The Phoenix Suns will continue to learn how to cope with the absence of All-Star Devin Booker on Friday night when they visit the struggling Toronto Raptors.
Before losing 127-102 to the host Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Suns announced that Booker would have his groin injury re-evaluated in four weeks.
Booker, who is averaging 27.1 points and has scored more than 50 points twice this season, has missed seven of the past 10 games with hamstring and groin injuries. He played just four minutes Sunday in a 128-125 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets that opened a six-game road trip.
The Suns came back with a 125-108 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
The Raptors will be playing the second half of back-to-back games. They lost their fifth straight home game Thursday, 119-106 to the Grizzlies. Toronto has lost eight of its past 10 games overall.
As for the Suns, Deandre Ayton scored 31 points against the Wizards, while Chris Paul added 20 points and Mikal Bridges scored 17.
“They attacked us,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Close-outs weren’t great. And in that third quarter and beginning of the fourth, it was just one close-out after another and they were getting to the rim.”
Williams said he does not want Bridges, Ayton and Paul to feel as if they have to “try save the world” during Booker’s absence.
The Suns also have been dealing with injuries to Cameron Payne (foot), Landry Shamet (Achilles) and Cam Johnson (knee).
In their loss to the Grizzlies, the Raptors got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Pascal Siakam.
The Raptors were without Fred VanVleet (back) Thursday, though he is day-to-day. Precious Achiuwa (ankle) could return Friday.
* Aleksander Barkov made a splash with five points in his return to the Panthers’ lineup and was one of three players across the NHL to post a hat trick Thursday – Mark Scheifele and KyleOkposo also did so for their respective clubs.
* The Lightning, Kings, Flyers, Senators and Coyotes each earned third-period comeback wins, raising the NHL’s total in 2022 to 252 – tying the League mark for most in a calendar year (regular season & playoffs combined).
* A number of defensemen collected multi-point outings Thursday, including Erik Karlsson who became the first blueliner to reach the 50-point mark in 2022-23 and joined elite company in the process.
BARKOV MAKES HIS RETURN TO LINEUP KNOWN WITH FIVE-POINT PERFORMANCE Aleksander Barkov (3-2—5) found his name all over the score sheet in his return to Florida’s lineup Thursday, posting a five-point performance that included a first-period hat trick as the Panthers netted seven goals against the Canadiens at FLA Live Arena. It marked his second career five-point outing, the second most in Panthers history behind Jonathan Huberdeau (5 GP).
* Barkov recorded his fourth career hat trick and matched Olli Jokinen for the third most in Panthers history, trailing only Pavel Bure (10) and Ray Sheppard (5).
* Barkov became the sixth different player in franchise history to net three goals in a single period and just the second skater with as many in the opening frame, joining Steve Reinprecht (Oct. 30, 2009) – Barkov’s hat trick was also the fastest to start a game in club history (15:22), 27 seconds faster than Reinprecht (15:49).
Photo courtesy of @FlaPanthers
THE “YEAR OF THE COMEBACK” ISN’T OVER JUST YET The “Year of the Comeback” added more victories to the tally as the number of third-period comeback wins in 2022 rose to 252 – tied for the most ever in a calendar year (also 252 in 2013; regular season & playoffs) – with five such decisions Thursday:
* Brayden Point (1-0—1) potted his 20th goal of the season to erase Tampa Bay’s third-period deficit before going on to score in the shootout en route to a Lightning win. Point scored a goal in his seventh straight game at AMALIE Arena and tied Nikita Kucherov (7 GP in 2021-22) for the longest home goal streak in Lightning history.
* Alex Iafallo (1-1—2) and Sean Walker (1-0—1) each scored in the final frame to send the game beyond 60 minutes where Los Angeles prevailed in a shootout, marking its third multi-goal, third-period comeback win of the season. The Kings recorded their seventh victory past regulation in 2022-23 to equal the Jets (7-1), Avalanche (7-3), Golden Knights (7-2), Canadiens (7-3) and Ducks (7-4) for the most among all teams.
* Tony DeAngelo (1-2—3) factored on three Flyers goals, including an assist on the game-tying tally as well as scoring the winner in overtime, as Philadelphia earned its first multi-goal, third-period comeback win of the season. DeAngelo became the fourth defenseman in franchise history with multiple points in three consecutive road games following Shayne Gostisbehere (3 GP in 2017-18), Joni Pitkanen (3 GP in 2005-06) and Mark Howe (2x: 3 GP in 1987-88).
* After tying the game with 5:34 remaining in regulation, Alex DeBrincat (2-0—2) netted the overtime winner as the Senators erased two multi-goal deficits en route to victory. The winner marked the 10th overtime tally of DeBrincat’s career – since his NHL debut in 2017-18, only Connor McDavid (12) has more.
* Trailing by one heading into the final frame, Toronto-native Jack McBain (2-0—2) netted two of Arizona’s four third-period goals – including his first NHL game winner – against his hometown team to help the Coyotes complete the comeback at Mullett Arena. The four markers in the final frame are the most Arizona has scored in any period this season.
HIGH-SCORING SABRES PICK UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF BEFORE BREAK
After having two games postponed due to severe weather in Buffalo, the Sabres returned to the rink for the first time in 10 days and proceeded to grab a 5-0 lead en route to their fifth consecutive victory. Players young and old contributed to the win as rookies OwenPower and JJ Peterka each tallied two assists to go along with a hat trick by 34-year-old captain Kyle Okposo.
* Power and Peterka became the first set of Sabres rookies to each post multiple assists in the same game since Nov. 12, 1991 (Kevin Haller, KenSutton & BradMay), while Okposo became the second-oldest player to net a hat trick for the club.
* Buffalo has scored at least four goals in four of five contests during its five-game winning streak and paces the NHL with 4.00 goals-per-game this season (excluding shootout-deciding goals). Thursday was the sixth consecutive home victory in which the Sabres scored six or more goals (dating to Halloween).
TRIO OF DEFENSEMEN SPOTLIGHTED IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES The Thursday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured a number of notable performances, including multi-point outings by Colorado’s Cale Makar (1-2—3), Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey (0-2—2) and San Jose’s Erik Karlsson (0-2—2).
* Makar, who recorded his 30th career multi-assist game and surpassed Rob Blake for the third most in Avalanche/Nordiques history among defensemen, collected his 15th career three-point outing – two shy of tying Tyson Barrie (17 GP) for the most by a defenseman in franchise history.
* Morrissey posted the 23rd multi-assist game of his career and surpassed Jacob Trouba (22 GP) for the third most by a defenseman in Jets/Thrashers history, behind only Dustin Byfuglien (52 GP) and Toby Enstrom (39 GP).
* Karlssonextended his point streak to 11 games, moving within one of Jonathan Cheechoo (12 GP in 2005-06) and Rob Gaudreau (12 GP in 1992-93) for the longest in Sharks history, while becoming the first defenseman to reach the 50-point mark this season (13-37—50 in 37 GP). The 2022-23 campaign marks the fifth season in which Karlsson has been the first blueliner to hit 50 points, following 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 (outright or tied) – the third most by any defenseman in NHL history behind Bobby Orr (7x) and Paul Coffey (7x).
McDAVID EYES ANOTHER CALENDAR YEAR WITH 140 POINTS
Oilers captain Connor McDavid (56-82—138 in 85 GP) travels to Seattle three points shy of 70 this season (31-26—67 in 36 GP) and two shy of his second consecutive calendar year with at least 140 regular-season points (52-105—157 in 2021). Only two players in NHL history have recorded consecutive calendar years with as many points: Wayne Gretzky (10 from 1980-89) and Mario Lemieux (2 from 1988-89).
The Sacramento Kings needed just three players to score in double figures to beat the top team in the Western Conference in their most recent outing, but they cannot expect to keep up that kind of distribution and keep winning.
The Kings host the Utah Jazz on Friday night, two nights after three Sacramento players scored at least 31 points against the Nuggets. Malik Monk led the way with 33 points as his free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in the 127-126 victory.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis each scored 31 and recorded double-doubles, as Fox dished out 13 assists and Sabonis hauled in 10 rebounds.
Their outings helped Sacramento overcome a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter and a 40-point showing by Nikola Jokic. The reigning MVP missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
The rest of the Kings combined for only 32 points, as Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter – all of whom average double-figure scoring – made just six of 20 shots and combined for 19 points. Still, Sacramento managed to win for the first time in three games, beating a Denver team that had defeated them 113-106 the previous night.
Friday’s game will be the first of four this season between the Kings and Jazz, who play again on Tuesday in Utah.
While the Kings were pulling off their nice win, the Jazz were blowing a double-digit lead and suffering a disappointing 112-107 defeat at Golden State. The Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson or Andrew Wiggins.
Jordan Poole led Golden State over Utah with 26 points.
Utah managed just 13 points in the fourth quarter on a night when Lauri Markkanen amassed a 29-point, 16-rebound double-double but went scoreless in the fourth quarter. Jordan Clarkson added 22 points, but Utah shot just 40.7 percent from the field for the game – including 16 percent (4-for-25) in the fourth quarter as Golden State reversed a 94-88 deficit.
