Injury Notes: Brooks, Williams, Ivey, Embiid, Shamet
The Suns could get a couple of starters back from injuries next week, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who expects Dillon Brooks to return early in the team’s road trip and Mark Williams to be back later in the week. Phoenix’s road trip begins next Monday in Memphis and concludes the following Sunday at Chicago.
Brooks underwent surgery last month to repair a fractured left hand. The 30-year-old wing is four weeks removed from that injury, which was expected to sideline him around four-to-six weeks.
Williams, meanwhile, has been out since March 3 after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot. The 24-year-old center will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Bulls upgraded Jaden Ivey (left knee soreness) to questionable on Sunday before downgrading him to out. He’ll miss his 16th consecutive game Monday against Houston. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Ivey recently returned to practice but he banged knees with a teammate and will be seen by a doctor on Monday night. Head coach Billy Donovan previously said Ivey, an impending restricted free agent, would travel on Chicago’s four-game road trip; that’s now up in the air after his new injury.
- Sixers star Joel Embiid went through Monday’s shootaround and also did some individual work afterward, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. The veteran center, who is recovering from a right oblique strain, is expected to go through a more rigorous workout on Tuesday and will be reevaluated after that, Bodner adds. Monday marks Embiid’s 13th consecutive absence.
- Knicks wing Landry Shamet is out again Tuesday due to a tibial plateau contusion, also known as a bone bruise, in his right knee, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (All Twitter links). Shamet suffered the injury in Friday’s game at Brooklyn and sat out Sunday’s win over Washington. However, Bondy hears it isn’t serious and expects the veteran guard/forward to return “within a few games, if that.” Shamet has been a key reserve for New York this season, Bondy notes.
Sixers Notes: McCain, Barlow, Edgecombe, Bailey, Embiid
The Sixers will see a familiar face when Jared McCain returns to Philadelphia tonight, but they don’t anticipate a friendly reunion, at least not on the court, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a subscriber-only story. The second-year guard was traded to the Thunder at last month’s deadline, and his former teammates expect him to make a statement in their first meeting since the deal.
“Jared McCain’s about to try to come kill us,” Trendon Watford said. “We know how that’s about to go.”
McCain was a candidate for All-Rookie honors last year before injuries ended his season after 23 games. After returning from knee and thumb surgeries, it was difficult for him to get regular playing time in a crowded Sixers backcourt and he had a couple of brief stints with the G League team in Delaware.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters that he was “selling high” on McCain when he sent him to Oklahoma City in exchange for a collection of draft picks that included a 2026 first-rounder that originally belonged to Houston. Mizell points out that the deal also helped Philadelphia escape the luxury tax.
McCain has become another potent bench weapon in OKC, where he’s averaging 12.3 PPG and shooting 44% from three-point range for the defending champs. McCain was a popular presence in the locker room, Mizell adds, and Sixers players are glad that he’s succeeding.
“That’s our dog,” VJ Edgecombe said. “Everyone still [loves] Jared. I’m pretty sure it’s vice versa. I’m just happy to see him hooping.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- The Sixers’ injury list got longer on Saturday when Dominick Barlow was forced out of a game at Utah with a sprained left ankle, Mizell states in a separate story. Head coach Nick Nurse said X-rays were negative, and Barlow was able to walk out of the locker room without any protection on the ankle. He’s listed as doubtful for Monday’s game.
- Edgecombe and Ace Bailey, whom the Sixers were deciding between with their No. 3 pick last June, had their first NBA meeting on Saturday, Mizell adds in another piece. Philadelphia is ecstatic with Edgecombe, who’s in the midst of an outstanding rookie season, but Bailey has also been playing well lately as his minutes have increased. Edgecombe said they became friends during the pre-draft process, but never discussed who might be taken third. “I let him be. He let me be,” Edgecombe said. “And we just congratulated each other on draft night.”
- Joel Embiid will miss another game tonight with a right oblique strain, but there’s some promising news on the star center, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Embiid has been conducting on-court workouts, and although he’s still experiencing some pain, he hasn’t suffered any setbacks. He’s played in 33 games this season and has been sidelined since February 26.
Injury Notes: Thompson, Edwards, Hartenstein, Embiid, Giannis
Pistons wing Ausar Thompson, who has missed the team’s past five games due to a right ankle sprain, has been upgraded to available for Sunday’s matchup with the Raptors in Toronto, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
Thompson has started 56 of the 57 games he has played this season for the 48-18 Pistons and has been one of the leaders of a defense that ranks second in the NBA with a 108.8 rating.
