Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Sandro Mamukelashvili made history last night during the Spurs’ 120-105 win against the Knicks. The 6-9 forward from Tbilisi, Georgia, became the first player in NBA history to score 34 points in under 20 minutes, surpassing Jaylen Brown (33 in 19 …
Sandro Mamukelashvili made history last night during the Spurs’ 120-105 win against the Knicks. The 6-9 forward from Tbilisi, Georgia, became the first player in NBA history to score 34 points in under 20 minutes, surpassing Jaylen Brown (33 in 19 minutes), Kevin Durant (30 in 19), and Kevin Love (32 in 15).
See the reactions to Mamu’s career night below:
The Grizzlies hosted the Spurs on Monday night, but the game was delayed nearly an hour.
The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs’ Monday night matchup was delayed nearly an hour due to a medical emergency courtside.
When both teams warming up on the court during pregame festivities, things suddenly halted when a medical emergency occurred in the stands, as a fan had to receive attention from medics.
According to The Associated Press, medics worked on the man before putting him on a stretcher after about seven minutes. There have been no updates on his condition.
Both teams made their way to the locker room before eventually returning to play the game as scheduled after about an hour delay.
San Antonio clearly got the best return here.
Less than 24 hours perhaps the most shocking trade in basketball history, the NBA saw another blockbuster move on Sunday evening.
After he was rumored as a potential trade target for the Spurs last week, De’Aaron Fox was included in a three-team deal from Sacramento to San Antonio.
This means the Spurs have found their point guard of the future to pair alongside Victor Wembanyama, which is exciting for fans of the emerging superstar.
Meanwhile, longtime Bulls guard Zach LaVine was sent to Sacramento to keep them as potential contenders in the Western Conference.
The Bulls did not exactly move the needle much with this one beyond from moving off LaVine, but they did regain control of their own future pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
There were some questions about whether or not Fox was the ideal mutual fit for both parties.
But the reality is that the Spurs were able to land a player with All-Star potential without giving up any of the players in their young core, including rookie breakout Stephon Castle.
Now the Spurs can have Fox playing alongside Wembanyama and Chris Paul as well as Castle, Jeremy Sochan Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and various other promising talents in San Antonio.
They also kept their 2025 first-round draft pick from the Hawks, which may become valuable now that Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson is out for the rest of the season. Outside of the 2031 NBA Draft pick from the Timberwolves, they retained all of their most valuable draft capital.
It has become incredibly clear that San Antonio will contend for years to come with Wembanyama already establishing himself as one of the most dominant two-way players in the sport.
Fox can get the team playing fast and adding a new dynamic to what they can do on the offensive side of the ball without compromising their future assets.
Grade: A
If the Kings knew that Fox was not going to re-sign with this franchise on a long-term extension and that he had a preferred destination, there was only so much that they could do.
That being said, while there are a lot of draft picks, this is not a particularly great return for a franchise cornerstone like Fox.
Sacramento may not have had much leverage in this situation but the fact the pick they received from the Hornets is so protected means it is actually more of an additional two second-rounders rather than a third first-rounder.
They can still compete with LaVine even if the pairing with DeMar DeRozan in Chicago did not work great the first go-around. His addition does not make them a favorite in the West and his contract is not exactly favorable for the front office, either.
Grade: D+
The Bulls mostly just moved off their LaVine contract, which was long considered available to any potential suitors.
Most attractive for Chicago is that they regained control of their draft pick in this upcoming class, which will give them a chance to bottom out and keep control of their lottery destiny.
But they essentially netted zero first-round picks for LaVine after also not returning any draft picks for Alex Caruso this past offseason either.
We can expect that Chicago could continue to make moves to continue its potential rebuild, likely including trading away notable players like Nikola Vucevic and perhaps Lonzo Ball.
Grade: D-
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De’Aaron Fox is on the move to San Antonio!
What a NBA trade deadline this has been!
On the heels of the most surprising deal in NBA history that saw Luka Doncic moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs made a splash of their own on Sunday night. First reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Spurs are acquiring De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, with the Chicago Bulls trading Zach LaVine to the Kings in the process.
