While the initial reports on Jalen Brunson's sprained right ankle projected a recovery period of roughly two weeks, it appears that the Knicks might be playing without their superstar captain for a much longer stretch of time.
Prior to the Knicks' hard-fought loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, ESPN's Shams Charania provided a televsion update on Brunson's injury, revealing that the two-time All-Star could be sidelined through March or early April. Charania placed the timeline in the three-to-four week range, at a minimum, during the pregame broadcast.
Brunson injured his ankle in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, after landing on Austin Reaves' foot during a layup attempt. At that time, SNY's Ian Begley reported that the specific sprain grade was unknown and the diagnosis was much better than what the Knicks feared.
But the latest information from Charania is far more discouraging. Brunson has missed the Knicks' last four games, and the team still has nine games remaining this month. Once the calendar turns, they'll play eight more regular-season contests before the playoffs arrive on April 19.
It's no secret that the Knicks will only go as far as Brunson takes them. He's the undisputed catalyst, who's averaged a team-high 26.3 points and 7.4 assists in 61 games. Entering the All-Star break, he ranked first in points, assists, and minutes among all 28-year-olds in the NBA this season, and he recently became the fastest player in franchise history to score 5,000 points.
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown -- Knicks' Jalen Brunson expected out through late March/early April, and fallout from Mikal Bridges and Tom Thibodeau meeting: pic.twitter.com/NtkgNMyI6R
The Knicks wrapped up their five-game California road trip on a sour note, falling to the red-hot Golden State Warriors, 97-94, on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The Knicks made a concerted effort to run their offense through Karl-Anthony Towns from the jump, and his aggressiveness in the paint yielded six points and four rebounds within the first three minutes of action. It was a clear message sent to Warriors veteran Draymond Green, who unfairly criticized Towns for missing their first meeting of the season back on March 4.
-- Towns' presence didn't overwhelm Golden State in the first quarter, however. There were a combined 63 points scored, along with 11 lead changes. But the Knicks stressed ball movement down low in the opening period, and wound up tallying twice as many paint points (20-10) as the Warriors.
-- The back-and-forth nature of the first half wasn't devoid of physicality or foul trouble. And much to the Knicks' chargin, defensive miscues restricted Towns' playing time. He committed his third foul with 8:08 left in the second quarter, and before leaving the floor for the remainder of the half, he ignited the crowd by briefly squabbling with Green.
-- It wasn't the least bit surprising to see the Knicks discombobulated with Towns on the bench and captain Jalen Brunson inactive due to a week-to-week ankle injury. They scored just 19 points in the second quarter, compared to 31 in the first, and Mitchell Robinson was visibly gassed on both ends of the court as Towns' replacement. New York simply lacked rhythm.
-- Luckily for the Knicks, persistence from their supporting cast kept the score close. The Warriors were also limited to 19 second-quarter points, despite contributions from all players in their 10-man rotation. If not for nine turnovers that resulted in 10 Warriors points, the Knicks would've entered halftime with the lead. Instead they trailed, 54-40.
-- The second half opened with Towns back on the court, and he wasted no time getting involved. He drained a three from the right wing within the first 30 seconds, and three possessions later, he bumped his points total to 16 with a jumper from the left block. But Towns struggled defending Stephen Curry off pick-and-rolls, which displeased Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
-- While the Warriors increased their lead to nine midway through the third, the Knicks didn't relent. They managed to trim their deficit down to three, 75-72, entering the final quarter. At that point, wingers Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby had logged 17 points and 16 points, respectively, and Miles McBride provided a huge boost by contributing 17 points.
-- With gritty momentum on their side, the Warriors opened the fourth quarter with sharper shooting that helped bump their lead back to nine. The Knicks couldn't match early on, as they missed five of six shots by the first media timeout. During the break, cameras near the bench caught Thibodeau arguing with Josh Hart, who stunningly went scoreless in 39 total minutes played.
