One area the Lakers have been lacking this season is the guard position. They have plenty of forwards as they recently just traded away Kendrick Nunn for Rui Hachimura. Good news for the Lakers is that Anthony Davis made his return and the Lakers got a win. Additionally, the Lakers were told that Lonnie Walker IV is working his way back to getting on the court. 

In a teams that lacks scoring from deep consistently, getting Walker IV back will be a nice addition. In his 32 games played with the Lakers this season Walker IV is averaging 38 percent from deep and is taking (5.4) three pointers per game.

He’s started in all 32 games he’s played in this season and it’s clear the Lakers value his shooting with the way their roster is built. California Sports Betting sites have the Lakers at (+2000) to win the Finals this season.

Got the win, Lakers fam. pic.twitter.com/Hqo5CbjtGV

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2023

Lonnie Walker IV could be returning to the Lakers very soon

Walker IV has missed the last 14 games in a row and has not played since 12/28 vs the Miami Heat. The Lakers announced today that he’ll be getting in some extra reps with the South Bay Lakers. He’ll join the G League affiliate for a practice today and then will rejoin the Lakers after that.

Both Walker IV and Austin Reaves have been out for the Lakers and reports today said that they will both be reassessed on Friday. Starting tomorrow, the Lakers have a five-game road trip ahead and that’s likely when we’ll see a return form both. Walker IV almost did play last night vs his former team, but was ruled out shortly before.

He’s been out with tendinitis in his left knee and will look to get back on track when he returns. Walker IV was enjoying a career -best (14.7) per game and career-best field goal percentage at 46.

Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari suffered a left ACL tear while playing for Italy in the FIBA World Cup qualifying game in August. The 14-year veteran was originally diagnosed with a meniscus tear, though, an MRI revealed ligament damage. This was classified as a non-contact injury.

However, the 34-year-old has made fine progress the last couple of months. Now, there’s a chance Gallinari could make his season debut in the coming months. “My mindset is that I want to play, and that I’m going to play at the end of the season,” Gallinari told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.

Upon further review of some NBA betting sites, Danilo Gallinari and the Celtics are clear-cut favorites to win the championship. A few sportsbooks are still giving the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets favorable odds.

New: “My mindset is that I want to play, and that I’m going to play at the end of the season. I want to play in the playoffs.”

I spoke with Danilo Gallinari, who believes he could play this year, and is at least using it as motivation as he rehabs.https://t.co/pfmzhtr5xH

— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) January 25, 2023

“I want to play in the playoffs. So that’s the mindset that helps me every day get better and motivates me even more,” added Danilo Gallinari. “My mindset is there is definitely a chance. So, when I think about the season, it’s definitely not a lost season for me.

“So, we’ll see. That’s the mindset that helps me and pushes me to get better every day. If it happens, it’s going to be great. If it doesn’t, I’m looking forward to next season.”

Celtics wing Danilo Gallinari hopes to return from ACL injury by end of season, shows signs of progression

During this past offseason, the forward signed a two-year, $13.3 million deal with the Celtics. He’s earning $6.479 million this season and has a $6,802,950 player option for the 2023-24 season. Of course, his 2023-24 player option deadline is June 29.

After surgery, an ACL injury for a person living a sedentary lifestyle requires at least three months to heal. However, most professional athletes need six to nine months to fully recover. If the Celtics return to the NBA Finals, maybe he’ll make his season debut then.

Additionally, Danilo Gallinari spent his previous two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Last season, in 66 appearances, the wing averaged 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest. Plus, he shot 43.4% from the field and 38.1% beyond the arc.

It really hurts not to be able to help the team in its time of need. Fortunately, we are an incredibly strong team and every misstep is just extra motivation for the next game 💪🏻🍀#NBA #BostonCeltics pic.twitter.com/tceCJGIbQK

— DANILO GALLINARI (@gallinari8888) January 25, 2023

On March 20, 2022, in the Hawks’ 117-112 loss versus the New Orleans Pelicans, the Italian baller logged a season-high 27 points in 42 minutes as a starter. He finished 11-of-21 (52.4%) shooting from the floor and knocked down three 3-pointers.

In June, Atlanta traded Gallinari and four first-round draft picks (2023, 2025–27) to the San Antonio Spurs for Jock Landale and Dejounte Murray. Landale was then dealt to the Phoenix Suns in July for cash considerations. Danilo Gallinari was waived by San Antonio four days before inking a deal with Boston.

Forty-nine games through the 2022-23 season, the Celtics have a league-best 35-14 record. They remain three games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference standings. While Boston is not desperate for help offensively, Gallinari would still bolster the team’s frontcourt.

The Wednesday night NBA slate this week was a good one and we saw some historic performances last night. Damian Lillard became the fifth player in league history to have four or more 60+ point games. Anthony Davis returned after a 20-game absence and helped the team secure a win vs the Spurs. Finally, Jordan Poole’s layup wins the game for the Warriors in a narrow 122-120 win vs the Grizzlies. Next, we’ll take a look at the top 10 plays from Wednesday night’s games. 

