標籤: ruled

When Stoke City came calling in the January transfer window, it didn’t take long for Milan Smit to make up his mind.

The Dutch striker says his move in January was a “dream” opportunity that came suddenly, escalated quickly and simply could not be turned down. He tells everything to Voetbal Primeur today.

A move that changed everything

Milan Smit has been impressing for the Netherlands since joining the Go Ahead Eagles in 2024, with 13 goals and five assists in 54 games.

He also impressed at SC Cambuur, scoring 28 goals and six assists in 63 games for them. That European form had already put him on many radars, but the defining moment for the 23-year-old came the day before the clash with Ajax.

“My agent called and said: There is a club that has serious interest. I immediately asked if the match against Ajax could be my last match for Go Ahead. ‘That could be the case,’ he replied.

“I think everyone knows Stoke City. At the time, the club was very close to the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League. That’s really Stoke’s ambition.

“My girlfriend was sitting next to me when my agent called. I immediately told her: I just have to do this.”

good audition, bad exit

He scored in that game against Ajax, helping secure a tie with Stoke the following day.

“I met Stoke the day after the match against Ajax. It’s good if you show what you are capable of.” He laughs.

“This interest was a surprise to everyone, including me. I wasn’t planning on going this winter at all… When something like this comes up in the winter, you shouldn’t hesitate.”

It took nine days to sort out the transfer. When Go Ahead traveled to face OGC Nice they decided not to play. That decision didn’t turn out well, but he justifies it.

“If you play, you’re just taking a risk. I didn’t want to take that, because it was a great deal to me that I didn’t want to miss out on. It was a train I had to jump on.”

Why was Stoke City the perfect fit?

Stoke City had some explaining to do. He needed to sell Stryker on his project and make sure his expectations matched his ambitions.

Fortunately for the Championship side, both sets of ambitions aligned.

“Naturally, you want to hear the club’s plans and ambitions,” He said.

“Really it’s all in line with what I wanted. They wanted to sign me as their first-choice striker. They see me as a potential Premier League player. That gave me a lot of confidence and I wanted to come here.

“Stoke said they were chasing me since last season, if I’m fit, I want to play every game.”

A warm club with big ambitions

Asked to describe the club, Milan Smit doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a very warm-hearted club… It’s kind of a team of friends, and I really appreciate that.”

Despite an impressive return of two goals and one assist in 11 games so far, he can already feel his improvement. He has his sights set on progress, especially the Premier League.

“I signed a contract here for four and a half years and I hope to take the next step within two and a half or three years. I’ve always said Serie A, but I also think England is incredibly beautiful.” He added.

“If I had to name one league I would say the Premier League.”

Milan Smit is settling off the pitch

The forward is settling into his Stoke City life on and off the pitch. Naturally, given that Stoke is not a big city, he has been spending some of his free time in Manchester.

Living alone, Smit is enjoying life despite being away from his girlfriend.

“Stoke is not the best city to live, haha. Most people live in and around Manchester. I live fifteen minutes from Manchester and I’m really happy here. My girlfriend lives and studies in the Netherlands, but she has enough free time to come here regularly,” Smit said.

“It’s good. I was practically living with her in Deventer, so it takes some time to get used to doing everything alone again. However, I’m okay with being alone. Sometimes it’s actually quite nice.”

The Chicago Bulls have been struggling in recent weeks, most recently giving up 157 points in a surprising loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls are headed to the NBA lottery once again this year, and all the teams headed to play this season are looking at what some of their young players have.

Unfortunately, Chicago got tough news Thursday afternoon about an injury to one of those players.

“The Bulls have announced that Jayden Ivey will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season for treatment of his left knee soreness,” reports X, former ClutchPoints NBA Insider Brett Siegel on Twitter.

The Bulls also got another update regarding a big man coming off their bench.

“The Bulls also say Jalen Smith, who suffered a right calf injury Wednesday night, will miss the remainder of the season,” the Seagull reports.

The Bulls acquired Ivy in a deal involving the Detroit Pistons before the NBA trade deadline, and so far, he’s not looking like a pre-injury, lottery pick version of himself in Chicago. Ivey is one of the guards currently on the Bulls roster, viewed by many as one of the most poorly constructed guards in the entire NBA landscape.

Hopefully, shutting down Ivy now will give the former Pistons guard the time he needs to fully recover from the knee pain and get back to being like his old version next season.

The Bulls are currently 29-43 on the season, and things don’t get any easier from here, as Chicago will take the field on Friday night for a road game against the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.

During the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Dallas Mavericks, one of their key players suffered a serious knee injury. As Warriors forward Moses Moody was going up for a breakaway dunk, the forward clutched his leg in pain. Moody was taken care of on the next dead ball and taken off the court on a stretcher.

moody Has been out of the game due to leg injury. A photo of Warriors forward Draymond Green shows a cast on his knee as he was taken off the court on a stretcher after his injury.

