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Mavericks’ Brandon Williams Reaches 50-Game Limit

March 31st, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Brandon Williams, who helped the Mavericks survive a severe player shortage over the past few weeks, has reached the 50-game limit on his two-way contract, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

Two-way players who have been with their teams since the start of the season can only be on the active roster for 50 games, regardless of how often they play. Williams made an impact while appearing in 31 games, averaging 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 14.8 minutes per night with .511/.379/.857 shooting numbers.

“I’ve just learned how to play with All-Star caliber players, and how to contribute to winning basketball,” he said. “Ultimately, just doing all that stuff and the learning comes with it. Game reps. It’s a lot different than practice. It’s not only going to help me now, but it’ll help me in the future.”

The Mavericks never expected Williams to be a key figure in their fight for a postseason spot when they re-signed him to a two-way contract in July. His role increased following the surprise trade of Luka Doncic in early February and Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending ACL tear a month later. With Dante Exum breaking a bone in his hand in mid-March and Jaden Hardy dealing with a sprained right ankle, Dallas was suddenly short on healthy backcourt players.

Williams came to the rescue, allowing the Mavs to stay in the race for the play-in tournament. He scored 16.6 PPG in 11 games after Irving’s injury while adding 3.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per night.

“It’s easy to say be patient, to wait, you’re going to get a turn,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Sometimes it takes weeks, months. For a situation that we’ve been in all season with injuries, he’s had that opportunity come a little bit sooner. He’s taken full advantage of it. … He has shown that he can play at a high level.”

Dallas has won three straight games with Anthony Davis back in the lineup and is holding onto the ninth spot in the West at 37-38. However, it’s still a tight race with Sacramento only a half-game back and Phoenix two games behind, and the Mavs are starting to face another roster crunch. Kessler Edwards reached his active-game limit last week, leaving Kai Jones as the only available two-way player.

The deadline for signing two-way contracts has already passed, and the Mavericks can’t fill their open roster spot until April 10 because of hard-cap restrictions. Williams, Edwards and Jones may all receive consideration for that standard deal, but the team will have to find a way to get by until one of them can be added.

“I really wish he could stick with us because B-Will has been such a pleasant surprise, such a great energy off the bench or in the starting lineup,” Klay Thompson said. “It sucks he can’t keep going because he’s made a huge impact.”

Pistons-Timberwolves Altercation Leads To Seven Ejections

March 30th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A fight that spilled into the stands marred the Pistons–Timberwolves game on Sunday with five players, Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and a Minnesota assistant coach getting ejected.

The altercation occurred with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter. Timberwolves big man Naz Reid was driving to the basket and Pistons rookie forward Ron Holland tried to swipe at the ball. Holland was called for a foul and Reid immediately confronted Holland, pointing his finger at Holland. Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo also confronted and pushed Holland, leading to a scrum that spilled into the stands along the baseline.

All the players on the court headed toward the stands and members of both coaching staffs came out to try to separate the competitors. The officiating crew, with assistance from the league’s replay center, chose to eject Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser from the Pistons side and DiVincenzo, Reid and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni from the Timberwolves, along with an incredulous Bickerstaff. Luke Walton took over as Detroit’s coach for the remainder of the contest.

A replay of the fight, posted by House of Highlights on Youtube, can be found here.

Tensions were heightened moments earlier when Stewart and Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert had an angry exchange.

Fines and potential suspensions are likely for both teams, who are battling for playoff position. The Pistons are fifth in the Eastern Conference and looking to move up one spot, which would give them home court advantage in the first round.

Minnesota entered the game tied for seventh place in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves are looking to move up at least one notch and avoid the play-in tournament.

Nick Nurse Reflects On Difficult Season After Sixers Officially Eliminated

March 29th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Nick Nurse discussed the frustrations of a lost year after the Sixers were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Saturday’s loss to Miami (Twitter video link from PHLY Sixers).

“Obviously it’s not anywhere near where we had hoped it would be when we set out this summer and this fall, that’s for sure” Nurse said. “That’s the only thing you can say, it was a super struggle. You know, most of the way I think there was only a couple times of some momentum. Right? December, and there was another I think four- or five-game winning streak in there, too, where you were always holding out hope that the team was playing better and getting some wins and hopefully get some players back.”

