NBA Minutes Report: Injuries to Nikola Jokic, Austin Reaves, more have changed landscape

Welcome to the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team’s updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I’ll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our teams.

The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three, five, and ten games, and for the entire season, to see which trends stand out to you.

All of this data was made accessible by

2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Nikola Jokić, Kawhi Leonard drop elite stat lines

Over the last week, Jokić and Kawhi recorded stat lines that have rarely been seen in NBA history.

Raphielle Johnson,

Atlanta Hawks

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Jalen Johnson	34.6	36.5	35.6
Dyson Daniels	34	34.4	34
Nickeil Alexander-Walker	33.7	33.4	32.7
Onyeka Okongwu	32.8	33.8	34
Trae Young	31.4	31.5	28.2
Vít Krejčí	28	26.8	24.9
Zaccharie Risacher	23.4	22.3	23.5
Luke Kennard	20.8	20.8	19
Kristaps Porziņģis	17.3	17.3	17.3

Kristaps Porziņģis returned on Wednesday after missing 10 games with an illness. The Hawks will take the time to ramp him up, and he will eventually cut into minutes for Vít Krejčí and others. I also wrote an article this week on why the Hawks have been better without Trae Young, but why it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to trade him for much.

Boston Celtics

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Payton Pritchard	36.9	36.1	34.2
Derrick White	36.4	35.3	34.6
Jaylen Brown	34.2	34	34.7
Neemias Queta	26.3	24.9	26.9
Anfernee Simons	22.6	22.3	22.8
Hugo González	20	24.9	19.7
Luka Garza	18.7	21.3	18.1
Sam Hauser	17.9	20.2	20.3

The Celtics have been relatively healthy for the last few weeks, and we’ve seen very little change in their minutes allotment.

Brooklyn Nets

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Michael Porter Jr.	34.3	34.5	33.4
Nic Claxton	31.2	31.2	31
Egor Dëmin	31	30.3	26.5
Noah Clowney	29	29.3	29.9
Terance Mann	27.3	27.7	25.6
Danny Wolf	19.5	19.4	21.9
Cam Thomas	19.3	19.3	19.3
Ziaire Williams	18	16.9	20.7
Ben Saraf	—	—	19.6

The Nets are currently dealing with injuries to Egor Dëmin and Terance Mann, and Ben Saraf has been sent to the G-League, so the rotation could be shaken up a bit this week. However, they did get Cam Thomas back for the last two games, so we should see his minutes tick up a bit over the next few games (if he can play better defense). He could also take over the lead if/when Michael Porter Jr. is traded.

Charlotte Hornets

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Brandon Miller	36.7	33.4	33.5
Moussa Diabaté	31.8	31.9	25.4
LaMelo Ball	29.3	27.4	27.1
Sion James	25	23.9	25.1
Kon Knueppel	23.8	26.7	32.2
Tidjane Salaün	22.2	21.9	19
Collin Sexton	21.7	20.3	20.3
Miles Bridges	21	26.3	30.9
Josh Green	17.1	16.4	15.5
Ryan Kalkbrenner	—	—	25.5

Miles Bridges suffered an ankle injury this week, and while it might not be a serious one, I covered the fallout from that in a video this week. I also discussed the injury to Ryan Kalkbrenner and how it has led to an emergence for Moussa Diabaté.

Chicago Bulls

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Nikola Vučević	29.7	29.7	29.3
Ayo Dosunmu	25.9	23.5	21.2
Kevin Huerter	25	24.9	24
Isaac Okoro	25	23	23.4
Jalen Smith	24.7	21.7	18.2
Matas Buzelis	24.5	22.3	24.3
Zach Collins	24.4	20.5	18
Tre Jones	23.4	23.6	23.7
Josh Giddey	22	28.2	29.6
Coby White	17.7	23.9	27.2

In a week full of injuries, the Bulls suffered two big ones with both Josh Giddey (hamstring) and Coby White (calf) getting hurt on Monday.I discussed all the repercussions in a video this week.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Darius Garland	28.3	29.9	31.8
Jaylon Tyson	27.5	25.4	27.2
Evan Mobley	25.8	25.7	27.8
Sam Merrill	24.7	25.8	25.8
Jarrett Allen	24.1	24.3	24.6
De’Andre Hunter	22.2	23.9	25.4
Dean Wade	21.8	24	25.2
Craig Porter Jr.	20.3	20.8	14.9

De’Andre Hunter is battling an illness, but his minutes have dipped a bit anyway with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen both active. There’s a chance the Cavs could get Max Strus back in the next two weeks, which would be a big boost for them.

Dallas Mavericks

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Cooper Flagg	35.2	36.1	36.9
P.J. Washington	32.4	31.4	32.5
Max Christie	30.7	30.7	26.2
Brandon Williams	30.2	22.5	24
Naji Marshall	27.8	28.8	30.8
Klay Thompson	23.6	25.4	22.5
Daniel Gafford	21.3	19.1	17.2
Dwight Powell	18.5	18.5	18.7
Ryan Nembhard	16.9	21.6	23.8

The Mavericks aren’t really a healthy team, but they have been healthy over the last few weeks, so we’ve seen their rotation stabilize. Brandon Williams is back to being the main point guard, with De’Angelo Russell and Ryan Nembhard splitting back-up minutes. That kills the fantasy value for the latter two.

Denver Nuggets

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Jamal Murray	36.3	37.7	35.5
Spencer Jones	35.1	34.5	30.2
Peyton Watson	34.1	33.8	28.2
Tim Hardaway Jr.	30.4	32.3	30.8
Nikola Jokić	28.7	34.1	33.7
Bruce Brown	26	26.5	27.5
Jonas Valančiūnas	16.3	14.7	15.1
Julian Strawther	15.5	13.8	11
DaRon Holmes II	15	15	15

The Nuggets got good news (kinda) on Tuesday when it was revealed that Nikola Jokić will only miss a month with a knee injury. That’s obviously a long time, and made doubly disruptive by the fact that his fill-in, Jonas Valančiūnas, said he felt a pop in his calf this week. That would leave the Nuggets without any real center and also without other starters like Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun. These could be a bleak couple of weeks for Denver. My colleague, Kurt Helin, wrote an article about the entire fallout.

