Pacific Notes: Curry, Lakers Defense, Clippers Momentum, Dunn
Stephen Curry hasn’t played for the Warriors since January 30, and won’t be back for at least 10 more days.
In the absence of him and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors’ hopes for the season have begun to flatline, punctuated by back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Bulls, Monte Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
The goal now, in the face of these injuries, is to seize the eighth seed in the West, allowing them a better chance at getting through the play-in. Poole says that the goal is more modest than what the team imagined for itself coming into the season, but it reflects the current state of the team.
Beyond playoff seeding, there’s another reason it would be beneficial to get Curry back in the lineup sooner rather than later: getting him some pre-postseason chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis, who is looking forward to taking the floor with the two-time MVP for the first time.
“Of course, of course, I want to play with Steph, you know?” he said on Monday. “… Honestly, I don’t have no idea what they’re (going to say about Curry’s status), but I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him here. So hopefully I’ll get that chance soon.”
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers are cruising right now, and in Tuesday’s win over the Timberwolves, they used their season-long weakness — namely, defense — to add another win to their current hot streak, Thuc Nhi Nguyen writes for the LA Times. Los Angeles has won six of their last seven games and, coming into Wednesday, had passed the Wolves for the fourth seed in the West. The team seems to have bought in of late, including hot-and-cold big man Deandre Ayton, says The Athletic’s Dan Woike. Coach JJ Redick was glad to see his center put together such a positive game. “It’s great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “I think it’s bigger for DA to have a game like that against a really good team, one of the best teams in basketball.”
- After one of the worst starts of the season of any team with winning ambitions, the Clippers have turned things around and have clawed their way back to a .500 record heading into their Wednesday night matchup against the Timberwolves. While the record might not be head-turning, it means a lot to the team, writes Law Murray for The Athletic. “This team, ever since I’ve been here for six years, our guys always continue to keep fighting when our backs’ against the wall,” head coach Ty Lue said. “And I credit all my coaching staff, just for doing a great job, like I said earlier. Just staying with it, being positive, continue to help these guys get better. And you know, to start 6-21 and be .500 right now, it’s a big thing for us.” Kawhi Leonard has been the driving force behind the team’s success, but he knows none of it matters unless they’re ready for the playoffs.
- Another big part of the Clippers‘ success has been the play of 31-year-old guard Kris Dunn. While Dunn has never been much of a scorer, he has become an All-Defense level guard over his time in Los Angeles, his teammates and coach argue. “It’s a no-brainer that he’s definitely a First-Team All-Defensive guy,” Lue said, per Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. “He’s a lockdown defender. Usually in the case when you have great defenders like that, they are good on-ball defenders. But they’re not really good off the ball or they’re not really good in team defense. But he’s all of it.” Dunn discussed his desire for that recognition, his back-and-forths with Luka Doncic, and more in the wide-ranging interview.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Bridges, Playoff Seeding, Offense
The Knicks brought in more depth at the trade deadline, but the burden doesn’t seem to have lifted from Jalen Brunson‘s shoulders, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
A cold spell for the recently-acquired Jose Alvarado has led to a downturn in minutes for the pesky point guard, which in turn has been partially responsible for Brunson averaging the most minutes per game (37.8) in the league over the last five games coming into Wednesday’s matchup with the Jazz.
In that time, Brunson has struggled to find his rhythm offensively, shooting under 43% from the field in three of the five games, including back-to-back five field goal outings.
Head coach Mike Brown has turned to his bench depth in search of answers, trying Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek out at various times over the last couple games.