It’s a heartbreaking injury for Moody, who has missed the Warriors’ last 10 games with a wrist injury. Moody started this game against the Mavericks and was playing well. He led the shorthanded Warriors with 23 points and filled the stat sheet with three rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

Moody’s injury occurred in overtime at the end of the game against the Mavericks. The Warriors held a strong 136–131 lead over Dallas, and Moody’s steal would have given the lead a solid seven points as the game was winding down. The injury appeared to be serious, as it appeared the forward’s lower leg was hanging off at one point.

Warriors fans will now await the results of further testing on Moody. The Warriors improved to 33-38 and are in last place in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. This is another brutal injury for Golden State, who are already without Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry for the remainder of the regular season.

Sunday’s Brooklyn Nets-Sacrmato Kings matchup will have a significant impact on the NBA’s draft lottery race. The Kings will be without Russell Westbrook, one of their top contributors, during the game. Westbrook was forced out of the game due to right leg pain.

The Kings are already without Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, De’Andre Hunter and Drew Eubanks.

Westbrook played 28 minutes during the Kings’ 139-118 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. He posted 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, three rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and one steal. The veteran guard has appeared in 64 games with 58 starts this season, averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists on .427/.338/.694 shooting splits.

Russell Westbrook out of Kings-Nets matchup due to foot illness

Sacramento entered Sunday’s game one spot behind Brooklyn in the draft lottery standings. The Kings have lost their last two games 4-1, slipping from first place to fourth. They have one more win than the Nets in third.

The Nets have lost six games after consecutive wins over the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month. They recently ruled out Igor Demin and Deron Sharp for the season, while Michael Porter Jr. is out for 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain. Brooklyn also will be without Noah Clowney (right wrist sprain) and Nic Claxton (rest) on Sunday. Terrence Mann (illness) is probable for the matchup.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Kings enter Sunday’s game as 5.5-point favorites. They have another meeting with the Nets in Brooklyn a week from Sunday.

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in 2-3 weeks, the team announced Thursday. Porter has missed Brooklyn’s last three games with an ankle sprain.

The 6-foot-10 forward felt discomfort in his hamstring during Wednesday’s workout. An MRI revealed a strain that would sideline him until the final weeks of the season.

Porter is having a career-best season as Brooklyn’s No. 1 option. The 27-year-old is averaging a career-high 24.2 points on .463/.363/.859 shooting splits in 52 appearances following his trade to the Denver Nuggets.

Michael Porter Jr. out for extended period as Nets season ends

The Nets are 3-14 in games Porter has missed. They have recorded the NBA’s worst offense over their last four games and have sidelined veteran forwards. Igor Demin and Deron Sharp have also been out during that period after opting out of the season.

Brooklyn is averaging 95.3 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.0 percent from three over its last four games. Jordi Fernandez scored 24 points during the first half of his team’s 121-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

The Nets are in the midst of a heated draft lottery race. They are in third place in the lottery standings with 13 games remaining. Brooklyn has one win less than the fourth-place Sacramento Kings, one more than the third-place Washington Wizards and two more than the first-place Indiana Pacers.

With two matchups against the Kings before meetings with the Wizards and Pacers, the Nets have the easiest remaining strength in the NBA.

Ivica Zubac has performed well in all the last five games for the Indiana Pacers and has made a good start to his life as a member of his new team. Zubac was dealing with some ankle problems, and the Pacers were well aware of this when they brought him in via a blockbuster trade. Thus, it’s a pleasant surprise that he’s already back-to-back suits up for Indiana.

However, given that the Pacers have all the incentive in the world to not win a lot of games, given that they will give their 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers if it falls within the fifth to tenth selection, they are undoubtedly going to manage Zubac’s workload.

To that end, Zubac played only 23 minutes of their 117–109 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, exiting the contest with 10:44 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a head injury. He did not return to the game, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds during his time on the court.

The Pacers will have two full days of rest before taking the court on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs and for now, Zubac should be considered questionable for that game.

Ivica Zubac getting familiar with the Pacers’ system

Zubac is going to learn how to play faster and expand his offensive game beyond the paint now that he is a member of the dangerous Pacers. This is invaluable time for Zubac and the Pacers, as he can become familiar with the system in a more low-pressure environment amid Indiana’s gap year.

Indiana invested a ton of assets in Zubac, and only time will tell how successful their move will be. Nonetheless, it’s easy to see why the Pacers brought him in, as he’ll play such sweet string music with Tyrese Haliburton when the floor general returns.

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a blow against the Miami Heat on Thursday at Kasia Center when Ousmane Dieng missed the remainder of the contest due to an illness.

Dieng has been playing well since the Bucks acquired him from the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline, even earning a starting spot right away.

Milwaukee announced on the air that he would not return to the game. Dieng, who was subbed out in the third quarter, failed to score in 14 minutes.

The Bucks are trying to snap a two-game slump, while the Heat are coming off a memorable win against the Washington Wizards, with Bam Adebayo leading the way with 83 points.

Dieng probably has a chip on his shoulder after the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him to the Charlotte Hornets with a second-round pick in February, despite helping them win last season’s championship. In return the Thunder received Mason Plumlee.

Dieng was traded to the Bulls along with Collin Sexton and three second-round picks in exchange for Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. Two days later, Dieng arrived at the Bucks in a three-team deal that also included the Phoenix Suns.

The feeling of being pinballed wasn’t good for Dieng’s morale, but since landing in Milwaukee, he has seen a bigger role, averaging 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22.9 minutes.

At the age of 22, he has a lot to offer. Being moved to the Bucks, where he could learn from Giannis Antetokounmpo, looks like a blessing in disguise for the 11th overall pick.

At the time of writing, Miami leads Milwaukee in the fourth quarter.

The Boston Celtics had high expectations for Jayson Tatum’s return to the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. But just as the team moved on from their superstar, they lost their valuable NBA trade deadline acquisition.

Nikola Vucevic came off the Celtics bench Friday night and played just two minutes without recording a single stat before getting injured. Late in the first quarter, Vucevic was attempting to post up Mavs center Moussa Cisse when he suddenly grabbed his right arm as he received the ball.

Vucevic then continued to catch the same hand multiple times and appeared to be in pain on the next few possessions, causing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout.

Celtics reporter Bobby Manning was able to pinpoint the exact spot where Vucevic was hurt.

https://x.com/RealBobManning/status/2030084774170177771

The Celtics announced early in the second quarter that Vucevic would be out for the remainder of the game with a fractured right ring finger.

Nikola Vucevic was acquired by the Boston Celtics from the Chicago Bulls at the 2026 NBA trade deadline. In the deal, the Celtics traded guard Anfernee Simmons and a 2026 second-round pick to the Bulls for Vucevic and a 2027 second-round pick.

In 11 games so far with the Celtics, Vucevic has averaged 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three.

The Los Angeles Clippers are unable to catch any breaks this season. The Clippers were playing against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The game also marked former Clipper Ivica Zubac’s debut with his new Indiana team. However, during the game, LA lost one of its key centers to injury. According to Tomer Azzarly of ClutchPoints, Yannick Konan Niederhauser, who backed up Zubac in LA, missed the game with a foot injury.

“Yannick Konan Niederhauser is out for the remainder of Clippers-Pacers with a right foot injury,” Azarly posted.

More coming soon.

The Trae Young era has already begun for the Washington Wizards – sort of.

Young has yet to see action on the field as a Wizard, but now he’s part of the story of Monday night’s game between his Wizards and the Houston Rockets at Capital One Arena in Washington.

That’s when he was surprisingly ejected from the contest amid a heated moment on the court between Washington guard Jameer Watkins and Rockets forward Tari Eason in the third quarter.

Apparently, Young, who was not in uniform, entered the courtroom, while Watkins and Eason joined him.

Trae Young was benched from Wizards-Rockets before even playing a minute with the team 😳

He went to the floor during an argument between Jameer Watkins and Tari Eason.

pic.twitter.com/T5vsaMdneK

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 3 March 2026

Due to lower body (knee and quad) injuries, the 27-year-old Young has not been eligible for games with the Wizards since Washington acquired him via a trade with the Atlanta Hawks in January in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

But he is close to debuting with Washington. He is reportedly expected to play his first game as a Wizard this coming Thursday in a home game against the Utah Jazz.

Although the Wizards are literally headed for the lottery, that obviously won’t stop the former Oklahoma Sooners star from playing this week. That said, Young is unlikely to get heavy minutes immediately in his return, as he needs more time to shake off the rust amid a lengthy absence from the court.

Young has only played 10 games so far this season, during which he has averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds, while shooting just 41.5 percent from the field.

The Dallas Mavericks will have to finish their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday without one of their key contributors, as Klay Thompson has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with an adductor strain.

Thompson finished with seven points on 3 of 8 shooting in 15 minutes. off the bench.

The Mavs announced that Klay Thompson (right adductor contusion) is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Thunder. pic.twitter.com/KPDqgkMTaT

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 2 March 2026

It is unclear when exactly the sweet-shooting guard suffered an adductor injury, but he could be sidelined for an extended period, as it usually takes several weeks to heal.

It is another blow for the 36-year-old Thompson, who has struggled to regain his form over the past few years following knee surgery.

He has been largely inconsistent in his tenure with the Mavericks, but he remains a lethal threat from outside. He averaged 11.5 points, 38.7% field goals, 73.0% free throws, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his career.

Much of this can be attributed to his dwindling confidence, and suffering from an adductor injury certainly won’t help in that regard. For what it’s worth, the four-time champion has been here before. He has proven that he is resilient enough to bounce back. Hopefully he can recover soon.

At the time of writing, the Mavericks are trailing the Thunder by a wide margin in the fourth quarter.

Dallas is already playing without Cooper Flagg, who sat out with a foot injury.

Thompson was rumored to be on the trading block in February, but he managed to remain with the team. However, the Mavericks could move to acquire him in the offseason.

The Sacramento Kings entered the season fresh on Wednesday, ending a 16-game losing streak in the NBA. Now they’ve seen Keegan Murray exit the Houston Rockets game with a possible foot ailment.

Murray suffered an NBA injury with about 3:25 left to play in the first quarter at Toyota Center.

Keegan Murray headed to the Kings locker room after getting into the game awkwardly.

Hope he is okpic.twitter.com/KQi9RSYPNe

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 26 February 2026

Murray averages 14.5 points per game for Doug Christie and Sacramento. But now he has been officially ruled out due to a left ankle injury.

UPDATE: The Kings announced that Keegan Murray (left ankle) is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Rockets. https://t.co/9qeVZ3CuYW

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 26 February 2026

He was satisfied with only three points in a span of nine minutes. Murray grabbed a rebound and blocked a shot on the defensive side.

Kings are trending towards landing the top pick of the NBA draft

Murray has emerged as one of the better performers in a lost season in Sacramento.

Despite this, the Kings are on their way to achieving another feat: capturing the No. 1 spot in the NBA Draft.

ClutchPoints’ Eric Slater reveals where the Kings stand in the race for the top pick.

The nets lost. The Pelicans won.

Brooklyn is getting more segregation in third place in the lottery standings. pic.twitter.com/Ny0H3aSZ3L

– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 25 February 2026

Based on current projections, Sacramento remains ahead of the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. However, finishing with the league’s worst record does not guarantee the top pick in this scenario.

The Dallas Mavericks benefited from the lottery system last season – earning the top spot despite finishing at 39-43. Cooper Flagg arrived at the move a month later.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were without one of their key players against the Philadelphia 76ers at Target Center on Sunday, as running back Naz Reed was out with a shoulder injury.

Reid has been out in recent weeks, and sitting out against the 76ers was a big blow for the Timberwolves, who are looking for their fourth consecutive win.

It is unclear when Reid suffered the shoulder injury. He finished Friday’s 122-111 win against the Dallas Mavericks with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 30 minutes off the bench.

The 26-year-old Reed has a strong case to win his second Sixth Man of the Year trophy, as he has career averages of 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals.

He signed a five-year extension worth $125 million in the offseason.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has often praised Reed’s work ethic, which has helped him remain competitive in recent years.

“I don’t remember the exact timing, but it was definitely within the first window of the season. I would say he’s started to really, really rebound at a high level and make a lot of those types of plays. Get out and run, rebound, just play with more activity. That’s what’s really gotten him going offensively,” Finch said in a report by Timberwolves reporter Liam Willerup.

In addition to Reed, Minnesota also battled Philadelphia without Rudy Gobert, who served a one-game suspension.

Jon Beringer, Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. have earned additional minutes without Reed and Gobert.

It is still unclear how long Reid will be out.

Ziare Williams will miss his second consecutive game for the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Brooklyn ruled Williams out of the match with the Atlanta Hawks due to personal reasons.

Williams played 22 minutes during Thursday’s 112-84 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Nets ruled him out of Friday’s 105–86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to personal reasons.

Williams has played a featured role with Brooklyn’s second unit this season. He has recorded the seventh-most minutes on the team, averaging 9.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on .407/.313/.859 shooting splits in 39 appearances.

Ziaire Williams missing Nets vs. Hawks due to personal reasons

Ochai Agbaji has seen extended minutes in the Nets’ second unit over the last two games during Williams’ absence. The trade deadline acquisition recorded his best performance of the season on Thursday vs. the Cavs. He posted 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, three rebounds, three assists and one block and 3-of-6 from three in 28 minutes.

Nic Claxton will return from a two-game absence vs. Atlanta due to an ankle injury. The Hawks, who have lost four of their last five games, will be without Jonathan Kuminga because of a knee injury.

After three consecutive losses, the Nets have dropped to third in the draft lottery standings. They are tied in the win column and second in the loss column behind the Indiana Pacers.

After Sunday’s game against the Hawks, Brooklyn will return home for matchups with the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.