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Southwest Notes: Fox, Spurs Injuries, Pelicans Core, Coward

December 7th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

With Victor Wembanyama out, De’Aaron Fox has stepped into a leadership role and brought the Spurs‘ offense together, Jared Weiss writes for The Athletic. Fox has become increasingly comfortable getting into the teeth of the defense and then kicking out to shooters, Weiss writes. He has also helped the team get its turnover issues under control.

Weiss notes that the Spurs’ game plan around Wembanyama can, at times, make their offense more predictable, but Fox’s speed and creativity add wrinkles that will help open things up as he continues to build chemistry with San Antonio’s young star.

Fox has also helped the offense with his improved shooting from deep, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Despite averaging 33.2% from three for his career, he is currently shooting 37.8% on 6.4 attempts per game, a weapon which was deployed on two clutch possessions to seal a victory over the Magic on Wednesday.

“If we’re going to play one-on-one, a lot of defenders in this league give me a step, knowing that I’m trying to get downhill,” Fox said. “If they give me the step, I have the confidence to step back, knowing that I have time and space to knock shots down.”

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet are both questionable for the Spurs’ game against the Pelicans on Monday, McDonald notes (via Twitter), adding that there’s some level of optimism about both being able to make a go of it. Castle missed the last nine games for San Antonio with a hip injury, while Kornet missed the Spurs’ loss against the Cavaliers with an ankle injury. Castle is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in his second season.
While rumors have begun to circulate about the future of the Pelicans‘ core veteran trio of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones, some sources around the team say that New Orleans has not held trade talks with other teams about any of the three, reports Rod Walker for NOLA.com. The Pelicans are currently a league-worst 3-21 on the season.
The Grizzlies‘ prized rookie Cedric Coward is looking to accelerate his development by seeking guidance from one of the league’s great wings, Kawhi Leonard, according to Matt Infield of WMC Action News 5 (Twitter video link). “I asked him, like, in the summer, could we get some work in together?” Coward said after the Grizzlies’ win over the Clippers on Friday. “He’s not on social media, so I gotta figure out a way to talk to him.”

Wembanyama, Castle Return To Spurs Practice

December 7th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Star center Victor Wembanyama and 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle were full participants in the Spurs‘ practice on Sunday, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who reports that backup guard Jordan McLaughlin participated as well.

“It’s definitely amazing to see everyone back working,” guard Dylan Harper said. “We did well without those guys. Now when they come back, you’ll see a whole other team.”

Wembanyama has missed the past 10 games with a left calf strain he sustained on November 15. He is not expected to play in Monday’s game vs. New Orleans and is considered “iffy” for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal at the Lakers, McDonald writes.

Castle, who has been out for the last nine games due to a left hip flexor strain, is likely to return to action tomorrow against the Pelicans, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN (Twitter link).

Veteran point guard McLaughlin will at least be out again Monday, says McDonald. He has been dealing with a right hamstring strain.

Obviously, the injury updates are welcome news for the Spurs, who will soon be getting two of their top players back. San Antonio is currently 15-7, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Fischer’s Latest: Giannis, Knicks, Nets, Hawks, Spurs, Warriors

December 5th, 2025 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

When the Bucks briefly explored the possibility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade over the summer, the Knicks were the only team they spoke to, with the star forward having reportedly expressed some interest in the idea of playing in New York.

Given Antetokounmpo’s apparent affinity for the Big Apple, the Nets have long believed they could have a real shot at winning the Giannis sweepstakes if he ever ends up on the trade block, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, according to Fischer, while the Knicks continue to be viewed as a credible threat to land the two-time MVP, Brooklyn is no longer being described in the same terms.

As Fischer explains, the Nets are prioritizing a high pick in the 2026 draft in the hopes of landing a young franchise player to build around, and don’t have the sort of championship-caliber roster that Antetokounmpo would be seeking in the event that he requests a trade.

