Injury Notes: Antetokounmpo, Prince, Young, Hart
Playing on Tuesday in just his fourth game since January following a lengthy absence due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points against Phoenix, but gave fans a scare or two when he appeared to tweak that troublesome calf. After the game, head coach Doc Rivers spoke about the injury, saying the calf wasn’t affected and that the incidents weren’t as bad as they initially appeared, as Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes (Bluesky link).
“I was scared,” he said, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link). “The one time he went down in the first half, he said he was fine, he just tripped over a guy’s foot, so there was no injury. And then he got hit in the groin. And I’m thinking that’s a calf, the way he went down… and then he was just winded.”
Antetokounmpo ended up playing 32 minutes in the loss, his highest minutes total since January 23.
We have more injury news from around the league:
- Bucks forward Taurean Prince, who has been out since November after undergoing surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck, returned to action on Tuesday. “It’s cool because, honestly, I didn’t think he’d play this year,” Rivers said, per Nehm (via Twitter). “The fact that he’s worked the way he’s worked to get back on the floor, it’s just all about him and who he is. It really is. It’s really a cool thing.” The Bucks’ head coach went on to elucidate how important Prince’s presence was throughout the season, even when he was hurt. “When he got injured, we grabbed him and told him, ‘Welcome to the coaching staff’ because that’s basically what he was gonna be this year,” the coach said. “And early on, it did look like that. He was in a brace, couldn’t really do anything. And then as his neck started healing, hope came.”
- Wizards guard Trae Young missed Tuesday’s against the Heat, which turned out to be a historic contest, due to knee injury management, the team tweeted. Young recently returned to play for Washington after speculation that he would miss the rest of the season following his trade from the Hawks. He has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game for Washington.
- Josh Hart is being listed as questionable for the Knicks‘ game against the Jazz on Wednesday due to left knee soreness, Steve Popper notes (Twitter link). Hart has suited up for the last 15 Knicks games, and while he’s averaging just 28.7 minutes per game, he is coming off one of his heaviest workloads of the season, playing nearly 37 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Clippers.
Bam Adebayo Becomes Second-Highest Single-Game Scorer In NBA History
Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in the Heat‘s victory over the Wizards on Tuesday, becoming the sole owner of the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
In doing so, Adebayo passed Kobe Bryant‘s longstanding 81-point second-place mark, which the former Lakers star recorded on January 22, 2006.
Adebayo went 7-for-22 from three and 36-for-43 from the free throw line. He broke the NBA record for made free throws (previously 28, by Adrian Dantley and Wilt Chamberlain), attempted free throws (previously 39, by Dwight Howard), and became the first player ever to ever attempts 30 or more free throws and 20 or more three-pointers in a game, per The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov (Twitter link).
By the end of the night, the Wizards were triple-teaming Adebayo and intentionally fouling his teammates just to keep the Heat’s center off the free-throw line, but a quick spin move in transition drew the shooting foul and allowed Adebayo to reach his goal. He was subbed out soon after getting to 83 points.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the three-time All-Star made his decision-making down the stretch easy.
“I didn’t even dare think about taking him out,” Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
Chamberlain’s 100-point record has remained unbroken since March 2, 1962.
Pacific Notes: James, Kennard, Melton, Warriors Youth
LeBron James is missing his third straight game for the Lakers on Tuesday as he works his way back from arthritis in his left foot, as well as a left elbow contusion. James went through his pregame shooting routine prior to the Lakers’ matchup against the Wolves, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter), but ultimately decided that he needed more time before he’ll be ready to return to action.
According to coach JJ Redick, James was a participant in the team’s film session on Monday, but he did not take part in the on-court practice (Twitter link via McMenamin).
