Kings’ DeMar DeRozan Involved In Fight At Restaurant
Kings forward DeMar DeRozan is the subject of an “ongoing and active investigation” following an incident Friday night, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
A 28-second video posted to TMZ shows DeRozan involved in a confrontation with another man at the Yume Sushi restaurant in Calabasas, California. DeRozan can be seen reaching for the other man’s legs while he’s on the floor, according to Anderson, while a woman yells to DeRozan to “let him go.” When the man gets to his feet, he tells DeRozan, “I’m a big fan” and says “give me my phone.” They are eventually broken up by other restaurant patrons.
A witness tells TMZ that the skirmish began when the man “shoved a phone with a bright light in DeMar’s face.” The witness adds that DeRozan knocked the phone away and claims the unidentified man suffered injuries in the fight that resulted in him leaving the restaurant in an ambulance.
Law enforcement authorities weren’t able to verify the witness’s version of events, according to Anderson, and the Kings didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
DeRozan just completed his first season with Sacramento after being acquired from Chicago in a sign-and-trade last summer. The team saw its season end Wednesday night with a home loss to Dallas in the play-in tournament.
Pacers Notes: Mathurin, Walker, Nembhard, Game 1 Strategy
Bennedict Mathurin had to watch from the bench during the Pacers’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals last spring because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder, writes Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star. The third-year swingman said the experience gave him a sense of what to expect as he made his playoff debut Saturday afternoon against Milwaukee.
“I’m really, really grateful to be able to play this year,” Mathurin said. “Last year, I couldn’t. And I’m still super young, so it’s a blessing to be able to have this opportunity in the playoffs at this young age. But I feel like it was a great opportunity for me to go out there and learn.”
Mathurin delivered 13 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes as Indiana handily defeated the Bucks in the series opener. He hit all eight of his free throws, but was only 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range as Neddenriep notes that a late-season shooting slump seems to be continuing. Mathurin offered a mixed evaluation of his performance.
“I have a lot of expectations on myself,” he said. “I think I was pretty good defensively. Like I said, the playoffs is just a different atmosphere. And just remembering all the moments of last year, not being able to play, and just going out there and playing hard defense as much as I can, I’m willing to do it to win.”
There’s more from Indiana:
- Jarace Walker got into nine playoff games last season, but was limited mainly to garbage time, Neddenriep adds in the same piece. He had a more prominent role in Game 1, contributing three points, five rebounds and a block in 17 minutes on Saturday. “It was so much fun,” Walker said. “I had a great time, just soaking in the moment. I’ll give the team whatever they need, whether it’s shot making, defending, rebounding. I feel like I’m a versatile player who can impact the game in multiple ways. Whatever is needed, I’ll get it done.”
- Andrew Nembhard set the tone for the Pacers by consistently challenging Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, driving to the basket on offense and double teaming them on defense, per Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. Nembhard’s fearlessness will be needed in what’s expected to be an extremely physical series, Doyel adds.
- The Pacers’ strategy on Antetokounmpo was successful in Game 1 as he scored 36 points but only had one assist, observes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Myles Turner called the defensive effort “decent,” but said there was too much fouling and too many mistimed double teams. Dopirak points out that the approach might not work as well once Damian Lillard returns, which is expected to happen in Game 2 or 3.
Thunder Notes: Hartenstein, Holmgren, Dort, SGA, Williams
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault didn’t get to use his twin tower lineup as much as he expected this season, but he’s seen enough to have confidence in it heading into the playoffs, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
After getting pounded on the boards in a second-round series loss to Dallas last year, Oklahoma City made finding another big man an offseason priority. The club was able to land Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $87MM contract in free agency and planned to team him with Chet Holmgren to form a combination that could match up with the more physical teams in the West.
However, Hartenstein broke his left hand during the preseason and didn’t play his first game with OKC until November 20. By that time, Holmgren had suffered a fractured hip that kept him sidelined until early February. They were active on the same night only 20 times this season and logged 316 minutes together. It’s a small sample, but Daigneault liked how they looked.
“It would be more uncomfortable if it was like really stalling,” he said. “If it wasn’t getting off the ground or if it was low-impact or if it was clunky, then that’s a harder decision of (how much to use it). But it was good right away in unpredictable ways.”