“My career is about growth and getting better,” Kolek said. “So I need to learn from those experiences and learn from every one — good or bad. Those were good experiences. But me, personally, I’ve had some bad experiences on the floor. From my play. So learn from both of those things and just continue to grow, continue to get better.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- Mikal Bridges says his offensive struggles aren’t about a lack of confidence, Bondy writes. “I think it’s just the game of basketball,” Bridges said. “Sometimes you try to get open and sometimes it doesn’t find me. Just try to find ways to stay aggressive. That’s it.” Bridges has been averaging just 11.4 points per game coming into Wednesday night while hitting 34.1% of his threes, down from his average of 15.2 points on 38.0% from deep. “I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to win, trying to find opportunities, try to do all the right things and be aggressive.” the wing said.
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a look at potential playoff seeding for the Knicks, and which spot would likely be the most beneficial to the team. While the number one seed isn’t mathematically out of reach, it seems incredibly unlikely that New York will catch up to Detroit, making the two, three, or four seed the likely outcome. While any seed lower than two would likely feel like something of a disappoint, Edwards makes the case that the four seed could actually be the best outcome, as they would likely face the Raptors in the first round, a team they have had little trouble with this season.
- The Knicks’ defense is much improved since the All-Star break, but lately the offense has fallen into troubling disfunction, Edwards writes. Over the last 26 games, the team’s offense has slipped from fourth to tenth, punctuated by mountains of turnovers and missed shots. The Knicks put up a lot of threes, which are a notably high-variance shot, and have been burned several times of late by their inability to get hot from deep. Karl-Anthony Towns says the right ingredients for success are all still there. “The last two games, we’ve done a great job of giving ourselves chances to win games, but we just haven’t shot well,” he said on Wednesday. “Then we weirdly shoot well at points in the game to give ourselves a chance. It’s just sometimes how the game goes. We just have to stay confident.“
Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, Plumlee, Ingram
The Spurs are the hottest team in basketball, thanks in large part to the play of Victor Wembanyama. As San Antonio’s stock has risen, so have the MVP chants for the young Frenchman, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
“Of course it’s one of my goals,” Wembanyama said of being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. “I also understand I need to press down the gas a bit in the last part of the season to win that award.”
Wembanyama has averaged 24.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game this season on .506/.360/.810 shooting splits while playing just 29.3 minutes per game. The Spurs have won 16 of their last 17 games and hold the NBA’s second-best record (48-17).
McDonald notes that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic make for some formidable competition for MVP recognition, but Wembanyama’s teammates believe their leader’s case is a strong one.
“We went from not making the playoffs to the second seed,” rookie Dylan Harper said. “There’s not a whole lot to debate.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- De’Aaron Fox is thriving as a play-maker for the Spurs of late, and it’s helping to drive their success, Tom Orsborn writes for the Express-News. “I just want to be at my peak physically and mentally towards the end of the season,” he said. “We’re getting there.” Fox’s coaches and teammates have been more effusive in their praise. Head coach Mitch Johnson said that the star guard had hit another gear, while Wembanyama chalked it up to a higher operating level. “What I see from him is great decision-making and really being at peace with the basketball gods, not forcing things, doing the right play,” Wembanyama said. Fox has had at least 19 points and nine assists in each of San Antonio’s last three games, all wins.
- Johnson values the experience that veteran center Mason Plumlee brings to the Spurs, Orsborn notes (via Twitter). “He was a rookie for (Kevin Garnett) and Paul Pierce in Brooklyn, so there’s quite a bit of experience and stories,” the 39-year-old coach said. “(He’s) played with high-level players and played a few different types of roles and has seen different levels of success.” Plumlee saw his first playing time with San Antonio on Tuesday night, grabbing one rebound in one minute of action as the Spurs took down the Celtics, 125-116.
- Coming into Wednesday, it had been 459 days since Brandon Ingram took the court in New Orleans, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes, and his time there shouldn’t be undervalued by Pelicans fans, even though he’s now wearing a Raptors jersey. Walker calls Ingram one of the best players to ever play in New Orleans, noting that he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and was named to his first All-Star team as a Pelican. “He shares a lot of relationships here, so it should be a fun game,” interim head coach James Borrego said before the game. “I hope more than anything the city welcomes him back and embraces him. He gave a lot to this city. Blood, sweat, and tears. He was a competitor.”
