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In a game of reunions, the Philadelphia 76ers look forward to hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday for the first time this season.
Fortunately for the Sixers, they’ll get a reinforcement in Kyle Lowry.
While Lowry’s official debut with the team took place last Thursday, the veteran guard got the night off on the second game of a back-to-back. The reason for his absence was due to return to competition conditioning. However, Lowry also suffered a facial laceration, which required stitches.
The slight setback didn’t prevent Lowry from continuing to play in last week’s game against the New York Knicks. While he left the matchup early in the first half, Lowry ended up returning after halftime to finish out his 25-minute shift.
After getting a night off, Lowry is set to make his return against the Bucks as he’s deemed available for the matchup. Whether he’ll make his first start or return to a reserve role remains unclear at this time.
Although one game is a small sample size, Lowry proved he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. He shot 5-7 from the field, knocking down one of his two three-point shots for the Sixers to score 11 points on Thursday. He also contributed to four rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Knicks.
Lowry’s fit playing alongside Tyrese Maxey was ideal for the first matchup. Considering Nick Nurse noted that Lowry could be a potential starting option down the stretch, the door is left open for Lowry to take over the shooting guard spot in the starting five if moving De’Anthony Melton to the bench is an option the Sixers are considering taking.
For the time being, the 76ers are in an experimental phase as they work on getting healthier.
The Sixers and the Bucks are set to tip off at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday.
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Mavericks have another out-of-shape star
When the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis last season, the team was concerned about its young star's conditioning issues. Now, Doncic is on the cover of fitness magazines, and Davis is 15 pounds heavier than at last season's training camp. At last year's training camp, the Los Angeles Lakers listed Davis at 253 pounds. This season, the Mavericks listed him at 268 pounds, a dramatic increase from 12 months ago. He looks noticeably bigger, though "The Brow" still put up seven points and seven rebounds in the Mavericks' preseason opener Monday night, a 106-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony Davis spent the summer recovering from a serious surgery One reason Davis might not be in his usual condition is his offseason surgery to repair a detached retina, an injury he played through for most of last season. While the surgery was successful — Davis will wear protective goggles for the remainder of his career — he had to go weeks without exercising as part of his recovery. For his part, Davis claims he always likes to go into training camp a little heavy to avoid getting "too small" when he loses weight during the season. Being larger may be a conscious strategy for Davis, but he's still at least 10 pounds heavier than his previous efforts to come to training camp above his playing weight. Anthony Davis was a questionable choice for a team concerned with health It's not Davis' fault that he's suffered so many injuries, including an adductor strain in his very first game with the Mavericks that kept him out for the team's next 19 games. But it was a curious choice to swap Doncic for a player six years older than him. 2024-25 was the most injury-plagued season of Doncic's career, and he ended up playing just one fewer game than Davis. Over Doncic's seven-year career, he's played 450 games. In that same time span, Davis has played 377, roughly 10 fewer games per season. Doncic himself weighed in at 244 pounds for the Lakers, which is higher than his official weight of 230 pounds for most of his career, but far lower than his reported weight in the "high 260s" last season. Doncic clearly wasn't nearly as committed to fitness a year ago. But like Davis, much of Doncic's weight gain last season was a consequence of not being able to exercise after a severe calf strain. A player can have a fantastic regimen of exercise and preparation, but that goes out the window if injuries won't let him follow that routine. That's where the Mavericks seem to have had a blind spot with Davis. He may well drop the extra weight quickly and play himself into shape, but the odds are high that an injury will leave him off the court and out of shape again.
Lions appear 'destined' to make huge Aidan Hutchinson move
Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson is once again a key contributor for the Detroit Lions, coming off the devastating injury he suffered last fall. For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler suggested that the Lions could soon lock Hutchinson down beyond the ongoing campaign after the club picked up the 25-year-old's fifth-year option for 2026 this past offseason. Lions, Aidan Hutchinson have had "exploratory" contract talks "Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson looks destined for a new deal," Fowler shared. "Both sides have had exploratory discussions about an extension, for which Hutchinson is eligible as a fourth-year pro." Back in July, Fowler noted that Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks (7.5), pressures and win rate last season before he went down with gruesome fractures of his tibia and fibula in October 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, Hutchinson enters Week 6 of the 2025 campaign tied for third in the league with five sacks and second with three forced fumbles. How much could Aidan Hutchinson make via extension? "Top pass-rushers now make quarterback money, punctuated by Micah Parsons' four-year, $188M deal with Green Bay," Fowler continued. "While I'm not sure Hutchinson tops that number, he'll be among the highest paid at his position whenever this deal gets done. ...Detroit has shown an eagerness to extend its marquee players, and there's none bigger than Hutchinson." Before Parsons put pen to paper on his deal, Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders received a three-year, $106.5M extension during the offseason. Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns later signed a four-year, $160M deal that included $123.5M guaranteed. During the summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff are a few examples of Lions players who have received extensions from the club over the past couple of years. That said, both Detroit and Hutchinson may have reasons to drag contract talks out. Hutchinson could increase the value of his deal if he keeps playing well through January (or February). Meanwhile, everybody involved received a harsh reminder roughly 12 months ago that one play can drastically alter or even threaten a player's career. For now, Hutchinson and the 4-1 Lions will focus on preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3). As of Wednesday, ESPN BET had Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
