Mavs’ Khris Middleton Fined $25K By NBA
Mavericks forward Khris Middleton has been fined $25K for “throwing his mouthpiece in the direction of the spectator stands,” the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
According to the league, the incident occurred with 6:55 remaining in the third quarter of Thursday’s game at Orlando. Middleton received a technical foul at the time, resulting in a $2K fine, on top of the $25K penalty he received today.
As Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News writes, Middleton was upset about a non-call when he turned the ball over while being defended by Jalen Suggs. He threw his mouthpiece near Dallas’ bench and it landed in front of a courtside fan before sliding toward assistant coach Jay Triano.
Middleton finished with 19 points and seven assists on Thursday, though he also had six turnovers in the one-point loss. The 34-year-old is earning $33.3MM in the final of year of his contract, so the fine won’t impact him much financially.
Nikola Vucevic Expected To Miss A Month With Fractured Finger
March 7: Vucevic underwent ORIF surgery on Saturday morning to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger, according to a team update (Twitter link). Vucevic will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks.
March 6: Veteran center Nikola Vucevic fractured the ring finger on his right (shooting) hand and will miss the remainder of Friday’s game vs. Dallas, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).
Vucevic will undergo surgery on Saturday and is expected to miss about a month, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
According to Brian Robb of MassLive, Vucevic sustained the injury in the first quarter of Friday’s contest. The 35-year-old played under two minutes prior to exiting the court with the team’s trainers. X-rays revealed the broken finger.
Vucevic, who is playing on an expiring $21.5MM contract, will be an unrestricted this summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension with Boston before July 1, the start of the new league year.
The 16th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Vucevic spent his rookie season with Philadelphia, then was traded to Orlando in the 2012 offseason as part of the four-team deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Vucevic played eight-and-a-half years for the Magic prior to being traded to Chicago ahead of the 2021 deadline.
Vucevic spent six years with the Bulls, who traded him to the Celtics last month. Entering Friday, he had made 11 appearances with Boston, averaging 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists on .445/.351/.824 shooting in 23.5 minutes per game.
Luka Garza is likely to receive most of the minutes at the backup five with Vucevic out, Robb notes.
Heat Notes: Ware, Herro, Wiggins, Powell, Fontecchio
Kel’el Ware was thrust into a significant role on Thursday with Bam Adebayo in foul trouble, and the second-year Heat center delivered in impressive fashion, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Ware, who had 11 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high five steals in 29 minutes during Tuesday’s blowout win over Brooklyn, one-upped that performance in Thursday’s victory over the Nets, compiling 16 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high seven blocks, and a career-high-tying five steals in 32 minutes.
According to Winderman, Ware became the first player in Heat history to record a 10-10-5-5 stat line and the first player in NBA history to do it off the bench. The 21-year-old big man is the first player in franchise history to have seven blocks and five steals in a game — the last NBA player to register those numbers was Josh Smith in 2007.
“It shows that I’m impacting the game,” Ware said. “And I’m going out there and I’m affecting it — being able to help my team, prove that I can play and be a plus.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra likes what he’s seen recently of Ware, who had 10 points, four rebounds, four blocks and a steal in Friday’s win over the red-hot Hornets.
“I think his teammates are encouraging him to be more aggressive, guard the basket,” Spoelstra said. “He’s getting more alert on situations. I’m encouraged by his last handful of games. He’s doing a lot of things that are impacting the game.”
We have more from Miami:
- The Heat picked up their fourth straight victory on Friday in Charlotte and snapped the Hornet’s six-game winning streak in the process, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Tyler Herro had his best game of the season, finishing with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists (against zero turnovers). The 26-year-old shooting guard was plus-18 in 37 minutes during the eight-point victory. “He was sensational tonight,” Spoelstra said. “Tyler, you can see he’s gaining more rhythm each game. Tonight, the three ball started to go for him. It opens up so much for his game. He can put the ball on the floor. The nine rebounds were needed because they’re a handful on the glass.”
- Starting forward Andrew Wiggins was sidelined on Friday due to bilateral patellar tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter). “He’s dealt with it for the last handful of days, and it didn’t loosen up enough today to be available,” Spoelstra said before the game, per Jackson. “But hopefully we can treat him and hopefully make sure it’s a short-term thing.”
