In case you missed any of the past week’s top stories from around the NBA, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant for the foreseeable future after Thompson was diagnosed with a fractured right thumb and Durant suffered an incomplete rib cartilage fracture. Thompson will miss the next several games at the very least and Durant will be out at least two weeks. The Warriors lost to the Kings last night, at home, without the three All-Stars.
Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart is expected to miss six to eight weeks after being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Based on this timetable, Smart would be on track to return around the end of the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics will also be without forward Daniel Theis for the remainder of the season after he tore the meniscus in his left knee.
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who has missed 19 games with a broken bone in his left hand, is planning to return to action this week, approximately seven to eight weeks after suffering the injury. Love hopes to be ready for the team’s March 23 game against Phoenix, but isn’t ready to set an exact return date.
The Mavericks are expected to be without swingman Wesley Matthews for the remainder of the 2017/18 season while he rests and rehabs a stress fracture in his right leg. Dallas is out of the playoff picture and has already been warned for tanking, so the absence of Matthews shouldn’t be a big issue for the team.
Kent Bazemore will miss the remainder of the 2017/18 season after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee against the Bulls on Sunday. Like Dallas, the tanking Hawks are not in the playoff hunt, so the club likely won’t be too devastated to lose one of their more productive rotation players.
Here are 14 more headlines from last week:
- The Bucks waived forward Mirza Teletovic in order to make room for newly-signed point guard Brandon Jennings.
- The Hawks signed rookie guard Jaylen Morris to a second 10-day contract.
- The Trail Blazers have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster by signing former first-round pick Wade Baldwin to a rest-of-season contract.
- Suns’ rookie guard Shaquille Harrison has signed a multi-year contract with the team.
- The Lakers signed forward Travis Wear to a second 10-day contract with the team.
- The Knicks will retain Troy Williams, who has signed a two-year contract with the team that runs through next season.
- The Clippers, as expected, will be without guard Avery Bradley for the remainder of the 2017/18 season after he underwent surgery to repair muscles related to a sports hernia.
- The Grizzlies have signed guard Briante Weber to a 10-day contract.
- The Hawks signed Antonius Cleveland to a multi-year deal.
- The Clippers have signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day deal.
- The Pelicans signed guard Larry Drew II to a 10-day contract.
- The Wizards have signed point guard Ramon Sessions to a rest-of-season contract.
- The Raptors signed Nigel Hayes to a second 10-day contract.
- The Jazz have signed guard David Stockton to a 10-day contract.