That turnaround never came, as the Sixers were plagued by injuries to stars and role players throughout the season. Franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid was limited to 19 games before being declared out for the season in late February. Top free agent addition Paul George appeared in 41 games before he was ruled out for the season in mid-March. Tyrese Maxey was active for 52 games, but he hasn’t played since March 3 due to a sprained finger and probably won’t return this season.

Injury issues affected virtually the entire roster, as Philadelphia got just 40 games out of Andre Drummond, 39 from Eric Gordon and 33 from Kyle Lowry. Rookie guard Jared McCain was lost after 23 games due to a meniscus tear following a promising start.

Tonight marked the Sixers’ 50th different starting lineup in 74 games, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), with Justin Edwards, Guerschon Yabusele, Adem Bona, Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler opening the game.

“It just didn’t seem like the injury bug would ever leave us,” Nurse said. “It just seemed like every time we’d have a good game it would cost us a player or two for the next one. We never could build any momentum.”

The good news for the Sixers is that tonight’s defeat, combined with Brooklyn’s win, drops them a half-game behind the Nets and gives them the fifth-worst record in the league. Philadelphia’s first-round pick in this year’s draft is top-six protected and will convey to Oklahoma City if it falls outside that range.

The 23-51 Sixers have now dropped seven straight and 24 of their last 28. Five of their final eight games are against teams under .500, starting with Sunday’s home contest against Toronto.

Grizzlies GM Says Coaching Change Was Entirely His Decision

March 29th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a brief session with reporters on Saturday, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman accepted sole responsibility for the decision to dismiss head coach Taylor Jenkins, but he didn’t explain why he felt a coaching change was necessary, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Kleiman spoke for less than three minutes during the team’s shootaround (Twitter video link), stating that he didn’t talk with any players before opting to replace Jenkins. It was his first public comment since the move was announced.

“I came to the conclusion that this is in the best interest of the team, and urgency is a core principle of ours, so decided to go on with the move,” Kleiman said. “… The players were not consulted on this decision. This decision is mine and mine only.”

McMenamin notes that hiring Jenkins was one of Kleiman’s first major decisions after being put in charge of the front office in 2019. Jenkins leaves as the winningest coach in franchise history, compiling a 250-214 regular season record, but he had limited success in the playoffs, winning just one series.

The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 9-13 slide after starting the season 35-16 and rising as high as second in the West. They are currently tied with the Lakers at 44-29 and face a difficult schedule the rest of the way as they try to avoid the play-in tournament.

Kleiman opened his remarks by thanking Jenkins for his years of service to the organization and saying that he has a bright future in the NBA, according to Jonah Dylan of The Commercial Appeal.

“Taylor made very significant contributions to this team on the court and off the court during his six years here,” Kleiman said. “Leaves the team in a much better position than when we started. Great person and a great coach, and he’s going to be a great coach in this league for a long time.”

There have been rumors that star guard Ja Morant has been unhappy with changes to the offense that emphasize movement over screens, leading to him playing off the ball more often than in past seasons. Responding to a question about Morant, Kleiman reiterated that the move wasn’t made in response to player complaints, per William Guillory of The Athletic.

“I’m focused on how we operate. I’m responsible for everything. I’m responsible for coaching. I’m responsible for the roster. I’m not trying to absolve myself of anything. I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way,” Kleiman said. “This is the conclusion I came to that this is in the best interest of the team and we push forward with this group.”

Assistant Tuomas Iisalo was named interim coach in the wake of Jenkins’ firing and will guide the team for the first time tonight in a showdown with the Lakers. Kleiman refused to say whether the rest of the season and the playoffs will be an audition for Iisalo to become the permanent coach.

“Looking forward to seeing what he is able to do with this group,” Kleiman said. “There is realistic expectations. There’s not going to be time to install a bunch of things this time of the year. My expectations are clarity of direction, and we’ll see what we can do, we’ll see what we can execute.”

Mavs’ Lively, Gafford Reportedly On Track To Return Next Week

March 29th, 2025 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Neither Dereck Lively nor Daniel Gafford is expected to play on Saturday in Chicago, but the two Mavericks big men are trending in the right direction in their injury recoveries.

Lively and Gafford were upgraded from “out” to “doubtful” for Saturday’s game, a sign that their returns aren’t far off. According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), both players are on track to be reactivated at some point next week.