It was the second ugly loss in a row for Utah, which fell at San Antonio on Monday night in another winnable game.
The game in Sacramento wraps up a three-game road trip for the Jazz, who return home to play immediately on New Year’s Eve against Miami.
The NBA’s best home team will encounter one of its winningest road clubs Friday night when the Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers in San Francisco.
This edition of the twice-a-year Damian Lillard homecoming occurs as his Trail Blazers have lost some of their road magic. Portland has lost three in a row on the road, but at 10-10 remains one of only three teams in the NBA with double-digit road wins through Thursday.
This will be the first of four meetings this season between these Western Conference playoff hopefuls. The Warriors have won three straight at home over the Trail Blazers over the past two seasons, each victory coming by at least 10 points.
A product of Oakland High, Lillard has just three wins in 15 regular-season return visits to the San Francisco Bay Area in his career. He has topped 30 points six times in those 15 games.
Lillard scored 34 when Portland lost 120-107 at Denver in its most recent road game last Friday, then made just 1 of 10 3-point shots — but had nine assists — Monday in a 124-113 home triumph over the Charlotte Hornets.
Jerami Grant (32 points, 10 rebounds) and Jusuf Nurkic (28 points, 15 rebounds) led the way against the Hornets in Portland’s last outing four days ago.
Even in the presence of Lillard, the most popular Trail Blazer in San Francisco on Friday figures to be Gary Payton II, even though he will not play. The son of another Oakland prep legend, Payton was a key defensive force in Golden State’s championship run last season before becoming a free agent and signing with the Trail Blazers.
He has yet to make his Portland debut following offseason core-muscle surgery, but he’s returned to practice and could see game action soon. Portland ruled him out for Friday’s game.
Also missing this game is Stephen Curry, who has missed the last seven games with a slightly separated left shoulder.
But Golden State could be getting Andrew Wiggins back from a 12-game absence that began with a strained adductor and has more recently been the result of an illness.
Like Payton, Wiggins has returned to the practice floor this week, yet Warriors coach Steve Kerr declared Wiggins doubtful.
Without Curry and Wiggins, the Warriors have opened an eight-game homestand with wins over the Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz, getting surprise contributions while improving to 15-2 in San Francisco.
Ty Jerome chipped in with 14 points in the Christmas Day victory over Memphis. Jonathan Kuminga made key plays at both ends of the floor Tuesday in a narrow victory over Charlotte. Patrick Baldwin Jr., a rookie who had totaled just 37 points previously, mostly in blowout losses, provided a spark with 11 in Wednesday’s 112-107 triumph over Utah.
The Miami Heat have fought much of the season to reach .500, and now that they have attained a winning record, they are taking it on the road for their longest trip of the season — five games through the Western Conference.
The first stop is Denver to face the Nuggets, who are tied with New Orleans atop the Western Conference. Denver had a five-game winning streak snapped Wednesday night in a 127-126 loss at Sacramento, the second of back-to-back games in Sacramento.
The Nuggets played Wednesday without Jamal Murray (knee management), Aaron Gordon (right shoulder strain) and Bruce Brown (right ankle sprain). Murray will likely play against the Heat while the status of Gordon and Brown is uncertain.
Brown sprained his ankle in Tuesday’s win at Sacramento and Gordon suffered his injury in his seven-dunk performance against Phoenix on Christmas. Denver is also without Jeff Green for a month since he sustained a fractured right hand against Portland last week.
Green’s absence opened an opportunity for Zeke Nnaji. The third-year forward scored 14 points in 31 minutes in Wednesday’s loss after totaling just 10 points in his previous nine games. Wednesday was the most minutes he has played this season.
His importance is more on the defensive end than scoring.
As coach Michael Malone put it, “I just want to feel Zeke’s energy out there.”
Miami has its own young player in Caleb Martin, who is starting to make his mark this season. Now in his fourth year out of Nevada, Martin began his career with Charlotte and has been with the Heat the past two seasons.
He is averaging a career-best 10.7 points and has played good defense despite playing out of position much of the time as a 6-foot-5, 205-pound power forward.
Martin’s ability to contribute in different ways has helped when the Heat are dealing with absences. He scored 13 points against the Lakers with Kyle Lowry out for personal reasons and center Dewayne Dedmon nursing a foot injury.
Lowry could play Friday but Dedmon did not make the trip and will miss all five games.
Dedmon’s absence will make the job of stopping Nikola Jokic that much harder. Jokic, the two-time league MVP, is averaging 30 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10 assists a game in his 13 December games.
Jokic has scored 40 or more points in four of his past eight games.
