After missing eight games with a calf strain, Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return to the Bucks lineup Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.
Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable. He will play if he clears pregame testing after warming up, reports Eric Nehn of The Athletic.
Milwaukee went 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo missed, falling to 12-19 on the season and 11th in the Eastern Conference, outside even the play-in. That has only fueled trade rumors swirling around Antetokounmpo, although he has yet to formally request a trade, and the Bucks are telling teams they are looking to add talent around the two-time MVP and not trade him away.
Antetokounmpo’s calf injury came just four games after he returned from a left adductor strain.
“Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said of coming back after that adductor injury, via the Associated Press. “The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus.”
Antetokounmpo has played like an MVP when he has been on the court this season, averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Milwaukee is 9-8 in games Antetokounmpo has played in this season and is banking on his return to vault them back into the playoff picture in a wide-open East.
The Yankees can now say they’ve added another veteran MVP to their roster – well, sort of.
The club has seemingly agreed to a contract with reigning Mexican League MVP and outfielder Nick Torres. While a deal hasn’t been confirmed by the club, Algodoneros Unión Laguna
, Torres’ Mexican League team, bid farewell to their star in a social media post on Saturday, wishing the 32-year-old luck and to “keep growing and fulfill one more dream” as a member of the Yankees.
Torres, a California native selected by the Padres in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, hasn’t played in an MiLB-affiliated game since 2018.
The righty-swinger climbed the minor-league ranks between 2014-18, but never received a promotion to the majors. Working as a corner outfielder and first baseman in the Padres and Rangers systems, he played in 212 Double-A games and 71 Triple-A games, hitting a combined .267.
Torres joined the Mexican League in 2019, and in his most recent campaign, he slashed a robust .347/.425/.730 with 27 home runs and 79 RBI across 86 games for Unión Laguna.
Since 2021, he’s hit .343 with a 1.025 OPS for the Mexican League club.
Gracias, Nick Torres, por cada juego, cada entrega y cada emoción que nos regalaste. Por la forma en que has conectado con la afición, por convertirte en referente, en ídolo y en uno de los jugadores más queridos de esta casa. Tu paso por el Revolución deja huella en el diamante,… pic.twitter.com/B8SQTZznOz
As the 2025-26 offseason continues, the market for starters continues to evolve and it looks like the number of suitors for Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera has shrunk.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Orioles and Astros are “no longer involved” in trade talks for Cabrera. Jackson reports the Marlins don’t want to sell short on Cabrera.
The 27-year-old Cabrera had a career year for the Marlins in 2025. He pitched to a 3.53 ERA and 1.228 WHIP with a career-high 150 strikeouts and 48 walks in 137.2 innings over 26 starts last year. He has a career 4.07 ERA over 89 outings (87 starts) after breaking into the league during the 2021 season. He was injured twice this past season, but the big selling point is the team control.
Cabrera is under contract for three more seasons, something that could potentially pique the Mets’ interest.
Earlier this month, The Athletic reported that the Marlins were “progressing” in their efforts to find a trade partner to acquire Cabrera. The Orioles’ involvement was known then, but there were other clubs inquiring with the Marlins.
Of course, the Mets are in the market for starting pitching, whether in the free agency or trade markets. They, along with the Giants and Orioles, were among the teams that reportedly met with free agent Framber Valdez.The former Astros lefty is arguably the biggest starting pitching name remaining in the free agent market. Other free agents include Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen and Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.
As for the trade market, the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta is a name that has been thrown out there in addition to the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and Ryan Weathers. Marlins trade reports surrounding those two heated up on Dec. 5, when it was reported that the Marlins were in the market to trade one of their starting pitchers. However, it seems Miami is less likely to deal Alcantara.
The Miami Herald’s report included that Miami wants to keep Alcantara, and it would take an incredible offer for the team to consider dealing the former NL Cy Young winner.
Currently, the Mets have a starting rotation that includes Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean. They have depth pieces like youngsters Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, who made their MLB debuts late this past season, and Christian Scott, returning from 2024 Tommy John surgery.
CHICAGO — Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of returning from the right calf strain that has kept the two-time MVP from playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last eight games.
The Bucks issued an injury report that listed Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game at Chicago rather than ruling him out entirely.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since injuring his calf less than three minutes into the Bucks’ 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The injury came on Antetokounmpo’s fourth game back after a left adductor strain caused him to miss four games.
“Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus.”
The Bucks have gone 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo has missed because of the calf issue. So far this season, the Bucks are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 on Dec. 6, has averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season.
SACRAMENTO – The Kings have been playing a lot like the weather lately. Gloomy, depressing and not much reason to go outside.
