Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball Named Players Of The Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today in a press release.
It’s the second straight week Doncic has claimed the award. The 27-year-old had a spectacular showing from March 16-22, helping guide Los Angeles to a 4-0 road record by averaging 42.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.0 steals on .500/.390/.723 shooting in 38.5 minutes per contest.
The highlight of Doncic’s week came on Thursday in Miami, when he poured in a season-high 60 points. The Slovenian superstar has now won Player of the Week four times in 2025/26, moving past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has three.
Ball helped lead Charlotte to a 3-0 record last week, averaging 26.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG on .500/.412/.846 shooting in just 27.3 MPG. This is the first time the former All-Star point guard has claimed the weekly award in 2025/26 (and in his career).
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Ayo Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert, Gilgeous-Alexander, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Duren, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Karl-Anthony Towns were nominated in the East.
Potential Lottery Pick Karim Lopez Declares For Draft
Potential lottery pick Karim Lopez has declared for this year’s draft, Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN report.
Lopez is ranked No. 11 on ESPN’s big board. The Mexican forward has spent the past two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League. He’s the top-ranked international prospect on ESPN’s draft rankings and could become the first player born in Mexico to be selected in the first round.
“It’s been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA,” Lopez said. “Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like 5 years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. … It’s pretty special, you know, to be in this position right now.”
Lopez, who turns 19 next month, averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game while shooting 49% from the field this season. The 6’9” forward set several records for draft-eligible NBL Next Stars, including the single-season points record with 358 in his 30 starts.
Lopez took a step forward in his second NBL season, including a 32-point game in a Jan. 30 win over Melbourne. NBA scouts have been drawn to Lopez’s combination of positional size, 7’1” wingspan, ball skills, play-making flashes and toughness, according to the ESPN duo.
“I want to show NBA teams who I am,” Lopez said. “Playing in a grown man league, it’s not easy. But there’s things I feel like people haven’t seen yet.”
Luka Doncic Avoids Suspension As NBA Rescinds Tech
Luka Doncic has been cleared to play in the Lakers‘ game on Monday against the Pistons after his technical foul against the Magic was rescinded by the league, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Doncic picked up his 16th technical of the 2025/26 season in the third quarter of Saturday’s game after an exchange with Magic big man Goga Bitadze. NBA rules call for any player who accumulates 16 technicals in a season to receive an automatic one-game suspension, but both players have officially had their techs rescinded by the league, which puts Doncic’s season total at 15 games, rather than 16.
Dillon Brooks of the Suns was the first player this season to receive an automatic suspension for reaching 16 technical fouls. Draymond Green (12), Isaiah Stewart (12), Jaylen Brown (11), and Devin Booker (10) are the other players with double-digit technicals this season.
While Doncic has avoided a one-game ban for the time being, he’s not entirely out of the woods yet — a single technical foul in any of the Lakers’ final 11 games of the regular season would result in a suspension. Each player’s technical foul count resets at the start of the postseason.
Jalen Williams To Return To Action Monday
Jalen Williams will suit up for the Thunder in Monday’s game against the Sixers, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (via Twitter).
Williams has appeared in just 26 games for Oklahoma City this season and has been sidelined for the team’s last 16 contests while recovering from a hamstring injury. His last appearance came in a win over the Suns on February 11.
Perhaps because of the injuries, the All-NBA forward has struggled to find his rhythm this season, averaging 17.5 points per game, his lowest mark since his rookie year, while shooting a personal-worst 31.3% from three. However, he is dishing out a career-high 5.4 assists per night.
The Thunder’s starting lineup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein has played just five games together this season, Charania notes (Twitter link). Despite that, the club has the best record in the league at 56-15 with 11 regular season games left to play.
Oklahoma City will be without Ajay Mitchell vs. Philadelphia, as he was suspended for his involvement in a fight against the Wizards on Saturday.
Two Players Suspended, Three Fined For Thunder-Wizards Scuffle
Wizards forward Justin Champagnie and Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell have been suspended one game apiece for their roles in Saturday’s scuffle between the two teams, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Champagnie and Mitchell were suspended without pay for “fighting and escalating an on-court altercation which spilled over into the spectator stands,” per the league’s statement.
In addition to the two suspensions, Thunder big man Jaylin Williams was fined $50K, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace and Wizards forward Anthony Gill were each fined $35K for their parts in the incident, which occurred late in the second quarter of Oklahoma City’s victory.
