re just great competitors. It just boiled over. I think it was nothing more than that.
“I will say this. If a player (for us), if J-Will is running up the floor and gets tripped, we expect a flagrant two from this point forward. That’s all. If that’s the precedent, if that becomes a malicious play and flagrant two is the line in the sand on that, we would expect that if it’s J-Will. We would expect that if it’s anybody.”
When asked if he was suggesting that Dort was only ejected because Jokic — a three-time MVP — was the player fouled, Daigneault demurred.
“I’m not going to answer the question like that. I said what I needed to say about it,” Daigneault replied.
On Sunday, Nuggets head coach David Adelman addressed the incident, as Durando relays (via Twitter).
“For Dort to take that shot — and then I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal from their standpoint, how they looked at it — is ridiculous,” Adelman said as part of a larger quote. “That was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lu Dort’s a great player, and that’s not what I’ve seen him do before. But at some point, you have to stand up for yourself, and the team does as well.”
We have more from around the Northwest:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to action on Friday after missing nine games with an abdominal strain, recording 36 points, nine assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 34 minutes. However, the Thunder superstar couldn’t play in overtime due to a minutes restriction, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). Daigneault let the Canadian guard know it advance that it was possible he might be forced to miss a potential extra period. “They kind of had no choice because if they tried that on the fly, I wasn’t gonna go,” Gilgeous-Alexander said with a laugh. “They had to get ahead of it, for sure. But with that being said, it is the right decision to make. If I re-injure this injury, all of it and everything that we’ve done up to this point doesn’t matter. So that’s first and foremost.”
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday in Atlanta because of low back injury management (Twitter link). The first-time All-Star first experienced the back issue in early January and aggravated the injury just 59 seconds into a February 22 game at Phoenix.
- Third-year guard Keyonte George was back in the Jazz‘s starting lineup for Saturday’s loss to New Orleans, writes Kevin Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune. George, who had missed the last six games because of a right ankle sprain, said he felt good in his return but will be on a restriction of approximately 20-to-24 minutes for the time being. “Feet are the most precious thing for any athlete. So I want to make sure I feel good, not feeling off balance or nothing like that,” said George, who also dealt with a left ankle sprain last month. “Just want to be cautious with the ankle injuries and stuff like that.”
Keyonte George Could Miss Time With Left Ankle Sprain
Jazz guard Keyonte George suffered a left ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).
While X-rays on George’s ankle came back negative, he had a noticeable limp in the locker room and was being attended to by training staff, according to Larsen, who thinks the 22-year-old could miss time due to the injury.
George is having a breakout third season for Utah, averaging 24.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .454/.378/.899 shooting through 46 games (34.4 minutes per contest). He finished Friday’s game with 26 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), seven assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.
If George is forced to miss some games, second-year guard Isaiah Collier and rookie Walter Clayton are among the candidates to receive more playing time for the Jazz, who fell to 15-34 following Friday’s loss.
Elijah Harkless, who is on a two-way contract with Utah, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. He told Larsen on Friday that he expects to be ready to return in a couple weeks (Twitter link). Harkless was named the G League’s Player of the Month for December.
Jazz’s Sensabaugh Discusses Development, Offseason, More
Brice Sensabaugh was viewed as something of a tweener ahead of the 2023 draft. He played power forward in his lone college season at Ohio State, but at 6’6″, he has the height of a wing, his primary position since he was selected 28th overall by the Jazz a few years ago.
Speaking to Mark Medina of RG.org, Sensabaugh says he overhauled his diet and improved his conditioning last summer in preparation for his third NBA season and now weighs approximately 225-227 pounds, down from roughly 240 in 2024/25.