The sun broke through the clouds Saturday, and ironically or not, the Kings followed suit and lit up the Mavericks, dropping a 113-107 hammer on Dallas at Golden 1 Center.
Russell Westbrook led the way with another monster game (21 points, five rebounds, nine assists). Keon Ellis, back in the starting rotation for the first time in two months, added 21 points with five 3-pointers. Maxime Raynaud had 19 points and six rebounds.
The Kings only trailed once in the first half and went on a 20-10 run in the third quarter after the Mavericks pulled within 68-60. Ellis made a pair of threes and scored eight points as part of the run.
The win was Sacramento’s fourth straight over Dallas and upped Doug Christie’s record to 35-48 since taking over as coach when Mike Brown was fired last season.
Coincidentally, Christie’s first win for the Kings came against the Mavericks nearly a year ago to the day, with De’Aaron Fox leading the way with 33 points.
Fox is gone, but the Kings’ backcourt once again proved too much for the Mavs to handle.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday:
Russ Chasing Milestones
Westbrook already was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history before signing with the Kings, and the 37-year-old added another layer to his Hall of Fame resume in front of the G1C crowd Saturday.
Westbrook surpassed legendary Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson (10,141) for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assist list. Westbrook now has 10,149 career assists.
Russell Westbrook moves into No. 7 on the NBA’s all-time assists leaderboard 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tql32a6cUz
Keon Ellis might be the second-most popular player among Kings fans, and he got a chance to show out in front of the home crowd while making his second start of the 2025-26 NBA season and first since Oct. 26.
Ellis had a nice game (21 points on 8-of-15 shooting with three steals and two blocks), but his most impressive play might have been a running block he had against Max Christie. Christie appeared to have an open look before Ellis raced over to knock the shot away.
Ellis has had an up-and-down campaign, partially due to the way he has been used this season. It will be interesting to see what the Kings plans are for him for next season.
Raynaud, Interior D Step Up
Ever since losing Domantas Sabonis to a knee injury, the Kings have been very vulnerable when defending the paint. That changed a little bit against the Mavericks, with Raynaud providing a nice spark in the key.
Making his ninth straight start, the rookie played steady all afternoon in 27 minutes. It helped that Dallas was without Anthony Davis, but Raynaud has been making steady progress all season no matter who he has faced, although he did miss an easy bunny in the third quarter.
Given where the team is in the standings and where Sabonis is in his recovery, it would make sense for Sacramento to shut the big man down for the remainder of the schedule and give him a full offseason to heal. At the same time, that would open the door for Raynaud to get increased minutes on the court to continue his path on the learning curve.
The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a big boost to their lineup Saturday night with the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo has been out since Dec. 3 with a right calf strain and, as long as pregame testing by the team’s athletic training staff goes well, he will play against the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The Bucks have listed Antetokounmpo as “questionable” on Saturday’s injury report. The team then said that he was available to play shortly before tipoff, and head coach Doc Rivers said on Saturday afternoon that he expected Antetokounmpo to take the court.
Antetokounmpo dropped to the floor with a non-contact injury during the opening quarter of the Bucks’ Dec. 3 win over the Detroit Pistons. After limping to the locker room, he was eventually ruled out due to a soleus strain, the same injury that caused his 2023-24 season to come to a premature end.
The Bucks have gone 2-6 in Antetokounmpo’s absence and are 10-19 overall on the season. That puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference, chasing the Bulls and Atlanta Hawks for a play-in spot, and five games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed.
Through 17 games, the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Antetokounmpo’s injury, coupled with his contract status, has also caused the rumor mill to heat up while he’s been out. After inking a three-year extension with Milwaukee in 2023, he still has a year and a half remaining on his current deal before he can opt out.
After a report came out that the former MVP was talking to the team about his future with the franchise, Antetokounmpo denied any role in the talks and indicated his agent was handling them without his input.
While there would be a large market interested in acquiring his services, Antetokounmpo has been focused on his health and pushing the Bucks back into winning ways.
“I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “And then, locked in on my teammates and how can I help them from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free?
“Because at the end of the day, it takes a toll on them, too, right? They’re playing game after game after game. Thank God we’ve had a very good schedule in the last couple of weeks, but it takes a toll on them, too — rumors, injuries, lose, win. It’s hard, right? As a leader, but most importantly as a winner, you just gotta be there for them first.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a big boost to their lineup Saturday night with the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo has been out since Dec. 3 with a right calf strain and, as long as pregame testing by the team’s athletic training staff goes well, he will play against the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The Bucks have listed Antetokounmpo as “questionable” on Saturday’s injury report. The team then said that he was available to play shortly before tipoff, and head coach Doc Rivers said on Saturday afternoon that he expected Antetokounmpo to take the court.
