Kings’ LaVine Out At Least One Week With Ankle Sprain
Kings guard Zach LaVine, who injured his left ankle on Sunday vs. Minnesota, has been diagnosed with a moderate ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in one week, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News in Sacramento (Twitter link).
LaVine sustained the injury when he rolled his ankle on a drive to the basket with 5:20 left in the second quarter of Sunday’s game (Twitter video link). He stayed in the game for another three minutes, then came out to warm up at halftime, but ultimately returned to the locker room without checking back into the game.
Through 23 appearances (all starts), LaVine has been the Kings’ leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game with a strong shooting line of .487/.385/.867. However, he has nearly as many turnovers (51) as assists (52), and his 2.3 assists per game are a career low. The club has also been outscored by 13.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court.
LaVine is considered a potential in-season trade candidate for the 6-20 Kings, but his defensive limitations and maximum-salary contract – which includes a $49MM player option for 2026/27 – will limit his value on the market.
Kings rookie Nique Clifford is the top candidate to take LaVine’s place in the starting five for the next few games. Clifford started last Thursday when LaVine sat out due to a thumb injury and opened the second half on Sunday with the starters.
Another injured Kings star, center Domantas Sabonis, will be reevaluated in the coming days, a league source tells James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). The club officially announced on November 20 that Sabonis had a partially torn meniscus in his left knee and would be reevaluated in about three or four weeks. This Thursday represents the four-week mark.
Jerami Grant Among Possible Targets On Bucks’ Radar
Echoing recent reporting from Marc Stein and Eric Nehm, Jake Fischer writes in his latest story for the Stein Line Substack that the Bucks are conveying to rival teams that they’d prefer to upgrade their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo rather than move their superstar forward.
One rival general manager who spoke to Fischer even suggested the Bucks are giving the impression that “they’re going big-game hunting” on the trade market.
Whether Milwaukee will maintain that stance by the February 5 trade deadline remains to be seen. As Fischer writes, some teams believe they’ll eventually pivot and become sellers, and many executives around the league think it would be in the Bucks’ best long-term interests to move Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later, even if he doesn’t request a trade.
For now though, given the Bucks’ lack of tradable draft picks, Fischer suggests that if they do pursue an upgrade, it might make sense to target a player whose contract isn’t especially team-friendly, since the cost would be lower. Kings guard Zach LaVine is one player who fits that bill and has been linked to Milwaukee. According to Fischer, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant is another player who has been on the team’s radar, both this season and in past years.
Grant is earning $32MM in 2025/26 and is owed another $70.6MM for the two seasons after this one. He had a down year in ’24/25, but has bounced back this fall, with averages of 20.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on .438/.395/.863 shooting through his first 25 outings.
Grant’s value has likely rebounded to some extent as a result of his strong start, and Fischer notes that general manager Joe Cronin has long been a fan of the veteran forward. Still, his contract probably isn’t considered to have positive value, so the idea of trading for Grant and perhaps seeking a draft pick in the deal (the Blazers control a handful of future Milwaukee picks as a result of the Damian Lillard trade) could appeal to the Bucks.
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins and Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray are two other players who have piqued the Bucks’ interest in the past, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that Milwaukee “regularly” called Golden State about Wiggins before he was dealt to Miami last season and also spoke to Atlanta about Murray before he was sent to New Orleans. Murray hasn’t played yet in 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles, but the Pelicans are hopeful he could return as soon as next month, per Fischer.
Fischer identifies Lakers guard Marcus Smart and Mavericks forward P.J. Washington as two more players the Bucks have previously had interest in, but acknowledges that Los Angeles is unlikely to move one of its best defenders, while Washington isn’t trade-eligible this season after recently signing an extension in Dallas.
Although Fischer doesn’t mention either player specifically, at least one of forward Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM) or new center Myles Turner ($25.3MM) would almost certainly have to be part of any significant Bucks deal not involving Giannis. Outside of Antetokounmpo ($54.1MM), they’re the only players on the roster earning more than $13.5MM this season.