Jordan Clarkson Talks Jazz Reunion, Plans For Asia Cup This Summer
Jordan Clarkson is set to face off against his former team on Wednesday as the Knicks take on the Jazz, and despite his reduced role in New York, he’s looking forward to the “happiness and joy” of facing the team for whom he won a Sixth Man of the Year award, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
According to Clarkson, he’s not bothered by his inconsistent playing time because the Knicks were up front with him when he signed with them.
“I ain’t coming in expecting anything, honestly,” Clarkson said. “A lot of people made expectations on my arrival and what I can do and what I’ve done my whole career. But not knowing anything, I came here with an open canvas. I just knew one goal and what we wanted to do, and that’s to win.”
Clarkson added that he has nothing but positive feelings about the Jazz.
“That’s a home for me. I loved the organization. I love the coaching staff. Yeah, I love the city. All I had was love there,” he said. “… I’m going to try to keep my cool in terms of not feeling [emotional], just all the gratitude and everything that the city is giving me.”
The veteran guard also recently spoke to Mark Medina of Essentially Sports about his hopes to lead Team Philippines in this summer’s Asia Cup.
“For us and for me, not making the Olympics and not fully accomplishing what we want to accomplish in the World Cup,” he said, of what was driving him. “Reaching the goal of having a chance to make the Olympics, I think, is a big thing for me and to represent the country.”
He went on to say he thinks the Filipino team has a good shot at the next Olympics, reiterating his hopes for his own role and the team as a whole.
“We just got to figure out how to mesh the guys together and play the right combinations and figure it out from there,” he said. “We got a lot of talent on the team, from older dudes to younger dudes as well. Hopefully, they let me play as a naturalized player and give me some leeway on things so we can continue to get more talent and we stay loaded.”
With the influx of more players in the league with Filipino heritage, such as Jalen Green (Suns), Dylan Harper (Spurs), and Jared McCain (Thunder), Clarkson hopes that his time with the team can help inspire the next generation and build the program up moving forward.
Ivica Zubac Could Make Pacers Debut Thursday
Veteran center Ivica Zubac has been upgraded to questionable for the Pacers‘ game against the Suns on Thursday, says Tony East of Forbes Sports (Twitter link).
If he’s able to play vs. Phoenix, it would mark Zubac’s debut for the Pacers, who acquired him at February’s trade deadline with an eye to shoring up their frontcourt in the 2026/27 season when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his ruptured Achilles.
After averaging 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game and being named to the All-Defensive second team in 2024/25, Zubac has battled injuries this season, including a left ankle sprain that has kept him on the shelf since February 2.
At the time of the trade that sent him from the Clippers to the Pacers, it was unclear if Zubac would suit up for Indiana this season, especially since the 2026 first-round pick they gave up for him includes top-four and 10-30 protection, making the team’s end-of-season lottery odds especially important. The Pacers are currently 15-50, which is the NBA’s worst record.
T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith are all also considered questionable for Thursday’s matchup with Phoenix, while Pascal Siakam and Quenton Jackson are listed as doubtful to play.
Kelly Oubre (Elbow) To Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks
Kelly Oubre Jr. has been diagnosed with a sprain of the lateral collateral ligament in his left elbow, the Sixers announced today. He will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Oubre suffered the injury during Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes (via Twitter). It was an otherwise memorable night for the 6’8″ wing, who recorded his season highs in points (30) and rebounds (12) vs. Memphis.
The Sixers are already without Joel Embiid (oblique strain), Paul George (suspension), and Tyrese Maxey (finger tendon injury) as they look to fight to stay in the playoff race. They are currently 1.5 games out of fifth place but only one game ahead of the No. 9 Hawks.
Oubre is averaging 14.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season while starting 36 of the 41 contests he has played in.