While Thompson should receive serious consideration for an All-Defensive spot and may even show up on some Defensive Player of the Year ballots, he’ll need to stay healthy down the stretch in order to qualify. Due to low minute totals in several games, only 50 of his 57 outings count toward the 65-game minimum, so if he misses two of Detroit’s final 16 contests, he’ll fall short of that threshold.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (right knee soreness) has been upgraded to available for Sunday afternoon’s showdown with Oklahoma City, per the team (Twitter link). The Thunder, meanwhile, will get some reinforcements in their frontcourt for today’s matinee, with Isaiah Hartenstein listed as available after he missed three games due to a left calf contusion, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
- Out since February 26 with a strained right oblique, Sixers center Joel Embiid resumed individual on-court work this week and has a chance to return during the team’s upcoming road trip, according to head coach Nick Nurse (Twitter link via Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com). After hosting the Trail Blazers on Sunday, the 76ers will visit Denver on Tuesday, Sacramento on Thursday, and Utah on Saturday. Today’s game vs. Portland will be the ninth in a row that Embiid has missed.
- After initially being listed as questionable due to right calf management for Saturday’s game in Atlanta, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was downgraded to out, with his injury designation updated to a left ankle sprain. He’s considered questionable to play on Sunday vs. Indiana as a result of that sprain.
Atlantic Notes: Nelson, Sharpe, Edgecombe, Embiid
Rookie forward Grant Nelson has returned to the Nets‘ G League affiliate in Long Island, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter).
However, Nelson won’t play for the Long Island Nets again this season, according to Lewis, who says the 24-year-old has patellar tendinitis, colloquially known as jumper’s knee.
Nelson’s injury explains why Brooklyn decided not to re-sign him to a second 10-day contract earlier this week after he played pretty well during his first 10-day deal with the Nets, Lewis notes.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left thumb on Thursday and requires season-ending surgery. Head coach Jordi Fernandez was pleased with the strides Sharpe made during his fifth NBA season, as Lewis tweets. “I’m very happy with what I’ve seen from Day’Ron, the hard work he put in and how much better he’s gotten,” Fernandez said. “Obviously we wouldn’t want to see that (injury); but we know it’s fixable. And we’ll go and do surgery, then we’ll have a timetable.” Sharpe could be a free agent this summer if the Nets decline his $6.25MM team option.
- Philadelphia was missing six players (Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Adem Bona) who account for approximately $160MM in payroll on Thursday. The team predictably lost to the top-seeded Pistons in Detroit. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, VJ Edgecombe has flashed star-level upside as a rookie, but the Sixers need last year’s No. 3 overall pick to become a primary offensive option in the next few weeks if they hope to make the playoffs. A week ago, the 76ers were the No. 6 seed in the East, but they’ve fallen to No. 9 with the Magic (six straight wins), Heat (seven straight) and Hawks (eight straight) surging past them in the standings. “I just want to win, and I just want to do the things that allow my team to win,” Edgecombe told The Athletic. “If that means my team needs me to take more shots, I’m ready for that. But, mainly, I just need to do the things that my team needs me to do.”
- Embiid (oblique strain), who has missed seven consecutive games, is set to be reevaluated on Friday. While the Sixers haven’t issued a formal update yet, the former league MVP has already been ruled out of Saturday’s game vs. Brooklyn, per Jones (Twitter link).
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, MPJ, Nets, Dick, Murray-Boyles
The shorthanded Sixers continued to tumble down the Eastern Conference standings with Monday’s loss in Cleveland, but they haven’t given up hope of turning things around, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia is currently in eighth place after dropping four of its last five games, and the schedule doesn’t ease up this week. However, players continue to believe things will improve once the stars get back on the court.
“We have, what, four of our five starters out?” Justin Edwards said. “We know that we have a chance when we have all of our guys.”
Joel Embiid, who has only played twice in the past month due to a strained right oblique, will be reevaluated after Tuesday’s game, according to Jones. Tyrese Maxey, who suffered a finger sprain over the weekend, wore a splint on Monday and will consult with a specialist later this week, coach Nick Nurse told reporters. Star rookie VJ Edgecombe continues to recover from a lumbar contusion, while Paul George has two weeks remaining on his 25-game suspension.
“We have to play hard, and we have to make more shots,” Cameron Payne said. “We have to do a better job of creating better shots for each other. That’s important for us. We need to go 1-0 every day. That’s the goal. We obviously are where we are in the standings, so we have to find a way to win. At the end of the day, that means getting stops and for us to keep playing together.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets face a major decision this summer on Michael Porter Jr., Brian Lewis of The New York Post notes in a subscriber-only piece. Porter, who has cooled down after a sensational first half of the season, will be eligible for an extension, and general manager Sean Marks will have to determine whether he’s worth a major investment or if it’s wiser for Brooklyn to get whatever it can in a trade. Sources have told Lewis that Porter has discussed his future with Marks and would like to remain with the Nets. Porter, who sat out Monday’s game, talked about his focus for the remainder of the season. “The motivation to make the playoffs might not be there,” he said, “but the motivation individually — as a player, as a person, to go out there and work on my skills, my leadership skills, and my individual things within the team — that’s still there. So, you can’t just throw away a season because you’re not making the playoffs.”
