Pacific Notes: LeBron, Curry, Post, Horford, Ott
After Lakers star LeBron James made disparaging comments about Memphis on a YouTube show this week, he may have alienated a couple of other fan bases on Saturday, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Given a chance to clarify his statements about the city and his feeling that the Grizzlies should move to Nashville, James pointed out to reporters that he criticized the Bucks‘ hometown as well.
“Milwaukee was, too. Did they miss that one, too? They didn’t see that?” James said. “Forty-one years old, it’s two cities I do not like playing in right now. That’s Milwaukee, and that’s Memphis. What is the problem?”
James was reacting to a question about NBA travel, telling the host that “it just wears on you more” at his age. The Akron, Ohio, native also listed Cleveland as one of the cities he doesn’t enjoy visiting, which probably comes as a surprise to Cavaliers fans.
“I don’t like going home either … and I’m from there,” he said. “People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son (Bronny) being on the (Lakers), too. So what are we talking about? People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that’s important. Like seriously? I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What’s wrong with that? Nothing! What are we talking about? … People need to chill the hell out.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors are likely stuck in 10th place, but there’s optimism that the season can be saved with Stephen Curry expected to return Sunday after missing more than two months with a knee issue, per Noah Furtado of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). “Now, Superman’s back,” Gary Payton II said, “so we’ll figure it out with that.” After being out of action since January 30, Curry is looking forward to teaming up with Kristaps Porzingis, who wasn’t acquired until the trade deadline in February. “I was telling him, I don’t know how people are going to guard our pick-and-roll,” Curry said. “Anytime you have talent like that and two guys that can demand attention, it’s always a good thing, to create good offense and help elevate whoever we’re out there with.”
- The Warriors say Quinten Post, who’s sidelined with soreness in his right foot, is making progress and will be reevaluated next week, relays Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). Al Horford is also set for a reevaluation next week and seems to be getting close to returning before the regular season ends, adds Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Jordan Ott picked up his first technical foul as Suns head coach in Thursday’s loss at Charlotte, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. His players weren’t sure if he might make it through all 82 games without one. “I’ve been waiting all season for him to get one,” Royce O’Neale said. “I think it was right timing. Moments like those help us get a boost of energy. Just shows that he got our back in every situation.”
Austin Reaves Out 4-6 Weeks With Oblique Muscle Injury
The Lakers announced that Austin Reaves will miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury, relays Khobi Price of The California Post (Twitter link). Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), which puts his projected return somewhere in the second or third round of the playoffs
Reaves, who left Thursday’s game early, underwent an MRI Saturday in Dallas on his left oblique/rib area, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Reaves tweaked something in his left side during the first half of the lopsided loss to Oklahoma City. He went to the locker room to have it checked, but was able to return to the game, finishing with 15 points in 27 minutes before being removed.
“I went back to get a rebound, overextended a little bit, and I felt something,” Reaves told reporters after the game. “But I feel decent right now, so we’ll see.”
McMenamin adds that Reaves had to get two MRIs done because the first one didn’t focus on the correct portion of his body.
“I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area,” coach JJ Redick said. “Not on our end.”
It’s another devastating blow for the Lakers after Luka Doncic was diagnosed Friday with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that will keep him out for the rest of the season and probably at least the first round of the playoffs.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday before Reaves’ MRI results were announced, Redick said the team is remaining strong in the face of the injuries, and its mission to clinch the No. 3 seed and advance through the first round hasn’t changed. “And we’ll see what happens with Luka,” he added.
Redick plans to expand the scoring responsibilities while Doncic and Reaves are unavailable, mentioning LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton as players who can expect to see larger roles in the offense.
Since Reaves returned to the lineup in early February, James has mostly settled in as a third option, contributing in other ways while Doncic and Reaves have been the primary play-makers. Over the past seven games, James is averaging 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He’s taking just 11.7 shots per game in that span, well below his career average of 18.6.
“You got to flip the mindset a little bit when your role changes, whatever the case may be, or what’s needed out of [you for] the team,” James said. “So the mindset changes a little bit, for sure.”