After a long review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams were each given two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection. Mitchell and Wallace were assessed one technical apiece and were also thrown out of the game.
In a pool report, crew chief John Goble explained that Champagnie and Williams each received one technical foul for pushing each other during a dead ball. Champagnie’s second technical was for making contact with Mitchell’s face, while Williams was T’d up for his actions during the fight.
Goble added that Mitchell and Wallace were tossed because they were not “acting as peacemakers” and were “escalating the altercation.”
Gill wasn’t penalized at all at the time, but obviously the NBA changed its stance upon further review.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, while Champagnie and Mitchell were the ones suspended, they were actually penalized a little less severely from a financial standpoint because their respective contracts are relatively modest. Champagnie will lose $13,503 from $2.35MM salary, while Mitchell will forfeit $17,241 of the $3MM he’s earning in 2025/27.
Four Players Ejected In Thunder-Wizards Scuffle
An altercation late in the first half of Saturday’s game between the Thunder and Wizards resulted in four ejections (Twitter video link from Bleacher Report).
According to Joel Lorenzi and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, it started as a dispute between Washington’s Justin Champagnie and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams that quickly involved several other players. Ajay Mitchell began exchanging words and shoves with Champagnie along the baseline, and the battle spilled into the courtside seats under the basket.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Mitchell. “But at the same time, I’m not really surprised by his reaction. He’s a tough kid, tough as nails. Not only on the court, but off the court as well. He’s as tough as they come, so I knew there’d be no back down when he’s involved in anything.”
After a long review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams were each given two technical fouls, which is an automatic ejection. Mitchell and the Thunder’s Cason Wallace were assessed one technical apiece and were also thrown out of the game.
In a pool report, crew chief John Goble explained that Champagnie and Williams each received one technical foul for pushing each other during a dead ball. Champagnie’s second technical was for making contact with Mitchell’s face, while Williams was T’d up for his actions during the fight.
Goble added that Mitchell and Wallace were tossed because they were not “acting as peacemakers” and were “escalating the altercation.”
The Wizards’ Anthony Gill appeared to shove Mitchell from behind, but Goble stated that no action was taken against him because Wallace pushed Gill into the scrum and it was “not observed that Gill did anything in an unsportsmanlike manner to assess a penalty.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s “worked with John Goble a long time,” and they discussed the ejections before “agreeing to disagree.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe was on the opposite side of the court and couldn’t see much of the scuffle, but he told reporters, “I just know that our guys stuck up for each other, which I always love.”
The authors note that Saturday’s incident was the third one involving the Thunder in the past few weeks. Luguentz Dort and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears had a post-game altercation on January 27 that resulted in $25K fines for each of them, and Dort was ejected for tripping Denver center Nikola Jokic in late February, which prompted a face-to-face confrontation between Jokic and Williams.
“It’s a combination of things,” Isaiah Hartenstein replied when asked about the skirmishes. “We’re a physical team. Every time we play, I think there’s always a chip on the other team’s shoulder. We’re also not gonna back down against anything. I don’t really put anyone at fault for that — it just happens. We have a passionate group of guys, and every time we play, teams are coming with their best shot, and sometimes, it just gets physical.”
Saturday’s exchange is expected to result at least in fines and possibly suspensions. They’ll likely be announced before the Wizards play Sunday night in New York. Oklahoma City’s next game is Monday at Philadelphia.
Luka Doncic Faces Automatic One-Game Suspension After 16th Technical
8:58 pm: Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers will file an appeal with the league to have the technical foul rescinded, McMenamin tweets. Redick claims Bitadze made a comment about Doncic’s mother in a language that the officials don’t understand.
8:33 pm: Luka Doncic was whistled for a technical foul late in the third quarter of tonight’s game in Orlando after an exchange with Goga Bitadze (Twitter video link from NBA on ESPN). It’s Doncic’s 16th technical of the season and will result in an automatic one-game suspension if it’s not rescinded, notes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). The suspension would be served Monday when the Lakers travel to Detroit.
Reaching 16 technicals also puts Doncic in jeopardy for the rest of the regular season. For every two additional technical fouls he receives, he will be automatically suspended for an additional game.
Doncic has always been an outspoken player on the court and frequently crosses the line when talking to officials and opponents. During a game against New York earlier this month, he was fined $50K for “directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official.” The gesture was the “money sign” that Doncic often flashes toward referees after not getting a call that he wants.