Dalen Terry, Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, and Justin Edwards are among the candidates for increased minutes with Oubre sidelined.
Max Strus Nearing Season Debut For Cavaliers
Veteran wing Max Strus was assigned to the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate to practice on Wednesday and is expected to remain with the Charge for another practice on Thursday and “possibly” a light workout on Friday morning, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Strus underwent surgery in August to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. He has yet to play in 2025/26.
Assuming Strus’ foot responds well after the practices — he hasn’t had any setbacks in his most recent ramp-up process, a source tells Cleveland.com — it’s possible he could make his season debut on Sunday when the Cavs return home to face Dallas, according to Fedor.
The Cavs announced last week that imaging on Strus’ foot had shown “progressive healing” and he had resumed individual on-court workouts. Practicing with the Charge was one of the scheduled activities he needed to participate in before playing again.
Strus has been a key contributor for Cleveland the last two seasons, averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.3 minutes per contest on .426/.364/.802 shooting in 120 games, including 107 starts. The 29-year-old will likely be on a minutes restriction for the rest of the ’25/26 regular season, Fedor writes.
Pacers First NBA Team Eliminated From Postseason Contention
The Pacers became the first NBA team formally eliminated from postseason contention after they lost at Sacramento on Tuesday night and Charlotte picked up a victory in Portland, tweets Tony East of Circle City Spin.
Indiana has lost 10 straight games and currently has the worst record in the league at 15-50 (Sacramento improved to 16-50 with the win). Charlotte holds the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference at 33-33, and since the Pacers only have 17 games remaining, they have no way to make up the 17.5-game deficit.
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes (subscription required), the Pacers were up 20 points with 4:58 remaining in the third quarter, but struggled the rest of the way. This is just the 10th time in the past 37 seasons that Indiana won’t make the playoffs.
“Crazy game,” Carlisle said. “End of the third quarter obviously was a big problem for us and their bench just played an unbelievable last 15 minutes of the game. Just tremendous. So you gotta give them a lot of credit. Their shot-making and aggression — all that — was big-time. We had some pretty good looks. They didn’t go in. That was disappointing. We did an awful lot of good things in the first two-and-a-half quarters, but unfortunately the last 18 minutes count.”
The Pacers have been decimated by injuries all season, Dopirak notes. As long as they hold a bottom-three record when 2025/26 ends, they’ll have a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick and 14.0% odds for the No. 1 selection. That’s noteworthy, because the 2026 first-round pick they traded to the Clippers for Ivica Zubac is top-four (and 10-30) protected.
The star of the game for the Kings was Devin Carter, who didn’t play at all in the first half, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The 2024 lottery pick erupted for 22 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with a career-high 24 points, five rebounds and three assists in only 16 minutes of action.
“It felt great, especially my teammates trusting me, putting the ball in my hands,” Carter said. “They set me up for success, so it felt great.”
Carter admitted it’s been a tough season, as he hasn’t played much in year two. He has only made 27 appearances in 2025/26 and is averaging just 14.3 minutes per game.
“I haven’t been in the rotation much, so I wasn’t expecting too much,” Carter said. “Just trying to put my work in and stay ready.”
Carter has been ruled out of Tuesday’s game vs. Charlotte due to right calf soreness, Anderson tweets. Fellow guards Russell Westbrook (right quad contusion) and Malik Monk (right ankle soreness) will be sidelined as well.
Kings head coach Doug Christie voiced his opposition to tanking prior to Monday’s game, Dopirak adds.
“This is just me personally, I don’t mess with the game,” Christie said. “You do not mess with the game. You let the game do what it’s gonna do. There has to be a respect for the game and how you go about the game and how you play the game. In my opinion, stuff like that scars the players.
“How can I hold you accountable when there was a point where I was like, ‘Eh…’ You know, that’s just me. In many ways, we have to continuously protect our game and make sure that when we lace them up and we go out there, we’re giving our all always.”
