Bucks fire first-year coach Griffin after 43 games

The Philadelphia 76ers injury-ravaged season is continuing to be so. Sixers coach Nick Nurse said that wing Paul George will miss at least two more games. George is dealing with a sore groin, on top of playing through a hand injury.

In addition, Tyrese Maxey is unlikely to play on Sunday vs the Utah Jazz. Maxey has a sore back, after suffering a hard fall last Monday.

Both the Phoenix Suns and Devin Booker are fully committed publicly and privately to continuing their partnership. With Booker in place, the Suns plan to “pivot and reload” around him in the offseason.

“Never happen,” Mat Ishbia said, interrupting the question about a Booker trade. “It’s silly. So here’s what I’ll tell you: I have Devin Booker in the prime. In order to win an NBA championship, you got to have a superstar. You got to have a great player.”

The Houston Rockets have repeatedly expressed interest in Booker, who would fit their timeline as a proven star still in his 20s. The Rockets own the Suns’ first round picks in 2027 and 2029.

When Booker was first drafted, the Suns averaged more than 60 losses during the first four seasons of his career. They then quickly became a title contender in 2021 and Booker is determined to reach those heights again with the Suns.

“I mean, it’s a rare breed,” Booker told ESPN. “I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly. And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here.

“That’s the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done and I’m going to do it.”

Booker is eligible to decline his $62.8 million player option for 27-28 to sign a three-year, $212 million extension this offseason.