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Grizzlies Claim West’s Final Playoff Spot

April 18th, 2025 at 11:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies locked up the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a convincing win over the Mavericks on Friday night in Memphis.

The Grizzlies scored the first seven points of the game and built a double-digit lead within the first five minutes. They never trailed en route to a 120-106 victory, locking up the No. 8 seed in the West and lining up a first-round series with the top-seeded Thunder.

Jaren Jackson Jr. (24 points, seven rebounds), Ja Morant (22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds), and Desmond Bane (22 points, nine assists) led the way for the Grizzlies, overcoming a 40-point performance by Dallas big man Anthony Davis.

While the Heat became the first No. 10 seed to win back-to-back play-in games earlier in the night, the No. 10 Mavericks couldn’t repeat that feat, bringing a tumultuous season in Dallas to a close. The Western play-in tournament played out largely as expected, with the No. 7 Warriors and No. 8 Grizzlies entering the playoffs with the same seeds they held at the end of the regular season.

Memphis’ win was crucial for the Wizards, who will now receive the Grizzlies’ first-round pick — it will be either No. 18, 19, or 20, depending on the results of a Monday tiebreaker. If the Grizzlies had lost on Friday, Washington would have instead received a pair of future second-round picks, since that first-rounder was top-14 protected.

The Mavericks will now be a lottery team and will end up either 11th or 12th in the pre-lottery draft order, depending on the results of a tiebreaker with Chicago.

While the Grizzlies will be significant underdogs against the 68-win Thunder in round one, it’s worth noting that Memphis was the second seed in the West for weeks at a time during the season, including as late as February 28. If the Grizzlies, who went 35-16 prior to the trade deadline, can recapture that form, they have a chance to make it a competitive series.

Heat Become First No. 10 Seed To Win Two Play-In Games

April 18th, 2025 at 9:04pm CST by Luke Adams

For a third straight year, the Heat have earned the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot via the play-in tournament.

This time around, Miami made history by becoming the first No. 10 seed to make it through the play-in tournament since the event’s inception in 2021. After defeating the No. 9 Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday, the Heat registered their second consecutive road play-in win in Atlanta on Friday against the No. 8 Hawks.

The Heat led for most of the night until the Hawks made a fourth-quarter comeback and forced overtime. Trade-deadline acquisition and free-agent-to-be Davion Mitchell helped Miami secure the 123-114 win by knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the extra frame.

Tyler Herro (30 points), Bam Adebayo (17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks), and Andrew Wiggins (20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) also played key roles in the victory.

As a result of the win, the Heat have a first-round series on tap with the No. 1 Cavaliers. As the NBA announced this week (via Twitter), that series will get underway in Cleveland on Sunday evening. The Hawks’ season is over.

Friday’s game also had major draft-related implications. Because they made the playoffs, the Heat will no longer control their first-round pick, which will land at No. 15 overall and will be sent to the Thunder. Miami will still receive Golden State’s first-round pick, which will end up at No. 18, 19, or 20, depending on the outcome of a random tiebreaker on Monday.

If they’d missed the playoffs, the Heat would’ve hung onto their own 2025 pick and would’ve owed their unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City and their unprotected 2028 first-rounder to Charlotte. Instead, the Heat will keep their 2026 pick and will owe their lottery-protected 2027 first-rounder to the Hornets. That pick would become unprotected in 2028 if it lands in the top 14 in 2027.

The Spurs, meanwhile, control the Hawks’ first-round pick, which will now be No. 12, 13, or 14 in the lottery standings, depending on the outcome of Friday’s Grizzlies/Mavericks game and a Monday tiebreaker between Atlanta and Sacramento, both of whom finished with 40-42 regular season records.

If Dallas beats Memphis on Friday, that Hawks/Kings tiebreaker would be incredibly meaningful, since it would determine the 12th and 13th spots in the lottery — Sacramento owes its first-round pick to Atlanta if it lands outside the top 12, so the odds of the Kings keeping that pick would increase significantly if they move up to No. 12 in the lottery standings.

If the Grizzlies beat Dallas on Friday, that tiebreaker between Atlanta and Sacramento would be for the 13th and 14th spots in the lottery standings, putting the Hawks in position to claim the Kings’ pick regardless of the tiebreaker outcome (unless it jumps into the top four on lottery night).

Ja Morant Available For Friday’s Play-In Game

April 18th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies will have their star point guard available on Friday vs. Dallas as they look to clinch the eighth and final playoff seed in the West. After testing out his injured ankle during pregame warmups, Ja Morant will be in Memphis’ starting lineup, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Morant turned his right ankle in the third quarter of Tuesday’s loss to Golden State when he came down on Buddy Hield‘s foot. Although he looked hobbled for the rest of the night, the 25-year-old was able to finish the game and vowed to suit up on Friday.

However, after being diagnosed with a right ankle sprain, Morant didn’t practice on Thursday and was listed as questionable for Friday’s do-or-die game, with Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo referring to him as a game-time decision, per Cole.

Shams Charania of ESPN said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link) that Morant underwent an MRI on the injury, and while it showed no structural damage, the sprain is considered “severe.” According to Charania, the Grizzlies guard received an injection on Thursday to address swelling and pain in the ankle and got another injection on Friday (Twitter link).

After missing most of the 2023/24 season with a shoulder injury, Morant was limited to 50 appearances in ’24/25, having dealt with a series of injuries, including some recurring issues in his surgically repaired shoulder. He was still effective when he did suit up, averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per contest.

As expected, both Anthony Davis (adductor strain) and Brandon Williams (oblique strain) will be available on Friday for the Mavericks, according to the team (Twitter link). Both players had been listed as probable.

The winner of Friday’s Southwest Division showdown will face Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs, while the losing team will end up in the draft lottery.

Lakers Extend, Promote Rob Pelinka

April 18th, 2025 at 3:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers have announced an extension and promotion for Rob Pelinka, who is now the team’s president of basketball operations as well as general manager, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob’s vision and leadership to do what’s best for the Lakers organization,” team governor Jeanie Buss said. “I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and Lakers fans everywhere.”

The Lakers hired Pelinka as general manager in 2017 and gave him the title of vice president of basketball operations in 2020.

He has delivered one championship during his tenure and may have the team in position to win more after acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas in the season’s biggest deal. The addition of Doncic sparked L.A. to a 50-32 record and the third seed in the Western Conference.

Pelinka was also responsible for bringing LeBron James to Los Angeles during the summer of 2018. That gave the Lakers a star to build around after Kobe Bryant‘s retirement two years earlier and has made them a perennial playoff team.

In addition, Pelinka engineered a blockbuster deal in 2019 that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Although Davis was later sent to Dallas in exchange for Doncic, the move showed that Pelinka wasn’t afraid to gamble to add star power to his team.

Pelinka, 55, won an NCAA title as a player with Michigan in 1989. He served as an agent, representing several prominent NBA stars, before getting hired by the Lakers.

Suns’ Mat Ishbia: ‘We Should’ve Won A Lot More Games’

April 18th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Owner Mat Ishbia directed blame toward former head coach Mike Budenholzer for the Suns‘ disastrous season during a meeting with reporters on Thursday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Budenholzer, who received a five-year deal worth more than $50MM last May, was fired Monday morning after leading the team to a 36-46 record and missing the play-in tournament.

“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get into all those reasons, but definitely believe we should’ve won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well,” Ishbia said. “Wish him the best, but it was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team and at the end of the day, you can blame me for it because I’m the owner.”

Ishbia has shown a quick trigger with coaches, dismissing Frank Vogel last offseason after Phoenix was swept in the first round of the playoffs. That came after reaching a buyout with Monty Williams in 2023 shortly after Ishbia purchased the team.

Ishbia spoke Thursday about the importance of getting the next head coaching decision “right.” He credited general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein with building a competitive team and stated that the organization is “much better than a 36-win roster.” Ishbia also emphasized the need to find a head coach who works in unison with ownership and the front office.

“Our coach has to believe that stuff as well,” Ishbia said. “It can’t be, I believe this, and front office believes this, and the coach is like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t care that the guys are cheering guys on’ and ‘I don’t care if the guys are paying attention in the huddle.’ That’s not going to do with us. We’ve got to set it first up front with the leadership, it starts with me, and we will do that. And then we will get the right front office structure with scouts and what to look for in the draft and we’re going to find the right coach.”

