Lakers fall to Nuggets, Pacific Division roundup

The past 24 hours in the Pacific Division were defined by a rough night for the Los Angeles Lakers and significant roster and injury updates for the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers.

Lakers handled in Denver and still searching for their level

The division’s only game saw the Los Angeles Lakers lose 121-106 on the road against the Denver Nuggets. The defeat drops the Lakers to 2-3, leaving them chasing the 4-2 Golden State Warriors and just ahead of the 2-1 LA Clippers in the early Pacific Division picture.

On the projection front, CBS Sports’ Western Conference win-total analysis labels the Lakers as undervalued by the betting markets. In a separate tier breakdown of the West, CBS Sports places the Spurs and Thunder in a class of their own, with a sizable gap before the rest of the conference, raising early questions about where this new-look Lakers group truly fits in that hierarchy.

Warriors: planned cut for Terry and long-term injury concerns

According to Hoops Rumors, citing league sources relayed by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Golden State Warriors plan to waive Dalen Terry. The guard has been on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 camp deal, which he reportedly finalized in late August before appearing in five preseason contests.

Hoops Rumors also passes along reporting from Anthony Slater of ESPN that Moses Moody, who suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon, and Jimmy Butler, who tore his right ACL, won’t be available to start the season. The Warriors are said to be optimistic about getting both players back by early 2027, a long timeline that adds serious uncertainty for a team CBS Sports already expects to be in for a difficult year in the West.

Stephen Curry and Charles Bassey are also mentioned in Hoops Rumors’ Warriors notes, though no additional specifics are included in the summary at hand.

Clippers, Suns and Kings: depth moves and slow starts

For the LA Clippers, Hoops Rumors reports that guard Cam Christie has agreed to re-sign on a new two-way contract after clearing waivers, a move confirmed by Shams Charania and team reporter Ohm Youngmisuk. The Clippers thus retain a developmental backcourt piece while sitting at 2-1 in the divisional standings.

The Phoenix Suns (1-4) and Sacramento Kings (0-5) remain at the bottom of the Pacific Division table, with no specific transactions or injury updates emerging over the last day from the available headlines.

On a broader league note, Hoops Rumors relays Brian Windhorst’s reporting for ESPN that bids for a potential expansion team in Seattle are currently “substantially lower” than those for Las Vegas. Commissioner Adam Silver is described as trying to leverage that situation to raise Seattle’s offers, a long-term business storyline that could eventually impact established Pacific Division markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles.