Thunder Clinch Top Seed In West
The Thunder have secured the top seed in the Western Conference entering this year’s playoffs, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City clinched the West’s No. 1 seed when the Lakers lost to the Bucks on Thursday evening (Twitter link via the NBA).
It’s the second straight season the Thunder have been the top seed in the West. Unlike 2023/24, when their playoff seeding was still up in the air until the very last game of the season, they have clinched the No. 1 seed in ’24/25 with 13 regular season games remaining.
The Thunder finished ’23/24 with a 57-25 record. Oklahoma City, which holds a one-game lead on Cleveland for the best record in the NBA, has already matched that win total in ’24/25 and currently has a 57-12 record.
Houston could theoretically tie Oklahoma City at 57 wins if the Rockets win their remaining 12 games and the Thunder lose all 13 of theirs. But even if that happens — and there’s essentially no chance it will — the Thunder will remain the top seed due to a head-to-head tiebreaker (OKC went 3-1 vs. Houston this season).
Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder have the NBA’s fourth-best offense and the top defensive rating in the league by a wide margin. Their net rating differential of 12.6 points per 100 possessions is one of the best marks in league history.
Lakers Notes: Luka, Reaves, Goodwin, Bronny, More
The Lakers will be shorthanded for Thursday’s matchup with Milwaukee, which is the second end of a back-to-back, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
In addition to LeBron James, who remains sidelined with a left groin strain, the Lakers will also be without superstar guard Luka Doncic, who continues to manage a sprained right ankle, sources tell McMenamin.
Austin Reaves will also be out tonight with his own right ankle sprain, the team announced, and Rui Hachimura will miss his 10th straight game due to left knee tendinopathy. Forwards Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (right groin strain) are listed as doubtful.
As McMenamin notes, Thursday will mark Los Angeles’ sixth game in eight days, including a recent makeup contest against San Antonio from January that was postponed due to the L.A. wildfires. Other than trying to secure a favorable seed entering the playoffs, Vanderbilt said the team is focused on its health.
“Getting healthy,” Vanderbilt said. “S–t, that would be No. 1. Getting healthy. Getting rest with this stretch. And try to get some reps together. The main thing is getting healthy so we can try to keep building our chemistry.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The acquisition of Doncic has transformed L.A.’s offense in numerous ways, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. The 25-year-old has been developing burgeoning chemistry with both Reaves and Jaxson Hayes. “He creates such havoc for teams’ defenses that 90 percent of the time people are blitzing him, as you can probably see, and he makes the right play out of the blitz,” Reaves said. “He doesn’t try to force it too much in those situations, and he makes the right play. So therefore you’re playing four-on-three, and it just comes down to playing the game the right way and passing it to the open person, because three people can’t guard four.“
- In another story for ESPN.com, McMenamin outlines how the Lakers have improved over the course of the season on the defensive end. Having Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent healthy and trading for Finney-Smith helped, but L.A.’s supposed liabilities have also been punching above their weight. “Even their biggest defensive liabilities in Reaves, LeBron and Luka, who is only so-so, are playing well above their defensive standards,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN.
- Two-way guard Jordan Goodwin has been another impact defender for the Lakers. As we noted this morning, he only has four active games remaining. “I’m just trying to find any way possible just to keep the job, keep being here. It’s going to be doing the little things,” Goodwin told McMenamin. “We already got our stars so we need guys to come in and be the role players, do the dirty work. So, I’m cool with doing that if that’s what’s going to keep me in the NBA.”
- Although all three of the Lakers’ two-way players are nearing their active game limits, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking told McMenamin that the Lakers aren’t in a rush to make decisions on the back end of their roster.
- In an interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic, guard Bronny James says he’s confident in the progress he’s made during his rookie campaign, particularly at the G League level with South Bay. “I definitely think I’ve improved, not only as a player, but just having a different mindset as a player to go out and play my game and play the game that I know how to play,” James said. “I feel really good about it — I see the progress.”
Spurs’ Mamukelashvili Makes NBA History In Career Night
Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili put on a show in Wednesday’s victory over New York, setting an NBA record by scoring the most points in a game when playing fewer than 20 minutes, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
In 19 minutes and 26 seconds of action, which came exclusively in the second and fourth quarters, Mamukelashvili scored a career-best 34 points while chipping in nine rebounds and three assists. His efficiency was absolutely remarkable — he was 13-of-14 from the floor, including 7-of-7 from three-point range, and made his only free throw.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Mamukelashvili said. “I just can’t explain how I feel right now. I feel like I’m in a dream. I manifested and prayed for it. I just waited for this day. I really had an out-of-body experience for a little bit there. I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’”
According to Wright, Mamukelashvili became just the fourth player in league history to convert at least 90% of his field goal attempts while making all of his threes and free throws, joining Tyrese Haliburton, Gary Payton and Charles Barkley.