Ishbia added that he hopes to hire his next coach in the “next week or two.” Rankin points out that the Suns were in the playoffs 2023 and 2024, which gave them a late start on their coaching searches.

Jones admits the current situation offers advantages, even though it’s not where the Suns expected to be.

“I think it was evident given the time crunch and given where we were that it wasn’t as thorough or as deep of a search as we would like,” he said. “Fortunately for us, the season has ended early so it gives us more time to get this right. Unfortunately, the season ended too early, which means that we’re in this position, but we’re going to be diligent.”

The Suns came out of the gate fast under Budenholzer, winning eight of their first nine games and looking like one of the top teams in the West. Rankin notes that things began to unravel in February as they lost 11 times in a 14-game stretch to fall five games under .500. Any lingering hopes for a spot in the play-in tournament disappeared as Phoenix stumbled to a 1-9 record in its final 10 games.

Defense was an issue for the Suns all season as they finished 27th in the league in defensive rating. That seemed to especially bother Ishbia, who told reporters, “That’s just not what we’re going to be about.” Budenholzer’s team was also criticized for a lack of toughness, and Ishbia indicated that will be a consideration in hiring the next coach.

“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball organization,” he said. “Someone who is going to live out exactly what I’m talking about. Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit grinder, a little bit tough. Have a little bit of that in them. I joke, but it’s true, I’m no talent, all heart. That’s my life. I will just outwork everyone. I’m going to have a coach, a front office, players, that the Phoenix community will love because it’s going to be that.”

Lauri Markkanen Hopes To Remain In Utah

April 18th, 2025 at 10:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Lauri Markkanen was one of the top names on the trade market last summer before he decided to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Jazz. Because he waited until August 7 to finalize the agreement, Markkanen was ineligible to be dealt for the entire season, giving him a brief break from trade speculation.

Those rumors are likely are start back up, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, as Utah just turned in the league’s worst record at 17-65. But Markkanen said this week that he wants to remain with the Jazz, even if it means being part of a prolonged rebuilding process.

“I feel like what I did last summer with signing here, that kind of tells you the confidence I have in the organization and the guys we have,” Markkanen told reporters. “I love being in Utah. We’ll see what happens in summer, there’s things that you can’t control, but I love being here and working out with the guys that we have and building this thing.”

Injuries limited Markkanen to 47 games this season, the lowest total of his NBA career, but Todd points out that the number needs to be taken in context. The Jazz were clearly trying to maximize their lottery odds to land a prime spot in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, and they were fined $100K in March for violating the league’s player participation policy.

Markkanen was still productive when he played, averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night, although his shooting numbers fell to .423/.346/.876. He hasn’t been on the court since March 17 due to a condition in his left knee, but he expects to be fully recovered in time to represent Finland in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament.

“We have a big summer with the national team, and I’m excited for that,” Markkanen said. “In previous years (playing for the national team) those are the years I’ve always felt the best, physically and mentally, to be honest. Because you’re getting game reps right before the NBA season starts. So that kind of gets me excited for the summer, for being able to play for your country, and then how that’s going to lead up into the NBA season.”

It’s not guaranteed that Markkanen will stay in Utah for his entire contract, which runs through the 2028/29 season, Todd adds. He’ll turn 28 this summer, which puts him slightly off the timeline for a rebuilding franchise, and there are sure to be interested suitors now that he’s able to be traded again. General manager Justin Zanik indicated that he might listen to offers, but he doesn’t plan to shop Markkanen around the league.

“We’ll see when opportunities come up to add to the roster, but I see Lauri as a central part of what we’re doing, that’s why we signed him,” Zanik said. “We think he can be a huge piece for us as we join the competitive rings.”

DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis Uncertain About Future With Kings

April 18th, 2025 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

After being embarrassed at home by Dallas in the play-in tournament on Wednesday, the Kings may have to worry about holding on to two of their best players, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis both discussed the direction the franchise plans to take in the wake of a disappointing season that ended with a 40-42 record and the ninth seed in the West.