- Both teams were shorthanded as the Nets defeated Memphis on Monday. The victory dropped Brooklyn to fourth in the lottery race, but players said they’re focused on trying to be successful rather than tanking, Lewis adds in a separate story. “We’re trying to win every game,” Day’Ron Sharpe said. “Nobody likes losing. So just always trying to win and always bring good energy.”
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic considers whether the Raptors should part with Gradey Dick this summer, the long-term future for Collin Murray-Boyles and other topics in a mailbag column.
Sixers Rule Out Joel Embiid For Another Week
Sixers center Joel Embiid, who has missed the past three games due to a strained right oblique, will likely miss at least four more contests as a result of the injury, as Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice relays.
According to Aaronson, the 76ers announced today that Embiid didn’t participate in Friday’s practice and has yet to do any on-court work following his latest injury. The plan is for him to be reevaluated in about one week, which would mean he’ll be out for games on Saturday in Atlanta, Monday in Cleveland, and Tuesday vs. Memphis — and probably Thursday in Detroit too.
Embiid has been limited to 33 games this season due to various ailments affecting his knee, ankle, shin, and oblique. While he hasn’t recaptured his old MVP form in the games he has played, he has looked better than he did last season, averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 31.2 minutes per night, with a .495/.318/.858 shooting line.
Philadelphia offered a couple more injury updates on Friday, per Aaronson, announcing that forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to return to action on Saturday after missing two games due to an illness and indicating that rookie guard VJ Edgecombe didn’t practice on Friday.
Edgecombe exited Tuesday’s game vs. San Antonio early due to a lumbar contusion and sat out on Wednesday vs. Utah. While the team hasn’t clarified his status for Saturday’s contest, the fact that he didn’t take part in Friday’s practice probably doesn’t bode well for his availability.
Joel Embiid Out At Least Three Games With Oblique Strain
Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss the next three games with a strained right oblique, relays Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
The team issued a statement saying Embiid underwent an MRI Saturday morning that revealed the injury. Philadelphia will play Sunday night at Boston before hosting San Antonio on Tuesday and Utah on Wednesday. Embiid will be reevaluated following the back-to-back.
Embiid was experiencing pain in his midsection during Thursday’s win over Miami, according to Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice. He briefly went to the locker room after inadvertently being hit by Kel’el Ware, but was able to return and hit a clutch three-pointer in the final minute. Coach Nick Nurse didn’t have an update for reporters after the game, and Embiid left before the locker room was opened to the media.
Embiid wasn’t able to participate in this morning’s practice, Aaronson adds, which prompted the MRI.
Embiid appeared in two games this week after being sidelined since February 7 due to knee and shin issues. He has been available for 33 of the Sixers’ 59 games this season, averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.2 minutes per night with .495/.318/.858 shooting numbers.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, McCain, Nets, Pritchard
Sixers center Joel Embiid, who had been out since February 7 due to knee and shin injuries, returned to action on Tuesday in Indiana and didn’t miss a beat, racking up 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes of action as Philadelphia cruised to a 135-114 victory.
“He just takes so much pressure off us offensively,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). “They’ve got to pay attention to him. … And then when I’m second pass right there next to him, it’s hard to (double team) too, so there’s a lot of space out there on the court.”
While the 76ers referred to Embiid’s latest ailment as shin soreness, the big man said on Tuesday that it was actually a stress reaction in his right leg, admitting that it was initially “painful to walk.”
Embiid has dealt with his share of injuries over the years, but told reporters after the win over the Pacers that he hadn’t been familiar with the treatment or recovery process for a stress reaction. As Mizell relays, the former MVP expects to handle it going forward like he dealt with his surgically repaired knee earlier this season, with the team closely monitoring the leg and managing his workload.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Looking back at the Sixers‘ decision to trade Jared McCain at the deadline, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) explains why it was more than just a financially motivated deal to duck the luxury tax line. In what should be a stacked 2026 draft, the first-rounder Philadelphia acquired from Oklahoma City in the trade (Houston’s pick) should have real value this spring, even if it ends up in the early- to mid-20s, Gozlan writes.