The combination was effective on both ends of the court — Slater notes that the Thunder posted a 122.9 offensive rating and 109.4 defensive rating when they played together and outscored their opponents by 96 points. Their next challenge will be a matchup with 7’4″ rookie Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. in a first-round series against Memphis.
“The offensive flow that we’ve been able to maintain with two seven-footers on the floor (is key),” Daigneault said. “It’s something that always concerns you when you go super big. But I think it speaks to how skilled those guys are. They’re both in their own way very dynamic.”
There’s more from Oklahoma City:
- In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Luguentz Dort talked about his chances of earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. Dort admits that defensive excellence can be difficult to quantify, but he hopes voters take the Thunder’s 68-win season into consideration. “This is just not numbers,” he said. “You got to be able to watch the games and see exactly what the players are doing on the court. I don’t think I have the most steals or the most blocks or whatever. But I know that every time I have a matchup, my matchup is in hell. So, it is hard to (define) because if you just go based on the numbers, I probably won’t be in a conversation. But if you watch the (other) games and watch our games the whole season, you could see that I take a lot of pride (in defense).”
- Playoff inexperience is the major question facing the Thunder after a dominant regular season, notes Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. Players don’t believe that will be an issue, and they’re taking inspiration from last year’s early exit. “We have a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The goal is to win. However you get it done, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s going to look ugly at times. It’s going to look pretty at times. We want to be a team that gets it done, regardless.”
- The playoffs present an opportunity for Jalen Williams to earn more national recognition, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. Williams has only been in 10 postseason games, but he’ll be counted on to help Gilgeous-Alexander carry the scoring load.
Filip Petrusev Hoping For NBA Return
Filip Petrusev barely saw any game action during his first NBA stint, but he believes things will be different if he gets another opportunity. The 25-year-old center talked about coming back to the league in an interview with Serbian media outlet Sportski Zurnal, according to Eurohoops.
“I would like to return to the NBA as soon as possible,” Petrusev said. “It is always better, for everyone and for me in particular, to go there early than to try to do it in my last years of career. I was not lucky in Philadelphia. As soon as I started playing, I was traded, and everything fell apart. Now I have regained my self-confidence, and I believe that I deserve a second chance!”
The Sixers selected Petrusev with the 50th pick in the 2021 draft, but he remained in Europe until the summer of 2023. He appeared in just one game with Philadelphia, playing only three minutes, before being included in the early-season trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers.
L.A. moved him on to Sacramento on the same day, and he made brief appearances in two games with the Kings before being waived about three weeks later.
Petrusev returned to Europe on a three-year contract with Olympiacos that still has one season remaining. He’s currently on loan to Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, where he’s averaging 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
It sounds like he’ll be exploring another NBA opportunity this summer, as he said in the interview, “It is my great desire to return to the NBA and for this reason all the contracts I sign include an NBA out clause.”
Hawks Notes: Young, Snyder, Daniels, Offseason
Trae Young described the season as a “failure” after being eliminated from the play-in tournament with Friday’s loss to Miami, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks appeared to be in a good position to earn a playoff spot after finishing eighth in the East, but they were overwhelmed in the play-in opener at Orlando and couldn’t overcome the Heat in an overtime battle.
You could make a case that the Hawks overachieved considering their young roster and numerous injuries, including the loss of star forward Jalen Johnson, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in late January. But Young doesn’t believe there should be any excuses for not advancing past the play-in.
“For me, personally, not making the playoffs is a failure for me,” he said. “No matter who’s out there, no matter how much adversity we faced, I still feel like we’ve got a good enough group to make the playoffs and at least go in there and compete.”
As Cunningham notes, the early exit casts more doubt on Young’s future with the team. He has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract at $46MM, along with a nearly $49MM player option for 2026/27. The Hawks reportedly explored potential deals involving Young last season and could decide to revisit that option this summer. But after Friday’s loss, he sounded like he plans to stay in Atlanta.
“The goal is to always win, of course, but when you have the kind of team that we have, you know there is going to be bumps and bruises,” Young added. “It’s not easy for me. Hopefully next year can focus on winning.”
