Rumors

Mike Trudell: Darius Bazley, who’s had a strong summer for the Lakers as he battles to get back on an NBA roster in the fall, went down in the 2nd Q with an injury and had to be carted off to the locker room. We’ll look for an update after the game.

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Shams Charania: Damian Lillard will use the 2025-26 season to rehabilitate a torn Achilles tendon, but a return to the franchise and Portland where his family and kids reside were of the ultimate importance. He also had multiple mid-level exception and minimum offers from NBA contenders.

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In all, seven NBA players went down with a ruptured Achilles this past year, the others being James Wiseman, Isaiah Jackson, Dejounte Murray and Dru Smith during the regular season. At this week’s summer league, a plethora of orthopedic companies have arrived to weigh in with opinions and training proposals designed to explain or prevent the injuries. “Feels like there must be a thousand of performance people here, I guess selling their wares,” said one NBA team executive. “But [the Achilles epidemic] is something. There’s no way it’s not something. We’re looking at how people are playing, what the jump-back moves mean, how fast the game is. “Everything [injury-wise] in basketball is below the waist, and when someone gets a sore calf, I think the number one thing you’ll see is people will not ... play. It doesn’t matter if they get cleared medically. They will say, ‘I’m not 100% so there’s no way I’m doing it.’ It was starting to happen over the last year, but I think with what’s gone on is that any player who doesn’t feel 100% in the calves, or in their calf, is not going to play. That would be my bet.”

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Michael Scotto: New York Knicks swingman Josh Hart underwent a procedure on his right ring finger due to an injury sustained in the playoffs. He will resume basketball activities later in the summer, team says.

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Scott Agness: Caitlin Clark exited the Fever’s win at TD Garden in the final minute, clutching her right groin in pain. She had 14-8-7 and scored nine straight points late to secure the road win. Her status is now uncertain ahead of All-Star Weekend in Indy. fieldhousefiles.com/p/caitlin-clar… pic.x.com/HVNInWqgFG

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Scott Agness: Stephanie White on Caitlin Clark: "No update. Just felt a little something in her groin so we'll get it evaluated and see what happens from there."

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"Shams, when exactly did this injury occur, and how will it impact the rest of PG’s offseason here?" Shams Charania: "I'm told Paul George suffered the injury during an on-court workout last week. He visited a doctor on Friday, and the decision was made to undergo arthroscopic surgery. Doctors felt this was an injury that would linger. He was never fully healthy last season—ending the season rehabbing from groin, knee, and finger injuries. He’ll be re-evaluated at the start of training camp, and both sides plan to be cautious. They want to see full-form Paul George, which they haven't seen in Philly."

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Chase Hughes: Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson III and Will Riley are all OUT tonight against the Sixers, per the team. Johnson III is out with right hamstring tightness, Riley with left thumb soreness. They're day-to-day. Starters: AJ Johnson, Leaky Black, Dillon Jones, Jamir Watkins, Liam Robbins

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Erik Slater: The expectation is that Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf will not play tomorrow on the second half of the back-to-back.

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Erik Slater: Egor Demin and Danny Wolf will not play in today’s Summer League game with the Nets on the front end of a back-to-back. No injuries. Both are resting. Tosan Evbuoman (hip contusion) and Tyson Etienne (illness) are also OUT.

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Stefan Bondy: Pacome Dadiet (toe sprain) and Kevin McCullar (nasal contusion) are out of today’s game for the Knicks James Nnaji is available

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Josh Robbins: The Magic's Jase Richardson, Noah Penda and Tristan da Silva will not play in this afternoon's game against the Thunder, a Magic official said. Keep in mind that today's game is the first of a back-to-back.

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Shams Charania: Reporting for NBA Today on Paul George's surgically repaired knee and how this impacts his and the 76ers offseason:

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Marc Stein: Dallas' Dereck Lively II recently underwent a procedure on his right foot, @TheSteinLine has learned, followed by placement in a boot. This means three key Mavericks are in injury recovery: Kyrie Irving (knee), Anthony Davis (eye) and Lively. More NBA: tinyurl.com/mu56shew

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