Detroit Pistons

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Cade Cunningham	34	33.3	33.7
Jalen Duren	26.8	27.3	28.2
Duncan Robinson	26.7	28.5	25.1
Marcus Sasser	24.1	24.1	8.6
Isaiah Stewart	22.5	21.9	23.4
Javonte Green	21.4	21.2	19
Ausar Thompson	20.4	24.9	23.1
Jaden Ivey	20	18.5	17.6
Ronald Holland II	18.9	18.9	19.6
Tobias Harris	18.2	23.4	23.9

Tobias Harris (hip) and Caris LeVert (knee) are both dealing with injuries, and while they aren’t considered long-term injuries, they have shifted the minutes usage a bit, especially for Marcus Sasser, who used the Harris injury and mediocre production from Ausar Thompson to sneak into a larger role.

Golden State Warriors

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Stephen Curry	34.3	33.4	33.7
Jimmy Butler III	33.2	32.2	33
Draymond Green	28.8	26.3	25
Will Richard	25	20.1	20.6
Brandin Podziemski	23.8	25.4	26.9
De’Anthony Melton	23.2	21.5	19.2
Moses Moody	19.9	24.5	23.6
Al Horford	15	13.8	13.8
Buddy Hield	12.6	9.5	13.7
Quinten Post	12.4	15.2	20.8

The Warriors are relatively healthy, except that Seth Curry is yet another player out with sciatica (what is going on?) Quinnen Post has seen his minutes start to dry up with De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard playing more in smaller lineups.

Houston Rockets

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Amen Thompson	34.2	36.5	37.9
Kevin Durant	31.9	34.5	36.7
Jabari Smith Jr.	31.9	32.8	36.8
Alperen Sengun	31.2	33.4	35
Tari Eason	25.3	21.9	21.9
Reed Sheppard	25.2	27.1	27
Steven Adams	23.3	21	21.3
Dorian Finney-Smith	15.2	15.2	15.2
Josh Okogie	12	16.3	21.2

The Rockets got Dorian Finney-Smith back and continued to play Tari Eason more minutes, which has led to a much smaller role for Josh Okogie. Alperen Sengun is also battling a calf injury, and Steven Adams is dealing with an ankle injury, so we’ll see if those linger at all.

Indiana Pacers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Pascal Siakam	32.9	32.1	32.9
Bennedict Mathurin	32.5	32.2	32.5
Andrew Nembhard	31.4	31.4	32.2
Aaron Nesmith	24.8	24.8	24.8
Jarace Walker	20.6	19.4	18.9
Ben Sheppard	18.6	18.6	18.6
Jay Huff	17	18.6	21
T.J. McConnell	16.7	17.1	17.1

Isaiah Jackson is dealing with a concussion, but other than that, this Pacers rotation has been pretty consistent for the last few weeks.

Raphielle Johnson,

Los Angeles Clippers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Kawhi Leonard	37.4	38.2	36.7
James Harden	36.3	36.9	36.8
Brook Lopez	30.6	28.8	22.8
Kris Dunn	28.3	28.4	28.3
Nicolas Batum	26.8	25.1	24.6
John Collins	20.4	25.5	26
Kobe Sanders	19.3	17.7	18.3
Derrick Jones Jr.	19.1	19.1	19.1

The Clippers weirdly went on a nice run after Ivica Zubac got hurt. A lot of that has to do with the recent production from Kawhi Leonard, which I covered in a video this week, but getting Derrick Jones Jr. back has also been a nice boost. The minutes decrease for John Collins can just be chalked up to a recent illness.

Los Angeles Lakers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Luka Dončić	34.1	30.5	34.9
LeBron James	31	31.3	32.9
Deandre Ayton	30.7	29.9	29.3
Jake LaRavia	28.9	30.6	24.9
Rui Hachimura	27	27	30.6
Jarred Vanderbilt	25.4	24.6	20.8
Marcus Smart	24.9	27	27.8
Nick Smith Jr.	20.6	22.8	20
Jaxson Hayes	18.1	18.1	17
Austin Reaves	14.8	18.3	29.8

Austin Reaves is hurt again, which means the Lakers have gone back to using Jake LaRavia for major minutes. Rui Hachimura is also dealing with a calf injury, which is why Jarred Vanderbilt has seen his minutes tick up.

Memphis Grizzlies

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Jaren Jackson Jr.	34.1	32.8	31.3
Santi Aldama	33.9	32.2	32.6
Jaylen Wells	29.6	30.6	30.4
Ja Morant	29.1	29.1	26.7
Cedric Coward	28.1	27.3	27.2
Christian Koloko	24.5	18.6	18.6
Cam Spencer	23.6	27.6	29.1
GG Jackson	22	21.6	21.6
Jock Landale	18.3	21.6	24.3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	16.4	18.3	21.5
Zach Edey	—	—	21.9

With Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey still out, GG Jackson has emerged as a consistent part of the rotation. Injuries to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (hamstring) and Vince Williams Jr. have also opened up more minutes for Cedric Coward again, and the Grizzlies are even trying to experiment with Christian Koloko as a starting frontcourt player. It hasn’t worked great.

Miami Heat

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Andrew Wiggins	31.4	30.3	30.9
Norman Powell	29.7	31.9	32.1
Kel’el Ware	28.3	28.1	26
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	28	30.7	30.8
Davion Mitchell	26.7	27.7	29.7
Pelle Larsson	24.2	24.2	20.8
Nikola Jović	23.9	23.9	20.5
Bam Adebayo	21.2	29.6	31.1
Tyler Herro	—	—	34.5

Tyler Herro continues to miss time, and now Pelle Larsson is out with an ankle injury. That has led to more minutes for Nikola Jović, who had a decent outing earlier this week. Bam Adebayo also missed two games with a back injury, but he was back for 21 minutes on Monday, so he should begin to ramp back up to his usual workload.

Milwaukee Bucks

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Kevin Porter Jr.	38.6	37.4	36.3
Ryan Rollins	35.1	32.3	28.3
Myles Turner	29.8	29	29.1
AJ Green	29.5	29.9	28.2
Giannis Antetokounmpo	26.1	26.1	26.1
Kyle Kuzma	23.3	26.8	28.2
Bobby Portis	22.6	26.9	27.6
Gary Trent Jr.	17.7	13.5	21.7
Gary Harris	16.9	16.7	16.7

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned this week, and I talked about the fallout to the rotation in a video this week.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Anthony Edwards	33.4	35.9	36.7
Julius Randle	31.2	33.2	33.7
Rudy Gobert	29.8	32.2	32.4
Donte DiVincenzo	27.9	30	32.3
Naz Reid	26	26.2	28.6
Jaden McDaniels	25.9	29.3	30.3
Jaylen Clark	16.4	13.7	13.2
Mike Conley	16.1	17.9	19.1
Bones Hyland	13.8	17.9	19.8

Minnesota has a pretty consolidated six-man rotation, and little has changed. Bones Hyland, Mike Conley, and Jaylen Clark hover on the periphery as the rest of the rotation, but none of them play enough minutes to matter for fantasy leagues.