Lively, who took over as Dallas’ starting center in November, hasn’t played since January 14, having sustained a stress fracture in his right ankle. Reporting at the time indicated that he would likely be sidelined for two-to-three months, so he’ll fall right in that window if he’s able to make it back in the coming days.

Gafford, who has shared starting duties with Lively this season, sustained a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his right knee on February 10 and has been on the shelf for the Mavericks’ past 20 games. A report on Feb. 13 stated he would likely miss six weeks — it has been six weeks and two days since then.

While Lively’s injury occurred earlier in the year, Gafford’s was part of a wave of health issues that devastated the Mavericks shortly after February’s trade deadline. In addition to missing Lively and Gafford, the Mavs were without Anthony Davis for 18 games due to an adductor strain, rendering the club’s top three big men unavailable for well over a month.

Davis returned to action on Monday and with Lively and Gafford apparently not far behind, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel in Dallas as the team pushes for a play-in spot. Of course, as a result of Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending ACL tear, the championship aspirations the Mavs had at the trade deadline are likely no longer realistic, but they would be a tough out in the play-in tournament if their frontcourt is fully healthy.

After visiting Chicago on Saturday, the Mavericks will host the Nets on Monday and the Hawks on Wednesday before facing the Clippers in Los Angeles next Friday and Saturday. Entering play on Saturday, Dallas holds the No. 10 spot in the West with a 36-38 record. The team is just a half-game behind the No. 9 Kings and one game ahead of the No. 11 Suns.

Grizzlies Name Tuomas Iisalo Interim Head Coach

March 28th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

8:01 pm: The Grizzlies have confirmed their decision to name Iisalo their interim head coach (Twitter link).

1:27 pm: After firing head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season, the Grizzlies will tab assistant Tuomas Iisalo to take Jenkins’ place, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Iisalo was one of several new assistants hired by the Grizzlies last summer when they revamped the coaching staff under Jenkins. He served as Memphis’ acting coach in November when Jenkins was away from the team due to a death in the family, a sign that he’d be the next man up following the head coach’s dismissal on Friday.

A native of Finland, Iisalo played professional basketball in his home country from 2000-14 before transitioning to coaching. He began his coaching career in Finland, then was in Germany from 2016-23, first as the head coach of the Crailsheim Merlins (2016-21) and then as the coach of Telekom Baskets Bonn (2021-23). Iisalo spent the 2023/24 season in France coaching Paris Basketball.

Iisalo has an impressive international résumé, having earned Coach of the Year honors in the German League in 2022 and 2023 and again in the French League in 2024. He led Paris Basketball to a EuroCup championship last year after winning a Basketball Champions League title with the Telekom Baskets in 2023.

While the Grizzlies seem likely to conduct a full-fledged coaching search once their season comes to an end, it’s possible a strong finish this spring would make Iisalo a legitimate candidate for the full-time job.

LaMelo Ball Undergoing Procedures On Ankle, Wrist

March 28th, 2025 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

4:26 pm: The Hornets have confirmed Charania’s reporting, officially announcing in a press release that Ball will undergo arthroscopic surgery to address a right ankle impingement and will also have a minor procedure on his right wrist. He’s expected to return to full basketball activities within four-to-six weeks, according to the club.

4:01 pm: Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will undergo a pair of minor procedures to address issues in his right ankle and right wrist, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that Ball will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

As Charania details, Ball played through both injuries in recent weeks, but after consultation with team doctors and outside specialists, the decision was made to shut him down and address those ailments sooner rather than later. The hope is that undergoing those two procedures now will allow the 23-year-old to have a “full, productive offseason,” Charania writes.

Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has been plagued by health problems since entering the NBA five years ago. The Hornets star has played more than 51 games in a season just once and has appeared in just 105 of 246 possible contests over the past three years, including 47 this season. That’s his highest total since 2021/22.

He previously underwent surgery on his right ankle in March 2023 and on his right wrist in March 2021.

When he was healthy and available this season, Ball continued to be an effective scorer and play-maker for Charlotte, averaging a career-high 25.2 points to go along with 7.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game. His shooting efficiency dropped off this season, however — his 40.5% field goal percentage and 33.9% mark on three-pointers were both career lows.

Ball will be entering the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2025/26. That deal will pay him $168.7MM over the next four years.