Doncic becomes the second player this season to reach 16 technicals and trigger the automatic suspension. Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks reached that number in mid-February.
Doncic has been playing at an MVP level lately, including a 40-point performance Wednesday at Houston, followed by a 60-point night Thursday in Miami. The Lakers have surged into third place in the West with an eight-game winning streak, but they’ll need Doncic on the court as much as possible to hold onto that seed in a tight race.
Peyton Watson Expected To Return Sunday For Nuggets
After missing six-plus weeks due to a right hamstring strain, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson is expected to be active for Sunday’s game against Portland, as Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
Watson was having a breakout fourth season for Denver prior to the injury, which he sustained in a double overtime loss at New York on February 4. In 49 games this season, including 39 starts (30.7 minutes per contest), the 23-year-old wing has averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal on .496/.417/.727 shooting.
The 30th and final first round-pick in the 2022 draft, Watson will be a restricted free agent this summer if he’s given a qualifying offer. That QO is currently worth $6.53MM, but would increase to $9.62MM if he meets the starter criteria by starting two more games this season.
In part because of injuries — Watson, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas have each missed extended time because of various ailments — the Nuggets have been pretty inconsistent this season, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. They opened the season with a 20-6 record, but have gone 23-22 since.
Denver’s up-and-down play was on full display on Thursday, when the team trailed Toronto by nine points entering the fourth quarter before pulling out a comeback victory. While head coach David Adelman acknowledged the Nuggets’ erratic season, he also said he has “extreme confidence” in his team.
“With what we have in the locker room, there’s no reason for us not to believe,” Jamal Murray said. “Of course we’re confident.”
The Nuggets are currently 43-28, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Wizards’ Trae Young Dealing With Quad, Back Injuries
It appears unlikely that Trae Young will return to the court this season.
The Wizards announced on Saturday that Young reinjured his right quadriceps, sustaining a contusion during the third quarter of their game against Golden State on Monday. Related imaging, due to ongoing back pain, confirmed lower back irritation, Josh Robbins of The Athletic relays (Twitter link).
Both injuries are being treated conservatively and will not require surgery at this time, the Wizards added.
It’s essentially been a lost season for the former All-Star. He only appeared in 10 games with the Hawks this season before the blockbuster trade with Washington in early January.
Young was a four-time All-Star with the Hawks, including last season when he was the NBA’s assists leader with 11.6 per game. However, he made limited appearances prior to the trade due to a sprained MCL in late October and the right quad contusion.
He has only played five games with the Wizards over the past two-plus months, averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per game.
Young holds a $49MM player option on his contract for next season. If Young were to sign an extension with the Wizards in the coming months, it would require him to turn down his option and replace it with a new deal starting in ’26/27. An agreement between the two sides could tack on a maximum of three years to the current season.
If Young picks up his option in June, he would be eligible during the offseason to sign an extension that begins in ’27/28 and adds up to four new seasons to his option year. If he were to turn down his option in favor of free agency, he could explore options outside of D.C., though the expectation at this time is that he’ll stick with the Wizards beyond this season.
Pistons First East Team To Clinch Playoff Spot
The Pistons became the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot when they defeated Golden State on Friday.
Detroit, which was playing without star guard Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) and backup center Isaiah Stewart (calf strain), received key contributions from several players in the win. Jalen Duren (a team-high 23 points in 21 minutes), Daniss Jenkins (22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) and Ausar Thompson (career-high seven steals) were among the standouts.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discussed the achievement after Friday’s game, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets.
“They’ve been a joy to coach,” Bickerstaff said. “They’ve been one of the most connected teams I’ve ever been a part of. I feel fortunate every single day I get to come to work with these guys. … The spirit they play with every night is just different here.”
The Pistons improved to 51-19 with the victory. They currently have a four-game lead over Boston for the top seed in the East.
The Thunder and Spurs, the only teams ahead of Detroit in the standings, both clinched spots in the West earlier this week.
No matter what happens the rest of the regular season, the Pistons can finish no worse than No. 6 in the East, which guarantees a playoff berth. They’re in a strong position to finish first, though their remaining schedule is pretty difficult.
2025/26 continued a dramatic turnaround for Detroit, which had the worst record (14-68) in the NBA just two years ago. The Pistons improved by 30 wins last season, going 44-38 en route to the sixth seed and a first-round playoff loss to New York. They have a chance to win 60-plus games this season.