Warriors’ Stephen Curry (Knee) Out At Least 10 More Days
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will miss at least 10 more days due to his right knee injury, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Curry has missed 15 consecutive games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, colloquially known as runner’s knee. Today’s update suggests he’ll miss at least five more contests.
Curry, who turns 38 years old on Saturday, has begun on-court work and is hoping to “intensify his workouts” in the coming days, sources tell Charania and Slater.
The Warriors put out a press release (Twitter link) confirming ESPN’s report.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Warriors are 23-16 when Curry plays this season but have gone just 9-17 without their leading scorer. Golden State is currently 32-33, the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors dropped back-to-back games (at Utah and vs. Chicago) over the past two days. While the players were “relatively upbeat” after Monday’s loss, they were “quiet” and “frustrated” in the locker room after blowing a late lead on Tuesday, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
“Both very winnable games,” head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday after a 130-124 overtime loss to the Bulls at Chase Center. “Had the lead late tonight — obviously, one we should have had — but this is how the NBA is, especially when you’re beaten up. You’re not going to blow anybody out; games are gonna be tight; you got to finish, and we didn’t finish either of the last two nights.”
Several players were sidelined on Tuesday, Friedell writes, including De’Anthony Melton. Golden State limited Melton’s minutes on Monday because the team planned to play him on both ends of the back-to-back for the first time in 2025/26, but that didn’t come to fruition after he tweaked his adductor.
Center Kristaps Porzingis made his third appearance as a Warrior on Tuesday, finishing with 17 points (on 5-of-13 shooting), four rebounds and four blocks in 20 minutes. He acknowledged he’s not in peak shape right now but is optimistic his conditioning will improve if he can stay on the court consistently, Fridell writes.
Porzingis also discussed Curry’s ongoing absence after Tuesday’s game, Friedell adds.
“I want to play with Steph,” Porzingis said. “Who doesn’t? I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him here. Hopefully, I get that chance soon.”
Checking In On Open Roster Spots
As our tracker shows, the following teams currently have one spot available on their 15-man standard rosters:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- Orlando Magic
- Toronto Raptors
The Nets have an opening after they decided not to re-sign rookie forward Grant Nelson, whose 10-day contract expired on Sunday night. They’re still operating below the salary cap, so there isn’t anything preventing them from signing another player.
The Warriors and Rockets are operating in luxury tax territory, and while they have plenty of room below their hard caps to add a 15th man, they’re probably not all that eager to increase their projected tax bills by bringing in someone who won’t play at all.
The Magic and Raptors are both operating less than $1MM away from the tax line, but each team has enough room to bring in a minimum-salary veteran on a rest-of-season contract without becoming a taxpayer, so if there’s someone out there they like, they don’t necessarily have to wait.
Toronto is expected to hold off at least a few more days though, in order to avoid a scenario in which the team wins a couple playoff series and Immanuel Quickley’s $500K bonus for making the Eastern Conference Finals pushes the Raptors’ salary over the tax line.
The Kings and Jazz are worth mentioning too. Sacramento’s 15th spot is currently held by Killian Hayes, whose second 10-day contract will expire on Saturday night. Utah, meanwhile, has two players — Mo Bamba and Andersson Garcia — signed to 10-day deals through next week.
Finally, there’s one notable team not mentioned in the list above because they technically have three open 15-man roster spots, not just one. That’s the Celtics. Boston is in the midst of executing an intricately timed plan to meet the NBA’s rules related to roster minimums for the rest of the season while narrowly staying out of the tax.
It’s a safe bet that Boston will stick with just 12 players for the maximum allowable 14 days before making a couple roster additions in mid-March. Current two-way player Max Shulga will likely get a promotion at that time for financial reasons (his rookie minimum salary wouldn’t be subject to “tax variance“). If all goes according to plan, the Celtics will be able to sign a 15th man on the last day of the regular season without surpassing the tax threshold.