Golden Knights to sign star center to eight-year extension
The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to sign star center Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $108M contract extension, per the Vegas Review-Journal’s Danny Webster. The move was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. Weber adds that the deal is believed to carry a $13.5M cap hit. On a day when the Winnipeg Jets extended star winger Kyle Connor, the Golden Knights have still found a way to steal the show. Eichel’s extension was long anticipated, both for his impact on the Golden Knights’ roster and the intricacies of how Vegas would fit the deal in alongside the $12M cap hit of Mitch Marner. That question has now been answered, with Vegas locking up the tandem through the next eight seasons for $25.5M each season. Landing a max-term extension with Eichel before he has a chance to play alongside 100-point scorer Marner could prove lucrative for the Golden Knights. Eichel had a career year last season, setting career-highs with 94 points and a plus-32 in 77 games. It was a major leap over the 31 goals and 68 points that Eichel managed in 63 games of the 2023-24 season — and the 66 points he scored in 67 games of the 2022-23 campaign. It seems the top center simply needed to ease into his starring role in Vegas after going through a true saga with the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo drafted Eichel second overall in 2015, properly dubbing him second-fiddle to Connor McDavid’s historic draft season. Despite that seat, Eichel boasted plenty of reason for excitement in his own right and seemed to single-handedly will Boston University to a National Championship loss in his draft year. He brought that team-leading drive straight into the NHL, marked by 24 goals and 56 points in 81 games of the 2015-16 season. That remains the most a Sabres rookie has scored since the 1980s. Even better, Eichel matched it in fewer games of his sophomore season, with 24 goals and 57 points in 61 games. But that quickly became Eichel’s M.O. He was oft-injured, but proved to be the undeniable star of Buffalo’s lineup when healthy. He reached at least 25 goals in each of his next three seasons in Buffalo, and even showed his strength with 82 points in 77 games of the 2018-19 season, when the Sabres collectively only won 33 games. The tension between a struggling club and its productive star reached a peak as the 2020s rolled around — and a breaking point when the two sides couldn’t agree on how Eichel should handle an unprecedented shoulder surgery in 2021. Sabres traded Jack Eichel to Golden Knights in 2021 After multiple bouts back and forth and a seemingly endless run of trade rumors, Buffalo decided to trade Eichel to Vegas in November 2021. In return, the Sabres received Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, the draft pick used on Noah Ostlund (2022: 1-16) and a second-round pick traded to Minnesota. All three players remain with Buffalo. Meanwhile, Eichel quickly received the surgery he had preferred upon arriving in Vegas. His 2021-22 campaign was limited to 34 games due to injury, but he recovered in time for the 2022-23 season. Routine injury still marred his year, but he stayed healthy long enough to lead Vegas on a run to the Stanley Cup in 2023. He led the Golden Knights and the postseason in scoring with a dazzling 26 points in 22 games — though the Conn Smythe trophy would go to his goal-scoring teammate Jonathan Marchessault. Regardless, Eichel’s push towards a Cup win showed the Golden Knights, and the hockey world, that he had the grit to be the star center on an NHL champion. He has reaffirmed that thought with 17 points in 18 playoff games since Vegas lifted the Cup. Extension should give Jack Eichel confidence boost With this move, Vegas will place a strong bet on Eichel’s ability to hang onto that role through his 30s. More importantly, they’ll give him a big boost of confidence as he heads into his age-29 season. Eichel has never played alongside a 100-point scorer, nor broken that ceiling himself, but he’ll get his first chance this season. Like Eichel, Marner struggled to crack the century mark for multiple seasons, recording at least 85 points three times between 2021 and 2024. He even reached 99 points in 2022-23. But it wasn’t until last season, when he scored 27 goals and 102 points in 81 games, that Marner was finally able to achieve the feat. In a rare shift, he has now changed teams following a career year and will look to keep the good times rolling on a recent Cup winner. The top of Vegas’ offense is truly a stacked group, featuring Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev to support Eichel and Marner. The heights of the lineup seem hard to place, and if all goes well, Vegas has ensured they can keep the band together with a pair of long-term extensions for their two stars.
Jayden Daniels takes firm stance on Dan Quinn's decision about elephant in the room ahead of Commanders and Bears rematch
The Washington Commanders are back home to take on the Chicago Bears in an anticipated rematch on Monday Night Football. This game had everything you could ask for last season, between the buildup of the number one and number two overall picks in the draft, and the most chaotic finish of the year. That was last year, though, and the Commanders know they can't reflect on the past as they prepare for this game. Jayden Daniels' mindset has always been one of his biggest strengths, and he showed it again when he agreed with head coach Dan Quinn's comments on the rematch. No reason to hang onto the Hail Mary The showdown between the Commanders and Bears last season had the biggest surprise ending of the season, and it was a massive momentum shift for both teams. The Commanders went on to make a run through the playoffs, while the Bears struggled the rest of the season and made major changes after the year ended. It's very easy to hold onto such an emotional moment as a football player, especially for Daniels, who threw the pass, but he's moved on from it and won't reflect on it anymore, because there's no reason to bring it into the rematch. "I just left that in last year. It speaks for itself," Daniels said. "Like, I mean, that Hail Mary ain't gonna help us win a game on Monday. So what's the point?" Dan Quinn won't bring it up with the team Quinn is on the same page with his quarterback, and the Hail Mary isn't even a topic that has been brought up to the team. "It's last year's story. You know?" Quinn said. "Like, it was awesome. We loved it, but like, it doesn't apply to this week's game at all unless we get into that exact scenario and that exact situation. So then we can talk about it, but until then, like we have a lot of stuff to get better at and work on, to get ready." The Commanders are facing a different Bears team that is coming off a bye week, while the Commanders are looking to bring the momentum from last week's win, and not the Hail Mary finish from the previous season. Every NFC game matters when it comes to the playoffs, so you can't afford to let this one slip away at home.
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