The Heat enter their extended trip with an 18-17 season record and a respectable 7-9 mark on the road after sweeping their recent four-game trip in the Midwest. Overall, they have won six of their past eight, including a 112-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
When New Orleans trailed the Minnesota Timberwolves by five points with less than three minutes remaining Wednesday night, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum gave a message to star forward Zion Williamson.
Williamson scored New Orleans’ last 14 points in the final 2:44, producing a 119-118 victory. The Pelicans will seek their fifth consecutive victory when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Williamson, who missed the last three games before Wednesday because of COVID-19 protocol, has helped the Pelicans forge a tie with Denver atop the Western Conference even though second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram has missed the last 15 games because of a toe injury.
Williamson, now a fourth-year pro after missing all of last season because of a foot injury, is averaging 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists as well as shooting 60.7 percent from the floor.
The Sixers have been doing a lot of winning themselves, though their eight-game winning streak came to an end with a 116-111 loss at Washington on Tuesday.
Philadelphia lost despite Joel Embiid scoring 48 points and James Harden adding 26 points and 13 assists.
The Sixers trailed by 111-108 when Embiid lost a turnover with 1:29 left. The score was the same when Embiid drove to the basket and Deni Avdija blocked his layup attempt.
After the Wizards extended the lead to six, Embiid did make a 3-pointer to cut the deficit in half, but Philadelphia, which trailed by as many as 16 points, didn’t score again.
It was the third consecutive game in which the Sixers fell behind by double digits in the first half, though they had rallied to defeat the Clippers and the Knicks.
The 76ers upgraded guard Tyrese Maxey to probable for the New Orleans game. Maxey has missed the past 18 games with a foot fracture. He was averaging 22.9 points to go with 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 15 starts prior to the injury.
Two teams looking to end four-game losing streaks will meet when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Milwaukee is returning home following a 1-4 trip that concluded with a 119-113 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. The Bucks lost despite getting 45 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Minnesota fell victim on Wednesday to New Orleans star Zion Williamson, who scored a career-high 43 points in the Pelicans’ 119-118 victory. Wolves guard Anthony Edwards scored 27 points but missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer that sealed his team’s fate.
Edwards is averaging 28.8 points over the past six games to help keep the Wolves afloat minus center Karl-Anthony Towns, who is out indefinitely with a calf strain.
Minnesota is looking to even the season series against Milwaukee after losing 115-102 on Nov. 4. Bucks guard Jrue Holiday had 29 points to lead all scorers.
Holiday missed Wednesday’s game because of a non-COVID illness and is listed as day-to-day. The Bucks also could be without forward Khris Middleton, who has missed the past six games due to a sore right knee.
Milwaukee is in danger of losing five straight for the first time since February of the 2020-21 season.
Milwaukee was 9 of 44 (20.5 percent) from 3-point range in the loss to Chicago, continuing the team’s recent struggles from beyond the arc. Grayson Allen missed 11 of his 14 shots from 3-point range on Wednesday.
The Bucks squandered a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Bulls, but Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said his team needs to stay positive.
Minnesota hopes to have Kyle Anderson available after the forward missed the past five games due to back spasms.
With Anderson sidelined, the Wolves have leaned heavily on third-year pro Jaden McDaniels. The forward had 19 points and seven rebounds in the loss to New Orleans and is averaging 5.6 rebounds over his past six games.
With Towns out, Minnesota is looking for more consistent production from center Rudy Gobert.
In his first season with the Wolves since being acquired from the Utah Jazz, Gobert is averaging 13.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He has 10, 10 and eight points, respectively, in his past three games.
The Chicago Bulls will look to ride the momentum of a victory over one of the NBA’s top teams into Friday night’s home game against the cellar-dwelling Detroit Pistons.
DeMar DeRozan had a huge hand in rallying the Bulls to their fourth win in five games on Wednesday night. He scored 10 points in overtime and finished with 42 overall in Chicago’s 119-113 victory against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls showed resolve by rallying from an 11-point deficit with less than three minutes to play in regulation.
The Bulls should take that to heart, considering they lost 133-118 to the Houston Rockets — one of the worst teams in the NBA — on Monday.
On Wednesday, Zach LaVine made four 3-pointers for the second time in his last three games. Two of those came during the final minutes of regulation.
The Bulls have won 11 straight contests against the Pistons. Detroit’s most recent victory over Chicago was on March 10, 2019.
The Pistons snapped a six-game skid overall with a 121-101 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Alec Burks made his first 10 shots from the floor and sank six 3-pointers to highlight his season-best 32-point performance. Saddiq Bey also drained six shots from beyond the arc to finish with a season-high-tying 28 points.
