Nuggets/Wolves Notes: Jokic, Gobert, Murray, Edwards, Braun
The fact that Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets weren’t at their best on Saturday yet still managed to pull out a series-opening victory should scare both the Timberwolves and the rest of the NBA’s playoff field, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
While Jokic finished with 25 points (on 12-of-19 shooting), 13 rebounds and 11 assists (five turnovers) in 40 minutes, his performance was just OK by his lofty standards. Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) and 10 rebounds, deserves a lot of credit for slowing Jokic down, especially in the first half, according to Thompson.
“It’s all Rudy,” Jaden McDaniels said. “Rudy did a good job the whole game just guarding and taking the challenge. That’s what we need every time we play against Jokic, just Rudy coming to compete. That’s the best game we’ve had from Rudy this year.
“He keep doing that,” McDaniels continued, “we’re going to win.”
The problem what that statement is the Wolves dropped a winnable Game 1, Thompson observes, even with Gobert playing near his peak and Jokic being merely good. If Denver’s depth can continue to deliver, Jokic will have more energy left in the tank as the Nuggets look to make a deep playoff run.
Here’s more on the first-round series between the two Northwest Division rivals:
- Another troubling takeaway for Minnesota from Game 1? Denver shot just 1-of-17 from three point range in the second half, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), and 10-for-36 overall (27.8%). The Nuggets, who converted a league-high 39.6% from deep as a team, went just 1-7 during the regular season when they shot under 28% from deep, but still came away with a win on Saturday, notes Wolf Wise Statistics (via Twitter).
- Jamal Murray also wasn’t at his best in Game 1, shooting just 7-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-8 from long distance. However, the Canadian star still finished with a game-high 30 points as he went 16-for-16 at the foul line, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. While several members of the Timberwolves took digs at the overall free throw discrepancy (33 to 19), they said that wasn’t the main reason they lost the game, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Just key mistakes. Just little things, we put them on the free-throw line. A bunch of little things at certain moments,” said Julius Randle, who scored 16 points and was 7-for-16 from the field. “We’d get it to five, and they’d go on a 4-0 run, 6-0 run, stuff like that. We just gotta limit our mistakes down the stretch and try not to put ourselves in that position.”
- Although Anthony Edwards‘ overall stats (22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 38 minutes) were solid, he didn’t look completely healthy as he continues to battle a nagging right knee injury and the Wolves definitely need more from him to win the series, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Head coach Chris Finch said Edwards wasn’t physically compromised, and Edwards agreed. “I felt good,” Edwards said. “I mean, a little fatigued. I haven’t played in like a month, month-and-a-half, so a little fatigued. But that was expected. Other than that, I felt good.”
- Nuggets coach David Adelman said Christian Braun did a “great” job limiting Edwards to an off shooting night (he was 7-of-19 from the field), according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, who says Braun looks forward to the challenge of slowing down the best players in the league. “I’m gonna learn what Ant does throughout the series … and it’s a series for a reason,” Braun said. “But I love the challenge. I love being able to guard the best players every night. I take pride … and obviously, it’s my job. So I gotta do it.“
Injury Notes: Edwards, Nuggets, Durant, Allen
As expected, star guard Anthony Edwards has been upgraded to available for Saturday’s Game 1 at Denver, the Timberwolves announced (via Twitter). Edwards was previously listed as questionable due to a right knee injury which caused him to miss multiple games at the end of the regular season.
That nagging right knee injury ultimately cost Edwards the ability to earn major postseason awards, such as All-NBA, when his extraordinary circumstances appeal was denied. The 24-year-old shot career-best percentages on two-pointers (55.4%) and three-pointers (39.9%) while averaging a career-high 28.8 points per game in 2025/26. Edwards was named second-team All-NBA each of the past two seasons.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Nuggets forward Spencer Jones will be active today against Minnesota after previously being listed as questionable, per the team (Twitter link). Jones, a former undrafted free agent in his second NBA season, has been sidelined since March 29 due to a right hamstring strain. Fourth-year forward Peyton Watson, meanwhile, remains out due to his own right hamstring strain, which he aggravated on April 1. Watson previously missed several weeks due his initial strain prior to returning in late March.
- Rockets star Kevin Durant is questionable to suit up tonight against the Lakers due to a right knee contusion, but the injury doesn’t sound serious. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the 37-year-old forward sustained the injury in a practice this week. Houston is confident Durant’s knee bruise won’t be a “significant issue” in the first-round series vs. Los Angeles, a source tell ESPN.