Antetokounmpo dropped to the floor with a non-contact injury during the opening quarter of the Bucks’ Dec. 3 win over the Detroit Pistons. After limping to the locker room, he was eventually ruled out due to a soleus strain, the same injury that caused his 2023-24 season to come to a premature end.
The Bucks have gone 2-6 in Antetokounmpo’s absence and are 10-19 overall on the season. That puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference, chasing the Bulls and Atlanta Hawks for a play-in spot, and five games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed.
Through 17 games, the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Antetokounmpo’s injury, coupled with his contract status, has also caused the rumor mill to heat up while he’s been out. After inking a three-year extension with Milwaukee in 2023, he still has a year and a half remaining on his current deal before he can opt out.
After a report came out that the former MVP was talking to the team about his future with the franchise, Antetokounmpo denied any role in the talks and indicated his agent was handling them without his input.
While there would be a large market interested in acquiring his services, Antetokounmpo has been focused on his health and pushing the Bucks back into winning ways.
“I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “And then, locked in on my teammates and how can I help them from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free?
“Because at the end of the day, it takes a toll on them, too, right? They’re playing game after game after game. Thank God we’ve had a very good schedule in the last couple of weeks, but it takes a toll on them, too — rumors, injuries, lose, win. It’s hard, right? As a leader, but most importantly as a winner, you just gotta be there for them first.”
Kon Knueppel, the Charlotte Hornets’ standout rookie, limped off the court just before the end of the first half Friday night against Orlando and did not play in the second half.
While there are no details on the injury or how much time Knueppel may miss, coach Charles Lee said postgame that his X-rays were clean. The injury occurred while leaping to contest a shot by Orlando’s Desmond Bane and coming down on Bane’s foot.
Knueppel, the No. 4 pick last June out of Duke, has been a revelation for the Hornets, averaging 19.3 points (second on the team) and 5.1 rebounds a game, shooting 42.8% from 3-point range. He has become one of the clear frontrunners for Rookie of the Year.
Even without Knueppel, the Hornets beat the Magic 120-105 behind 22 points and seven rebounds from LaMelo Ball. Miles Bridges had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Knueppel had 16 points in the first quarter of the win. Orlando reached the semifinals of the NBA Cup but is 2-4 since.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs defends Isaiah Hartenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game.Photograph: Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
I’ve seen enough: Give the San Antonio Spurs the keys to Santa Claus’ workshop. Put Stephon Castle in charge of toy assembly. Let De’Aaron Fox toss presents into chimneys, from whatever range he’d like. Devin Vassell can customize the Christmas cookies. Harrison Barnes has the army of elves covered. And, of course, Santa Claus’s sleigh must immediately be resized for a taller, thinner pilot so that the towering Victor Wembanyama can drive it comfortably. The sensational Spurs have felled the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, and in doing so revitalized this NBA season. I now have more faith in the Spurs’ ability to grant joy to the masses than any holiday legends of old.
It looked dire for a while there. The Thunder might have won the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, but began this season in even more ominous form. They reeled off 24 wins in their first 25 games (the lone loss was a fluky 20-point comeback). In most of them, Jalen Williams, their second-best player, was on the sidelines recovering from wrist surgery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their best, seldom had to play in fourth quarters. The Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings by 31. The Los Angeles Lakers, who some expected to be a plausible rival, lost by 29; their basketball savant Luka Doncic looked like he was playing against ten men. The Phoenix Suns’ valiant first earned them a close loss, by just four points. When they met again 12 days later, the Thunder won by 49. This game knocked all the remaining leaves off the trees and started winter 10 days ahead of schedule. Oklahoma City looked capable of shredding anything in its path, even the 2016 Golden State Warriors’ legendary regular season record of 73-9.
The Thunder do not play a particularly appealing style of basketball. They skillfully exploit the referees’ dilemma over which fouls to call (a consistent whistle interrupts the flow of the game, an absent one lets players get away with blatant violations), often resulting in Gilgeous-Alexander shooting free throws after whistles that would be better swallowed, while personified mosquito swarm Alex Caruso seems to have free rein to do whatever he likes on defense. Some profess to enjoy, or admire, Gilgeous-Alexander contorting his body to draw slight bumps from defenders; I can only assume those same people also like being kicked hard between the legs. That’s not to mention man-mountain Luguentz Dort flying off his feet and into opponents after plenty of suspiciously light touches. This chicanery enables haters to harbor the fantasy that in a world with ideal officiating, the Thunder would be a mediocre team. True basketball heads know it’s far more exasperating than integral to the Thunder’s success, but the general irritation is sufficient to nudge some fans who might otherwise be neutral into rooting for Oklahoma City’s downfall.