The Knicks, conversely, have a roster better equipped to contend with Giannis, but may lack the assets to sell Milwaukee on a deal. For what it’s worth, Fischer hears from multiple sources that Antetokounmpo told at least one Bucks teammate during the offseason that he thought a deal with the Knicks was close to happening, though multiple reports have indicated that the two teams didn’t gain real traction in their discussions.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Hawks could make a compelling offer for Antetokounmpo by offering the 2026 first-round pick they acquired from New Orleans back in June. If the Bucks were to acquire that pick, they’d control both their own and the Pelicans’ first-rounders in the upcoming draft. Fischer says he has been repeatedly – and “quite strongly” – told since the start of the season that Atlanta won’t trade that “most favorable” first-rounder, which could end up with the best odds to be No. 1 overall, but he believes the Hawks’ front office would have to at least consider the idea if it meant adding a superstar like Giannis.
The Spurs have talked to Antetokounmpo’s U.S.-based agent Alex Saratsis multiple times over the years about the possibility of joining their front office, sources tell Fischer. Despite that link between the two parties, Fischer says there’s no guarantee San Antonio would be a major player in the Giannis sweepstakes if he seeks a deal, noting that the Spurs have thus far been unwilling to consider moving either Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle, even for Antetokounmpo.
During past trade discussions for other players, the Warriors have “never been close” to putting both Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski in the same package, Fischer writes. They also have never seriously entertained any scenario in which they trade Draymond Green. However, Fischer thinks the club would be open to reconsidering both of those possibilities if Antetokounmpo is on the table.

Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo

December 4th, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of a Shams Charania report stating that star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has reopened conversations with the Bucks about his future, head coach Doc Rivers – who dismissed Antetokounmpo-related trade speculation in October – reacted with exasperation when asked about the latest rumors.

“So, here we go again. There’s been no conversations,” Rivers told reporters, including Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I want to make it clear for the – I want to say one more time – for the 50th time, and clearly it’s not getting to one network, for sure, Giannis has never asked to be traded. Ever. I can’t make that more clear. … I talk to the source every single day, every single day. And he loves Milwaukee and he loves the Bucks.”

Rivers’ veiled shot at ESPN was likely a reference not only to Charania’s reporting but also to a comment made by another one of the network’s NBA reporters, Brian Windhorst, during an ESPN Cleveland radio appearance (Twitter video link).

Windhorst went viral on Wednesday after saying that Antetokounmpo “asked to be traded already” prior to the season, a reference to the Bucks’ trade talks with the Knicks reportedly instigated by Giannis. During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning, Windhorst walked back that remark to some extent.

“Doc can say with a straight face that there was no trade demand, and I think that’s true. He didn’t demand it,” Windhorst said of Antetokounmpo (YouTube link). “However, those (offseason) discussions (with the Knicks) were not the Bucks’ idea, I assure you.”

Team sources who spoke to Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic downplayed the “severity” of the situation with Giannis and confirmed that he hasn’t formally requested a trade at this point.

However, with Milwaukee off to a slow start this season and Antetokounmpo raising eyebrows by scrubbing his social media accounts of virtually all their content, leaving little reference to the Bucks, speculation will continue to run rampant as potential suitors keep a close eye on the situation.

“I talked to teams yesterday that immediately scheduled meetings to talk about whether they would make an offer (if Antetokounmpo requests a trade),” Windhorst said on Get Up. “The Knicks would potentially be on Giannis’ list, but the feel would be that Giannis might expand (that list). … Because he’s only got one guaranteed year left (after this season), he would probably have a role in directing where the Bucks might send him.”

Windhorst added that all involved parties – including Giannis and the Bucks – would probably like to have clarity on which way the situation is headed within the next couple weeks or so, and pointed to December 15 as a date to watch, since many offseason signees become trade-eligible at that point.

