Injury Notes: Curry, Brown, J. Green, Goodwin, Powell, Hall
The Warriors have ruled out star guard Stephen Curry for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Curry returned earlier this week from a knee injury after sitting out for over two months, so Golden State is taking a cautious approach with its leading scorer and most valuable player. Slater had reported on Wednesday that the 38-year-old would likely be held out of one end of the team’s back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday. The fact that Curry is missing Thursday’s game means he should be back in action on Friday vs. Sacramento.
It also means that Curry and Lakers star LeBron James won’t face each other at all this season. James missed the first meeting between the two teams in the fall while dealing with sciatica and Curry missed the next two as a result of his knee injury.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Celtics can clinch the No. 2 seed in the East with one more win, but they won’t be at full strength as they look to pick up that victory in New York on Thursday. Star wing Jaylen Brown will miss the game due to left Achilles tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s the first game of a back-to-back set for Boston, though it remains to be seen whether Brown will be back in action on Friday vs. New Orleans.
- Jalen Green suffered a right leg injury early in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win over Dallas and did not return, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former No. 2 overall pick wore a sleeve at halftime and warmed up to see how he was feeling prior to being ruled out. Fellow Suns guard Jordan Goodwin also exited Wednesday’s game due to a left ankle injury, which he suffered in the second quarter, Rankin adds.
- Although Heat wing Norman Powell said after shootaround on Thursday morning that he’s “feeling good” and will be active for tonight’s game in Toronto, he admitted his nagging right groin injury will likely linger until he gets an extended break for it to heal in the offseason, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “When you have muscle strains and things like that, you can rehab and everything. But it takes time,” Powell said. “You just need rest, and I just feel like I need rest. I need time to let the body do what it needs to do. But even though I can get it to a certain point where it feels good, there’s no pain and everything, it doesn’t mean that it’s 100% healed. So then over time, an accumulated amount of stress on that area, then it starts to flare back up.”
- Second-year big man PJ Hall underwent surgery to address his right ankle fracture, the Hornets announced in a press release. The former Clemson star, who suffered the injury in the first round of the G League playoffs with the Greensboro Swarm, will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
NBA G League Announces 2025/26 All-NBAGL Teams
Four days after being named the 2025/26 NBA G League Most Valuable Player, Bulls two-way guard Mac McClung has also earned a spot on the All-NBAGL first team, the league announced (all Twitter links).
McClung, who averaged 31.8 points, 7.9 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game on .515/.381/.775 shooting in 29 regular season outings for Windy City, headlines that five-man group of G League standouts along with Rockets two-way player Tristen Newton and NBA veteran DaQuan Jeffries, who finished second and third, respectively, in MVP voting.
Newton, who made five appearances for the Iowa Wolves before joining the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for 30 more games, registered averages of 25.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.5 APG with a .480/.376/.859 shooting line. Jeffries, who had a brief NBA stint this season on a 10-day contract with Sacramento, made 28 regular season appearances for the Stockton Kings and contributed 23.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 2.4 APG with an excellent shooting line of .515/.436/.831.
Pistons two-way player Isaac Jones and veteran NBA guard Lester Quinones round out the All-G League first team.
The complete breakdown of the 2025/26 All-NBA G League teams is below. Players who are currently on standard NBA contracts are noted with an asterisk (*), while those on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).
All-NBAGL First Team
- DaQuan Jeffries (Stockton Kings)
- Isaac Jones (Motor City Cruise) ^
- Mac McClung (Windy City Bulls) ^
- Tristen Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) ^
- Lester Quinones (Osceola Magic)
All-NBAGL Second Team
- Kobe Bufkin (South Bay Lakers) *
- Killian Hayes (Cleveland Charge) *
- Note: Hayes played for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate but is on a standard contract with the Kings.
- A.J. Lawson (Raptors 905) ^
- Drew Timme (South Bay Lakers) ^
- Jahmir Young (Sioux Falls Skyforce) ^
All-NBAGL Third Team
- RayJ Dennis (College Park Skyhawks) ^
- PJ Hall (Greensboro Swarm) ^
- Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics) *
- Alijah Martin (Raptors 905) ^
- Daishen Nix (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Hornets’ PJ Hall Out Indefinitely With Right Ankle Fracture
Hornets big man PJ Hall has been diagnosed with a right ankle fracture, according to the NBA’s official injury report. The news was first noted by Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
Hall, a second-year center out of Clemson, is on a two-way contract with the Hornets. Charlotte has yet to make an announcement regarding how much time Hall might miss. He was in a walking boot on Thursday, per Boone.