There’s more on the Hawks:
- General manager Landry Fields shot down any speculation that he might consider replacing head coach Quin Snyder (Twitter video link from Caleb Johnson of 929 The Game). “Quin has done a terrific job. I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Fields told reporters. “I’m excited about what we’ve built and are building.”
- One of the most positive developments for the Hawks was the emergence of Dyson Daniels as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate after he was acquired in an offseason trade with the Pelicans. Daniels talked to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what led to his breakthrough season. “I don’t point fingers at anyone but myself,” Daniels said. “I came in there in New Orleans and took a step back. I let the superstars be the superstars. I didn’t fit into being a role player. Coming into the NBA, you can’t do that. If you want to settle for being a role player, then you’re going to be out of the league in a few years. So, that’s what I did in New Orleans and I know it wasn’t me. … It was my confidence. I was second-guessing myself and in my head too much. I came here [Atlanta] with a free mind.”
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks looks ahead to the Hawks’ offseason in an Insider-only story and a YouTube video. Marks points out that Daniels will be extension-eligible this summer and states that making a decision on Young’s future will be a priority.
Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Brunson, Hukporti, Rotation
Asked ahead of the Knicks‘ first-round series about speculation that head coach Tom Thibodeau will be on the hot seat if New York doesn’t make a deep playoff run, star point guard Jalen Brunson referred to himself as a “big Thibs supporter” and strongly backed his coach, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post writes.
“He means a lot,” Brunson said on Friday (Twitter video link). “Individually, he’s meant a lot to my career. I’d say he’s meant a decent amount to (Karl-Anthony Towns), coaching KAT in Minnesota and here. There’s a lot of players who can say they’ve definitely benefited from Tom Thibodeau in his career.
“But I think as a team, we’re always in a position where we can compete in the postseason since I’ve been here. He’s very prepared. He’s a very prepared individual. He’s done a lot for my career, so I’m always going to be a supporter. Always. Even when he annoys me. Always.”
Thibodeau has faced criticism over the years due a perception that he overworks his top players, and three Knicks ranked among the top six players in the NBA in minutes per game this season. But New York will enter the 2025 postseason with nearly all of its players – including everyone who’s part of the rotation – fully healthy, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post notes.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Rookie center Ariel Hukporti, who has been out since February 26 while recovering from surgery on his left meniscus, was upgraded to questionable for Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series vs. Detroit and practiced on Friday, tweets Bondy. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Thibodeau referred to Hukporti as a game-time decision, though it seems unlikely that he’d be part of the team’s rotation even if he’s healthy enough to play.
- In a separate story for The New York Post, Bondy weighs the case for and against expanding the Knicks’ playoff rotation beyond seven players. As Bondy outlines, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson are locks to see regular minutes off the bench, but it’s unclear whether Landry Shamet, Precious Achiuwa, or Cameron Payne will get off the bench. If Thibodeau does use an eighth man, Bondy believes Shamet is the best bet for that role.
- Even after the Knicks added Towns and Mikal Bridges as offensive weapons last offseason, Brunson still led the team and ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference with 26.0 points per game. The Knicks will need him more than ever in order to make a playoff run this spring, says James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
No Minutes Restriction Expected For Celtics’ Jaylen Brown
After missing the final three games of the regular season due to a bone bruise in his right knee, reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown doesn’t anticipate being on a minutes restriction when the Celtics‘ first-round series vs. Orlando gets underway on Sunday, he told reporters today (story via Souichi Terada of MassLive.com).
Brown was hampered during the season’s final weeks by that knee issue, which was listed on the injury report as a “posterior impingement.” The four-time All-Star first sat out on March 6 and ultimately missed nine of Boston’s final 20 games with that injury designation. Reporting during the final weekend of the season indicated he had received pain management injections, which head coach Joe Mazzulla later confirmed.
Beyond telling reporters on Saturday that he won’t be on a minutes limit, Brown wasn’t interested in speaking in any detail about his injury, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
“I’m not here to talk about my knee, guys,” he said. “It is what it is. I’m focused on Orlando.”
Mazzulla offered the media a little more information than Brown did, indicating that the veteran wing has been able to practice in full ahead of Game 1.
“He looks good,” the Celtics’ coach said. “He was able to do everything, no limitations. He’s been great, physically, mentally, really preparing himself, ready to go. So, (I) love the week that he had.”
The Celtics will enter their first-round series against Orlando as massive favorites, so there may be opportunities to get Brown some rest if the East’s No. 2 seed can build big leads and/or finish the series quickly. Still, as they attempt to become the NBA’s first back-to-back champions since the Warriors in 2017-18, the Celtics aren’t looking past the Magic or taking them for granted.
“Of course we know what we’re trying to accomplish, but I think our mindset is just what’s in front of us, not looking down the line, not overlooking nobody,” Brown said. “Our goal is (Game 1). That’s the focus. Nothing else. Not next week, not six weeks, not 10 years from now. Just Sunday.”
Nuggets Notes: Pickett, Murray, Gordon, Jokic
In the wake of the Nuggets‘ decision to fire both general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone with less than a week left in the regular season, second-year guard Jalen Pickett began seeing his name pop up in reports about the rift between Booth and Malone prior to their dismissals.
Booth’s desire for Malone to play Pickett more often – including over free agent addition Russell Westbrook – was cited as one of the sources of disagreement between the two franchise leaders. Those differences of opinion reportedly created tension in the organization and factored into the decision to let them both go.
“To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy,” Pickett acknowledged to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) on Friday. “But growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”
After logging just 122 total minutes for the Nuggets as a rookie, Pickett has seen his role expand this season, especially in recent weeks. He averaged 24.5 minutes per night and earned four starts in Denver’s final eight games of the regular season. While it remains to be seen how much run he’ll get in the playoffs, Pickett is trying to focus on how he can help his team get past the Clippers rather than dwelling on how a managerial disagreement over his usage might’ve led to organizational changes.
“Can’t really focus on that type of stuff,” Pickett said. “Can’t control anything that happens in this business, as you can see from this year. But, just when my number’s called, I’m going to be ready each and every time I step on the floor. And that’s whatever the team needs me to do at this stage.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- While Denver can count on superstar center Nikola Jokic to contribute at a high level in the postseason, Jokic and the Nuggets will need the 2020 bubble version of Jamal Murray if they hope to have a shot at another title, opines Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray averaged 26.5 points per game on .505/.453/.897 shooting during that postseason. “This is going to be a tough series for (Jamal),” interim head coach David Adelman said. “(The Clippers) have a lot of people to throw at him. And I think the biggest thing for us is, these guys — me, the staff — have to help Jamal. Because if we can get him free, we know what he’s capable of.”
- Veteran forward Aaron Gordon has a long-term contract that keeps him under team control through at least 2028, but if the Nuggets can’t get past the first round in this year’s playoffs, could his days in Denver come to an end this offseason? Troy Renck of The Denver Post weighs that question, pointing out that Gordon might be more valuable as a trade chip in the event of a reboot than Murray or Michael Porter Jr.
- In a pair of additional stories for The Denver Post, Durando explains why his Most Valuable Player vote went to Jokic and takes an in-depth look at how Adelman and the Nuggets have designed their offense around the three-time MVP in a way that maximizes his abilities while continuing to expand his boundaries. “Basically, for the last eight years, we have been watching the best players in our league that are not centers, and we’re saying that our guy can do everything they can do,” Adelman told The Denver Post. “Plus what a big guy does.”
Mavs Notes: Thompson, Davis, Lively, Offseason
After the Mavericks‘ season came to an end as a result of Friday night’s play-in loss in Memphis, Klay Thompson described his first year in Dallas as “tumultuous.” Head coach Jason Kidd took a rosier view, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays, referring to 2024/25 as an “incredible season” for his team, which missed out on the playoffs after making the NBA Finals last spring.
“When you look at the injuries that we’ve had (and) the change, for us to even be here playing in (Friday’s play-in) game, it’s incredible,” Kidd said. “It just shows the character of that group in that locker room, the fight, being prepared, moving on, learning from our losses and also our wins. So an incredible season with the change and injuries. Some would say we shouldn’t even be here, so give those guys in that locker room a lot of credit.”