New Orleans Pelicans

Trey Murphy III	36.3	34.3	34.6
Saddiq Bey	34.3	32	31.2
Zion Williamson	29.1	27.2	25.9
Derik Queen	26.9	25.1	28.2
Jeremiah Fears	26.1	24.4	24.2
Bryce McGowens	23.6	25.5	20.9
Jordan Poole	21.9	24.1	25.8
Kevon Looney	21	21	21
Yves Missi	19.3	17.7	13.6

Herbert Jones is battling an ankle injury that has kept him off the court and led to a brief boost in minutes for Bryce McGowen; however, that has not lasted. Kevin Looney has also returned this week and has played solid minutes off the bench behind Derik Queen. This team is really Queen, Trey Murphy III, and Zion Williamson, when he’s healthy, with some solid production from Saddiq Bey sprinkled in at times throughout a given week.

New York Knicks

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
OG Anunoby	36.5	35.6	35.3
Jalen Brunson	36.3	37	37.3
Mikal Bridges	35.4	36	37.3
Karl-Anthony Towns	31.1	31	31.9
Miles McBride	22.2	22.2	22.2
Jordan Clarkson	19.6	23.5	22
Mitchell Robinson	18.2	20.3	20.4
Tyler Kolek	15.3	20.4	18.9
Kevin McCullar Jr.	13.6	11.3	7.8
Mohamed Diawara	13.3	10.7	9
Josh Hart	—	34.4	33.9

The Knicks welcomed Deuce McBride back from his ankle injury, but now Josh Hart is out. We’ve also reached a point in the season where the Knicks are playing so many games in a short period of time that head coach Mike Brown has really extended the rotation to include plenty of young guys like Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Mohamed Diawara. It won’t last, but they’ve looked solid.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	31.2	33	33
Jalen Williams	30.2	30.2	30.1
Cason Wallace	28.6	26.5	26.3
Chet Holmgren	28.2	28.5	28.1
Luguentz Dort	23.5	25.1	24.6
Ajay Mitchell	22.2	22.2	22.9
Isaiah Hartenstein	19.7	22.9	23.3
Aaron Wiggins	18.8	16.3	17.3
Alex Caruso	16.1	17.4	18

Things have remained pretty consistent for the Thunder over the last two weeks, but that also means that Isaiah Hartenstein is in a much smaller role than we saw earlier in the season when Jaylin Williams was out. However, he has also been battling a calf strain, so there’s a chance the Thunder are keeping his minutes in the low-to-mid twenties to manage that as well.

Orlando Magic

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Paolo Banchero	36.3	35.3	35.9
Desmond Bane	33.8	33.9	35.4
Wendell Carter Jr.	32.8	31.5	31.9
Anthony Black	31.1	32.5	34
Jalen Suggs	25.4	25.4	28.6
Tyus Jones	24.8	25.8	21.9
Tristan da Silva	23.9	23.4	22.2
Goga Bitadze	17.4	17.4	16.3

Jalen Suggs returned this week from his hip injury, and while he still isn’t built up to a full workload, it’s nice to see him back on the court. The Magic can use his ball-handling, and his return would likely mean a hit in usage for Desmond Bane and Anthony Black, even though Black will likely remain in the starting lineup and maintain fantasy value. Tyus Jones will also see a big decrease in minutes.

Philadelphia 76ers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Tyrese Maxey	40	40	39.2
VJ Edgecombe	36	35.7	35.7
Joel Embiid	35.1	33.9	32.4
Paul George	34.3	34	33.1
Quentin Grimes	28.6	27.6	29.3
Dominick Barlow	25.6	26.8	25.7
Adem Bona	20.5	21	20.5
Jared McCain	17.6	24.5	21.1

The 76ers are healthy, and, for now, that means limited minutes for Adem Bona and Jared McCain. We know Bona will be relevant whenever Joel Embiid misses time, but it seems that the strong play from Quentin Grimes has really capped McCain’s value right now. Kelly Oubre Jr. could also return next week, so we’ll need to keep an eye on how that changes the dynamic in Philly.

Phoenix Suns

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Devin Booker	34.1	33.2	33
Dillon Brooks	33.4	31.4	30.3
Royce O’Neale	30.9	28.2	28.5
Collin Gillespie	29.1	30.1	31.4
Oso Ighodaro	26.4	24.1	23.3
Jordan Goodwin	24.4	22.9	23.3
Ryan Dunn	19.4	23	20.5
Mark Williams	17.2	20.7	21.8

Grayson Allen remains out with a knee injury, so Collin Gillespie has remained incredibly valuable to the Suns. With Jalen Green expected back in the second week of January, it will be interesting to see what that does to Gillespie’s role, but he has been a top-40 player in fantasy basketball over the last two weeks, so he needs to be relied on until the Suns show us otherwise.

Portland Trail Blazers

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Deni Avdija	36.6	37.1	37.1
Toumani Camara	31.3	34.6	32.7
Shaedon Sharpe	31.1	30.4	31.6
Caleb Love	31.1	30.4	22.2
Kris Murray	28.1	28.5	27.9
Donovan Clingan	26.6	27.7	28.8
Sidy Cissoko	23.8	20.6	24.2
Robert Williams III	18	18.5	17.8
Jerami Grant	—	—	35.2

I admit that I thought this team would be better. Yes, Jrue Holiday is still out, and Jerami Grant has missed the last seven games with an Achilles injury, but the younger players haven’t taken the leap I thought they would. Scoot Henderson and Holiday are both doing on-court basketball activities, so it’s possible that both could be on the court within the next two weeks. That would take away almost all of the playing time for Caleb Love, and Grant’s return would move Kris Murray back into a smaller role.

