ALL-STAR STATUS: WILL LUKA DONčIć ACTUALLY SUIT UP FOR THE WORLD TEAM ON SUNDAY
Luka Dončić and DeAndre Ayton are OUT for the Lakers tonight. Analyse the impact on Luka’s MVP eligibility and the 2026 All-Star Game.
JJ Redick didn’t hide his frustration after the Lakers picked up another foul. Honestly, you can’t blame him; the team’s running on fumes.
Thursday night, the Lakers face the Mavericks at home, wrapping things up before the All-Star break. But they’ll do it shorthanded. Luka Dončić is still out with that stubborn left calf strain. Deandre Ayton? Also sitting, thanks to a sore knee.
Missing both guys at this point in the season? That’s rough. Dončić drives the offence; Ayton holds down the paint. Now Redick’s got to juggle minutes and shuffle roles just to keep things afloat heading into the break.
Ayton’s situation hasn’t really improved. He tweaked his knee last weekend and, since then, has barely played, making just one short appearance in the last four games. He did return on Monday, put in 29 minutes, but looked off. He scored just six points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and you could tell he wasn’t right.
Redick said after the Warriors game, “He went out for his shooting stretch and just didn’t feel completely comfortable with it. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe it’s anything but day-to-day.” So, they’re playing it safe. Ayton will sit for the third time in four games. So far this season, he’s averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and a block per night. He signed on with the Lakers last summer—two years, $16.2 million, with a player option for year two after leaving Portland.
Dončić’s absence stings for a different reason. With this being his fourth straight missed game (and 12th overall this season), he’s barely holding on to eligibility for those end-of-year awards. The NBA says you’ve got to play at least 65 games for MVP or All-NBA honours, so Dončić can only skip five more games the rest of the way. Out of 28 games left after the break, he needs to play in at least 23 to stay in the running.
Last year, he missed too much time, just 50 games split between Dallas and LA, again because of that calf, and fell short of All-NBA. Before that, he made five straight All-NBA First Teams, the youngest ever to do it. In 2024, he joined a pretty exclusive club, becoming just the fourth guy to lock in five First Team spots within his first six seasons.
In the MVP chase, Dončić sat at No. 2 before the break, just behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’d actually passed Nikola Jokić earlier, but now this injury threatens to slow him down again. The Lakers haven’t ruled him out for Sunday’s All-Star Game, so there’s hope he returns for next week’s game against the Clippers.
With Dončić and Ayton both out, the Lakers are leaning hard on LeBron James and Austin Reaves. LeBron, who rested Tuesday against the Spurs, should be back in the lineup. Reaves is still ramping up after missing 19 games with his own calf injury, but he’s been solid with 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in just under 25 minutes a night since he returned.
So, just one more game where LeBron and Reaves have to do the heavy lifting. The Lakers are crossing their fingers that the All-Star break gives everybody a chance to heal up before the season’s final push.
MILLION DOLLAR BET: LOGAN PAUL’S OPEN CHALLENGE TO THE NFL BACKFIRES AS BELL ACCEPTS
Logan Paul is ducking: Read about Le’Veon Bell’s $1M challenge, Tom Brady’s "cute" insult, and the Pittsburgh Draft fight rumours.
A former NFL star just called out Logan Paul, saying he’s dodging their $1 million fight.
So here’s what’s been going on: Logan Paul, who’s held the WWE United States Championship, got into it with NFL legend Tom Brady. Brady kicked things off by saying pro wrestling is “cute” and throwing shade at Paul’s athleticism compared to NFL players.
Logan didn’t let that slide. He fired back, claiming 99% of NFL players would fall apart if they tried wrestling in WWE, and then flipped the script by calling football "cute". Things really heated up when Brady straight-up called him a b*tch, and Logan decided to up the ante.
On his IMPAULSIVE podcast, Logan claimed no football player could beat him in a boxing match. He even put $1 million on the line, daring any NFL player to prove him wrong. A bunch of NFL guys jumped in, but Le’Veon Bell, a former Steelers star and a pro boxer himself, really took the bait.