Based on the nature of his injury, there’s essentially no chance Hall will play again by April 12, when the regular season ends. Two-way players are ineligible to compete in the postseason, and since he’ll likely be out several weeks, there’s no real reason for the Hornets to promote him to a standard contract, which would make Hall postseason-eligible.
Hall opened the season on a two-way deal with Memphis. The Grizzlies waived him mid-November, and he caught on with the Hornets about five weeks later.
The 24-year-old has averaged 6.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game across 12 NBA appearances with Charlotte. He hasn’t played with the Hornets since February 22, having spent extended time in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm.
Hall has put up big numbers with the Swarm, averaging 18.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG and 1.7 BPG on .602/.329/.792 shooting splits in 23 games (29.6 MPG). He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer if the Hornets give him a qualifying offer, which is equivalent to another two-way contract covering one year.
In other Hornets injury news, starting center Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for Friday’s game vs. Indiana due to left ankle soreness. Forward Grant Williams, who returned from a torn ACL in January, is out on the second night of a back-to-back.
Eastern Notes: Kennard, Pacers, Martin, Hall
Luke Kennard had one of his best outings of the 2025/26 campaign in Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota, recording 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes off the bench. However, the veteran shooting guard admits his performance so far with the Hawks hasn’t been up to his typical standard, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links).
“I’ve had some good moments, good games, but nowhere near what I can be and what I expect of myself,” Kennard said. “They’ve been on me, my teammates and coaches, just to be aggressive and shoot the ball when I can. … I’m here for a reason, and for myself, I’m very hard on myself. I think I can do more, and I’m excited to just build off of it. And today was a great day for everybody, a great team win, and hopefully we can just build off of that.”
Kennard, who signed a one-year, $11MM deal with Atlanta last summer, will be an unrestricted free agent again in 2026.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- After Wednesday’s loss to Orlando, head coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers have had some in-game disagreements amid their disastrous 6-28 start to the season, per Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter link). “In the second half, we played like a together team that was supporting each other and not like strangers. That’s how this has got to be. We’re having too much petty nonsense going on during games that needs to go away,” said Carlisle, who didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “petty nonsense.” When asked about his coach’s comment, forward Aaron Nesmith didn’t disagree, but said it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. “There may have been some petty nonsense, but I think it comes from a good place,” Nesmith said (Twitter link via East). “I think our competitive spirit in this game was pretty high. Sometimes that bleeds over into disagreeing on calls or guys help… guys are tired of losing.”
- The Pacers‘ G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, has acquired the returning player rights to Cody Martin in a trade with the Capital City Go-Go, tweets East. The veteran wing had a brief stint with the Pacers earlier this season on a 10-day hardship contract.
- South Carolina native PJ Hall, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Hornets covering two seasons, tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer it’s “surreal” to join a team he grew up cheering on. “I grew up a Panthers fan, I grew up a Bobcats fan, grew up watching Al Jefferson and then Kemba (Walker) and he’s with the Hornets now,” Hall said. “So, I mean, it’s been awesome and a great experience to be able to come back, have that full circle moment.” The 23-year-old big man has gotten an opportunity to play amid injuries to Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner, and he may even get his first career start Friday at Milwaukee — Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up due to a right wrist sprain, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
Eastern Notes: Edgecombe, Wizards, Hall, Williams, Cavs
While he has been overshadowed to some extent by former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been one of the NBA’s very best rookies so far this season. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, Edgecombe is further along his development than anticipated and showed again on Tuesday why Philadelphia made the right call drafting him with the No. 3 overall pick.
In a back-and-forth overtime matchup with Memphis, Edgecombe racked up 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in nearly 41 minutes of action. He also knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, including a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left in the overtime period (video link via NBA.com).
“VJ has been telling us for three weeks that he deserves to shoot a game-winner,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who had the assist on that final shot. “I said, OK. I trust him. I knew he would shoot it with confidence. He took the shot, and he made it. We’re blessed to have him. You can thank the basketball gods, or (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey, or whoever. He’s got a chance to be a special player.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers were able to draft Edgecombe because they were bad enough last season to hang onto a top-six protected 2025 first-round pick. The Wizards find themselves in a similar position this season, with their 2026 first-rounder headed to New York if it doesn’t land in the top eight. As David Aldridge of The Athletic writes, that no longer looks like the lock that it did after Washington lost 15 of its first 16 games this season. The Wizards’ young core has shown positive signs during the team’s recent 4-4 stretch, which bodes well for the future but could jeopardize the team’s 2026 first-round pick if the trend continues.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by PJ Hall with the Hornets and Malik Williams with the Hawks each cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned. If Hall and Williams play out those full deals, they’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2027 offseason.