“I was just in the gym with our Jazz strength and conditioning staff,” he said. “We had some boot camps and conditioning work all summer. But I think the biggest curve for me was my diet. I’m eating whole foods and trying not to have a diet with too many ingredients. I’m not picky at all. So I’ll eat anything. But I’m trying to keep whole foods and have fewer ingredients. I also substituted small things. Instead of sour cream, I have Greek yogurt. I have cauliflower instead of carbs. It worked out pretty well. I dropped like 15 pounds. I feel great and am getting off the ground pretty well.”
Known for his accurate jump shot, Sensabaugh has only converted 32.4% of his three point tries through 32 games in ’25/26 after knocking down 42.2% of his outside looks last season. While he admits he was hoping to have a higher percentage at this point in the season, Sensabaugh says he’s still pleased with his overall development and is finding other ways to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling.
“I feel pretty good about it. Coming from the second to third year, now there are a lot of things that I understand now that I didn’t before, such as the flow of the game and the intensity that it takes to win,” Sensabaugh told Medina. “I feel like this season my mentality has changed a lot. Toward the end of last season, I started hitting shots and scoring a good amount of points. But it wasn’t really translating into winning. This year, I’ve had four or five games where I made a big impact and translated to a win.
“I’m starting to understand the intensity and attention to detail that it takes to alter games and make a big impact like that. That’s the biggest takeaway I’ve had so far. The NBA is the best league in the world and has the best players. So it’s hard to do that consistently for a young player. But I’m searching for that every single game and trying to make that impact to give us a good chance to win.
“It’s been a fun year. I feel like my defense has gotten a lot better with my intensity and attention to detail. I still feel like I’m searching for my shot a lot of the times. There are a lot of games where my shot is going in and out. I’m trying not to dwell on it too much. I trust that it will go in. I’m doing my work early with my feet and my balance and am trusting the results. I try not to overreact to the misses too much. I just keep on playing and wait until they go in.”
Medina’s interview with Sensabaugh covers several other topics, including Utah’s veteran leaders, Keyonte George‘s breakout season, and more. The 22-year-old guard/forward will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2026 offseason.
Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Win Player Of The Month Awards
A pair of star point guards and MVP candidates have been named the NBA’s Players of the Month for December, with Jalen Brunson of the Knicks winning the award in the East and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder claiming it in the West, per the league (Twitter link).
Brunson was named Player of the Week twice in December and led the Knicks to an NBA Cup championship. He averaged 30.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per contest in 13 December outings, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.405/.826 and leading his team to a 10-3 record in the games he played.
Those stats don’t include the NBA Cup final, which doesn’t count toward the regular season, but he was excellent in that game too, racking up 25 points and eight assists as the Knicks toppled the Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, continued to strengthen his case for a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in 12 December appearances, with averages of 31.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, and a scorching-hot .594/.436/.882 shooting line.
Gilgeous-Alexander now ranks second in the NBA in scoring (32.1 PPG), while his Thunder – following a 9-4 December – hold the league’s best record at 29-5.
It’s the third time Brunson has won a Player of the Month award and the fifth time Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the honor. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were the NBA’s first Players of the Month this season, for games played in October and November.
Cunningham was also nominated for the Eastern Conference award in December, along with Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and Brunson’s teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The other Western Conference nominees were Jokic, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, Jazz guard Keyonte George, Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Trail Blazers teammates Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe, Timberwolves teammates Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, and Lakers teammates Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
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.
Jazz Notes: Nurkic, Love, Core Four, George
The Jazz raised eyebrows over the summer when they attached a second-round pick to Collin Sexton in a trade with Charlotte for center Jusuf Nurkic. However, Nurkic has played a larger role than anticipated due to Walker Kessler‘s season-ending shoulder injury, making 24 starts (and counting) and averaging 25.4 minutes per contest. In the process, he has made a positive impression on his teammates and his head coach, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
“Nurk helps us create an advantage in a way that no one else does,” coach Will Hardy said. “His screening, his ability to get his teammates open — and I think he’s done a better job of rolling and making himself available, but more than that, his teammates have rewarded him … But his physicality in general, his screening, rebounding, is unique in our league. Like, he’s in a category almost all by himself, in terms of the way that he can help you create advantage.”