Bell challenged Logan to fight in Pittsburgh during the 2026 NFL draft. He didn’t hold back, posting, “STOP DUCKING, @LoganPaul. Bro’s trying to fight an NFL player that’s never fought before. Let’s set it up; we all heard you say you can beat any NFL player. We can fight in April; the NFL draft is in PITTSBURGH. Let’s make it happen.”
Logan fired back. He pointed out that Bell isn’t in the NFL anymore, and since Bell actually knows how to fight, Logan said he’d need serious training time, which means stepping away from WWE, something he’s not willing to do. Plus, Logan claimed the fight isn’t worth it because Bell doesn’t draw a big crowd. “You’re not in the NFL. You can actually fight, so I’d have to properly train and step away from WWE (which I’m not doing, especially not for you). There’s no money here because you’re not a draw. Prove me wrong. Of course, you want the opportunity. I’m a goldmine for retirees like you. But gg,” Logan replied.
Bell wasn’t having it. He accused Logan of ducking out, saying Logan’s only interested in fighting NFL players with zero boxing experience. “THIS MF A (duck emoji) bro said, 'You can actually fight,' so he’s telling everyone he wants to fight someone who he feels can’t fight. That’s what we call DUCKING,” Bell shot back.
THIRD FASTEST EVER? HOW DID JAYSON TATUM BEAT KEVIN DURANT’S RECOVERY BY 254 DAYS?
Jayson Tatum is back: Read about his 298-day Achilles recovery, the 15-minute limit, and why the Celtics are now title favourites.
Jayson Tatum sat at the Auerbach Center, listening to questions from reporters during Celtics media day, looking like he was itching to get back on the court.
The Celtics’ star forward is finally on the verge of returning after tearing his Achilles less than 300 days ago, but don’t expect to see him logging big minutes right away. Reports say Boston plans to be extra cautious. Brett Siegel from ClutchPoints even said he’d be surprised if Tatum plays more than 10 to 15 minutes per game at first.
Tatum’s officially listed as questionable for Friday’s home game against the Mavericks. If he suits up, it'll be a huge boost for Boston, and honestly, a bit of a shock, considering how long other players have been out with the same injury. Just look at Dejounte Murray; he had to wait nearly 100 days longer than Tatum before coming back, and the Pelicans have limited him to 25 minutes a night since.
At the start of the season, most people figured Tatum would sit out the whole year. That’s what usually happens with Achilles injuries; guys like Durant, Klay, and DeMarcus Cousins all missed at least a year. Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, who tore their Achilles in last year’s playoffs too, were ruled out for the entire season.
But then whispers started. Suddenly, Tatum was practising with the G League’s Maine Celtics, then joining full scrimmages with the big club. The rumours got louder, and now, here we are. If he does play Friday, he’ll have pulled off the third-fastest return from an Achilles tear in recent NBA history; only Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups came back quicker.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Kobe Bryant: 240 days
Chauncey Billups: 296 days
Jayson Tatum: 298 days
DeMarcus Cousins: 357 days
Kevin Durant: 552 days
Of course, Boston isn’t taking any chances. Tatum had to hit every checkpoint – conditioning, weight, you name it – before they’d let him suit up. And by all accounts, he looks good. Derrick White said Tatum has been moving well and playing like his old self in practice. You can see how hard he’s worked to get to this point.
The Celtics are 41-21 and already one of the league’s best, but Tatum’s return suddenly makes them the favourites to win the East and push for another Finals trip. Oddsmakers have noticed, too. Thomas Gable at Borgata said Tatum’s comeback could give Boston’s title odds another bump, and David Lieberman at Caesars pointed out that bettors have already started to back the Celtics with his return in mind.
So, yeah, Boston fans have a lot to be excited about. Tatum’s almost back, and the Celtics’ championship hopes just got a whole lot brighter.