- While Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was in the team’s starting lineup for the afternoon matchup vs. Toronto on Saturday, he acknowledged earlier this week that the right knee tendonitis he’s been experiencing since March 3 is likely to continue bothering him until the offseason, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor writes, Allen’s tendonitis has been described as “severe,” and he’s tried a variety of treatment methods to reduce inflammation and pain in his knee. “I’d be lying if I said I would expect it to be 100%,” Allen said. “I don’t think anybody will be 100% going into the playoffs. That’s just how it is. That’s my very political answer to not give you a yes or no. But I think it’s definitely something I’m going to have to deal with and manage. Get treatment before and take the medicine that I’m supposed to try to be at my best.”
And-Ones: Rivers, Awards, Playoff X-Factors, Wemby, Morant
In a podcast appearance with Bill Simmons of The Ringer (Twitter video link), Doc Rivers suggested his coaching career might be finished. The 64-year-old stepped down as head coach of the Bucks earlier this week.
“We met about seven weeks ago, me and (Bucks) ownership,” Rivers said (hat tip to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports). “We had a great meeting. They asked me what I wanted to do. One of the owners says one plan is, ‘If we do this, you can hang in there for a year or two.’ I literally said, ‘Oh, no, no, no.’
“I told my coaches, I’m done. I loved coaching. Loved it. I had a lot of success at it, had way more ups than downs. But at the end of the day, I’ve given 47 years or whatever, I don’t even know how old I am … with no off time. I just wanted a break. I want to get away. The grandkids and just life in general, man. Right now, I can tell you, Bill, I think it was time, so I’d be surprised if I coached another game, I’ll put it that way.”
Rivers, who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, compiled a 1194-866 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports and Tim Bontemps of ESPN have released their full 2026 NBA awards ballots. While both media members have the same top-five finishers for Most Valuable Player, with Luka Doncic fourth and Cade Cunningham fifth, the order of the three finalists are different. O’Connor has Victor Wembanyama as his MVP, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, whereas Bontemps had SGA winning his second straight MVP award, with Jokic the runner-up and Wembanyama in third.
- In another story for Yahoo Sports, O’Connor lists his playoff X-factors for every team competing in the postseason. Celtics center Neemias Queta, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson and Spurs guard Dylan Harper are a few of the players mentioned.
- The Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) has named Spurs center Wembanyama the winner of the Magic Johnson award for the 2025/26 season, per a press release. The award “honors the NBA player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.” Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) was the runner-up for the second straight season, while Stephen Curry (Warriors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) were the other finalists.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has purchased a stake in the Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama’s former team in France, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I’m excited about how this first season with the Metros is going,” Morant told ClutchPoints. “They represent the culture, just like we do. I like what we are building and hopefully we get to take it into NBA Europe.” Morant made the investment alongside his media and business venture company, Catch12.
Pelicans Making ‘Significant’ Changes To Basketball Staff
The Pelicans have begun to make “significant” changes to their basketball operations, coaching, and medical staffs, multiple sources tell Shamit Dua of In The N.O. (Twitter links).
Several staff members have been informed they won’t be brought back for next season, according to Dua, who says a “significant portion” of the basketball operations, coaching, and medical departments were either on expiring contracts or had team options. New Orleans decided to go in a different direction as the team begins “restructuring” and “reorganizing” those three key departments, Dua adds.
In a full story at his Substack, Dua reports that assistant coaches Casey Hill and Corey Brewer were among the “more than a dozen” employees who won’t return in 2026/27.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line confirms Dua’s report (via Twitter), writing that “sweeping” organizational changes were made on Friday. As Fischer notes, the Pelicans have commenced a search for a new head coach and several positions on the coaching staff will be available once the lead coach has been hired.
Dua hears Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley is a name to watch in the Pelicans’ coaching search (Twitter link).
The Pelicans are entering their second offseason under executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who was hired last April. There have been rumors that Dumars has taken a hands-off approach as a decision-maker, with senior VP of basketball operations and general manager Troy Weaver believed to be behind last summer’s trades for Jordan Poole and Derik Queen.
Northwest Notes: Splitter, Nuggets, Daigneault, Hardy
Tiago Splitter has emulated Gregg Popovich as interim head coach of the Trail Blazers, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Splitter, 41, spent five of his seven NBA seasons playing in San Antonio under Popovich, including winning a title in 2014.