Veteran guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the past six games with groin and ankle injuries, is now considered day-to-day, McMenamin adds, but he’s not certain to play against Dallas. Smart wasn’t able to fully participate in Saturday’s practice.
Redick plans to finish the season with an “all hands on deck approach,” stretching his normal rotation from nine to possibly 11 players. He stated that Kobe Bufkin, Nick Smith Jr. and Dalton Knecht will all join the team after participating in the G League playoffs Sunday night with the South Bay Lakers.
The injuries make L.A.’s hold on the third spot in the West somewhat tenuous after it looked solid earlier in the week. The Lakers currently have a one-game lead over Denver and a two-game cushion over Houston. After Sunday’s contest, they’ll host Oklahoma City on Tuesday, travel to Golden State on Thursday and then finish the season with home games against Phoenix on Friday and Utah on Sunday.
Southwest Notes: Kidd, Cuban, Zion, Clarke, Memphis
Responding in more detail on Friday to the implication that he was involved in last season’s decision to trade Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd refuted Mark Cuban‘s statements and reiterated that he wasn’t informed of the blockbuster deal that shocked the NBA until an agreement was in place, per Christian Clark of The Athletic and Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“Cuban has mentioned that I knew about the trade,” Kidd said. “Unfortunately, as I have said, I was not part of the process. I was informed at the 11th hour. And that’s the truth.”
Cuban, the Mavs’ former majority owner who is now a minority shareholder in the franchise, made a reference during a recent podcast appearance to “our coach and general manager” trading Doncic. According to Kidd, he called Cuban “right away” to discuss those remarks and stressed that he was telling the truth about his involvement – or lack thereof – in Dallas’ controversial trade with the Lakers.
“I was called (by former Mavs GM) Nico (Harrison into) the room, and he told me that there was a trade that was going to go public at 11 o’clock,” Kidd explained. “That’s what happened. That’s the details of the conversation. I waited until 11 o’clock, and that trade, the world changed.”
In a subscriber-only column for The Dallas Morning News, Tim Cowlishaw argues that by implicating Kidd, Cuban is ignoring his own involvement in the most unpopular transaction in team history — after all, the ownership group that Cuban sold control of the team to had final say on the deal.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- By appearing in his 61st game of the season on Friday, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has now ensured that at least 80% of his $42.17MM salary for 2026/27 will be guaranteed entering the offseason, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The remaining 20% would be guaranteed if Williamson meets certain weight-related benchmarks or if he remains under contract through at least July 15, which should be a lock.
- Lucas Finton of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has more details on Brandon Clarke‘s arrest in Arkansas, reporting that the Grizzlies forward led local deputies on a “miles-long chase” and was driving over 100 miles per hour. When he was eventually stopped, over 230 grams of kratom were found in his possession, per an arrest affidavit. Kratom, described by the Mayo Clinic as a herbal extract that can act as a stimulant at lower doses and a sedative for pain relief at higher doses, is legal in Tennessee but is considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance in Arkansas.
- Lakers star LeBron James drew the ire of NBA fans in Memphis when he suggested in the latest episode of the Bob Does Sports YouTube show that the Grizzlies should move from Memphis to Nashville, as Devon Henderson of The Athletic and Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal detail. “Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old, you think I want to do that s—?” James said. “Being in Memphis on a random-ass Thursday. I’m not even the first guy to talk about this in the NBA. We’re all like, ‘You guys have to move.'”
Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Kawhi, Kerr, LeBron, Williams
Multiple reports since February’s trade deadline have indicated that the Warriors talked to the Clippers earlier this season about a possible Kawhi Leonard deal. According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, multiple league sources he spoke to this week suggested that Golden State actually came “reasonably close” to acquiring the star forward. The two sides had “generally agreed” on what a deal would look like before the Clippers decided to withdraw from those talks, Kawakami says.
Those same sources believe the Warriors will once again go big-game hunting this offseason, with Leonard among their targets, Kawakami writes. The two-time Finals MVP will be entering 2026/27 on an expiring $50.3MM contract, assuming it’s not voided as part of the NBA’s investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.