- With the Cavaliers off to an 18-16 start after winning 64 games last season and surpassing the second tax apron over the summer, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers potential moves for Cleveland’s front office, exploring whether it would make sense for the team to shake up its roster in a major way at the upcoming trade deadline. As Gozlan outlines, the Cavs’ inability to aggregate salaries will create challenges on the trade market, but players on smaller or mid-sized contracts – like Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans – would still theoretically be attainable.
Hornets Sign PJ Hall To Two-Way Deal
11:59 pm: Hall’s two-way contract is official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
10:06 am: The Hornets are adding more depth to their frontcourt, having agreed to a two-way deal with center PJ Hall, agent Matt Bollero tells Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).
A former All-ACC standout at Clemson, Hall spent his rookie season with Denver on a two-way deal in 2024/25, then signed a new two-way contract with the Grizzlies this past summer. He didn’t play a significant role for either team, logging 66 minutes in 19 appearances for the Nuggets last season and 27 minutes in seven games for Memphis this fall before being waived in November to make room for Jahmai Mashack.
However, Hall has been a solid contributor in the G League, having joined Charlotte’s affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, after being cut by the Grizzlies. In 14 total outings for the Swarm and the Memphis Hustle, the 6’8″ big man has averaged 14.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 27.5 minutes per game.
Hall will give Hornets head coach Charles Lee another option in the middle after centers Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) and Mason Plumlee (right groin strain) were both inactive for Tuesday’s win over Washington.
Charlotte’s lone healthy center, Moussa Diabate, had a huge night against the Wizards, with 12 points, 18 rebounds, and a +38 mark in 36 minutes. But the team was outscored by 21 points in his 12 minutes on the bench and could use more reinforcements at the five if either Kalkbrenner or Plumlee is expected to miss additional time.
The Hornets waived two-way forward Drew Peterson to make room on the roster for Hall.
Grizzlies Sign Mashack To Two-Way Deal, Waive Hall
The Grizzlies have signed Jahmai Mashack to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). In a related move, second-year big man PJ Hall has been waived.
Agent Adie von Gontard informed ESPN’s Shams Charania of Mashack’s promotion (via Twitter) prior to the official confirmation from the Grizzlies.
Mashack, who was acquired by the Grizzlies after he was selected 59th overall in June’s draft, opened the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. He was essentially a domestic draft-and-stash player, not a free agent, as his NBA rights were still controlled by the Grizzlies.
The 23-year-old guard, who played four seasons of college ball at Tennessee, impressed during a five-game Summer League showing, averaging 9.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 23.7 minutes per contest (.462/.417/.600 shooting line).
In five games (31.3 MPG) with the Hustle this fall, Mashack has averaged 7.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.4 RPG and 3.4 SPG, though he has struggled with efficiency (.354/.143/.500 shooting line) and turnovers (3.6).
In a recent interview with Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscription required), Mashack said he’s been working to improve his offensive game with the Hustle. Known for his defense, Mashack wasn’t asked to score or handle the ball much during his time with the Volunteers.
“Being able to have that gravity to be able to score the ball and also get my guys open,” he said. “I feel like it’s not a lot of guys in the NBA that can do both at an elite level, and that’s what I want to be able to do. Me being able to do that can help the team as a whole for the G League and for the (NBA) squad.”
Mashack will provide backcourt depth for the Grizzlies, who have been decimated by point guard injuries this fall. Scotty Pippen Jr. is out multiple months after undergoing toe surgery, Ty Jerome has yet to make his season debut after suffering a calf strain in the preseason, rookie guard Javon Small is out at least three weeks with a turf toe injury, and Ja Morant exited Saturday’s game with a sore calf.
As for Hall, the former Clemson star spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Denver before catching on with Memphis over the summer. The 23-year-old had a limited role with the Grizzlies, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.3 RPG across seven appearances (3.9 MPG).
Injuries Leave Grizzlies Seeking Backcourt Help
The Grizzlies are considering adding another guard in the wake of multiple backcourt injuries, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org. Memphis’ front office is looking at internal and external options to stabilize the team’s depth chart, Afseth adds.
Scotty Pippen Jr. became the latest significant loss over the weekend as the team announced that he’ll undergo surgery on his left big toe. Pippen doesn’t have a projected timeline to return, but he won’t be reevaluated for 12 weeks. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 79 games last season and made 21 starts.
Ja Morant is week-to-week after spraining his left ankle during practice in early October. There’s hope that he’ll be ready for Wednesday’s opener, but his status remains uncertain. Coach Tuomas Iisalo said Morant is “progressing really well” and was able to participate in the shootaround before Friday’s preseason finale in Miami.
“Ja continues to work with our group,” Iisalo said. “He’s ramping up well, but we’ll keep being cautious.”
[Update: Morant is expected to play in Memphis’ opener].