The trade is yet another massive one, with multiple moving parts and a lot of first round picks headed back the Kings way for parting with Fox, who has been part of the Sacramento organization since being drafted fifth overall by the team in 2017.
Here are the full details of the trade!
Full trade:
Spurs: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin
Kings: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks (2025 CHA, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), three second round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 own back)
Bulls: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, their own 2025 pick via SAS https://t.co/UgwylCUYAO
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2025
The Spurs are lucky Milwaukee doesn’t have secret tunnels under the arena.
It’s been seven years since Chris Paul and a group of Houston Rockets players stormed across the Staples Center to confront Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.
It seems Paul learned his lesson when it comes to finishing fights with those much larger than him. He still has a ways to go when it comes to starting them, however. Giannis Antetokounmpo proved as much on Friday night.
During the San Antonio Spurs’ 144-118 victory in Milwaukee, Paul had Antetokounmpo absolutely heated after a shove to the back left the Bucks’ star writhing in pain on the floor. The play was reviewed and determined to be a common foul, but it set off a back-and-forth between Paul and Giannis that carried over after the final buzzer.
Here’s how it all started:
— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) February 1, 2025
Considering there were barely four minutes remaining in a game that had gotten out of hand (the Spurs were leading by 20), it’s easy to understand why Giannis was upset over the physical play.
The chirping carried over to the ensuing free throw attempts as Paul seemingly mocked Antetokounmpo’s form. Giannis then appeared to invite Paul to come see him after the game.
Giannis: "Come see me after the game"
CP3: "Yeah, I'll do that" pic.twitter.com/xqK9VcD5Zg— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) February 1, 2025
Giannis was serious, too. As soon as the game was over, Antetokounmpo made his way over to midcourt where lip-readers believe he shouted “I’m right here” at Paul.
Postgame it continues…
Giannis: "I'm right here"
CP3: "Peace out" pic.twitter.com/50KLclF0xH— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) February 1, 2025
Paul retreated to the locker room instead of going to chat with Giannis. Which is probably for the best. Antetokounmpo is a decade younger than Paul and nearly twice his size. There was only one way this was going to end.
After Paul’s retreat, Giannis ripped into him during media availability, per ESPN:
“People that know me, they don’t try me,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “If you try me, it’s a different side. If you try me, you’re gonna get that different side of me.”
Antetokounmpo initially said “nothing” happened, calling it “a physical play,” before adding, “I don’t know if I was tripped or I was pushed.” He elaborated when asked why he waited for Paul after the game.
“At the end of the day, I think we’re all men. We all respect one another,” Antetokounmpo said. “If words cross the line, then there’s got to be consequences. I really don’t say much. I don’t say much to start with, try to play the game the right way. If I feel like you’re putting my livelihood, my career and my body in jeopardy, in danger, enough is enough, brother. I have a family to feed, and what makes you laugh can also make you cry sometimes.”
No word on if there are any secret tunnels between locker rooms in Milwaukee, but Paul has to be feeling good the Spurs won’t face the Bucks again this season.
Giannis clearly isn’t ready to let this one go.
Where do you think Swipa will end up?
The Sacramento Kings are reportedly expected to “open up talks” to potentially deal point guard De’Aaron Fox before the deadline.
Fox, who was an NBA All-Star and NBA Clutch Player of the Year in 2023, led the league in steals last season. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, there will be “plenty of suitors” for his services if he does become available on the trade market.
Charania added that Fox has a “target destination” before hitting free agency in 2026 if he does not reach an extension with the Kings. Chris Haynes added Fox is “zeroed in” on that spot — and it does not include the Lakers.
So no matter where he ends up, any team that trades him runs the risk of potentially losing him to that mystery team. Otherwise, however, here are some of the potential suitors:
If there is one team that Fox likely has his eye on at this point, it is probably the Spurs. Any player, especially a point guard like Fox, would want to play alongside a young superstar like Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio will be able to contend for the foreseeable future and Fox would help that window come into fruition even sooner as a long-term replacement for Chris Paul.
Another team that is exceeding expectations is the Houston Rockets, which could make some sense as a hometown fit for Fox as well. This franchise has several assets that may intrigue Sacramento’s front office if they wanted to consolidate some of their smaller pieces into one bigger one. However, per Marc Stein, they may just prefer to see how far their current core can go.
One potential wildcard team that may have some exploratory interest and could make it work financially is the Orlando Magic. They have a fantastic defensive infrastructure as well as multiple legitimately helpful pieces that could make them contend in the Eastern Conference for several years to come. But a floor general like him could help turn them from good to great.
The Miami Heat are in the news for a lot reasons that have nothing to do with Fox and everything to do with Jimmy Butler right now. But if they are active on the trade market, perhaps they emerge as a potential suitor in such a deal. A trade would reunite Fox with his college teammate Bam Adebayo, who are close friends and began their friendship at 12 years old.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Brooklyn Nets are one of the teams who will have at least some registered interest in trading for Fox. They have more than enough draft capital and young assets that could make it interesting for the Kings to at least have a conversation, but the Nets would need to feel at least some confidence that they could have a chance to re-sign him to a long-term deal if they give up real assets to acquire him.
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One player got to go overseas this past week.
Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. He traveled with the San Antonio Spurs to Paris to play two games against the Indiana Pacers. He appeared in both games, and while he failed to score in either one, he did have three assists and a steal in the first game.
Wesley also was the subject of a very prominent post we published this past week. We sat down for an interview with his parents Derrick and Leslie. Our thanks again to them for taking the time to do that.
Back in the U.S., [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag], Notre Dame’s other active NBA player, got some playing time with the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored his only basket while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists Jan. 23 against the Miami Heat. He had one more rebound and two more assists Jan. 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers, bringing his weekly averages to 1.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Here is a gallery of both players from the past week:
What do you think of the lineup so far?
During the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in San Francisco, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest will feature some young talent in the league.
Among the headliners reported so far include Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), and Andre Jackson Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks).
Mac McClung — the two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion — will also be back to defend his title.
Castle and Buzelis were both recent lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
During his one-and-done season in the NCAA last season, Castle won a national championship at UConn. Jackson, who will compete against Jackson in the dunk contest, also won a national title at UConn. But the two were not teammates as Jackson turned pro a season prior.
Castle (25) has recorded more dunks than Buzelis (18) and Jackson (11) so far this season, per Stathead.
McClung is currently with Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, where is he averaging 24 points per game.
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Hear some great insights from the parents of Notre Dame-turned-NBA player.
[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] played with Notre Dame for only one season, but he did enough to leave a lasting impact. He led the Irish with 14.4 points and 1.3 steals a game and was second in assists with 2.4 a game. He was a major reason for the Irish’s most recent trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2022, their first in five years.
Wesley now is in the middle of his third season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 assists over 27 games off the bench. He will turn 22 later this season, so he has a lot of room to grow still.
Perhaps nobody is prouder of Wesley than his parents Derrick and Leslie, who have lived in South Bend almost their entire lives. They were kind enough to take time to speak with us about their son. We touched on his past, present and future as a basketball player.
Here now is the full interview with the parents of one of only two active NBA players who came from the Irish:
Audio PlayerFor Wesley in action, here are some highlights from earlier this season:
Hope you enjoy all of this, and our thanks again to Derrick and Leslie for their time.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89
Read about these two players’ weeks in the Association.
Notre Dame’s two active NBA players got some playing time over the past week. Objectively though, they didn’t do anything that would cause people to turn heads.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] had five points, three rebounds and five assists during the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jan. 14 victory over the Sacramento Kings. He followed that up the next night with three points, a rebound and an assist to help the Bucks defeat the Orlando Magic. For the week, he averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game.
[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] was held scoreless in his first two games of the week with the San Antonio Spurs. However, he combined for three assists in those games, which were played Jan. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Jan. 17 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He finally got that elusive basket and tacked on two more assists in a Jan. 19 loss to the Miami Heat. He averaged 0.7 points and 1.7 assists a game during the week.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89
