Jonathan Kuminga Injury: Won’t play Monday
Written by RotoWire Staff
Kuminga (ankle) is out for Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers.
Kuminga has not played since Jan. 4 due to a right ankle sprain, and he will once again be sidelined Monday. His next chance to suit up comes Thursday against the Kings.
Is Wizards’ Jordan Poole Playing Against Jazz?
Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole will miss the upcoming game against the Utah Jazz due to an elbow injury. This marks Poole’s third consecutive game on the sidelines, as the team navigates a challenging injury situation.
Initially expected to return, Poole’s status changed as the Wizards prepared for their matchup on March 5 at Capital One Arena. The Wizards, who have struggled this season, are currently dealing with multiple injuries.
Alongside Poole, key players like Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey are also unavailable, further depleting the roster. Poole, who has averaged over 21 points per game this season, is a significant loss for the team as they look to improve their performance.
“The Wizards have released an updated injury report with Jordan Poole on it and listed as OUT for tomorrow’s game vs. the Jazz,” Chase Hughes tweeted.
In his absence, Bub Carrington and Marcus Smart are expected to step up and fill the scoring void. The former recently showcased his potential, while Smart’s experience could be crucial for the Wizards as they face a Jazz team that has shown competitiveness this season.
As the Wizards aim to turn their season around, the focus will be on how they can adapt without Poole. The coaching staff is working to develop strategies that leverage the skills of the remaining players. Fans will be watching closely to see if the Wizards can overcome these challenges and secure a much-needed victory against the Jazz.
This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.
More must-reads:
Kevin Durant continues to climb up the NBA record books. On Sunday, as the Phoenix Suns took on the Dallas Mavericks, he even surpassed the opposing team’s legend as he made history. Early in February, Durant became just the eighth player in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point mark. A couple of weeks later, he moved up to No. 14 on the all-time list for field goals made. Now, in their latest game against the Mavericks, the Suns forward broke Dirk Nowitzki’s record for the eighth-most free throws made in league history. Durant entered the game tied with Nowitzki with 7,240 free throws made. KD finished with four free throws in the game, with his first make from the charity stripe coming late in the third quarter. After KD broke Nowitzki’s record, the NBA immediately announced his accomplishment on social media and congratulated him. “Congrats to @easymoneysniper of the @suns for moving into 8th all-time in FREE THROWS MADE!” the NBA wrote in the caption of its post. Next up for Kevin Durant on the all-time free throws list is Michael Jordan, who made 7,327 free throws in his legendary NBA career. Durant is 84 free throws away from surpassing Jordan for the No. 7 spot, and since he’s averaging nearly five free throws per game this 2024-25 season, there’s a chance that he could break the tally of Chicago Bulls icon before the campaign ends. The Suns have 18 games remaining this season after Sunday’s outing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into Colorado for a must-win game, but they will once again be without Chris Tanev according to head coach Craig Berube. With the Maple Leafs looking to make a statement after the NHL Trade Deadline, they head into Colorado to take on the Avalanche in a must-win game for the losers of their last two games. They’ve had to deal with some injuries, as is par for the course this season, but Chris Tanev’s is of utmost importance. He’s been the glue that’s held the Maple Leafs together and with his absence, the team feels lacking that defensive x-factor. Well, unfortunately for the team, he’s going to miss another game according to head coach Craig Berube. It’s a really bad sign for the Maple Leafs as they initially feared the worst when it came to Tanev, but then were relieved when it didn’t appear serious. Missing five games is starting to get serious, and Toronto needs him healthy in order to be as successful as they have been. This season, Tanev has 17 points (2G, 15A) while doing his usual shot-blocking with 151 stoppers in 57 games and is in the first year of his six-year deal he signed with Toronto in the offseason. What does this mean for Toronto? It means Toronto is going to need newcomer Brandon Carlo to come in and pull his weight immediately. While he won’t be with Tanev’s partner Jake McCabe, no doubt the two will be paired together on the penalty kill, and it’s imperative he does what he’s done all season, shut opponents down. Given that Craig Berube relies so heavily on Tanev, isn’t the best thing given his injury, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, and it’s a heck of a lot better deploying Carlo than Conor Timmins; though the team doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. It also means Toronto is going to be in tough against a Colorado team that added a bunch of pieces and is looking to keep their playoff hopes secure.
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Scott Laughton plus fourth- and sixth-round picks from the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Nikita Grebenkin and a first-rounder, the teams announced Friday. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere acknowledged the emotional challenge of trading Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs, admitting the move was “a little scary” for the franchise. “There’s no doubt that it’s a little scary,” Briere said, per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. “He was a big part of the culture that we’ve been re-establishing the last couple years ”But at some point, too, you’ve got to let some of the young guys start to take over.” Laughton, a fan favorite and respected locker room leader, had spent his entire 661-game NHL career with the Flyers before being dealt to Toronto. Briere admitted that moving Laughton was “one of the most difficult” decisions he has made as GM, especially given Laughton’s leadership role in the Flyers locker room. “We thank Scott for everything that he’s done, and hopefully he leaves an imprint on our locker room and you see some of the young guys use what they’ve learned from Scott,” Briere said. According to Kurz, the Flyers received significant interest in Laughton. Briere confirmed that over a dozen teams called about the center, with Philadelphia’s brass ultimately sending him home to Toronto, which seemed like a fitting outcome in Briere’s eyes. “It’s kind of a cool ending for him, having the chance to go back home, with the tragedy that they’ve had to endure this season as a family,” Briere said. Laughton, 30, has 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games this season and should slide into Toronto’s third forward line behind current and former team captains Auston Matthews and John Tavares, respectively.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been very active this off-season, and free agency hasn’t officially started yet. Free agency is set to kick off when the new league year kicks off this week, and man, it’s going to be crazy. When you factor in the Raiders’ many resources this offseason, we could all have predicted how active they would be. However, what they have already done is pretty remarkable. They signed Maxx Crosby to a new extension and traded for their quarterback of the future, Geno Smith, the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback. They still have work to do, though. The Raiders have many positional needs, whether starter-level or depth guys. They Also have some unrestricted free agents that they would like to bring back. Of course, we are all waiting and hoping for the Tre’Von Mowhrig deal to be done, but they want to bring back more than just that. That seems to be the NFL trend this offseason — bringing back players from last season. Every team is doing it, and the Raiders just did it, too, following an obvious trend that seems to be the right thing to do. Raiders expected to re-sign defensive tackle Adam Butler Adam Butler had a strong 2024 season with the Raiders. In his second year with them, he played all 17 games, starting five, and stepped up after star Christian Wilkins got injured. Butler finished with a career-high 65 tackles, including 35 solo, ranking fifth on the team behind linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo and some of the team’s defensive backs as well. He was solid against the run and helped the defensive line hold up during a tough 4-13 season. Butler also made a big impact rushing the passer, tying his career high with 5.0 sacks, plus eight tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. He added two pass deflections and a forced fumble, with 3.5 of his sacks coming in the last five weeks when he really turned it on. His five sacks were second on the team, behind only Crosby. At 30, Butler brought energy and leadership to the defense. Now, he’s back on a three-year deal worth $16.5 million with $11 million guaranteed. Honestly, this is a great deal for the Raiders, and they mark defensive tackle depth or starting level, off their list. Now they need the opposite of whatever role Butler will play. This was a huge signing to helping them get to the same level, eventually, of teams in their division like the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
Join hundreds of thousands of readers who start their day with The Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.
