Snap Stories

The NBA announced Thursday that it fined the Brooklyn Nets $25,000 for resting eight players in a 136-133 win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 10.

The league said the fine was for "for failing to comply with league policies governing injury reporting."

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris and T.J. Warren were all held out of the lineup in what was the second game of a back-to-back.

Despite being without each of their top eight scorers in terms of points per game, the Nets beat the Pacers thanks to a 33-point performance by Cam Thomas off the bench, as well as 24 points for Patty Mills, 21 points for Edmond Sumner and 20 points for Day'Ron Sharpe.

Per ESPN's Nick Friedell, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to the Pacers game that there was a legitimate and legal reason for every absence:

"I think everything that's been reported today has been documented. And so we know that Seth [Curry] and Joe [Harris] had offseason ankle [surgeries], there's no argument to that. Nic [Claxton] didn't play last game because he had hamstring tightness, there's no argument to that. Kevin's leading the league in minutes, there's no argument to that. Royce [O'Neale] had a personal reason, he's missing the next game, there's no argument to that."

The NBA apparently wasn't satisfied.

The Nets are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 17-12 and have been on a roll lately, winning four games in a row and eight of their past nine.

The eight players who sat out against the Pacers have been the driving force behind that success, especially Durant and Irving.

Durant is in the NBA MVP conversation with averages of 30.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, while Irving is trending toward another All-Star selection with averages of 25.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest.

There was a great deal of uncertainty regarding the Nets during the offseason. Durant requested a trade, and Irving could have become a free agent had he opted out of his deal.

Both stars decided to stay for at least one more season, however, and so far it is paying dividends for them and the team.

The Nets have also showcased their impressive roster depth, no more so than in the win against Indiana.

Brooklyn figures to have a far more representative lineup for its next game on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum took the top spot in the first ESPN NBA MVP straw poll for the 2022-23 season Friday.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Tatum earned 47 of the 100 first-place votes cast by league insiders. He was also on 98 of the 100 ballots.

Tatum's 47 first-place votes and 759 total points led the way, followed by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo with 36 first-place votes and 687 total points, and then Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić with 10 first-place votes and 392 total points.

The 24-year-old Tatum is in the midst of his sixth NBA season, and the three-time All-Star has reached new heights in terms of his production.

Tatum is averaging career highs with 30.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.4 three-pointers made and 1.0 block per game, plus he is averaging 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals and shooting 47.0 percent overall and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

With Tatum leading the way, the Celtics are an NBA-best 22-7 and look like strong contenders to reach the NBA Finals for a second successive season.

Tatum was the driving force behind last season's playoff run for Boston, which ended with an NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.

After previously never finishing higher than 12th in the NBA MVP voting, Tatum logged a career-best finish of sixth last season.

While Tatum is the early favorite, he has some major competition to contend with in the form of Antetokounmpo and Dončić.

Giannis is already a two-time NBA MVP, and he could be on his way to a third with averages of 30.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 block per game, while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor.

Dončić has yet to win an MVP, but he has been in the mix in recent years and is enjoying arguably his best season yet.

The Slovenian star is leading the NBA with a career-high 33.0 points per game, plus he is averaging 8.7 assists, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 three-pointers made and 1.7 steals as the unquestioned go-to guy for the Mavs.

As noted by Bontemps, the only other players to receive first-place votes in the straw poll were Warriors guard Stephen Curry and reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, who are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 are Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered high praise for quarterback Brock Purdy.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks, which saw the 49ers become the first team this season to clinch a division title, Shanahan called Purdy "the most poised rookie I've ever had."

Purdy was thrust into a starting role after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken bone in his foot on the 49ers' first offensive possession in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins. The 22-year-old threw 210 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-17 win.

In his first two starts, Purdy has completed 70.2 percent of his attempts for 402 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He went 9-of-9 in the first quarter against the Seahawks, becoming the first 49ers quarterback to do that or better since 2001.

Those numbers would be good for any rookie, but it's especially impressive for Purdy because he was the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft. He arrived at training camp in a battle with Nate Sudfeld just to make the roster.

The 49ers announced on Aug. 30 that Purdy made the 53-man roster. The Iowa State alum had a solid preseason with 346 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in three games.

San Francisco came into this season expecting Trey Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, to be the starter, but he suffered a fractured fibula and ligament disruption in a Week 2 win against the Seahawks.

Garoppolo may be able to return for the postseason, but Purdy's performance over the past three games at least suggests the 49ers are still a Super Bowl contender if he will be leading them the rest of the way.

The Dallas Cowboys' decision to sign T.Y. Hilton apparently wasn't an indication they were pivoting from Odell Beckham Jr.

Speaking to USA Today's Jarrett Bell, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said there is a "good chance" they will sign Beckham,

"Odell's going to join us," Jones said. "There's a good chance he will, with the complete goal of getting ready for a playoff game or two, and then I'll look to the future. But most of it being about now."

There has been so much speculation about Beckham in recent weeks that it's hard to know what him signing with a team would even mean for this season.

It looked like Beckham was on the verge of signing with Dallas after visiting the team last week, but he wound up leaving Texas without a deal.