-- By avoiding further foul trouble, Towns regained dominance with the rock. He scored 11 straight points for the Knicks midway through the fourth, pushing his total to 29 by the 4:39 mark. Moments later, the Knicks knotted the score at 88-88 with a jumper from Bridges. But a driving layup from Moses Moody placed the Warriors ahead again with 2:26 left, and they didn't look back.
-- It was Green who wound up getting the last laugh over Towns. In the final minute, he drained a pair of free throws to push the Warriors lead to four, and after a costly turnover from McBride on the ensuing possession, Green drove to the rim for a layup that bumped the lead up to six, 94-88. New York's attempts at fouling in the closing seconds were ultimatey fruitless.
Game MVP: Stephen Curry
Curry's performance wasn't exactly vintage, but he scored when it mattered most. The first player in NBA history to record 4,000 career threes finished the game with 28 points on 8-of-20 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. Golden State also improved to a stunning 14-1 since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points in his return from an eight-game absence with an illness, getting 14 in the fourth quarter to help the Boston Celtics hold off the Brooklyn Nets 115-113 on Saturday night.
Payton Pritchard added 22 points and Jayson Tatum had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics, who seemed headed for an easy night after a 25-7 run to open the second quarter gave them a 21-point lead. The Nets cut it to two in the fourth quarter before Porzingis made some clutch plays in his first game since Feb. 26.
The Celtics rested Derrick White and Al Horford a night after winning in Miami and clinching a playoff spot, then lost Jaylen Brown in the second half after he left with back spasms.
Pritchard, who set the NBA single-season record during the game with his 219th 3-pointer off the bench, made three free throws in the closing seconds.
Cam Johnson scored 23 points and Keon Johnson had 21 for the Nets, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
Takeaways
Celtics: Boston relies on the 3-pointer, but having Porzingis man the middle provides a different dimension when the long balls aren’t falling.
Nets: Brooklyn announced Saturday that leading scorer Cam Thomas is expected to miss the rest of the season with a strained left hamstring. Thomas averaged 24 points but was limited to 25 games by the injury he initially sustained in November.
Key moment
Boston’s lead was down to 94-92 with 7:59 to play before Porzingis converted a three-point play and then made his only 3-pointer of the night to push it to 100-92 a minute later.
Key stat
Boston has won eight straight in the regular season in Brooklyn, not losing since April 23, 2021.
Up next
Brooklyn hosts Atlanta on Sunday. The Celtics don’t play again until hosting the Nets on Tuesday night.
Even four-time NBA champion Draymond Green, at least when it comes to his celebrations.
After Green used his teammate’s signature “night-night” celebration to culminate the Warriors’ 97-94 win over the New York Knicks, Steph Curry shared his grade for this rendition of his now-iconic gesture.
“[Green] has evolved his version of it since the Minnesota game earlier in the year,” Curry told reporters. “He’s softened it a little bit. He’s brought it down to where a pillow is supposed to really be. I realized he does everything aggressive and with his whole body.
“I’m giving that a solid A-minus effort on the “night night” tonight. That was beautiful.”
So, why not take a closer look at this celebratory evolution?
SAN FRANCISCO – As much as the Warriors have gotten better since acquiring Jimmy Butler III prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, they’ve found ways to keep playing at a high level on those rare occasions when Butler isn’t in top form.
Saturday’s win against the New York Knicks was a perfect example.
While Butler sputtered through one of his roughest shooting outings since the trade (3 of 11), Golden State received significant contributions up and down the roster on the way to a 97-94 win over the Knicks at Chase Center.
The bottom line – another Warriors win – was primary on Butler’s mind in Golden State’s locker room after the game.
“We’re winning so I don’t care about nothing else,” Butler said. “I can say it till I’m whatever color in the face. But as long as we win, I’m straight.