While rival executives are monitoring Ball as a possible trade candidate, the Hornets have maintained that they have no interest in moving him.

Grizzlies Fire Taylor Jenkins

March 28th, 2025 at 11:34am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have announced the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. It’s a surprising late-season move for a team that’s solidly in the playoff picture and fighting for home court in a first-round series.

“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”

Jenkins was fired in person this morning when he arrived at the team’s office, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who expects him to be among the league’s top free agent coaches when the offseason begins.

Although they’re tied for fourth in the Western Conference playoff race at 44-29, the Grizzlies have been on a downslide lately, losing five of their last seven games and 12 of their last 20. Even so, Jenkins has done an admirable job of keeping the team competitive with star guard Ja Morant limited to 43 games.

There’s no immediate word on who will replace Jenkins for the rest of the season. Memphis has a huge game set for Saturday night, hosting the Lakers, who are also 44-29.

Jenkins, 40, has put together a 250-214 record since being hired as head coach in 2019, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. However, the Grizzlies have only won a single playoff series in his tenure, advancing to the second round in 2022.

Jenkins, who won a G League title with the Austin Toros in 2012, was hired as an assistant coach by Atlanta in 2013. He spent five seasons with the Hawks and one with the Bucks before taking over the Grizzlies.

Drew Timme Signs Two-Year Deal With Nets

March 28th, 2025 at 10:36am CST by Rory Maher

MARCH 28: Timme’s new contract is official, the Nets announced (via Twitter).

MARCH 27: The Nets are signing free agent forward Drew Timme to a two-year contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The second year will be a team option.

Timme went undrafted in 2023 after a highly decorated collegiate career at Gonzaga. He has spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League.

A 6’10” power forward, Timme signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Bucks in August 2023 and was waived before the 2023/24 season began. He spent his rookie campaign with Milwaukee’s NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Timme didn’t make the same impact in his first professional season as he did during his time with the Zags, but he found another NBA opportunity last fall, inking a training camp deal with Sacramento. He opened ’24/25 with the Stockton Kings during the Tip-Off Tournament, averaging 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field in 14 appearances, though he only played 19.0 minutes per contest.

Timme switched teams for the G League’s regular season this winter, landing with Nets’ affiliate in Long Island. As Scotto notes, Timme was recently named NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 35.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over a three-game span, including a career-best 50-point performance.

The 24-year-old has put up big numbers for Long Island, averaging 23.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists on .574/.384/.731 shooting in 29 regular season games (35.6 minutes per contest). Now he’ll be getting his first standard NBA contract with the Nets.

As our tracker shows, the Nets currently only have 14 players on their standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Timme.

NBA Searching For New All-Star Format For 2026

March 28th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will scrap its mini-tournament format for the All-Star Game and go back to the drawing board in a search for new ideas, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

At a press conference Thursday in New York, commissioner Adam Silver admitted that this year’s experimental format was “a miss.” It involved a four-team tournament featuring the 24 NBA All-Stars divided up into three teams, along with another squad consisting of rookies and second-year players who won the Rising Stars event. Instead of being timed, all the games were played to a 40-point target score.

“We’re not there in terms of creating an All-Star experience that we can be proud of and our players can be proud of,” Silver admitted.

Finding a workable solution to the All-Star Game has been a problem for the league for roughly the last decade. The traditional East vs. West matchup grew stale, as there was nothing to motivate players or inspire them to put forth much effort on defense. The NBA had captains pick their teams for a few years, and the Elam ending was a brief success, but most often the quality of play has been low.

This year’s changes were instituted after the 2024 game resulted in a 211-186 final score that drew intense criticism from league insiders and media members.

One drawback to this year’s competition was a nearly 20-minute break during the championship game that was used to recognize TNT’s broadcast team, which was airing the game for the last time.

“It was well-intentioned,” Silver said. “But I think the long stoppage in play in that final game didn’t work for anyone.”

NBC will televise the game next year as part of its new broadcast deal, and Silver said the league is talking to network officials about potential changes. Reynolds notes that the game will take place during the Winter Olympics, which could lead to a U.S. vs. the World format that has been proposed for some time.

The 2026 game, which will be hosted by the Clippers at their new Inuit Dome, will have an earlier starting time, Reynolds adds. It will be played in the afternoon, leading up to Olympics coverage at night.