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Nuggets Notes: Valanciunas, Jordan, Jokic, Murray

October 30th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nuggets have been pleased with the play of backup big man Jonas Valanciunas early on this season, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. During the second quarter of Wednesday’s win over New Orleans, head coach David Adelman was able to rest Nikola Jokic for nearly eight-and-a-half minutes, with Denver extending its lead during that stretch.

“To have different guys and have different energy, I like that,” said Jokic. “(Valanciunas) is definitely a threat down (low). The guy can score, and he’s big and dominant down there. He’s getting people to collapse on him, and he’s a really good passer. So, it’s definitely an advantage for us.”

Valanciunas had a productive night, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes. Jokic wasn’t the only key Nugget to compliment the Lithuanian big man.

“‘Big Val’ is nice, you know?” Aaron Gordon said, per Saunders. “He’s certified. He’s just really, really, really, really good. So there’s not a huge drop-off. He’s just smart. Knows his game. Knows his spots. He’s bigger than every other matchup he has on him. And he settles down that second unit. When things get stymied or we can’t find a bucket, you can play through Big Val, just like how we play through ‘Joker.’”

We have more on the Nuggets:

Just five days after signing a guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans, veteran center DeAndre Jordan faced off against his former team on Wednesday, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. Jordan, 37, spent the past three seasons with the Nuggets, including winning a championship as a role player in 2023. “Definitely some emotions for sure,” Jordan said before Wednesday’s game. “Spent three years here. It was great. My teammates, coaches, everything. The fans were amazing. So it’s definitely some (emotions) running through (me) right now, coming here and seeing the locker room and the banner again. … I owe a lot to Denver.” Adelman praised Jordan’s locker-room presence, Durando adds. “Such a big part of what we were in that locker room, his personality, not just for the players but for the staff,” Adelman said after joking that Jordan’s three years in Denver felt like 30. “All-time vet. … I’m glad he’s back in the league.”
Jokic tied an NBA record on Wednesday by notching his fourth consecutive triple-double to open the season, notes Durando of The Denver Post. The three-time MVP center recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory against the Pelicans.
Star guard Jamal Murray is off to a great start in 2025/26 but he may miss his first game of the season on Friday. He’s listed as questionable for the matchup vs. Portland due to left calf tightness, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter). Forward Cameron Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) is probable to suit up.

Injury Notes: Luka, Giannis, Young, Holmgren, Beal, Sixers

October 30th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past three games with finger and leg injuries, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup at Memphis, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group relays.

It has been five days since the Lakers stated that the Slovenian guard would be reevaluated in about a week, though Price notes the actual left finger sprain occurred a week ago vs. Minnesota. Head coach JJ Redick said ahead of Wednesday’s win that the swelling in Doncic’s finger had subsided somewhat.

Free agent addition Marcus Smart, who has missed the past two games with a quadriceps contusion, is also questionable for Friday’s contest, Price adds.

Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Superstar Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was a surprise scratch on Thursday against Golden State after being listed as probable in the lead-up to the game, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Despite being down their best player, the Bucks defeated the Warriors behind a career night from guard Ryan Rollins, who finished with 32 points (on 13-of-21 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. As ESPN’s Anthony Slater notes (via Twitter), it was a revenge game of sorts for Rollins, who was drafted by and later traded by Golden State. The former second-round pick had a big game on Tuesday as well, recording 25 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), four assists and four steals in 26 minutes.
Star point guard Trae Young will be sidelined for Friday’s game in Indiana due to a right knee sprain, the Hawks announced (via Twitter). Young was reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI today after he exited Wednesday’s game with the injury, which occurred late in the first quarter when a teammate was pushed and fell into his knee (Twitter video link).
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren was off to an excellent start this season before lower back soreness sidelined him for both Tuesday’s win vs. Sacramento and Thursday’s victory over Washington. Head coach Mark Daigneault said there are no long-term concerns with Holmgren’s back issue, per Jeff Patterson and Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “He’s where he should be,” Daigneault said before Thursday’s game. “We’re being conservative with him. If he was, obviously, perfect he would play tonight. But we’ll go through the process that we always go through.”
After missing the past two games with a sore back, Clippers guard Bradley Beal will be active for Friday’s contest vs. New Orleans, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Beal opened the season on a minutes restriction due to offseason knee surgery.
Although Jared McCain (thumb surgery) and Paul George (knee surgery) participated in the Sixers‘ practice on Thursday, both players will remain sidelined for Friday’s matchup against Boston, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). In case you missed it, the 76ers picked up McCain’s third-year option on Thursday.

Latest On Chauncey Billups

October 30th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been placed on unpaid leave by the NBA after being arrested as part of a federal investigation into an illegal poker operation with ties to the mafia.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Billups has hired renowned defense attorney Marc Mukasey to represent him.

As Amick writes, Mukasey is a former prosecutor from New York who is well-known for taking on high-profile white-collar cases, including acting as an attorney in recent years for U.S. President Donald Trump. Mukasey is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Amick adds.

Billups was arraigned last week in federal court on one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy. His next next court date is November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.