Kawakami also notes within the same story that he believes head coach Steve Kerr will be back on the sidelines for the Warriors next season, though he admits that’s just speculation and that he’s not sure Kerr himself has even made a decision at this point. Team owner Joe Lacob, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., and star guard Stephen Curry “absolutely want Kerr back,” per Kawakami.
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Checking in on where things stand with the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Leonard’s relationship with the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration, Baxter Holmes of ESPN says interviews are still ongoing and there’s no set timeline for the probe to wrap up. Holmes also digs further into Leonard’s promotional deal with Aspiration, examining the factors that investigators will consider as they weigh how unusual the agreement may have been.
- Responding to the latest round of speculation about LeBron James‘ future beyond 2025/26, agent Rich Paul said on the Game Over podcast that there’s “no truth to any of it” and insisted that even the Lakers forward himself isn’t sure what next season might hold. “I don’t know what’s happening. … He don’t know either,” Paul said (Twitter video link). “We don’t even talk about it… Just enjoy the moment. The man is playing minutes with his son. Meaningful minutes. … The Lakers are 12-1, they’re playing well, why are you talking about some stuff about next year? I get it, you have to talk about it. … (But) nobody knows. I don’t care what article is written. I don’t care what tweet is out there. Nobody knows anything.”
- Suns center Mark Williams, who has been sidelined since March 3 due to a left foot stress reaction, has been upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game in Charlotte, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams missed the first of Phoenix’s two games against his former team in March, so it’s safe to assume he’ll try to do all he can to make it back for Thursday’s matchup with the Hornets, whom he hasn’t faced since they traded him to the Suns last June. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) expects the fourth-year big man to return tonight.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Centers, Smart
The amount of money LeBron James is willing to accept in his next contract will help determine where he plays next season or if he plays at all, according to Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, which is an unusual position as he typically holds a player option that gives him leverage in determining his future.
“Will he play for the mid-level exception? For the minimum?” one scout asked the authors. “A big part of this is knowing what he will be willing to do [financially].”
McMenamin and Bontemps point out that if James is willing to accept a veteran’s minimum deal just to continue his career, he becomes an attractive option for any team in the league. If he demands the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be about $15MM, or tries to work out a sign-and-trade, his next team may have to make other roster moves to get below the first tax apron.
The Lakers will hold James’ Bird rights and won’t face the same salary restrictions as their competitors. However, the need to re-sign free agent Austin Reaves, who could be in line for a max deal, will affect how much L.A. might be willing to spend in other areas. Sources tell the authors that along with Reaves, the Lakers are hoping to reach new deals with Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard and possibly Rui Hachimura if he can be re-signed at a reasonable price.
McMenamin and Bontemps list the Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks, Nuggets and Clippers as teams to watch if James decides to go elsewhere.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach JJ Redick is touting Luka Doncic for Most Valuable Player honors, McMenamin adds in a separate story. L.A. went 15-2 in March with Doncic scoring 600 points, making him one of 10 players in NBA history to reach that total in any month. “He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said. “Certainly, we have a ton of guys starring in their roles, but he’s the driver.” Doncic declined a chance to campaign for himself as MVP, per Melissa Rohlin of The California Post (Twitter video link).
- The Lakers have been getting improved play at center with the postseason approaching, notes Khobi Price of The California Post. It’s a welcome change from last year, when Redick was sometimes forced to use centerless lineups in a first-round loss to Minnesota.
- Marcus Smart will miss his sixth straight game with an ankle contusion when the Lakers travel to Oklahoma City on Thursday, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
L.A. Notes: Garland, Lopez, LeBron, Bronny, Lakers
As far back as last summer, Darius Garland figured he wouldn’t be playing for the Cavaliers much longer. His premonition came true this winter when the high-scoring guard was dealt to the Clippers, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
“It’s a new chapter of my life,” Garland said. “(Agent) Rich (Paul) talked about it even last summer, before it happened, (saying) it’s probably going to be our last year there. So, I was ready for it. I knew it was going to come sooner or later. So, when it happened, I was like, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s rock out.’”