As Todd points out, when Nurkic has found himself in less-than-favorable situations, he hasn’t been shy about expressing his frustrations publicly, as he did a year ago in Phoenix. But he sounds very happy to be in Utah, raving about the support he has gotten from Hardy and telling reporters that the Jazz have made him feel “wanted” (Twitter video link via JP Chunga).
“I can’t really stress enough how this organization is good,” Nurkic said. “… Me and Kevin (Love) talk every day to the young guys that we have a such a great thing here. (They) don’t understand how it is somewhere else … This is such a great environment, and you have everything you need to succeed.”
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- An apparent throw-in in the three-team trade that sent Norman Powell to the Heat and John Collins to the Clippers, Love has played more than expected for the Jazz this season after considering pursuing a buyout during the offseason, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Love, who averaged 10.9 minutes per game in Miami last season, has averaged 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per night on .413/.370/.769 shooting in December. “He’s an elite rebounder, and so those things continue to show up,” Hardy said in explaining Love’s role. “And then obviously, just kind of his general savvy in his 18th year — he’s gotten a little more familiar with his teammates, and I think his spacing element gives us a different look.”
- The Jazz appear to have a “core four” of Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and Kessler, according to Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who explores what sort of player might complement that unit as a fifth option. Observing that the group could use a defensive-minded wing, Larsen suggests that Utah should be targeting a player in the mold of Luguentz Dort, Herbert Jones, Tari Eason, or Matisse Thybulle — not necessarily at this year’s trade deadline, but in general going forward.
- In a story for The Deseret News, Todd sets “New Year’s resolutions” for the Jazz, explaining what each player on Utah’s roster should be focused on in 2026.
- In case you missed it, George was nominated for the Western Conference’s Player of the Week award for a second consecutive week on Monday.
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.
Afseth’s Latest: Spurs, Giannis, J. Johnson, Jazz, Bey
The Spurs have flashed tantalizing potential this season with a 21-7 start and a run to the NBA Cup championship game, but league sources who spoke to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal don’t expect San Antonio to make the sort of significant in-season trade that would compromise the club’s future flexibility.
“They’re not going to sit around being satisfied, but I don’t see them making a move like trading for Giannis (Antetokounmpo),” a source told Afseth. “There are more reasonable options out there. They can be patient and opportunistic.”
According to Afseth, the expectation is that the Spurs will focus on internal growth of their young core this season while preserving their most valuable long-term assets. Still, he says some rival teams have wondered whether San Antonio would be willing to sacrifice some of those assets for another high-level role player who would complement the current group.
“They have the assets to make a trade like Orlando did to add Desmond Bane,” a source said. “It’d have to be someone that fits their timeline. Someone like a Trey Murphy III, for example, could be a strong fit.”
Here are a few more items of interest from Afseth’s latest round-up:
- If Antetokounmpo is made available this season, many of the top suitors for the Bucks star are expected to be Eastern Conference clubs, says Afseth. That group includes the Heat, Knicks, Hawks, and Raptors, though rival executives are skeptical that New York would want to break up its roster during the season and Atlanta isn’t expected to make forward Jalen Johnson available, Afseth notes.
- While both Afseth and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say that hanging onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick is a priority for the Jazz, Fischer writes that Utah also wants to “establish a winning environment” sooner rather than later. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George – along with 2026 restricted free agent Walker Kessler – are viewed as cornerstones for the Jazz, with Kyle Anderson, Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang considered potential in-season trade candidates, per Afseth. Afseth adds that both management and ownership have confidence that Will Hardy is the right head coach to guide the team out of its rebuilding stage.
- Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey is increasingly piquing the interest of teams in need of help on the wing, according to Afseth, who published a full story on Sunday examining Bey’s return to action this season following a torn ACL. The 26-year-old is averaging 15.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game through 29 outings (21 starts) for New Orleans.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.