- Norman Powell (right groin strain) missed his fourth straight game on Friday, while Simone Fontecchio (left groin strained) missed his second consecutive contest, according to Winderman. “We have some competitive, tough-minded guys in the locker room,” Spoelstra said of his players attempting to shorten timelines for absences. “We do want to be responsible. That was the case with Norm and Timo (Fontecchio). Hopefully, if you get to things early and you really attack it with the rehab, it can be shorter term.”
Bucks Notes: Losing Streak, Rivers, Kuzma
The Bucks have made the playoffs in each of the past nine years, but they’re running out of games to do so again in 2025/26, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The team was up 13 points after the first quarter on Wednesday vs. Atlanta, but was outscored by 31 for the rest of the game, ultimately losing by 18.
Wednesday marked Milwaukee’s fourth straight loss. And the Bucks aren’t just losing, they’re getting blown out — they’ve lost those games by a combined 97 points, the largest combined margin of defeat in a four-game losing streak in franchise history, per Nehm.
Dropping the game to the Hawks was particularly rough for the Bucks, Nehm notes, as they’re trying to catch Atlanta and Charlotte to make the play-in tournament. With 21 games remaining, Milwaukee is now five games behind Atlanta and four-and-a-half behind Charlotte for the final two play-in spots.
“I feel like we have the answers,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in his second game back from a calf strain. “The team is extremely talented. We have guys that can put the ball on the floor, guys that can put the ball in the basket.
“At the end of the day, it’s like your spirit, what are you playing for? That’s what we gotta decide. Are we going to wave the white flag, or are we going to come together in the last 21 games and try to play hard and try to make a push?
“Atlanta was the team above us, and a game like this counts for two. I feel like we came out and set the tone. We were shooting 60 percent from the field, but after that, we just fell flat.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- The four-game skid was directly preceded by Milwaukee winning eight of 10 games. Veteran big man Bobby Portis wonders if that surprising stretch was a fluke, Nehm adds in the same story. “Kind of fool’s gold, for real,” Portis said. “Rolling eight out of 10, playing against bottom teams, teams that’s trying to lose, right? (Now we are) playing against some teams that are jockeying for position. We used to be in that position, too. Jockeying for position, you got certain games on your schedule that you can’t lose. Guys are circling us, and we’re the can’t-lose team, so, they’re coming in and trying to win that game. That’s a must-win game for them, can’t drop it. That’s how they’re looking at us. So, credit the other teams for locking in and getting a dub, but on our side, we gotta look at it as the hungry team, the team that’s hunting them now. Crazy how fast time and things can change and shift, but so much season left, right? We got five-and-a-half, six weeks to fix it, and I think we will.”
- ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed on his radio show that Doc Rivers plans to retire after the season. The 64-year-old head coach said there was nothing to that speculation, according to Nehm of The Athletic. “No, I’m not getting into that,” Rivers said when asked about Smith’s claim after Friday’s practice. “That’s something that; I think he feels that way, but not for me.” Rivers is under contract through next season, Nehm observes.
- Forward Kyle Kuzma received the first DNP-CD of his career on Monday. Speaking to the media on Friday for the first time since that game, Kuzma said he wasn’t informed of the decision in advance (Twitter links via Nehm). “At the end of the day, Doc is the final arbiter, right? So he can make decisions on whatever he wants and rightfully so, he’s the coach,” Kuzma said. “So, that’s not my job to worry about. My job is to come out and just be a professional. That’s who I am. … You just take it in swing. At the end of the day, we trust our coaching staff to make the right decisions on this team or whatever they think can win us games.”
Nets Notes: Fernandez, Dëmin, Thomas, Carrino
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was critical of his starters and a pair of young players after Tuesday’s lopsided loss at Miami, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. As Reilly writes, Tuesday was “easily” Michael Porter Jr.‘s worst game of 2025/26 — he finished with nine points on 3-of-17 shooting, including going 0-for-9 from long distance.
“I want Mike and the first group to play as hard as they can,” Fernandez said. “I want to challenge them to do it, because I’ve seen them doing it, especially on the defensive end. If that happens, I can live with whatever happens. If that is there, then you’re being selfless, you’re playing for the team, and just good things happen. I’m trying to just challenge every guy in different ways.”