Garland is averaging 21.3 points and 7.0 assists per game in his first 13 outings with his new team.
“It’s like a new breath of life, like a revamp,” Garland said. “Being around the guys makes it a lot easier because they’re so welcoming. Everybody’s super silly. Everybody’s talkative. My first day there, they were holding their arms out, for real, like, ‘Welcome.’ A lot of big brothers on this team.”
Garland is wrapping up the third season of a five-year, $197.2MM contract.
Here’s more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Milwaukee rolled out a tribute video for Brook Lopez when the Clippers center returned to the team on which he won a championship. “I mean, I pointed to the crew but obviously the banner, too,” Lopez said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “A lot of good memories here. I appreciate the love and support. I think we had fun tonight.” Lopez had eight points and seven rebounds in the Clippers’ 14-point win on Sunday.
- LeBron James and son Bronny James had a special moment against the Nets on Friday. The Lakers teammates recorded the first assist from a father to a son in NBA history. Bronny referred to it as a “special moment with us two,” adding that there’s “a lot more to come down the road,” per Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register. “Well, I just think just not take it for granted and just being in a moment of us being on the floor once again, that’s two games back to back, playing meaningful minutes,” LeBron said. “I got doubled and he was able to fake the pass to the corner and then knock down the three. So definitely a cool moment for us and also for the family.”
- A much-needed two-day break on the Lakers’ schedule allowed them to rest up for today’s game against the Wizards. Luka Doncic will serve his one-game suspension after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season. “Yeah, for me, I think, based on all of them wanting to come in at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, I think it is as much mental and spiritual and emotional,” Lakers coach JJ Redick told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times after practice. “We didn’t want to have these guys in here long today. But we got a lot done, watched some film and cleaned some stuff up. But there is these two days for us. It’s a great reset for us.”
Warriors Rumors: Kawhi, LeBron, Porzingis, Kerr, More
There’s a significant amount of curiosity around the NBA about what the Warriors will do this offseason, writes Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
According to Stein, Golden State made a “determined trade run” for Clippers star Kawhi Leonard in the final hour before the February 5 deadline. Los Angeles wasn’t interested in moving Leonard at the time, but the Warriors may revisit that concept this summer.
Rival teams also view the Warriors as “one of the few credible destinations” for Lakers star LeBron James, who will be a free agent this summer, Stein notes.
“It has some legs,” one league source told Stein.
League insiders had already been anticipating that the Warriors would re-sign Kristaps Porzingis this summer, per Stein, and that expectation has increased after the Latvian big man recently praised Rick Celebrini, Golden State’s director of sports medicine and performance.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Appearing on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast with Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Nick Friedell of The Athletic said he believes Porzingis will be on the roster in 2026/27. “I absolutely, as we’re sitting here right now, believe that Porzingis and the Warriors will work something out where we will see him again next season in a Warriors jersey,” Friedell said (hat tip to HoopsHype).
- Friedell also weighed in on the future of head coach Steve Kerr, whose contract expires after the season. “Stephen Curry wants Steve Kerr,” Friedell said (transcription via HoopsHype). “I’ve been asked repeatedly: ‘Do you think Steve’s coming back?’ I absolutely do because I think this team, especially because of what we’ve been talking about now tonight on this episode, they want to go for it. There’s not another person you’re going to plug in that’s going to take them to some other spot more than Steve Kerr. Plus the fact that Steph wants him and they have a partnership for all these years.“
- In a column for The San Francisco Standard, Kawakami argues the Warriors should pursue either Leonard or James this summer. Kawakami says there are rumblings that the NBA might void the final year of Leonard’s contract, which will pay him $50.3MM in 2026/27, as part of the punishment for the ongoing investigation into the Clippers allegedly circumventing the salary cap to sign the 34-year-old forward. In Kawakami’s scenario, the Warriors would try to re-sign Draymond Green and Porzingis to two-year, $40MM contracts, which would open up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign either Leonard or James, assuming they’re open to taking a major pay cut (the MLE is projected to start at $15.05MM next season).