Injury Notes: Morant, Clarke, Gafford, LaVine, Green
It was another case of one step forward, one step back on Monday for the injury-plagued Grizzlies, who recently had star point guard Ja Morant return from a calf injury at the same time center Zach Edey was ruled out for four weeks due to an ankle issue.
The Grizzlies registered an impressive 18-point road win over the Clippers on Monday, but Morant exited the game with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after turning his left ankle on a drive to the basket (video links). According to Mark Medina (Twitter link), head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game that Morant “tweaked” his ankle and would undergo further evaluation, adding that he’s hopeful that the injury isn’t significant.
While the Grizzlies and their fans await an update on Morant, there’s positive news on another injured player. Big man Brandon Clarke, who has yet to play this season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in September, was initially upgraded to doubtful for Monday’s game before being ruled out. Clarke is trending toward making his return as soon as Wednesday in Minnesota, tweets Michael Wallace of Grind City Media.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- With Dereck Lively II out for the season, the Mavericks figure to lean more heavily on center Daniel Gafford, but Gafford has been dealing with an injury of his own, having repeatedly aggravated a right ankle sprain, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Gafford was able to play on Monday after a three-game absence, but was limited to 13 minutes in an overtime loss for a Mavs team also missing Anthony Davis (left calf contusion). “It’s a bit of a balanced scale,” Gafford said before returning on Monday. “I want to be out there on the floor as much as I can. But at the same time, you have to listen to your body, especially through the course of a season. I just want to come back and be able to do the things I’m able to do out there on the floor and make an impact. I don’t want to be out there being a liability and hurting the team more than helping them.”
- After missing last Thursday’s game vs. Denver due to a thumb injury, Kings guard Zach LaVine returned on Sunday in Minnesota, but played just 16 minutes before injuring his left ankle and exiting the game. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, LaVine came out onto the court during halftime warmups after sustaining the injury in the second quarter, but hobbled off the floor and was ruled out for the rest of the night shortly thereafter. It’s unclear if the banged-up guard will miss additional time.
- Suns head coach Jordan Ott admitted that the team is playing it “pretty safe” with Jalen Green‘s right hamstring strain after he aggravated the injury in early November, two games into his season. “We’ve got to be in the mindset that this is a young athlete that is super valuable,” Ott said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “We’re going to take it day-by-day, week-by-week, but he has made really, really good progress.” Green has been doing some on-court work, according to Ott. A previous report indicated the Suns guard is trending toward a return shortly after Christmas.
Western Rumors: Kings, Wolves, White, Mavs, Murphy, Kuminga
Moving Zach LaVine‘s maximum-salary contract without attaching a draft pick as a sweetener could be a challenge for the Kings, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who suggests that Sacramento general manager Scott Perry views the team’s draft assets as a valuable part of a potential rebuild and isn’t inclined to move them.
With that in mind, Amick suggests there’s a “very real chance” that LaVine and other Kings veteran trade candidates, including Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, stay in Sacramento beyond this season’s trade deadline. As Amick points out, Perry has preached patience as he attempts to turn the Kings’ roster into one capable of contending.
League sources tell The Athletic that Sabonis has “heeded that call” for patience and is prepared to remain in Sacramento for the foreseeable future. The Wizards, Suns, and Bulls are among the teams that have had interest in Sabonis in the past and could still be suitors, according to Amick, but like LaVine, the veteran center won’t be easy to move due in part to his sizable contract.
Outside of the Kings’ veteran stars, guard Keon Ellis continues to be the trade candidate who holds the most intrigue around the NBA, but the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of hanging onto Ellis and working out an extension when he becomes eligible for one later this season, Amick writes. While that may be the case, I have to think that Ellis would have a more consistent role in Sacramento’s rotation if that path is really the team’s preferred outcome.
Here are several more trade-related items of interest from around the Western Conference:
- A team source confirmed to The Athletic that the Timberwolves have interest in Bulls guard Coby White, as was reported on Thursday. However, because White will likely be in line for a significant raise in the offseason, the Wolves may view him as a potential rental, which would make them less inclined to give up the sort of return Chicago would be seeking, Amick explains.