DeRozan, who was in his first season with Sacramento after being traded there last July, was clearly upset about the loss, Anderson adds. He cited “just the structure and a foundation of a compete level” when asked what he’ll be considering when he ponders his future this summer.

“I think all year we had such an uncertainty of everything,” he added. “You can’t really operate in any successful environment if you have so much uncertainty, so I think for me, just the uncertainty of what it’s going to be going forward.”

That uncertainty manifested itself when general manager Monte McNair officially parted ways with the organization Wednesday night just minutes after the final buzzer. Former Kings executive Scott Perry is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to replace McNair.

Sacramento also fired head coach Mike Brown in December, replacing him with Doug Christie on an interim basis. Christie is in a good position to keep his job, sources tell Anderson, but Perry will have input on that decision.

Another layer was added to the “uncertainty” that DeRozan referenced when franchise cornerstone De’Aaron Fox was traded to San Antonio in February. Fox turned down a three-year, maximum-salary extension offer last summer and later expressed reluctance to make a long-term commitment to the Kings unless he was sure the team could “compete at a high level.”

Similar concerns were expressed by Sabonis, who indicated that he wants to meet with the new management team before making a decision about his future.

“First of all, I want to say I love it here,” Sabonis said. “I want to stay here. I want to win here. I also do want to know what’s going to happen. All these things are happening so quick. I want to get together with the new people, whoever comes in, and really try to get this right and get it back to where it was before.”

Anderson points out that DeRozan and Sabonis are both on long-term deals, but they could ask for trades if they don’t believe the Kings can become contenders. DeRozan has two years and a little more than $50MM left on the contract he signed when he was traded, and Sabonis has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $186MM deal.

DeRozan will turn 36 this summer and feels an urgency to be with a winning organization as he nears the end of his career.

“It’s difficult. It’s frustrating. It’s emotional. It’s everything,” he said after Wednesday’s loss. “I can only speak for myself. I put so much time, effort, preparation, sacrifice into the game of basketball. As much as I care for it, as much as I live it, it’s hurtful when you just don’t give yourself an opportunity to play for what matters, to make it to the playoffs and give yourselves a chance. It’s a scary thing when you realize this is a summer for me to get ready for my 17th season. Some of my favorite players I grew up watching, you don’t even get close to that number. Going into that, the window closing, it ain’t like this job is like being a teacher or being a reporter where y’all can do this as long as you can.”

2024/25 All-NBA G League Teams Announced

April 17th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Rory Maher

In a series of tweets, the NBA has announced the three All-NBA G League teams for the 2024/25 season. Here’s the full list of honorees:

First Team

JD Davison, Maine Celtics ^
Oscar Tshiebwe, Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz‘s affiliate) *
Mac McClung, Osceola Magic *
Jaylen Nowell, Capital City Go-Go (Wizards‘ affiliate)
Malachi Flynn, Austin Spurs

Second Team

Mason Jones, Stockton Kings *
Elijah Harkless, Salt Lake City Stars *
Bryce McGowens, Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers‘ affiliate) *
Moses Brown, Westchester Knicks
Drew Timme, Long Island Nets ^

Third Team

Chuma Okeke, Westchester Knicks ~
T.J. Warren, Westchester Knicks
Trey Alexander, Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets‘ affiliate) *
Josh Christopher, Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat‘s affiliate) *
Isaac Jones, Stockton Kings ^

* Denotes two-way contract

^ Denotes standard contract

~ On a standard contract with the Cavaliers

While each player selected has some level of NBA experience, four of them — Flynn, Nowell, Brown and Warren — are currently free agents. Of that group, only Warren didn’t appear in an NBA regular season game during the ’24/25 campaign.

Davison, Tshiebwe and Nowell finished first, second and third in voting (in that order) for this season’s G League Most Valuable Player award, so it’s no surprise that they made the First Team. McClung, who was the league’s 2023/24 MVP, helped Osceola make the NBAGL Finals this spring, with the final spot going to former Pistons guard Flynn, who signed a 10-day contract with Charlotte last month.

Mason Jones recently helped Stockton win its first G League title, earning Finals MVP in the process. He’s joined on the Second Team by NBAGL Most Improved Player Harkless, McGowens, Brown, and Timme.