Rookie Nolan Traore actually received two points of criticism, as he was part of the starting unit. He recorded six turnovers and zero assists, and fellow rookie Ben Saraf had six turnovers as well (he dished out four assists).
“(Traore and Saraf) need to grow. They need to grow and watch it and learn from it,” Fernandez said. “And I know they’re better. It’s not an excuse if they’re young. I’ve watched them play and they’re way better than 12 turnovers. How they organize the team, how vocal they are, all that, it’s important.”
The 19-year-old guards played better in Thursday’s rematch in Miami, combining for 11 assists (nine for Traore) and four turnovers (three for Traore), though Brooklyn still lost its 10th straight game.
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Saraf has received backup point guard minutes in recent games because fellow first-round pick Egor Dëmin has been sidelined due to a left foot injury. Fernandez said the Russian guard, who missed most of training camp and the preseason while rehabilitating from a plantar fascia tear, has experienced more soreness of late, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “He’s struggled with plantar fasciitis, and the soreness has increased lately,” Fernandez said. “So we’re being cautious and trying to figure out what’s the best way for him moving forward.”
- Cam Thomas said last week that his departure from the Nets was “absolutely” because the team didn’t believe in him, adding that the lack of belief wasn’t exclusive to him. Fernandez responded to those comments prior to Thursday’s game, as Lewis relays (via Twitter). “No, I mean, I wish Cam the best. We loved him while he was here,” Fernandez said. “We hope he does very well where he is. I don’t know if he has a right to speak about others; but we’re happy with the guys we have here. I believe that everybody here can help us with what we have planned, and we wish nothing but the best for him.” Thomas signed with Milwaukee last month after being waived by Brooklyn following the trade deadline.
- Play-by-play announcer Chris Carrino has been named the recipient of the Curt Gowdy electronic media award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday (Twitter link).
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Scheierman, Brown, Walsh
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is making his season debut on Friday vs. Dallas after tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs last May. Head coach Joe Mazzulla discussed Tatum prior to the game.
“We always knew he was going to come back this year,” Mazzulla said (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). “I knew that when he had surgery within 16 hours of (the injury).”
Mazzulla was asked if the perennial All-NBA member would be on a minutes restriction in his first game in nearly 10 months.
“I have no idea,” Mazzulla replied, per Brian Robb of MassLive (Twitter link).
However, ESPN’s Jorge Sedando later reported (via Twitter) that Tatum would not be on a minutes restriction, and Michael Malone confirmed that news on the broadcast, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Tatum will be in the starting lineup, with Baylor Scheierman moving to the bench, according to Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Here’s more from Boston:
- Five ESPN insiders answer five questions about Tatum’s return. As ESPN’s Zach Kram writes, Tatum has led the team in field goal attempts per game each of the past six seasons, so it might take some time for the Celtics to adjust to having him back once he finds his rhythm. That’s particularly true for Jaylen Brown, who has the second-highest usage rate in the league this season, Kram notes. Still, the attention Tatum receives should only benefit the Celtics, who have the second-best offensive rating in the league, says Kram.
- Brown’s strong play — and the team’s success with him as the No. 1 option — has led to some renewed speculation that he should continue in that role for the rest of the season. Former Celtic Grant Williams tells King of The Athletic he’s tired of hearing the debate about how Brown and Tatum fit together, especially after they won the title in 2024. “It’s the same dumb s–t they’ve been talking about since I was here,” Williams told The Athletic. “So I think neither one of (Tatum or Brown) should pay any attention to it because they’re both phenomenal human beings, but also phenomenal players. And no matter what the media says, they’ve shown that they can play with one another and they add to one another’s games. And no matter who gets the attention, no matter who gets the praise, the ultimate goal is winning. Both of those two deserve to be in the Celtics rafters one day. And by doing it together, they’ll be able to do it at a high level.”
- Third-year forward Jordan Walsh will be out Friday due to an illness, the Celtics announced (via Twitter). Boston holds a $2.4MM team option on Walsh, a 2023 second-round pick, for next season.