“The way he treats people makes you feel like you are part of a family,” Splitter said of Popovich, who retired from coaching last May as the NBA’s all-time winningest coach after leading the Spurs to five NBA titles and six trips to the Finals in 29 seasons.
“That’s really what I am trying to do here,” Splitter continued. “I have everybody involved. From one to 18 on the roster, everybody has to be part of this. I think that is what I learned most from him, the off-the-court stuff. The Xs and Os, yeah, they are important. I think everybody does that in the league. But the relationship part with the players is what really, really separates Pop from all the coaches.”
As Orsborn points out, multiple reports have suggested Splitter isn’t a lock to be promoted to Portland’s full-time head coach despite taking over under difficult — and extraordinary — circumstances and helping the team exceed expectations in 2025/26.
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- After expressing optimism earlier this week that Nuggets forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones could both be available for Saturday’s Game 1 matchup vs. Minnesota, head coach David Adelman said on Friday that Jones has a better chances of suiting up than Watson, tweets Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports. Both players are recovering from right hamstring strains — Watson has been out since April 1, while Jones suffered his injury on March 29.
- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault continued to improve in 2025/26 after leading the team to the championship last season, according to star swingman Jalen Williams (subscriber-only story via Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman). While Daigneault may not be a finalist for Coach of the Year after leading Oklahoma City to the best record in the league for the second straight season, his players continue to sing his praises, Carlson writes. “And I think especially for us this season, it’s been big because coming off winning a championship, winning however many games, the margins are small for where you can find improvement,” veteran Alex Caruso said. “But I think he’s done a great job of searching for it and pushing us to try and find some ways to get better as well.”
- Will Jazz head coach Will Hardy show a different side of himself next season after guiding a tanking team over the past four years? Sarah Todd of The Deseret News explores that subject, writing that third-year guard Keyonte George expects Hardy to be a little more intense in 2026/27. “Oh, absolutely,” George said with a knowing laugh and shake of his head. “Will is already a maniac and he’s gonna have his moments. But I know Will, and I know he wants the best for us, so whatever that looks like from Will — I know there’ll be a lot of screaming and yelling — it’s gonna make us great.”
Wolves Notes: Edwards, McDaniels, Reid, Nuggets Series
Unlike fellow stars Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards didn’t have his request for an “extraordinary circumstances” exception approved and won’t be eligible for end-of-season awards this spring. Edwards missed time over the course of the season due to hamstring, foot, and knee injuries, as well as an illness, and ended up appearing in 61 total games, including 60 of at least 20 minutes, falling shy of the 65-game criteria.
Based on the NBA’s announcement on Thursday, it sounds as if Doncic and Cunningham were deemed award-eligible because they got closer to the 65-game threshold and missed time for reasons beyond typical basketball injuries — Doncic was inactive for two games when he traveled to Slovenia for the birth of his child in December, while Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung in March. Still, the league’s lack of specificity in defining what constitutes “extraordinary” circumstances has created some confusion.
“It sure would be nice to hear an explanation as to why Anthony was denied his 65 games, particularly when you look at the history of Anthony, who plays all the time and has played all the time,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said on Thursday, per Jon Krawcznyski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m not sure why we have a rule if we have an appeals process that is overturned in two-thirds of the cases that were held before it. It feels more like a suggestion than a rule.
“Again, (Doncic and Cunningham) are super deserving and their injuries are legitimate. It has nothing to do with them, but so are Anthony’s and Anthony’s situation. We’ve never rested him. That’s not how he’s been. It just feels a little unfortunate that he was the only one left out.”
Edwards’ business manager Justin Holland also weighed in on the ruling, as Shams Charania of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
“Anthony and I appreciate the (NBPA) appealing his case,” Holland said. “For me personally, I’m a bit confused at the clemency for Cade who missed time for something that happened on the court, and not Ant, who missed time for an infection, but ultimately you already know Ant isn’t trippin’ over it AT ALL. He was mad he didn’t get to 65, but not because he missed out on awards — he was mad because it meant he didn’t get to play in all 82, which is what he always tries to do for his teammates and fans. You know the only thing he wants is a ring!”
As Holland alludes to, though Cunningham’s collapsed lung isn’t a common condition for an NBA player, it’s believed to have stemmed from an in-game collision, while Edwards was reported to be dealing with a toe infection when he missed multiple games in December and January.
We have more on the Wolves:
- Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic traces the progress that Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid have made since the 2019/20 season, when Edwards and McDaniels were rookies and Reid was a second-year player. As Krawczynski details, there were plenty of signs even when they were just 19 or 20 years old that they would eventually become impact players. “Despite Ant shooting poorly, you saw that all of these guys were difference-makers,” a former front office executive said. “Even with a horrific loss, you saw that there was something. The gym was empty, no one in the world probably saw that game. … In the end, we knew there was something positive.”
- The Timberwolves displayed a concerning lack of focus and intensity at times during the season, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press, with Edwards admitting that it sometimes felt as if the team – which has appeared in back-to-back conference finals – was “just trying to get through the season to get to the playoffs.” However, there’s confidence among Wolves players that the club’s inconsistent energy level won’t be an issue during the postseason. “When our group doesn’t have a choice, usually it shows up, and so once again it’s all in our hands. It’s all in our power,” center Rudy Gobert said. “We’re facing a great opponent, and we know that if we don’t come out hungry, we don’t have a chance.”
- Ahead of the first-round series between the Wolves and Nuggets, Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette examines the many connections between the two organizations, detailing how Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Finch, lead assistant Micah Nori, and guard Bones Hyland all previously worked or played in Denver. Additionally, Wolves assistant Elston Turner was a longtime lieutenant under David Adelman‘s father Rick Adelman, while one of the Nuggets’ top front office executives, Jon Wallace, is a former Minnesota staffer.
Nuggets, Pacers To Play In Mexico City On Nov. 7
The Nuggets and Pacers will play a regular season game in Mexico City on Saturday, November 7, the NBA announced in a press release.
It will be Denver’s second time playing in Mexico and Indiana’s first. The matchup will mark the league’s 35th game in the country since 1992, per the release.
The Nuggets, who are the third seed in the Western Conference entering the 2025/26 playoffs, won their first NBA championship in 2023. The Pacers, meanwhile, came one win away from claiming their first title last year.
This will be the third straight year in which the annual Mexico City game will occur during the week of Día de Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) celebrations. As usual, the contest will take place at the Arena CDMX.
We’ll likely have to wait a few months until the full schedules for 2026/27 are revealed, but we can mark Nov. 7 down for the Nuggets and Pacers.
Details On NBA’s Playoff Bonus Money For 2025/26
The pool of bonus money for NBA playoff teams this season is worth approximately $36MM, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico.
The top six teams in each conference earn bonuses based on their regular season records, while the 16 playoff teams also receive a chunk of money from the playoff pool, increasing the value of their payout with each series win. That bonus money is divvied up among the players on each club’s 15-man roster.
Teams eliminated in the play-in tournament aren’t entitled to any of the playoff bonus money, even if they had the seventh- or eighth-best regular season record in their conference.
The breakdown for 2026’s playoff pool money is as follows (rounded to the nearest thousand), per Sportico:
Regular season achievements:
- Best record in NBA (Thunder): $896K
- No. 1 seeds in each conference (Pistons, Thunder): $784K per team
- No. 2 seeds (Celtics, Spurs): $628K per team
- No. 3 seeds (Knicks, Nuggets): $471K per team
- No. 4 seeds (Cavaliers, Lakers): $384K per team
- No. 5 seeds (Raptors, Rockets): $297K per team
- No. 6 seeds (Hawks, Timberwolves): $210K per team
Postseason achievements:
- Teams participating in first round (all 16 playoff teams — the 12 listed above, plus the Sixers, Trail Blazers, and Friday’s play-in winners): $481K per team
- Teams participating in conference semifinals (eight teams): $586K per team
- Teams participating in conference finals (four teams): $980K per team
- Losing team in NBA Finals: $3,921,000
- Winning team in NBA Finals: $9,078,000
A team that makes a deep playoff run will cash in on more than one of the bonuses listed above.
For example, if the Thunder win the championship, their payout from the playoff pool would be worth more than $12.8MM in total — that amount would include their bonuses for posting the NBA’s best record, claiming the West’s No. 1 seed, making the first round, making the conference semifinals, making the conference finals, and winning the NBA Finals.
The total amount of the playoff bonus pool, which is based on a formula connected to basketball-related income (BRI), is up 3% from last season, according to Badenhausen and Akabas.