Former first-round pick Okeke signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Philadelphia before signing with Cleveland ahead of the playoffs. NBA veteran Warren, G League Rookie of the Year Alexander, Heat two-way guard Christopher, and Kings big man Jones round out the Third Team.

Davison and Isaac Jones were promoted from two-way deals to standard contracts at the end of the season. Timme was an NBA free agent before Brooklyn gave him a two-year standard contract in March due to his strong play in the NBAGL.

Damian Lillard Cleared To Practice, Out For Game 1

April 17th, 2025 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

April 17: Although Lillard has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Bucks/Pacers series on Saturday, he has been cleared of his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer taking blood-thinning medication, sources tell Charania (Twitter links). It’s a remarkable turnaround for the veteran point guard, who will resume contact workouts and ramp up toward a return, Charania adds.

According to Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links), Lillard played three-on-three on Wednesday and practiced on Thursday.

April 15: Bucks star Damian Lillard, who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf last month, has made “significant progress” in his recovery but won’t be available when the first round of the playoffs tip off this weekend, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

As Charania details, there’s still optimism that Lillard will be medically cleared to return at some point before Milwaukee’s season ends. The star point guard will continue to increase his basketball activities this week.

The Bucks confirmed Charania’s update, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“Damian’s most recent weekly scan shows that his injury has significantly improved, which will enable him to move ahead safely with increased basketball activity,” general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “Damian’s health remains our No. 1 priority. We have followed strict protocols and will continue to do so. We are pleased with the positive news about Damian’s progress.”

Lillard has been on the shelf since March 18. Reporting one week later indicated that he had been diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf and was on blood-thinning medication. He was ruled out indefinitely at that time, with one report stating there was a “great deal of optimism” that he’d be able to return at some point this spring.

Health issues have contributed to the Bucks’ first-round exit in each of the last two postseasons. Giannis Antetokounmpo has only been available for three of 11 playoff games during that time, and Lillard was forced to the sidelines for two games in last year’s first-round loss to Indiana.

While Antetokounmpo is healthy entering this year’s rematch with the Pacers, not having Lillard available figures to adversely affect the Bucks’ chances of advancing to round two.

Lillard earned his ninth All-Star nod in his second season in Milwaukee in 2024/25, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 36.1 minutes per game across 58 starts. He recorded a shooting line of .448/.376/.921, improving on the percentages he posted during his first year as a Buck in ’23/24.

Kings Part With GM Monte McNair

April 17th, 2025 at 10:47am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

10:47 am: The Kings issued a statement that they have officially parted ways with McNair, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets.

12:41 am: After five years together, the Kings and general manager Monte McNair have mutually agreed to part ways, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news broke just minutes after Sacramento was upset at home by the Mavericks, 120-106, in the West’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in tournament game on Wednesday, ending the Kings’ season.

As ESPN’s Shams Charania writes, McNair’s tenure with the club included three consecutive seasons of 40 or more wins and a .488 overall win percentage (195-205).

The Kings snapped a 16-year playoff drought in 2023, posting a 48-34 record and securing the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed. But that was the team’s lone playoff appearance during McNair’s tenure, as the club was eliminated in the play-in tournament in each of the past two seasons.

This season, Sacramento fired former Coach of the Year Mike Brown after a 13-18 start. All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox was subsequently dealt to San Antonio in a three-team blockbuster deal with Chicago after he made it clear he wouldn’t sign an extension with the Kings. Under interim head coach Doug Christie, the Kings went 27-24 to finish the season.

McNair isn’t the only Sacramento mainstay who’s moving on this offseason. According to Mark Haynes of The Sacramento Observer (via Twitter), assistant coach Jim Moran is joining the college ranks, and will serve as an assistant under Florida State head coach Luke Loucks. Loucks was on the Kings’ coaching staff before being hired by the Seminoles in March.

As we noted earlier today when we wrote about McNair being on the hot seat, former Kings assistant general manager, Wes Wilcox also left the club in March to serve as the general manager at the University of Utah.

Following Wednesday’s defeat, Christie reflected on his uncertain future with the club, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.

“This is where I want to be, I think you all know that,” Christie said. “I need to finish what I started.”

According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter), Christie told reporters that he had not received any indication he would be returning as the Kings’ coach next season.