- Exploring what the NBA’s anti-tanking efforts could mean for Brooklyn, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) suggests the Nets were already planning on pivoting from a full-fledged rebuild to being more competitive in 2026/27, when they won’t control their own first-round pick. As a result, any rule changes shouldn’t have a significant impact on the front office’s approach to the 2026 offseason, Lewis says.
- Although he scored just eight points of 2-of-13 shooting vs. Phoenix on Tuesday, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is still averaging 21.6 points and 6.1 assists per game with a .504/.429/.900 shooting line in eight games since being made a reserve. Speaking earlier this week about Pritchard’s move to the bench, head coach Joe Mazzulla said the 28-year-old will “impact winning” in any role and is willing to do whatever gives the team the best chance to win (Twitter video link via Law Murray of The Athletic). Pritchard has actually increased his minutes per game from 32.6 as a starter to 34.3 as a reserve, so the move to the second unit hardly represents a demotion.
Injury Notes: Goodwin, Giannis, Embiid, Flagg, D. Green
Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who suffered a left calf injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over Orlando, underwent an MRI on Sunday and has been diagnosed with a left calf strain, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links).
It’s the latest in a string of discouraging health updates for the Suns, who recently lost their two leading scorers — Devin Booker (right hip strain) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) — to injuries.
While it’s unclear how long Goodwin will be sidelined, a strained calf typical results in a player missing weeks, not days. We’ll have to wait for more information from Phoenix to learn the severity of Goodwin’s injury.
The 27-year-old has been a key rotation player for the Suns in 2025/26, averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 54 games (22.4 minutes per contest). Goodwin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went through a pregame workout ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Toronto, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Greek forward, who has been out since January 23 due to a right calf strain, did some scrimmaging in Saturday’s practice, head coach Doc Rivers said, but he has not yet played 5-on-5 (Twitter link via Nehm). “We were in the gym and did some 3-on-3 stuff. 4-on-4 and 3-on-3, I think, live. That was good,” Rivers said.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday due to right knee and shin soreness, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Philadelphia has been in a major rut lately without the former MVP, having lost four straight contests.
- Rookie standout Cooper Flagg was out for the third consecutive time on Sunday at Indiana, but the Mavericks forward is making progress from a left mid-foot sprain, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays (via Twitter). “He’s feeling better. Had a good workout today,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. We’ll practice (in Indiana) tomorrow because of the weather (in New York). We’ll see how he feels after that practice.”
- Veteran forward/center Draymond Green was a late scratch for Sunday’s game against Denver because of a lower back injury, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). Green had not previously been on the team’s injury report.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Walker, Shamet, Knicks, Raptors
After missing the Sixers‘ last two games prior to the All-Star break due to right knee soreness, center Joel Embiid will remain inactive vs. Atlanta on Thursday, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While “right knee injury management” is still one of the designations for Embiid on Philadelphia’s injury report, he also experienced some right shin soreness during the All-Star break, according to the team.
Embiid will be reevaluated ahead of the Sixers’ back-to-back set in New Orleans and Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday, so it’s possible he won’t be facing an extended absence. Still, the fact that the big man is out again following a promising stretch in which he appeared in 18 of Philadelphia’s 22 games is a reminder that his health remains a question mark hanging over the club as the second half tips off, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
For what it’s worth, head coach Nick Nurse didn’t sound overly concerned when he discussed Embiid’s health after the former MVP took part in Wednesday’s practice.
“He was out there and he looked pretty good,” Nurse said before the 76ers ruled Embiid out for Thursday’s game. “He’s got a meeting shortly with the doctors, and I think we’ll know a little bit more about where he is. But, he was out there a little bit today, and he looked pretty good.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Jabari Walker‘s new two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers is partially guaranteed for $250K in 2026/27, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Walker was officially promoted from his two-way deal to Philadelphia’s 15-man roster earlier today.
- Has Landry Shamet been the NBA’s best minimum-salary signing this season? James L. Edwards III of The Athletic suggests that players like Celtics center Neemias Queta and Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili are also in that conversation, but presents the case for the Knicks guard, who has averaged a career-high 9.6 points per game while making 42.2% of his three-pointers.
- James Dolan, the CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports – the parent company of the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers – stated on Wednesday that the company is considering splitting up the two franchises into separate publicly traded companies, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. A source tells Taylor Herzlich of The New York Post that the possibility of separating the two teams isn’t related to a desire to sell either franchise or to take the companies private.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca considers five factors that could determine the Raptors‘ fate for the rest of the season, starting with the health of center Jakob Poeltl, who has been bothered by back issues all year. The trade sending out Ochai Agbaji earlier this month also means there should be more opportunities available for Toronto’s young wings in the coming weeks, Grange notes.