Here’s more on Giannis and the Bucks:

Brian Lewis of The New York Post has long reported that the Nets have interest in Antetokounmpo, but he suggests the timing might not be right for Brooklyn if the two-time MVP requests a trade in the coming weeks or months. As Lewis explains, the Nets are now in full-on tank mode and don’t yet have an obvious young franchise player to pair with Giannis.
The Heat would and should be interested in Antetokounmpo if he were to ask for a change of scenery, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. However, Winderman suggests that including Bam Adebayo in an offer would be a “non-starter” for Miami and it’s unclear if the rest of the team’s assets would be enough to entice Milwaukee — especially if the Heat aren’t offered any compensation from the NBA for the first-round pick they traded for Terry Rozier without knowing he was being looked at for unusual betting activity.
ESPN’s NBA experts take a look at five hypothetical trades that might work for the Bucks and Antetokounmpo, exploring scenarios that send the star forward to the Hawks, Rockets, Knicks, Spurs, and Warriors.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future and the fact that he left Wednesday’s game after just three minutes due to a calf injury, the Bucks picked up their best win of the season, beating Detroit by a score of 113-109. Big man Bobby Portis said the Bucks had a team meeting before the game that helped everyone “get settled in,” as Jack Maloney of CBS Sports relays (via Twitter).
In case you missed it, Antetokounmpo’s calf strain is expected to keep him on the shelf for about two-to-four weeks.

Injury Updates On Wembanyama, Castle

December 2nd, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Injured Spurs Victor Wembanyama (left calf strain) and Stephon Castle (left hip flexor strain) are out again on Tuesday vs. Memphis, but they are making progress and have begun on-court work, relays Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter). According to Mike Finger of the Express-News (Twitter link), neither player will travel to Orlando for Wednesday’s back-to-back, and while there’s a chance they could eventually join the four-game road trip that runs through next Wednesday, that doesn’t necessarily either of the past two Rookie of the Year winners will play during that stretch.

Pullin, Chandler, Chance Claim NBA G League Awards

December 2nd, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Zyon Pullin, who opened the 2025/26 season with the Iowa Wolves after being released by the Timberwolves in October, has been named the NBA G League’s Player of the Month for November, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

In seven Tip-Off Tournament games (34.0 minutes per contest) with Iowa this season, Pullin has averaged 27.7 points, 5.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds, with a scorching-hot shooting line of .667/.545/.903.

A 6’4″ guard out of Florida, Pullin played for UC Riverside from 2019-23 before transferring to the Gators for his super-senior year. He was an All-SEC honoree in 2023/24 after averaging 15.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest in 33 games (27 starts), with a shooting line of .444/.449/.847.

Pullin quickly signed a two-way contract with the Heat after going undrafted in 2024, but was cut in July and opened last season in the G League prior to signing another two-way deal in January, this time with Memphis. He played three NBA games for the Grizzlies, having spent most of his rookie campaign in the NBAGL with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami’s affiliate) and the Memphis Hustle.

The 24-year-old signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Grizzlies but didn’t play out the entire contract, having been cut in July. He caught on with Minnesota for training camp, inking a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.

The NBA also announced (Twitter links) the G League’s Player of the Week (for games played from Nov. 24-30), which went to Delaware Blue Coats point guard Kennedy Chandler, and the Coach of the Month, which was won by Jacob Chance of the Austin Spurs.

Chandler, the 38th pick in the 2022 draft, has been playing for the Sixers‘ affiliate this fall after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Philadelphia for training camp. He averaged 25.0 points and 12.3 assists in three games last week — the Blue Coats went 2-1 in those contests.

In eight games this fall (36.0 MPG), the 23-year-old Chandler is averaging 21.8 PPG, 10.1 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1.8 SPG on .468/.265/.667 shooting.

As for Chance, he guided Austin to a 9-1 record in November the second-best mark in the NBAGL. Raptors 905 coach Drew Jones was also deserving of the coaching award, notes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) — Toronto’s affiliate is undefeated at 8-0 and has the best defensive and net ratings in the G League.