Dominance can be coldly thrilling to watch, but a historically great performance tends to evoke less awe the more times it repeats. How many times does anybody really want to watch one team beat another by 35? Eventually you remember that the drama is the point. The Thunder were draining the season of suspense, running up leads on other teams in the table as well as on the floor.
Through 21 minutes of the first Spurs-Thunder game this season, San Antonio trailed by 16 and looked likely to go the same way as every other team. Instead, they have wrought hell upon the Thunder ever since.
Against the Spurs, the Thunder look mortal. Each member of their core deserves immense credit for that, but this is Victor Wembanyama’s team, and the Thunder know it. “There’s this guy on their team that’s seven-foot-five and takes up a lot of space on the court,” Jalen Williams said, with some exasperation, when asked what made the Spurs such a tough out. The Thunder’s professional beanpole, 7ft 1in Chet Holmgren, is the tallest player on the floor in most games, free to grab rebounds and swat down opposing shots. Next to Wemby, he’s short, crude, and even timid. Wembanyama’s contempt for Holmgren is evident in how he celebrates each time Chet misses a free throw, as though he’s won the lottery; the way he fouls him with a bit of extra venom; the way he told reporters he doesn’t consider Holmgren a rival. (There is indeed no debate over which player is better.) At this rate Holmgren must expect Wemby to burst out of the cupboard, talking smack, when he reaches up for a snack.
Wembanyama and the Spurs made their most definitive statement yet on Christmas, thumping the Thunder by 15 on their home floor. San Antonio took the inevitable early punch well yet again, recovering to pile 41 points on the league’s best defense in the first quarter. Fox effortlessly found the miniscule holes in that defense to the tune of 29 points. The Spurs even held Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 22. He tried to make up for it by zipping passes to open teammates behind the arc, but they let him down by bricking almost every single attempt.
A Thunder optimist would say that enough of those threes will go in next time to produce a win or a tighter loss, but I found the misses symptomatic of a flaw. Off the strength of his silky-smooth stepback jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander is the steadiest scoring engine in the league. He is difficult to guard and impossible to stop. (LeBron James recently offered some advice on how to slow him down: “you gotta keep him off the free throw line. Which is hard.”) But even he can’t carry an offense entirely on his own. The Spurs put Gilgeous-Alexander under enough pressure that he had to delegate more than usual, and his supporting parts broke down under the heavier burden. Caruso and Dort are good for the occasional three-pointer, but relying on them to hit the long shot is the last place the Thunder want to be.
The Spurs’ surge couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only have they emphatically established themselves as title contenders – some say they’re too young, and inexperience has indeed undone plenty of fabulous teams in the playoffs, but the 23-7 Spurs aren’t contenders, hardly anyone is – but they’ve allowed fans to see the Thunder in higher definition other teams couldn’t come close to revealing. Oklahoma City, potentially the best team in history two weeks ago, is merely exceptional. If you take Gilgeous-Alexander’s word for it, the Spurs are better right now. 74-8 is off the table. With the Spurs just two and a half games behind, OKC has its hands full just holding onto its lead in the Western Conference. Even if only against one team, the Thunder have assumed the unfamiliar role of chaser, trying to solve a squad who torments them the way they torment so many others. In their newfound vulnerability, the Thunder are a little easier to enjoy and a little harder to hate. And any future wins against the Spurs will be a lot more meaningful.
They’ll get a few, maybe (or probably, but it’s thanks to the Spurs that choosing a word is difficult) as soon as this season. The Thunder are too good to stay down for long. When they rise the Spurs will eventually have to make their own adjustments. How’s this for terrifying: Wemby’s probably still a few years out from his peak. Christmases and NBA seasons can blend together, with only the most meaningful sticking out in the memory years later. Whatever happens next, the Spurs have given me enough reason to look back on these ones and smile.
The young forward underwent MRI imaging on his right calf after exiting Tuesday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons early, and imaging revealed Murray has a mild calf strain.
He will be listed as out and re-evaluated in one week.
The one-week timeframe will put Murray out for at least the Kings’ games against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and likely the Boston Celtics next Thursday.
Murray, while maintaining his defensive dominance, has struggled to find a consistent rhythm offensively since returning from his thumb injury.
In 15 games this season, he’s averaging 14.9 points on 43.8-percent shooting from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range, with 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 37.1 minutes.
The Kings (7-23) now must rely on the next man to step up in Murray’s absence.