The injury issues mounted when offseason addition Ty Jerome left Friday’s game early after hurting his right calf. No updates have been provided on his condition, but he may also have to miss some time.
[Update: Jerome will miss at least four weeks with a high-grade right calf strain].
Afseth states that Memphis is assessing the players who became available Saturday when most teams made their final roster cuts. The Grizzlies are already at the maximum of 15 standard contracts, but they could open a two-way slot to get guard help while their rotation players heal. That would mean waiving either PJ Hall, Olivier-Maxence Prosper or Javon Small, the team’s current two-way players.
Small could be an option if Memphis decides to address the problem internally, Afseth adds. The rookie out of West Virginia was impressive during the preseason, averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds in four games while shooting 44.7% from the field and 52.9% from three-point range.
Grizzlies Sign PJ Hall To Two-Way Contract, Waive Zyon Pullin
4:00 pm: Hall’s signing is now official, per a Grizzlies press statement (Twitter link). Memphis has announced that Pullin has been waived, meaning the team will still have an open two-way roster slot.
3:52 PM: Free agent center PJ Hall has agreed to sign a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, his ProMondo Sports agent Matt Bollero informs Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
Hall went undrafted out of Clemson in 2024, but inked a two-way deal with Denver for the 2024/25 season. The 6’8″ big man split his minutes between the Nuggets and their NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
Hall appeared in 19 contests for Denver proper last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 3.5 minutes per game. In 20 total outings for the Gold, however, he posted some impressive numbers, averaging a double-double (18.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG) along with 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.0 minutes per game.
Hall has been plying his trade this month for the Hornets’ Summer League team. Across five Summer League contests for Charlotte, the 23-year-old averaged 9.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.0 APG.
He’ll join fellow two-way signings Zyon Pullin and Javon Small in Memphis. As a two-way player, Hall is eligible to suit up for as many as 50 contests with the Grizzlies’ standard roster. He’ll likely be transferred back and forth between the Grizzlies and the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.
NBA G League Announces Participants For 2025 Up Next Event
The NBA G League announced today that 27 players have been selected to participate in the 2025 Up Next event at the NBA’s All-Star weekend next month in San Francisco.
The event – which highlights standout players at the G League level and essentially serves as the NBAGL All-Star Game – features a tournament-style format with four teams made up of seven players apiece. Those clubs face one another in semifinals (first team to 30 points), with the winners meeting in the final. All three games will be played on the afternoon of Sunday, February 16, ahead of the NBA’s All-Star Game.
Ten players for the next Up Next pool are selected by fan votes, while the other 18 are selected by the league. Here are the players who have been named as participants for the 2025 event:
Fan voting
Note: Players are listed in order of votes received. Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts with an NBA team.
- Yuki Kawamura (Memphis Hustle) *
- Justin Champagnie (Capital City Go-Go) *
- Jahlil Okafor (Indiana Mad Ants)
- Adama Sanogo (Windy City Bulls) *
- Skal Labissiere (Stockton Kings)
- Kevon Harris (College Park Skyhawks)
- Maozinha Pereira (Memphis Hustle)
- Trevelin Queen (Osceola Magic) *
- Armando Bacot (Memphis Hustle)
- Keisei Tominaga (Indiana Mad Ants)
G League selections
Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order. Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts with an NBA team.
- Moses Brown (Westchester Knicks)
- Josh Christopher (Sioux Falls Skyforce) *
- Jeff Dowtin (Delaware Blue Coats) *
- PJ Hall (Grand Rapids Gold) *
- Elijah Harkless (Salt Lake City Stars) *
- Isaac Jones (Stockton Kings) *
- A.J. Lawson (Raptors 905) *
- Isaiah Miller (Austin Spurs)
- Jaylen Nowell (Capital City Go-Go)
- Dink Pate (Mexico City Capitanes)
- Daeqwon Plowden (College Park Skyhawks) *
- Quinten Post (Santa Cruz Warriors) *
- Lester Quinones (Birmingham Squadron)
- DJ Steward (Memphis Hustle)
- TyTy Washington Jr. (Valley Suns) *
- Alondes Williams (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
- Jahmir Young (Grand Rapids Gold)
The G League announced 27 names today, leaving the pool one player shy of the 28 required for four seven-player teams. However, the NBAGL’s announcement says two more participants will be named at a later date to round out the player pool.
It’s unclear if there’s a math error happening here or if Pate will need to be replaced since he’s also participating in the Rising Stars event. Further confusing matters is the fact that Williams’ name shows up in the graphic released by the G League but not in the press release.
However it happens, the Up Next player pool will eventually increase to 28 names, with those players drafted into four teams by a quartet of “influencer” general managers and then coached by G League coaches at All-Star weekend.