Jarron Cumberland: Logs 12 points off bench

Kyrie Irving demanded a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and all day news has been trickling out as to what sparked his latest beef with the organization. According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Nets recently offered Irving a contract extension that included a championship stipulation, and Irving took that as "a big insult."

Five players were ejected from the Orlando Magic's 127-120 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night following an on-court altercation that began between Orlando center Mo Bamba and Wolves guard Austin Rivers. Both Bamba and Rivers were ejected from the game, along with Magic guard Jalen Suggs and Timberwolves forwards Taurean Prince and Jaden McDaniels.

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.

As a team near the top of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, largely happy with its current rotation and short on moveable assets, the Philadelphia 76ers aren't expected to be major players at the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline this season. However, that doesn't mean they won't look to upgrade the roster around the edges. Specifically, the Sixers would probably benefit from some added depth at the center spot and on the perimeter.

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.

Beal (foot) will not suit up for Saturday's meeting with Brooklyn. Beal will sit the tail end of the Wizards' back-to-back set with left foot soreness after playing 32 minutes Friday. Fantasy managers should expect Beal to be a full go for Monday's game against the Cavaliers. While he's sidelined, Corey Kispert and Kendrick Nunn figure to see increased workloads.

Gordon posted 28 points (10-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Friday's 117-111 loss to Toronto. Gordon scored at least 24 points for the third straight game, continuing easily his best stretch of the season. He remains someone who could very well be on the move come next Thursday, although that is something we have been saying for the past three seasons. He can be streamed in for points for now, but as for what the future holds, it's really anyone's guess.

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.

Gobert has been downgraded to questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Nuggets due to right groin soreness. The towering big man hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his first season with the Timberwolves, but losing him before a matchup against Nikola Jokic is less than ideal. If Gobert can't go Sunday, then Naz Reid would be in line for a bigger role. Gobert is averaging just 11.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game across his last 10 outings.

Saric is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Pistons. Saric accumulated 14 points (5-13 FG, 4-7 3Pt), 13 rebounds and three assists across 30 minutes during Friday's 106-94 victory over the Celtics, but he heads back to the bench with Cameron Johnson (knee) being available and in the starting unit. Saric is averaging 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds across 11.1 minutes per game when coming off the bench this season.

Tari Eason is a good offensive rebounder. He might even be a great one. Among rookies this season, he ranks third with 2.2 of them per game. Alperen Sengun is the only Rocket to pull in more of them thus far this year. But Eason only plays 19.4 minutes per game. He's started only three times in his career. If I were to tell you Eason had one of the greatest offensive rebounding games in the history of professional basketball, you'd probably scoff. But that's exactly what happened against the Thunder on Wednesday.

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.

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.

Jokic is questionable for Saturday's game versus the Hawks due to left hamstring tightness. Jokic continues to deal with tightness in his left hamstring despite playing the last three games. However, the Nuggets will play a back-to-back Saturday and Sunday, so the two-time MVP could certainly miss one of those contests. If Jokic doesn't suit up, Zeke Nnaji would likely start, and DeAndre Jordan could receive some run as well.

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.

The NBA trade deadline is now less than a week away, and Kyrie Irving's request to be moved out of Brooklyn has added a whole new layer of intrigue. There are plenty of other rumors outside of Irving too, as teams are starting to kick things into hyperdrive leading up to deadline day.

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.

Saturday was as consequential in college basketball as it was entertaining in one of the most loaded schedules of the season. There were buzzer-beaters, highlight-reel dunks, lowlights (looking at you, Louisville!) and plenty of upsets to go around to top it all off. Four top-10 teams took losses on the...

Three players have been suspended following Friday's fight between the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves, the NBA announced Saturday. Mo Bamba has been suspended four games and Austin Rivers has been suspended three. They were the two principle figures in the fight, but Jalen Suggs was suspended one game for escalating the situation. Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince were also ejected, but only McDaniels was fined $20,000 for his role in the incident.

Embiid had 33 points (10-18 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 11-13 FT), 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals across 28 minutes during Friday's 137-125 victory over the Spurs. Embiid played through a questionable tag because of some left foot soreness, but he's been very durable lately with one missed game in January. He has also been red hot in fantasy basketball, posting 33.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 three-pointers in his previous 10 games.