Lakers Notes: Luka, Hachimura, Ayton, Smart, Bronny, LeBron
Lakers superstar Luka Doncic might miss Friday’s game against Brooklyn — he has been listed as questionable due to left hamstring soreness, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Doncic has appeared in 61 of the Lakers’ 73 games thus far in 2025/26. He needs to play 20-plus minutes in four of the team’s final nine games to qualify for major postseason awards like MVP and All-NBA.
It’s a little concerning that Doncic is dealing with another soft-tissue injury, but the fact that the 27-year-old is listed as questionable instead of out — and that he’s dealing with soreness and not a strain — suggests it may not be a serious issue. Additionally, the Nets have lost nine straight games and 19 of their past 21, so if Doncic has to miss a game, Friday’s contest may be the right one to sit out.
While Doncic was downgraded to questionable after playing in 19 straight games, the opposite is true for Rui Hachimura, who was upgraded to questionable after missing the last two games due to a right calf injury.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Starting center Deandre Ayton is not on tomorrow’s injury report after he sat out Wednesday’s win at Indiana due to a back issue, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter). Fellow starter Marcus Smart will miss his third consecutive game due to a right ankle contusion.
- Head coach JJ Redick and Austin Reaves discussed Smart’s impact on the Lakers following Monday’s loss in Detroit, per Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group. Reaves praised Smart’s unselfishness, defense and intensity, referring to the 12-year veteran as the team’s “glue guy.” Redick said Los Angeles is focused on being as healthy as possible entering the playoffs, Royer adds. “That’s important for us, that we can get healthy and we can play our rotation,” Redick said Monday night. “Post-Luke (Kennard) trade, I think when all nine guys have played, we’ve been a good basketball team. … You need Smart for his ball-handling, you need Smart for his defense, you need Rui for his shooting. Those pieces are important to complement everybody. And you know, we need to finish the season strong, but we also need to finish the season healthy.”
- With Smart, Hachimura and Ayton out on Wednesday, reserve Bronny James got a chance to play rotation minutes and contributed four points, two steals, one block, one rebound and one assist in 13 minutes. The second-year guard, who is having a strong regular season in the G League with South Bay, has been a standout in stay-ready games for several weeks, Redick said after the victory (story via Royer). James also played alongside his father LeBron James for just the second time this season. “I’m not really thinking about it,” Bronny said. “Just thinking about what I can do to impact the game and pull out a win. I’ve been around him and basketball at the same time for a while now, so it’s not that special. The first couple times were of course, but it’s my second year now. And I’m just trying to prove myself and get better as a player.”
- While Bronny downplayed the moment, LeBron relished it, saying he was “super proud” of his son, according to Woike of The Athletic. Bronny’s suffered cardiac arrest during a July 2023 workout with USC, but he has gradually rebuilt his confidence the past few years after the life-altering incident. “Real, meaningful minutes. I couldn’t dream of better. I couldn’t dream of something better than that. Just couldn’t,” LeBron told The Athletic. “For him to go out and, you know, I mean obviously he’s… he’s shown over this — almost two years, year and a half — his progression. And why he belongs in this league. And what he can do in this league. So, for the coaching staff to trust him tonight, and for him to have significant playing time and make … make plays — and for me to be out there on the floor with him — that’s … I couldn’t, I couldn’t dream of a better feeling than that. I could not.”
Western Notes: Udoka, LeBron, Borrego, Pelicans, Thunder
It was a frustrating Monday night in Chicago for Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who watched his team lose 132-124 to the lottery-bound Bulls and was ejected late in the fourth quarter for arguing with the referees about flagrant and technical foul decisions, per Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“Flagrant was soft as hell, that’s nothing. And the techs were soft, too,” Udoka said of a flagrant foul called on Amen Thompson and techs assigned to Thompson and Kevin Durant. “Not about to complain about a soft crew, so it is what it is.”
While Udoka wasn’t thrilled about the officiating in Chicago, he was more displeased by the effort he saw from his team. Houston gave up 41 points and fell behind by 20 in the first quarter to a Bulls squad that had posted the NBA’s second-worst offensive rating since the All-Star break.
