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Heat Notes: Adebayo, Ware, Herro, NBA Cup

December 6th, 2025 at 11:47am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bam Adebayo passed Glen Rice for third place on the Heat’s all-time scoring list during his 24-point output on Friday. He trails only Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning and should catch Mourning sometime this season.

“That’s really incredible. What an achievement,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I had no idea. Wow, that’s awesome. I would have mentioned something to him, even though it was kind of a buzzkill there at the end [of the loss]. But that’s just a testament to his consistency, his work ethic. He came in basically as a defensive player and he’s really honed his skills offensively to become so much more versatile. On a tough night and a tough loss, that’s one heck of an accomplishment. He’s going to keep going.”

Adebayo’s performance wasn’t enough, as the Heat lost to the Magic, 106-105.

“I can’t really put that into words, man,” Adebayo said. “I would have liked to have done it in a win, but having the opportunity to pass some of these greats. Obviously, being able to pass them and bring them back into the present day. I’m pretty sure at some point when I see Glen, he’s going to give me a big hug. That’s my guy.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Spoelstra went back to a big starting lineup of Adebayo and Kel’el Ware but he didn’t stick with it the whole game, Chiang notes. Ware was subbed out of the game with 2:06 left in the third quarter and he was never returned. “That starting group was a little bit uneven tonight,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve got to continue to work on that. I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus. So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.”
Five games after returning from ankle surgery, Tyler Herro was sidelined on Friday with toe irritation, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. It’s highly unlikely that the Heat front office would offer him a super-max extension but he’s now ineligible for that type of contract. With Friday marking the 18th game Herro has missed this season, he is no longer is eligible for postseason awards, a prerequisite for a super-max deal. Herro underwent an MRI today which confirmed a toe contusion. He’s considered day-to-day, Winderman tweets.
They will face the Magic again on Tuesday, this time in the NBA Cup knockout round. Winderman explains from a scheduling standpoint why they might be better off getting bounced in the quarterfinals, noting that a win could lead to a potential 11-day journey across all four time zones.

Paolo Banchero Cleared To Return For Magic

December 5th, 2025 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been upgraded to available for Friday’s game vs. Miami, the team announced today (via Twitter). It will be the first time Banchero has played since November 12.

Banchero, who has missed Orlando’s past 10 games due to a left groin strain, was initially listed on Thursday as questionable for Friday’s matchup between division rivals.

In 11 healthy games this season before he was injured in his 12th outing, Banchero averaged 23.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 34.7 minutes per contest. His shooting line was a modest .466/.250/.761, and the Magic have been a little better with him off the court (+5.1 net rating) than on it (+2.6) so far this fall. However, the team – which has gone 12-5 after a 1-4 start – isn’t worried about reincorporating the 2024 All-Star.

“He’s a very smart basketball player,” teammate Jalen Suggs said of Banchero last week. “… He’ll come back into the fold and jell well with us because that’s our brother. Regardless of how we’ve been playing while he’s been off, we want him on the court. And we’re better when he’s on the court.”

While the Magic will be getting back one of their top offensive weapons for Friday’s game, the Heat will likely be without one of their leading scorers. Guard Tyler Herro is listed as doubtful due to right big toe irritation and will undergo an MRI on the injury on Saturday, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

The good news for Miami is that Norman Powell (left ankle sprain) has been upgraded to available after sitting out Wednesday’s loss to Dallas. Powell has led the Heat with 25.0 points per game through his first 17 appearances.

Knicks Notes: Giannis, Paul, Backup PG, Hart, More

December 4th, 2025 at 9:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Although the Knicks made a “real offer” for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason, an in-season trade looks unlikely at this juncture, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link).

As Begley explains, Antetokounmpo would likely have to try and force his way to New York for a deal to happen, and even if that were to occur, Milwaukee would be under no obligation to fulfill his request. A league source also tells Begley the Knicks like their roster and believe they’re well-positioned in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

The Clippers announced on Wednesday morning that they’re “parting ways” with Chris Paul — what that means exactly is still to be determined, since he’s unlikely to be waived anytime soon and isn’t trade-eligible until December 15. A previous report indicated that the Knicks have discussed the possibility of making a deal for the 40-year-old point guard, but Begley hears a trade, at least as of now, is “highly unlikely” to occur.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News and Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscriber link) weigh the pros and cons of the Knicks making a run at Paul. Vaccaro believes the future Hall-of-Famer would be an upgrade over second-year guard Tyler Kolek and would probably be relatively easy to acquire. Winfield, meanwhile, says Paul would be an imperfect fit on the Knicks due to his declining production and worsening defense, but the team does need another play-maker off the bench, and the 12-time All-Star is one of the best in league history.
As Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes (subscription required), Kolek has been getting backup point guard minutes of late, but the team has struggled mightily in his time on the court, which is one reason why the need for a reserve play-maker behind Jalen Brunson persists. Bondy lists nine guards whom a pair of NBA executives think could be available before the February deadline, including Paul, Jose Alvarado (Pelicans), Tre Jones (Bulls), and his older brother Tyus Jones (Magic).
Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) expects Josh Hart to remain in the starting lineup going forward, which is noteworthy because OG Anunoby could return to action on Friday — he’s questionable against Utah after missing the past nine games with a strained left hamstring. Hart has been playing his best basketball of the season recently.
While the Knicks have won five of their past six games, they’ve also blown double-digit leads in five of those six contests, according to Winfield. The latest incident occurred in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte. “Teams aren’t just going to lay down. We build a lead, you’ve got to anticipate they’re going to fight back, they’re not just going to give up,” Brunson said after the victory. “We’ve got to do a better job of slowing down their runs and limiting them. But we can’t let them get all the way back like we’ve been doing.”

Magic’s Banchero, Knicks’ Anunoby Questionable Friday

December 4th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Rory Maher

A pair of key NBA players could return from their respective injuries on Friday.

Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game vs. Miami, as first reported by Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel and subsequently confirmed by the team (Twitter links).

Banchero, the first overall pick in the 2022 draft, has missed the past 10 games with a left groin strain.

The injury designation for Banchero is somewhat surprising. As Beede writes, head coach Jamahl Mosley indicated after shootaround on Wednesday morning that the former Duke star was still limited to non-contact drills in practice. Perhaps that changed over the past 36 hours.

“At the end of the day, we always try to see how he’s responding to each day and how he recovers that next day after he’s gone through treatments and workouts,” Mosley said.

For what it’s worth, Banchero said on November 23 that he was “definitely feeling close” to returning from the injury. Orlando has compiled a 7-3 record without the 23-year-old and is currently 13-9.

Banchero was limited to 46 games last season after making 80 regular season appearances in year two. The 2024 All-Star signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension this summer that includes Rose Rule language — he could earn a significant raise if he makes an All-NBA team this season, but he’d only be eligible if he appears in at least 65 games.

Veteran forward OG Anunoby also has a chance to return to action on Friday, having been listed as questionable for the Knicks‘ matchup with Utah, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link). The former All-Defensive member has missed the past nine games with a strained left hamstring.

Anunoby was cleared for controlled contact work and 3-on-3 scrimmaging over the weekend, then head coach Mike Brown said on Wednesday that the 28-year-old had taken full contact, as James L. Edwards III of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“He’s progressing in the right direction,” Brown said.

Anunoby was off to an impressive start to the 2025/26 season before the hamstring strain, averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals through 11 games (33.5 minutes per contest). His shooting line over that span was .483/.397/.760.

New York is currently 14-7. The team has gone 6-3 in Anunoby’s absence.

Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.

Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.

The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.

Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.

Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week

December 1st, 2025 at 2:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).

Doncic led the Lakers to three wins during the week of November 24-30 while averaging 37.3 points, 10.3 assists and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Those performances, which included a 43-point outburst against the Clippers, increased his league-leading scoring average to 35.1 points per game.

Brunson lifted the Knicks to four wins by averaging 28.8 points and 4.5 assists per game while knocking down 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He matched his season high on Friday by racking up 37 points against Milwaukee.

Doncic and Brunson, of course, were backcourt partners in Dallas. Brunson has earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors seven times since joining the Knicks, while this is the first time Doncic has achieved the feat since becoming a Laker.

The other nominees in the West were Zach Edey (Grizzlies), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jamal Murray (Nuggets) and Austin Reaves (Lakers).

Desmond Bane (Magic), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Tyler Herro (Heat), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Pascal Siakam (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.

Southeast Notes: Johnson, Ball, Banchero, Magic, Sarr

December 1st, 2025 at 12:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Johnson‘s All-Star level season reached new heights on Sunday as the Hawks forward poured in a career-best 41 points against Philadelphia in a double-overtime win. He scored 12 of those points during the extra sessions.

