The LA Clippers frontcourt has some help on the way. Mason Plumlee is nearing a return after nearly a two-month absence. Plumlee could play as soon as Monday, as he's nearly fully recovered from a sprained MCL in his left knee.

Plumlee was injured during the Clippers loss at the New York Knicks on November 6. He's missed LA's last 25 games.

During Plumlee's absence, the Clippers signed Daniel Theis. The veteran center worked a buyout with the Indiana Pacers before joining LA. Plumlee will pair with Theis to give Ty Lue additional depth behind starting center Ivica Zubac.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said there was no one to blame but himself for his dog biting him on Christmas. Gordon explained what happened in the unfortunate incident.

“I guess it’s a little bit embarrassing, but not too embarrassing to where I can’t talk about it,” he said. “I don’t drink a lot during the season. I probably had a little bit too much eggnog. I was kind of roughhousing with my dog, and I think my dog got a little excited and just basically chomped down. Gave me a bite. And I was basically wrestling him off of me, and then he bit my hand.

“For lack of better words, I was (messing) around with my dog, and when you (mess) around, you find out.”

Gordon has 21 stitches after the bit, most of them in his right hand. Gordon said those are the ones he's concerned about, because that's his shooting hand. The veteran forward said he's played with stitches in the hand before, and as soon as he can handle the pain, he'll return.

“I’ve played with stitches in my hand before, so that’s not new to me,” Gordon said. “I don’t really care about the stitches on my face. We’re not running a pageant here.”

The Nuggets forward also said he doesn't blame his dog for what happened either.

“He’s a good boy. He’s a good dog,” Gordon said. “Very attached. Very sweet. Very strong. Great dog.”

The NBA is investigating the Brooklyn Nets to see if they violated player availability rules in their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 27. The Nets rested several players, and pulled others after limited playing time in the 144-122 loss to the Bucks.

Nicolas Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson all sat out the game. Mikal Bridges, Royce O'Neale and Cam Thomas were all pulled after the first quarter.

Following the game, Bridges expressed disappointment in the decision. Bridges said he would prefer to play when he's able to.

Before the game, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn admitted that Bridges only played because of his consecutive games played streak. When told of those comments, Bridges said: “I guess for their purposes is why. But I’m healthy, so I [don’t] see why I wouldn’t play.”

Jacque Vaughn said it was an executive decision to rest players.

“I’ve got to think short term and long term and make executive decisions for the betterment of the group,” Vaughn said. “It’s unfortunate tonight that they just got to the point where we’re putting them in harm’s way by putting them out there tonight.”

The Detroit Pistons snapped their 28-game losing streak on Saturday night. If that wasn't enough, Monty Williams added a new face to his coaching staff, as well.

Detroit is hiring Brian Adams to Williams' staff. Adams was previously an assistant under Doc Rivers with both the LA Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. The veteran NBA assistant was hired to coach in Taipei this season.

Adams had also served as head coach of the G League Clippers from 2018 to 2020. Detroit was looking to add to Williams' bench, as assistant coach Dan Burke has been away from the team for the past month dealing with a personal situation.

The New York Knicks and point guard Miles McBride have agreed to a three-year, $13 million contract extension. McBride was set to become a restricted free agent this coming offseason.

McBride has appeared in 122 games in two-plus seasons for New York. The third-year guard has career averages of 2.8 points and one assist per game.

McBride has been a favorite for the Knicks, due to his work ethic. He's continually lauded as staying prepared, despite inconsistent playing team.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup on Saturday after a four-game absence due to a strained left calf. Unfortunately, Butler's return was short-lived.

After playing 23 minutes, Butler left Miami's loss to the Utah Jazz due to a right foot injury. Postgame x-rays were negative. Butler's status is unknown at this point. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he had no update when asked postgame.

Prior to the calf injury, Butler had played in 19 of Miami's first 23 games.

The Detroit Pistons snapped their 28-game losing streak by defeating the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. Detroit had previously set the record for longest single-season losing streak (27 games) and tied the record for overall longest losing streak (28 games).

Following the game, Pistons owner Tom Gores issued the following statement:

“I’m proud of how our guys have continued to fight through adversity. I know it’s been hard, but they’ve kept their heads up and showed real character. The streak is over, but the hard work continues.”

Detroit head coach Monty Williams said he was nearly overcome by emotion following the long-awaited victory.

“I was almost in tears and I’m just so happy for our guys," Williams said.

The Toronto Raptors swung a big trade on Saturday by sending OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and the Detroit Pistons 2024 second-round pick. But many executives around the NBA think the Raptors aren't done making moves.

Toronto nearly traded Pascal Siakam to the Atlanta Hawks this summer. Since then, Siakam and the Raptors haven't been able to reach an agreement on a contract extension. Both sides had reportedly set an informal deadline of December 30 to agree to an extension.

The Hawks are still expected to have interested in Siakam. The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings have also been rumored destinations for the veteran forward. Siakam has one season remaining on his contract at $37.9 million.

The New York Knicks have waived DaQuan Jeffries. New York will eat just over $800,000 in dead salary for this season after waiving Jeffries.

The Knicks had to make a waiver in order to take in OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in their Saturday trade with the Toronto Raptors. New York sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto in that deal, along with a 2024 Detroit Pistons second-round pick.

Jeffries appeared in 10 games for the Knicks this season. He's also played for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies in his five-year career.

RJ Barrett had no desire to leave New York or the Knicks. But if a move had to happy, Barrett is happy to be headed home to play in Toronto.

Barrett is a big part of the Canadian National Team and grew up in the Toronto area. He's said to see the Raptors as a great option for him.

Toronto acquired Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, from the New York Knicks in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

Barrett helped lead Canada to the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. In that tournament, Barrett averaged 16.8 points and five rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-6 wing will now return home to play a big role for the retooling Raptors. Barrett is expected to start for Toronto, as soon as the trade is finalized following physicals on both sides.