Per NFL Network's Jane Slater, the Cowboys had concerns about Beckham's potential availability because they "can't see him run routes" and "can't see him cutting" because he didn't go through a workout.

Slater noted it "would be a push" to have Beckham available even if the Cowboys advanced to the Super Bowl.

Something appears to have changed with Beckham's status, or Jones has just decided he would rather take the risk of bringing him with the hope he can play in the postseason.

Bell noted that Jones maintained Beckham's deal with the Cowboys could become official after Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that "several NFL teams believe" Beckham was leaning toward sitting out this season and would wait to sign when free agency begins in March.

"Beckham isn't expected to be ready to play football until the playoffs, and joining a new team and offense for a playoff run comes with injury risk," Fowler wrote. "Leaguewide attrition at the position could change the outlook and prompt a team to sign Beckham to a strong offer this year."

The contract terms will also be interesting if a deal does happen. Jones didn't provide financial details to Bell, but he said he expects the deal will be for the rest of this season.

Beckham previously indicated he wanted to sign a multiyear contract that would cover the rest of his prime years.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Beckham has been a free agent since March. He suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

If the Cowboys only sign Beckham for the rest of this season, there's very little downside for them. They have the third-highest scoring offense in the NFL this season without him.

If Beckham is able to play in the postseason, he can be a difference-maker for a team that already looks good enough to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

The San Diego Padres' decision to sign Xander Bogaerts as a free agent opens up the question about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s long-term outlook with the organization.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Tatis has " always been adamant" about playing shortstop.

Bogaerts made it clear during his introductory press conference on Dec. 9 he is still planning to play shortstop.

"I play infield. I play shortstop," he told reporters.

The Padres don't actually have to worry about appeasing Tatis' apparent desire to play shortstop right at the start of the 2023 season. He isn't eligible to play until April 20 as he finishes out the rest of his 80-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

Tatis missed the entire 2022 season recovering from offseason wrist surgery and the suspension. The 23-year-old has experience playing a different position. He was used in the outfield two years ago to ease the physical burden on him due to a shoulder injury.

When it looked like he was going to be a contributor last season, Tatis told reporters he would be open to playing a position other than shortstop.

"Wherever they need me," he said. "We're going to talk. But I've been [rehabbing] mostly at shortstop so far. I've been moving around everywhere, but it's been mostly shortstop so far."

Gonzalez did note Tatis "seemed so lethargic" playing the outfield in 2021 and there is "eroding trust" from the Padres in the All-Star talent.

Some of the trust issues may stem from Tatis' durability. He missed 78 games as a rookie in 2019 and 32 games in 2021. But there are also potential issues off the field. His wrist injury last year was the result of a motorcycle crash.

Tatis seemed to indicate when asked about the crash during spring training that it's happened more than once.

Padres manager Bob Melvin made it clear Tatis won't be riding motorcycles anymore.

Even though the Padres currently have a logjam on the left side of their infield, there are reasons to think that signing Bogaerts to an 11-year contract doesn't necessarily mean they will be trying to move on from Tatis.

Bogaerts has generally been a below-average defensive player throughout his career. It seems unlikely he will get better as a shortstop now that he is 30 years old.

There's also the possibility 2023 will be Manny Machado's final season with the Padres. The six-time All-Star has an opt-out in his contract. Given how much money teams have been spending this offseason, there's no reason he can't cash in with one more big contract while he's in his prime.

San Diego also has to think about trying to re-sign Juan Soto, who can become a free agent after the 2024 season.

For all of Tatis' flaws, he is still an incredible offensive player. The two-time Silver Slugger winner has a .292/.369/.596 slash line in 273 career games.

San Diego's spending spree over the past three seasons makes it seem unlikely the team would try to move Tatis. He significantly increases the team's chances of making the World Series when he plays.

The Padres reached the National League Championship Series last season for the first time since 1998.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is on a historic heater.

After making nine three-pointers on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Herro scored a career-high 41 points on 10-of-15 shooting from three-point range in Thursday's 111-108 win over the Houston Rockets.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Herro is the only player in NBA history to make at least nine three-pointers in two games on consecutive days. He is the third player ever to make at least nine threes in back-to-back games, joining Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Herro's 19 three-pointers are the most by a Heat player in a two-game span.

The Heat have needed all of Herro's scoring in the past two games. He made the go-ahead shot with five seconds remaining to give them a 110-108 win over the Thunder. They had to hold on for a three-point win over a Rockets team that is tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the worst record in the Western Conference (9-19).

Scoring has been a huge problem for Miami so far this season. Head coach Erik Spoelstra's team ranks 27th in offensive rating (109.8) and 29th in points per game (108.0).

Injuries have played a role in the Heat's issues. Herro missed eight games in November with an ankle issue. Jimmy Butler has sat out 11 games already.

Since Herro returned to the lineup on Nov. 23, he's averaging 22.5 points on 43.9 percent three-point shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The Heat have gone 8-4 in those 12 games and are back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 14.

Herro will look to keep his recent hot streak going on Saturday when the Heat take on the San Antonio Spurs to wrap up their four-game road trip.