Denver makes lineup change

This is Nikola Jokic's first significant injury, he's out for a month, and it really isn't even an injury, more like a wrenched leg. Sprained left knee, "hyperextended," everything pushed to its max but nothing broken. We are no longer a monoculture but the Collective We could not handle anything else breaking.

His first major injury, first time he's had to think before planting, landing. Jokic doesn't roll out of the stable and into triple-doubles, that's a racetrack-sized myth, Jokic studies every NBA's teams sets as much as he scans stallions. Nikola knows every team's fourth-favorite out-of-bounds play and trains his own NBA legs to no end. But this will be the first time he will ask those legs to do something and his legs will silently insist Jokic wait. Horse'll snort back, at least.

This does not doom Denver's 2026, do not adjust sets (this is still a League Pass go-to) nor expectations, nor does it set Jokic's left knee up for further disrepair. Nikola Jokic given a midseason month off his cart's wheels to strengthen his core and sturdy his base should frighten the rest of the West, whose stars must work those games against the Wizards and Hornets and Wizards again before thinking about an All-Star break.

The problem for Denver (the West's No. 3) is 2026, they play the the Wizards and Hornets and Wizards again in January without Nikola Jokic. A potential loss, every time out. Nearly every team in the NBA is credible at this point, even the Wizards. No team is incredible but the Kings.

But Nuggets won't play the Kings with Jokic out, Denver already scheduled Sacramento the full four times this season, winning thrice. Four future opportunities lost, like I've lost any reader above the age of 10.

The West is unreal but the 22-10 Nuggets banked plenty of victories before 2025 ended. Any idea how they'll hold up? Check in after an inexplicable image.

Denver owns the NBA's best offense and probably still will by the time Jokic returns in, lessay, February. Please play it safe, Denver.

Probably still rank atop the standings with Christian Braun wearing (comically large) street clothes on the bench, and unable to scoop passes from Jokic upon return. Should still top things even with Aaron Gordon on the mend and Cameron Johnson at least a month away from returning. Johnson and Jokic each suffering severe sprains, but not tears. Whew.

Gordon and Braun could return near the end of the current road trip, which lasts through Jan. 7. Whatever the date, they won't be their best upon return, but Denver has such a strong lead in overall offense (three points per 100 possessions ahead of second-place Houston) that its finest attribute should survive this road trip (Toronto, Cleveland, Brooklyn, 76ers, Celtics) and beyond.

What's beyond is a mess, easily surmountable. The visiting Hawks and Bucks, whom we'll discuss below, visits to New Orleans and Dallas. Four of the flightiest, trade machine-mates in the NBA.

Denver then hosts the Wizards, Hornets, Austin Reaves-less Lakers. Travels out to Washington, Milwaukee, Memphis, back home for Pistons, Nets, Clippers and Thunder on Feb. 1. Many potential wins amid that lot, especially if Jamal Murray (25 per game on 49/44/45) continues apace. With Jonas Valančiūnas setting screens, the hope is Jamal's own legs will endure.

The Nugs are a game up on 20-10 Houston, but also only three games up on the 19-13 Suns, a team with 27 of its 50 games left to play against Eastern opponents. What matters is cohesion was established, strong rapport, confidence took hold before injuries hit. More important were the actual wins, from this particular journey.

The 21-12 Wolves and Rockets own another gear, each could be a different and better team by the time Jokic returns. Teams could pop trades, seeds should swap. The Nuggets need to win better than two-thirds its games (Houston's winning percentage) to keep that third seed, hold Thunder off for three playoff rounds.

Remember, though, Denver boasts a rookie NBA head coach. No person on earth is as enthused for unexpected challenges as an NBA head coach in the first full season. If Denver cops 12 of the 18 games Jokic sits, do-able with that schedule, look out.

This is a championship, bleeping, team. It just needs its snorters back.

MILWAUKEE

Giannis returned on Saturday, his Bucks beat the Bulls in Chicago and made the Bulls cry big, blubbery wails over Antetokounmpo's late game dunk.

The Bulls have a problem with dunks, one of the many reasons I have a problem with the Bulls. I hate when my worst fears are confirmed with one click over to Basketball-Reference: Chicago's Bulls are last in the league in dunks (83 in 32 games), last in the league in percentage of attempts which are dunks.

The Bulls advertise product with a statue of a man dunking and, frankly, I'd like Hizzoner to take a look at this shocking form of false advertising, then congestion charging.

Those Bulls are among the ten NBA teams ahead of Milwaukee in the Eastern standings, the 14-19 Bucks are a half-game out of the Play-In and four out of a guaranteed playoff seed. The Bucks own the seventh-worst offense and Milwaukee is No. 18 in defense, No. 21 in Net Rating. I'm here, might as well look it up: Milwaukee is No. 16 in dunks and No. 17 in dunk percentage.

