The Dallas Mavericks will be without Maxi Kleber for the foreseeable future after the German forward tore his right hamstring in practice on Tuesday.
The Mavericks released a statement on Thursday saying treatment options are being considered and there is no timetable for Kleber's return.
Kleber has appeared in 22 of Dallas' 28 contests this season and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game off the bench.
He had been playing well since missing four games last month due to a lower back contusion sustained on a hard fall against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 15.
In nine games since returning, Kleber was averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 59.6 per cent from the field and 46.9 per cent (15 of 32) from three-point range.
Kleber appeared in all 18 playoff contests for the Mavericks last season during their run to the Western Conference finals, averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game during that stretch.
Dallas (14-14) currently sit in third place in the Southwest Division and ninth in the West.
Michael Malone reflected on the "pretty cool" moment he was able to present Nikola Jokic with the first Michael Jordan MVP award on a night he shone again for the Denver Nuggets.
It was announced on Tuesday the prestigious prize, won two seasons running by Jokic, would be renamed in honour of the Chicago Bulls legend – seen by many as the greatest player of all time.
Jokic received the trophy following the Nuggets' high-scoring 141-128 victory over the Washington Wizards, a game where the Serbian had a season's best 43 points alongside 14 rebounds and eight assists.
He finished 17-of-20 from the field, missing only once inside the three-point line in a matchup lacking in defense.
Head coach Malone said of handing the MVP prize to Jokic: "Just had a really cool moment giving Nikola Jokic his MVP trophy in the locker room and the first ever Michael Jordan MVP award.
"It was pretty neat to give him that and the players to give him as much love as they gave him.
"We got the win, we have to be better taking care of it, our three-point defense, it's going to bite us in the butt soon. So, if we can win a game with our offense it's better than losing a game with our defense."
The Nuggets put up 98 of their points inside the paint, the second most recorded in NBA history.
"I had no idea we were close to breaking the record, DeAndre Jordan pointed out with around 3:30 to go in the game and I was shocked you don't see that number very often," Malone added.
"I wanted us to get 100, but I wasn't going to take a shot that last possession, that's not how you play the game especially when you have a friend on the other end.
"Incredible number, obviously no defensive player of the game tonight because there was no defense in the game!"
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed an impressive 105-90 road win over Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
The victory improved the emerging Cavs to an 18-11 record and third spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavs slipped to 14-14 and ninth in the west.
Mitchell was in an inspired mood against the side who bundled his former franchise, the Utah Jazz, out of last season's playoffs, shooting 13-of-20 from the field, going six-of-nine from three-point range.
The shooting guard scored 27 of his 34 points in the first half, the most he has had in a half this season. Mitchell had good support from Lamar Stevens with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Evan Mobley added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Doncic shot nine-of-23 from the field in his 30 points, but gave up five turnovers for the Mavs, who trailed 60-41 at half-time at American Airlines Center, with the Cavs going on a 17-0 run at one point.
The Slovenian helped the Mavs rally within nine points in the fourth quarter before Mitchell hit a clutch three-pointer to thwart their momentum.
The victory ended the Cavs' recent road struggles, having lost eight of their past nine games away from their home court.
Mitchell's performance meant he has the fourth highest points per game average by a player in the first 25 games with a new team in NBA history at 29.2, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (35.4, Golden State Warriors), Elvin Hayes (30.4, Houston Rockets) and Adrian Dantley (29.7, Utah Jazz).
Curry injured as Warriors beaten on road
Stephen Curry scored 38 points but exited with a shoulder injury, while Draymond Green was ejected as the Golden State Warriors' road struggles continued with a 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Amid a Warriors rally, after allowing 47 points in the second quarter, which tied the most by them in any quarter under head coach Steve Kerr, Curry clutched at his left shoulder in the third quarter and did not return, having previously shot five-of-10 three-pointers.
Green was tossed out in the final quarter after a second technical foul as Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to victory with 29 points, with the team draining 16 three-pointers. Golden State are 2-13 on the road this season.
Lillard maintains rare three-point form
Damian Lillard sunk seven three-pointers as he scored 37 points before being benched late as the Portland Trail Blazers crushed the San Antonio Spurs 128-112.
The 32-year-old Blazers point guard is averaging 34.4 points per game in December, including hitting 11 triples in Monday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, amid a form upswing following injury.
Anfernee Simons added 23 points and Jerami Grant had 18, while Keldon Johnson top scored with 25 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who had won three in a row after ending an 11-game losing run.
Stephen Curry is in "good spirits" but will undergo an MRI on the left shoulder injury that forced him out of the Golden State Warriors' 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
Curry sustained the injury with 2:04 left in the third quarter as he attempted to strip Jalen Smith of the ball, immediately clutching his shoulder but continuing to run down the court.