While the 25-year-old forward/center had scored in double figures in each of the three games preceding Wednesday’s eruption, his season-high entering the game was 14 points. That’s partly due to opportunity, or lack thereof — he had only been averaging 8.9 minutes per contest (now 9.1).
“It would be ridiculous to say that was expected in 19 minutes and 26 seconds of opportunity,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s a really good shooter, and you’re just waiting for him to have one of those games. I think that probably exceeded some of the thought of having one of those games. But he comes to work every day. He’s the most consistent person, especially when you talk about the role that he has. That’s why you can hear a little bit of the guys [in the locker room] and their feeling for him.”
A former second-round pick (54th overall in 2021), Mamukelashvili has signed one-year, minimum-salary contracts with San Antonio each of the past two offseasons. The 25-year-old’s career night came at a great time, as he flew in his father to watch the game with other family members, Wright notes. Mamukelashvili will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“I’m trying to get better. I’m trying to establish myself,” Mamukelashvili said. “I’m trying to show everybody that I belong. I’ll just keep taking strides towards that. I’m just so happy I have a support team behind me: my girl, my friends, my teammates, my family. Once it sinks in, you’re kind of like, ‘OK, I really worked for this and it’s happening.’ It was an unbelievable feeling.”
Pelicans Assistant Dan Geriot Named Iona’s Head Coach
Pelicans assistant Dan Geriot has officially been hired as the new men’s head coach at Iona University, the school announced in a press release.
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported earlier this week (via Twitter) that Geriot was expected to replace Tobin Anderson, who was fired on Monday after two seasons with the Gaels.
“I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work,” Geriot said. “Iona has a strong basketball tradition and history of success, and I look forward to being part of it. Our goal is to build a team that plays hard, competes at the highest level, and makes our fans proud. I can’t wait to get started.”
The 36-year-old played four seasons of college basketball at Richmond and one professional season in Belgium prior to transitioning to coaching. He was an assistant at Princeton and Campbell University before he got his first NBA job with Cleveland back in 2015.
Geriot steadily worked his way up the ranks over the course of nine years with the Cavaliers, eventually becoming an assistant under J.B. Bickerstaff. When Bickerstaff was fired last summer, Geriot was hired by New Orleans as a front-bench assistant under Willie Green.
Geriot is the third veteran NBA assistant to land an NCAA head coaching job this month, joining Alex Jensen (Utah) and Luke Loucks (Florida State). All three played college basketball — Jensen and Loucks were hired by their alma maters.
More Details On Celtics’ Impending Sale
In a press release via Business Wire, Boston Basketball Partners LLC officially confirmed that it has reached an agreement to sell its majority stake in the Celtics at a record valuation of $6.1 billion to a group led by William (Bill) Chisholm.
Other members of the new group include current minority owner Robert Hale, Bruce A. Beal Jr., and Sixth Street, a private equity firm.
Sixth Street, which also purchased a stake in the Spurs in 2021, will invest more than $1 billion in the Celtics, a source tells Mike Vorkunov, Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The impending sale still needs to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors. According to The Athletic’s trio, the transaction is expected to take a few months to be finalized.
“Bill is a terrific person and a true Celtics fan, born and raised here in the Boston area,” Wyc Grousbeck said. “His love for the team and the city of Boston, along with his chemistry with the rest of the Celtics leadership, make him a natural choice to be the next Governor and controlling owner of the team. I know he appreciates the importance of the Celtics and burns with a passion to win on the court while being totally committed to the community. Quite simply, he wants to be a great owner. He has asked me to run the team as CEO and Governor for the first three years, and stay on as his partner, and I am glad to do so.”
“Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life,” Chisholm said in his own statement. “I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston – the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country. I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge.
“My partners and I have immense respect for Wyc, the entire Grousbeck family and their indelible contributions to the Celtics organization over the last 23 years. We look forward to learning from Wyc and partnering with Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla and the talented team and staff to build upon their success as we work to bring more championships home to Boston.”
Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, met with four prospective ownership groups in the month preceding the sale, sources tell The Athletic. A group led by another current minority owner, Steve Pagliuca, had been considered the frontrunner to purchase the team, per The Athletic’s report. However, Pagliuca released a statement (via Twitter) confirming his bid was unsuccessful.
“I recruited new partners with deep resources and expertise in technology and international markets to maximize the Celtics’ successes to ensure we can always compete for Championships, luxury taxes be damned,” Pagliuca said in part. “We made a fully guaranteed and financed offer at a record price, befitting the best sports fans in the world, and with all the capital coming from individuals who are fully committed to winning on and off the court.