Dunks are important to me. Wouldn't be here, where I am, without jams and slams.

Antetokounmpo is 31 and he's missed 14 of the 33 outings in 2025-26, the Bucks (3-11 without Antetokounmpo) need another 30 wins to safely make the playoffs but the Bucks' longest winning streak is two. This is not team built to win 62 percent of its games, starting ... NOW.

(Myles Turner's smoothest night as a Bucks so far! Four blocks, 23 points.)

Giannis wants his teammates in the moment, not thinking through their Trade Machines:

"You've just got to give urgency to the team. Like, 'Guys, this is serious,'" Antetokounmpo said. "Who are we trying to be? We've got to turn this around. We have time to turn this around. And you've got to have a little bit more urgency. ... I've been approached by teammates and asked about the [reports] because it also may affect their own life and their own career."

I read this is "several of my teammates discussed retirement, winter in Milwaukee. The phrase leaving money on the table to go somewhere warm was heard."

"I'm straight with them, whatever that answer might be."

Whatever that answer might be. Super, interesting, redundant, addition. Either no Buck has asked the right question, or Antetokounmpo's honest answers are a straight line toward an expert dodge of cornering inquisition. It's all Greek to the right person.

Meanwhile, the Bucks are leaking names to make us laugh: Zach LaVine, Jerami Grant, Malik Monk.

Monk (barely in Sacto's rotation) can play, Grant's improved, but what the heck are they gonna do? LaVine does not move off the ball, how's he flow with Antetokounmpo? Presume Portland or Sacramento wants Milwaukee's return, large ask, which mountain east of the Mississippi does this re-shape? Does the snarling depth in Detroit or dutifully dedicated dudes from New York tap tables to the sound of the Giannis Plus Myles Plus Monk Trio?

Or can Myles even play with Monk? Contractual thing.

Name any Buck addition, the Sixers are better. The Magic are tough, Celtics potent, Raptors a bit of a wall even if the starting center is missing. Heat's bench looking better by the hour.

Stay the standings stick but the Bucks knock ATL out of the No. 10 seed: Milwaukee beats Chicago and loses to Cleveland, season over, time to gauge value on a No. 12 pick. The Bucks cannot lottery-vault back to relevance, its 2026 first-round selection swaps through Atlanta first.

Milwaukee may push for a .500 record in 2025-26 because the Bucks are 11-8 with Giannis. And, later, the Bucks are especially capable of rolling through opponents in March when everyone wants to lose, even winning the games Giannis sits. He will sit. The 13-year vet (14, if we count his extra 84 playoff games!) does too much to make it out of this season without a brief break.

I cannot pencil Giannis in for 49 more appearances, my kids are grown and moved out, I have no idea where a pencil is. I can grab you a pen but I will not pen Giannis in for 49 more games, exquisite health and perfect attendance is unreasonable.

It may not matter, MKE's rival in ATL is in crisis.

ATLANTA

On Monday night the Hawks kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the Thunder to act like a team on the sleepy end of a back-to-back but nah, Thunder prevailed, champs with home wins in consecutive nights.

Trae Young did not play in the game, resting his quad injury, sculling everyone's column idea. The 15-19 Hawks, infamously by this point, are much better with Trae off the court than in Atlanta's lineup. Young was Extremely Trae in five games since his return on Dec. 18, all losses: 0-5, 7-9, 1-7, 5-8, 0-4 from deep. He doesn't play defense, there is is little body movement extending any indication that Trae wants to. It wasn't a promising week.

The group works 15 of its next 24 on the road before entering a lengthy homestand following, boy howdy, the trade deadline.

If the Hawks knew another NBA team thought highly of Trae Young's services, he'd be on that team. Whether or not Dyson Daniels is fit to lead an offense is beyond the point, the point was moving past Young, there is a plan in place but nobody's calling back.

The plan became a heckuva lot easier to visualize with the wins without Young, all those unexpected extra dimes from Jalen Johnson. Plus the pleasing and palatable Vít Krejčí (47 percent from deep) staying on the floor while playing NBA-style basketball, not (the inarguably entertaining and arguably superior) sport of Krejčíball. Moot points, as nobody wants to pay Trae Young (his player option of) $49 million 2026-27.

But with Zaccharie Risacher? The 20-year old? The guy that fouls during dead balls? Maybe the young man needs out of Atlanta, but I'd take a chance on that flyer. Especially if the Hawks sprinkle future first-round picks atop Trae's millstone deal (the Pels/Bucks lottery pick should be off Atlanta's table until after the lottery straightens).

Dealing for a former top overall pick means dealing for a max contract expectation, fine, maybe Risacher is worth it by then, growing alongside his fellow young and malleable teammates ... Dallas.