Sacramento Kings

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Maxime Raynaud	32.2	31.3	31
DeMar DeRozan	29.7	34.2	33.7
Keegan Murray	29.6	32.3	35.4
Nique Clifford	26	26	23.5
Keon Ellis	24.7	17.4	19.6
Russell Westbrook	24.4	28.2	30.2
Dylan Cardwell	22.3	23	21.5
Dennis Schröder	21.5	23.4	24.4
Precious Achiuwa	20.7	21.4	18.8

I never thought we’d see Maxime Raynaud lead the Kings in minutes this season, but here we are. With Zach LaVine (ankle) banged up and Russell Westbrook having his minutes dialed back from early-season highs, we also got to see Keon Ellis play more minutes and rookie Nique Clifford get more run. Frankly, that should have been the case all along, but I’m hesitant to believe the Kings keep this up when they’re healthy.

San Antonio Spurs

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
De’Aaron Fox	35	34.1	31.6
Devin Vassell	32.4	31.6	30.4
Stephon Castle	31.5	30.8	29.5
Julian Champagnie	28.7	25.7	24.6
Victor Wembanyama	26.2	25.5	23.2
Harrison Barnes	25.2	26.3	25.7
Keldon Johnson	24.5	22.6	21
Luke Kornet	22.1	22.7	24
Dylan Harper	20.1	20.2	20.5

The Spurs seemed to survive a big-time scare when Victor Wembanyama went down with a knee injury in the New Year’s Eve game against the Knicks. Sadly, given his frame, I’m not sure we’ll ever really see him consistently play 70+ minutes a game. The Spurs also lost Devin Vassell to an oblique injury, but it is reportedly expected to only last a couple of games. Dylan Harper should get more run as long as Vassell is out.

Toronto Raptors

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Scottie Barnes	37.5	35.5	35
Brandon Ingram	36.6	34.5	35.3
Immanuel Quickley	32.3	33	32.4
Ja’Kobe Walter	26.7	23.6	20.6
Jamal Shead	26.3	23.4	24.2
Collin Murray-Boyles	25.5	25.2	21.3
RJ Barrett	24.1	24.1	24.1
Sandro Mamukelashvili	19.1	23.5	23.7

RJ Barrett returned this week, and Scottie Barnes had a record-breaking game mixed in. I covered it all in a video this week.

Utah Jazz

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
Lauri Markkanen	37	36.8	37.1
Keyonte George	36.2	35.3	36
Brice Sensabaugh	35.3	28.7	23.1
Jusuf Nurkić	30.6	31.6	28.3
Isaiah Collier	22.9	23.8	23.6
Svi Mykhailiuk	17.7	18	22.1
Walter Clayton Jr.	17.3	16.7	15.6
Cody Williams	16.4	12.4	13.3
Kevin Love	16.2	22.4	21.6
Kyle Filipowski	15.6	18.8	23.5

The Jazz had been playing too well, so Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Jusuf Nurkić all missed some games this week. With Ace Bailey (hip) out, Brice Sensabaugh has been getting some extra run, and Kyle Anderson returned on Thursday to play 32 minutes and put up a solid line. The Jazz were very depleted in that game, so I wouldn’t expect that level of production to continue with the team fully healthy.

Washington Wizards

Name	Last 3	Last 5	Last 10
CJ McCollum	31	31.4	33.1
Justin Champagnie	28.2	25.3	24
Bilal Coulibaly	26.8	26	25.4
Alex Sarr	26.5	25.6	25.4
Tre Johnson	26.3	24	22.3
Bub Carrington	25.8	22.9	30
Khris Middleton	22.6	21.6	21.7
Marvin Bagley III	21.2	21.2	23.5

The Bub Carrington mini breakout appears to be over. We also had a hip flexor injury to Kyshawn George, which has allowed Justin Champagnie to see an uptick in minutes and usage. George’s absence has also allowed Bilaly Coulibaly to return to a higher usage role on the team, which has regained some of his fantasy value.

Could Michael Porter Jr. be on the move ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline?

Since the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season on Dec. 15, much of the discussion surrounding which players might be on the move has focused on perennial All-Star and All-NBA-caliber performers with marquee names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Ja Morant, et al. But with the Feb. 5 trade deadline now just over a month away, it seems like there’s an increasing level of interest around the league in the availability of — and the potential market for — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Just six months ago, the Nuggets sent the Nets an unprotected 2032 first-round draft pick to take on the final two years and $79.1 million of the five-year rookie-scale-maximum contract that Porter signed in the summer of 2021. After an excellent start to his tenure in Brooklyn, though — one that has seen him play his way into potential All-Star consideration — Porter may well have gone from distressed asset into in-demand target.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that the Nets have shown a willingness to “listen to pitches” on their veteran players, including Porter, but they haven’t been “actively shopping” the 27-year-old swingman. It’s entirely possible that, as ESPN’s Shams Charania and others have reported, the Nets eschew a big move in favor of just continuing to serve as a cap-space-renting waystation for other teams looking to get off money and willing to pay with draft picks to do so.

If and when conversations begin to perk up over the next few weeks, though, Fischer highlighted several teams to keep an eye on in the potential running for Porter’s services: the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. All four prospective suitors make at least some sense.

[Get more Nets news: Brooklyn team feed]

According to multiple reports, despite a dismal 14-20 start that currently has them outside the East’s play-in spots, the Bucks’ braintrust continues to signal an intent to try to add talent at the deadline rather than detonating their build through any much-rumored-but-never-actually-consummated blockbuster that sends Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee. While the Pistons sit atop the Eastern standings, they’re a middling 10-7 since their scorching 15-2 start, ranking 25th or worse in the share of their shots that come from 3-point range, team 3-point accuracy and half-court scoring efficiency in that span, according to Cleaning the Glass.

The Warriors, similarly, have struggled mightily to find a consistent secondary source of offense beyond the seemingly ageless Stephen Curry. And while attempting to discern the motivations behind the machinations in Chicago has long been a mug’s game, Fischer notes that the Bulls and Nuggets had “serious discussions” about a swap that would’ve landed Porter in the Windy City before pivoting and shipping Zach LaVine to Sacramento; it’s at least possible a fresh round of discussions could be struck up with Brooklyn brass, if Chicago’s decision-makers are still fond of Porter’s talent.

Michael Porter Jr.’s stellar start in Brooklyn could make him a hot commodity on the NBA’s trade market. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Mitchell Leff via Getty Images

And judging by what he’s put on film this season, they — and plenty of other front offices around the league — should be.

Porter’s averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 58% on 2-pointers, 41% from 3-point land on more than nine attempts per game, and 81.2% from the free-throw line. There are only 14 NBA players this season averaging at least 25 points per game on .600 true shooting, according to Stathead — a list that includes five MVPs (Curry, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden), three multi-time All-NBA selections (Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell) and two former All-Stars (Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Maxey). Porter is on that list.

