Holmgren out 8-10 weeks; Lakers sale terms agreed; Detroit beats Brooklyn

Thunder lose another pillar

Chet Holmgren will miss eight to 10 weeks after treatment for a small tear in the patellar tendon of his right knee, Oklahoma City announced Friday. The Thunder also said Cason Wallace underwent a procedure for a torn left shoulder labrum and will be reevaluated before the regular season ends.

Holmgren experienced discomfort Sunday and consulted specialists before Friday’s treatment. Tim MacMahon’s ESPN report places this alongside Jalen Williams’ fractured fibula and dislocated ankle: three Thunder starters have been ruled out for extended stretches in the same week.

Holmgren averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks last season, earning first-team All-Defensive and third-team All-NBA recognition, according to ESPN. His absence removes scoring, rebounding and a back-line defender at once. The replacement minutes will test how well Oklahoma City can protect the paint while keeping enough offense on the floor.

The combined losses are the larger problem. Wallace’s absence adds a perimeter assignment to the frontcourt work left by Holmgren and Williams. Oklahoma City must redistribute jobs across the lineup while protecting the health of the players still available.

Lakers: terms agreed, signing and league review ahead

Mark Walter and Josh Kushner have agreed on all outstanding terms of a Lakers sale at a $12.5 billion valuation, Ramona Shelburne reported for ESPN, citing sources close to the negotiations. The report says a formal agreement is expected to be signed soon, followed by NBA review of the financing and ownership structure.

Kushner and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger had previously agreed to acquire the team, with the remaining details worked through over the ensuing months. The new development is agreement on those terms. A completed transfer still depends on the steps described in ESPN’s report.

For the Lakers, the next consequential document is the signed agreement and the next consequential decision belongs to the league. Ownership structure determines who controls the franchise and supplies its capital. Basketball decisions will follow the authority that is ultimately approved.

Pistons 110, Nets 94: the middle quarters decide it

Detroit beat Brooklyn 110-94 in their NBA Cup opener, improving to 5-1 while the Nets fell to 0-5. Brooklyn led 28-21 after the first quarter. The official NBA linescore shows Detroit winning the next two periods by a combined 71-38.

That 33-point swing turned a seven-point Brooklyn lead into a 26-point deficit entering the fourth. Brooklyn won the final quarter 28-18, but the game had already moved out of reach. The second and third quarters, rather than the closing margin, explain how thoroughly Detroit took control.

Cade Cunningham scored 20 points and Duncan Robinson added 17, according to the Associated Press recap on NBA.com. Detroit held Brooklyn to 40 percent shooting and led 27-11 in fast-break points. The Nets’ early lead could not survive that combination of missed shots and points conceded before the defense was set.