The Clippers‘ season got a little brighter on Saturday with a win over the rival Lakers, but they have a long way to go to recover from a disastrous start, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Prior to the game, coach Tyronn Lue challenged his team to go 35-20 the rest of the way to reach .500 and later amended that to 36-19 for a winning season. That may not be … [Read more...] about Clippers Notes: Lue, Zubac, Paul, Niederhauser
Ivica Zubac To Miss At Least Three Weeks With Ankle Sprain
Ivica Zubac will be out for at least three weeks for the Clippers after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left ankle sprain, reports NBA on Prime’s Chris Haynes (via Twitter). Zubac exited Saturday’s game against the Lakers after playing just 10:47 due to the injury. He is averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season after having a breakout year for the … [Read more...] about Ivica Zubac To Miss At Least Three Weeks With Ankle Sprain
Lakers’ Marcus Smart Fined $35K By NBA
Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35K for “making an obscene gesture toward a game official,” the NBA announced on Saturday (via Twitter). Smart was penalized for giving the middle finger to a ref at halftime during Thursday’s win in Utah, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. Smart was assessed a technical foul for the incident, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Through 17 … [Read more...] about Lakers’ Marcus Smart Fined $35K By NBA
Injury Notes: Markkanen, Davis, Lakers, Grizzlies, Mann
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is likely to miss his second straight game on Saturday vs. Orlando, with Utah officially listing him as doubtful due to right groin injury management (hat tip to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). The 28-year-old is off to a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign, averaging a career-high 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal on … [Read more...] about Injury Notes: Markkanen, Davis, Lakers, Grizzlies, Mann
And-Ones: MVP Race, Expansion, NBA Cup, All-Star Voting
If the results of the first Most Valuable Player straw poll conducted this season by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps are any indication, a pair of Northwest Division stars could be on their way to one of the tightest MVP races in recent NBA history. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 57 chose Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their early MVP of 2025/26, while 42 selected … [Read more...] about And-Ones: MVP Race, Expansion, NBA Cup, All-Star Voting