That’s the kind of company Porter’s been keeping offensively this season — the cream of the crop of high-volume, high-efficiency point producers. He has also more than doubled his previous career-best assist rate, dishing the helper on nearly 20% of his teammates’ baskets during his floor time, and is clearing the defensive boards more consistently than he has since his rookie season. And while he’s not a top-flight defender on an individual basis, Porter has shown a capacity to play his part in a defense playing at a top-flight level. Since shifting to supersized long-ball lineups featuring Porter at small forward alongside the 6-foot-11 Nic Claxton and 6-10 Noah Clowney up front with 6-8 rookie Egor Dёmin and 6-6 vet Terance Mann in the backcourt, with plenty of size coming off the bench, Brooklyn owns the NBA’s No. 3 defense since the start of December — all with Porter leading the team in minutes.

Add it all up, and by a handful of metrics — estimated plus-minus, value over replacement player, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, among others — Porter has performed like a top-20-to-30 player in the NBA this season. A 6-10 sharpshooter who can contribute in a smaller role, can scale up his usage without a drop in efficiency, can cook with the ball in his hands and open up both your playbook and the rest of the floor for his teammates with his off-ball activity and gravity would seem to have a lot of value around the league if he actually hits the market. Whether the fact that Porter’s under contract for $40.8 million next season makes him more attractive (not a rental!) or less attractive (big chunk of money on the books for a guy with persistent back problems and a drop-foot issue!) likely lies in the eye of the would-be suitor.

The question the Nets have to answer between now and Feb. 5: Is this as good (and as healthy) as Porter’s likely to be, making it the ideal time to sell high and try to get more draft capital and/or young talent for him in the perpetual game of asset arbitrage that rebuilding teams must play? Or is this really who Porter is, and what he can consistently be in Jordi Fernández’s system — and, thus, maybe an ideal play-finishing building block for the upwardly mobile team that Sean Marks and Co. are trying to build with all those big, young playmakers?

The answer will likely depend on a number of factors: how Porter plays over the next month; how many teams think of themselves as just one moderately sized swing from playing more meaningful basketball come springtime; how motivated Brooklyn’s front office is to do whatever it can to improve the chances of landing as high in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, given the fact that the Nets do control their own first-round pick this summer, and don’t control it in 2027. (Though, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes, there could be other paths to dropping in the standings that don’t include re-routing MPJ before February.)

Ultimately, though, it likely depends primarily on just how hefty a price other teams signal they’d be willing to pay for Porter. Fischer reports that “re-tradable salary and a future first-round pick … might not be enough” to pry him away mid-season, given the possibility that the Nets might have their sights set on making bigger, more aggressive additions to their roster come the summer — moves that might require a significant salary like Porter’s as a financial make-weight. If someone ponies up a Mikal Bridges/Desmond Bane-style package of several legit first-round picks, then Porter will likely finish the season in a different uniform.

If not? Well, continuing to employ a top-25-to-35 player who fits what you want to do, and who already netted you an unprotected future first, doesn’t seem like too bad a deal — even if it means one fewer potential deal for NBA observers to obsess over.

Could Michael Porter Jr. be on the move ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline?

[Get more Nets news: Brooklyn team feed]

Michael Porter Jr.’s stellar start in Brooklyn could make him a hot commodity on the NBA’s trade market. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Mitchell Leff via Getty Images

And judging by what he’s put on film this season, they — and plenty of other front offices around the league — should be.

Victor Wembanyama’s MRI comes back clean, he will not play Friday in Indiana, is day-to-day

Victor Wembanyama will not be on the court Friday night against Indiana, but, in very good news for the Spurs, he will not be out long.

The MRI on Wembanyama’s hyperextended knee came back clean and he is now day-to-day, reports Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The report said he will be questionable for the second half of a back-to-back Saturday against Portland and is day-to-day going forward.

Wembanyama was injured in the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ win over the Knicks, hyperextending his knee after landing awkwardly on a rebound next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Wembanyama fell to the ground in pain, then hopped directly back to the locker room but was telling fans along the way that he was fine. Postgame, Wembanyama was not worried.

“The good thing is that it was just a hyperextension. So, it should be minimal, whatever the thing is,” he said,

Wembanyama would be an All-Star starter based on the fan vote so far and leads the Spurs, averaging 24 points, 11.6 rebounds, and three blocks per game.

Fantasy Basketball Weekend Must-Starts: Peyton Watson shining with multiple Nuggets injured

In head-to-head fantasy basketball leagues, it all comes down to the weekend. You can have a comfortable lead in multiple categories or by a bunch of points, but if you don’t make the most of the weekend, you can walk out with a loss.

Nine teams only play once this weekend, including the Celtics, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, 76ers, Raptors and Jazz. Avoid those teams if you’re just looking to maximize your games played.

That’s often what it comes down to in standard points and category leagues, but that’s not always the case. Leagues with some sort of games cap or best ball formats like Yahoo! High Score leagues aren’t just looking for volume, though having two chances at a big night is a good strategy in best ball leagues.

Absolute must-start: Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have been decimated by injuries this season. The recent Nikola Jokić injury is the headliner, but Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson are all currently sidelined with extended injuries (though Gordon and Braun should return soon), and Jonas Valančiūnas injured his calf in his first start in place of Jokić.

Those injuries have opened up a ton of usage for Watson, who had 24 points and eight rebounds in Denver’s last game. The Nuggets will likely turn to DaRon Holmes II to fill the starting center spot, which means they’ll need Watson to step up on the glass and as a scorer. Matchups with the Cavaliers and Nets aren’t easy, but the lack of other healthy options propels Watson into being this weekend’s absolute must-start player.

Guards

Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls

Jones should be rostered everywhere with Josh Giddey (hamstring) and Coby White (calf) both sidelined. Jones was excellent as a starter earlier this season when White was sidelined, and in his first game back in the starting unit, he had 20 points and 12 assists without missing a shot. The Bulls will take on the Magic and Hornets this weekend. Charlotte has been a bad defensive team all season, but Orlando hasn’t been as strong of a unit over the last 10 games.

Miles McBride, New York Knicks

McBride didn’t move into the starting lineup with Josh Hart (ankle) sidelined, but he did play more than Mohamed Diawara, who was the one to replace Hart as a starter. McBride played 26 minutes off the bench and scored 21 points after having 14 points in 19 minutes in his first game back after missing eight games with an ankle injury. The Knicks play the Hawks and 76ers this weekend, and while Philadelphia has been good defensively, Atlanta has been a disaster recently.

