Jarron Cumberland: Nears double-double off bench

There is now just more than a week until the 2023 NBA trade deadline on Thursday, Feb. 9, which means teams across the league are working harder than ever to either bolster their squad for the stretch run or move their best players to get into a better draft position.

Dillon Brooks has developed a bit of a reputation as an instigator over the past few seasons. The Memphis Grizzlies wing was infamously ejected from a playoff game last postseason for a cheap shot on Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II, and on Thursday, he got into it with another opposing player. This time, it was Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is now just over a week away on Thursday, Feb. 9, and as such the rumor mill is heating up. So far there hasn't been much in the way of news about potential blockbusters, but there are plenty of role players available that could help contenders bolster their squads for the stretch run.

Bertans (calf) is out for Saturday's game versus the Warriors. Bertans will miss at least one game after exiting Thursday's contest against the Pelicans early with a left calf strain. His next chance to suit up is Monday's matchup with Utah, but it's currently unclear if the sharpshooting big man will be able to join the Mavericks at any point during their upcoming five-game road trip.

Murray ended Tuesday's 122-113 win over New Orleans with 32 points (10-21 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds and six assists over 36 minutes. Murray looked better than ever against New Orleans, and he drilled seven three-pointers on the way to one of his best totals of the season. Although Murray has recently struggled with a knee injury, he showed no ill effects against the struggling Pelicans. His 32 points marked his second-best scoring total of the season, and he's currently on pace to crush his previous seasonal per-game averages in both assists (5.7) and rebounds (4.1).

A week ago at this time, Kansas was on a three-game losing streak that had some questioning whether the Jayhawks were actually legitimate contenders to repeat as national champions. Me? I more or less just chalked it up to a ridiculously tough three-game stretch against ranked schools. As I explained...

By my count, there were nearly a dozen high-major coaches who entered this season needing a big year (perhaps even needing to make the NCAAs) in order to stave off being fired. Four of those coaches have turned their fortunes, though a lot of work remains in the next six weeks. Let's check in on those four guys.

Head coach Taylor Jenkins said he's expecting Green (knee) to get some minutes during Wednesday's matchup against the Trail Blazers, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Green's recovery process following offseason left knee surgery has been slow, but he's nearing the end of his rehab. He's officially listed...

Antetokounmpo recorded 34 points (14-24 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 18 rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes in Tuesday's 124-115 win over the Hornets. The Hornets have been dominated by opposing frontcourt players all season, and Antetokounmpo ensured that trend continued Tuesday, as he came through with another efficient, high-scoring effort. Antetokounmpo even delivered a rare quality showing from the free-throw line, though fantasy managers have surely committed to punting that category while the two-time MVP has converted only 64.6 percent of his 13.2 attempts per game this season. Fortunately, Antetokounmpo has at least resumed knocking down shots in the paint since he returned to action after he had endured a string of inefficient outings before sitting out five straight games with a knee injury. In his first five games since his return, Antetokounmpo is averaging 37.4 points on 61.5 percent shooting from the field.

Drew Timme reached a milestone late Thursday. The Gonzaga star took 14 shots, made half of them and finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in an 88-70 win over Santa Clara that was highlighted by Timme becoming just the third player in school history to score at least 2,000 points in a career.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. ET. This means that trade season is upon us. Already, there has been one notable swap -- the Los Angeles Lakers acquired forward Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards last week in exchange for three second-round picks and Kendrick Nunn.

Jalen Brunson got some bad news on Thursday. The catalyst behind New York's surprisingly successful season got snubbed for an All-Star berth when the reserves were announced, and while Brunson was likely happy to see teammate Julius Randle get the nod, his own case was seemingly stronger. Randle may be averaging more points, but Brunson has scored more efficiently and been a better playmaker. His presence has allowed Randle to play more like the All-Star he was in 2021, yet he was not recognized for his stellar season.

Beal and the Wizards will not play Wednesday against Detroit due to weather-related travel issues for the Pistons leaving Dallas, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports. Beal will have to wait until Friday against the Trail Blazers to get back on the court. The league will presumably...

Nurkic exited Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies with an unspecified injury, Casey Holdahl of the Trail Blazers' official site reports. Nurkic came into Wednesday's tilt as probable with left calf soreness. It's unclear whether he re-aggravated the injury or if his exit is unrelated. Regardless, Nurkic should be considered questionable to return.

Green has been ruled out for Thursday's game versus the Cavaliers due to left knee surgery injury management. Green will rest for the second half of the back-to-back set after he made his season debut in Wednesday's 122-112 loss to the Trail Blazers to complete a quicker-than-expected recovery from the surgery he underwent last May to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. The 35-year-old performed well during his 10 minutes of court time, recording three points (1-4 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist and a steal. So long as the Grizzlies' other key wings are healthy, Green doesn't project to see a major uptick in his playing time moving forward, but his perimeter shooting and wing defense should make him valuable from a real-life perspective as a member of Memphis' second unit.

Conley posted 19 points (5-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 9-9 FT), eight assists, three rebounds and two blocks over 31 minutes during Wednesday's 131-128 win over the Raptors. Conley's perfect shooting from the free-throw line helped him score a season-high 19 points. The veteran point guard's two blocks were tied for his highest total of 2022-23. Conley also managed to dish out eight assists while turning the ball over just three times.

BOSTON (AP) Joseph Octave scored 27 points as Holy Cross beat Boston University 82-70 on Wednesday night. Octave had five rebounds and three steals for the Crusaders (8-16, 5-6 Patriot League). Will Batchelder scored 21 points while going 7 of 9 from the floor, including 5 for 5 from distance, and 2 for 3 from the line. Gerrale Gates recorded 17 points and was 6-of-13 shooting and 5 of 9 from the free-throw line.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on the wrong end of some high-profile officiating miscues of late. The most recent was LeBron James clearly getting fouled by Jayson Tatum on a game-winning layup attempt against the Boston Celtics on Saturday (which the Last Two Minute Report confirmed the following day), only to have the refs swallow their whistle and allow the game to go into overtime, where the Lakers lost.

As a culture, we've apparently decided that "the middle" is something to dread. Middle of the road. Middle child syndrome. Stuck in the middle. None of those phrases elicit particularly good feelings. There's even a term that has become popular over the past couple of years that, according to an astute Urban Dictionary scholar named kangol, is "used to insult or degrade an opposing opinion, labeling it as average or poor quality."

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) (AP) - Jr. Clay's 23 points helped Tennessee State defeat Southern Indiana 80-76 on Thursday night. Clay added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Tigers (13-11, 5-6 Ohio Valley Conference). Dedric Boyd scored 19 points, going 7 of 10 (5 for 6 from distance). Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. recorded 17 points and shot 5 for 13 (4 for 6 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.