“Poor start, disrespected the game. Not prepared from the get-go,” Udoka said. “Just not aggressive, following around, watching them shoot. … You look at the records, you look at who you’re playing against … and don’t come out prepared and let them be comfortable, gain confidence.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Although the Lakers had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Monday in Detroit, LeBron James has been thriving lately as the NBA’s “best third option,” according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who wonders if the star forward could end up remaining in Los Angeles beyond this season. There was a sense entering the fall that James might have to head elsewhere if he wanted to continue his career beyond 2025/26, with Amick noting that the Cavaliers and Warriors have been frequently speculated as suitors. However, the Lakers’ recent stretch of success suggests they may have more championship upside than previously believed and could still have a place for James in his new-look role alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
- Has James Borrego earned the full-time head coaching job in New Orleans? Management likely won’t make that decision until after the season, but Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required) notes that Borrego has made a strong case since replacing Willie Green earlier this season. The Pelicans are 12-7 since the trade deadline, with nine double-digit wins during that stretch. “With the coaching change, (Borrego) just came in and tried to turn it around,” Pelicans forward Herbert Jones said. “We were in a bad spot. He just changed it with his energy and encouraged guys to show up every day with energy and be themselves and continue to cheer the guy next to you and not worry about self-accomplishments.”
- As Jeff Duncan writes in a separate NOLA.com story, the Pelicans have unveiled plans for a significant renovation project for Smoothie King Center. The hope is that the renovation will be the linchpin of an agreement to extend the team’s lease at the arena — the current deal expires in 2029.
- Elsewhere on the arena front, the Thunder announced today in a press release that their new arena, projected to open for the 2028/29 season, will be called the Continental Coliseum.
Pacific Notes: James, Kennard, Suns, Clifford, Hayes
LeBron James added another record to his long list of accomplishments. The Lakers forward officially played on Saturday in the 1,612th regular-season game of his career, a new NBA mark. Longtime Celtics center Robert Parish held the previous record.
“It’s not like I’m like writing things down and looking at the record book and saying: ‘I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that.’ It just kind of happened,” James said, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It was not on the list of things that I wanted to accomplish.”
James added that he has long made it a priority to push through injuries and to be available to play as much as possible over the course of his storied career.
“I’ve always kind of just prided myself on trying to be as available as possible in my career to my teammates,” James said, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “Going out on the floor every night and keeping my body intact. And the only way I can do that, is how I treat my body. How I prepare my mind to be available for 23 years as much as I possibly can.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers extended their winning streak to nine games on Saturday by defeating Orlando, 105-104. Luke Kennard knocked down a game-winning three-pointer in the final second. “I didn’t really know what was going on, I was just screaming,” Kennard said, per Khobi Price of the California Post. “I remember somebody, I don’t know who it was, somebody picked me up. But it was really cool. It’s a cool moment. Haven’t had many like that in the NBA, I don’t think. It means a lot how excited everybody was. I felt that. And again, just to win a game like that is pretty special and just shows what we have in the locker room.” Kennard, a free agent after the season, was acquired from Atlanta last month.
- The Suns fell to the Bucks, 108-105, on Saturday. Phoenix was without six players and coach Jordan Ott lamented how the injuries have affected the club, which had lost five straight until it defeated Toronto 120-98 on Sunday. “We just want everyone back. In a rhythm would be a blessing,” Ott said, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). “We just want everyone back. Said it constantly. Tried to stay away from it the last couple of weeks. That’s what we’d like to do.”
- Injuries continue to pile up for the banged-up Kings. They have won five of their last eight games, including a victory over the Nets this weekend, but two more players were injured. Rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford departed in the fourth quarter after twisting his ankle. Recent addition Killian Hayes, who has been starting at the point lately, suffered a toe injury, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “Man, it sucks, especially for the young guys because you want them to be out there playing,” Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said. “You want them to get as many reps and experience as possible, and to see them go down, it definitely sucks. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”