- While many NBA observers were anticipating a fire sale in Dallas following the Mavericks‘ slow start, one league source who spoke to Amick said there have been some indications that the Mavs are still mulling the possibility of pursuing upgrades on the current core this season rather than becoming a deadline seller. As Amick points out, Dallas is technically in a play-in spot right now at No. 10 in the West, so if the team expects to get Kyrie Irving back from his ACL tear in the coming months, the idea of making a postseason push isn’t outlandish.
- While the Warriors have long had interest wing Trey Murphy III, Amick has gotten “mixed” feedback on what the Pelicans think of Jonathan Kuminga, who would likely be a salary-matching piece in any Golden State offer for Murphy.
- Meanwhile, while Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area tweeted earlier this week that the Suns are still a potential suitor for Kuminga, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports (via Twitter) that Phoenix’s level of interest in the Warriors forward has dropped since the offseason. Part of what appealed to the Suns when they considered Kuminga during the offseason was the idea of getting him on a four-year contract, Gambadoro explains, so acquiring him on his current short-term deal holds less appeal.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Booker, Lakers’ Court, Post, LaVine
The Clippers are tied for 13th in the West at 6-18, but this season hasn’t been the complete disaster that the record would suggest, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscription required). L.A. has been competitive in numerous games before seeing them slip away at the end, including its last two losses at Memphis and Minnesota. The Clippers are only three games away from a play-in spot, and coach Tyronn Lue believes a turnaround is coming.
“We’ve really played some good basketball and had a chance to win those games,” he said. “So, when you look at it and you’re not able to close the game and finish the game, that’s the only thing that’s kind of frustrating. … I mean, we definitely can turn it around. One big shot, one big rebound, one less turnover, things like that. And when you’re able to do that, that’s when you can start winning games.”
Injuries have played a role in the disappointing start, as Bradley Beal was lost for the season after appearing in just six games, Kawhi Leonard has been limited to 14 outings and Derrick Jones Jr. has been sidelined since mid-November with an MCL sprain. Nicolas Batum said the team needs to find a way to overcome that adversity.
“It’s not an excuse, but it is a challenge every day to come with a different lineup,” he said. “When you start losing one, two, three, four, five games, you think about that also. We right now just need to focus on what we have. We have more than enough to beat teams and to be winning games.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- There was hope that Devin Booker might be able to return from a groin injury in time for tonight’s NBA Cup contest at Oklahoma City, but the Suns downgraded him to out shortly before game time, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He’s continuing to make progress,” coach Jordan Ott said (Twitter video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “We checked in with him after his work there in shootaround. He’s making great progress. We just need a couple of days. We’ll be smart with this thing. It’s a long season.”
- The Lakers won’t be using their NBA Cup court when they host the Spurs tonight, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. There were complaints that the surface was too slippery after it was unveiled for a November 25 game, and the Lakers opted for their normal court when they hosted Dallas in another NBA Cup contest three nights later. “That was bad,” Rui Hachimura said after playing on the court, per Dan Woike and Sam Jane of the Athletic. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally. Every second.”
- Warriors big man Quinten Post said last season’s playoff series against Houston showed him that he needed to get stronger so he could handle the NBA’s physical style of play, per Spencer Davies of RG. Post didn’t make his NBA debut until after Christmas last season, but now he’s an important part of Golden State’s rotation. “At first, your body has to get used to all the work that you put in, and you’re sore because we spent a lot of time in the weight room this summer,” Post said. “But now that the season has started, I definitely feel different just in being able to hold my ground and going up without fouling.”
- The Kings have ruled Zach LaVine out for Thursday’s game against Denver due to soreness in his right thumb, relays Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Dennis Schröder is doubtful with a strained right hip flexor.
Kings Rumors: Long-Term Plan, DeRozan, Sabonis, Kuminga
Appearing on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Sam Amick of The Athletic said that Kings general manager Scott Perry is trying to keep team owner Vivek Ranadive “at bay” and sell him on taking a long-term view toward rebuilding Sacramento’s roster.
“(Perry is trying to) convince him that this might take three, four, or five years to turn around,” Amick said.
In a follow-up tweet, Amick clarifies that Ranadive – who has historically been very involved in the team’s roster decisions – isn’t pushing back on a plan to rebuild the roster. Perry is simply making it clear, Amick says, that the organization’s approach needs to be extremely “patient and prudent.”