Pistons Notes: Thompson, Holland, Cunningham, Huerter
The Pistons, who hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference, lost their second straight game on Thursday at San Antonio. They also lost their best perimeter defensive player — third-year wing Ausar Thompson — to a right ankle sprain just two minutes into the contest, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
“Ausar obviously means a lot to us,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “What we were able to do defensively, what he does defensively, the impact he has, obviously, you miss. We just had to figure out a way collectively to pick it up.”
Thompson has already been ruled out of Saturday’s contest vs. Brooklyn, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. The 23-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Second-year forward Ron Holland was also forced out of Thursday’s game after sustaining a left eye injury, the team announced (via Twitter). “He got hit in the eye and it was blurred vision. I didn’t want to put him out there, didn’t feel comfortable putting him back in the game if he couldn’t see straight out of that eye,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Patterson). However, Holland should be ready to go on Saturday, as he’s not listed on tomorrow’s injury report, Patterson tweets.
- Guard Cade Cunningham (left quad contusion) is questionable to suit up against the Nets, while center Jalen Duren is probable because of low back spasms, as Patterson relays (via Twitter).
- Veteran guard Kevin Huerter showed on Thursday why the Pistons traded for him last month, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Huerter had been out of the team’s rotation of late, receiving a DNP-CD in six of his last seven games heading into Thursday, but he capitalized on his opportunity with Thompson out, contributing seven points (on 3-of-4 shooting), five rebounds, two assists and a steal. He was plus-15 in 17 minutes in the 15-point loss to the Spurs. “It’s different, it’s for sure different,” Huerter said of his role. “I think I also know at this point how to be a pro, how to keep myself ready, staying in the gym. It’s my job to be there and try to learn this offense, figure out our identity on the defensive side of the ball and watch film when I can. But obviously keep myself in shape and sharp as much as I can and control the things I can control.“
Kings Notes: Monk, Achiuwa, Westbrook, Christie
Speaking to Sean Cunningham of KCRA News after Thursday’s loss to New Orleans (Twitter video link), Kings guard Malik Monk admitted 2025/26 has been “probably the craziest year of my career.” Like several veterans on the roster, Monk’s name came up in several trade rumors leading up to last month’s deadline, but he ultimately stayed put.
“It’s up and down,” Monk said. “And of course we losing games too so that makes it even worse.”
When asked if the tumultuous nature of the season has prepared him for “almost anything at this point,” Monk heartily agreed.
“Hell yeah,” Monk said. “It can’t get no worse than this. … It can prepare you for anything. The young guys are learning a lot, the vets are trying to teach them.”
Monk told Cunningham he had a simple individual goal for the remainder of the season.
“Get through healthy,” Monk said. “Just get through this s–t, man. Get to the summer time.”
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- The play of forward/center Precious Achiuwa has been a bright spot for a Kings team which has the worst record (14-50) in the NBA, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The former first-round pick, who signed with Sacramento in early November after being waived by the Heat prior to the start of ’25/26, tied his career highs with 29 points and five assists on Thursday while also contributing 12 rebounds. Achiuwa, a six-year veteran, has played some of the best basketball of his career over the past eight games. “There’s a level of energy that he brings, and when he does that on a consistent basis, he changes a lot of different things,” head coach Doug Christie said. “He’s a grown man, rebounds, driving, running the floor, his physicality on defense. Maybe the biggest thing was I didn’t really realize was how versatile he is defensively. He’s guarded point guards, but he can also guard (centers).”
- Point guard Russell Westbrook fired back at media members for their criticism of the team following Thursday’s loss, as Cunningham of KCRA News relays (Twitter video link). Westbrook declined to go into specifics and said he wasn’t upset about criticism of him personally, but rather his teammates and the organization at large.
- At his own post-game press conference, Christie said he didn’t pay attention to media coverage of the team, preferring to focus on his doing his job and not external distractions (Twitter video link via Cunningham). Christie said the team was understandably frustrated with its results this season. “We’re all frustrated,” he said. “We want to win games. There’s just the short stints where you drop the rope. You don’t box out. You allow second-chance points. You close out with your hand down.”