“The game is just simple. You just pass the ball to the open guy. When you’re open you shoot it. Somebody got a better shot you pass it to them. Everybody is doing it here and that’s why we’ve been stacking wins.”
To no one’s surprise Stephen Curry was at the center of everything that went well for the Warriors against the Knicks. Curry cooked his way to a team-leading 28 points with seven rebounds and five assists but was minus-five in a game that Golden State didn’t fully take fully control until the very end.
Butler didn’t have a terrible game by any means (11 points, six rebounds, seven assists) but didn’t show the flashiness or firepower that Warriors fans have grown accustomed to over the past five weeks.
It hardly mattered.
Moses Moody scored 18 points and continued to play well in his role as a starter after coming off the bench for the first three months of the 2024-25 NBA season. Jonathan Kuminga had 10 points in his second game back after missing 31 games with an ankle injury. Gui Santos made his second career start and added five points and seven rebounds.
Steph’s solid supporting cast against the Knicks included more yeoman-like nights from Quinten Post (five points, six boards) and Gary Payton II (six points, four rebounds) and Kevon Looney (six points, four rebounds).
“He’s always on a superstar level because even when he’s not scoring he’s still creating for everyone,” Draymond Green said. “He draws some double-teams, he kicks out and get us open shots. I think he’s always playing at a superstar level because his presence is always at a superstar level. When he’s making the right play and you get 18 (points) out of (Moody), that’s making up for some of that. Ten from JK off the bench, we can live with that.
“But we all know there’s going to be games where we need him to go score, and we know he’s more than capable and he’ll do that. What’s been huge for us is just him always making the right play. Always make the right play. He’s getting guys easy looks. You know who gets guys easy looks? Superstars.”
That is the essence of Butler.
Blessed as one of the NBA’s most electrifying scorers, his impact goes way beyond the boxscore. As Green pointed out, Golden State having Butler in the lineup has a domino effect on the rest of the Warriors.
On most nights, Butler’s shot is pure silk and he’ll put up points by the dozens. When his shot isn’t falling, however, he still finds a way to make an impact.
Since joining the Warriors Butler has been limited to six points or fewer three times. His 11 points against the Knicks were his fourth-fewest in a Warriors uniform.
Golden State is 4-0 in those games.
That’s a very encouraging and promising sign for a team trying to maintain its hold on the No. 6 slot in the Western Conference.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Butler a ‘connector’ and Curry agreed.
“He’s very good at just staying under control, making the right play,” Curry said. “You can tell he doesn’t really look to score as much right now because he’s reading the defense, taking whatever they’re giving him. Having the ball in his hands is usually a good thing.”
Make no mistake, Butler remains a scorer first and foremost, and he’ll do it when the need arises. For now he’s content finding his flow with the rest of Golden State’s offense.
“I’m not just a scorer. I can score whenever I want to ,” Butler said. “I can shoot the toughest of shots if I wanted to and, nobody’s ever going to say anything. I want to get everybody involved. I want to get guys in their spots. When it’s mytime you’ll know that it’s my time. But until then we’re going to pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition, keep winning.”
NBA rules require a team to dress at least eight healthy players for a game, or it must forfeit. Dallas has been so ravaged by injuries that it is down to eight healthy players: Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Max Christie, Spencer Dinwiddie, Brandon Williams, Dwight Powell, and Kessler Edwards.
That's because all these players are injured:
• Kyrie Irving (torn ACL) • Anthony Davis (adductor strain) • Dereck Lively II (ankle stress fracture) • Daniel Gafford (knee sprain) • P.J. Washington (ankle sprain) • Dante Exum (fractured hand, announced Saturday) • Olivier Maxence-Prosper (right wrist injury) • Jaden Hardy (ankle sprain) • Kai Jones (quad strain)
The concern in Dallas is that two of their healthy players are two-way players nearing their limit of 50 games up with the main club. Kessler Edwards has been with Dallas for 47 games, while Bradon Williams is at 44. Once they reach 50, they can no longer play with the Mavericks and must return to the G-League.