Ryan Rollins, Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee takes on the Hornets and Kings this weekend, with both teams ranking in the bottom five in defensive rating over their last 10 games. It should be a good weekend for the Bucks, which usually means a good weekend for Rollins. He’s back in the starting unit, and even though he has had a pair of subpar shooting nights recently, this is a great opportunity for him to get back on track. Plus, he does enough in other categories to make up for it.

Forwards

Anthony Black, Orlando Magic

Black has been on an unreal heater, and until he cools down, he’s going to be a priority option. Matchups with the Bulls and Pacers, two bottom-10 defenses over their last 10 games, only make him more enticing. Black did see a drop in usage with Jalen Suggs back in the lineup instead of Tyus Jones, but Black was still productive and will continue to start until Franz Wagner returns.

Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets

Miller is coming off back-to-back 30-point games, his first two of the season. Now, he gets to take on the Bucks, who have allowed the sixth-most 3-pointers over their last 10 games, and the Bulls, who have a bottom-10 defensive rating over their last 10. Miller’s third season in the league has been rough overall, but he’s heating up at the right time.

Jake LaRavia, Los Angeles Lakers

With Rui Hachimura (calf) sidelined for a few games, LaRavia has replaced him as a starter. His first start was productive, though the scoring was underwhelming. However, in 10 starts this season, LaRavia is averaging 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. They’ll take on the Grizzlies at home twice this weekend, and LaRavia should be able to get some revenge against the team that drafted him.

Centers

Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets

Clowney has had a strong season, though he has been limited recently. However, matchups with the Wizards and Nuggets, along with the absences of Nic Claxton (personal), Michael Porter Jr. (illness) and Cam Thomas (hamstring) on Friday, should result in at least one big night for him. Washington has been better recently, but over the course of the full season, they’ve been one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Denver would normally be a tough matchup, but without Jokić and Valančiūnas, Clowney should feast on the glass.

Luke Kornet, San Antonio Spurs

Victor Wembanyama (knee) may have avoided a major injury, but he has already been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Pacers and could remain out against the Trail Blazers on Saturday. Kornet wasn’t great as a starter in place of Wemby previously, but the Pacers matchup is favorable, even if the Blazers one isn’t.

Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers

Clingan could find himself matching up against two backup centers this weekend. Derik Queen (quad) is questionable for Friday’s game, and Wemby could remain out on Saturday. Clingan struggled in his last outing, which was a blowout loss to the Thunder that was rough for the entire team. This weekend provides an opportunity for him to get back on track.

NBA Trade Rumors 2025-26: Michael Porter Jr. hot name, but market overall slow for stars

Just over one month to the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline and trade talks are picking up some momentum. Here is the latest around the league.

Expect slow trade deadline

There will be trades. Maybe a lot of smaller trades around the Feb. 5 deadline.

However, if you’re expecting another NBA blockbuster in February, well… sorry. The vibe in league circles has become to expect trades centered on tax/cap relief with some role players on the move, but the bigger names — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young — are likely stay put due to a combination of a limited market and the restrictive tax aprons. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps talked to an Eastern Conference executive and got this quote:

“I don’t see an eventful trade deadline, but that could set up for a crazy summer.”

That said, there will be trades, and the name to watch is…

Michael Porter Jr.

Player most likely to be traded before the Feb. 5 deadline? Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr.

The former Denver Nugget, 27, is in the middle of the best season of his career, averaging 25.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game while shooting 41% from 3-point range (having the full-time green light in Brooklyn helps). That has drawn interest from a number of teams.

• Milwaukee has interest as it looks to upgrade around Giannis Antetokounmpo, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic. Porter Jr. is seen as potentially superior and certainly less expensive than bringing in Zach LaVine.

• The Warriors have had internal discussions about adding Porter, Jake Fischer reports at The Stein Line. That’s a long way from getting a deal done, but it shows the Warriors’ mindset of adding to their core.

• With Utah apparently not making Lauri Markkanen available, Detroit could kick the tires on a Porter trade, Fischer adds.

Where he lands is up in the air, but MPJ is the hottest name on the trade rumor mill right now.

Bucks interested in Anthony Davis? Dejonte Murray?

While Atlanta is still considered the team at the front of the line for an Anthony Davis trade, that line is long. Miami and Toronto are in it, with a lot of teams, such as Sacramento, at least considering a move.

Enter the Milwaukee Bucks.

They meet all the criteria of a team that might chase Davis, something Zach Lowe talked about on his podcast.

“When Dallas fired Nico Harrison and I went through all the fake Anthony Davis trades, I said right away, you’ve got to look at teams that are desperate to win and underperforming and can bundle some expiring salary. And I said like I’d look at the Bucks… To me, if the Bucks continue on this stance of buy buy buy, they’re just a lock to end up with one of these sort of distressed high leverage high salary players like a Zach LaVine, Michael Porter Jr., I mentioned AD.”

Milwaukee also may consider bringing in Dejounte Murray, a player they looked at previously, reports Fischer at The Stein Line.

The bottom line in Milwaukee is simple: It is not trading Antetokounmpo at the deadline, but to avoid having to do it this summer, the Bucks need to find a way to win more and are considering every option to make that happen.

Stop talking LeBron to Warriors

LeBron James and Stephen Curry had such great chemistry playing alongside one another while winning gold at the Paris Olympics. The Warriors are trying to add players to win now, the Lakers are moving on from the LeBron era to the Luka Doncic era, so what about…

No. LeBron’s agent and long-time friend Rich Paul shot down the idea emphatically on the latest episode of the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast. It started with Kellerman trying to stir things up, saying, “Bill Simmons said a couple of days ago… he said, look, the numbers work… LeBron and Steph have always said that they wanted to play together. What about Jimmy Butler for LeBron James?”

Rich Paul was emphatic in shooting it down.

“Because I don’t like to get into that. It’s not going to happen. So why are we talking about things that are not going to happen?”

Welcome to the world of sports talk, where making up fake trades — usually wildly unrealistic fake trades — then arguing about why a team should do them is its lifeblood.

Warriors not trading Butler, Green

While Golden State is testing the market for Jonathan Kuminga (who can’t be traded until Jan. 15), the reality is that to land a real difference maker the Warriors would have to package Kuminga with another player and picks.

That has led to some speculation about a Draymond Green with Kuminga trade — or maybe Jimmy Butler straight up for Anthony Davis — but the Warriors aren’t doing any of that, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic.

Team sources say they’re staunchly against the notion of trading either Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler, which creates quite a predicament when you’re trying to match salaries of high-level players.

The Warriors are still actively looking at trade options, which brings us to…

Jonathan Kuminga

The Warriors are talking to teams about a potential Kuminga trade, and Sacramento still has some interest. However, after another unimpressive season in Golden State — he has been on the court in just one of the team’s last 10 games — there isn’t much of a return coming back to the Bay Area in any deal, The Athletic’s Sam Amick said on Sactown Sports Radio 1140:

“For one, the Kings and everyone else, the price has gone down, it just has. So what does that look like in a possible Kings deal, because the Warriors are known to not have interest in Malik Monk, and he was front and center in those discussions in the offseason. So is it a [DeMar DeRozan] thing potentially? Who knows? I don’t probably see that happening.”

Teams are willing to take a flyer on Kuminga, but they do not give up players or picks of real value in those trades.

Clippers not trading stars

We’ve written in this space before that the LA Clippers were not going to have a fire sale, they have not been looking to trade James Harden or Kawhi Leonard at all. That is especially true with the team on an impressive six-game win streak.

If you doubt me, here is what Amick wrote at The Athletic.

If anything, league sources say the Clippers are expected to explore the prospect of adding an impact player around Harden and Kawhi Leonard as a way to revive their season in the second half. They can match a star-player level salary with expiring deals, with the contracts of John Collins ($26.5 million), Bogdan Bogdanović ($16 million this season; team option worth $16 million next season), Brook Lopez ($8.7 million this season; team option for $9.1 million next) and Nicolas Batum ($5.6 million this season; team option for $5.8 million next) all potentially handy on that front.

While the Clippers are open to a big move, they would not take on long-term salary that extends past 2027 (unless the player were a young star who could be part of their future). That lack of wanting long-term money on the books is why trading for Anthony Davis — who wants a massive contract extension this summer — is highly unlikely. (Plus, the one player the Clippers love and have on the books past 2027 is center Ivica Zubac, and he and Davis would be an odd fit next to one another.)

Fact or Fiction: Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets will be just fine

Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.

Last time: The Golden State Warriors are cooked

Fact or Fiction: Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets will be just fine

Nikola Jokić, the NBA’s best player, is hurt, and he is rarely so.

The ripple effects of a hyperextension to his left knee, which will cost him at least four weeks of the season, will be many. Because the NBA requires its players to appear in 65 games to be eligible for its postseason awards, Jokić’s quest to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain as the sixth player ever to win four MVP awards may be on hold for another year.

(The 65-game rule is revealing itself to be ridiculous, as both Jokić and Victor Wembanyama — once favorites to win the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, respectively — may no longer be in the conversation for either honor before we reach the season’s midway point. The media is fully capable of weighing the entire scope of a player’s candidacy, including missed time, without an arbitrary cutoff.)

Here, though, we are more concerned with Jokić’s Denver Nuggets and what this injury means for them.

After all, the Nuggets, when healthy, or when healthier (we’ll get to their additional injury woes), looked every bit as good as the team that won the 2023 NBA championship, if not better. Certainly deeper. Because of Jokić they felt like the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series, even as Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs beat the defending champs three times in a two-week span.

The Nuggets are, as we speak, in third place in the Western Conference, owners of a 23-10 record, comfortably on another side of the bracket where they would not have to face the Thunder until the Western Conference finals. It is right about where they wanted to be and where we expected them to be.

That was a big deal, too, because Jokić had maintained a 56-win pace in the absences of three starters — Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun — all of whom remain on the injury report. That is right: Jamal Murray, who could be in line for his first All-Star selection, is now the team’s sole healthy starter.

With the newly acquired Jonas Valančiūnas in place of Jokić and homegrown talents Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones and Jalen Pickett in tow, Murray led the Nuggets to a 106-103 victory against the Toronto Raptors in their first game without their offensive hub. Denver head coach David Adelman was visibly pleased with his team’s performance, knowing how difficult it is going to be to win at all without Jokić.

“It’s gonna be like this every night,” he said. “We’re gonna have to find a way to get to the fourth quarter.”

That will not be easy. When Jokić has been on the bench this season, the Nuggets have been outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions, operating at a 26-win pace. In a relatively small sample size, without Jokić, Gordon, Johnson and Braun, the Nuggets have been outscored by 19.8 points per 100 meaningful possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, or worse than the bottom-dwelling Washington Wizards.

On the bright side, Denver has one of the league’s easiest schedules in January, featuring 11 games against could-be lottery teams, including a pair apiece against both the Wizards and Brooklyn Nets.

Then again, the Nuggets are now without Valančiūnas, too, as he suffered a right calf strain in the win over Toronto, and he too will miss at least four weeks. That leaves DaRon Holmes, a 2024 draft selection who has played a total of 34 minutes in his NBA career, as the team’s lone healthy center. This is bad.

[Get more Nuggets news: Denver team feed]

Just how bad is going to be the question. The Nuggets lead the sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves by only three games in the loss column. Drop any lower than that, and Denver is in danger of losing its grip on a guaranteed playoff seed. And the seventh-place Phoenix Suns trail the Nuggets by just four losses.

It is likely that Denver takes a tumble down the standings. If they go 4-13 in the month of January — entirely within the realm of possibility — the Suns would only need to play .500 in order to catch them.

Remember, though, that Jokić will be back, as will Gordon, Johnson, Braun and Valančiūnas — all presumably by the All-Star break, when the Nuggets will have two months to play themselves back into championship contention. They should still operate at their 56-win pace, if not even better, and settle somewhere around 50 wins, which was good for anywhere from the third to the fifth seed last year.

Worse-case scenario: The Nuggets fall into a fourth or fifth seed and have to play the Thunder in the second round, where they took Oklahoma City to seven games — despite a similar litany of injuries — last season. Or worst-case scenario: They fall into the play-in tournament, where they would have to win one of two games (does anyone think they wouldn’t?) and could face OKC in the playoffs’ opening round.

Just as likely, the Nuggets could play their way back into the third seed. Or land the sixth seed.

Is either scenario really so bad? They will, in all likelihood, have to face the Thunder anyway, and couldn’t it be advantageous to play them earlier in the postseason, when the wear and tear of the playoffs on Jokić’s knee, Gordon’s hamstring and so on and so on will not be so harsh? And we could either be treated to one of the great first-round series of all time or a Western Conference finals for the ages.