Suns Notes: Booker, Williams, Maluach, Huntley
Suns guard Devin Booker can’t miss more than one game the rest of the season if he hopes to be eligible for major postseason awards like All-NBA, but he says he’s not worried about the 65-game rule, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
“That is what it is,” Booker said on Tuesday. “The postseason award I want is playoff wins en route to get an NBA championship. Anything else doesn’t matter.”
Booker is actually a proponent of the rule, Rankin writes, though the four-time All-Star does see one issue with it.
“The fans want people to play,” Booker said. “We should play. You should have to play to get the awards. So I don’t see a problem with it other than guys trying to rush back and maybe prolong the injury from what it was supposed to be, but I think the rule is fine. You want to be able to play, to be out there.”
Here’s more from Phoenix:
- Starting center Mark Williams is out at least two-to-three weeks after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot. The Suns were surprised to learn of the injury, Rankin writes in another subscriber-only story. “It just popped up,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “(Wednesday) when he came in, day in between games, just had a little soreness. Went to have an image and you saw the news. … There wasn’t a moment where you can see visibly that this is the result of.”
- Speaking to reporters prior to Thursday’s game against Chicago, reserve center Khaman Maluach discussed getting an opportunity to play with Williams sidelined (Twitter video links via Rankin). The former Duke big man also talked about his limited minutes as a rookie. “I didn’t put it on anybody or blame anyone for me not playing,” Maluach said. “I just put it on me and just doubled down and worked twice as hard as what I was doing in the summer and just wait for my turn and wait for my time and really be patient.”
- Forward CJ Huntley signed another two-way contract with Phoenix on Monday after being waived in November. He said he’s grateful for the opportunity after spending the majority of his rookie campaign in the G League with the Valley Suns. “It means a lot. Just been working hard just to be back in this situation,” Huntley said, per Rankin (Twitter video link). “Just put my head down in the (G League), being there for my teammates there, working each and every day. I feel like that helped me get to where I’m at now.”
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Bitadze, T. Young
Head coach Charles Lee had a simple explanation for why the red-hot Hornets have been the best team in the NBA since January 22, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The Hornets have gone 16-3 since that date and have won six straight games, with each of those victories coming by at least 16 points.
“It’s been cool to have a healthy roster,” Lee said. “That has definitely played into some of the shifts that we’ve had going along. But I think that our guys have just embraced the process even more. It started in the offseason, I thought everyone elevated their work habits, their work standards, their togetherness of how we can elevate each other. We’ve gotten stronger through all of it.”
Charlotte’s latest victory was one of its most impressive of the season. Playing on the second night of a home-road back-to-back, the Hornets dominated the 41-21 Celtics in Boston, winning by 29 points.
“They are a great team, we also believe we are a great team,” starting center Moussa Diabate said, per Boone. “At the end of the day, we are not trying to focus too much on them. Obviously we want to win the game but it’s going to take care of itself if we focus on what we have to do. For us, it’s a great thing, it’s a great message to the league as well — understand that the Hornets are here.”
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets were 4-14 at one point, but they are now over .500 (32-31) in March for the first time since 2021/22, notes James Jackson of The Athletic. Prior to that campaign, when Charlotte finished 43-39, the last time the team was over .500 this late in the season was ’15/16, which is also the last time the Hornets made the playoffs. A prolonged stretch of strong play is proof that Charlotte is no longer rebuilding and the club’s young core looks promising for years to come, Jackson adds.
- Reserve center Goga Bitadze had been out of the Magic‘s rotation in recent weeks, only making one appearance over the team’s last nine games heading into Tuesday. However, with Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined due to a left ankle injury, Bitadze was placed into the starting lineup against Washington and the Georgian big man delivered nine points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 21 minutes, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. “Goga’s the best,” Jalen Suggs said about Bitadze. “He’s just in the right spots, sets good screens, rolls (and) has so much gravity when he rolls. And then he’s always behind you ready to block a shot. So, shout out to Goga (for) staying ready.”
- Trae Young was on a restriction of approximately 17-to-20 minutes on Thursday in his Wizards debut, head coach Brian Keefe said before the game (Twitter links via Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network). “I think our guys are going to enjoy playing with him and I think he’s going to enjoy playing with our guys because they’re similar in mindset,” Keefe said. “It’s just another step on our process… and someone who’s going to help us get better.” The four-time All-Star point guard finished with 12 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes.