The New York Knicks hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, with the Clippers aggressively seeking a win to move up to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Even without All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks wouldn't go down without a fight, especially after their stellar win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Due to Brunson being out, the Knicks have had to make several adjustments to alter their team. Not only did that mean putting more offensively responsibility on the rest of the team, but replacing him in the starting lineup. Veteran point guard Cameron Payne has done that in the last two games, but won't close out the game for New York on Wednesday.
Cam Payne (right ankle sprain) is out for the remainder of the game.
— NY Knicks PR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 27, 2025
After spraining his ankle in the first half on a floater attempt, Payne has been ruled out for the remainder of the contest due to a right ankle sprain. Payne exits the game finishing with 15 points and two rebounds.
The veteran guard got his start in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before bouncing to several other teams before ending up with the Knicks to start the 2024-25 season. Entering Wednesday's contest, Payne has averaged 6.8 points while appearing in now 66 games for the Knicks.
Cam Payne played on after this landing in the first half but is not out there for the second half pic.twitter.com/NBsAyPUHjO
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 27, 2025
Now with the Knicks without their first three point guards on the depth chart, they'll have to look toward rookie Tyler Kolek and veteran Delon Wright to help in the meantime.
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De’Anthony Melton could return to the Golden State Warriors for the 2025-26 season. It was Steve Kerr who pushed for Melton to join the team in 2024-25, by bringing in the former Philadelphia 76ers guard. Melton signed a one-year contract, and things started great until he partially tore his ACL. He decided on surgery to avoid any long-term issues and was later dealt to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the trade that brought Dennis Schroder to Golden State. The Warriors are close to signing De’Anthony Melton from the Nets, which may please Draymond Green De’Anthony Melton is expected to fully recover from his surgery last November, and there are growing suggestions that he could re-sign with the Golden State Warriors. Brian Windhorst has reported that the Warriors are close to finalising deals for both Melton and veteran centre Al Horford. The deals are likely to be completed once the club makes a decision on Jonathan Kuminga’s future, with negotiations still ongoing. Warriors legend Draymond Green was clear at the time that Melton was a good signing, something that could now help pave the way for his return. “What he was bringing to this team was great, so we’ll miss that. But what we’ll miss more is just his presence around, his attitude, his demeanor every single day. Always smiling, never upset about anything, just always bringing great vibes,” he told ESPN. “You hate to see a young guy in a contract year go through this,” Green added. “But I know the imprint he’s already left on this organization. He’ll have an opportunity to come back and hopefully he’ll decide that’s the right thing for him.” Melton’s stats for the Dubs At 27, Melton still has plenty of time to make his mark with the Golden State Warriors, and it looks like he’s about to get another chance. Across those six appearances, Melton posted solid numbers: 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He also contributed on defence with 1.2 steals over an average of just over 20 minutes a night. The team struggled after he went down early in the season, so it’s no surprise that the idea of him coming back is going over well inside the locker room.
Treylon Burks‘ tenure in Tennessee is on track to come to an end. In the wake of his latest injury, the former first-rounder has been waived. This move has come with an injury designation, which comes as no surprise given the broken collarbone Burks recently suffered in training camp. Injuries have plagued the 25-year-old throughout his brief NFL tenure, which began when Tennessee selected him with the No. 18 pick in the 2022 draft. That selection was acquired by dealing A.J. Brown to the Eagles. Given the link between the two wideouts created by the trade, Burks’ evaluations have always been measured against Brown’s Philadelphia success. During each of his three seasons with the Eagles so far, Brown has earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro acclaim; the 28-year-old was also a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl success in 2025. Burks, by contrast, entered this summer on Tennessee’s roster bubble. The Arkansas product managed a career-best 444 yards as a rookie while being limited to 11 games. Optimism was high that, with better luck on the health front, he could round out his game and develop into a regular on offense with the Titans. Staying on the field has proven to be an issue, however — Burks missed six games again in 2023 and an ACL tear limited him to five contests last season — and when available he has not managed to meet expectations. The collarbone injury accelerated the timing for what could have been a decision to move on from the Titans closer to the start of the regular season. Tennessee’s receiver depth chart will once again be headlined by Calvin Ridley this season. Veteran Tyler Lockett was added in free agency, as was Van Jefferson. The Titans used the draft to add a pair of Day 3 prospects at the position (Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor), and they will look to handle backup roles during their rookie seasons. Tennessee entered Monday with nearly $30M in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if one of the veterans still on the market is targeted in the wake of this move. Burks is now headed to waivers, with all teams free to claim him. Provided he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve. Situations such as these often result in a release being worked out along with an injury settlement. If that proves to be the case for Burks, his Titans stint will end on an unwanted but unsurprising note.
Are the Milwaukee Brewers still in the running for Eugenio Suárez? While it’s difficult to gauge the precise status of any Suárez-Brewers talks, one thing is clear — there are multiple contenders in hot pursuit of the Arizona Diamondbacks slugger. MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan called Milwaukee the No. 2 landing spot for Suárez on Saturday (behind the Philadelphia Phillies) and also included the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Houston Astros on his list. On Monday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale provided an interesting update on the Tigers’ connection to Suárez. “The Detroit Tigers, one of the strong suitors for Diamondbacks All Star 3B Eugenio Suarez, would love to finalize a deal before Suarez leaves town Wednesday,” Nightengale wrote on Monday afternoon. “The DBacks are in Detroit for 3-game series.” Does Detroit, set to share physical proximity with Suárez over the next 72 hours, suddenly have the upper hand in the sweepstakes for the All-Star? That would be a wild development if so. Suárez and his suitors have become the leading topic amid what has otherwise been a quiet trade deadline, although analysts believe a flurry of moves will happen on Thursday with hours remaining before the literal deadline. Suárez’s recent production has only fueled the trade buzz. He’s hit 36 home runs this year and represents the most impactful bat on the market. Brewers fans are still split on whether acquiring Suárez would make a winning team better or possibly interrupt flawless chemistry. The only shocking outcome at this point would be if Suárez is still wearing a Diamondbacks uniform when August begins.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
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