Bucks Notes: Giannis, Porter, Sims, Kuzma, Bridgeman
The battle to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season has turned into a two-man race, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic considered the heavy favorites to earn the honor. But two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been arguably just as productive this year as he was in the two seasons he won the award (2018-20), a fact that Bucks head coach Doc Rivers highlighted following Saturday’s victory over Indiana.
“It’s funny, I was talking to one of the better coaches in the league and he brought it up,” Rivers said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “He said, ‘How the hell is no one talking about Giannis? He is doing different stuff. His assists keep going up. I mean, I don’t know what the guy has to do.'”
Across his two MVP seasons, Antetokounmpo averaged 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, with a 56.6% shooting percentage. Through 54 games this season, the star forward has put up 30.6 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, and 1.2 BPG on 60.5% shooting.
“I’m not going to campaign (for him to be named MVP),” Rivers continued. “I’m not going to do that, but he is a forgotten guy with what he’s doing for our basketball team.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- The Pacers won four of five regular season games over Milwaukee a year ago, then knocked the Bucks out of the playoffs in the first round. The two teams currently hold the fourth and fifth spots in the East and could meet in the first round again this spring, so the Bucks recognized the importance of Saturday’s victory, which gave them the tiebreaker edge over Indiana, as well as a one-game lead in the standings. “Obviously, we wanted to get the tiebreaker,” Damian Lillard said, according to Nehm. “And a team that we’ve played so many times over the last two seasons, you know it’s going to be a physical game. It’s gonna be a competitive game … but we were able to pull it out, so that’s what really counts.”
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Nehm takes a look at how trade-deadline additions Kevin Porter and Jericho Sims are impacting the Bucks, writing that getting Porter’s ball-control issues in check is a priority. Entering Saturday’s game, the guard had committed multiple turnovers in nine consecutive games despite averaging just 15.6 minutes per night. “That’s non-negotiable,” Rivers said. “Especially late in the season, you just can’t turn the ball over. He knows that, but he’s still doing it right now. But we still want him to be aggressive.” Porter had 16 points and four assists with no turnovers in 19 minutes of action on Saturday.
- Of course, the Bucks’ biggest deadline addition was Kyle Kuzma. Jamal Collier of ESPN explores what Kuzma has brought to the team and why general manager Jon Horst believes that the forward’s versatility will make Antetokounmpo and Lillard more dangerous.
- As outlined in a report from The Associated Press, the Bucks are wearing patches on their jerseys for the rest of the season to honor Junior Bridgeman, the team’s minority owner and former player who died this past week.
LeBron James Expected To Miss At Least Another Week
Lakers star LeBron James is expected to remain sidelined for at least one more week as he continues to recover from a left groin strain, ESPN’s Shams Charania said today during an appearance on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).
Charania first reported last Sunday that James’ groin ailment was expected to keep him on the shelf for a minimum of one-to-two weeks, so his latest report is consistent with that timeline.
According to Charania, James conducted an on-court workout on Sunday for the first time since sustaining the injury on March 8. However, the Lakers will be cautious with his return, Charania notes, given that it’s a soft-tissue injury and the 40-year-old has played significant minutes this season after participating in the Olympics last summer.
For what it’s worth, head coach J.J. Redick told reporters on Sunday that James is “ramping up” and is considered “day-to-day” (Twitter link via Mark Medina).
Los Angeles has struggled without James available in the past week. In addition to dropping the game in Boston in which he was hurt, the team has since lost road contests in Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Denver as well. The Lakers are back in L.A. and will host Phoenix today to tip off a five-game home stand, which runs through next Saturday.
Although it sounds as if James will likely remain inactive for that entire home stand, there are some positive injury updates out of Los Angeles. Starting center Jaxson Hayes will be available vs. the Suns after missing four games due to a knee contusion, per the team. Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and Gabe Vincent (knee) are also available after being inactive on Friday in Denver.
Additionally, there’s optimism that Rui Hachimura, out since February 27 due to a knee issue of his own (patellar tendinopathy), will return within the week, according to Charania.
The 40-25 Lakers are in the midst of a battle to secure a playoff berth. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, 1.5 games back of the Rockets, Nuggets, and Grizzlies (all tied at 43-25) and two games ahead of the 39-28 Warriors.
Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To Second 10-Day Deal
12:16 pm: Castleton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Raptors, the team confirmed in a press release.
11:03 am: The Raptors are bringing back Colin Castleton on a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expired overnight, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
A 6’11” big man, Castleton has made five appearances thus far for Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 block in 27.8 minutes per contest.
Castleton spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of 2024/25. He was waived by Memphis in January.
Although Castleton didn’t have much of an NBA role for the Lakers or Grizzlies, he has been a productive player at the G League level since he went undrafted out of Florida in 2023. In addition to his time with L.A. and Memphis, the 24-year-old has also played for the Magic’s NBAGL affiliate in Osceola.
Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.
Assuming the signing is completed prior to Sunday’s game at Portland, Castleton will be eligible to play five more games for the Raptors during his second 10-day contract, which will expire overnight on March 25. At that point, the Raptors will have to decide if they want to retain him for the rest of the season.
Warriors Notes: Kerr, Butler, Podziemski
Steve Kerr became the winningest coach in Warriors history following Saturday’s victory over New York, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. With his 558th regular season win, Kerr broke Al Attles‘ franchise record.
As Youngmisuk notes, Attles spent six-plus decades with the Warriors as a player, executive and coach. The Hall of Famer, who passed away in August, guided the club for 14 seasons, leading the team to its first championship in 1975. His family was on hand to present Kerr with the game ball after the victory.
“It was a great moment being awarded the game ball by the Attles family,” Kerr said. “It was really beautiful to be honored by their presence, and obviously Al Attles is Mr. Warrior forever. The record, it’s kind of surreal to even think that this could happen, but it’s a reflection of our organizational strength, stability and a talent level over the last 11 years since I’ve been here.
“I’m incredibly lucky to be part of this organization and part of this city and very humbled by the honor because of Al’s greatness and what he means to the franchise.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Golden State is now 14-1 when Jimmy Butler is in the lineup. ESPN’s Brianna Williams takes a look Butler’s history of making an immediate impact with the teams he has played for.
- Butler has acted as more of a play-maker than a scorer since he joined the Warriors. His 11.0 field goal attempts per game with Golden State would be his lowest mark in 11 years, but he’s averaging 5.9 assists and only 1.4 turnovers per game, two of the best figures of his career. After Saturday’s victory, Butler suggested he’s been biding his time when it comes to scoring, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic relays (Twitter video link). “When it’s my time, you’ll know it’s my time,” Butler said. “Until then, I’m going to pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition and we gonna keep winning.”
- Kerr said the Warriors are targeting Tuesday’s game vs. Milwaukee for Brandin Podziemski to return from the back issue that has cost him the past four games, Slater tweets. That means the second-year guard will miss his fifth straight contest on Monday against Denver.
Sixers Sign Chuma Okeke To Second 10-Day Contract
March 16: Okeke’s second 10-day contract with Philadelphia is now official, per the team.
March 15: Chuma Okeke, who played one game for the Sixers on a 10-day contract last month, will return to the team on another 10-day deal, sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein adds that Okeke will be available for Sunday afternoon’s game at Dallas.
The 26-year-old combo forward inked his first 10-day contract on February 7, but was waived after just six days when the team promoted two-way player Jared Butler to the 15-man roster. Okeke saw two minutes of action in his only appearance, finishing with no points and one rebound.
Apart from his brief NBA appearance, Okeke has spent the season with the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester, averaging 18.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 25 regular season games.
Okeke was mentioned as a potential addition for New York when the team became financially eligible to add a 15th player in late February. New York opted to sign P.J. Tucker to a 10-day deal instead.
The Sixers have a full roster, but they are able to make additions through 10-day deals under the hardship exception because they have several players who have missed at least three consecutive games and are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
Free agent forward Oshae Brissett signed a 10-day hardship contract with the team on Friday. Assuming the Sixers don’t plan to release Brissett in order to sign Okeke, they’ll need to have at least five players who meet the hardship criteria in order to make a second 10-day signing. Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, Jared McCain, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry may all fit the bill.
If Okeke’s deal becomes official on Sunday, he will be eligible to appear in six games before it expires on March 25. Players are limited to two 10-day contracts per team in a season, so the Sixers would have to give him a standard deal to keep him any longer.
Injury Notes: Washington, Ball, Thybulle, Kaminsky
Mavericks forward P.J. Washington is not listed on the injury report ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia, so he appears on track to return after missing the past seven games with a right ankle sprain, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.
It’s certainly welcome news for Dallas, which has been absolutely devastated by injuries over the past several weeks. Even with Washington back, the Mavs will still be shorthanded, as Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist surgery), Dante Exum (broken hand), Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) and Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain) are out.
Jaden Hardy is doubtful for Sunday’s game as he continues to deal with a right ankle sprain, while Kai Jones (left quad strain) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) are questionable. Brandon Williams, who is on a two-way deal, is probable with left hamstring tightness, per the league’s official injury report.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Bulls guard Lonzo Ball missed 15 games earlier in 2024/25 due to a right wrist injury. He reinjured the wrist at the end of February, causing him to miss the past seven games, and he’ll likely miss at least five more, as he didn’t travel with the team during its West Coast trip, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I haven’t heard anything about him being shut down,” head coach Billy Donovan said Saturday. “I think what he’s doing right now is just trying to get himself back to playing. Doctors aren’t saying, ‘Hey, listen, you gotta sit out.’ It’s just when he feels that he can do things on the court that he’s comfortable with. Like he can’t shoot right now, hasn’t been able to do that . . . passing and dribbling. Until that subsides, then he’ll be out, but I think he, in my conversations with him, it’s been everything to try to get back to playing. No one has said to me from above, ‘Hey, this goes on a little longer, we’re going to have him shut down.’ I have not heard that.”
- Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle underwent a procedure in October, just before the start of the regular season, to address inflammation in his right knee. It wasn’t supposed to sideline him for a significant period, but he sustained a bad right ankle sprain in late November during his ramp-up process, which set back his recovery. “I’ve talked to so many people about it now, and the overarching sentiment is that with ankle sprains this bad, sometimes it’s better to just break it than to sprain it,” Thybulle said, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “Because the recovery time with all the ligaments that were torn takes so long. With a bone, it can just heal back up and it’s just as strong. It was a whole process. And then to have it happen in conjunction with a different injury … You start with the knee, and then hurt the ankle as bad as I did, and have those things be married as one giant injury to be dealt with. It made it quite the process.” Thybulle was technically active for the first time this season on Wednesday vs. New York, but he didn’t end up playing. Head coach Chauncey Billups said the two-time All-Defensive member’s role is up in the air for the final 15 games of ’24/25, according to Highkin.
- Former NBA big man Frank Kaminsky, who spent training camp with Phoenix last fall before being cut, will miss the remainder of the NBA G League season, reports Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Kaminsky, who had been playing for the Raptors 905 until recently, is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Williamson Would Draw ‘Significant Interest’ On Trade Market
On the latest episode of the Hoops Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps briefly discussed the impressive play and potential trade value of Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Since January 7, when he returned from a hamstring strain that sidelined him for two months, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 59.5% from the field and 64.3% from the foul line in 22 appearances.
However, Williamson has also missed 10 games over that span and has only averaged 27.8 minutes per contest. Some of that is by design to try and keep him healthy (minutes restriction, no back-to-backs), but New Orleans also hasn’t been competitive for much of the season.
The Pelicans are just 18-50 overall and 9-19 when Williamson plays. The team has a minus-1.1 net rating when he’s on the court and is a ghastly minus-10.0 when he’s not.
“I remember Bobby [Marks] and I wrote a story just as he was about to come back and kind of like, ‘What’s coming with Zion?’” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “What the trade value and market might be for him.
“Somebody told us then the goal is to ramp him up and restore his value, whether that’s for the Pelicans or another team. And he’s handling the first part, to his credit, he is absolutely handling the first part.”
A rival GM recently expressed skepticism to Windhorst about Williamson’s possible trade value and whether or not the Pelicans would consider moving him, suggesting the team might wait until next season to see if he can continue to stay on the court.
“I still don’t know how much they can actually get for him based on his injury history,” Windhorst replied.
“There’s some teams that would have significant interest,” said MacMahon.
Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Pritchard, Tatum, Brown
The Celtics didn’t provide many details about the viral illness that forced Kristaps Porzingis to miss the last eight games, and it turns out that even Porzingis wasn’t sure what he was dealing with, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
After returning for Saturday’s 115-113 win at Brooklyn, Porzingis told reporters it was “extremely frustrating” to not have a definite diagnosis. He described it as an upper respiratory condition that eventually morphed into possibly bronchitis or mononucleosis.
“But I haven’t been this sick for probably ever in my life,” he said. “So I was really, for a week really just laying at home trying to recover. And after that I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit — but at least I’m not getting into shape to be able to play. But after each workout I was, boom, big crash. I was really, really fatigued. Like, not normal. So, yeah, it’s taking a little bit longer, but I’m doing everything, all my bio-hacking stuff that I know, and just trying to get back in the best shape possible.”
Porzingis added that he tried to prepare for several games, including last Saturday’s meeting with the Lakers in Boston, but he would “crash” and quickly get drained of energy. He offered an explanation on social media to fans on Monday to help them understand his condition.
He was able to play 32 minutes tonight, finishing with 24 points, and remained on the court for nearly the entire fourth quarter. He’ll find out tomorrow if there are any lingering effects from the illness, but for now he’s happy to be able to contribute again.
“As the game went on, I felt better and better,” Porzingis said. “I kind of had a little crash in the third but I pushed through it and in the fourth had a great fourth. Yeah, it was a close one, but I’m happy we got it done.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Payton Pritchard has set an NBA record for the most three-pointers off the bench in a season, Bontemps adds. Pritchard, who hasn’t started a single game in 2024/25, sank five long-distance shots tonight, giving him 220 for the year and pushing him past Wayne Ellington.
- Jayson Tatum played Friday and tonight, even though he was listed as questionable for both ends of the back-to-back due to knee issues, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston has been resting its regulars in preparation for the playoffs, but Tatum admitted he’s stubborn when it comes to sitting out games. “A lot of head-butting for sure,” he said. “I’ve always said that I’m still young, but I just turned 27, I understand the balance of being fresh and stuff, ready for hopefully a long playoff run. I’ve talked about the value that I’ve put into playing in road games. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate, too. When I come in arenas, I see a lot of Tatum ‘0’ jerseys and kids with my shoes on. I understand they might be for their birthday or Christmas gift or whatever, and I try to stay ready and play as much and often as I can, and especially games on the road.”
- Back spasms forced Jaylen Brown to leave tonight’s game midway through the third quarter, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Brown sat out Friday’s contest in Miami and was listed as questionable for today due to a right knee posterior impingement.
‘Slick’ Watts Dies At 73
Donald “Slick” Watts, who was one of Seattle’s most beloved athletes during his time with the SuperSonics, died Saturday morning at age 73, writes Tim Booth of The Seattle Times.
The 6’1″ point guard was known for his distinctive look with his shaved head and headbands, as well as his freewheeling approach to the game. After signing with the team in 1973, Watts finished third in the Rookie of the Year race. His best season was in 1975/76 when he averaged 13.0 points per game in 82 outings while leading the NBA in assists (8.1) and steals (3.2) per game.
More than anything, he was a favorite with the Seattle fanbase.
“Slick, out of all the players, Slick was Seattle. That was his thing was Seattle,” Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood told Booth.
Watts spent four full years with the Sonics before being traded to New Orleans midway through the 1977/78 season and finishing up his career with Houston in 1978/79. He appeared in 437 games during his six NBA seasons and compiled career averages of 8.9 points and 6.1 assists per night.
Watts suffered a major stroke in 2021 and needed nearly constant care, Booth adds. Many of his former teammates learned about his death while they were preparing to attend a celebration to remember another Sonics great, Gus Williams, who passed away in January.
“He always wore his green and gold proudly,” former Sonics center James Donaldson said of Watts. “He epitomized the Seattle SuperSonics.”
After playing at Xavier University of Louisiana, Watts got a tryout because his college coach, Bob Hopkins, was the cousin of NBA legend Bill Russell, who was Seattle’s coach at the time. He was able to earn a roster spot as an undrafted rookie and was eventually named to the Sonics’ 40th anniversary team.
“He was such a personality. Always upbeat,” Donaldson added. “Always happy to lend a helping hand, to give you words of encouragement, to befriend just about anybody he came across.”
We at Hoops Rumors offer our condolences to Watts’ family and friends.
Jalen Brunson Not Expected Back Until Late March Or Early April
Jalen Brunson‘s sprained right ankle is expected to keep him sidelined until late March or early April, Shams Charania of ESPN said tonight on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).
The Knicks announced that Brunson would be reevaluated in two weeks after he suffered the injury while driving to the basket late in a March 6 game against the Lakers. However, sources tell Charania that the sprain involves “more of a three- to four-week minimum return time frame.”
“The key for the Knicks and Jalen Brunson is keeping that swelling down in that ankle, getting it lower, and then increasing the mobility in the ankle,” Charania said. “They know they need to get him right for the playoffs. That’s of the utmost importance.”
New York is managing to get by without Brunson, going 2-1 since the injury as a five-game road trip wraps up tonight at Golden State. The Knicks appear locked into the third seed in the East — five games behind Boston and five games ahead of Milwaukee and Indiana — so there’s no need to rush Brunson back until his ankle is fully healed.
Brunson made his second straight All-Star appearance this year and is a strong contender to again earn All-NBA honors, although he’ll have to play four more times to reach the 65-game requirement. He’s averaging 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per night with a .490/.384/.825 shooting line.
Charania also touched on a mini-controversy this week involving Mikal Bridges and Tom Thibodeau. Bridges stated that he had talked to his coach about reducing the minutes for the starters, but Thibodeau denied that such a conversation ever took place.
Charania confirms that Bridges and Thibodeau held a “closed-door meeting” before Wednesday’s game, which he described as a “productive” session in which both sides were “able to hash things out.” A source told Charania that the situation is now “history.”