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G League’s All-Defensive, All-Rookie Teams Unveiled

April 17th, 2025 at 2:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has officially announced (via Twitter) the G League’s All-Defensive Team for the 2024/25 season. Here’s the full five-player list:

All-NBA G League Defensive Team

The top rookies of the NBAGL season were also unveiled on Thursday (Twitter link). They are as follows:

All-NBA G League Rookie Team

Key, who was recently promoted to a standard contract with Golden State, was named the NBAGL’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Alexander won Rookie of the Year. Badji, who recently signed with a Spanish club, and Nogues, who has declared for the 2025 NBA draft, finished second and third in DPOY voting, respectively. Jones Garcia was the runner-up for ROY, with Young finishing third.

As our tracker shows, Alexander, Jenkins, Young and Dennis are on two-way contracts with their respective NBA clubs.

Journeyman center Brown also earned a spot on the All-NBA G League Second Team, while Alexander made the Third Team.

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Damian Lillard Cleared To Practice, Out For Game 1

April 17th, 2025 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

April 17: Although Lillard has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Bucks/Pacers series on Saturday, he has been cleared of his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer taking blood-thinning medication, sources tell Charania (Twitter links). It’s a remarkable turnaround for the veteran point guard, who will resume contact workouts and ramp up toward a return, Charania adds.

According to Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links), Lillard played three-on-three on Wednesday and practiced on Thursday.

April 15: Bucks star Damian Lillard, who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf last month, has made “significant progress” in his recovery but won’t be available when the first round of the playoffs tip off this weekend, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

As Charania details, there’s still optimism that Lillard will be medically cleared to return at some point before Milwaukee’s season ends. The star point guard will continue to increase his basketball activities this week.

The Bucks confirmed Charania’s update, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“Damian’s most recent weekly scan shows that his injury has significantly improved, which will enable him to move ahead safely with increased basketball activity,” general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “Damian’s health remains our No. 1 priority. We have followed strict protocols and will continue to do so. We are pleased with the positive news about Damian’s progress.”

Lillard has been on the shelf since March 18. Reporting one week later indicated that he had been diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf and was on blood-thinning medication. He was ruled out indefinitely at that time, with one report stating there was a “great deal of optimism” that he’d be able to return at some point this spring.

Health issues have contributed to the Bucks’ first-round exit in each of the last two postseasons. Giannis Antetokounmpo has only been available for three of 11 playoff games during that time, and Lillard was forced to the sidelines for two games in last year’s first-round loss to Indiana.

While Antetokounmpo is healthy entering this year’s rematch with the Pacers, not having Lillard available figures to adversely affect the Bucks’ chances of advancing to round two.

Lillard earned his ninth All-Star nod in his second season in Milwaukee in 2024/25, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 36.1 minutes per game across 58 starts. He recorded a shooting line of .448/.376/.921, improving on the percentages he posted during his first year as a Buck in ’23/24.

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Scotto’s Latest: Green, Pelicans, Borrego, Suns, Adelman, Sixers

April 16th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin wanted to fire head coach Willie Green earlier in the season, but was denied by ownership, which has maintained its support for Green, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

A former assistant in Phoenix, Green has been mentioned as a possible target for the Suns as they seek a new head coach of their own. But now that Griffin has been let go by the Pelicans and replaced by Joe Dumars, Green’s hold on his job in New Orleans looks significantly less tenuous.

Dumars, who nearly drafted Green back in 2003 when he was running Detroit’s front office, is considered likely to retain the former NBA guard as New Orleans’ coach, according to Scotto.

While Green may not emerge as a serious candidate for the job in Phoenix, his top assistant James Borrego is expected to receive consideration from the Suns and other clubs with head coaching openings this spring, league sources tell HoopsHype. If Griffin had remained in the Pelicans’ front office, Borrego may have ended up replacing Green as New Orleans’ coach, Scotto notes, but with Green likely to stick around, changes are expected to be made to his staff, making Borrego a candidate to depart.

Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:

  • Veteran NBA executive Scott Perry and Bucks VP of global scouting Ryan Hoover, both of whom worked with Dumars in Detroit, are viewed as candidates to join the Pelicans‘ front office this offseason, according to Scotto, who points out that Perry also has a connection to Green, having worked in Orlando’s front office when the current Pelicans coach was a Magic player.
  • Scotto confirms several of the potential Phoenix coaching candidates identified earlier this week by Chris Haynes and adds another name to the list, suggesting that Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan could get a look from the Suns. Scotto also writes that front office changes remain in play in Phoenix, where general manager James Jones is on an expiring contract and his future with the club is considered “murky.”
  • Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman, who has the support of stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, has a “real chance” to earn the permanent job in Denver, Scotto reports. An extended postseason run would presumably go a long way toward making Adelman the frontrunner.
  • Although the Sixers don’t plan to make a head coaching change this offseason, there’s an expectation that there will be some changes made to Nick Nurse‘s coaching staff, league sources tell HoopsHype.
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Central Notes: Giddey, Ball, Jones, Buzelis, Pistons, Sims

April 15th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls guard Josh Giddey is dealing with a muscle issue on the side of his hand but he’s expected to suit up for the play-in game against Miami on Wednesday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network reports.

“It’s just about managing the pain,” Giddey said, adding that the injury will be addressed in the offseason (Twitter links).

Giddey can’t imagine watching Wednesday’s game in street clothes.

“I’m good to go,” he said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “Play-in game, must-win game, there’s not way I’m going to sit out.”

Lonzo Ball (wrist) and Tre Jones (foot) won’t play.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis plans to play for the Lithuanian national team, but he’s unsure about representing his country this offseason. “I’m not sure that I will come this summer. We have problems with the coaches,” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net, referring to controversial comments by an assistant coach of the senior national team, Tomas Pacesas. “I have to talk to Jonas [Valanciunas], Domantas [Sabonis] and see what they will do.” Lithuania will participate in the EuroBasket tournament this summer. Sabonis is expected to sit out for personal reasons, while Valanciunas is expected to play.
  • The Pistons apparently don’t want Little Caesars Arena to have a large continent of Knicks fans during the first round of the playoffs, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Potential ticket buyers for upcoming playoff games in Detroit must produce a credit card with a mailing address “located in Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada,” according to Ticketmaster. However, a Pistons spokesman told Bondy that the restrictions are intended to target ticket brokers and reduce fraud.
  • Bucks coach Doc Rivers is “pretty sure” reserve big man Jericho Sims will be available for their opening-round series against Indiana. Sims participated in a majority of Tuesday’s practice, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. He hasn’t played since March 16 due to a thumb injury.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden Named Players Of The Week

April 14th, 2025 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week for a second straight Monday, the NBA announced today (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo sat out Milwaukee’s regular season finale on Sunday, but was stellar in three Bucks wins over Minnesota, New Orleans, and Detroit earlier in the week, averaging 27.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 34.0 minutes per game.

It’s the fourth time this season that Antetokounmpo has earned Player of the Week honors, which is the most of any player in 2024/25. No one else in the East won the award more than twice this season; Nuggets center Nikola Jokic claimed it three times in the West.

It was Clippers guard James Harden, not Jokic, who was named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week for April 7-13, marking the second week in a row that a Clippers star has earned the award. Kawhi Leonard won it last Monday.

Harden helped the Clippers secure a guaranteed playoff spot (No. 5 in the West) by leading the team to a 4-0 week to wrap up the regular season, with victories over San Antonio, Houston, Sacramento, and – most crucially – Golden State. In those four games, the former MVP averaged 29.5 points, 10.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 41.5 minutes per night, with a .534/.484/.862 shooting line.

Back in his prime years, Harden typically earned multiple Player of the Week nods every year, but this is the first time he has been recognized with the weekly award since February 2021, per Basketball-Reference.

Scottie Barnes, Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, and Payton Pritchard were the other Player of the Week nominees in the Eastern Conference, while Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Aaron Gordon, Aaron Wiggins, and Harden’s teammate Ivica Zubac were nominated in the West (Twitter link).

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Central Notes: Cunningham, Pacers, Bulls, Connaughton

April 13th, 2025 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham expects a heated battle in the first playoff series of his career, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post relays via an ESPN interview. Detroit will match up against the Knicks in the opening round.

“It’s going to be a war,” he said. “It’s going to be highly physical games — defense, battling it out on the glass, all of those different things. I think it’s going to be a super exciting series for people at home to watch, and it’s going to be a great test for us as far as first round, first series in a long time for the organization. So it’s exciting, and I think it’s going to be a great one for us.”

The Knicks’ game plan will undoubtedly center around making Cunningham uncomfortable.

“He’s had a terrific season. It’s not just [against] us, he’s done it against everybody. We understand that. … With great players you don’t guard them individually, you guard them collectively,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So we have to understand what goes into that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The Pacers reached the 50-win mark with the biggest comeback in franchise history, The Associated Press reports. They erased a 27-point deficit for a 126-118 victory over Cleveland in double overtime on Sunday. Both teams sat out most of their rotation players. Over the game’s final 18:05, Indiana’s Quenton Jackson, Enrique Freeman, RayJ Dennis, Tony Bradley and Johnny Furphy outscored Cleveland 53-24.
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe reveals her seven takeaways from the Bulls’ regular season, including the emergence of Josh Giddey, the building of a young core, and the realization that Lonzo Ball cannot be a building block. Chicago hosts Miami in the play-in tournament on Wednesday.
  • Pat Connaughton had a career day in the Bucks’ regular-season finale, pouring in 43 points in an overtime victory against Detroit. “I just wanted to win the game,” Connaughton said, per Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal. “Unfortunately we didn’t do it in regulation, which I’m sure brought some entertainment value for ESPN and everything. Which was fun.” Connaughton holds a $9.42MM player option on his contract for next season.
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Central Notes: Mitchell, Ball, Jones, Giddey, Giannis, Furphy

April 13th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Donovan Mitchell is missing his fourth consecutive game on Sunday due to a sprained left ankle, but the Cavaliers remain confident their star guard will be ready to go when the team begins its first-round playoff series next weekend, writes Joe Reedy of The Associated Press.

Mitchell conducted a full workout at the Cavs’ training facility on Saturday and worked out on the court ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Indiana, Reedy notes.

“I think he’ll be full on with practice. We’re going to have to scrimmage at some point, probably inter-squad with refs, so he’ll participate in that,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The most important thing is how we build him up with the ankle rehab and then conditioning.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Despite the fact that Lonzo Ball hasn’t played since February 28 due to a right wrist sprain, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said he’d be willing to use the point guard in this week’s play-in game(s) if he’s healthy enough to return. As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets, Ball would be on a “short leash” in that scenario, per Donovan.
  • As for the Bulls‘ other injured guards, Tre Jones (left foot sprain) remains in a walking boot and doesn’t appear close to returning, but there’s “high-level optimism” that Josh Giddey (right wrist tendinopathy) will be available to play on Wednesday vs. Miami, even though his wrist is still bothering him (Twitter links via Johnson).
  • After appearing in just three of 11 playoff games in 2023 and 2024, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will enter this year’s postseason healthy and having played some of his best basketball as of late — he has averaged 31.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 11.8 assists per game in six April outings, all Bucks wins. “He’s doing everything,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo on Friday, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “And that’s what’s so special about him.”
  • With the Pacers‘ playoff seed already clinched, rookie wing Johnny Furphy set new career highs on Friday in points (17) and minutes played (32) while also throwing down an impressive dunk in the second quarter of a loss to Orlando (Twitter video link). Furphy figures to only play garbage-time minutes in the playoffs, but head coach Rick Carlisle likes what he has seen from the first-year swingman, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “He’s just a pure competitor,” Carlisle said. “Everything about him is pure. He doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body. Does everything hard. Does everything with the right spirit.”
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Postseason Seeding Set For Eastern Conference

April 11th, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Wins by the Orlando, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Chicago on Friday night have locked in the playoff seeds for all six Eastern Conference playoff teams, along with the four play-in clubs.

Here’s how the top 10 teams in the East will finish the regular season, as the NBA confirms (via Twitter):

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers
  2. Boston Celtics
  3. New York Knicks
  4. Indiana Pacers
  5. Milwaukee Bucks
  6. Detroit Pistons
  7. Orlando Magic
  8. Atlanta Hawks
  9. Chicago Bulls
  10. Miami Heat

The play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference will feature the Magic hosting the Hawks on Tuesday and the Bulls hosting the Heat on Wednesday. The Orlando/Atlanta winner will claim the No. 7 spot in the playoffs and face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The loser of that game will host the Chicago/Miami winner on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the Cavaliers in round one.

The Knicks will match up with the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, while the Pacers and Bucks will meet in round one for a second consecutive year, with Indiana claiming home court advantage this time around.

We got a little more clarity on the Western Conference playoff picture by the end of Friday night, with the Lakers clinching the No. 3 seed by beating Houston and the Grizzlies now locked into the play-in tournament as a result of their loss to Denver. However, there are still several playoff berths and seeds up in the air, with the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, and Timberwolves vying for the final three spots in the West’s top six.

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Central Notes: Pacers, Jerome, Holland, Bucks

April 11th, 2025 at 9:38am CST by Rory Maher

Led by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Pacers secured a top-four seed — and home-court advantage in the first round — in the Eastern Conference playoffs by defeating Cleveland on Thursday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

After starting the season with a 10-15 record, the Pacers have gone 39-16 since December 8, the fourth-best mark in the league over that span, only trailing Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak.

“It’s special for us knowing what we’ve been through to get here and how this started,” Haliburton said. “We’re a game away from having a 50-win season. That could be something because time is moving so fast that you just let happen and you move forward, but it’s a special year especially with how this started. … Early in the year it was just really a struggle. I’d be lying to you if I told you it was easy for me personally and all the things I was dealing with. For us to get here, honestly, I love the guys in our locker room, the coaching staff, how much those guys mean to me and all my loved ones because it was a tough time.”

As Dopirak notes, Indiana was fortunate in the sense that Cleveland was resting four starters after clinching the top seed in the East. But it was nonetheless an important victory for the Pacers, who still have a shot at the No. 3 seed — they’re one game behind the Knicks with two games remaining for both teams, though New York holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Forwards Aaron Nesmith (22 points, six rebounds) and Jarace Walker (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes, including 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the final period) were among the other key contributors for Indiana, Dopirak adds.

Here are a few more notes from around the Central:

  • Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, bolstered his candidacy for the Sixth Man of the Year award with a big night on Thursday, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). Jerome was highly efficient, recording 24 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and six assists, and the Cavs outscored Indiana by 13 points in his 26 minutes. He was rested for the entire fourth quarter.
  • No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland played 11 of his 22 minutes in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s victory over New York, recording 10 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), three rebounds and a block in the final frame. After the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discussed why he turned to the 19-year-old down the stretch (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). “He’s earned it, that’s what it says … we fell back on believing in Ron because that’s what we do,” Bickerstaff said. “Ron fell back to the time and hours he’s put in … that’s allowed him to be successful.”
  • Milwaukee pulled most of its rotation mainstays early during Thursday’s blowout win vs. New Orleans, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The Bucks can clinch the East’s No. 5 seed if they defeat Detroit on Friday — it’s the second end of a back-to-back for both clubs.
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Central Notes: Portis, Pistons, Bulls, Allen

April 10th, 2025 at 7:09pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Bucks big man Bobby Portis returned from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday and made a statement. He recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench, helping lift Milwaukee to a win over the Timberwolves.

“My only goal is to get to June,” Portis said, per ESPN. “How can we get to June? We haven’t been there in so long.”

Minnesota led Milwaukee by 24 points in the fourth quarter, but behind a key steal, block and three, Portis helped spark the comeback. Bucks fans were chanting his name by the end of the game.

“My first year playing for the Bucks in the 2020/21 season, when I first started getting the chants, it was like chills, right?” Portis said. “I ain’t had the chills since that moment, but now tonight, I felt it all over again. It was a very surreal moment for me.”

The Bucks are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, and Portis’s contributions helped get the team to five straight wins.

“Sometimes when you’re suspended, you might not feel you’re a part of it,” Portis said. “There wasn’t one day I was suspended that I didn’t feel like I was part of the team. I felt like I was still here. I just couldn’t play.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Thursday’s game between Detroit and New York might be a preview of a first-round playoff series involving the two teams, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes. Two iconic Pistons victories this season game against New York — in December, Cade Cunningham became the first Piston to record a triple-double in Madison Square Garden since the current arena opened in 1968, and in January, he scored 36 points against the Knicks. “I think it’s fun,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think it’s an opportunity for  both teams to go out and send a message.“
  • The Bulls bolstered their chances of hosting a play-in game when they defeated Miami on Wednesday, Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The win put the Bulls a game ahead of the Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference standings and Chicago owns the tiebreaker between the two teams. If Chicago defeats the Wizards on Friday or Sixers on Sunday, the club would clinch home-court advantage for the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game (assuming the Bulls don’t move up to No. 8). “We knew coming into the game the implications that a win or a loss had,” Josh Giddey said.
  • Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said Jarrett Allen made it a goal to play 82 games, which would be the first time that’s occurred in his career. According to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar (Twitter link), the Cavaliers plan to respect that goal while managing the center’s minutes accordingly. Allen is the only Cavs starter who suited up on Thursday.
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