Mavsies? Come on. You've been out of the news too long and I can't quit on the idea of Trae Young. Let Jason Kidd stand up to Trae Young and see what comes out. As if 34-year old Kyrie Irving will be a Maverick starting lineup stalwart in 2026-27.

Trae Young is a career 35 percent three-point shooter who does not play defense. It gets better than there, but not to the spot where I'd want it taking up a fifth of my positions. Don't pay a first-round pick for that privilege, especially at $49 million with an extension expectation.

CAT'S IN THE CRADLE

It isn't just a classic Ugly Kid Joe cut: I counted all the sons of NBA players who worked on Christmas, too many to ignore.

Jalen Brunson, Dylan Harper, Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, Bronny James, Klay Thompson, Gary Payton II, Stephen Curry and Seth Curry, Al Horford, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Tim Hardaway Jr., Luke Kornet.

Their fathers?

Mychal Thompson worked twice on Christmas, as a Blazer in 1983 and a Laker in 1988, Klay (born in 1990) ain't that old.

Gary Payton worked three times on Christmas, in 1994 when Gary Payton II was II, again in 2005 and 2006 when GPII was XIII and XIV.

Dylan Harper was 15 years away from his 2006 birth when his father Ron played in the first of Ron's SEVEN Christmas games:

Two as a Clipper, four as a Bull, two as a Laker. Reminder that the 1995-96 Bulls were not on NBC's Christmas slate.

Dale Davis worked back-to-back Christmas games as a Pacer and then Blazer in 1999 and 2000, Trayce Jackson-Davis was born Feb. 22 2000.

Rick Brunson did not get off the bench in his 1999 Christmas game, when Jalen was three.

Tim Hardaway Sr. worked once on Christmas when Tim Hardaway Jr. was five years old. That's gotta be the toughest one, right? Five?

Five-year old Tim Hardaway Jr. missing Tim Hardaway Sr., away at work on Christmas, dad's chums thrashed by the champion Bulls.

Gary Payton II missed his father three times but once while napping as a baby, and again (about to nap) as a moody teenager, probably didn't even show up to the tree until dad was on TV.

I was only reminded Luke Kornet's father played in the NBA because I thumbed past dad's rookie card last week. Just lookin' at my cards. Making sure I don't have that Mark Jackson one with the Menendez brothers on it. Double-checking.

Bronny James was born in 2004, when Bronny's father (basketball superstar LeBron James) already had a Christmas Day appearance under his belt. LeBron James has worked on Christmas 20 times, the most Bronny has ever been with his dad on Christmas is as an NBA teammate.

We shouldn't do that again, right? I don't want to agree with Draymond Green, but the NBA should look into giving the stars of the 2030s the occasional Christmas break: Wemby works the odd years, Cooper the evens. Maybe if Draymond Green didn't have to play every Christmas for 14 consecutive seasons, he'd take it easy.

I WISH I HAD IAN EAGLE'S EMAIL

So that I can tell him that when he's screaming "George ... Jones!" on national TV while calling a Sixers/Bulls game that he should top it with "the race is on!"

I MET IAN ONCE

He lunged across a press table after a playoff game to tell me he was a great fan of BDL, I returned the compliment on the staff's behalf while moving toward the press room's exit.

"Last call," I explained.

Ian Eagle took it with a smirk. He'd worked with Bill Raftery before.

"Hey, we all have priorities."

I WALKED PAST BILL RAFTERY ONCE

In the final hours of the year 2000, too starstruck to say anything. Emerging out of the hallways and onto the court of the United Center, about 1:30 PM local ahead of a Nets/Bulls contest. Raftery beaming because it was New Year's Eve, an excuse to celebrate.

Raftery was in the middle of a marvelous season calling the Nets, my first with League Pass, I was a big fan. My buddy – typically far more professional than I in every conceivable respect – was covering the game with me, when we walked past a grinning Raftery my pal nodded and solemnly addressed him as "Coach."

I didn't know and frankly still do not know anything about Raftery's coaching career, and expressed this to my pal, who did not know nor recognize Raftery but wanted to be respectful. "But he looked like a coach!"

This is the box score from the game we covered for our various websites, at court level, where media sat in 2000-01. This is the Nets team Raftery had to work with:

(Of course the only purple is Aaron Williams. Double-double and foul out? My sorta stats.)

Elton Brand led the Bulls to a win with 31 points and 16 rebounds (in a 91-possession game), four assists, two blocks. Ron Mercer used 19 shots to score 18 points.

That night, and I can't blame Ron Mercer, but that night I drank to excess. It was 2000 turning over into 2001, so my tie color was the same as my shirt color.

FROM A SILVER PHIAL

Shoutout, as always, to Thomas Jefferson Kaye.

Thank you for reading!

NEXT: L.A. & LOS ANGELES, SUNS & HEAT.