Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark
There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.
A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:
Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (64 games played)- LeBron James, Lakers (64)
- Jalen Williams, Thunder (64)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (63)
- Stephen Curry, Warriors (63)
- Amen Thompson, Rockets (63)
- Kevin Durant, Suns (62)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (61)
- Domantas Sabonis, Kings (61)
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (61)
- Draymond Green, Warriors (60)
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (59)
- Damian Lillard, Bucks (59)
- Jrue Holiday, Celtics (58)
In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.
Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.
Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.
Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.
Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.
Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.
However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.
Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.
That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.
Jazz Share Injury Updates On Williams, Collins, Markkanen
The Jazz issued a series of health updates on Wednesday, ruling out one player for the rest of the 2024/25 season and two others for at least the next week.
According to a press release from the team, rookie forward Cody Williams tested positive for mononucleosis on April 1 and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The plan is to reevaluate Williams three weeks before he begins his offseason conditioning work, the Jazz say.
Williams, 20, was the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, but has struggled to make an impact at the NBA level in his first professional season. In 50 games (21 starts), he averaged just 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night, with a dismal shooting line of .323/.259/.725.
Meanwhile, big man John Collins, who has been on the shelf since March 12, was reevaluated for his left ankle sprain after getting through his initial stages of rehab. He’ll start ramping up his on-court basketball progression and will be reevaluated in another week, per the Jazz.
Another injured forward, Lauri Markkanen, returned to Salt Lake City on Monday to undergo an MRI on his left knee. According to the club, that MRI revealed patellofemoral chondrosis with associated subchondral edema, but no other structural damage. Markkanen, out since March 17, will complete an off-court rehab program and will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days.
While Utah hasn’t formally ruled out Collins or Markkanen for the rest of 2024/25, it would be a surprise if either player returns to the court during the final days of the season. The 16-60 Jazz are in full-on tanking mode at this point — they’ve lost 16 of their last 17 games and are prioritizing securing the top spot in this year’s draft lottery order.
Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Oscar Tshiebwe are among the youngsters who figure to play increased roles for the Jazz down the stretch with Williams, Collins, and Markkanen unavailable.
Carmelo Anthony To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
Former NBA star Carmelo Anthony has been notified that he has been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will be part of the 2025 class, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Anthony was among 17 Hall of Fame finalists who were announced in February. While the new Hall of Famers from that group won’t be formally revealed until this Saturday (April 5) at the NCAA Final Four, Charania’s report indicates Anthony will be among them.
The third overall pick in the 2003 draft, Anthony appeared in 1,260 regular season NBA games across 19 seasons in the league, averaging 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per contest, with a shooting line of .447/.355/.814. He spent his first six-and-a-half professional seasons with Denver before being traded to New York, where he played from 2010-17.
After playing his prime years with the Nuggets and Knicks, Anthony spent time with the Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Lakers from 2017-22 before calling it a career. The 6’7″ forward was named an All-Star 10 times over the course of his career and earned six All-NBA nods (two Second Team and four Third Team).
Anthony also led the league in scoring in 2012/13, ranks 12th on the all-time points list, and was one of 75 players named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.
In addition to his strong NBA résumé, Anthony made an impact in NCAA and international competition. He won a national championship during his first and only college season with Syracuse in 2002/03 and brought home three Olympic medals for Team USA. Anthony was widely lauded for how he adjusted to the FIBA game and was a valuable contributor to the U.S. teams that won gold in Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio (2016).
Anthony, who announced his retirement in 2023, is one of many former NBA players who have taken to podcasting and currently puts out weekly episodes of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
Anthony said in the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn that he has interest in joining an NBA ownership group, specifically naming the Wizards as a team he’d like to get involved with (Twitter video link).
“Former player. I understand players. I understand personnel, I understand being fatigued,” Anthony said as part of a longer explanation for why he thinks he’d make a good team owner (hat tip to Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report). “I understand how to build teams, but I also understand what I don’t understand. I know what I don’t know. You also have to put people in those positions. President, GM, you put all the basketball acumen in those positions, and then you cover that with business model.”
Celtics’ JD Davison Named G League MVP
Celtics two-way player JD Davison has been named the G League’s Most Valuable Player of the 2024/25 season, according to an official announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
A 2022 second-round pick, Davison has played sparingly at the NBA level in his first three professional seasons and logged just 51 minutes in 12 total appearances for the Celtics in ’24/25. He spent most of his time with the Maine Celtics, appearing in a total of 45 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games for Boston’s NBAGL affiliate.
Across those 45 outings, Davison averaged 25.6 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 34.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .482/.332/.762. Maine went just 8-8 in the Tip-Off Tournament, but the 6’1″ guard led the team to a 21-13 record and a No. 3 playoff seed in the G League’s regular season.
Salt Lake City Stars big man Oscar Tshiebwe – who is on a two-way contract with the Jazz – and Capital City Go-Go guard Jaylen Nowell finished second and third, respectively, behind Davison for the G League MVP award, which is voted on by the league’s head coaches and general managers.
Tshiebwe, known as an elite rebounder, averaged a record-setting 18.3 RPG in 42 games for Salt Lake City while also contributing 16.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.1 BPG. The Stars, like the Celtics, finished the regular season with a 21-13 record.
Nowell isn’t currently on an NBA roster, but he earned call-ups with New Orleans and Washington over the course of the season. The veteran guard spent most of the year with the Wizards‘ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, for whom he averaged 24.7 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.1 SPG with an impressive .526/.479/.901 shooting line. The Go-Go posted a 20-14 regular season mark.
Glen Taylor To Cede Control Of Timberwolves To Lore, Rodriguez
Longtime Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has decided not to appeal an arbitration ruling in favor of Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and will sell his controlling interest in the franchise to the minority stakeholders, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
When Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement in the spring of 2021 to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor, the succession plan called for the new owners to initially come aboard as minority stakeholders with a 20% share of the franchise.
The duo then had until the end of 2022 to exercise an option to purchase approximately another 20% and had until the end of 2023 to exercise their option for an additional 40% stake, bringing their total share to 80% in 2024 — that plan would have made them the controlling owners a year ago.
However, the process hit a snag in March 2024 when Taylor announced he would be retaining control of the Timberwolves, citing a breach of contract and a failure to meet a payment deadline. Lore and Rodriguez disputed that characterization, stating that they had the funds necessary to become majority owners but were awaiting NBA approval and should have been entitled to an extension.
After mediation failed to resolve the dispute between the two sides, it advanced to an arbitration hearing. A three-person arbitration panel voted in favor of Lore and Rodriguez in February, and Taylor has been weighing his options since then.
Rather than continuing his fight to retain the franchise, Taylor has agreed to sell 100% ownership to the Lore/Rodriguez group at the $1.5 billion valuation that was initially agreed upon in 2021, according to Charania, who says that decision was made after the two sides held discussions over the past six weeks.
The franchise’s value has increased substantially since that deal was made (as of December, Sportico pegged it at $3.29 billion), which was believed to be a major factor in Taylor’s efforts to try to halt the sale. Still, Taylor will ultimately come out way ahead in the transaction after having reportedly paid in the neighborhood of $88-94MM to buy the Timberwolves in 1994.
There are still some final hurdles to clear before the ownership transfer is officially finalized. Most notably, the NBA’s Board of Governors will need to approve the new ownership group, which includes other investors – such as Michael Bloomberg – in addition to Lore and Rodriguez. However, there’s no reason to believe that the league will stand in the way of the sale.
Once the transfer is complete, Lore is reportedly expected to serve as the Timberwolves’ primary governor. One February report suggested that former Minnesota star Kevin Garnett – who had a long-standing feud with Taylor – will likely be hired to a position in the team’s front office when Lore and Rodriguez officially take over.
Nuggets’ Malone, Teammates Stand By Westbrook After Costly Late-Game Sequence
Russell Westbrook didn’t speak to reporters on Tuesday after he had a major hand in a disastrous late-game sequence that cost the Nuggets a double-overtime win over the rival Timberwolves. However, his head coach and teammates weren’t willing to throw the veteran guard under the bus, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.
With Denver holding a one-point lead and just 15 seconds left to play, Westbrook grabbed an errant Anthony Edwards pass and led a 2-on-1 fast break up the court (Twitter video link via NBA on TNT). However, his layup attempt was no good, resulting in the Wolves grabbing the rebound and getting off a last-second three-point attempt for the win.
Minnesota guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed the shot, but Westbrook was called for a foul, which led to Alexander-Walker making the game-winning free throws with a tenth of a second left on the game clock.
“(Westbrook is) a guy that hates to lose. … He’s a perfectionist and he’s a competitor,” head coach Michael Malone told reporters, including Durando, during his post-game press conference. “And knowing Russ the way I do, he’s probably gonna put a lot of this on him. But we lost tonight. The Denver Nuggets. We, as a collective group, lost that game tonight. Not one player.
“He’s a pro. He’s a warrior. He’s a tough kid,” Malone continued. “And I think he knows that everybody in that locker room has got his back.”
Malone’s assertion that Westbrook’s teammates have his back was reinforced by comments made by star center Nikola Jokic – who had an incredible 61-point triple-double – and Christian Braun.
“Why?” Jokic replied when asked if he would say something to Westbrook about the last two plays of the game (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). “What happened, it’s basketball. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t want to make a foul or whatever. It happens. He had the best (intentions). It happens.”
“We trust (Westbrook) to take that shot 100 out of 100 times,” Braun added. “So that’s not what lost us the game.”
Still, Troy Renck of The Denver Post contends that Tuesday’s costly 15-second sequence is the latest piece of evidence in favor of the Nuggets using Westbrook as nothing more than a spark-plug off the bench when their roster is fully healthy. According to Renck, Westbrook’s lack of “situational awareness” – exhibited by his decision to go for a layup after the steal instead of looking to kill more time on the clock – makes him a potential liability in late-game situations.
After primarily coming off the bench and averaging a career-low 22.5 minutes per night last season for the Clippers, Westbrook has started 35 of 69 games for Denver this season, with his playing time bumped back up to 28.1 MPG. The Nuggets have a -0.5 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a +9.1 mark when he’s not, prompting Renck to argue that the team shouldn’t be leaning on the former MVP so heavily.
Westbrook is in the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary contract that includes a $3.47MM player option for next season. If he turns down that option, he’d become an unrestricted free agent and the Nuggets would hold his Non-Bird rights.
Latest On Kevin Durant
The Suns haven’t put out any sort of formal press release updating the status of Kevin Durant‘s left ankle injury, but head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed on Tuesday that the timeline reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday is accurate. Charania indicated that Durant has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle and will miss at least a week, meaning he’ll be sidelined for the team’s ongoing three-game road trip.
“As of now, we don’t expect him to join us on the trip,” Budenholzer acknowledged on Tuesday, per ESPN.
The Suns’ road trip began on Tuesday with a loss in Milwaukee. They’ll travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday before visiting the Knicks in New York on Sunday. After that, Phoenix would have just four games left in the season, but Budenholzer said the team remains optimistic that Durant will be able to return at some point during that final week.
“We’re certainly hopeful,” Budenholzer said. “I think these first few days will be important, but we’re hopeful he’ll be back before end of the season.”
The Suns’ willingness to bring back Durant at the end of the season figures to depend in large part on whether the team’s play-in hopes are still alive. After a fourth consecutive loss on Tuesday, Phoenix is now 35-41 and trails the No. 10 Kings (36-39) by a game and a half in the Western Conference standings.
We have more on Durant:
- Within a larger feature on the Suns’ disappointing season, Logan Murdock of The Ringer reports that a Durant trade this offseason isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion. League sources tell Murdock that the star forward would be “open to a return,” even though most people around the NBA are expecting him to be on the move.
- Devin Booker, for one, is hopeful that this won’t be Durant’s last season in Phoenix. “Hell yeah, I want to play alongside him,” Booker told Murdock. “The team’s been in a tough situation. So, that’s the NBA today. I think K understands the business too, that when things aren’t going the right way, people are going to explore options. I don’t know how serious it actually was, but we moved past it. You see his morale, you see how he feels about the city.”
- According to Murdock, a sideline argument between Durant and Budenholzer during a game against the Lakers last month stemmed from Durant “pleading” with his coach to simplify certain offensive concepts for the benefit of the club’s younger players. The former MVP downplayed that brief confrontation in his post-game remarks.
Pacers Officially Clinch Playoff Spot
The Pacers clinched a playoff spot without taking the court on Tuesday. Indiana (44-31), which holds the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, was assured of making the playoffs when Portland knocked off the seventh-place Hawks (36-39), 127-113.
Indiana has done plenty on its own to secure its postseason berth with the end of the regular season approaching. The Pacers have won nine of their last 12 games, including a 111-109 victory over Sacramento on Monday. They erased a 16-point, second-half deficit to pull out that home victory.
The Pacers will have home court advantage in the first round if they retain the fourth spot. The Pistons are two games behind them with the Bucks, who defeated the Suns on Tuesday, three games back. Indiana trails the third-place Knicks by 3.5 games.
Indiana reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season with virtually the same roster it has this year. The Pacers defeated the Bucks in the first round and the Knicks in the conference semifinals before getting swept by Boston.
The Pacers were the league’s highest-scoring team last season (123.0 PPG). They are seventh in the category this season (117.1) but still have plenty of weapons — seven players are averaging double figures led by Pascal Siakam (20.1 PPG).
Indiana’s playoff success will hinge on whether the club can get more stops against the league’s elite. The Pacers are in the bottom 10 in defensive field goal percentage (47.5%).
Knicks Notes: Tucker, Roster, Shamet, Wright, Robinson, Towns
The Knicks added P.J. Tucker on a standard two-year contract but they could still add another player to the 15-man roster within the next couple weeks, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
There’s enough wiggle room under the second apron to add another veteran free agent on a minimum deal before the end of the regular season. However, the team would need to waive a player in order to create room on the roster to sign another free agent.
We have more on the Knicks:
- Delon Wright and Landry Shamet are getting steady minutes with Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Cameron Payne on the mend. Wright, a defensive stopper, and Shamet, an offensive threat, could still play roles as the backcourt gets healthier, Andrew Crane of the New York Post writes. Wright started his third consecutive game on Tuesday against Philadelphia, while Shamet has delivered double-digit scoring off the bench in three of the last four games. Coach Tom Thibodeau appreciates Wright’s defensive prowess. “He’s got great size at his position,” Thibodeau said. “That’s his gift, is his defense, and he gets a lot of deflections.” Both players are on expiring contracts.
- The return of Mitchell Robinson from ankle and foot injuries has impacted the defense, according to Begley and Robinson’s teammates. The team had the sixth-best defensive rating in March, its best ranking in any month this season. “The last month and a half, he’s been a monster defensively,” Josh Hart said. “Blowing up screens, blowing up handoffs, like a free safety on that backside.”
- Robinson got a chance to start on Tuesday as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out due to a knee injury, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. Towns has appeared in 67 of 75 games.
Southeast Notes: Anthony, Houstan, Daniels, Rozier
Magic guard Cole Anthony returned to action on Tuesday after missing seven games with a left big toe strain. He was upgraded from questionable to available prior to Orlando’s contest against San Antonio, the team’s PR department tweets.
Anthony has appeared in 61 games this season, averaging 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. He’s in the first year of a three-year, $39.1MM contract.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Caleb Houstan received rotation minutes over the past six Magic games in Anthony’s absence. The highlight of that stretch for Houstan was an 18-point outing against Sacramento on Saturday. “He’s always consistent, no matter if he’s playing or not playing, if he’s in or out of the rotation,” Paolo Banchero told Beede. “He’s always showing up, getting his work in. Every time he shoots it, it has a pretty good chance of going in.” Orlando holds a $2.19MM club option on Houstan’s contract for next season, which must be exercised by the end of June.
- Hawks defensive ace Dyson Daniels, just named Defensive Player of the Month in the Eastern Conference, is pleased with the chemistry on the team. “I think we have really good pieces on this team, and pieces that work well together,” Daniels told Sportskeeda’s Grant Afseth. “Obviously, (Trae Young is) our guy, the motor of the team. We try to look after him, set him screens, get him open, and he does the same for us. He’s a really good passer.”
- Terry Rozier had dropped out of the Heat‘s rotation until Monday, when he played 33 minutes against Washington with a host of players missing the contest. Rozier contributed 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. The veteran guard, who has one year left on his contract, admits it’s best a rough season for him. “It’s never easy for a competitor, especially me,” he said, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “You work so hard and then it just becomes unfortunate with the situation. But you just try to stay positive through it all, and give grace and still be thankful that I’m in this position. You try to keep working hard, waiting for my name to be called again.”