Either way, the Nuggets are not cooked. They are merely on hiatus, as our League Pass watching will be less entertaining without Jokić in rotation. But we have seen enough to know: The Nuggets are capable of winning the title again, capable of beating the Thunder, so long as Jokić is healthy, and with two months still to build chemistry they can still hit the ground running in the playoffs, even if on the road.

And who knows: Maybe this experience for Watson, Jones and Pickett, plus all the other role players who could be called upon in a playoff series, will better prepare them for the moments that actually matter.

Determination: Fact. The Nuggets will be just fine.

Fact or Fiction: Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets will be just fine

Last time: The Golden State Warriors are cooked

Fact or Fiction: Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets will be just fine

Nikola Jokić, the NBA’s best player, is hurt, and he is rarely so.

Here, though, we are more concerned with Jokić’s Denver Nuggets and what this injury means for them.

“It’s gonna be like this every night,” he said. “We’re gonna have to find a way to get to the fourth quarter.”

[Get more Nuggets news: Denver team feed]

Just as likely, the Nuggets could play their way back into the third seed. Or land the sixth seed.

Determination: Fact. The Nuggets will be just fine.

Celtic v Rangers: Pick of the stats

[SNS]

Celtic are winless in their past four league games against Rangers (D2 L2); they had only failed to win four of their previous 12 Old Firm derbies in the Scottish Premiership beforehand (W8 D3 L1).
Both of the past two league Old Firm derbies have been drawn; Celtic and Rangers haven’t played out three successive league draws since October 2002.
Celtic are winless in the past three occasions that their first league game of a calendar year has come against Rangers (D1 L2), although each were at Ibrox. When playing their league opener of a year at home to Rangers, Celtic are unbeaten in four (W2 D2) since a 4-2 defeat in 1994.
Rangers have only lost their opening league match in one of the past 14 calendar years (W11 D2), going down 2-1 away to Kilmarnock in 2019.
The last league meeting between Celtic and Rangers in August featured just nine shots and 0.34 expected goals. Since Opta have this data in the competition (from 2019-20), it’s the lowest xG on record in a Scottish Premiership match, and also the second-lowest shot tally in this time, ahead of only St Johnstone v Livingston in May 2021 (seven).
Celtic have lost five of their 19 league games so far this season. It’s already their most defeats in a single campaign since 2020-21 (also five), while they last suffered more defeats in 2012-13 (seven).
Rangers have won four of their past five league games (L1), just one fewer than they had in their first 14 this term (W5 D8 L1). Both of their defeats so far have been against league leaders Heart of Midlothian.
This will be the first league Old Firm derby for both Celtic’s Wilfried Nancy and Rangers’ Danny Röhl.

Ex-Grizzlie De’Anthony Melton says Warriors had no business winning 2022 title

Ex-Grizzlie De’Anthony Melton says Warriors had no business winning 2022 title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – As an opponent in May 2022, De’Anthony Melton had a microscopic view of the Warriors’ last championship team. Now that he is on their payroll, he’s comfortable going public with what many have whispered for 3.5 years.

“In ‘22, they had no business winning the championship,” Melton, then with the Memphis Grizzlies, said during a guest appearance on the “Dubs Talk” podcast, which debuted Friday. “They had no business there. There were so many teams better than them. But they just fought. They just willed their way. And everybody played, they played their role.”

Melton is not alone in that reaction. Former Golden State general manager Bob Myers admitted nobody saw it coming. Coach Steve Kerr says the ’22 NBA Finals win over the Boston Celtics was a case of coming together at the right time – and having Stephen Curry.

The Warriors entered the 2022 playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, with a 53-29 record. The Grizzlies finished at 56-26 to earn the No. 2 seed and homecourt advantage in the conference semifinals against Golden State.

“We wanted to kill the dynasty so bad,” Melton recalled. “You had to show us. You had to come and really show us. It was like ‘OK, why are y’all so good, why are you so great? We’re not going to lay down, let y’all tell us why, but you got to come out here and get it.

“We really felt that day in and day out, and game in and game out, we just take it game by game because you never know what could happen. Next thing you know, you could be up 3-2.”

The Grizzlies, young and impetuous, saw the Warriors as old news that should be discarded from the elite.

“Some (Warriors) got families and kids,” Melton said. “They got paid. They were paid up already. We were all young and hungry. It was like ‘Come on with it.’ ”

The teams split the first two games in Memphis before the Warriors swept Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center. A 3-1 lead is considered “commanding,” but the Grizzlies responded with a 134-95 rout in Game 5. This was, again, a series.

Golden State answered with a 110-96 win in Game 6, banishing the Grizzlies and advancing to the Western Conference finals.

“In ’22, nobody thought the Warriors were going to go on to win, you know what I mean?” Melton said. “But it was crazy to see them having to go through us and that would be one of their tougher series.”

The Warriors had the fourth-best record in the league, but the Celtics entered the playoffs as the hottest team, going 26-6 over their last 32 games. Golden State was a slight favorite because of its postseason experience and championship core.

And Curry, whose spectacular Game 4 performance – 43 points when the rest of the starting lineup combined for 35 – tilted the series and moved him to the doorstep of his first Finals MVP award.

Melton, whose favorite team a decade ago was the Oklahoma City Thunder, had a perception of Curry at that time that matched that of many outside observers: Great shooter.

Melton’s perception of Curry as a teammate much of last season and this season is, well, greatly expanded.

“He’s amazing,” Melton said. “That’s all you could say sometimes. Dudes like that, they continue to put the work in, and they love the game so much that you see them day in and day out. Before, I was seeing him on the outside looking in. Now, I’m on the inside, seeing the work he puts in, the everyday work, the consistency that he has. You can see as to why he’s continued.

“His ability to shoot the ball is out of this world, but it’s his ability to be conditioned and run around, his physicality and just be able to still be able to get open and get a shot off and stuff like that. He’s averaging pretty much 30 (points per game) now – at 37 years old. You’ve just got to admire that type of stuff and just to help as much as possible.”

That admiration, however, does not change Melton’s view of the past, something he occasionally mentions to Gary Payton II, who was a pivotal player in the ’22 Finals.

“I talk to GP still, to this day, like ‘I don’t know how y’all won it ’22,’ ” Melton said. “I don’t. I don’t. I don’t know why or how or for what.”

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