After the 22-time All-Star missed the first 14 games of the season due to a sciatic nerve issue, James has been quite durable. Prior to his recent absences, he had only sat out four of the team’s previous 48 games.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Luke Kennard‘s elite three-point shooting is transforming the Lakers‘ attack, writes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. Kennard is making 56.1% of his outside shots over the last six games coming into Tuesday’s contest, with the Lakers going 5-1 in that span. Nguyen notes that the Lakers were shooting 34.9% from three prior to trading for Kennard and have bumped that figure to 39.2% since bringing in the sweet-shooting guard. Kennard, for his part, is grateful to be able to play with play-makers like James and Luka Doncic. “It’s definitely something you think about like, ‘Man, I wish that was me there getting those open looks,'” Kennard said. “But now it’s a reality.”
- De’Anthony Melton is set to play in his first back-to-back set of the season on Tuesday as the Warriors take on the Bulls, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link). Melton played just 20 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Jazz in order to ensure he’d be ready for tonight’s game, according to coach Steve Kerr. Melton, who is officially listed as questionable, has scored at least 20 points in four of his last six games.
- The Warriors have one of the NBA’s oldest and most expensive rosters, which is why team-friendly deals for players like Moses Moody and Gui Santos are particularly valuable to the club, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. In a conversation with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Johnson outlines how these deals that young players can outplay can be crucial for building sustainable teams around superstars, with Smith pointing to Miles McBride‘s three-year, $13MM extension with the Knicks as another example.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Guard Depth, Johnson
Bam Adebayo‘s elite-level impact on the Heat has become undeniable, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman makes a stat-based argument for Adebayo’s stardom, noting that he’s second in the league in on/off differential behind only Nikola Jokic (among players who have logged at least 1500 minutes) and that the Heat have a 99.7 defensive rating with him on the court since the start of February.
Winderman notes that with the Heat surging, award consideration could soon follow for Adebayo. Head coach Erik Spoelstra agrees, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, who says (via Twitter) Spoelstra believes that if the Heat continue to win, the Defensive Player of the Year award will be a two-man race between Adebayo and Victor Wembanyama.
While there’s still plenty of work to do to secure a playoff spot, the Heat are playing with a real joy and belief in themselves, Winderman writes.
“You can sense that our locker room is trying to seize the moment right now,” Spoelstra said. “We’re having a lot of fun competing with each other and playing to a consistent identity on both ends.”
We have more from the Heat:
- One reason for Miami’s improved play of late is Tyler Herro, who has been rounding into his customary form after an injury-riddled start to the season, Chiang writes. Herro was recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and is relishing being back on the court with his teammates. “I’m appreciating just, again, being out there,” he said. “I was without the game for a while, and to be out there means a lot. Now to be winning out there with these guys, it feels amazing.” Chiang notes that Herro is the only player averaging more than 20 points with at least .500/.450/.900 shooting splits since the All-Star break.
- The point guard position has been something of a question mark outside of Davion Mitchell this season, but Spoelstra says he’s very happy with how the depth chart has shaped up, according to Chiang. “We have three really good point guards,” Spoelstra said, referring to Mitchell, rookie Kasparas Jakucionis, and Dru Smith. “… We feel very fortunate. We haven’t had this kind of point guard play and that depth at that position — I can’t remember. It’s been a while.” Spoelstra added that each guard brings a different skill set to the table, so when one doesn’t play, it’s not an indictment on that player, but more related to what the team needs in that moment.
- Keshad Johnson is ready to defend his dunk contest crown next season, writes Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype. “I’ll for sure be down to do it again next year,” he said. “Make a bigger name for myself. I do believe bigger names are gonna start getting involved with All-Star Weekend, based on how the politics are playing out and how the fans are being very vocal about wanting to see big names go out there and do stuff during All-Star Weekend.” In the interview, Johnson said that he believes in himself and his work, and is embracing what the Heat have asked of him. “It’s all about being a winner, whatever it takes to win,” he said. “That’s what the Heat values, that’s what I’m trying to show I can do. So whether that’s guarding the best player, rebounding, or hitting shots, that’s what I’m trying to work on.”
Doctors Discuss Zach Edey’s Long-Term Injury Outlook
The Grizzlies had hoped that, entering the 2025/26 season following an offseason surgery, Zach Edey‘s ankle issues would be behind him, Damichael Cole writes for the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Instead, Edey played just 11 games before being sidelined with a stress reaction that led to him undergoing another surgery on March 3. In that time, he averaged 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in just 25.8 minutes per game.