While Kidd was eager to praise his players for the way they fought through the season, the fact that so much fight was required at all is a reflection of why Thompson viewed it as “tumultuous.” The second half was defined by a series of injuries to key players and the fallout of the controversial Luka Doncic trade.
When Thompson signed with the Mavericks as a free agent last summer, he was hoping to be the missing piece for a club that was three wins away from a championship in 2024. Instead, he’ll be watching his former team (Golden State) from home during the first round of the playoffs after averaging just 14.0 points per game in his first season as a Maverick, his lowest scoring mark since his rookie year.
“Don’t do this to me. Don’t do that to me. Don’t do that,” Thompson said with a laugh when asked if he’d still join the Mavs if he could do his 2024 free agency over. “That’s kind of a ridiculous question. I don’t own a time machine, and I don’t believe in going back, looking back. If I did that my whole career, I would not be where I’m at and I wouldn’t have been able to persevere through two really hard injuries.
“So I’m here in Dallas, and I enjoyed my time and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Here’s more on the Mavs as their offseason gets underway:
- Anthony Davis, who scored 40 points in Friday’s loss, said after the game that he appreciated the way that Mavericks fans treated him after his midseason arrival, even though he knows many of those fans disliked the trade the team made to acquire him. “Obviously, it’s a lot of emotions. I know it’s not directed towards me,” Davis said, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “The city loved the guy (Doncic). Get rid of a guy. A new guy comes in, yet they want to embrace you and they’re thankful for you, it still stings. I’m just thankful and appreciative of the city of Dallas and the fans for welcoming me and Max (Christie) to the new situation.”
- Mavericks center Dereck Lively was on a minutes restriction for both of the team’s play-in games this week, tweets NBA insider Marc Stein. Lively, who was out from mid-January to early April with a foot injury, played 18 minutes on Wednesday vs. Sacramento and 20 minutes on Friday vs. Memphis.
- According to Stein (Twitter link), Lively’s foot injury was “at the center of some significant tensions” among some of the new members of the Mavs’ medical and performance team at the practice facility in February. President of basketball operations Nico Harrison defended the medical team during this week’s media session when asked how Lively was on the verge of returning to action in January before being diagnosed with a stress fracture. “It actually goes to show the strength of our medical team, because he was cleared to play, but his signs and symptoms—our medical team knew it was something more,” Harrison said. “And so that’s why they went and tested him again and saw the CT scan. They actually avoided a potential catastrophic injury.”
- Bobby Marks of ESPN has shared his preview of the Mavericks’ offseason in a YouTube video and in an ESPN.com Insider-only article. Marks explores what a new contract for injured guard Kyrie Irving might look like and identifies forward P.J. Washington as another key extension candidate to watch.
Kenny Atkinson Wins Coaches Association Award
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has won the Michael H. Goldberg award for the 2024/25 season, earning Coach of the Year from the National Basketball Coaches Association, according to a press release.
This award, introduced in 2017 and named after longtime NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, none of whom can vote for himself.
It isn’t the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by media members and is represented by the Red Auerbach Trophy. The winner of that award will be announced later this spring.
J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Ime Udoka (Rockets), and – interestingly – Michael Malone (Nuggets) also received votes from their fellow coaches for this year’s NBCA award. Malone was let go by Denver earlier this month.
Atkinson was hired by the Cavaliers last June and was tasked with turning the team into a legitimate title contender following a 48-win season and a second-round playoff exit. Despite the fact that Cleveland’s roster didn’t undergo any major changes last summer, the team had one of the best years in franchise history, racking up 64 wins and holding the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference for nearly the entire season.
After the Cavs placed 16th in the NBA with a 114.7 offensive rating in 2023/24, Atkinson helped turn the unit into the league’s top-ranked offense in ’24/25 — Cleveland’s 121.0 offensive rating led the league by a comfortable margin. The club also ranked eighth in defensive rating (111.8) and third in overall net rating (+9.2).
The NBCA Coach of the Year award has frequently been a bellwether for the NBA’s Coach of the Year honor, which bodes well for Atkinson. In six of the eight years since the award’s inception, the winner has gone on to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, including in 2024 when Daigneault won both awards.