“We had no debt or private equity money that would potentially hamstring our ability to compete in the future. We have felt it was the best offer for the Celtics. It is a bid of true fans, deeply connected to Boston’s community and we’ve been saddened to find out that we have not been selected in the process.”
Raptors Sign Colin Castleton To Second 10-Day Deal
12:16 pm: Castleton has officially signed his second 10-day contract with the Raptors, the team confirmed in a press release.
11:03 am: The Raptors are bringing back Colin Castleton on a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expired overnight, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
A 6’11” big man, Castleton has made five appearances thus far for Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 block in 27.8 minutes per contest.
Castleton spent his rookie year on a two-way contract with the Lakers and was on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies for most of the first half of 2024/25. He was waived by Memphis in January.
Although Castleton didn’t have much of an NBA role for the Lakers or Grizzlies, he has been a productive player at the G League level since he went undrafted out of Florida in 2023. In addition to his time with L.A. and Memphis, the 24-year-old has also played for the Magic’s NBAGL affiliate in Osceola.
Toronto has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Castleton. His 10-day contract will pay him $107,027 and will carry an identical cap hit on the Raptors’ books.
Assuming the signing is completed prior to Sunday’s game at Portland, Castleton will be eligible to play five more games for the Raptors during his second 10-day contract, which will expire overnight on March 25. At that point, the Raptors will have to decide if they want to retain him for the rest of the season.
Warriors Notes: Kerr, Butler, Podziemski
Steve Kerr became the winningest coach in Warriors history following Saturday’s victory over New York, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. With his 558th regular season win, Kerr broke Al Attles‘ franchise record.
As Youngmisuk notes, Attles spent six-plus decades with the Warriors as a player, executive and coach. The Hall of Famer, who passed away in August, guided the club for 14 seasons, leading the team to its first championship in 1975. His family was on hand to present Kerr with the game ball after the victory.
“It was a great moment being awarded the game ball by the Attles family,” Kerr said. “It was really beautiful to be honored by their presence, and obviously Al Attles is Mr. Warrior forever. The record, it’s kind of surreal to even think that this could happen, but it’s a reflection of our organizational strength, stability and a talent level over the last 11 years since I’ve been here.
“I’m incredibly lucky to be part of this organization and part of this city and very humbled by the honor because of Al’s greatness and what he means to the franchise.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Golden State is now 14-1 when Jimmy Butler is in the lineup. ESPN’s Brianna Williams takes a look Butler’s history of making an immediate impact with the teams he has played for.
- Butler has acted as more of a play-maker than a scorer since he joined the Warriors. His 11.0 field goal attempts per game with Golden State would be his lowest mark in 11 years, but he’s averaging 5.9 assists and only 1.4 turnovers per game, two of the best figures of his career. After Saturday’s victory, Butler suggested he’s been biding his time when it comes to scoring, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic relays (Twitter video link). “When it’s my time, you’ll know it’s my time,” Butler said. “Until then, I’m going to pass the ball to the open man, get my guys some jumpers, get them out in transition and we gonna keep winning.”
- Kerr said the Warriors are targeting Tuesday’s game vs. Milwaukee for Brandin Podziemski to return from the back issue that has cost him the past four games, Slater tweets. That means the second-year guard will miss his fifth straight contest on Monday against Denver.
Injury Notes: Washington, Ball, Thybulle, Kaminsky
Mavericks forward P.J. Washington is not listed on the injury report ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia, so he appears on track to return after missing the past seven games with a right ankle sprain, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.
It’s certainly welcome news for Dallas, which has been absolutely devastated by injuries over the past several weeks. Even with Washington back, the Mavs will still be shorthanded, as Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist surgery), Dante Exum (broken hand), Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) and Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain) are out.
Jaden Hardy is doubtful for Sunday’s game as he continues to deal with a right ankle sprain, while Kai Jones (left quad strain) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) are questionable. Brandon Williams, who is on a two-way deal, is probable with left hamstring tightness, per the league’s official injury report.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Bulls guard Lonzo Ball missed 15 games earlier in 2024/25 due to a right wrist injury. He reinjured the wrist at the end of February, causing him to miss the past seven games, and he’ll likely miss at least five more, as he didn’t travel with the team during its West Coast trip, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I haven’t heard anything about him being shut down,” head coach Billy Donovan said Saturday. “I think what he’s doing right now is just trying to get himself back to playing. Doctors aren’t saying, ‘Hey, listen, you gotta sit out.’ It’s just when he feels that he can do things on the court that he’s comfortable with. Like he can’t shoot right now, hasn’t been able to do that . . . passing and dribbling. Until that subsides, then he’ll be out, but I think he, in my conversations with him, it’s been everything to try to get back to playing. No one has said to me from above, ‘Hey, this goes on a little longer, we’re going to have him shut down.’ I have not heard that.”
- Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle underwent a procedure in October, just before the start of the regular season, to address inflammation in his right knee. It wasn’t supposed to sideline him for a significant period, but he sustained a bad right ankle sprain in late November during his ramp-up process, which set back his recovery. “I’ve talked to so many people about it now, and the overarching sentiment is that with ankle sprains this bad, sometimes it’s better to just break it than to sprain it,” Thybulle said, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link). “Because the recovery time with all the ligaments that were torn takes so long. With a bone, it can just heal back up and it’s just as strong. It was a whole process. And then to have it happen in conjunction with a different injury … You start with the knee, and then hurt the ankle as bad as I did, and have those things be married as one giant injury to be dealt with. It made it quite the process.” Thybulle was technically active for the first time this season on Wednesday vs. New York, but he didn’t end up playing. Head coach Chauncey Billups said the two-time All-Defensive member’s role is up in the air for the final 15 games of ’24/25, according to Highkin.
- Former NBA big man Frank Kaminsky, who spent training camp with Phoenix last fall before being cut, will miss the remainder of the NBA G League season, reports Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Kaminsky, who had been playing for the Raptors 905 until recently, is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Williamson Would Draw ‘Significant Interest’ On Trade Market
On the latest episode of the Hoops Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps briefly discussed the impressive play and potential trade value of Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Since January 7, when he returned from a hamstring strain that sidelined him for two months, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 59.5% from the field and 64.3% from the foul line in 22 appearances.
However, Williamson has also missed 10 games over that span and has only averaged 27.8 minutes per contest. Some of that is by design to try and keep him healthy (minutes restriction, no back-to-backs), but New Orleans also hasn’t been competitive for much of the season.
The Pelicans are just 18-50 overall and 9-19 when Williamson plays. The team has a minus-1.1 net rating when he’s on the court and is a ghastly minus-10.0 when he’s not.
“I remember Bobby [Marks] and I wrote a story just as he was about to come back and kind of like, ‘What’s coming with Zion?’” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “What the trade value and market might be for him.
“Somebody told us then the goal is to ramp him up and restore his value, whether that’s for the Pelicans or another team. And he’s handling the first part, to his credit, he is absolutely handling the first part.”
A rival GM recently expressed skepticism to Windhorst about Williamson’s possible trade value and whether or not the Pelicans would consider moving him, suggesting the team might wait until next season to see if he can continue to stay on the court.
“I still don’t know how much they can actually get for him based on his injury history,” Windhorst replied.
“There’s some teams that would have significant interest,” said MacMahon.
Bulls Notes: Jones, Buzelis, Collins, Mirage
Following Thursday’s victory over Brooklyn, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan praised Tre Jones, saying the fifth-year point guard has a knack for making winning plays, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), who points out that the impending free agent recorded five points, four rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter.
“Being a part of a winning culture, a winning team, that’s the whole reason of playing basketball really,” Jones said.
Jones, who was acquired from San Antonio in the Zach LaVine trade, has started each of the past five games, averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .500/.500/.769 shooting over that span (33.3 MPG). Like his older brother Tyus Jones, Tre is known for his ability to take care of the basketball, having recorded 54 assists against only eight turnovers in 14 games with Chicago (an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.75-to-1).
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Lottery pick Matas Buzelis hit the rookie wall at some point over the past couple weeks, observes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. As Poe details, Buzelis was visibly exhausted on Monday against Indiana, and while he had more energy on Thursday vs. Brooklyn, he only played 15 minutes after averaging 27.5 over his past 17 games. “That’s part of his development,” Donovan said. “Is he eating well? Is he hydrating well? Is he getting good sleep? You can maybe get away with that playing 10 minutes a game. When you all of a sudden start playing 26, 28, 30, 32 minutes a night on a regular basis, there’s a toll it takes on your body.”
- In the same story, Poe notes that Zach Collins has been ahead of Jalen Smith on the center depth chart the past two games after Nikola Vucevic returned from a calf injury that sidelined him for seven contests. Collins, who was also acquired in the LaVine deal, has averaged 11.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .554/.333/.879 shooting in 12 games for the Bulls (25.0 MPG). He’s owed about $18.1MM next season prior to 2026 free agency, while Smith is under contract through 2027.
- The Bulls have won four straight, bolstering their chances of not only securing a play-in berth, but perhaps passing Miami or Orlando to move up a spot or two in the standings. The recent stretch of play is nothing but a mirage, in the view of Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who argues that head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should be blamed for his refusal to embrace a rebuild ahead of a 2025 draft that is highly touted, particularly at the top. Advancing to the playoffs would likely be viewed by Karnisovas as a sign of progress, but it would be catastrophic for the Chicago’s long-term outlook, according to Cowley.