Why don't the Mavericks convert one or both of Edwards or Williams to regular contracts or sign another player on a 10-day contract? Because they can't afford to. Dallas is hard-capped at the first apron of the luxury tax and currently sits just $51,000 below that number, and a standard 10-day contract is double that. The Mavericks have no financial flexibility.
On the bright side, big men Jones and Washington didn't play on Friday but were listed as questionable for the game, suggesting they are close to returning. A week ago, coach Jason Kidd said that the three centers — Davis, Lively, and Gafford — were improving, although no timeline was given.
It's likely by the time Edwards and Williams max out the games they can play in Dallas Jones, Edwards and maybe one or two of the centers can return to the rotation. Dallas will almost certainly field eight players for all the rest of their games.
But the fact this is a conversation shows just how decimated the Mavericks have been by injuries.
On Saturday, Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard set an NBA record that will make it difficult to vote against him for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Pritchard notched 22 points on five 3-pointers in the C’s 115-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. With his fourth make from deep, he surpassed Wayne Ellington for the most 3s off the bench in a single NBA season (219).
With 14 regular-season games still left to play, Pritchard has a chance to own the single-season record by a significant margin. It’s a remarkable feat for the 27-year-old, but it was business as usual for him after the historic performance.
“It just means I did my job off the bench at a high level, and hopefully I can continue to do that,” Pritchard said.
Pritchard isn’t focused on his 3-point record or the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, which he currently is favored to win. He simply wants to continue his development into one of the game’s best.
“There’s no records, there’s no awards that I ever look at,” he said. “It’s all about self-improvement, looking at every game, what I can do to keep growing and keep bettering myself. Ultimately, that’s all that matters to me is trying to take another step. So hopefully I can keep that going.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is proud of how far Pritchard has come since being drafted out of Oregon in 2020.
“If you count the the amount of timely shots that he’s hitting and the timely offensive rebounds that he’s gotten — he had one tonight coming out of the timeout when they went zone, in the corner, which just has an ability to impact the game in so many ways,” Mazzulla said.
“Just continues to get better and better. His competitive nature and work ethic’s unreal. So that’s an awesome thing and it takes a special person to fulfill that role, and he takes pride and does it every day.”
Pritchard is now averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season with a 41.8 shooting percentage from 3-point range. He’ll look to repeat Saturday’s performance when the Celtics host the Nets for a rematch on Tuesday.
Green finished with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds, three assists and one block.
While Steph Curry made the “night night” celebration a global sensation, the Warriors have another term for the action when Green does it.
“We say in the locker room, Draymond do the ‘nightmare,’ ” guard Moses Moody told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after the Warriors’ win. “Nah, bit it’s cool. That’s something obviously started with Steph, but he passed it on, moved it around and the whole team is sending them home.”
Green and the Warriors have won seven consecutive games and improved to 39-28 with the win over the Knicks, who head back to New York after going 2-3 on a five-game West Coast road trip.
After Saturday’s loss, the Knicks might not sleep well on the cross-country flight.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center extended their win streak to seven consecutive games, beating the New York Knicks, 97-94, making more history along the way.
Steph Curry scored a game-high 28 points, and added seven rebounds and five assists. The spotlight always belongs to Curry. Moses Moody in this win deserves an equal amount of praise.
Moody was a plus-12, scoring 18 huge points and draining four 3-pointers, each one feeling more timely than the other.
The Warriors’ largest lead was nine points. The Knicks’ largest lead was five points. This came down to the last man standing as the Warriors outlasted every punch the Knicks threw their way.
Here are three takeaways from yet another impressive Warriors win.
Draymond, KAT Claw All Game
The matchup to watch was between a Swiss Army Knife who plays point-center and a 7-footer who lives behind the 3-point line. Basketball wasn’t the main reason everybody was locked into watching Draymond Green and Karl-Anthony Towns. Controversy was.