Hamidou Diallo collected 11 points and five rebounds off the bench before he joined teammate Killian Hayes and Orlando’s Moritz Wagner in being ejected for their roles in an ugly skirmish in the second quarter.
Before the game, Detroit coach Dwane Casey praised Diallo for the enthusiasm he brings when asked about the contributions of Diallo and former Kentucky teammate Kevin Knox II.
Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic, who is averaging a team-leading 20.7 points, was limited to 14 on 4-of-14 shooting Wednesday. He is shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor over his past four games (20 of 57).
If the current conjecture rings true, LeBron James could make his final career appearance at Atlanta in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform when the team visits the Hawks on Friday night.
The four-time NBA MVP has been bothered by his team’s lack of success this season. The Lakers are 14-21, marking the second-worst record for any of his teams through 35 games. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, at 11-24 in his rookie season, were worse.
The Lakers own the third-worst record in the Western Conference and are 3 1/2 games behind the Golden State Warriors for a play-in playoff spot. The Lakers are 1-2 on their current five-game trip.
James had 27 points in a 112-98 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday and is averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game. In 60 career games against Atlanta, he is averaging 27.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
Dennis Schroder, who played his first five seasons in Atlanta after being the team’s No. 1 draft pick (No. 17 overall) in 2013, played through left-foot soreness and scored 15 against the Heat. He is averaging 10.5 points in 21 games.
The Hawks played without three starters in Wednesday’s 108-107 loss to Brooklyn — leading scorer Trae Young (calf contusion), leading rebounder Clint Capela (calf strain) and De’Andre Hunter (ankle sprain). Young is averaging 27.3 points and 9.9 assists. The injured trio accounts for 54.3 points on a team that averages 114.3.
Atlanta stayed close to the Nets thanks to 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists from Dejounte Murray, 21 points and eight rebounds from John Collins, and 18 points with a season-high 13 rebounds from Onyeka Okongwu.
Okongwu, the team’s first-round pick in 2020, has played well during Capela’s absence. He is averaging 8.8 points and 7.0 rebounds this season but is averaging 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in the six games since Capela was injured.
Jalen Johnson played Wednesday despite foot pain and matched his career high with 14 points.
Atlanta and Los Angeles are meeting for the first time this season. The teams split the two-game season series a year ago, each winning on their home court.
The suddenly surging Washington Wizards will carry a three-game winning streak into the first date of a four-game road swing when they visit the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Washington, which lost 10 straight from Nov. 30-Dec. 18, has since rebounded to win four of its last five games.
Highlighted by a 127-102 blowout victory over Phoenix on Wednesday, completing the season sweep the Suns after a 113-110 win Dec. 20 in Phoenix, the Wizards’ recent successful stretch has come exclusively against opponents with records above .500.
In addition to the two victories over the Suns, Washington earned a 125-111 victory at Sacramento on Dec. 23 and clipped Philadelphia’s eight-game winning streak in a 116-111 decision on Tuesday.
Bradley Beal’s return to the Wizards’ lineup proved instrumental in the turnaround. They were without the three-time All-Star for six of the 10 games in their losing skid, and he played just less than four minutes of a seventh contest over that stretch.
Since rejoining the rotation on Dec. 18, Beal has averaged 25.8 points per game — but Washington was without him on Wednesday because of a hamstring injury.
Starters Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma helped fill the void with 22 points apiece, as Kuzma has scored at least 21 points in five of his last six games. Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score 30 points, matching his career high and marking his third consecutive double-digit-point game since returning from a 16-game injury absence.
Hachimura’s return to the lineup boosts Washington’s depth, which Unseld has credited for the team’s recently resurgent play.
The Magic have dealt with their own bouts of roster challenges. Markelle Fultz has played 15 of the Magic’s 36 games, Wendell Carter Jr. has appeared in 18 and Cole Anthony in 19. Rookie sensation Paolo Banchero missed a stretch of seven games in November.
Orlando still is without Jalen Suggs, who has missed the past month with an ankle injury, and Jonathan Isaac has yet to appear this season due to a knee injury sustained last season. But with a roster near full-strength, the Magic caught fire with wins in eight of nine games from Dec. 7-23.
The Magic dropped their last two heading into Friday’s matchup, however, with a 129-110 setback Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers and 121-101 loss Wednesday at the Detroit Pistons.
The loss at Detroit was further marred when the Magic’s Moritz Wagner was struck in the head by the Pistons’ Killian Hayes after Wagner crashed into Hayes during a chase for a loose ball.
Despite the ugly incident and the second straight loss, Orlando got a promising performance from Carter. His 16 points and eight rebounds made for his best showing in his three games since returning to the lineup.
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