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Warriors’ Braxton Key Named NBAGL Defensive Player Of The Year

April 2nd, 2025 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Santa Cruz Warriors forward Braxton Key, who is on a two-way contract with Golden State, has been named the NBA G League’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season, according to an official announcement (Twitter link). The award is voted on by the league’s 31 head coaches and general managers.

Key appeared in a total of 49 G League games this year in the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season for the San Diego Clippers and Santa Cruz Warriors. He averaged a league-leading 2.7 steals per game to go along with 1.1 blocks per contest.

While both San Diego and Santa Cruz finished in the middle of the pack in defensive rating, the Clippers were significantly more effective on that end of the floor when Key was playing. San Diego had a 102.5 defensive rating during his minutes and a 113.7 mark when he wasn’t on the court. Santa Cruz, which finished the season with a 111.5 defensive rating, had a 109.2 mark during Key’s minutes.

Wisconsin Herd center Ibou Badji, who anchored the defense for the Bucks‘ G League affiliate with 3.5 blocks in just 22.4 minutes per game across 50 appearances, was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

Rip City Remix guard Isaac Nogues finished third in the G League’s DPOY voting. He averaged 2.1 steals per contest across 40 games for the Trail Blazers‘ affiliate, which had a defensive rating of 107.8 when he was on the floor and 113.5 when he wasn’t.

Neither Badji nor Nogues is under contract with an NBA team. Key will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.

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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

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Bucks Co-Owner: No Mandate To Get Under Second Apron

April 1st, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks co-owner Wes Edens is adamant that there was no mandate by ownership to get under the second tax apron for financial reasons prior to the trade deadline, he told Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“No. No. Not at all. None of that,” he told Nehm.

Milwaukee dealt longtime forward Khris Middleton, 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson, Delon Wright, a 2028 first-round pick swap, and cash in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and a pair of second-rounders in a four-team trade in February. That transaction moved Milwaukee under that second, more punitive, apron. Edens did admit that being under the second apron has its benefits.

“For the first time, they’ve included both financial penalties and sporting penalties and so you do not want to be in the second apron if you can avoid it,” he said. “We have come out of our pockets to put the best team we can on the field and spent a lot of money doing so and have a championship to show for it and a lot of wins. But we always want more.

“The moves we made at the deadline were basketball moves. And the financial was a part of it, in the consideration of the second apron, but I think that (general manager) Jon Horst and his organization did and recommended what they thought would be best for the basketball team and I think that they did a great job.”

Here are a few more highlights from Nehm’s interview with Edens:

On Damian Lillard‘s blood clotting issue and whether the Bucks can still make a deep playoff run:

“You’ve seen us have some good results. The last couple of weeks have not been what we wanted, but it’s a long season, and I’m optimistic that with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and his leadership and the other players that we’ve got, we’ve got a strong core and so let’s let’s play with it. The one thing I learned in this sport is that nobody feels sorry for you. Everyone’s had a deal with their injuries and maybe we’ve had more than our share (with) some of the stars these last three, four years. But I’m optimistic this team can make a real run of it, so let’s see.”

On the death of Junior Bridgeman and what will happen with his 10 percent stake in the franchise:

“He made a difference to a tremendous number of people. … I’m sorry for us as owners and for the Bucks organization and the fans that he was not able to be an owner longer. I presume (the Bridgeman estate must work through his affairs). He clearly wasn’t expecting to pass and they still have a lot of stuff to sort through, their … significant assets and whatnot. So, they’ll work through that.

On the possibility of bringing an All-Star Weekend to the city:

“With respect to Milwaukee, I think we have a deserving venue. As they add more hotel rooms in the city here — that’s a big part of it — can you stage this? I would be a huge fan and would be honored if there was a game here. Next year, they’re headed back to L.A. and it’s probably a little bit more kind, weather-wise, in the middle of winter than Milwaukee but that’s OK. There have been cold-weather venues that have done really well in Chicago, and in Toronto and other places. So we’ll see.”

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Central Notes: Bickerstaff, Prigioni, Atkinson, Jones, Bucks Defense

March 31st, 2025 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Not only did five players get ejected for a brawl between the Pistons and Timberwolves on Sunday night, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni also got the boot.

It wasn’t a coincidence as the two coaches had a verbal altercation, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Hunter Patterson.

“There was things said by their assistant coach and I’m in the same boat our guys are in,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re going to defend each other. I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys. It’s that simple. He said what he said, he knows what he said.”

Prigioni reportedly made comments about Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who was one of the players ejected. Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo and Stewart had some verbal exchanges shortly before the brawl that spilled into the stands.

“From my understanding, he was trying to have a conversation with the referee about one of their players who’s kind of prone to these situations,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “And then their bench, J.B. in particular, had an issue with it, and they exchanged words.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson felt his team got a little complacent during the last couple of weeks. Atkinson let off some steam prior to their game against the Clippers on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, and the team responded with a 127-122 victory. “There was a very (explicit) message with a lot of choice words from Kenny that got us fired up,” center Jarrett Allen said. Atkinson commented, “We needed to, maybe for psychological reasons, get this game and get it in a good manner.”
  • Tre Jones‘ return from a sprained left foot has apparently hit a roadblock. The Bulls guard was still experiencing pain and wearing a walking boot over the weekend, according to The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. Jones hasn’t played since March 20. After the injury occurred, the Bulls announced Jones would be out for at least two weeks.
  • The Bucks had an embarrassing outing against the Hawks on Sunday, allowing 82 first-half points and 145 overall. A familiar problem cropped up, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes. They were consistently broken down by dribble drives. “They had a simple game plan (Sunday). Spread the floor, catch it and just put your head down and force a drive. And we just could not keep the ball in front of us,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Is that scheme? Is that ability? I gotta watch (to see). I never fall on the old coaching (adage) ‘We didn’t play hard’ because I don’t believe that. But we didn’t play well defensively and we got beat off the dribble a lot. And that’s not good for us.”
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Nikola Jokic Returning For Nuggets Wednesday

March 26th, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Three-time MVP Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is returning to the hardwood for Denver’s Wednesday clash with the Bucks, the team has announced (via Twitter).

The 6’11” superstar had been on the shelf for Denver since the club’s 126-123 loss against Washington on March 15 due to a left ankle impingement.

Milwaukee, conversely, will be missing both of its nine-time All-Stars — plus two rotational big men, to boot.

Bucks guard Damian Lillard is out indefinitely due to a blood clot in his right calf. He’ll be joined on the bench by two-time MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s dealing with a sprained left foot, Milwaukee announced today (Twitter link).

Jokic is angling to pick up his fourth MVP honor across the last five years. He’s averaging a triple-double for the 45-28 Nuggets, with excellent shooting efficiency. The seven-time All-Star is averaging 29.1 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 10.3 APG, 1.8 SPG and 0.7 BPG. He’s connecting on .575/.413/.807 shooting splits.

Denver has also made Jokic’s fellow starters Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon available. Braun is dealing with a left foot strain, Porter has a strained low back, and Gordon is managing a right calf injury plus a left ankle sprain.

The absences of Antetokounmpo and Lillard are compounded by the long-term unavailability of sixth man big Bobby Portis (suspension) and reserve center Jericho Sims (thumb surgery), both out until at least April.

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Injury/Health Notes: Lillard, Tatum, Jokic, Sheppard

March 26th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

After initially being listed as out last week due to calf soreness, Damian Lillard was experiencing discomfort and pain inconsistent with a typical calf strain, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hear from a source that the Bucks guard sought clarity on the cause.

That prompted a “rigorous discovery process” that ultimately involved Lillard meeting with five of the country’s top hematologists, either in person or via Zoom, with each of those specialists receiving his MRIs and sonograms. Lillard, who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his calf, began taking blood thinners last Friday, per The Athletic’s source, and the early indications are that the treatment is working well.

In a separate story for The Athletic, Nehm explores how the Bucks will get by without Lillard, noting that leaning on defense is probably their best path forward. That effort begins with having a strong perimeter defender like Ryan Rollins starting in place of Lillard.

“Obviously, nobody is going to be Dame but Dame,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said earlier this week. “But (Rollins) has done a great job coming in, being himself and finding a niche, that like Dame, only he can do. It’s specifically Ryan. He comes out there and he makes a difference in his way. He gets into guys, defends them full-court, picks up 94 feet.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

  • The Celtics‘ injury report for Wednesday’s game in Phoenix is another sign that Jayson Tatum‘s ankle injury isn’t significant. Tatum isn’t expected to play vs. the Suns, but he hasn’t officially been ruled out yet — he’s listed as doubtful (Twitter link).
  • Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has missed the team’s past five games, has been upgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s matchup with Milwaukee (Twitter link via DNVR Sports). Jokic’s initial injury report designation last week indicated he was dealing with both a right elbow contusion and a left ankle impingement, but only the ankle issue is still listed, which suggests the elbow is no longer a problem.
  • Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard, out since March 6 with a fracture in his right thumb, had a scan on Sunday that showed good calcification around the fractured bone, according to head coach Ime Udoka, who said on Tuesday that Sheppard would be reevaluated in four or five days. Sheppard is still wearing a splint on the thumb part-time, but he takes it off when he works out, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
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Damian Lillard Has Blood Clot In Calf, Out Indefinitely

March 25th, 2025 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:05pm: A league source tells The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm that there is “a great deal of optimism” that Lillard will return this season.

7:48pm: Bucks star guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is out indefinitely, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Lillard is on blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the blood clot, and will continue with regular testing.

Speaking with NBA Insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Lillard said, “It’s unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up. Along with the Bucks’ medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I’m grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They’ve been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward to moving past this and continuing my career.”

According to Bucks general manager Jon Horst, Lillard is unlikely to experience a reoccurrence of this blood-clotting issue once he recovers, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype tweets.

“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority,” Horst said. “We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”

If Lillard can’t return this season, it will be a massive blow to the Bucks’ postseason hopes. They’re currently battling Indiana and Detroit for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Lillard is averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per night in 58 games this season. He’ll now be ineligible for any NBA postseason honors. His last appearance was a 16-point outing against Golden State a week ago.

Lillard’s absence will put even more pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to put up monster numbers. Ryan Rollins has been starting in Lillard’s place and will likely continue to do so, with Kevin Porter Jr. taking on extra minutes in the second unit and Andre Jackson Jr. also moving up the depth chart.

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Central Notes: Bulls, Vucevic, Giannis, Rivers, Bickerstaff

March 25th, 2025 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

After trading DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso during the 2024 offseason and Zach LaVine at last month’s trade deadline, the Bulls – who had a 21-29 record at the time of the LaVine deal and had reacquired full control of their 2025 first-round pick – were considered likely to tank the rest of the season.

Instead, the club has played some of its best basketball of the season in recent weeks. Chicago has posted a .500 record (11-11) since the LaVine trade and has been especially hot as of late, winning eight of its last 10 games. That stretch includes road victories this past week over the Kings, Lakers, and Nuggets, as well as back-to-back Player of the Week awards for guard Coby White.

“I just think we kind of embraced the challenge and took pride in showing that people kind of wrote us off when Zach got traded,” Nikola Vucevic said on Monday, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I think we’ve really come together as a group. Our chemistry has been really good. When you lose someone, a player like (LaVine), it opens up opportunities for other players, and guys have really stepped up — Josh (Giddey), Coby, Tre (Jones) before he got hurt, Kevin (Huerter). Like, Kevin wasn’t playing much in (Sacramento), and he came here with a chip on his shoulder and showed he can still contribute at a high level, and he has been.”

Vucevic was widely expected to be on the move prior to the February 6 trade deadline and is now considered an offseason trade candidate. However, according to Cowley, the veteran center is buying into the new-look group and wouldn’t be opposed to finishing out the final year of his current contract in Chicago.

“Who knows what happens in the summer, but right now I’m focused on this group of guys,” Vucevic said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with them. Guys with good character, guys that really want to win, they care. We play for each other, we compete, and that’s what you want.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • In a wide-ranging interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo lauded Milwaukee’s role players, reiterated that he cares much more about winning another championship than another MVP award, and downplayed a recent post-game meeting involving him, Damian Lillard, and head coach Doc Rivers.
  • Rivers ranks eighth all-time among NBA head coaches in regular season wins and will tie Phil Jackson at 1,155 with the Bucks‘ next victory. Rivers spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what it would mean to surpass Jackson on that list, as well as a handful of other topics, including what Milwaukee needs to do in order to have postseason success this spring. “No. 1 is health,” Rivers said. “But this team is an interesting team. We have proven on given points that we can beat anybody. They decided they were going to win the (NBA) Cup and no one was going to beat us. But then we go backwards.”
  • Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, J.B. Bickerstaff explained why the Pistons‘ head coaching position appealed to him last spring when the team was coming off a 14-68 season and why his decision to accept the job was the right one. “I have 1,000% fallen in love with this group,” Bickerstaff said. “And all my focus goes into them and seeing them elevate and seeing them grow. That’s the thing that I find the most joy in.”
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Knicks Notes: Brunson, Kolek, McBride, Playoffs

March 23rd, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, who is expected to miss another week as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle, has missed New York’s last eight games as a result of the injury. According to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post, one benefit of Brunson’s absence has been extended run for some the club’s younger backcourt options and role players.

“You are not replacing Jalen individually,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’s impossible. We have to do it collectively with our defense and rebounding and playing together.”

With Brunson’s usual backup Miles McBride a late scratch ahead of Saturday’s Washington clash due to a groin issue, veteran Cameron Payne drew the starter, while rookie Tyler Kolek logged a career-high 18 minutes and handed out eight dimes. Kolek often fed forward Mikal Bridges, who was in the midst of a solid shooting run.

“It was big-time for us having Ty out there finding ’Kal constantly,” Payne said.

There’s more out of New York:

  • Kolek’s big night has made him an intriguing possibility for backup minutes behind Brunson going forward. Dexter Henry and Bryan Fonseca of The New York Post wonder if he could wind up being the Knicks’ best reserve option for Brunson sooner rather than later, and what his path to a consistent rotation role might look like.
  • Kolek will probably get another shot at major minutes for the Knicks again on Tuesday, as McBride is considered likely to sit out Tuesday’s showdown with Dallas due to his groin injury, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (via Twitter). When healthy, McBride has been solid for New York this season. In 59 available bouts, he’s averaging 9.4 points per game on .407/.371/.817 shooting.
  • At 44-26 on the year, the Knicks seem to be more or less locked into the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 overall seed. Three clubs are jockeying for the right secure home-court advantage and the No. 4 seed behind them. The 41-29 Pacers are currently in that slot, just one game up on the 40-30 Bucks, and 2.5 games ahead of the 39-32 Pistons. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic evaluates the pluses and minuses of each of those clubs as potential first-round playoff foes for New York, identifying the team that should ultimately be the Knicks’ preferred matchup (Milwaukee).
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