Towns missed the Knicks’ game against the Warriors at Madison Square Garden on March 4, to which Green on his podcast joked the All-Star center was ducking Butler, his former teammate in Minnesota. The real reason Towns didn’t play was to attend the funeral of a longtime family friend.
Trash talk began shortly after the opening tip. Towns got Green to jump on pump fake, drove past him and threw down a dunk. When Green one minute later went through Towns for a contested layup, the volume was turned up. The same can be said about Green’s reaction to his first three of the night.
Green’s defensive genius was on display in the second quarter while guarding Towns behind the 3-point line. Towns, dribbling between his legs, tried to lull Green. But right when Towns gathered to get in a shooting motion, Green got right up on him, knocking the ball off Towns and out of bounds.
All four quarters felt like a heavyweight fight, especially between two big men who are polar opposites. Towns dropped 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but Green hit him with Curry’s signature Night Night celebration after driving past him for a layup with 25 seconds remaining in the game.
Another New Starting Lineup
Quinten Post as a rookie already has given Golden State more than the Warriors ever could have asked for this season. The fact is, despite all the winning, the Warriors’ starting lineup hasn’t been working as Brandin Podziemski continues to nurse his lower back soreness.
The five-man lineup of Curry, Butler, Green, Post and Moses Moody had played four games together going into Saturday night for a total of 32 minutes. They produced a minus-21.9 net rating with a 95.8 offensive rating and a 117.6 defensive rating. Steve Kerr had seen enough, at least for one game, so he opted to use his 36th different starting lineup this season.
In came Gui Santos for Post. Even with Santos’ first 3-point attempt getting blocked, he showed why he’s the perfect glue guy and fits multiple lineups.
Kerr’s newest starting five played the first four-plus minutes of the game together, spending five minutes and 25 seconds on the floor as a group in the first half. Through two quarters, they outscored the Knicks 12-11. Santos in 25 minutes had five points and seven rebounds. As a group, the starting five played 12 minutes and 19 seconds together, outscoring the Knicks by one point, 25-24.
Every Detail Matters
Both the Warriors and Knicks have star powers. Big names on the court, and fan bases full of celebrities. A game between two contenders came down to every small detail mattering.
The Warriors in their previous five games averaged more than 16 turnovers, which resulted in an average of nearly 20 points for the opposition. In their win against the Knicks, the Warriors are two fewer turnovers. As the Warriors totaled 11 turnovers that resulted in eight points for the Knicks, Golden State turned New York’s 13 turnovers into 19 points.
Though the Knicks had four more rebounds, 10 more points in the paint and eight more second-chance points, the Warriors won the battle of assists, 3-pointers, free throws, steals and fastbreak points.
Their bench also outscored the Knicks 26-4.
Strong screens. Better box outs. Crisp passes and disrupting the lanes defensively. That’s how the Warriors will beat teams chasing a title like the Knicks, as well as their next two opponents in the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Steve Kerr stands on top in the Warriors’ record book.
The Golden State coach now has the most wins in franchise history, earning his 558th victory with the team’s 97-94 triumph over the New York Knicks on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Kerr came into the game tied with Warriors legend Al Attles at 557 franchise wins.
Immediately after the record-setting win, Kerr spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke on the Chase Center court, and in typical fashion, he had a tongue-in-cheek beginning to his answer about the accomplishment.
“It’s amazing to do this without any talent at all. I’ve just had to coach up these guys,” Kerr said jokingly. “Are you kidding me? To be able to coach Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, I mean, we’ve been blessed with such incredible rosters the entire 11 years. And more than anything, this is a reflection of the entire organizational strength, stability, the collaboration we all share, the players, coaches, management, ownership. We have an incredible collection of people and the record is just a reflection of that.”
Kerr’s 558 career wins place him 29th all-time among NBA coaches. His mentor, Gregg Popovich, holds the record with 1,415 wins.
Appointed by Warriors CEO Joe Lacob, Kerr’s head coaching career began with Golden State in May 2014, succeeding Mark Jackson.
In the 2014-15 NBA season, Kerr and the Warriors won 67 games, becoming NBA champions after defeating superstar LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kerr, a five-time NBA champion as a player, brought a winning culture to the Warriors from the moment he arrived in the Bay. Along with a franchise-record 558 franchise victories, the 59-year-old has won 91 playoff games and four NBA titles at the helm.
Outside of the 2019-2020 season, the Warriors have finished every season above .500 under Kerr, who also led Golden State to an NBA-record 73 wins during the 2015-16 season.
As it stands, Golden State can benefit from all of Kerr’s coaching expertise as it looks to punch a playoff ticket.
The Warriors currently sit at xx-xx and are the No. x seed, x games back of the Houston Rockets for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with x regular-season contests remaining.
It’s Saturday, March 15, and the Indiana Pacers (37-28) and Milwaukee Bucks (37-28) are all set to square off from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The Pacers are currently 16-18 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Bucks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. Milwaukee is 2-1 in the season series but Indiana won the most recent matchup on Tuesday thanks to Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning four-point play.
Milwaukee is 8-4 since the All-Star break but 1-3 over the past four games. Indiana has won two straight but is 2-3 over the past five games.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. Bucks live today
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 8:00PM EST
Site: Fiserv Forum
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Pacers vs. Bucks
The latest odds as of Saturday:
Odds: Pacers (+154), Bucks (-185)
Spread: Bucks -4.5
Over/Under: 236 points
That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 117.11, and the Bucks 119.46.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Saturday’s Pacers vs. Bucks game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Bucks to cover:
"These teams just met on Tuesday and the Pacers won on a miracle four-point play. This is an easy handicap. It's Bucks or pass for me. The loser of the previous meeting during the same week often covers or wins the second matchup and the Bucks have plenty of motivation."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & Bucks game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Milwaukee Bucks on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Indiana Pacers at +4.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 236.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. Bucks on Saturday
The Bucks have won four of their last five home games against teams with winning records
The under is 4-1 in the Bucks' last five matchups against divisional opponents
The Bucks have covered the spread in four of their last five games against teams with winning records
The Bucks have won and covered the handicap in four of their last five home games against teams with winning records and they can make the most of a scheduling advantage here, with the Pacers having played a tough game against the 76ers last night.
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Nets star Cam Thomas suffered a left hamstring strain during Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The team announced Saturday that given the number of days left in the schedule and the time it would take to work his way back to full health, the 23-year-old is expected to be out the remainder of the season.
This is Thomas’ third hamstring ailment this year -- limiting him to just 25 games.
He has, however, remained a scoring machine when healthy -- averaging a career-high 24 points over that span while putting together a team-leading six 30+ point showings, including a season-high 43 points on Nov. 15 against the Knicks.
He notched his first career double-double in his final game of the year (24 points, 10 assists).
It’ll be interesting to see how the rebuilding Nets handle things with Thomas this offseason, as he is currently in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to be a restricted free agent at season's end.
He appeared to be headed for a big payday coming into this year, but we’ll see if the injury-plagued season affects that.
With a month to go in the NBA season, there are eight teams (conservatively, you could argue 10) more focused as an organization on lottery odds than winning games. Or, to put it bluntly, they are tanking with their eyes on Cooper Flagg. That means a lot of good players are missing games for dodgy reasons.
The NBA is pushing those teams to keep their best players on the court. The league already fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for not playing Lauri Markkanen against the Wizards and in other games — and, shockingly, he was suddenly available for the next game after the fine. Now, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that both the Thunder and 76ers are being investigated for violating the league's Player Participation Policy.
The Thunder are not tanking — they have run away with the West at 54-12 — but on March 7 they sat six key players (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace) in what was still a home win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Only two of those players, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, meet the NBA's qualifications for a star player under the league's Player Participation Policy (an All-Star the last three years), but sitting that many players raised eyebrows. Still, this was a home game that was not nationally televised, so it's a little difficult to get worked up over OKC's decision.
The league is investigating Philadelphia "for the recent absences of players such as Paul George (knee, back, finger) and Tyrese Maxey (back, finger)," according to the ESPN report. George has admitted he is playing through pain and, with the 76ers season all but over, he will be meeting with doctors about treatment for his knee and groin/back issues. It seems challenging to blame him for not playing through pain. Don't expect to see a lot of Maxey, either.
Philadelphia has real motivation to tank. Its first-round pick this year belongs to Oklahoma City but is top-six protected. Philly is trying to tank its way into keeping that pick, the 76ers are currently tied with the Nets for the 5th/6th worst record in the NBA. If the Sixers can hold on to the fifth-worst spot, they have a 62.1% chance of retaining that top-six pick after the lottery. It would be shocking if we see George again this season, Embiid is already out for the season to get treatment on his knee (although no definitive plan has been released) and expect Maxey to be limited.
Again, is that worth the league's fine? Where is that line?
The first fine for violating the league's Player Participation Policy is $100,000 — enough to get a team's attention, but this is the cost of a 10-day contract to teams, so it will not break them. However, a second violation is $250,000 and the third $1 million — teams can live with the first fine but want to avoid climbing that ladder.
Which will make the final month of the season interesting for teams such as Toronto (Scottie Barnes qualifies for the Player Participation Policy) and others trying to tank but avoid a fine. It's a fine line everyone is trying to walk.
Mar 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
These games happen in the NBA. There was no LeBron James or Luka Doncic for the Lakers, but with the chance to shine, other guys stepped up — Austin Reaves scored 37, Dalton Knecht had 32 with five 3-pointers, and Los Angeles just played hard. Meanwhile, Denver played like they expected the Lakers to roll over.
Fortunately, with the game on the line, Nikola Jokic set a massive (moving?) screen, taking out two defenders, which opened the door for Jamal Murray to save the day for the Nuggets.
It was an ugly win for the Nuggets, but after rough losses to top teams (Boston, Oklahoma City, Minnesota), they needed the win. That doesn't mean Michael Malone was happy about it, he walked into his postgame press conference, crumpled up the stat sheet and threw it away. The win moved the Nuggets back up to No. 2 in the West.
Jokic finished the game with 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists — a great night for most players but a pedestrian one for him.
The Lakers went 0-4 on their road trip and will have to continue without LeBron James (groin strain) for another week or so, but now come home for four games, with a couple of winnable ones to start against Phoenix Sunday (nationally televised), followed by the very shorthanded Spurs. Then they get another shot at Denver.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, right, drives past Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the first half of Friday's game. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Inside a locker room, geography matters and Friday night in Denver, Austin Reaves was in the big seat.
Using the space typically assigned to LeBron James inside the Nuggets’ visiting locker room, Reaves sat closest to the showers, players passing him on their way in and out after they’d fumbled a chance to stun Denver.
Cam Reddish, Christian Koloko, Jordan Goodwin — each one passed by the space only to briefly stop and get a quick word of encouragement from the lone Lakers starter who played Friday night.
They were fully under the watch of Reaves, the unquestioned third member of the Lakers’ big three who nearly carried his team minus James and Luka Doncic to a win in Denver on the second night of a back-to-back minus 60% of its 10-man rotation.
But his 37 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and four steals weren’t enough — numbers so special that they’ve been accomplished only seven other times, Reaves joining Doncic, James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Pete Maravich, Bernard King and Kenny Anderson as the select few to have done it.