The Warriors called a timeout where Curry was assessed by training staff, later heading into the locker room and being ruled out in the fourth quarter.
"He's going to get an MRI tomorrow," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "He was ruled out midway through the fourth. Training staff told me he wasn’t going to play the rest of the night. We'll see how he is tomorrow."
On the pain Curry was feeling, Kerr added: "I didn’t ask about that. I trust their judgement and they said he's not going back in. I just checked in with him briefly but haven’t had a chance to go into detail."
Kerr said 34-year-old eight-time All-Star Curry seemed upbeat in their brief interaction.
"Steph is always a guy with a great outlook on life so he was in good spirits," Kerr said. "We'll hope for the best."
The reigning NBA Finals MVP had 38 points on five-of-10 three-point shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists until the injury ended his game.
Golden State, who slumped to 2-13 on the road this season, had fought back from a 74-54 half-time deficit but could not overcome the Pacers without Curry.
"Just stunning," Kerr said about Curry's performance. "He basically put us on his shoulders for the minutes he was out there.
"He was generating so much offense, he was getting to the line, he was getting the ball to other people, he was absolutely brilliant.
"I thought the guys did a great job of fighting throughout the third quarter before he got hurt and then after."
Curry is averaging 29.6 points on 49.7 per cent field-goal shooting and 43.2 per cent three-point shooting with 6.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season.
The NBA and players' union have announced an extension from Thursday's deadline to give notice of plans to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) put out a joint statement on Wednesday on the agreement that moves the deadline to February 8, one day before this season's trade deadline.
The statement clarified that the extension is part of their ongoing efforts to reach a new agreement, but if either party exercises the opt-out, the CBA's term will end on June 30 2023.
That creates a potential work stoppage after the 2022-23 NBA season, with the playoffs due to take place in April and May, followed by the Finals in June.
ESPN reported that the NBA is eager to implement an upper spending limit to replace the luxury tax, to contain the payrolls of large-market contenders such as the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets.
Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball could make his return against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
Ball has only played three games this season after suffering an ankle sprain in pre-season, before sustaining another in November's clash with the Indiana Pacers when he stepped on the foot of a fan sitting courtside.
The 21-year-old – who was named NBA rookie of the year in June 2021 – has missed 24 games in all this campaign with the two ankle injuries, averaging 19.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds across the three games he was able to participate in.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ball has been "upgraded to questionable" for the game with the Pistons and is "hopeful" of playing, with the intention being for him to warm-up pre-game to "see if he's ready".
Ball made 75 appearances for Charlotte last season, averaging 20.1 points per game as well as 7.6 assists and 6.7 rebounds.
Largely without Ball, it has been a poor 2022-23 for the Hornets so far, sitting on 7-20, though they host the only team with a worse win percentage than them on Wednesday when the 7-22 Pistons come to Spectrum Center.
Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is "among the best in the world," according to club legend Marek Hamsik.
The Georgia international, who arrived from Dinamo Batumi in July, has played an instrumental role in Napoli's impressive start to the season, with Luciano Spalletti's side eight points clear at the Serie A summit.
No player has been directly involved in more goals this term than Kvaratskhelia (11 - scored six, assisted five), with his tally only matched by team-mate Victor Osimhen, who is the leading marksman in the Italian top flight (nine).
Unbeaten after 15 games, Napoli's surge has been all the more impressive considering three key players left in the close season, with Kalidou Koulibaly joining Chelsea and all-time top scorer Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne departing on free transfers.
But Hamsik - the club's record appearance maker (520) - is delighted at how the likes of Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen have stepped up to the plate, along with defender Kim Min-jae.
"Kvara has incredible dribbling ease and he is among the best in the world," the 35-year-old told DAZN.
"It's incredible to see this Napoli team without the three most important players.
"Everyone needs symbols, someone to represent the club. For the fans, it was a shame [when those players left].
"But I must say it's good how Napoli took players who play great, getting good results like Kim, Kvara, Osi, and also reduced the wage bill."
Now plying his trade with Turkish side Trabzonspor, Hamsik spent 12 seasons at Napoli and became the club's all-time leading scorer with 121 goals, though he has since been surpassed by Mertens (148) and Insigne (122).
The former Slovakia captain revealed he declined several offers to move away from Naples, but has no regrets over those decisions.
"There were teams that wanted me," he added. "The first was Milan with [Massimiliano] Allegri in 2012, then [Walter] Mazzarri at Inter.
"There was Juve - there were a few calls with [Pavel] Nedved, but I never thought about it.
"I never needed to change. I was happy and renewed five times in 12 years, which is quite a number. The club gave me what I wanted, I was happy, my family too, and the fans loved me more and more."
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