According to Amick, the Kings’ roster is very much “in flux,” with only a very small handful of younger players, such as forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, looking like locks to be part of Sacramento’s future.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Within the same FanDuel appearance, Amick said he views DeMar DeRozan as a more likely in-season trade candidate than either Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis, who have larger contracts that would be more difficult to move.
- Sabonis is at his best when he can be the hub of an offense, according to Amick, but most teams wouldn’t be targeting him to be that player, which would be another factor that makes a trade more complicated. “I’ve talked to his camp recently,” Amick said of Sabonis. “It does not sound like they anticipate (him) being moved at the deadline. It’s more a message of patience.”
- The Kings, who seemed to be Jonathan Kuminga‘s top rival suitor when he was a restricted free agent this past offseason, remain interested in the Warriors forward, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said during Monday’s edition of NBA Today on ESPN (YouTube link). However, according to Spears, the Kings may no longer be willing to offer what they did over the summer. “They threw (Malik) Monk at it before, and a first(-round pick),” Spears said. “But I don’t think that first would be available anymore.”
Charania’s Latest: Mavs, Pacers, T. Young, Nets, Kuminga, Kings
While the Mavericks are expected to explore trade options involving star forward/center Anthony Davis, he isn’t the only notable Dallas player who could be on the move this winter, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Sources tell Charania that the Mavs are also open to exploring the trade markets for center Daniel Gafford, swingman Klay Thompson, and point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Gafford signed a three-year, $54.4MM extension over the summer that will take effect in 2026/27, but remains trade-eligible because that deal didn’t exceed the extend-and-trade limits; Thompson is earning $16.7MM this season and is owed a $17.5MM guaranteed salary in 2026/27; and Russell is making $5.7MM in 2025/26, with a $6MM player option for next season.
As Charania observes, Thompson was sold on joining the Mavericks during the 2024 offseason in large part because he’d get to team up with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. But Doncic is no longer on the roster and Irving has been sidelined for over nine months due to an ACL tear. The Mavs are off to a 9-16 start this season and teams around the NBA know that Thompson would prefer to be on a team close to title contention, Charania continues.
While head coach Jason Kidd and minority owner Mark Cuban have some input in personnel decisions, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, who are currently running the Mavs’ front office as co-interim general managers, have been empowered to lead conversations about the team’s future, says Charania. Both Finley and Riccardi are expected to be candidates to keep the GM job on a permanent basis when the club conducts a full-fledged search after the season, sources tell ESPN.
Here are a few more items of interest from Charania’s latest ‘Inside Pass’ article for ESPN.com:
- The Pacers are engaged in trade talks in the hopes of finding a long-term answer at the center position, Charania reports. The team has been deploying Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, and Tony Bradley in the middle so far this season in the wake of Myles Turner‘s departure in free agency.
- While there has been some trade speculation centered around Trae Young this fall, the Hawks believe the star point guard will “elevate” the team once he returns from a sprained MCL that has kept him on the shelf since late October, according to Charania, who hears from sources that Young is optimistic about returning to action later this month.
- The Nets are still the only NBA team with cap room and continue to have trade discussions about how they might use that remaining room to take on salary along with additional assets, sources tell ESPN. Charania adds that Brooklyn may end up working with Cam Thomas‘ representatives to find a trade destination that works for the fifth-year guard, who has an implicit no-trade clause after accepting his one-year qualifying offer in September.
- Charania confirms that the Warriors will explore trades involving Jonathan Kuminga, who is eligible to be moved as of January 15, and that the Kings are being “open-minded” about possible deals involving most players on their roster, with Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Keon Ellis among the potential targets being monitored by rivals.
Clippers Notes: Next Steps, Leonard, Harden, LaVine
What’s the best path forward for the 6-16 Clippers? Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN spoke to executives and scouts about that topic, with one of those execs pointing out that it’s in the best interest of 29 teams to come up with an answer that question, since L.A. owes the defending champion Thunder an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.
