NBA Basketball 3d Briefing
×Player Movement & Injuries
James Harden espn.com suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb and was ruled out for Wednesday night's game against the Bucks after the injury occurred Tuesday against the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Pelicans celebrated Murray's return espn.com with the guard scoring 13 points in his comeback from a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Dejounte Murray espn.com made his return for the Pelicans against the Warriors as expected.
Jalen Johnson espn.com exited Tuesday's win over the Wizards after playing only 5½ minutes with a left hip flexor injury. Trail Blazers guard Sheadon Sharpe espn.com was diagnosed with a stress reaction of the left fibula and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks. Utah center Jusuf Nurkic espn.com will undergo nose surgery this week and will miss the rest of the season.
Game Results & Highlights
The Lakers lost to the Magic espn.com 110-109 on Tuesday after a botched sidelines out-of-bounds play between Le Bron James and Luka Doncic in the final seconds failed to produce a quality shot. Jonathan Kuminga espn.com shined in his debut for the Hawks after months of riding the bench in Golden State. The Kings snapped a 16-game losing streak espn.com - the longest in franchise history - with a 123-114 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday night.
The Spurs won their ninth straight game espn.com by beating the Pistons in a physical contest that was called a potential NBA Finals preview. Trae Young returned to Atlanta espn.com on Tuesday night, his first appearance in his longtime home since he was dealt to the Wizards.
Coaching & Management Updates
The Lakers added Tony Bennett espn.com as NBA draft adviser to president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. New Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen espn.com confirmed that Pelinka will remain in his role and be flanked by Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle espn.com questioned the NBA's process for issuing a $100K fine for violating the league's player participation policy, a claim the NBA has disputed. The Hawks have removed Zaccharie Risacher espn.com from the starting lineup in favor of veteran CJ Mc Collum.
League News & Business
Jontay Porter espn.com, banned for life by the NBA for gambling in 2024 and currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a related federal charge, is planning to play for the USBL's Super Hawks. Suns owner Mat Ishbia espn.com wants more star players participating in All-Star Weekend events when Phoenix hosts next year and is offering a $1 million prize to the winners of certain contests.
Scotty Pippen Jr. espn.com and Miami Heat forward Myron Gardner were fined $35,000 each for their scuffle in a game over the weekend. The NBA power rankings espn.com have been released with all 30 teams assessed coming out of the All-Star break.
Player Recognition & Awards
The odds to win the NBA's regular-season MVP award espn.com have tightened, with Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver's Nikola Jokic at risk of not qualifying for the award. After Jaylen Brown fueled the Celtics' win over the Lakers, he received an MVP endorsement espn.com from Le Bron James. The Lakers honored Pat Riley espn.com with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
Fantasy & Analysis
Fantasy analysts suggest adding Melton, Wallace and Raynaud espn.com for the homestretch as these players can help fill holes in rosters. A look around the league reveals Zion Williamson espn.com finding the ability to stay on the court, plus emerging options on the Clippers, Kings and Jazz. Kenny Atkinson espn.com noted the "renewed confidence" the addition of James Harden has brought to his Cavaliers team.
Kevin Durant plans to play espn.com in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and bemoaned U.S. hoops critics. USA Basketball faces new decisions espn.com with Los Angeles 2028 up next on the Olympic calendar.