Earlier this year, minus James and Doncic, Reaves scored 45 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, numbers equaled only 25 times in Lakers history by a list of the organization’s greats. Elgin Baylor did it 10 times. Kobe Bryant did it six. Jerry West had at least 45-7-7 four times. Magic Johnson did it once. And then there’s Reaves.
“Looks weird when you see my name up there,” Reaves said after that game against the Indiana Pacers.
Maybe it’s time to stop being so surprised.
For what it’s worth, Reaves isn’t that shocked, having been confident enough to tell people around him he was going to matter for the Lakers as an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract after one day of minicamp.
“I’ve weirdly been confident for a long time,” Reaves said Friday night, his feet and ankles soaking in ice. “It’s just being on the stage for the world to see. But I tell you all the time, I just try to play the game the right way. And when shots fall, it looks good. And when shots don’t fall, everybody’s ready to kill me. Everybody in the locker room did what they had to do to win. And unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”
The Lakers, in all honestly, probably should have.
They led by three in the final minute after back-to-back steals by Reaves led to transition points, starting with one in which he ripped the ball away from annual most valuable player candidate Nikola Jokic.
The second steal led to a Dalton Knecht dunk, with Knecht landing scarily on his back and head after he lost his grip and slipped off the rim. JJ Redick ran to check on Knecht as Denver called timeout and was late back into his huddle.
The Nuggets came out and attacked Koloko, who rarely plays, Jokic quickly scoring and drawing a foul to tie the game.
“I didn’t have time to really get us the right substitutions and matchups that I would have wanted,” Redick said. “And that’s not a knock on CK, but I just kind of put him in a tough spot knowing that Jokic was going to go quick.”
After Reaves’ jumper rimmed out, Denver created an open Jamal Murray three off a screen from Jokic, and like he’s done multiple times before, the Denver guard hit the game’s biggest shot.
“Losing sucks,” Reaves said. “But I’m happy with what these guys in the locker room did tonight.”
As the Lakers head back to Los Angeles on a four-game losing streak, Reaves’ last two games are one of the few slivers of encouragement after the 26-year-old-guard shook off any rust from a two-game absence because of a calf strain this month. He’s also been dealing with right wrist pain and wore a large ice pack on his shooting arm after he scored 28 against Milwaukee on Thursday.
Friday, James was courtside in Sacramento watching his son Bryce and Sierra Canyon win a state title while he recovers from a groin strain. Starters Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura also were not with the team because of knee injuries. Doncic, who scored 45 against the Bucks, didn’t play because of calf and ankle injury management. Key bench players Gabe Vincent (knee) and Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) also sat out.
Reaves acknowledged all the absences left him wondering whether he should get one too, with only James having played more minutes for the Lakers this season.
“They told me to go play, so I go play,” Reaves said afterward.
If the Lakers were Reaves’ team Friday, that isn’t expected be the case much longer. The trade for Doncic ensured he’d be the team’s primary creator for the remainder of his contract — and beyond, if the Lakers can keep him. James also will be back to dominate possessions as he’s having an All-NBA-type season, meaning Reaves will be taking a step back and tasked with making the biggest adjustment of the three.
Reaves is a critical part of all that, and finding lanes for him to lead like this — whether he’s in the big seat or not — is a major task for the final month of the regular season.
“Austin has done a great job throughout his career of just like figuring it out. And you don’t always figure it out in a week or a month,” Redick said before Thursday’s game, adding: “There’s a lot of stuff that has happened over the last six weeks. He’s been phenomenal this season. We have a lot of confidence in him as a player. We have a lot of confidence in the duo of him and Luca together. And X-and-O-wise, he’s going to play on ball. He’s going to play off ball. We’ll have a ton of opportunities once we get LeBron back. Those two guys have such great synergy and chemistry. They’re incredibly intelligent players and really understand how to play off of each other.
“And then, I think you’ve seen it when we’ve been whole, the guys have really learned how to play with Luka. And we’ve gotten some good stuff when we’ve been organized.”