“We might need to get everyone in the league on a Zoom and brainstorm some ideas,” that executive joked. “Invite everybody except (Thunder general manager) Sam (Presti).”
As Bontemps and Windhorst outline, there was no consensus among their sources about what the ideal next step for the Clippers is. While several scouts and executives believe it would be in the team’s best interests to make in-season moves on the trade market, some think L.A. should be a buyer and other view the club as a seller.
Other sources who spoke to ESPN suggested the Clippers would be better off standing pat, suggesting that their roster – headlined by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac – isn’t as bad as the record suggests.
“There are going to be several teams ahead of them in the standings that are eventually going to tank and (the Clippers) will be able to pass them,” one veteran executive told Windhorst. “They won’t admit it now, but there are stealth tankers already at play. You’ll be coming to me asking about the tanking epidemic in the spring.”
“It’s got to be better than this,” a Western Conference scout told Bontemps. “Ty Lue is a great coach. With Zubac, Harden and Kawhi, you’re just too talented to be this bad all season. You have to hold. We’ve only seen (22) games of it. Yes, it’s been terrible, but what can you do?”
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Among the scouts and executives who told ESPN the Clippers should be in-season buyers, the general feeling was that their cap situation – which includes several expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts – puts them in a good position to go shopping for a “blue light special” before February’s deadline. “There will be teams who will be willing to dump players in two months,” one exec told Windhorst. “Guys who might be able to help them.”
- One scout who spoke to Bontemps specifically pointed to Kings guard Zach LaVine as a player who may appeal to the Clippers. LaVine would bring athleticism and give L.A. another scorer on the wing, and the cost would be modest — if the Clippers were to send out only expiring contracts, they might even be able to extract a draft pick from the Kings along with LaVine, who has a $49MM player option for next season, Bontemps writes. To clarify, there has been no reporting indiating that the Clips have interest in LaVine, so this is just speculation.
- Although Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has deep pockets and has never gone into rebuilding mode since buying the team in 2014, some rival executives are wondering whether the team will consider it in this case, especially since its cap situation is relatively favorable.“There are a lot of ways to use cap space, and if they don’t believe in this core they could really turn their team over in a year if they got flexibility,” an assistant GM told Windhorst. “You look at what they figured out in Phoenix. They had a team that was too old and turned over that roster and it changed their entire outlook.”
- One potential complication in a rebuilding scenario would be maximizing the return for veteran stars like Leonard and Harden on the trade market. The cap circumvention investigation into Leonard and his apparent no-show endorsement deal with Aspiration would limit the forward’s appeal, Bontemps writes. “James has maybe neutral value,” one Eastern Conference scout speculated. “Kawhi has negative value.”
- Asked this week whether the Clippers’ unexpected split with future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul will diminish their reputation among players and agents, affecting their ability to recruit veteran stars in the future, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said it’s important the Clippers “own it,” per Law Murray of The Athletic. “You give context to everything. I don’t think you hide from it,” Frank said. “… With that being said, you still have to do what’s right for the team and organization, and we still feel that we have a terrific organization. … We’ve had a really, really successful run during the regular season with different iterations of the team. Chris was a large part of it, and then we were able to get into the conference finals on the next iteration of team, and now we’re on the next iteration of the team. And I do think we have to earn our way every time. But I’m also very, very, very confident that this will always be a destination franchise as long as Steve is owning the team.”
Siegel’s Latest: DeRozan, Sabonis, Wolves, Claxton, Kuminga, Wiggins
Of the three Kings veteran stars considered in-season trade candidates, DeMar DeRozan looks like the one most likely to be on the move ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
As Siegel explains, DeRozan’s relatively team-friendly contract structure – $24.6MM this season and a $10MM partial guarantee on his $25.7MM salary for 2026/27 – makes him a more manageable investment for most clubs than either Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis. LaVine is earning $47.5MM this season, with a $49MM player option for ’26/27, while Sabonis will be owed $94MM over the next two seasons after making $42.3MM in ’25/26.
The Bucks, Clippers, Heat, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies are some of the potential suitors to watch for DeRozan, says Siegel, though he doesn’t explicitly state that all those clubs have shown interest in the veteran forward.
Sabonis, who is currently on the shelf with a meniscus tear, will likely have to show he’s healthy before drawing real interest on the trade market. According to Siegel, the Sacramento big man isn’t expected to begin the return-to-play portion of his recovery process until sometime around Christmas.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NBA, courtesy of Siegel:
- There’s a “growing sense” that the Timberwolves would be willing to sell high on forward Julius Randle in the right deal this season, Siegel writes. Minnesota is known to be on the lookout for a point guard, having checked in on Ja Morant. The team has also inquired about Cavaliers guard Darius Garland for the past year-plus, sources tell Siegel. However, the Wolves’ lack of tradable first-round picks will be complicate their ability to make any major moves.
- Nets center Nic Claxton is considered a trade candidate and has come up in discussions with sources around the NBA as a possible Warriors target, Siegel writes. However, given that the Nets showed no interest in pursuing Jonathan Kuminga using their cap room when he was a restricted free agent over the summer, it doesn’t appear the fifth-year forward would be a target for Brooklyn. Claxton has also been considered a potential Lakers target dating back to last season, Siegel notes.
- The Pacers are among the teams that have been keeping an eye on Kuminga, having “quietly” scouted him since the start of last season, according to Siegel, who wonders if the Warriors would have any interest in a deal involving Bennedict Mathurin. There’s a sense around the league that Indiana might look to move a player like Mathurin, Jarace Walker, or Obi Toppin due in part to the club’s cap situation going forward, Siegel adds.
- The Warriors are known to have interest in forwards Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones and will likely talk to the Pelicans during the season, Siegel writes. It’s unclear if New Orleans would be open to moving either Murphy or Jones, but they represent the sort of “versatile wings” that Golden State will likely be targeting in a Kuminga trade, Siegel explains.
- If the Heat were to trade Andrew Wiggins this season, they’d be seeking a first-round pick, plus a player or two who could step into their rotation and be a positive contributor, per Siegel. The Lakers were linked to Wiggins during the offseason and the Bucks also inquired about him, Siegel reports, but Miami hasn’t had any serious trade talks about the veteran forward as of late.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Gillespie, Kings, LaVine
Star guard James Harden remains confident the struggling Clippers can turn things around after a disappointing 5-13 start to the season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Los Angeles has a pair of seemingly winnable matchups on tap, facing Memphis (7-12) on Friday and then Dallas (5-14) on Saturday.
“What else are we going to do? Confidence (comes) every day when we wake up, right?” the 12-time All-Star said after the Clippers’ 135-118 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. “We got a lot of games left where we can hit a stride, but we’ve dealt with literally everything you can do from injuries to different lineup changes. …We’re figuring it out. But tonight was a good step, start for us.”
According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden is dealing foot soreness but he is not listed on Friday’s injury report. Veteran wing Bogdan Bogdanovic has been ruled out for a fourth consecutive game due to a left hip contusion, Murray adds.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers anticipate having Deandre Ayton back for Friday’s game vs. Dallas, listing their starting center as probable to play after he missed Tuesday’s contest with a right knee contusion, tweets Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Marcus Smart‘s status is more uncertain, as he’s questionable against the Mavericks due to back spasms.
- Amid injuries to Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain), Collin Gillespie received his first start of the season on Wednesday and played well, recording 21 points and nine assists in 34 minutes during the victory in Sacramento. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic wonders whether the former Villanova point guard has done enough this season to warrant consideration for a full-time starting role when the Suns are back at full strength. Green, Allen and Dunn will all be sidelined again on Friday at Oklahoma City, Rankin notes (via Twitter).
- Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Kings had won two straight contests after an eight-game losing streak. They experienced another setback on Wednesday, according to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, with Zach LaVine setting the wrong type of tone early by committing consecutive turnovers on the team’s first two offensive possessions. The Kings trailed by 25 points after the first period and never held a lead in the eventual 12-point loss. “Not good,” said LaVine, who finished with 13 points (on 5-of-14 shooting) and six turnovers. “We’re frustrated we’re not winning. Guys are frustrated they’re not playing right or playing the way to best suit them. We’re all trying our heart out though. That’s what we get paid for.”