The attorney who represented Billups at last week’s arraignment in Portland said the 49-year-old disputes the charges.

Former NBA big man Tiago Splitter is serving as Portland’s interim head coach while Billups’ legal situation plays out.

Here’s more on Billups:

While he wasn’t charged or named in the separate but related illegal sports betting case that resulted in the arrest of Terry Rozier, Billups fits the description of Co-Conspirator 8, who allegedly tipped of Eric “Spook” Earnest that the Blazers would go into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023. Carson Kessler and Nathan Fenno of The Athletic take a look at how Billups may have gotten to know Earnest, who is one of three people indicted in both cases. As the authors note, the 53-year-old Earnest had multiple extended stints in prison after pleading guilty to or being found guilty of various felony charges in unrelated legal cases.
People around the Blazers and the league have been stunned by Billups’ indictment, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. One such person is Billups’ former head coach with the Pistons, Larry Brown, who has been texting the Hall-of-Fame guard nearly every day over the past week. “He would be one of the last people I would think about involving himself with bad people,” Brown told ESPN. “If you talked to anybody that was involved with Chauncey, that spent time with him and knew his family, knew his kids, I think they’d be saying the same thing.” An unnamed associate whom Shelburne describes as close to Billups said they “didn’t even know” Billups gambled and that they’re concerned for the coach’s well being. “The thing that scares me for Chauncey is that he’s dealing with these mob guys,” the person said. “If this is true, if he set people up. … It could get nasty.”
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue refers to Billups as his best friend and the two have known each other since they were teenagers. Lue says he has spoken to Billups since he was indicted, as Shelburne relays. “When you’ve known somebody so long, you can just tell by their voice — if he’s OK,” Lue said. “Like I said, he’s confident in what’s going on. The toughest part just for him, just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he’s really confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can just see that he’s OK. So that was good to hear.”

Cavs’ Jarrett Allen Sustains Broken Left Ring Finger

October 30th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen sustained a broken left ring finger on Wednesday in Boston, the team announced (via Twitter). The former All-Star is considered questionable for Friday’s contest against Toronto.

According to the Cavaliers, Allen underwent an X-ray on Thursday, which revealed a non-displaced fracture of his distal phalanx. In layman’s terms, the injury — which often results in “swelling, bruising, and tenderness,” per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) — is a break in the tip of Allen’s finger.

Multiple sources tell Fedor that Allen suffered the injury while going through an individual pregame warmup on Wednesday evening. The 27-year-old felt discomfort, Fedor writes, but decided to play through the injury in Thursday’s loss to the Celtics.

While Allen’s specific finger injury requires surgery in some cases, the current plan is for the 6’11” big man to continue to try and play through it, according to Fedor, who hears Allen’s injured digit will be frequently reexamined and monitored. The Cavs will work to manage Allen’s pain and swelling and he will receive “other forms of treatment” as well, Fedor adds.

As Fedor notes, the Cavs are already playing without two injured starters (Darius Garland and Max Strus), though Garland reportedly might return in the first half of November.

If Allen were to miss time, Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr. and Thomas Bryant are among the reserves who could receive more minutes for Cleveland.

Hawks Exercise 2026/27 Option On Zaccharie Risacher

October 30th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Rory Maher

As expected, the Hawks have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team option on second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher, ensuring 2024’s No. 1 overall pick will earn $13,826,040 next season.

Risacher got off to a slow start during his rookie season in ’24/25, averaging 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in his first 38 NBA games (23.6 minutes contest), with a shooting line of just .400/.283/.707.

However, the French wing was far more efficient from that point on, averaging 14.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .518/.418/.717 shooting over his final 35 games of last season (25.7 MPG).

Risacher, 20, has been slowed by a right ankle sprain this fall that caused him to miss two of Atlanta’s five games. He has averaged 8.7 PPG on .400/.300/.750 shooting in the early going of his second season.

We’re still waiting on a handful of decisions from teams regarding 2026/27 rookie scale team options. Those decisions are due by Friday.

Clippers Declining Kobe Brown’s 2026/27 Option

October 30th, 2025 at 4:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have decided to decline their 2026/27 rookie scale team option on forward Kobe Brown, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

The move will make Brown an unrestricted free agent during the 2026 offseason, assuming he plays out the current season without being waived. The Clippers – or Brown’s new team, if he’s traded prior to February’s deadline – would not be permitted next summer to offer him a starting salary exceeding $4,792,058, which is the amount of the ’26/27 option being declined.

Brown, who played four years of college ball at Missouri, was the 30th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He will make $2,654,880 this season, which is his third in the NBA.

The 25-year-old combo forward hasn’t received much playing time with Los Angeles to this point in his career, making 84 appearances and averaging 7.9 minutes per game through two seasons. He has appeared in three games with the Clippers so far this fall, averaging just 4.7 MPG.

While his NBA role has been very modest, Brown has been a featured player at the G League level the past two years in the instances when he has been sent down for more reps. In six games (33.3 MPG) with the San Diego Clippers in 2024/25, Brown averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .474/.366/.800 shooting.

We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.

Alex Len Signs With Real Madrid

October 30th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

October 30: Real Madrid has officially announced the signing of Len.

October 28: Longtime NBA big man Alex Len has agreed to a multiyear deal with Real Madrid, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Len has an NBA opt-out clause for next season as part of his new agreement with the Spanish club, Scotto adds (Twitter link).

Len was waived 10 days ago by the Knicks after he signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract.

Last season, Len appeared in 36 games with the Kings and 10 more with the Lakers. The veteran center signed with the Lakers as a free agent after Sacramento traded him in February to the Wizards, who quickly waived him. He averaged a modest 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game during those 46 appearances in 2024/25 and became a free agent after the season.

Len, the fifth pick of the 2013 draft, has averaged 6.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG over the course of his 12-year career with the Suns, Hawks, Kings, Raptors, Wizards, and Lakers.

Jazz Pick Up 2026/27 Rookie Scale Options On Five Players

October 30th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team options on five players, the team announced in a press release. Those players, whose contracts for next season are now guaranteed, are as follows:

Taylor Hendricks (fourth year, $7,805,900)
Keyonte George (fourth year, $6,563,925)
Cody Williams (third year, $6,015,600)
Brice Sensabaugh (fourth year, $4,862,237)
Isaiah Collier (third year, $2,763,960)

According to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link), there may have been “some degree” of doubt about Williams’ option being exercised after he struggled as a rookie, but obviously the team picked it up. The younger brother of Thunder star Jalen Williams was the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft.

George, Hendricks and Sensabaugh will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the 2026 offseason.

George, the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft, is off to a strong start in his third season, averaging career-bests of 22.3 points, 9.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 34.5 minutes per contest through four games.

Hendricks, the ninth pick of 2023, missed nearly all of last season after suffering a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle a year ago. The 21-year-old forward, who is known for his defense, has received rotation minutes this fall, averaging 5.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG in four appearances (17.3 MPG).

Sensabaugh got a nice birthday present on Thursday, locking in his $4,862,237 salary for next season. The 22-year-old wing has been in the rotation for the second straight season, averaging 10.8 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 17.5 MPG over four contests.

Collier’s second season has been delayed by a hamstring strain, but the 6’3″ point guard is inching closer to making his ’25/26 debut. The 21-year-old was the 29th pick in 2024.

As our tracker shows, Utah picked up all the rookie scale options the team had decisions on. The Jazz will have until November 2, 2026 to determine whether or not to exercise their fourth-year options on Collier and Williams.

Injury Notes: Robinson, Joe, Garland, Collier, Barlow

October 30th, 2025 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson went through a full practice on Thursday and head coach Mike Brown says he’ll be a game-time decision for Friday’s contest in Chicago, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links).

Robinson has been held out of the first four games of the regular season with what New York has deemed left ankle injury management. There has been no indication from the Knicks that the 27-year-old big man has suffered a new injury or setback.

Robinson didn’t make his 2024/25 debut until February 28 while recovering from offseason ankle surgery and only played in 17 regular season contests down the stretch. He also appeared in 18 playoff games for New York last spring.

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

Thunder wing Isaiah Joe will be available to make his season debut on Thursday vs. Washington, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. After averaging a career-high 21.7 minutes per game in 74 outings for Oklahoma City last season, Joe has been inactive to open the 2025/26 campaign due to a left knee contusion.
Coming off toe surgery, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland isn’t facing any restrictions in practices and has been “scrimmaging and everything,” a source tells Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints. The team is being cautious with his return and won’t bring him back too early, but Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently reported that a return during the first half of November is very much in play for the two-time All-Star.
Second-year Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier has been cleared for full on-court work, the team announced today (via Twitter), adding that he’ll be assigned to the G League on Friday as he ramps up his conditioning ahead of his season debut. Collier has been sidelined while recovering from a right hamstring strain.
After starting the first two games of the season, Sixers forward Dominick Barlow has missed the past two and will remain out for at least two more due to his right elbow laceration, per the club (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That means Barlow, who will be reevaluated early next week, won’t play against Boston on Friday or Brooklyn on Sunday.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Warriors Exercise 2026/27 Option On Brandin Podziemski

October 30th, 2025 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have picked up their rookie scale team option on guard Brandin Podziemski for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move, which was considered a sure thing to happen prior to Friday’s deadline, locks in Podziemski’s $5,679,458 salary for the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he and the Warriors don’t work out a new deal before then.

Podziemski, 22, has been a regular part of Golden State’s rotation since being drafted 19th overall in 2023. The former Santa Clara star averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 64 outings last season, posting a shooting line of .445/.372/.758. He’s off to a solid start this year too, scoring 12.2 PPG and knocking down 42.3% of his three-point attempts through five games, including three starts.

Podziemski is one of six Warriors players whose contract includes an option for 2026/27, but he’s the only one of those six on a rookie scale contract. While rookie scale options must be exercised by October 31, decisions on player options for Draymond Green, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton, along with team options for Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, won’t be due until next June.