Trail Blazers Notes: Avdija, Splitter, Dundon, Henderson
The Trail Blazers claimed a spot in the playoffs because Deni Avdija had his “superstar moment” in the team’s biggest game, writes Bill Oram of The Oregonian. Avdija exploded for 41 points in Tuesday’s play-in win at Phoenix, becoming just the fifth player to reach the 40-point mark in the tournament’s seven-year history. He hit the game-winning shot with 16.1 seconds left to play and drew contact that fouled out Dillon Brooks.
“I feel like he’s unique,” teammate Jrue Holiday said of Avdija. “Nobody does what he does. To be able to damn near have a triple-double, on kind of an off-night for him … is something you love to see in Deni because this is what we expect from him now.”
Oram views the victory as a statement game for not only Avdija, but also for interim head coach Tiago Splitter, who hopes to get the job on a permanent basis; for general manager Joe Cronin, who made some controversial moves that ultimately paid off; and for Jerami Grant, who scored 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench in his return from a calf strain.
Splitter was also impressed by Avdija, who delivered in his first opportunity to lead a team in the postseason.
“I don’t even think he had a great game,” Splitter said, “but he just kept going, kept believing in himself (and) scored a couple buckets at the end.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- Splitter has earned a new contract after leading Portland to its first playoff appearance in five years, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report contends in a subscriber-only piece. He states that Splitter also delivered under pressure on Tuesday, calming the team during a time out midway through the fourth quarter that helped to reverse the momentum after Phoenix took an 11-point lead.
- There are concerns about whether new team owner Tom Dundon is willing to pay a competitive rate for a head coach, Oram states in another Oregonian story. Oram cites rumors around the league that Dundon wants his coach to earn about $1MM per year, roughly 25% of the typical salary for the position, which is why he’s looking at college coaches and ex-players such as Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley and Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, who might be willing to accept less money to get their first head coaching opportunity.
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated addresses the same theme, stating that Dundon is already expressing “sticker shock” at the high costs associated with being an NBA owner. Four sources tell Mannix that Dundon had several staffers check out of their Phoenix hotel rooms at noon ahead of Tuesday night’s game so the team wouldn’t be charged for an extra day. They spent hours in the hotel lobby waiting for the first bus to the arena.
- Scoot Henderson is finally getting a chance to be productive after injuries affected his first three NBA seasons. After missing the first 51 games this season with a torn left hamstring, the third pick in the 2023 draft has played his way into the starting lineup. “I never felt bad for myself,” Henderson said in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Even when [the injury] happened, I’m like, ‘I ain’t going to feel bad for myself.’ I just started laughing. I’m like, ‘All right. I see what’s happening. I see what the man above wants me to go through.’ I accepted it right when it happened. I’m into a different mode now. I’m at the recovery mode. I’m getting back healthy.”
Injury Notes: Jackson, Watson, Jones, Harper, Wemby
Clippers center Isaiah Jackson has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Golden State, the team announced today.
Acquired in February’s Ivica Zubac trade, Jackson didn’t initially have a role with L.A., but began to play regular minutes behind starter Brook Lopez in early March after Yanic Konan Niederhauser went down with a season-ending foot injury. However, Jackson suffered a right high ankle sprain on March 27 and missed the final eight games of the regular season.
Assuming Jackson is active on Wednesday, it’s unclear whether the Clippers plan to immediately reinsert him into their rotation or if the team will continue to rely on big man John Collins and smaller lineups when Lopez isn’t on the floor.
Let’s round up a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA…
- Nuggets wings Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain) and Spencer Jones (right hamstring strain) didn’t take contact during Wednesday’s practice, but they took part in all non-contact work, according to head coach David Adelman (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Although Watson has been out since April 1 and Jones hasn’t played since March 29, Adelman believes both players could be available on Saturday vs. Minnesota. “My hope is they’ll play in Game 1,” he said. “If not, we’ll play the group that’s fully healthy.”
- Spurs guard Dylan Harper exited Sunday’s regular season finale after injuring his left thumb, but he’s trending toward being available for Game 1 against Portland, reports Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “We expect him to play Sunday,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “He just got it hit and there’s going to be some pain there … He’s got to work his way through that, but we expect him to play.”
- While Victor Wembanyama sat out two of the Spurs‘ final three games of the regular season due to a rib contusion, he indicated after Wednesday’s practice that he’ll be ready for Sunday’s contest, per Orsborn. “I’m very close, but we never really go back to 100%, except before your season (in) the offseason,” Wembanyama said when asked how close he is to 100%. “… There’s always something going on. In terms of regular season shape, I’m very close.”