In order to get a clearer picture of the outlook for the second-year big man moving forward, Cole spoke to two doctors, Kenneth Jung and Nicholas Strasser, neither of whom played a part in Edey’s surgeries and who instead spoke based on the publicly released information from the Grizzlies.
Both doctors noted that the most recent surgery addressed a different ligament than the first one, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t cause for concern.
“When there are multiple setbacks like this, you start to worry about whether it represents a more progressive injury,” Strasser said.
The doctors said that the issues come when the bone in the ankle becomes inflamed due to repeated stress.
“He had injuries that altered the anatomy of the ankle,” Jung told. “By restoring that anatomy and stabilizing the ligaments, the goal is to get him back to his pre-injury status. It’s different from something like an ACL that tears again. This is another ligament being stabilized to restore the ankle’s structure.”
Both doctors emphasized the need for patience when it comes to establishing a recovery timeline for Edey. Strasser notes that the best-case scenario would be three months, but six months is more realistic, given that the talus bone can be a slow healer.
“Even when you repair ligaments — like he had on the other side — the tissue needs time to heal,” Jung said. “The bone stress also needs time to heal, and then he has to rebuild his strength.”
The Grizzlies expect Edey to make a complete recovery for the 2026/27 season, Cole notes (via Twitter), but the idea of the big man playing in Summer League or FIBA World Cup qualifiers is probably unrealistic. According to Cole, Edey being back on the court in six months would be a big win for Memphis.
Tyrese Maxey To Be Reevaluated In Three Weeks With Finger Injury
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has been diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right pinkie and will be reevaluated in three weeks, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (Twitter link).
Maxey sustained the injury during Saturday’s game against the Hawks and consequently underwent imaging and consultations with specialists, as Charania notes.
The Sixers are currently without Maxey’s co-stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George, and have struggled of late, losing nine of their last 14 games and falling to eighth in the East heading into Tuesday’s action. Embiid will have his strained oblique evaluated this week, while George is still a couple weeks away from returning from his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Maxey has been having a career year, making his second All-Star game while averaging 29.0 points and 6.7 assists per game, both of which are personal bests. He is set to miss at least 11 games, which could put his end-of-year awards eligibility in danger. He needs to make at least four more appearances to reach the 65-game minimum.
Warriors Notes: Porzingis, Kerr, Green, Seth Curry
Kristaps Porzingis has been cleared to play for the Warriors in Tuesday’s matchup against the Bulls, ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes. This will be Porzingis’ third appearance for Golden State since being acquired in the Jonathan Kuminga trade.
After playing 17 minutes on February 19, in which he scored 12 points on five-of-nine shooting, the Latvian big man missed the next six games before returning on Saturday, scoring nine points with five assists and five rebounds in the loss to the Thunder.
Porzingis has been struggling with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) since last season. He spoke recently about getting cleared to play and his belief that he’ll be more available for the rest of the season than he has been to this point, though he understands fans’ skepticism given his inconsistent playing status.
Draymond Green and De’Anthony Melton are questionable for tonight’s game.
We have more from the Warriors:
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr has once again called for a shorter NBA season, reiterating a point he has made multiple times in the past, according to the writers at ESPN. “I know this will not be a popular opinion in the league office, but I will continue to say it because it’s obvious we need to play fewer games — we need to take 10 games off the schedule,” said Kerr. “I think it would be a more competitive and healthier league if we played fewer games.” Kerr, who coaches the oldest roster in the league by average age, understands that the financial implications of such a change would be steep but believes the benefits outweigh the costs.