Jordan Poole’s @Warriors winner headlines Wednesday’s TOP 10 PLAYS! pic.twitter.com/47jOIGUGLQ

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2023

Top 10 plays from Wednesday night’s NBA slate

10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dished the flashy bounce pass between Clint Capela’s legs 

Early in the first quarter of the Hawks vs Thunder game last night, OKC PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the lanky Clint Capela guarding him. Capela had a good defensive stance and SGA could not get around him after he stopped his dribble. However, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to dish a sweet bounce pass between Capela’s legs for an easy bucket by Kenrich Williams.

9. Anthony Davis jumps up to swat away Tre Jones’ shot attempt in his first game back  

In the closing seconds of the first quarter vs the Spurs last night, Tre Jones drove past the Lakers defense and looked to have an easy shot near the basket. Making his return for the Lakers last night was Anthony Davis and his stellar defense shined once again. Jones went up to attempt an easy layup, but Davis was right behind him and swatted the shot away with ease.

Allow me to reintroduce myself. pic.twitter.com/TsNMzPIEKu

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2023

8. Jalen Williams gets the block on defense and the finishes with the slam on the other end 

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Hawks last night, but rookie forward Jalen Williams had a solid night and finished with 24 points. He even had a huge play late in the fourth quarter to try and spark a comeback. Trae Young tried throwing up a lob pass to his teammate and Williams swatted the ball away in the air. OKC gained possession of the ball and the Thunder had the Hawks outnumbered in transition. Williams took the pass on the fast break and then slammed the ball down with one hand to finish it off.

7. Jeff Green nails the half-court buzzer beater to head into the fourth quarter 

The Denver Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic last night and they looked like a much different team. Milwaukee took home the 107-99 victory, but Denver did have a nice highlight in the game. Jeff Green had the ball in the final seconds of the third quarter and shot it from half-court. He hit nothing but net and that was one of his two three’s that he made last night.

We love our half-court shots pic.twitter.com/tYm4HsZbpj

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 26, 2023

6. Alperen Sengun finds his teammate for the no-look behind the back pass 

Alperen Sengun has been taking the league by storm this year and he’s proving that he’s one of the best young centers in the game. He has a similar play style to Nikola Jokic and there’s no denying the similarities between the two. Sengun had his defender backed down in the post early in the first quarter last night. His teammate Kenyon Martin Jr. cut to the basket and was had a beautiful behind the back pass delivered from Sengun right in stride.

5. Nic Claxton gets up high and uses his strength to block Joel Embiid’s dunk attempt 

The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Philadelphia 76ers last night, but Nic Claxton once again had a dominant outing. He finished the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds along with two blocks. One of those blocks came in the final minutes of the first quarter. Joel Embiid split the Nets defense and went up strong for the two=handed dunk attempt. Luckily for Brooklyn, Claxton was trailing the play and met Embiid at the rim to stuff his shot attempt.

DENIED BY CLAXT⛔️N pic.twitter.com/OseByFlcFi

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 26, 2023

4. Kyrie switches hands in mid-air with the clutch layup over Joel Embiid in the final minute 

The Nets fought hard until the final whistle last night, but could not knock down the shots when they needed them most. Kyrie Irving has been trying to hold the Nets together while Kevin Durant is still out and he did his best last night again. Down by four in the final minute of the game, Kyrie drove past the defense and then switched hands mid-air to finish a tough contested layup.

3. Tre Mann elevates for the strong one-handed slam over the Hawks defense 

In the final thirty seconds of the first quarter between the Hawks and Bulls, Tre Mann had a monster slam on the Hawks. He drove to the basket and put up and uncontested one-handed dunk. Onyeka Okungwu was their for the Hawks, but he had absolutely no chance in blocking the dunk.

Tre. Mann. 🤐 pic.twitter.com/l1Su2MuBT4

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 26, 2023

2. Jonathan Kuminga throws down multiple viscous dunks vs the Grizzlies defense 

At the start after half, Kuminga took a nice bounce pass from Ty Jerome and finished strong with one hand over the Grizzlies defense. That was not the only big dunk he had last night. With a one-point lead in the second quarter, Kuminga drove the defense and then quickly drove to the hoop to finish the slam with his left hand.

1. Jordan Poole catches the Grizzlies defense napping for an easy layup to win the game 

Steph Curry was ejected at the 1:14 mark in the fourth quarter and somebody was going to make a big shot for the team to win. Jordan Poole was the man for the job as he’s done this many times before an in much more pressure packed situations. He went backdoor on an inbounds pass in the final seconds and hit the left handed layup for the game-winning shot.

Good morning, #DubNation pic.twitter.com/a054OyVROf

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 26, 2023