Wembanyama Showing Commitment To Spurs While Injured

November 30th, 2025 at 10:43pm CST by Rory Maher

Injured star Victor Wembanyama has been cheering on the Spurs as he continues to recover from a calf strain, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The French big man has been leading the team’s supporter section — nicknamed “The Jackals” — during recent home games. In fact, Wembanyama came up with the idea of the section and hand-picked the captains over the summer, McDonald writes. “The saying goes, when people show you who they are, believe them,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s been committed and invested. He’s trusted. He’s worked. He’s had his actions back up his words. It’s awesome.”

Southwest Notes: Flagg, Washington, Morant, Vassell

November 30th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Cooper Flagg made history for the Mavericks on back-to-back nights, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN.

One day after becoming the youngest player to record 10 or more assists in a game, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, sneaking the record in five days earlier than LeBron James accomplished the same feat in 2003. Most importantly, Flagg’s 35 points came in a win, which have been few and far between for a struggling Mavericks team this fall.

“He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You can call it point guard or whatever, but he ran the offense for us. He drove the ball. The ball touched the paint. He got to the rim, got to the free throw line, stepped up and made free throws for us late.”

Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who had one of his best games of the season in the win, spoke highly of Flagg following Saturday’s game.

“Cooper’s upside is limitless,” Thompson said. “He has every tool to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”

Thompson also threw out a lofty comparison to his situation in relation to Flagg, according to The Athletic’s Christian Clark, making reference to the Lakers in the first year of Kobe Bryant’s career.

“I feel like [Byron Scott] sometimes,” Thompson said. “The old, wise veteran. The future of the franchise to my side. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it. To be witnesses to what he’s going to do for a long time.”

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

Mavericks forward P.J. Washington was a late scratch on Saturday due to a right ankle sprain suffered when he slipped on a ball during warmups, Mike Curtis writes for the Dallas Morning News. Washington, who was still active for the game, was initially listed as questionable to return, but was ruled out around the end of the first quarter. His status for Dallas’ upcoming three-game road trip is unclear.
Ja Morant will be reevaluated next week once the Grizzlies return to Memphis on Tuesday following their four-game road trip, tweets Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. This update is in line with the timeline announced for Morant when he initially was diagnosed with the calf strain. Wallace notes that the point guard is currently engaged in light on-court warmup work.
Devin Vassell has been on a tear of late, scoring more points in the Spurs‘ past two games than in any other two-game stretch of his career, writes Jeff McDonald for the San Antonio Express-News. That run included a 35-point explosion in a win against the Nuggets on Friday night, in which his teammates were well aware of the zone he was in. “[Keldon Johnson] told me in the last two minutes if the ball comes to me, don’t think,” Vassell said. “Just be aggressive and shoot.” As impressive as Vassell’s scoring was, head coach Mitch Johnson was happy to see the intensity the 25-year-old brought on the defensive end of the court. “He’s becoming a winning player,” Johnson said. “We’ve got our arm around him and our foot up his backside to continue to do it. He’s a difference maker when he does that.”

Field Set For NBA Cup Knockout Round

November 29th, 2025 at 7:41am CST by Dana Gauruder

The group stage of the NBA Cup was completed on Friday, determining the matchups for the knockout round.

In the East, Group B winner — the Magic — captured the No. 1 seed. The Raptors, the Group A victor, snared the No. 2 seed with the Knicks, who emerged from Group C, in the No. 3 slot. The Heat earned the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

On the West side, the Thunder grabbed the No. 1 seed after taking Group A. The Lakers, who won Group B, got the No. 2 seed with the Spurs, the Group C winner, nailing down the No. 3 seed. The Suns collected the wild card bid and No. 4 seed.

Here is the knockout round schedule, per NBA.com:

Quarterfinals

December 9
- No. 4 Heat at No. 1 Magic (6:00 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Knicks at No. 2 Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET)
December 10
- No. 4 Suns at No. 1 Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET)
- No. 3 Spurs at No. 2 Lakers (10:00 p.m. ET)

Semifinals

Saturday, Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)

Championship

Tuesday, Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)

Meanwhile, the 22 teams who did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup have each had two regular season games added to their initial 80 to fill that mid-December gap on their schedules.