“I think that’s been the really exciting thing about the things he’s doing is, when he’s made mistakes, he hasn’t let it get to him,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s responded and adjusted that. That’s the sign of a more mature player, when you’re able to make adjustments during the game. So I know he’s as happy as anyone about the win because he’s the guy that we’re playing through most of the time late in the game. But when we do that, as I’ve said, it doesn’t necessarily have to. We’re trusting him to make a play. And I think that’s the thing that he’s embracing.”

Over the past 10 games, Johnson has averaged 25.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per night.

“I’m just trusting my work, and I have the confidence and trust from my teammates and coaches as well. So when you got that recipe, only good things happen,” said Johnson, who is in the first year of a five-year, $150MM contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets coach Charles Lee would like to see LaMelo Ball impact the game even when he’s struggling on the offensive end. Lee wants Ball, whose name has come up in the rumor mill this season, to make more of a difference on the defensive side. “We talk about that a good amount,” Lee told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “… So, we’ll continue to watch the film, and now we have to back it up with our actions game after game, day after day. Because this is the standard, this is the expectation. And I know when he plays at that high of a level, he makes our team different and really special and unique.”
Magic star forward Paolo Banchero hasn’t played since Nov. 12 due to a left groin strain and he’ll miss Monday’s game against the Bulls. Coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero is still in the non-contact phase of his rehab, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. “We just continue to see and monitor how he responds to each treatment each day,” Mosley said.
Despite the extended absence of Banchero, the Magic still rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating, Beede notes. Orlando’s offensive rating is eighth, 19 spots higher than it finished last season, aided by the addition of Desmond Bane and some coaching staff changes.
Wizards center Alex Sarr won’t play against Milwaukee tonight due to right adductor soreness, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Sarr is averaging 19.1 points and 8.6 rebounds this season.

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

Magic Notes: Banchero, Hot Streak, Suggs, Bane

November 27th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been ruled out for an eighth straight game due to his left groin strain and won’t be available on Friday when Orlando visits Detroit to face the Pistons, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Banchero said at the start of the week that he believed he was “pretty close” to returning to the court, but the groin injury will keep him on the shelf until at least December — his next opportunity to play will be on Monday (Dec. 1) against Chicago.

Orlando’s showdown with the Pistons on Friday will help determine which Eastern Conference teams join Toronto in the NBA Cup knockout round. The winner of that matchup in Detroit will claim a spot in the quarterfinals, though the Magic would still be very well positioned to be the East’s wild card team with a loss, as long as they’re not blown out.

Here’s more on the Magic:

After getting off to a 1-4 start this season, the Magic are 10-4 in the past four weeks and appear to be figuring out their identity, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “Yeah, we started the year off rough,” center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “In those losses, we weren’t playing to our standard on the defensive end. We’ve reestablished our defensive identity, and the offense is clicking right now.” To Carter’s point, in their past 14 games, the Magic rank seventh in the NBA in defensive rating (110.7) and fifth in offensive rating (121.0).
Is it a concern that the Magic have played their best basketball of the season since Banchero went down? Not in Orlando’s locker room, where they believe correlation doesn’t imply causation in this case, according to Robbins. “He’s a very smart basketball player,” guard Jalen Suggs said of Banchero. “… He’ll come back into the fold and jell well with us because that’s our brother. Regardless of how we’ve been playing while he’s been off, we want him on the court. And we’re better when he’s on the court.”
The Magic registered a blowout win in Philadelphia on Tuesday, defeating the Sixers by 41 points despite losing Suggs to an ejection near the end of the first half, per ESPN. After big men Carter and Andre Drummond got into a shoving match, Suggs ran in and pushed Drummond, which escalated the confrontation and resulted in a pair of technical fouls for Suggs (Twitter video link). The Magic point guard said after the game that he’d respond the same way “10 times out of 10” and that he took exception to Drummond raising his fists as if he were going to take a swing at Carter. “In my opinion, squaring up is a little too crazy,” Suggs said. “… I don’t regret it. I’ll stick up for my brother every time. I’ll take the fine. Don’t think I should’ve gotten ejected, but I’ll take it.”
One reason for the Magic’s hot streak is the recent play of Desmond Bane. The team’s most significant offseason addition averaged just 14.2 points per game on .431/.293/.857 shooting in his first 10 games, but has improved those numbers to 20.8 PPG on .435/.365/.976 shooting in his past nine. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), that 11th game, in which Bane hit a game-winning three-pointer vs. Portland, may have marked a turning point for the veteran wing. “After making that shot, I just felt the love from everybody,” Bane said. “Orlando’s starting to becoming to feel like home. I feel like I’ve settled in since then.”

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.