- Green knows that his skill set is not one of a typical NBA star, which is why he considers his brain his biggest superpower on the court, Taylor Wirth writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. “The reason I say I don’t think anyone can be me, is because, yes I [play hard, physical defense], but it’s not the best thing that I do,” Green said. “I think I’m as smart as anyone in the NBA, and that’s my best skill.“
- Seth Curry suited up for the Warriors for the first time since December and was very productive, scoring 13 points in 12 minutes while adding three assists. It was such an effective performance that his opponent, Jazz guard Elijah Harkless, turned to him for advice, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, who says Harkless asked: “How you come in and make shots right away?” While the Warriors still lost to the tanking Jazz, the return felt important to Curry, who missed over three months of action due to sciatic nerve irritation. “There was like a month where I really couldn’t move,” he said. “I was just laying at home. And then once the pain went away I was able to rehab and try to get all my movement back, but it’s been tough … I just had a minor pain in my back, it got worse, worse, and then it just hit its tipping point.”
Knicks Notes: Bridges, Clarkson, Diawara, Turnovers
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has continued to be an iron man since arriving in New York, but has struggled at times with his offensive consistency. This was exemplified in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, as Bridges went scoreless for the first time this season and the third time since joining the team in 2024, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
According to Bridges, while his lack of offensive production was glaring, it stemmed from defensive issues.
“Being in foul trouble takes me away from being out there to try to help my team win,” he explained. “I’ve got to be better, starting off the game fouling a shooter from three.”
Bridges had hoped Monday’s game against the Clippers could serve as a bounce-back opportunity, but the team lost again and Bridges once again struggled to impact the game offensively, scoring seven points on eight shots. The lone starter not to score in double digits, he didn’t make a shot until midway through the second quarter.
However, head coach Mike Brown had Bridges’ back after the game, according to Bondy.
“He’s human and he’s going to have some nights (when he struggles to shoot),” Brown said. “His track record shows that he can go get it done. It’s not anything I’m concerned about or I’m looking at. And like I said, when he does have nights like that, how else can you impact the game, and he’s shown that he can do that.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- With his team struggling to put together any offensive rhythm against the Lakers, Brown turned to Jordan Clarkson in the fourth quarter. Clarkson played 10 minutes, his highest single-game total since February 11, and scored nine points on four shots. “He’s a guy we can lean on. He can put the ball in the hole,” said Brown, as relayed by Bondy. “We were struggling to do that. So I threw him out there to see if we can mix it up. He definitely helped us. But it was too big of a deficit.”
- Clarkson will face off against the Jazz, with whom he played for five and a half seasons, on Wednesday, but is unsure what reaction he will receive, or what he will feel himself, Mark Medina writes in an interview for Essentially Sports. “I don’t know what my emotions are going to be,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to try to keep my cool.” While the veteran guard’s role has changed with the Knicks, he has stayed ready and his teammates have appreciated his attention to detail and professionalism. “Being a teammate of his has been great,” Jalen Brunson said of Clarkson. “Being able to talk to him all the time and consistently has been great for me. I love him and everything that he’s done.“
- Mohamed Diawara grew up hearing all about the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, another lanky French forward who could shoot and pass well for his size, Bondy writes in a separate story. On Monday, the Knicks’ rookie got the first poster dunk of his career, and it just so happened to be on his fellow Frenchman. “I was just driving and dunked the ball and fortunately (Batum) was there,” Diawara said. “… Funny to see that. My first dunk — my first poster — was against him.” Diawara finished the game with five points, four rebounds, and two assists.
- Brown was frustrated by what he calls “self-inflicted wounds,” especially on the offensive end, as the Knicks lost their two games in Los Angeles, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. New York turned the ball over 19 times against the Lakers and 20 against the Clippers as their offense felt largely out of sorts. “[Nineteen] turnovers on the road, and this is not a knock on [the Lakers], but they’re not gonna trap and double team and all that stuff,” Brown said after the first loss. “But we get into the paint and jump in the air and turn the ball over.” Brunson noticed similar issues on Monday, Bondy notes. “We were getting downhill and trying to make plays. But we got to be better playing off two feet obviously, playing more controlled,” Brunson said. “But (the Clippers) got a lot of guys on their team who are steal guys, who are long wingspans, play passing lanes. That’s what they do. We played to their strengths.”
Clippers’ Niederhauser Undergoes Season-Ending Foot Surgery
March 10: Niederhauser underwent surgery on Tuesday, the team announced on Twitter. He is without a timetable to return, but will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season.
March 5: Rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and will undergo season-ending surgery, the Clippers announced on Thursday.
Niederhauser sustained the injury during Wednesday’s victory over Indiana. He had six points, four rebounds and two blocks in eight minutes during that game.
The Clippers selected Niederhauser with the 30th and final first-round pick in the 2025 draft. The Swiss big man spent time in the G League to open 2025/26, but had been playing some of his best basketball as of late, including recording 11 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 21 minutes during Monday’s win over Golden State.
“Yeah, he’s a game-changer,” head coach Tyronn Lue said after the game in San Francisco (story via Janis Carr of The Orange County Register). “I think his ability to roll to the basket, get offensive rebounds (is important), but the biggest thing is just defensively challenging every shot, blocking shots at the rim, but his energy was really good for us.”
According to Carr, Niederhauser said he worked on playing with more energy ahead of his rookie season, since he was criticized for being lackadaisical at times coming out of college — the 22-year-old spent two years at North Illinois prior to a breakout junior seasons with Penn State.
“I got questioned a lot for my motor,” Niederhauser said. “For a lot of people, I got questioned for that, so I took that seriously. I took that personally and worked a lot this summer during all the games.
“I played in the (G League), all the games I played here in the NBA, I was trying to go 100% and work on my motor like that. So, now every time I’m out there, I just give everything I got and that’s the way I keep working on my motor.”
Niederhauser’s debut NBA campaign will end after 41 appearances. He averaged 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 10.3 minutes per game. Trade deadline addition Isaiah Jackson should continue to play an increased role with Niederhauser out.
Spurs Notes: Contender Status, Plumlee, Bryant, Ingram, Wembanyama
The Spurs have been nearly unbeatable since the start of February, and every win makes them believe their window as title contenders may already be open, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The latest impressive performance came Sunday night against Houston as the Spurs set season highs in points (145), assists (38) and three-point shooting (52.5%) in a 25-point victory over their division rivals.
“Over the last 15, 20 games we’ve been super comfortable in every single game and given ourselves a chance to win,” Stephon Castle said. “We have nothing but confidence coming into every single game.”
At 47-17, San Antonio holds the league’s second-best record and the No. 2 spot in the West with a little more than a month left in the season. The only concern is a lack of playoff experience, but Luke Kornet sees parallels to what his former Celtics team was able to do on its way to becoming a championship team in 2024.
“The (20)22 season we went on a roll from January on and were playing a high level of basketball,” Kornet said. “It’s been a cool thing to be a part of this, especially because of how much we are growing and how young we are.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Mason Plumlee expects to make his Spurs debut tonight against Boston, according to Tom Orsborn of The Express-News (Twitter link). The veteran center, who joined the team on a 10-day contract last month and then signed a rest-of-the-season deal, hasn’t played since undergoing groin surgery on December 31 while he was still with Charlotte. “My body feels great,” Plumlee said. “(The Spurs) had a good plan to get me back to playing shape, and I’m ready to go.”
- Rookie Carter Bryant got a chance to match up with his basketball idol when the Spurs faced Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers on Friday, per Mike Finger of The Express-News. Bryant finished with five points and three rebounds, but he made several impactful plays to help San Antonio overcome a 25-point deficit. “It gives you a different feeling,” Bryant said. “It gives you a different confidence. You walk with a different swag, you talk with a different swag. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, and it’s one of those things that gets addicting.”
- Harrison Ingram earned G League Player of the Week honors last month, but the 2024 second-round pick is more focused on getting regular playing time in the NBA, Orsborn adds in a full story. Coach Mitch Johnson envisions him as a blue-collar player who can handle some of the game’s underrated tasks. “It’s rebound, space the floor, off-ball impact, and it’s being, I wouldn’t say a dirty player, but like a Dillon Brooks sort of player,” Ingram said.
- James Jackson of The Athletic details Victor Wembanyama‘s MVP case, stating that he has one of the largest on-off differentials in the league. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Spurs had a net rating of plus-15.5 in 1,426 minutes with Wembanyama on the court and minus-0.3 in 1,603 minutes when he’s on the bench.