Here are the newly added games for those clubs, according to the league:

December 11:

L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans
Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings

December 12:

Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets
Atlanta Hawks at Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards
Utah Jazz at Memphis Grizzlies
Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors

December 14:

Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Hornets at Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers

December 15:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz
Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies at L.A. Clippers

Regular season games for NBA Cup quarterfinalists:

If Toronto and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Miami at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
If Toronto and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Orlando at New York game will be played on Dec. 14
If New York and Orlando advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Miami game will be played on Dec. 15
If New York and Miami advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Toronto at Orlando game will be played on Dec. 15
If San Antonio and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Phoenix game will be played on Dec. 14
If San Antonio and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City game will be played on Dec. 14
If L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Phoenix at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15
If L.A. Lakers and Phoenix advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals, the Oklahoma City at San Antonio game will be played on Dec. 15

Six NBA Cup Quarterfinal Spots Up For Grabs On Friday

November 27th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

After the NBA takes Thanksgiving off on Thursday, the final group stage games of this year’s NBA Cup take place on Friday, with 22 teams in action (eight teams have already wrapped up their four-game schedules).

Although 49 of the 60 group stage contests have been played so far, we still only know two of the eight clubs that will advance to the knockout round of the in-season tournament — the Raptors have clinched Eastern Conference Group A, while the Lakers have locked up Western Conference Group B.

That leaves six quarterfinal spots up for grabs on Friday, with 12 teams still in the running for them. Here’s a breakdown of how those 12 teams can qualify for the knockout round:

(Note: The first two tiebreakers for teams with the same records are head-to-head results and point differential).

Eastern Conference Group A

Although Toronto has secured its spot atop this group, the Cavaliers (2-1 record, +33 point differential) remain in the hunt for the East’s wild card berth. The Cavs will play in Atlanta on Friday and would be pretty well positioned for that wild card spot if they can pick up a win — especially if they blow out the Hawks in the process and their point differential continues to grow.

Eastern Conference Group B

The Magic (3-0, +61) will visit the Pistons (2-1, +24) on Friday, with the winner of that game claiming Group B. Wild card hopefuls from other Eastern Conference groups will be rooting for Orlando, since the Magic would still be in great shape for a wild card spot with a loss in Detroit — as long as they don’t lose by a ton.

Eastern Conference Group C

Three teams are still alive in Group C, with the Knicks (2-1, +26) and Bucks (2-1, +13) both vying to become the first team to make the quarterfinals in three consecutive NBA Cups. The Heat (3-1, +49) currently sit atop the group though and would win it if Milwaukee beats New York on Friday, since the Heat hold the tiebreaker over the Bucks. The Knicks beat the Heat earlier in group play, however, so a win over Milwaukee would give New York the top spot in Group C.
While the Bucks technically still have a path to the East’s wild card spot, their modest point differential will make it an uphill battle. Milwaukee would need a win in New York and might need both Cleveland and Detroit to lose too.

Western Conference Group A

The Thunder (3-0, +71) will host the Suns (3-0, +35) on Friday, with the winner of that game clinching West Group A. Given the two teams’ strong point differentials, it’s very possible the loser of this game will be the West’s wild card team, though a lopsided loss would hurt Phoenix’s chances. That +71 mark gives Oklahoma City far more breathing room, so it would be a shock if the defending champs don’t advance.

Western Conference Group B

The Lakers have clinched this group, but the Grizzlies (2-1, +9) and Clippers (2-1, -15) haven’t been eliminated from wild card contention yet. They’ll face one another in L.A. on Friday and the winner will finish group play with a 3-1 record. Still, that team could be hard-pressed to surpass the loser of the OKC/Phoenix showdown in overall point differential, so it’s very possible neither the Grizzlies nor the Clippers advance.

Western Conference Group C

The equation is simple in West Group C, where the Spurs (2-1, +23) are visiting the Nuggets (2-1, +26) with the group crown on the line. The winner of that game will make the quarterfinals, while the loser will be eliminated.